Joseph Kony

I wanted to share some good news. Thanks to your support, our resolution condemning Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army for their crimes against humanity passed the Senate unanimously earlier this month.

In passing our resolution, which was cosponsored by 45 senators and hundreds of citizen cosponsors from across the country, the Senate took a stand in support of ongoing international efforts to remove Kony and his top commanders from the battlefield.

Our resolution, which I drafted with Republican Senator Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, called for the U.S. to continue to enhance its mobility, intelligence and logistical support of regional forces protecting civilians and pursuing the LRA. Kony and the LRA have terrorized Uganda and its neighbors in central Africa for more than two decades, tearing families apart and destroying communities. Joseph Kony represents the worst of mankind, and he and his commanders must be held accountable for their war crimes.

The Senate has taken an important step in passing this resolution and saying with one voice that the United States of America will not stand by silently in the face of mass atrocities.

Thank you so much for your support and commitment.

Did you pay for that?

When the Supreme Court ruled in 2010 that corporations could spend money to influence our elections through "super PACs," it opened the floodgates so corporate cash could try to buy your vote.

This money is bankrolling an unprecedented amount of negative television advertising and without realizing it, you could be footing the bill.

The next time you go to the store, it might not just be a table saw or gallon of milk you're buying. You could also be buying an election.

When corporations use the hard-earned dollars you spend on their products to fund secret campaign contributions, I think you have a right to know about it. 

That's why I am fighting for a bill in the Senate this week that would give voters more information about who is trying to buy their vote. It's called the DISCLOSE Act, and tonight at 9:00, I'll join nearly a dozen of my colleagues on the floor to speak about why it's important.

You can watch it live on C-SPAN 2, or stream it on my website at http://coons.senate.gov/floor.

The DISCLOSE Act requires quick public disclosure of major campaign expenditures.  It will require political groups posing as charities to disclose their donors and will prevent corporations and other wealthy interests from using shell corporations to funnel secret money to super PACs.

No one should be able to buy an election, least of all a corporation. As a consumer and a voter, you should have the power to make informed decisions before you cast your ballot.

The DISCLOSE Act is not everything we need to undo the damage caused by the Citizens United ruling, but it's an important first step. I'm proud to cosponsor it, and I hope my colleagues will vote in favor it.

Congratulating Delaware’s service academy appointees

Today, I joined Senator Carper and Congressman Carney at a reception in the Capitol to congratulate the 15 young men and women from Delaware who will be entering U.S. service academies this fall as a result of Congressional nominations.  I was honored to join my colleagues in saluting them at this tenth annual Delaware Service Academy Reception, where I was surrounded by some of our state’s most accomplished students.  Each one of them took their first steps today toward becoming future leaders in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, or Merchant Marine.

The reception honored those from the First State who received a Congressional nomination and accepted an appointment.  Also joining us today were former Congressman Mike Castle and the state director for former Senator Ted Kaufman, John DiEleuterio.  While in office, both participated in nominating these outstanding students for their appointments.

This is an exciting time for these students and their families.  At their academies, the students will receive a first-class education, which will prepare them well to be leaders and to meet the challenges our nation will face in the coming years.  In particular, the military academies have a long history of graduating accomplished officers with the skills to lead our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines to secure our nation against new types of threats, including terrorism, the disruption of global trade networks, and conflicts over natural resources. 

The students who were nominated this year are incredibly talented citizens and give us great reason to be optimistic about the future of Delaware and of our nation.  I am confident they will continue to make all of us proud. 

Honoring our fallen heroes

As we pause this Memorial Day to honor service members who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the protection of our freedoms, we remember that every generation of this great country has borne heroes who have answered the call to defend her. Too many have given their lives in the process.

Annie and I pray every night for the hundreds of Delawareans currently still serving in harm’s way.

As we reflect on those who have sacrificed so much, today I will participate in the Wilmington Memorial Day Parade and the Delaware Commission of Veterans Affairs Memorial Day Service at Memorial Bridge Plaza in New Castle.

Both of these events are open to the public. The Memorial Day Bridge event starts at 10:30 am and the parade kickoff is at 6:00 pm at Woodlawn & Delaware Avenue.