SCIENCE

April 30, 2018

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher,

101 Main Street #380

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Dear Congressman,

Re: Science

I note that the House of Representatives rejected your four amendments to the annual FAA reauthorization bill, seeking to protect Orange County residents from the noise pollution from aircraft taking off and landing at the John Wayne airport.

I wrote about this last week. While the cause is a worthy one if taken in isolation, it is minor when compared with the bigger picture. “The House chose the efficiency of airplanes over your quality of life,” you complained to readers on your Facebook page. And rightly so. Their vote opts for by far the lesser of two evils. It is environmental folly to require aircraft to fly higher and wider around our local airport, using more fuel and increasing carbon emission pollution, in order to spare us (I include myself among those who dislike the noise) some relatively speaking small discomfort and annoyance.

In a planetary emergency like the one we’re facing, we need to consider the quality of life of all the world’s inhabitants, including our fellow-travelers in the animal kingdom. We’re all in this together. We all need to breathe clean air. We need clean water, and a stable climate. It’s not simply a concern for a handful of, well, mostly quite comfortable human beings, thank you, in this wealthy enclave of Southern California. That is, of course, if you believe the science, which apparently many of your colleagues don’t.

How about you, Congressman. Do you believe the science? Just wondering…

Respectfully,

Peter Clothier, Ph.D.

THE SWAMP

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher,

101 Main Street #380

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Dear Congressman,

Re: The swamp

Here’s what Mick Mulvaney, head of the Office of Management and Budget and temporary director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, had to say the other day to an audience of 1,300 bankers and lending officials: “We had a hierarchy in my office in Congress. If you’re a lobbyist who never gave us money, I didn’t talk to you. If you’re a lobbyist who gave us money, I might talk to you.”

Which sheds some light on the fact that you have never once responded to a single one of the more than 250 letters I have sent you. I never gave you money. I’m guessing that, like Mulvaney, you talk only to those who do.

The stench from Trump’s swamp—the one he promised to drain—grows more noxious by the day. Far from draining it, he has created one so deep and malodorous, it outstinks any in the history of this suffering country.

And what, may I ask, are you doing about it, Congressman? I have not heard a single peep of protest or outrage from you. Time to get out the air freshener (aerosol! Ugh!) and start spraying.

Best,

Peter Clothier, Ph.D.

POLLUTION

April 25, 2018

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher,

101 Main Street #380

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Dear Congressman,

Re: Okay, but…

I read your tweet yesterday about working to “mitigate the increase of jet engine noise over our neighborhoods” and thought to myself, “Okay, but…”

The “okay” is that it’s certainly a good thing to reduce noise pollution—over our neighborhoods and elsewhere. It’s a good thing to reduce every kind of pollution that impinges on our quality of life, whether air, or noise, or light, or indeed any other form. Life in contemporary America is hard enough. We have too many sources of stress, which result in all kinds of uncivil behavior. The human species survived, evolved, even—if you happen to believe in evolution, as I do and apparently a large number of Americans do not—on a planet that did not have these particular health hazards, so our bodies and minds are ill-prepared to accommodate to them.

So there is a “but.” There is, in my view, more than a taste of “not in my back yard” provincialism to your pronouncement that I find questionable. All very well to cater to the mild discomfort of our generally wealthy and materially comfortable communities; but this should not be accompanied by neglect of the huge problems of pollution that affect the entire planet. While you, in comfortable Orange County, complain about the noise of the jet planes that carry us in relative luxury and with amazing speed on our trips throughout the planet, there are literally millions of human beings who are forced to suffer the consequences of our national embrace of fossil fuels and our failure to accept responsibility for our contribution to world-wide pollution.

While you complain about the noise of take-off and landing, you do nothing about the pollution that is distributed liberally in the earth’s atmosphere in between.

Respectfully,

Peter Clothier, Ph.D.

