the-peoples-patriot, a political Blog

Tuesday, May 04, 2004

NEW SEARCHABLE DATABASE CHARTS BUSH/CHENEY LIES

As the September 11th Commission grills President
Bush and Vice President
Cheney about their contradictory statements today,
we wanted to alert you to
a powerful new tool to help journalists, activists
and the public compare
the Bush administration's claims against
well-documented facts. The Center
for American Progress today launched a
comprehensive Claim vs. Fact database
at
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=31810
that documents statements from conservatives like
President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Members of
Congress and Fox News
personalities, and compares those statements to the
facts. Each fact is
sourced, and in many cases includes a web link
directly to that source.

The database has more than 400 entries so far, but
THEY NEED YOUR HELP
BUILDING IT. If you know of a lie, distortion or
dishonest statement from a
Bush Administration official or another
conservative that isn't already in
the database, please go to their submission page
at:

http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=31812

or

http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=31814

There you can submit an entry for addition to the
database, so that the tool
grows and becomes a real-time tracker of lies.

- Peter Schurman and the MoveOn team

Visit Misleader.org for more about Bush
Administration distortion. -->
<
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=31816
>

MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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New Study Undermines Bush Anti-Regulation Doctrine

The Bush Administration mantra that "voluntary compliance" is a far better way to reduce pollution than "command and control" regulations received another setback this month with the release of a carefully documented study analyzing the volume of pollution from electric power plants.

Compiled by three organizations including New Jersey's largest utility, the Public Service Enterprise Group, Inc.; the Natural Resourcs Defense Council (NRDC); and the Coalition for Environmentlly Responsible Economies (CERES), the report studied the environmental records of the nation's 100 largest electricity companies.

The study analyzed utility-industry emissions of four pollutants -- nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon dioxide (CO2), and mercury -- using data collected by the U.S. EPA and the Energy Information Administration from 1991 to 2002.

The data revealed a marked overall decrease in emissions of pollutants subject to mandatory federal regulations: NOx fell by 28 percent over the period studied, and SO2 fell by 35 percent. Both pollutants, targeted by the Clean Air Act amendments of 1990, contribute to acid rain and haze, and NOx is also a key ingredient in smog.

In sharp contrast, CO2, a greenhouse gas and major contributor to climate change, has been the subject of a range of hopeful government initiatives and pleas, none mandatory -- and emissions of the pollutant rose by 25 percent.

The report shows that "this notion that voluntary programs alone will work to address global warming in the utility sector is a farce," said Dan Lashof, science director of NRDC's Climate Center.

Perhaps more important is the finding that there is little correlation between the amount of electricity a utility generates, and the amount of pollution it generates. For example, the Southern Company generated four times more electricity than its smaller competitor Calpine, but Southern belched a staggering 6,300 times more SO2 than Calpine.

This means "the regulations aren't working uniformly," says David Gardiner, former assistant EPA administrator under Bill Clinton. "There's a major discrepancy between the way our federal regulations are being implemented among different companies and in different states. If we implement stronger regulations uniformly nationwide, we will see deep cuts in these emissions."

It would seem there is little time to waste. The EPA has estimated that NOx and SO2 emissions from power plants still cause some 30,000 premature deaths each year. And EPA announced this month that 474 counties across the nation do not meet the new health standards for ground-level ozone, directly linked to NOx emissions.

The good news, says Gardiner, now a senior adviser to CERES, is that "More and more polluting companies--and their shareholders especially--are beginning to realize that dirtier power plants face disprportionate financial and legal risks compared to their cleaner competitors." In the case of carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, investors are starting to accept that emissions caps are inevitably coming, and they do not like the uncertainty of wondering when it will happen. Moreover, utilities and other industries that take measures to increase energy efficiency and reduce pollution are finding that both profits and productivity are improved.

Hence a growing number of shareholders are pushing their corporations for more disclosure of environmental data, a lowering of emissions, and even for more uniform federal enforcement of emission standards.

All this may come as news to Lynn Scarlett, the Bush Administration's assistant secretary of the Interior Department, who recently assured GRIST magazine, in an interview, that "Regulations tend to curtail creativity and innovation."

###

This story was jointly produced by BushGreenwatch and Grist Magazine. For more on this story, visit Grist Magazine.

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BUSH BUDGET ANTICS CAUSING MORE IRAQ CASUALTIES

President Bush has promised to listen to military
commanders and give the
troops whatever they need to defend themselves in
Iraq. White House
spokesman Scott McClellan said last week that the
"the President looks to
the commanders in the theater to make the
determinations of what is needed
for our troops" (1). Yet the President continues to
withhold funding that
military officials say is desperately needed to
plug shortfalls in armor and
protection equipment (2). And, according to a new
study, those shortfalls
have meant 25% more American casualties in Iraq
(3).

According to Newsweek, an unofficial study
circulating through the army
shows that of the 190 soldiers killed by landmines,
improvised explosive
devices, or rocket-propelled grenade attacks,
"almost all those were killed
while in unprotected vehicles, which means that
perhaps one in four of those
killed in combat in Iraq might be alive if they had
had stronger armor
around them." Additionally, "thousands more who
were unprotected have
suffered grievous wounds, such as the loss of
limbs."

Instead of following through on his promise to give
the military the
protection equipment it needs, however, President
Bush has left major
funding holes in the most basic areas. The
situation has gotten so dire that
military commanders last week desperately begged
Congress to fill key
shortfalls left by the President's budget. They
described a $132 million
shortfall for bolt-on vehicle armor, an $879
million in shortfall for combat
helmets, and a $40 million shortfall for body
armor. Meanwhile, according to
the Chicago Tribune, the White House has
"dramatically reduced the number of
Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles in Iraq"
-- even as the fighting
intensified, leaving troops to "ride in lightly
protected Humvees, trucks
and troop carriers" that are much more vulnerable
to attack (4).

SOURCE:
1. Press Briefing by Scott McClellan, 04/21/2004,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=30741.
2. "War May Require More Money Soon", Washington
Post, 04/21/2004,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=30742.
3. "The Human Cost", Newsweek, May 3, 2003,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=30743.
4. "Insurgents' escalation taxing U.S.
capabilities", Chicago Tribune,
04/24/2004,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=30744.

