Happy Independence Day everyone!! Today our nation celebrates it's Declaration of Independence from the British Empire. After much sacrifice from that generation, our nation would go on to become the first that was built upon the liberal ideals of the Enlightenment. Our nation would become a bastion of freedom, and the "city on the hill" for the world to aspire to.

Exxon Ed Whitfield has had this seat for a long time and made a lot of votes. During his tenure, he has been a constant rubber-stamp for the failed policies of the Bush Administration. Despite his election year "Renaisance" Exxon Eddie can't hide from his real record. He has consistenty gotten it wrong time and time again.

It seems many residents of the First District have inquired of Heather Ryan how she feels about the FISA compromise, including myself. Well, today she answered us.

In Kentucky's First Congressional District, we are fighting to defeat one of the most shameless enablers of George W. Bush and Mitch McConnell, Exxon Ed Whitfield. We have fielded an awesome grassroots Democrat named Heather Ryan to do just that.

I know many people haven't heard of Ed Whitfield, Congressman from Kentucky's First Congressional District. He has kept a low-profile and has few accomplishments to show for it. Despite this, Ed Whitfield has quietly amassed a record of rubber-stamping President Bush and the Republican leadership in all their failed glory.

I recently recieved my 2008 Paducah Grassroots survey from the DCCC. In it, there was a short questionaire, and a request for a renewal contribution to the DCCC. I wanted to share a little about this request, and give my own personal opinions, as well as provide my response to the DCCC.

Here in Kentucky's First District, during the failed do-nothing 109th Congress and well before, Exxon Ed Whitfield served as a loving rubber-stamp to every failed policy of Mitch McConnell and George W. Bush. In Iraq, these three managed to send our troops into the wrong country on the wrong mission. Worse than that, they showed the ultimate in disrespect to our troops by sending them there without proper training, planning, and most important for the welfare of our troops, equipment.

Here in Kentucky's First Congressional District, we call our Congressman Exxon Eddie. It is a fitting moniker. Not only because Eddie owns a lot of Exxon and Chevron stock that are making him richer on the backs of the American consumer, but because Exxon Eddie uses his votes to be a shill for the Big Oil Industry. Lets look at some of these votes.