NIMBY

April 17, 2018

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher,
101 Main Street #380
Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Dear Congressman,

Re: NIMBY

I just came across your appalling statement from 23 March titled “Homeless Shelter Nonsense.” You write as “a parent who owns a modest home in an Orange County neighborhood,” protesting against “County homeless compounds setting up shop in our local communities” and calling this humanitarian action “a travesty.”

First, on purely moral grounds, whatever happened to Christian charity—or, for myself, Buddhist compassion? You call it “an outrage” to be “assuming responsibility for homeless people and taking care of their basic needs”—this, in one of the wealthiest communities in the entire country? The outrage, Congressman, is your outrage.

Next, is it not your job to represent all the people of your district, not merely the Republican or the rich ones? Not merely those fortunate enough to live in comfort, like yourself and your family? These people whom you so despise are also your constituents, Congressman. You “represent” them. My turn to be outraged, by your dismissal of their needs.

I find it difficult to believe that any responsible human being could have written such a screed, let alone one elected to the privilege of serving the people of our district.

Again, without too much respect this morning,



Peter Clothier, Ph.D.

TIME TO LEAVE?

April 17, 2018

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher,

101 Main Street #380

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Dear Congressman,

Re: Time to leave?

The number of Republican congressional representatives who have decided to leave rather than face stiff reelection odds in the fall continues to mount. Thus far, there are nearly 50 of them making that considered decision. Which leads me to ask:

How about it, Congressman?  Is it time to rethink your previously announced decision not to leave? Or do you still think your surf-riding skills will make it possible for you to ride the predicted Blue Tsunami? (For which, by the way, along with many other Democrats, I am not holding my breath. We also have serious work to do).

Respectfully,

Peter Clothier, Ph.D.

MUM'S THE WORD

April 17, 2018

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher,

101 Main Street #380

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Dear Congressman,

Re: Volte face

In case you’re unfamiliar with that precise French expression, it means—according to Wikipedia’s definition—“an abrupt and complete reversal of attitude, opinion, or position.”  It’s about the only thing your Trump is any good at, witness today’s news in the New York Times, that he has reversed his administration’s latest decision on sanctions to be leveled against Russia.

We are surprised and shocked, of course. One comment noted in the Times article is that the rest of the world has difficulty knowing whether to laugh or cry. Russia, the same person noted, has no difficulty laughing.

Does it not bother you that the United States has become a laughing stock to the rest of the world? What are you planning to do or say about this, as a US Congressman? Still nothing?

Shame on you, sir, for your silence.

Not so respectfully today,

Peter Clothier, Ph.D.

SCOUT'S HONOR

April 16, 2018

 Rep. Dana Rohrabacher,
101 Main Street #380
Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Dear Congressman,

Re: Scout’s honor

Regarding the James Comey brouhaha: it’s pretty simple, really, isn’t it? Who are you going to believe, the man who’s proves himself almost daily to be a compulsive, serial liar… or the Eagle Scout?

I agree that Comey can be a pretty annoying witness. The self-righteous, punctilious sense of duty that compelled him to make that spurious statement, days before the 2016 election, that surely contributed to Hillary Clinton’s loss is on display again as he talks about his book and the moral transgressions of Donald Trump. There is a point at which a pious sense of honor overcomes common sense.

But can you seriously doubt that Trump is a liar? Can you condone the attitude toward women expressed not only in the infamous “pussy” tape but in a variety of other circumstances, too? Can you excuse the conflicts of interest that allow him to enrich himself, as well as his family and friends? Can you explain his continuing deference to more than one murderous dictator—though most especially Russia’s Putin? Comey comes across, in his latest ABC interview as elsewhere, as earnest, frank, and scrupulously honest. That a President of the United States would stoop to the kind of petty invective of Trump’s tweets is beyond comprehension. Aside from anything else, it validates everything that Comey has to say about him.

I ask you to join those few Republican voices of conscience that have begun to speak out about the president’s turpitude. Unless you do, you are complicit in his lies and his infantile behavior. 

