John Conyers
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John Conyers, Jr. (born May 16, 1929) is a U.S. Congressman from Michigan, representing that state's 14th District (map (http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/preview/congdist/mi14_109.gif)), which includes all of Highland Park and Hamtramck, as well as parts of Detroit and Dearborn. He has served since 1965 and is the second longest serving member of the House of Representatives, outranked only by fellow Michigan member John Dingell.
Conyers grew up in Detroit, and received both his B.A. and his J.D. from Wayne State University.
Conyers is a leading figure in the Democratic Party and the Congressional Black Caucus, and is currently Ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee. In 1971, he was one of the original members of Nixon's Enemies List.
According to the National Journal, Conyers has been considered, with Pete Stark, to be one of the most liberal members of Congress for many years.
He appeared in Michael Moore's documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 discussing the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, stating that members of Congress "don't read most of the bills".
In April 2005, Ron Gunzburger revealed (http://www.politics1.com/blog-0405.htm#larouche) that Conyers had spoken at a Lyndon LaRouche event on March 23, 2005 in Detroit. At the event, Conyers was reported to have said that he wanted to "take these [LaRouche] arguments, the book [LaRouche's Draft Democratic Party Platform], the weekly newsletter, and let's get it out into the debate ... what I would like to do with you, is to begin to debate these issues. I know that they're taken as gospel. But, unless they can stand the test of debate, they're just a great view held by a number of people, who believe one thing. But that's not going to sell it. And so, what I want to do, is, extend the discussion: What we need is discussions about this and where [the Democratic Party is] and where are we going."
Conyers frequently posts at Daily Kos. Since May 2005 he's been a contributing blogger at The Huffington Post.
Downing Street memo
On May 5, 2005, Conyers and 88 other members of Congress wrote an open letter to the White House inquiring about a leaked memo which revealed an apparent secret agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom to attack Iraq in 2002. The Times, a British national newspaper, reported that newly-discovered documents reveal British and U.S. intentions to invade Iraq and leaders of the two countries had "discussed creating pretextual justifications for doing so". The documents go on to say that Blair decided the U.S. would need to "create" conditions to justify the war.
The memo story broke in the United Kingdom, but has not received much coverage in the United States, prompting Conyers to lament: "This should not be allowed to fall down the memory hole during wall-to-wall coverage of the Michael Jackson trial and a runaway bride."
CNN did pick up this story seven days after the letter was released. FOX News, as of this writing, has not covered the issue.
Conyers et. al are seriously considering sending a congressional investigation delegation to London. [1] (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1622378,00.html)
External links
- John Conyers' Homepage (http://www.house.gov/conyers/)
- Official Blog (http://www.conyersblog.us/)
- 2004 campaign finance data (http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.asp?CID=N00004029&cycle=2004)
- Bush asked to explain UK war memo (http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/05/11/britain.war.memo/) May 12, 2005
- The Sunday Times - The Secret Downing Street Memo (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1593607,00.html) May 1, 2005
- Status Report of the House Judiciary Committee Democratic Staff, 5 January 2005, "Preserving Democracy: What Went Wrong in Ohio" (http://www.house.gov/judiciary_democrats/ohiostatusrept1505.pdf) - prepared at the request of Rep. John Conyers