Category Archives: U.S. Congress

Cotton right about virus’ importance

Health care, U.S. Congress

Feb. 27, 2020

By Steve Brawner
© 2020 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Looks like Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton was on track Jan. 30 when he called the COVID-19 coronavirus “the biggest and most important story in the world.”

Time will tell if it’s actually the biggest and most important story, but it’s definitely big and important.

As of Thursday, the virus has killed nearly 3,000 people, mostly in China where it originated, and led to widespread quarantines in that country. More than 80,000 people have been infected globally. Outbreaks are happening in South Korea, Italy, and elsewhere. The leader of Iran’s virus task force tested positive one day after telling his country not to overreact to the disease. The International Olympic Committee’s longest serving member this week suggested the Tokyo Summer Olympics could be cancelled. Probably not coincidentally, Japan is closing all its schools for a month.

President Trump on Wednesday announced he was appointing Vice President Mike Pence to head the nation’s anti-coronavirus efforts. Only 60 Americans have been infected so far, most coming from a single cruise ship. But the latest person hasn’t traveled or come in close contact with anyone known to be infected. That’s concerning. On Tuesday, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the virus will spread here, though the CDC can’t know how much. Regardless, she said Americans should “prepare for the expectation that this might be bad.” Life here could be disrupted and marked by “social distancing measures” such as closing schools. There’s no vaccine, yet. Continue reading Cotton right about virus’ importance →

Cotton goes to war against a virus

Health care, U.S. Congress

By Steve Brawner, © 2020 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Feb. 4, 2020

Sen. Tom Cotton, the ex-combat infantryman, tends to see the world – and describe it – in terms of threats and adversaries: Iran, terrorists, illegal immigrants, legal immigrants who take Americans’ jobs, the Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei, President Obama and other Democrats, etc. He often uses strong, uncompromising language.

Lately, he’s focused on a new, developing threat, the coronavirus that China says has killed more than 400 of its people, and which has started spreading to other countries. As of Monday, there were 11 confirmed cases in the United States.

On Jan. 30, Cotton said in a Senate Armed Services Committee meeting that the coronavirus is “the biggest and most important story in the world” and something that “could result in a global pandemic.” He called for banning all commercial air travel between China and the United States and for a “Manhattan Project-level effort” to develop a vaccine. The Manhattan Project created the atomic bomb in World War II.

Cotton’s remarks are notable because this time the threat he’s talking about isn’t a person or group of people, but a virus.

Viruses are microorganisms that invade the body and reproduce by attaching to cells and reprogramming them to create more viruses. They can mutate, frustrating our efforts to stop them. Continue reading Cotton goes to war against a virus →

Another Senate candidate – maybe

Elections, Independents and third parties, Politics, U.S. Congress
Ricky Harrington is the Libertarian nominee for Senate.

By Steve Brawner, © 2019 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Sen. Tom Cotton has another opponent as of Saturday – maybe.

The Libertarian Party of Arkansas held its convention that day and nominated Ricky Harrington, 34, of Pine Bluff to run against Cotton and the only announced Democrat, Josh Mahony.

Libertarians support very limited government. They are to the right of Republicans on tax and spending issues. They are to the left of many Democrats on some other issues, such as opposing the drug war and the use of force in general.

Prison reform is one of Harrington’s biggest concerns. An employee of the prison system, he supports reducing the size of Arkansas’ inmate population, particularly with respect to nonviolent offenders. During a brief interview, he said he supports abolishing the Department of Homeland Security, repealing the Patriot Act, ending “endless” wars, and protecting gun rights.

He says he was inspired to enter the race by several events, including this year’s passage of Act 164. (More on that subject in a few paragraphs.) The Harding University graduate was working as a missionary in China in 2016 and was dismayed by what he saw happening in the U.S. presidential campaign. He’s African American, and when he returned to Arkansas, he said he was stopped by police for driving 35 miles per hour in a 40 mph zone. That was a frustrating moment for someone who had just spent two years in a communist country. Continue reading Another Senate candidate – maybe →

What Crawford, Westerman must consider with Trump

Politics, U.S. Congress

By Steve Brawner, © 2019 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

I don’t know the real reasons why people do things, including often myself. This column is about considerations.

Recently, all four U.S. House of Representatives members from Arkansas voted for a resolution criticizing President Trump’s decision to let Turkey attack the Kurds. It passed 354-60 with 225-0 support among Democrats and 129-60 support among Republicans.

That was interesting but not surprising. Republicans and Democrats disagree about much, but there’s a consensus – not unanimous agreement, but consensus – that the United States cannot simply disengage from the world’s hotspots. Trump disrupts that consensus, as he does so many things.

Also interesting – and also not surprising – were the comments made by Arkansas’ House members, as reported by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Continue reading What Crawford, Westerman must consider with Trump →