Respectfully,


Peter Clothier, Ph.D,

YOUR TWEET

April 11, 2018

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher,

101 Main Street #380

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Dear Congressman,

Re: Your Tweet

Just when I complain about your not tweeting (amongst other communications) you go ahead prove me wrong by tweeting yesterday. A nice coincidence.

But I have to say your tweet made little sense to me. You seemed to be commending your Trump for “standing up to dictators with strength” and asserting that his fooling around with tariffs has resulted in China backing down. I don’t see it that way. In the current skirmish that may, or may not precede a trade war with China, I see little sign of an overall, well-thought strategy for American business; and I’m sure that Xi Jinping plays better chess that does our impulsive president. (Sorry, I still can’t bring myself to give him a capital “P”!)

As for strength, I see none of it in Trump. Strength comes in part from a sense of inner security, in part from a clear vision and persistence in the pursuit of it. In Trump I see foolhardiness in the place of fearlessness, which is weakness posing as strength. Strength also recognizes and acknowledges vulnerability; it reaches out for and embraces assistance and advice. It does not make loud proclamations about itself, but rather stands back, modestly, and operates with quiet efficiency.

When it comes to the need for real strength, we see Trump backing down on every issue. We see him cowering before dictators rather than standing up to them, as you claim. What he projects is empty bellicosity, not power—and I’m afraid the whole world knows it. I’m surprised that you would argue otherwise.

Respectfully,

Peter Clothier, Ph.D.

COMMUNICATIONS

April 10, 2018

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher,

101 Main Street #380

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Dear Congressman,

Re: Communications

There’s a reason I write to you so much about Trump and your fellow Republicans rather than about your own congressional activities: it’s hard to find any real information about what you actually do.

My main (but not exclusive) media sources are the New York Times, The Guardian, The Hill, and social media outlets which I treat with appropriate suspicion. But mostly I run searches for you online: your Twitter feed, your press releases, your articles and opinion pieces—though these are few. Your website, I have to say, is a real anachronism—poorly designed, with very little information, most of which is well past its sell-by date. There’s no updating. You link to your blog, in which I see no entries since February 26, 2016! And so on. Am I missing something? Is there some place I can follow what you’re doing for your constituents in Washington on a day-to-day basis? Where I can find your opinions on issues of current importance?

I say this because I think it is one of the important duties of a Congressperson, to be actively involved in the issues of the day and to communicate on a consistent basis with the people he or she represents. I search, but I find no real effort on your part to keep us abreast of your activities. You must, I presume, have at least one media consultant on your staff—who is, to be honest, not doing a good job, unless it be to obfuscate and dissemble.

Particularly at this moment, with the November election looming, we constituents need to be informed about your representation of our interests. If I’m missing something, I’d appreciate it if you’d point me in the right direction. (I mean, of course, right as in right-hand, left-hand…) This is, by the way, the 255^th letter I’ve written to you. Still no response. Another communications lapse?

Respectfully,

Peter Clothier, Ph.D.

HEADLINE!

April 9, 2018

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher,

101 Main Street #380

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Dear Congressman,

Re: Headline!

I see that you grabbed the headline yesterday in Sunday’s Los Angeles Times California section. The story… not quite what you might have wished. Your Republican challenger, Scott Baugh, an old friend, was a former partner-in-crime (with your wife, it seems, not exactly yourself)—to recruit a “decoy candidate to split the Democratic vote” in order to help Baugh get elected to the State Assembly. Now he’s looking to unseat you.

At the very least, Baugh will purloin a significant number of votes from Republicans who are disenchanted for a variety of reasons by your long occupation of your congressional seat. I can hardly blame them for seeing you as no more than a “dues-paying incumbent.” From the Democratic point of view, I worry that the number of candidates on our side will split the vote and leave you two Republicans to fight it out in November. I have been adding my voice to those attempting to narrow the Democratic field.

