May 2004

Welcome to the May edition of my Washington Report. I hope this newsletter keeps you informed about some of the important matters facing our State, our Nation, and the U.S. Senate.

In this edition, I'll be addressing the following issues:

  • Recent developments in Iraq
  • Reducing gun and gang violence
  • Preventing wildfires in California
  • Ensuring the safety of Internet pharmacies

If you have any comments or questions on these or any other issues, please don't hesitate to let me know. I also welcome your feedback on this newsletter and suggestions about ways in which I can better communicate with my constituents.

Please send any comments you have through my website.

Best wishes,

U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein

Recent developments in Iraq
Like all Americans, I was horrified by the recent murder of Nicholas Berg in Iraq. The barbaric attack on this young man reminds us that we have much to do to ensure the safety of our soldiers and civilians in Iraq as well as the safety of Iraqi citizens. The recent assassination of Izzedin Salim, head of the Iraqi Governing Council, underscores the fact that we have failed to secure the country in the 14 months since the Iraq war began. It is my hope that we will work closer with our allies and the United Nations to provide adequate troops to secure Iraq.

I am also deeply disturbed by the recent reports and photos of the abuse of prisoners at the Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq. We are still trying to gather all of the facts of what occurred in that prison and other U.S.-run facilities around the world, but one thing is clear - this treatment is unacceptable. The United States has long been the world's strongest force for human rights, liberty and freedom. Through these actions, the soldiers responsible for this abuse have harmed our nation's moral authority and endangered Americans everywhere. We must now respond swiftly to punish this abuse and set clear guidelines for the interrogation and treatment of prisoners under U.S. authority. In particular, I urge our military leadership to adhere to the Geneva Conventions at all times in any current or future conflict.

To view my recent comments on Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and the abuse of Iraqi prisoners, please go to: Statement of Senator Feinstein - On Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld and the Abuse of Iraqi Prisoners (5/6/04)

Reducing gun and gang violence
Unless Congress and the President act soon, newly manufactured AK-47s, TEC-9s, and 17 other military-style assault weapons could once again be available at your local gun shop starting September 13. On that day, the assault weapons ban is set to expire after ten successful years of blocking the manufacture and importation of 19 assault weapons and dozens of other automatic and semiautomatic weapons with certain characteristics, reducing the number of these weapons on the streets of our cities. In fact, the proportion of banned assault weapons traced to crimes has dropped by 65.8% since 1995, according to the Justice Department.

The availability of these weapons in stores and on our streets is a grave danger to our communities and the law enforcement officers who protect us. On April 10, San Francisco Police Officer Isaac Espinoza, right, was gunned down with an AK-47, taking three shots in the back as the gunman fired 15 rounds in just a few seconds. The suspect in the shootings is a known gang member. Within 12 days of Officer Espinoza's shooting, two other law enforcement officers, Merced Police Officer Stephan Gray, and California Highway Patrol Officer Thomas Steiner, were killed in gang-related shootings. A fourth man, Los Angeles Police Officer Ricardo Lizarraga, was murdered in a gang-related shooting in February.

In addition to my effort renew the assault weapons ban, I'm working to stem the tide of gang violence in California and across the Nation. In 2003, over half of the 499 murders committed in the city of Los Angeles were the result of gang violence. I've introduced legislation with Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) to give law enforcement and local communities the tools to deal with gang violence. Our legislation:

  • Creates new federal crimes to enable prosecutors to target violent gang members;
  • Changes current law to allow for more effective prosecution of violent street gang crimes;
  • Authorizes $650 million for law enforcement and community groups for suppression, prevention, and intervention programs.

To learn more about Officers Espinoza, Gray, Steiner, and Lizarraga and my legislation to tackle gang violence, please go to: Senator Feinstein Urges Renewal of Assault Weapons Ban, Passage of Anti-Gang Legislation to Protect Cops & Communities (4/29/04)

To view recent editorials in support of renewing the assault weapons ban, please go to: NRA's Eye Is Fixed on Bush (Los Angeles Times, 5/16/04)

Renew the weapons ban (San Francisco Chronicle, 4/22/04)

Preventing wildfires in California
Even though it's not yet summer, more than 33,000 acres of forest have already burned in Southern California – on top of 750,000 acres last fall. The weather has been unusually warm this year and could mean a treacherous fire season. I've been urging the Department of Agriculture to speed up the delivery of fire prevention funding, and I'm pleased to report that these funds will now flow faster as the Department is now waiving the local matching funds requirement. This is an important boost to our fire prevention efforts and will help the $120 million in funding approved by Congress last year get to the communities that need it as quickly as possible.

I'm also working to ensure that the U.S. Forest Service has the equipment it needs to fight wildfires. In particular, I'm concerned about a recent decision by the Forest Service to ground a fleet of air tankers used to fight wildfires when they are just starting. The 33 air tankers, 14 of which provide service to California, are effective in the initial attack phase before small fires erupt out of control. Though the planes have safety problems, replacement helicopters and smaller planes are unable to respond as quickly and effectively to wildfires.

To learn more about my work on fire prevention efforts, please go to: Senator Feinstein Questions Forest Service Grounding of Firefighting Air Tankers (5/13/04)

Senator Dianne Feinstein Seeks to Make Federal Funding for Fire Prevention Available Sooner (5/11/04)

Ensuring the safety of Internet pharmacies
Three years ago, an honor roll student from La Mesa, California died after taking a fatal combination of prescription drugs that he purchased over the Internet using a debit card. The student, Ryan Haight, purchased the drugs from one of the estimated 500 pharmacies that sell drugs over the Internet without adequate safeguards. These rogue Internet pharmacies sell drugs without requiring a prescription or proof of a doctor's visit. And they use aggressive marketing tactics including e-mail spam to sell their products.

Senator Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) and I have introduced legislation to crack down on these pharmacies by:

• Require Internet pharmacies to identify their business, pharmacist and physician for consumers;
• Prohibit Internet pharmacies from distributing drugs to consumers with a prescription based solely on an online questionnaire; and
• Give state Attorneys General the ability to shut down rogue websites nationwide, rather than just in their individual jurisdictions.

To learn more about my efforts to improve the safety of Internet pharmacy sales, please go to: Senators Feinstein, Coleman Seek To Make Using Internet Pharmacies Safer (5/20/04)

Please send any comments through my web site.

 

Home News Site Map Contact Me Issue Updates