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Weather you agree or not, KNOW that; Nader for President: Nader: Congress Should Begin Impeachment Inquiry of Bush an...

-- Help us Get Congress to Take Action! --

You can help the call to impeach President Bush and
Vice President Dick Cheney.

George W. Bush and Dick Cheney should be impeached
for two reasons:

1. They led the United States into an illegal,
unconstitutional war in Iraq.

2. They misled the Congress and the American
people with five falsehoods
that led to war.

All it takes is one Member of the House of
Representatives to call for an
Impeachment Inquiry to start the process to
investigate the two grounds. If
the House then votes by a simple majority for
Articles of Impeachment, the
Senate would then undertake a trial of the
President and Vice
President. They would only be convicted, and
impeached, if two-thirds of
the Senate agrees.

Ralph Nader has issued a press release urging an
Impeachment Inquiry that
provides more details on these points, view it
online at
www.VoteNader.org/media_press/?cid=15 .

The purpose of this petition is to show Congress
that people in their
district support the impeachment of George W. Bush
and Dick Cheney and will
stand up for fact-finding for truth if a member of
Congress has the courage
to start the Inquiry. Go to
www.VoteNader.org/get_involved/impeach.php ,
to sign the petition now. and visit
www.VoteNader.org/contribute/ for more
information on how you can support the only
candidate advocating an end to
the Iraq quagmire and a strategy of peace.

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Scientists Rebut Administration Response to Report on Its Abuse of Scientific Integrity

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) released a point-by-point rebuttal yesterday to an April 2 White House statement defending the Bush Administration against claims of widespread manipulation of science and egregious conflicts of interest in policymaking.

The White House statement, issued by John H. Marburger, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, came in response to a February 18 UCS report, Scientific Integrity in Policymaking, signed by 62 of the nation's preeminent scientists, including 20 Nobel laureates. But the Marburger statement, according to UCS, lacked any substantive arguments, included inaccurate statements, and sidestepped several important issues.

"The White House document fails to refute the serious allegations that the Bush Administration has engaged in activities that undermine scientific integrity in policy making," concludes the 13-page UCS analysis. "It is unfortunate that the administration is not taking the concerns of the scientific community seriously, as these issues have significant consequences for the public's health and well-being."[1]

The UCS document analyzes the White House defense of charges that it is manipulating science in areas such as climate change; mercury emissions; air pollution; abstinence-only education; breast cancer; HIV/AIDS; airborne bacteria; Iraq's aluminum tubes; endangered species; forest management; peer review; workplace safety and childhood lead exposure. A full copy of the report can be seen at www.ucsusa.org.

"UCS stands by the findings and conclusions of its report," the analysis states, repeating the scientists' initial conclusion that the White House "frequently attempted to undermine scientific integrity" when "scientific knowledge has been found to be in conflict with its political goals."

For example, the White House document simply dismisses as "false" a UCS allegation that the Bush Administration tried to "force revisions to the climate change section of the Environmental Protection Agency's draft Report on the Environment," a document designed to explain government decision-making to the American public.

But the UCS has ample evidence of the administration's efforts to do so, including a leaked EPA memo, published statements by then-EPA Administrator Christie Todd Whitman (who opted to remove the climate change section entirely rather than print the distorted version), and a front-page story that ran in the New York Times.

The Bush Administration has repeatedly tried to introduce uncertainty into the area of climate change science, the UCS analysis found, even though the world's leading scientists long ago agreed that human activities -- notably those that produce greenhouse gas emissions -- are largely responsible for the recent warming of Earth's surface temperature. In fact, the analysis points out, President Bush himself explained the process of human-caused climate change in great detail during a June 11, 2001 Rose Garden speech -- but has repeatedly backed away from those statements since then.

"In the absence of a constructive, and candid response from this administration, it is left to scientific associations and scientists, members of Congress, the media, and others to further pursue these allegations of abuse of scientific input to policymaking, and to press for institutional and legislative reforms aimed at preventing such abuses by future administrations," the analysis concludes.

###

SOURCES:
[1] "Analysis of White House Claims," Union of Concerned Scientists, Apr. 19, 2004.

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Monday, May 03, 2004

Mining Companies Freed of Clean-Up Responsibilities Under Bush

More weight has been added to the assertion that under the Bush Administration, the Department of Interior has become a wholly owned subsidiary of the mining industry and other special interests. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the administration's eagerness to eliminate regulations, 20 years in the making, designed to protect public lands from environmental damage caused by mining.

Under a 1976 federal law, Interior was required to prevent "unnecessary or undue degradation" of public lands, including damage from "hardrock" mining to extract gold, copper, and zinc.

But until 2001 the government had ignored this provision. Instead, unfailingly, the Interior Department gave mining companies open access to public lands. Finally, in the closing months on the Clinton Administration, Interior issued regulations to enforce the law. The regulations gave Interior officials clear authority to deny permits for mines on public lands that would pose "substantial irreparable harm" to environmental, scientific or cultural resources.

But the new Bush Administration quickly set a new agenda. The Senate Government Affairs Committee has uncovered thousands of pages of internal administration documents and emails showing that from its first days in office, the Bush Administration was determined to roll back the regulations.

Just 13 days into the new administration, the governor of Nevada petitioned Interior Secretary Gale Norton to suspend the regulations. Notes from multiple meetings and e-mails between government officials reveal the White House's keen interest in overturning the regulations: "Ann Klee at Interior has coordinated with the White House... Apparently, WH is eager for this to get out," says one e-mail exchanged between Interior and Bush administration budget officials.[1]

In March 2001, three months after President Bush took office, Interior formally proposed to suspend the regulations. Even though 95 percent of the 49,000 public comments received by the department opposed the reversal, Interior issued a new final rule in October 2001. It called the regulations "unduly burdensome."[2] The term "substantial irreparable harm" was stripped from the criteria government officials would use in deciding if mine operations will be allowed.[3]

Explaining Interior's position, the department's solicitor actually argued that Interior lacked the authority to stop a legal mining operation. In ensuing litigation over the rollback, a court overturned this decision. It ruled that federal law "vests the Secretary of the Interior with the authority -- and indeed the obligation -- to disapprove of ... mining operation because the operation...would unduly harm or degrade the public land."