There’s one point in the LA Times story that I can personally relate to: you were described as being “frequently unresponsive” to colleagues reaching out for help on policy. To which I can only say that I’m glad I’m not the only one. As I wrote the other day, I have received not one single response to the now more than 250 letters I have mailed to your Huntington Beach office. Admittedly, I’m a Democrat; but I’m also a concerned constitutent.

Respectfully,

Peter Clothier, Ph.D.

THE SWAMP

April 6, 2018

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher,

101 Main Street #380

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Dear Congressman,

Re: The swamp

So much for draining the swamp, I guess. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt may still enjoy (as of this writing) the confidence of his boss, but the stench around him continues to rise. It can’t be too long, surely, before Trump turns on this one too, as he has so many before.

Are you not bothered by the corruption, Congressman? Does it not disturb you that a sitting president of the United States continues to reject transparency around his business interests? That he appoint his daughter and son-in-law to high government positions and allows them to use those positions to further their financial interests? That so many members of his cabinet have been forced to resign or have been fired as a result of their feeding at the government trough and abusing the privilege of their office?

If you are not bothered by such things, I need to ask: Why not? Is it not incumbent on you to honor the trust placed in you by those who elected you? If you are not involved in corruption yourself—and I sincerely hope, for your own sake, that you are not!—are you not even so complicit in corruption if you condone that of others?

On the other hand, if you are indeed bothered by the growing evidence of corruption in high places, do you not owe it to yourself and your constituents to speak out forthrightly against it? Alas, I have not heard a whisper.

Respectfully,

Peter Clothier, Ph.D.

IDLE CHATTER

April 4, 2018

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher,

101 Main Street #380

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Dear Congressman,

Re: Idle chatter

I read (on The Hill) that you were on Fox News yesterday speculating idly about that shooting at the You Tube campus. Presumably for no better reason than that there was a crime involved, you took the opportunity to lay blame on “sanctuary cities” and speculate that the shooter “could be” an illegal immigrant.

Could be, I suppose. Could be a Russian oligarch. Could be from the planet Mars. Such idle speculation as yours is intended to ingratiate you, I’m sure, with various rabid constituencies—among them the gun enthusiasts and anti-immigration fanatics. In speaking casually in this way, however, you ignore the harm your thoughtless words inflict on many of your own constituents by inspiring further hostility and hatred. You achieve nothing other than to add to the toxicity of dialogue in today’s political world.

I, for one, expect greater circumspection and respect for people of all kinds from my representative in Congress.

Respectfully,

Peter Clothier, Ph.D.

THE "LEADER"

April 2, 2018

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher,

101 Main Street #380

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Dear Congressman,

Re: Tweet

I read your tweet about your reason for supporting Trump. You say: “He’s a leader that will protect us rather than let criminals and illegal aliens go to maraud around our neighborhoods.”

Like that Parkland teenager, I call bullshit. First of all, I don’t need this man’s protection, thank you very much. Besides, the image of criminals and (particularly) illegal aliens going around marauding neighborhoods it so wacky as to be beyond comment. The appeal to fear is one of Trump’s tried and tested tools to manipulate his base, but most of America does not buy into it. That’s simply not our experience of this country. And most illegal aliens are honest, hard-working people who do no one any harm and instead provide great benefit to our economy.

As for Trump “the leader…” Hogwash! The man can’t lead his own tail. He has squandered American leadership in the world. His leadership of his own party (yours!) has led it into serious discredit and disarray. His leadership of our country has succeeded only in deepening division and fostering hatred.

So please don’t try to tell me he’s a leader. I know that you persist in following him, but that is sadly to your own discredit. You can’t, surely, be you blind to his moral obtuseness and his turpitude? His administrative ineptitude? His contempt for everyone, excluding perhaps his family, but including those who follow him, as you do? He turns on all of them, eventually.

I say beware, Congressman. This man’s leadership is nothing to admire. It’s the leadership of a bully and a boor.

Respectfully,

Peter Clothier, Ph.D.