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.  The vote column will indicate the exact nature of the vote.  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 take this action.  However, if a representative has more than one or two HRPs, researchers 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 that 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. 

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)   (9/26/06C-12/08/06D)

Votes counted this page:    

Since bills not expected to be signed have no effect on human rights and since Congress has the power to eliminate Bush's veto power (via impeachment in the House and conviction in the Senate),  grandstanding bills will not be calculated.  Grandstanding and pretending to be for human rights doesn't help anyone.  Bills which are harmful to human rights that are expected to be signed are calculated by a subtraction for those supporting those bills.  Opposition to anti-human rights legislation and blockage of funds for causes harmful to human rights can make a significant human rights difference.

1/31/07:  Roll Call 72  was the passage of another approriations bill (H J Res 20), giving appropriations to all the wrong corporations (including expenses for war & occupation, nukes, and other harmful stuff) and limiting the assistance available to the needy, that needed to be opposed.  >From the content posted in Thomas, it looks as if the money is going through the World Bank.

3/22/07:  Roll Call 182, which provided for the consideration of HR 1591, allowed the appropriations for the occupation & war to proceed to the floor.  It could have been stopped before reaching the floor and could have helped bring the occupation to a conclusion if this vote had failed.  This provides funding for an attack on Iran and for continuance of the occuptaion in Iraq for years in the future.  It contained a timetable, which Bush could chose to suspend and ignore.

3/23/07: Roll Call 186 was the vote to approve the emergency supplemental appropriations for an attack on Iran and for continuing the occupation in Iraq for years into the future.  It contained a timetable Bush could suspend and ignore.

3/29/07: Roll Call 212 was the agreement on the resolution for the Congressional Budget, containing more military appropriations.  The various bills appropriated approximately $300 billion in new funding for the occupation.  This allows the occupation to continue for many years into the future.

5/10/07:  Roll Call 333 provided continuing funding for contractors for the occupation in Iraq.  Without this funding the killing would have to end.

5/17/07: Roll Call 373 was the National Defense Authorization Act, which provided more funding for the occupation, war and for attacks on American Civil Liberties.

5/24/07: Roll Call 418 allowed consideration of the Senate amendment to HR2206 (appropriations) that allowed the bill to pass without any restrictions or deadlines.  This rule change guaranteed the passage of the appropriations bill while on a later vote those who guaranteed passage pretended to oppose the bill by voting against it.  The grandstanding through the phony later vote is not counted as it was a fraud.

6/6/07A:  Roll Call 436 would have diverted $500,000 of the funding for the occupation of Afghanistan (HR2446) to Post-Operations Humanitarin Relief.

6/6/07B: Roll Call 438 continued funding for the occupation of Afghanistan (HR2446).

6/15/07:  Roll Call 491 (Homeland Security Appropriations) provided funding for attacks on civil liberties and for war.

Patrick Henry Democratic Club of America