Advocates for protection of America's public lands agree, regretfully, that under the current administration there is little risk that this authority will ever be exercised.

###

SOURCES:
[1] Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, 2002.
[2] "Bush Environmental Record Under Senate Panel Review," Greenwire, Mar. 4, 2002.
[3] CFR SIH 2001, CFR Update 2004, MPC v. Norton 2003.
[4] MPC v. Norton 2003 at 42.

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FTC, Fed. Trade Commission, oposes spyware legislation

From the-enablers' blog

Howard Beales, director of the Federal Trade Commission's bureau of consumer protection, and FTC Commissioner Mozelle Thompson went before the House of Representatives Thursday to say that no legislation should be created to curb spyware. The FTC also criticized existing legislation currently under consideration. "I do not believe legislation is the answer at this time," Thompson said. "Self-regulation combined with enforcement of existing laws might be the best way to go."

To put it very simply, I am astonished. Self-regulation, from the people causing the problem? Self-regulation, from people whose business model is described as distasteful at best and illegal at worst? What can Beales and Thompson possibly be thinking?

On an encouraging note, the congressmen reacted rather harshly to the FTC's position. Clearly, congress is burning to do something about spyware even if the FTC is not.

I've read the SPYBLOCK Act which currently is making the rounds in the Senate. It is not a perfect solution, especially the exemptions outlined in section five. Section three, however, looks like something I could have written. It outlaws installing software without a clear disclosure to the PC owner. It requires that an uninstaller be provided. It requires that any information gathering be disclosed. It requires disclosure that the software will display ads and how those ads will be displayed.

Not everyone likes the SPYBLOCK Act. Ben Edelman and I have been arguing about it today. Ben is the Harvard Law student who put WhenU's software under the microscope and discovered evidence that it could be violating WhenU's own privacy statement.

Ben believes that passage of the SPYBLOCK Act inadvertently would sabotage efforts to stop companies such as WhenU and Gator/Claria from selling ads based on other companies' trademarks. That is a very valid point and I certainly sympathize with web sites having to deal with unethical companies selling ads on their trademarks. However, I feel the benefits of the SPYBLOCK Act for consumers outweighs the risk that it would make it harder for companies to stop WhenU from making money from their work.

To be perfectly honest, I view that as entirely separate issue. Those companies who profit from the work of other companies by selling ads on their trademarks do tend to be adware and spyware. Beyond that however, I see no other relation to the spyware problem and believe it should be dealt with separately.

Utah was very lucky to pass a law that covered both issues so well. If we could have congress pass Utah's Spyware Control Act as federal law, that would be beautiful. Unfortunately I just don't see that happening.

It needs a little tweaking before it passes but, overall, I like the SPYBLOCK Act. Consider this to be my official endorsement of it. If you agree with me, contact your US Senators today and ask them to support the SPYBLOCK Act, S. 2145.
END...

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Sunday, May 02, 2004

Because our Goverment enables large Corps

the cartoon that say it, just one of the reasons why our jobs are leaving the country.
And did you know that our Goverment is paying these companies to move. Yes our tax dollars are helping them move to our countries. More on this later.

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Saturday, May 01, 2004

Some Humor

An airplane was about to crash.
There were 5 passengers on board, but only 4 parachutes.

The first passenger said,
"I am Kobe Bryant, the NBA's best basketball player. I am about to beat a rape charge and make
millions in free agency. I can't afford to die."
So he took the first pack and left the plane.

The second passenger, Hillary Clinton said,
"I am the wife of the former U.S President, a Senator from New York, and a potential future
president. And I am the smartest woman in American history, so America's people don't want
me to die."
She took the second pack and jumped out of the plane.

The third passenger, John Kerry, said,
" I am going to be my party's nominee for President. I survived Vietnam and received
> the Purple Heart. The country needs heroes like me."
So he grabbed the pack next to him and jumped.

The fourth passenger, President George W. Bush, said
to the fifth passenger, a 10-year-old schoolgirl,
"I have lived a full life, and served my country well, I will sacrifice my life and let you have the
last parachute."

The girl said,
"That's okay. There's a parachute left for you, Mr. President. America's smartest woman took my schoolbag."

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Republicans trying to gag nonprofits

Are you involved in a local or national non-profit or public interest organization? As a leader or board director or member? Please read this message carefully, because your organization could be facing a serious threat.

The Republican National Committee is pressing the Federal Election Commission ("FEC") to issue new rules that would cripple groups that dare to communicate with the public in any way critical of President Bush or members of Congress. Incredibly, the FEC has just issued -- for public comment -- proposed rules that would do just that. Any kind of non-profit -- conservative, progressive, labor, religious, secular, social service, charitable, educational, civic participation, issue-oriented, large, and small -- could be affected by these rules.

By the way, one thing FEC's proposed rules do not affect is the donations you may have made in the past or may make now to MoveOn.org or to the MoveOn.org Voter Fund. They are aimed at activist non-profit groups, not donors.

Operatives in Washington are displaying a terrifying disregard for the values of free speech and openness which underlie our democracy. Essentially, they are willing to pay any price to stop criticism of Bush administration policy.

We've attached materials below to help you make a public comment to the FEC before the comment period ends on APRIL 9th. Your comment could be very important, because normally the FEC doesn't get much public feedback.

Public comments to the FEC are encouraged by email at

politicalcommitteestatus@fec.gov

Comments should be addressed to Ms. Mai T. Dinh, Acting Assistant General Counsel, and must include the full name, electronic mail address, and postal service address of the commenter.

More details can be found at:

http://www.fec.gov/press/press2004/20040312rulemaking.html

We'd love to see a copy of your public comment. Please email us a copy at FECcomment@moveon.org.

Whether or not you're with a non-profit, we also suggest you ask your representatives to write a letter to the FEC opposing the rule change.

Some key points:

- Campaign finance reform was not meant to gag public interest organizations.
- Political operatives are trying to silence opposition to Bush policy.
- The Federal Election Commission has no legal right to treat non-profit interest groups as political committees. Congress and the courts have specifically considered and rejected such regulation.

