FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SENATORS KENNEDY, DODD, AND HARKIN SPEAK OUT AGAINST PIPES NOMINATION TO THE USIP PUTTING VOTE ON HOLD July 23, 2002 - Voting by the Senate HELP Committee on the nomination of extremist Daniel Pipes to the US Institute for Peace was put on hold today to give Senators more time to consider the “controversial nominee” as Senators Kennedy, Harkin, and Dodd spoke out strongly against the nomination. The three Senators together hit the major points that should have disqualified Pipes from the beginning for this or any other government position. Senator Kennedy of Massachusetts, urging his colleagues to oppose the nomination, opened the remarks with particular focus on Pipes well-known views on Muslims. Citing Pipes’ remarks that Western European societies are unprepared for the massive immigration of brown-skinned peoples cooking strange foods and maintaining different standards of hygiene...All immigrants bring exotic customs and attitudes, but Muslim customs are more troublesome than most." (National Review, 11/19/90) Senator Dodd from Connecticut in concurring with Kennedy cited the mission of the USIP to solve conflicts by negotiation rather than violence and cited more of Pipe’s remarks showing instead his preference for the use of force that Pipes is so well-known for (e.g., see Pipe’s tract the day before on “Discarding the Rules of War” http://www.actsofconscience.net/Pipes/escalation.html which advocates escalating the use of violence in American foregin policy). Senator Harkin of Iowa followed with personal remarks about his own immigrant family and how offended he was with Pipes bigoted view of Muslims. Quoting Pipes the “increased stature, and affluence, and enfranchisement of American Muslims...will present true dangers to American Jews." (American Jewish Congress Convention, 10/21/01), Senator Harkin, appearing exasperated, said, "Enfranchisement? Mr. Pipes is talking about voting!...Mr. Pipes' fears...fall on deaf ears when it comes to this Senator...” Senator Harkin then went on to focus on Pipes’ neo-McCarthyite website “Campus Watch” which, as part of a growing network of righ-wing extremists, seeks to silence free speech and opposing political views. This “is not the kind of person you want on the USIP” Harkin stated. Other comments made before the Chairman agreed to postpone the vote were those of Senator Jeffords of Vermont ended the meeting by saying, "the only argument for [Pipes] is that he would stimulate debate...and that is not very strong.", URGENT ACTION REQUESTED: This is a huge first step, but all the extremists on the other side are doing everythiong they can. Please send a brief email to Senators Kennedy, Dodd, and Harken (and also phone if you can) thanking them for speaking out against the nomination and urging them not to back down on this benchmark decision. The easy-to-use web email forms for each are as follows: http://kennedy.senate.gov/index_low.html http://dodd.senate.gov/webmail/form-opinion.html http://harkin.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm Phone numbers are: Edward Kennedy (MA) Phone: In Wash (202) 224-4543, Fax: (202) 224-2417 In MA 617/565-3170 Christopher Dodd (CT) Phone: In Wash (202) 224-2823, Fax: (202) 224-1683 In CT 800-334-2823 (CT only) (860)258-6940 Tom Harkin (IA) Phone: (202) 224-3254, Fax: (202) 224-9369 If you have time, please contact the other members of the Committee (see link for HELP Committee on front page of Say No To Pipes Campaign http://www.say-no-to-pipes.org) If you have time, please also write your local newspapers urging them to join the growing momentum and help make sure that this completely unqualified nominee does not go through. For further information, background, and letter signed by more than 500 university and college professors across the country and more than 4,500 co-signatories go to Say No To Pipes Campaign http://www.say-no-to-pipes.org PLEASE POST AND DISTRIBUTE AS WIDELY AS POSSIBLE
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