Courage Campaign: Tell Lamar Smith that You're Not Stupid

The Courage Campaign is already back to work after the convention. Straight from the inbox to you:

Tomorrow morning at 9 am, Lamar Smith will be conducting a press conference at Austin City Hall where he will try to pretend that he is an ally of the environment. We have already seen the same type of election-year pandering across the country this year, and we would like for you to stop by City Hall at 9 am to be a part of our rally. Please pass this message along to anyone you know who is concerned about the environment.

Earlier this month we launched a new website, www.ConservationWithCourage.com that outlines John’s stances on various environmental issues, ranging from ANWR to renewable energies/peak oil and global warming. John Courage is a true supporter of the environment, and I would ask for you to please forward this website to anyone who would be interested. For those who feel that perhaps Smith is “taking steps forward,” I invite you to take a look at these basic facts and realize that this is nothing more than obscene election year pandering:

Smith’s environmental voting score for the period 1994-2005 was a dismal 4.5%, according to the League of Conservation Voters. That puts him down toward the bottom even among Republicans across the country. His 2005 LCV score was zero.

The Texas Environmental Watch Alliance scored area Congressman on ten of their votes in 2005. Smith got a zero.

The Sierra Club scored Congressional reps on five major environmental issues for 2005. Again, Smith got a zero.
In 2005 Smith voted for the Energy bill (HR6) which provided billions of dollars in tax breaks and other subsidies to the oil, gas, and nuclear industries but very little funding to renewable energy industries.

In 2005 Smith voted against Amendment 73 to the Energy bill (HR6) that would have raised the CAFÉ standards for cars and light trucks to 33 mpg and saved 1 million barrels of oil/day by 2016.

In 2004 Smith voted for an earlier energy bill (also HR6) that would have “slighted clean, efficient energy technologies and left the currently weak automobile fuel efficiency standards in place” (LCV 2004 National Environmental Scorecard, p.19)

In 2003, Smith voted against the Boehlert-Markey amendment to 2003’s energy bill (again HR6) that would have reduced the amount of oil consumed by U.S. automobiles by 5% by 2010.

In 2001 an earlier Boehlert-Markey amendment was proposed to the 2001 House energy bill (HR4) that would have required both cars and light trucks to meet a 27.5 mpg standard by 2007. Smith voted against this amendment.

From 1994 through 2005 there were 10 bills introduced into the House that addressed global climate change. Smith voted against addressing global warming 9 times out of 10. Is this the record of someone who has consistently backed safe, clean renewable energy alternatives? Heck no! This is the record of a guy who is sucking up to Austin environmentalists just before an election where he faces rather worrisome competition from a genuine environmentalist. Please join us tomorrow morning at 9am for a flash rally to let Lamar Smith you're not stupid, and please forward this message to everyone you know.

Nick Lawrie
Campaign Director
TEAM COURAGE

P.S.--Don't forget to vote for John Courage as the first Mark Warner Mapchanger. Voting ends Tuesday!