You can reach your representatives at:

Senator Dianne Feinstein
Phone: 202-224-3841

Senator Barbara Boxer
Phone: 202-224-3553

Congressman Richard W. Pombo
Phone: 202-225-1947

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Don't put - ALL - your eggs in - that - one basket

Winn-Dixie to Close or Sell 156 Stores and you & I did it to them. The story

That's 10,000 jobs. So who we going to blame for this? US, THAT's WHO.

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EU (The European Union) get bigger, Thank God

PRAGUE, Czech Republic (AP) - The European Union expanded at midnight Friday to take in a region isolated during the Cold War. Church bells rang and fireworks lit up the sky over eastern Europe to celebrate the bold new era.

The historic enlargement created a collective economic giant rivaling the United States. It brings in much of the ex-communist East - a region separated for decades from the West by barbed wire and Soviet ideology.

Hundreds of thousands of jubilant revelers packed city squares in the newcomer nations, whose entry after overcoming tyranny 15 years ago was hailed by EU leaders as "the end of the artificial divisions of the last century."

The EU's "Big Bang" expansion brings in the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, along with Cyprus and Malta, which were never in the Soviet orbit.

EU heads of state were gathering in Ireland, which is wrapping up its EU presidency, for a formal "Day of Welcomes" in Dublin on Saturday.

In a landmark speech to Poland's parliament, German President Johannes Rau said expansion signaled a new era in the two countries' histories, which were blackened by the Nazi occupation.

"A completely new chapter in our relationship as neighbors is beginning, a new epoch with great possibilities and wide-reaching perspectives," Rau said, adding that the newcomers would keep Europe vibrant.

Enlargement fulfills a vision "for Europe, free and united," said Denmark's prime minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

Hans-Gert Poettering, a German politician who leads the conservative faction in the European Parliament, called enlargement "the EU's greatest political success."

"It means that for the first time in European history peace can be ensured for the long term," he said Friday. "This is the definitive end of the hegemony of states in Europe."

The EU flag - a circle of yellow stars on a blue field - went up Friday outside government offices in many newcomer countries, and newspapers greeted membership with banner headlines.

"Good day, Europe," tiny Slovakia's Pravda daily said on its front page.

Slovak lawmakers convened a special session of parliament, where chairman Pavol Hrusovsky reminded the nation how far it has come since shaking off communism.

"In 1989, we cut up the barbed wire. Pieces of this wire have for us become a symbol of the end of the totalitarian regime," he said. "For the generation which lived in captivity of the barbed wire, the EU means a fulfillment of a dream."

Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy attended the ringing of a towering sculpture incorporating two bells - one forged in 1496, the other in 1596 - symbolizing unity and a return to Europe.

Hungary "was always at the gates of Europe and will continue to be," Medgyessy said. "But the significant difference is that now we are inside the gates."

Friday's celebrations were tempered by fears in the newcomers of steep price increases for consumer goods, and worries in the EU's 15 core member states of a flood of immigrants as national borders gradually disappear.

"Joining the EU is a necessary evil," said Zsolt Meszaros, 35, a Budapest doctor. "There are just too many uncertainties in all of this to make me more enthusiastic."

In a nationally broadcast speech, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder sought to allay concerns among Germans that lower-paid workers from neighboring Poland and other eastern countries threaten their jobs.

Greater trade across the enlarged Europe "will make us not poorer, but richer," Schroeder said.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, in a commentary for Friday's editions of The Times of London, called the expansion - Europe's most significant political shift since World War II - "a catalyst for change within the EU."

It marks the latest step toward the West for a region dubbed the "new Europe" by U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Scores of celebrants began gathering early in Prague's central Wenceslas Square, the site of mass demonstrations that ended communism in former President Vaclav Havel's 1989 Velvet Revolution.

Bands from across Europe were setting up for a night of concerts featuring traditional music. But underscoring lingering ambivalence among those who fear being swallowed up in a faceless EU, a group of avowed "Euro-skeptics" planned a mock funeral to "bury" Czech sovereignty.

Others were clearly turned off that enlargement officially takes effect on a May 1 _ the day that communist regimes across eastern Europe forced citizens to turn out for parades and windy speeches by party apparatchiks.

"I'm leaving town. I never took part in any of those `celebrations' in the old days and I won't take part of them now," said Jan Molik, a Prague lawyer.

But the mood was mostly light.

The organizers of Lithuania's EU celebrations asked citizens to help the country literally outshine the other newcomer nations by turning on all their lights and building bonfires shortly before midnight.

An American satellite was to photograph the region and beam the images back to the Baltic country.

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WHY

Why do we complain about $2 per gallon for gas --
the end product of a complex process of extraction,
transportation and frfining -- and willingly pay $8 a gallon for plain
drinking water in plastic bottles? I don't, at those prices I fulter my
own water from my tap and with a fulter on my freg. The
fulters cost enough as it is.

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Friday, April 30, 2004

Now, Thanks to Bill I can put images in the Blog...

It is only fare that the first should be a SERVER, the things that put websites on the web.

Just think of the cartoons to come...

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Childhood Asthma Epidemic Worsened by Air Pollution, Global Climate Change

Childhood asthma, already at record highs, is expected to grow even worse in the coming years due to a potent mix of air pollution, higher levels of pollen and changes in the types of molds spurred by global warming. Because the Bush administration has backed away from solutions to the growing problem of global climate change, the situation is not expected to improve any time soon.

A report released yesterday states that millions of poor and minority children in America's cities are likely to suffer the consequences of pollution generated by emissions from cars, trucks and buses, plus a spate of new molds being spawned by global warming.[1]

The report, "Inside the Greenhouse: The Impacts of CO2 and Climate Change on Public Health in the Inner City," was released by the Harvard Medical School's Center for Health and the Global Environment, at a Washington, D.C. press conference co-sponsored by the American Public Health Association and Results for America, a project of the Civil Society Institute.

"This is a real wake-up call for people who mistakenly think global warming is only going to be a problem way off in the future or that it has no impact on their lives," said Christine Rogers, Ph.D., a senior research scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health. "The problem is here today for these children and it is only going to get worse."

The problem is multi-dimensional, Rogers said. Asthma among pre-school children is at an all-time high: It grew 160 percent between 1980-1994, with the highest incidence found among poor and minority children in urban centers. These children are at greatest risk for suffering increased health problems as a result of the CO2-generated increase in allergenic pollen.

