HOME RUN (H RUN): This Congressperson took a stand for the American people. +10 points

AWOL: This Congressperson was AWOL when the American people needed him/her to take a stand. -5 points

STRIKE: This Congressperson voted or agreed to an outcome harmful to the American people, freedom and/or democracy. -10 points

STRIKE PRESENT (STRP) and HOME RUN PRESENT (HRP): PRESENT is usually a protest vote.  When the protest vote would make a difference (or if a combination of the AWOLs and PRESENT votes added together would make a difference, as was the case on 1/6/05), it will be counted the same as a strike.  When it is a protest by individuals who know that they are outnumbered and are simply standing up and saying they will not vote on the bill at all, we will give them the home run points.  However, from looking at the vote column, you can see whether the home runs or strikes were voted as a PRESENT.  In 2005, we counted PRESENT votes as zero. We believe that by taking into account the effect and the intent of the "present" vote on the 2006 chart, it will give a clearer picture of the voting records of the individuals who use take this action.  However, if a representative has more than one or two HRPs, the readers should wonder why this individual doesn't  take a clearer position on the issues.  

Total: The accumulated points to date on major votes.

** This indicates the total and HR Percentage took into account a lengthy leave by individuals for serious health or other major reaons that cannot be atributed to the fault of the individual congressperson.  For example, Lane Evans has Parkinson's disease and has missed most of the votes this year due to his health problems.   Since, it is desirable that the scores accurately reflect where the individuals stand on the issues, their human rights percentage will exclude the time during these special leaves.  Their totals will necessarily be lower because they were not there to accumulate as many good scores as they might have otherwise received.

Human Rights Percentage or HR%: Current percentage of votes in favor of human-rights of all votes related to human rights issues in 2006 rounded to the nearest percentage.  This column will be revised as each ten-vote layer of the chart is completed.  Until each layer of the chart is finished, the HR% will reflect the fiinal score from the previous layer of the chart. 

Perfect scores and bad leadership: At last recorded vote, the only perfect score was that of Dennis Kucinich.  Subtractions for both the minority leader and minority whip included votes for two pieces of legislation clearing the way for war with Iran and legislation giving $513 billion to war profiteers.

AFR: (Absent for special reason) (Where deducting for absenses would misrepresent a person's voting score):  (1) Evans was on leave from a serious illness and missed a great many votes.  His score (of +10) from before his absenses started is being brought forward on Chart 3 but does not reflect how he would have stood on the ones he missed.  (2) Kennedy of Rhode Island has been in rehabilitation and has missed a numbser of votes.  His score (from before his leave) of +20 is being brought forward on Chart 3.  (3)  Cynthia McKinney (who normally recieves home runs for her votes) was absent fighting a right-wing infiltration of her primary and election-fixing by Diebold around the time of her primary.  Only a small number of votes on which she probably would have received home runs got this designation.  As a result, her score is lower than if she had been present and received the home runs but won't have points deducted for the small number of ansenses during that time period. This only affects her votes on chart 4 (July) of 2006.

Previous votes:  (1/6/05-4/28/05)  (5/5/05-6/9/05)  (6/15/05-7/20/05B)  (7/20/05C-7/28/05C)  (9/14/05-9/29/05D)  (10/07/05-11/09/05B)  (11/17/05-12/19/05A)  (12/19/05B-12/19/05C)  (2/1/06-4/26/06A)  (4/26/06-5/25/06)  (6/07/06A-6/22/06B)  (6/29/06-7/28/06)   (7/29/06-9/26/06C)   (9/27/06-12/8/06D)

Votes counted this page:

6/7/06A: This was the vote on the Refinery Permit Process Schedule Act that lowered the environmental standards for refineries, necessarily increasing the number of deaths from a variety of respiratory illnesses.

6/7/06B:  S 2803 was the Make Mines More Dangerous and Limit Recovery for Victims Act (although the people who want to limit the liabilty of the mines for injuries to the miners through this act have a name that exresses the opposite of what it really stands for).           

6/8/06:  This was the vote on Roll Call 239, the Markey Amendment (which attemted to attach the Network Neutrality Act of 2006 Act to the Communications, etc., Act of 2006).  Markey pointed out that, without the amendment, the bill would spell the "end of the Internet as we know it," allowing telephone companies to discriminate in Internet service and fundamentally change the character of the Internet.  The amendment failed.  The Communications Act passed but, because of the failure of this amendment, it passed without the safeguards to proect against discrimination.

6/9/06: Roll Call 250 (HR 5522) Was the vote to appropriate money for "foreign operations, export financing, and related programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2007, and for other purposes."  This  provided for transfer of funds to overseas private investment corporations, for sales of weapons (that could later be used to blow up Americans) and basically used American money for a variety of purposes for which the American people would never approve its use.  This is what the movie Syriana was all about.

6/16/06: H Res 861 was the 1984 lie that the United States can win a war against a concept.  This infinite war that this lie perpetuates provides the Bush Administration with its fictitious excuse that they can steal the rights of Americans for a non-existant war.

6/20/06A:  HR 5228 is a bill which would further cut back on or eliminate diplomatic relations with countries, such as Cuba, Iran, Sudan, Syria, and North Korea, where increased diplomatic ties are in the public interest and in the interests of preventing wars.

6/20/06B: Roll Call 301 was the vote on the Hinchey-Kucinich Amendment to the Department of Defense Apprpiriations Act, 2007.  This amendment, which failed, would have prevented appropriated funds from being given to the Lincoln Group, an organization that, in violation of Pentagon policy, had reportedly been using funds provided to it to perform Psych ops and to plant  false articles in Iraqi newspapers to mislead the Iraqi people about reality and would likely continue to use appropriated funds to further break the law.

6/20/06C: Roll Call 305 was the vote on the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2007 (HR 5631).  This bill provided more funding for war and killing. 

6/22/06A: This was the vote on HR 5638 (the Don't Let Billionaires Pay Their Fair Share Permanent Rich Person's Estate Tax Relief Act).  While the poor are paying more than their fair share of taxes, bills like this protect the rich from joining in in paying their fair share.

6/22/06B: This was the vote on HR4890, the Line Item Veto Act..  With the opposition of the current minority party to human rights, often the only path to get human rights issues into law is to attach them to other bills that are guaranteed to pass.  The Line Item Veto allows an anti-human rights president to strip all the human rights legislation and anything else good out of bills.