Iraq,
Columbia town hall focus
By Jill Thomsen
On-line Forty-Niner
Constituents
gathered Saturday morning for a town hall
meeting with local U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher,
R-Long Beach, whose original agenda was
altered due to the explosion of space shuttle
Columbia.
“First and foremost, this is not a tragedy,”
said Rohrabacher. “This is part of the risks
that everybody knows people take when we
have manned space travel.”
Rohrabacher has been a member of the House
Science space and aeronautics subcommittee
since 1989. The subcommittee’s primary focus
is NASA and space exploration.” The odds
just caught up with us,” he said.
“Today’s accident underscores that we can’t
take the space program for granted. We have
been lulled into a sense of security.”
Attended by almost 50 citizens, most questions
from the audience focused on the current
economy, possible war with Iraq and homeland
security issues.
Janet King, a Spanish teacher at Polytechnic
High School, attended her first town hall
because “I am very concerned about Congressman
Rohrabacher’s nonsupport of public education,”
she said. “I am also concerned about the
impending war with Iraq.” King heard about
the meeting through a teacher’s union.
Although Rohrabacher, a Republican, has
served in Congress since 1989, the 108th
Congress, which convened Jan. 7, is the
first time he has represented the area of
Long Beach which contains Cal State Long
Beach.
After the congressional reapportionment
of 2000, Rohrabacher’s new district encompasses
parts of Long Beach, the Palos Verdes Peninsula
and the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.
Rohrabacher graduated from CSULB in 1969
with a history degree.
Rohrabacher’s speech focused on the current
conflicts with Iraq, as well as various
domestic issues, including illegal immigration.
“The most important domestic issue facing
our area and the country is illegal immigration.
If we don’t stop the flow of illegal immigration
into our country it’s going to lead to a
catastrophe.” Rohrabacher noted that he
feels illegal immigration is negatively
affecting health care, education and the
prison system.
“If you take illegal immigrants out of the
situation in these areas, we’re doing pretty
good,” he said.
Rohrabacher is a senior member of the House
International Relations committee, and was
one of the main architects of the recently-passed
Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002,
which commits the United States to assisting
in reconstruction in Afghanistan.
Speaking regarding a possible war with Iraq,
Rohrabacher noted that “you have every reason
to be apprehensive. This president’s father
didn’t do his job.”
Rohrabacher, however, was strong in his
words against Saddam Hussein and said that
the war “doesn’t have to be about al Qaida,
it’s about a threat to the U.S. Saddam Hussein
will kill your grandchildren if he can.”
Dixon Johnson, USC administrator and a new
member of Rohrabacher’s district, said the
congressman “is outspoken and confident.
He has great strength in his beliefs and
at least we know where he comes from.”
Mark Thomas of east Long Beach said he came
to the town hall out of curiosity.
“I don’t think he’s a fighter,” Thomas said.
“He’s just repeating the party line and
he’s so right wing I don’t think he’s in
touch with real people.”
The congressman and attendees paused to
listen to President Bush’s press conference,
which occurred during the middle of the
town hall. Local media soon arrived to interview
the congressman on his reaction to the disaster.
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