Cities also have higher concentrations of air pollution, such as soot and ozone, caused by fossil fuel emissions. On top of that, global warming has led to an increasingly earlier pollen season in the spring. The result? "These children get hit with a powerful one-two punch," said Rogers.

Under the Clinton administration, the U.S. had committed to an international treaty to reduce the emissions causing global climate change. But President Bush withdrew the U.S. from the Kyoto protocol and backed out of his own campaign promise to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, a major contributor to climate change.

"In the absence of action from Washington, it is incumbent on local communities and states to take the best of the available solutions to reduce fossil fuel consumption, and promote cleaner energy and more efficient technologies," said Pam Solo, president of the Civil Society Institute. "This kind of change will not take place unless citizens inform themselves about the problem, the best solutions and start working for change where they live."

###

SOURCES:
[1] Results for America press release, Apr. 29, 2004.

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Thursday, April 29, 2004

Driller vs. Community Conflicts Rising As Bush Opens Rocky Mountain Lands

A recent accident at a natural gas well near the Colorado River released levels of the carcinogen benzene nearly 80 times federal safety limits into a Colorado River tributary, and brought renewed attention to an obscure provision in the stalled national energy bill that was included to benefit Halliburton Corp., Vice President Dick Cheney's former employer.

The benzene was detected after a local landowner in Silt, CO, noticed bubbles of methane gas in a section of Divide Creek that runs through his property. According to the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC), the gas seep was caused by the improper use of a controversial natural gas drilling technique, known as "hydraulic fracturing" that was pioneered by Halliburton.

"We cited some rules we believe were violated, rules that prevent contamination of fresh water by natural gas," Brian Macke, COGCC deputy director, told the Rocky Mountain News.[1]

After the gas and benzene leak was detected, residents of the area were asked to stop drinking from their water wells, and the gas company shut down all its drilling operations in a two-mile radius. Residents are reportedly receiving bottled water while the gas company monitors levels of contaminants in area water supplies.

"This level of benzene indicates a serious problem," Sarah Johnson, of the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment's Water Quality Division, told the Glenwood Springs Post.[2]

Hydraulic fracturing, also known as "fracing," involves pumping a mixture of chemicals, often including benzene or other toxics, into the ground to release gas that is trapped in rock formations. Halliburton pioneered the technique in the 1990's, and was fracing wells in the Silt area when the accident occurred. According to COGCC officials, EnCana Corp., the general contractor for the natural gas development, may not have properly constructed the gas wells in the area to prevent the benzene contamination and ongoing gas seep that is bubbling up in the creek. EnCana hired Halliburton to conduct fracing operations on its wells.

While the benzene in Divide Creek appears to have abated, the controversy over fracing has not. In 2001, Halliburton successfully lobbied the White House and Congress to insert a provision in the Cheney task force's national energy bill that would exempt oil and gas companies from federal court rulings that require controls on hydraulic fracturing -- operations identical to the one that contaminated Divide Creek.

In interviews last fall, officials with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said they were "not enthusiastic about" the bill's exemptions for fracing.[3]

"When they lobbied to exempt hydraulic fracturing from the Safe Drinking Water Act, the oil and gas industry told Congress that what happened in Silt could never happen," says Erik Olson, a senior water quality attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council in Washington, DC. "This is one more example of why Congress should dump the energy bill."

Silt, a small community on the banks of the Colorado River roughly 150 miles west of Denver, is in the heart of a major natural gas boom being fueled partially by White House policies that loosen public health and environmental rules for gas drilling operations. As the drilling rigs creep ever closer to residential areas, conflicts between drillers and local Rocky Mountain communities are on the rise.

In late March, EnCana sued the small Colorado town of Firestone for trying to restrict gas well development in a residential area. In early April, a blowout at a natural gas well in the town of Carlsbad, New Mexico, forced the evacuation of nearly 1,200 residents for four days. Wastewater from coalbed methane development in Wyoming and Montana is fueling fears of a breakout of West Nile virus in that area. And in Wyoming's Green River basin, severe air pollution from a giant gas drilling operation has prompted the Department of Interior to consider closing a broad swath of public lands to public access.

Until last spring, EnCana employees in Silt flew pirate flags atop many of the company's drilling rigs, but took them down when area residents complained that it only added to their sense of invasion.

###

TAKE ACTION
Tell your Senators you oppose the energy bill and voice your concern about hydraulic fracturing through NRDC.

send comments via Email to me, D

Wednesday, April 28, 2004

BUSH DIVERTING ENVIRO FUNDS INTO FOSSIL FUELS

President Bush yesterday tried to deflect questions
about his environmental
record by claiming that he supports efforts to
reduce America's fossil fuel
usage (1). He said he had "introduced ideas like a
hydrogen-powered
automobile, put money behind it and research behind
it" so that so that we
will be "less dependent on foreign sources of
energy" and we will "improve
the environment." But Bush's hydrogen-automobile
proposal is purposely
engineered to be fossil fuel dependent, and it is
paid for by taking money
out of programs that are actually reducing fossil
fuel use.

As Mother Jones reported, "the Bush Administration
has been working quietly
to ensure that the system used to produce hydrogen
will be as fossil
fuel-dependent - and potentially as dirty - as the
one that fuels today's
SUVs. According to the administration's National
Hydrogen Energy Roadmap,
drafted last year in concert with the energy
industry, up to 90% of all
hydrogen will be refined from oil, natural gas, and
other fossil fuels" (2).
Such a system, experts say, would effectively
eliminate most of the benefits
offered by hydrogen because the Bush plan's use of
oil/coal/gas to create
fuel cells would generate large amounts of
pollution. Not surprisingly, such
a system would insure the massive profits of the
energy industry, which
bankrolls Bush's campaign (3).

Bush is, in part, paying for this fossil-fuel-based
program by stripping
funding from programs that are actually reducing
fossil fuel use in America.
As AP reported, Bush moved money into his hydrogen
program at the same time
he "ended an eight-year program to help automakers
develop high-mileage,
family size cars" such as the successful hybrids
now beginning to permeate
the U.S. market (4). Additionally, Bush proposed
reducing "federal funding
for renewable energy and efficiency research
program by more than $200
million in 2002" (5).

