Political notes: Connolly speaks against mauling in East Africa

The House of Representatives on Wednesday voted 418 to 1 in favor of a bill by Rep. Gerald E. "Gerry" Connolly that condemns the mutilation of albinos in East Africa.

The Democrat, who represents much of Prince William County, introduced the measure last month after meeting in December with Mariamu Stanford of Tanzania.

Men from Stanford's village used machetes to cut off both of her arms in October 2008.

"These horrific acts, like the crime committed against [Stanford], are perpetrated by shamans who believe that the body parts of people with albinism have magical powers and can be mixed in potions to bring the buyer good luck," Connolly said on the House floor Tuesday afternoon.

A single limb can sell for as much as $2,000, Connolly said, which he called a "king's ransom" in Tanzania.

Stanford was able to protect her 2-year-old son from the attackers, who struck at night while the pair was sleeping. But she was five months pregnant at the time and lost her baby when she had to wait six hours for medical treatment.

She came to the U.S. to be fitted with prosthetic arms donated by the Orthotic Prosthetic Center in Fairfax County and to undergo physical therapy.

"She's a rare survivor of a horrific and inhumane crime that is a growing concern in East Africa," Connolly said. "More than 54 people with albinism have been butchered in the region, most of them women and children."

He added that he is contacting President Barack Obama and the State Department to urge them to place diplomatic pressure on Tanzania's federal and local governments to end the crimes.

His bill had 36 cosponsors as of Wednesday, including Rep. Frank R. Wolf, who represents Manassas, Manassas Park and part of western Prince William.

Who makes Gitmo policy?<p>

In an unrelated matter, Wolf challenged U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. last week to disclose the names of lawyers crafting Guantanamo Bay policy who have previously represented detainees at the military holding facility there.

"I believe that the decision to allow attorneys who advocated for terrorists held at Guantanamo to craft detainee policy during the War on Terror would be akin to allowing attorneys for the Mafia to draft organized crime policy during the 1960s," the Republican wrote to Holder on March 3. "The American people deserve a full accounting of who is crafting detainee policy in the Department of Justice."

Wolf, the ranking GOP member of the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees the Justice Department, has been critical of the Obama administration's handling of Gitmo.

He's written several letters to the president and to the attorney general, usually receiving no response.

Smoking under fire

Rep. Robert J. Wittman answered several questions about health care reform during a telephone town hall meeting he held with constituents last week.

But the Republican, who represents part of southern Prince William, couldn't have been prepared for one health inquiry.

A constituent, mentioning tobacco rules on U.S. military bases, asked for "transparency" regarding Obama's smoking.

"How much does he smoke?" the woman asked.

Luckily for Wittman, she then started talking about health care reform, and the congressman didn't have to hazard a guess about the prolificacy of the First Puffer.

Staff writer Jonathan Hunley can be reached at 703-369-5738.