Sources:
1. President Bush Touts Benefits of Health Care
Information Technology,
04/27/2004,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=31607.
2. "Hydrogen's Dirty Secret", Mother Jones,
May/June 2003,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=31608.
3. OpenSecrets.Org,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=31609.
4. "Bush abandons high-mileage car program for
hydrogen fuel-cell approach",
Environmental News Network, 01/10/2002,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=31610.
5. "Proposed Bush Budget Cuts Renewables and Energy
Efficiency Programs",
Resources for the Future, 04/11/2001,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=31611.

Visit Misleader.org for more about Bush
Administration distortion. -->
<
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=31612
>

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Tuesday, April 27, 2004

BUSH MISLEADS SENIORS ON NEW DRUG CARDS

Less than a year ago, President Bush promised
Americans that he would
"provide seniors with a drug discount card that
saves them 10 to 25% off the
cost of all drugs, so they'll start seeing savings
immediately" on their
medications (1). But, as the program launches next
week, experts have
concluded that the cards don't guarantee seniors
any savings at all (2).
Additionally, instead of admitting this, the
President used millions in
taxpayer money to promote the cards through
television ads - ads that
government regulators later said were misleading.

As the New York Times reports, the White House plan
locks seniors into the
cards they initially choose, then allows the card
sponsors "to change their
prices on a weekly basis," thus never guaranteeing
any benefit at all (3).
Instead of telling the seniors the truth when this
reality became apparent,
the President used tens of millions of dollars of
taxpayer funds to air
television ads promising that the drug cards will
save seniors money. Some
of the ads even used fake reporters in an effort to
trick viewers into
thinking they were watching objective news (4). The
General Accounting
Office soon concluded that the ads contained
"notable omissions and errors"
(5).

One possible reason the President never forced card
sponsors to guarantee
savings could be Bush's relationship with a
longtime Texas crony and drug
card industry executive who could profit from
bilking seniors. According to
the Boston Globe, the President allowed David
Halbert, CEO of drug card
company AdvancePCS, to "craft the portion of the
Medicare bill" that created
the card program, even though Halbert had a
financial interest in the bill
and has had a close relationship with Bush for
years (6). For instance,
"Bush had been an investor in a Halbert-owned
predecessor company to
AdvancePCS" and Halbert "contributed to Bush
campaigns from his 1994
gubernatorial race through his White House bid in
2000."

Source:
1. President Bush Calls for Action on 38th
Anniversary of Medicare,
07/30/2003,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=31347.
2. "New Drug Card Called Passport To Confusion",
Hartford Courant,
04/25/2004,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=31348.
3. "Feds will keep drug discount on the up and up",
Wichita Eagle,
12/11/2003,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=31349.
4. "Publicity Campaign Under Scrutiny", ABC News,
03/15/2004,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=31350.
5. "Bush Medicare Reform Bill Become a Nightmare
for GOP", Miami Herald,
03/19/2004,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=31351.
6. "Bush ally's firm vies for Medicare cards",
Boston Globe, 12/12/2003,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=31352.

send comments via Email to me, D

Park Service Directors Silent as Cell Towers Grow in National Parks

Under the watch of the Bush Administration, construction of cell phone towers in America's national parks has proliferated. As controversies have developed, however, directors of the National Park Service have remained silent. Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) has charged the Park Service with failure to protect the special qualities of the parks, develop a coherent management plan for locating the towers, or follow Congressional instructions to both inform and accept comment from the public.[1]

Under the Telecommunications Act of 1996, federal lands were opened to the placement of cell towers. However, Congress instructed the National Park Service to develop appropriate regulations for implementing the law [2], noting that that "the Washington Monument, Yellowstone National Park or a pristine wildlife sanctuary, while perhaps prime sites for an antenna and other facilities, are not appropriate and the use of them would be contrary to environmental, conservation, and public safety laws."[3]

Last month PEER protested the placement of a cell tower that actually overlooks Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park. The group stated that the NPS increased the height of the tower after submitting the plan for review to the state of Wyoming. PEER said the NPS also failed to file a notice with the Federal Register that it was considering or approving the tower -- as required by law -- and in addition it failed to allow for public comment on the plan.

PEER Board member Frank Buono, a former National Park Service manager, suggested that to the park's managers, "commercial convenience matters more than protecting a public resource. The Old Faithful viewshed is one of the most recognized assets in our national park system, but it is being managed with all the care of a strip mall." The Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office has filed a complaint with the NPS.[4]

PEER is also concerned that the directors of the Park Service are not providing a coherent management plan to guide park managers. The NPS does not know the total number of all towers currently in the parks, or their locations. No formal policy defines appropriate tower heights, configurations or placements for park superintendents.

Further, the parks have been negligent both in notifying the public and providing for public comment about new tower applications, as required by law. Towers in the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Everglades National Parks, Big Cypress and Mojave National Preserves, as well as Yellowstone, have gone up with no public notification or review. Only one NPS unit, the George Washington Memorial Parkway in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, issued public notices for both new cell tower applications and environmental reviews.[5]

"Under the Bush Administration, the Park Service leadership team is sacrificing scenery and serenity," PEER's Chas Offutt told BushGreenwatch. "We're arguing for a sound, informed public policy that will uphold the scenic values of the parks, provide the solitude visitors expect, and guide park managers as they implement the law."

PEER has learned that of the 397 units of the National Park System, only one--the Golden Gate National Recreation Area--has adopted a cell tower management plan.

###

TAKE ACTION
Sign the petition and pledge your support to remove the illegal construction of a 100-foot cell phone tower that overlooks Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park through PEER's website.

send comments via Email to me, D

Monday, April 26, 2004

Smear attack on Kerry's service

In 2000, the Bush camp ran a vicious "whisper campaign" which questioned whether John McCain was mentally stable after his service as a Vietnam POW.1 In 2002, Bush surrogates ran a TV ad against Max Cleland, a Democratic Senator who lost three limbs in Vietnam, that attacked Cleland's patriotism and faded his face into Osama bin Laden's.2

Now, the Republican National Committee and the Bush/Cheney campaign are pushing a story that John Kerry was not injured badly enough in Vietnam to deserve one of his three Purple Hearts. Given the gaping holes in Bush's own record of service, the attack is absurd. But if the Bush campaign wants to raise this debate, we're happy to oblige.

Today, we're launching a new 60-second ad that compares Kerry's record of courageous service in Vietnam with Bush's early departure from the National Guard. The ad concludes: "This election is about character. It's between John Kerry, who left no man behind… and George W. Bush, who simply left." This is the first ad since the launch of our 50 for the Future campaign, and we need your help to get it on the air.

Watch the ad and contribute now at:
https://www.moveonpac.org/donate/warrecord.html?id=2729-3646104-FDFJt9zi7dq6UQarlJ8XJA

Recently released military documents from both camps highlight the differences between the two men. George Bush, then in the National Guard, checked a box "do not volunteer for overseas."3 Then he failed to show up for a required physical, was grounded from flying, and didn't show up for several months before leaving eight months early for Harvard Business School.4

In contrast, in a letter to his Navy personnel officer, Kerry wrote "I request duty in Vietnam."5 Over the course of that service, for "brave action, bold initiative and unwavering devotion to duty,"6 he was awarded the Bronze Star and Silver Star medals. He also earned not one but three Purple Hearts, for being injured in service to our country.7

As the Associated Press reported, "Throughout his four years of active duty, Kerry's superiors gave him glowing evaluations . . . narrative comments from his commanding officers said he was diplomatic, charismatic, decisive and well-liked by his men. . . He was recommended for early promotion, and when he left the Navy in 1970 to run for Congress, his commanding officer said it was the Navy's loss."8

But unless we set the record straight, Republicans may actually succeed in misleading the public about Kerry's courageous service and deflecting the huge questions that remain about their own candidate's service. Take a look at our ad comparing the two men, and then help us get it on the air:
https://www.moveonpac.org/donate/warrecord.html?id=2729-3646104-FDFJt9zi7dq6UQarlJ8XJA

George Bush, Dick Cheney, and Karl Rove have a long history of attacking their opponents' military service -- even though Bush left early, Cheney said he had "other priorities" than serving, and Rove didn't serve at all.9 If we fight back together, we can demonstrate how outrageous and hypocritical these attacks are -- and make them stop.

Sincerely,
--Adam, Carrie, Eli, James, Joan, Laura, and Wes
The MoveOn PAC team
April 26th, 2004

P.S. By the way, if we're unable to use your contribution for the ad you specify, either because of oversubscription or for another unforeseen reason, it is our policy to use your contribution for other advertising, public relations, and advocacy activities.

Footnotes:

1."The Jeffords affair," by Arianna Huffinton (5/31/01)

2. "Ad uses Saddam, bin Laden to question Cleland's record," by Jeffrey McMurray (10/2/02)

3. Bush military service records

4. "Bush's Guard actions required an inquiry," by Walter V. Robinson and Francie Latour (2/13/04)

5. Kerry military service records

6. "Editorial: Galling Smears," Minnesota Star Tribune (4/24/04)

7. Kerry military service records

8. "Records show high praise for officer Kerry," Nedra Pickler (4/22/04)

9. The Chickenhawk Database

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Bush Administration Muffles New Findings on Snowmobile Noise in Yellowstone

The Bush Administration is actively seeking to reopen Yellowstone National Park to snowmobiles. The administration not only overturned a Clinton-era ban on these vehicles in Yellowstone, but also appealed a court ruling that reinstated the ban.

The federal judge in that case called the administration's policy "completely politically driven" at the expense of sound science, at odds with the National Park Service's own findings on the machines' impacts on air quality and wildlife.

Now, an internal report prepared by Yellowstone staff shows that four-stroke snowmobiles emit enough noise to cause hearing damage. The study findings were finalized last month, but are as yet unreleased.

The Bush administration is championing four-stroke snowmobiles in its ongoing attempt to reverse the snowmobile ban. It has not commented on the new findings publicly or in court. Instead they were revealed to the public last week by the Coalition of Concerned National Park Service Retirees, a group of 230 retired employees of the National Park Service.[1]

At a weekly staff meeting on January 27, Yellowstone's safety officer reported, "four-stroke snowmobiles are almost as loud as two-stroke machines for the operator."[2] In 18 out of 20 noise tests at Yellowstone, rangers operating four-stroke snowmobiles and employees working close to snowmobiles were found to be exposed to noise levels over 100 decibels, louder than a pneumatic drill.

Yellowstone's snowmobile noise standard mandates a maximum of 73 decibels at full throttle. Yellowstone's Park Safety Office instructed park staff to wear hearing-protective earplugs when exposed to noise levels above 85 decibels. No such warnings have been issued to park visitors operating the same machines.[3]

The Coalition's Bill Wade told BushGreenwatch that the full findings from the Yellowstone snowmobile noise tests suggest that park staff working with visitors at entrance stations to Yellowstone may be at risk as well, due to exposure to damaging levels of noise.[4]

"It seems incongruous to us to have machines that require hearing protection in the country's first national park, which should be a flagship for natural preservation and natural quiet," said Wade. "The presence of this kind of noise contradicts the very values of the park. These machines have no place in Yellowstone."

National Park Service management policies make specific mention of "natural quiet," sometimes called "natural soundscapes," as a resource to be protected in national parks.[5] The NPS web site extols this subtle quality: "The natural soundscape is a component of any park setting that is intended to be managed or appreciated as natural, such as wilderness areas...sounds made by wind, birds, geysers, elk, wolves, waterfalls, and many other natural phenomena are associated by visitors with unique features and resources of parks they hold dear."[6]

The Coalition of Concerned National Park Service Retirees is demanding that the Bush Administration be honest with the public about conditions in America's national parks. In addition to the unreleased data on snowmobile noise, the Coalition recently revealed instructions from the Interior Department to park managers, suggesting options for budget-trimming service cuts and how to hide them from the public and the media, as reported by BushGreenwatch March 18.

###

TAKE ACTION
Email Bush and the Department of Interior to let them know you want the truth about environmental and health impact in America's parks.

###

SOURCES:
[1] Coalition of Concerned National Park Service Retirees press release, Apr. 14, 2004.
[2] Yellowstone Staff Meeting Minutes, Jan. 27, 2004.
[3] Coalition of Concerned National Park Service Retirees press release, Apr. 14, 2004.
[4] Yellowstone National Park Snowmobile Exposure Survey, Noise Dosimetry.
[5] National Park Service Soundscape-Related Policies.
[6] National Park Service Natural Sounds page.

send comments via Email to me, D

Sunday, April 25, 2004

I'm a BAD American

YES, I'M A BAD AMERICAN

I Am Your Worst Nightmare. I am a BAD American. I am George Carlin.

I believe the money I make belongs to me and my family, not some mid level governmental functionary, be it Democratic or Republican!

I think owning a gun doesn't make you a killer, it makes you a smart American.

I think being a minority does not make you noble or victimized, and does not entitle you to anything.

I believe that if you are selling me a Big Mac, try to do it in English.

I think fireworks should be legal on the 4th of July.

I think that being a student doesn't give you any more enlightenment than working at Blockbuster. In fact, if your parents are footing the bill to put your pansy ass through 4 years plus of college, you haven't begun to be enlightened.

I believe everyone has a right to pray to his or her God when and where they want to.

My heroes are John Wayne, Babe Ruth, Roy Rogers, and whoever canceled Jerry Springer.

I don't hate the rich. I don't pity the poor.

I know wrestling is fake and I don't waste my time arguing about it.

I've never owned a slave, or was a slave, I didn't wander forty years In the desert after getting chased out of Egypt. I haven't burned any witches or been persecuted by the Turks and neither have you! So, shut the hell up already.

I want to know which church is it exactly where the Reverend Jesse Jackson practices, where he gets his money, and why he is always part of the problem and not the solution. Can I get an AMEN on that one?

I think the cops have every right to shoot your sorry ass if you're running from them.

I also think they have the right to pull you over if you're breaking the law, regardless of what color you are.

I think if you are too stupid to know how a ballot works, I don't want you deciding who should be running the most powerful nation in the world for the next four years.

If this makes me a BAD American, then yes, I'm a BAD American.

If you are a BAD American too, please forward this to everyone you know.

We need our country back!

by George Carlin

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Saturday, April 24, 2004

A note from Sentor Boxer on WEST NILE VIRUS

I received the following email from Senator Boxer from one of our contributors
this morning concerning West Nile Virus, which is a very serious disease.
He happen to be on her contact list, and I know most Californians & others are likely not on such a list.

The message is important to us all, and I would ask you share it with all of your friends and family.

Have a great day.

I thought you would be interested in the following
message.

===================================================

Dear Friend:

Many of us have watched as West Nile Virus has spread across
the nation, carried by infected mosquitos. This season, signs
of West Nile Virus have been found in several California
counties early in the year, suggesting that this could be an
especially bad year for this disease. I have a special feature
on my website to give Californians important information about
the disease, and steps to take to avoid exposure. You can find
this feature at http://boxer.senate.gov/wnile.cfm .

Though most people have no visible symptoms from
West Nile Virus, it can cause serious illness and even death
in the elderly or those with compromised immune systems.
It can also be carried by and cause death in birds and other
mammals. Prevention is essential if we are to fight the
spread of West Nile. I hope you will visit my web feature to
learn more about what you can do to protect yourself and your
community.

I encourage you to contact me if you have questions
about this or any other federal matter. You can reach me at
http://boxer.senate.gov/contact/webform.cfm .

Sincerely,

Barbara Boxer
United States Senator

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Thursday, April 22, 2004

What Ken Mehlman, Dir. of the campaign had to say

Here's what Bush/Cheney '04 campaign director Ken Mehlman had to say about us on Tuesday: "MoveOn.org is a huge threat and has hurt the president."

Just a few years ago, no one would have believed that millions of real Americans, working together, could have such an effect on the political landscape. But events like our bake sales last Saturday have proved them wrong. In one sunny spring afternoon, over 1,000 bake sales from Seattle to Syracuse pulled in $750,000 -- mostly in $2 or $3 cookie-sized chunks. (There's a full report below.) MoveOn members are re-writing the political rule book, and, together, we're leveling the playing field against the wealthiest Presidential campaign in our country's history.

That's why we're so excited about 50 for the Future -- a plan to raise $50 million from 500,000 of us to take back the White House, elect new progressive leaders, and prove forever that progressives are a force to be reckoned with.

$50 million sounds like a lot of money, and it is. But if we can get 500,000 people -- 1/4th of the MoveOn base -- to give $100 each between now and the election, we'll make it. The details are below; it's clearly the most ambitious thing we've ever attempted. But MoveOn's never set a fundraising goal we didn't meet, and if this election isn't a time to pull out all the stops, we don't know what is.

Would you join us by pledging to raise $1,000 from yourself, your friends, and your community before November 2nd? With about 200 days until the election, this would mean finding a way of raising around $5 a day until the election. We'll give you ideas -- from house parties to bake sales -- and provide you with tools and tips to help raise the dough.

Help get 50 for the Future rolling by pledging now at:
http://moveonpac.org/50forthefuture/?id=2724-3646104-JGeYoM_TQaU0yQJPG75Ujg

Here's how 50 for the Future breaks down:

$10 million to support the biggest get-out-the-vote drive in American history. MoveOn members have already pledged over seven million hours of their time to help get out the vote and win back the White House. Now we're hiring staff in battleground states to help folks get involved in canvasses and other on-the-ground activities. We're partnering with America Coming Together, which is doing the largest and most systematic get-out-the-vote drive our country's ever seen, as well as other local groups. Together, we'll deliver hundreds of thousands of volunteer canvass days. And for folks outside of the battleground states, we're developing a phone-banking program through which MoveOn members across the country can make tens of millions of calls to swing-state voters.

$20 million for advertisements to reach millions of voters in swing states -- ads that will cut through the spin and set the record straight. Through the MoveOn.org Voter Fund, MoveOn members raised $10 million to run swing-state ads that challenged President Bush's policies and put him on the defensive. From polling, we know these ads made an enormous impact, demonstrating powerfully how harmful those policies have been for our country. President Bush is now fighting a defensive battle on the air in these states with vicious and sometimes just plain false attacks on John Kerry. $20 million will allow us to systematically confront President Bush with the truth. He can run, but he can't hide.

$20 million to support candidates -- from state senators to John Kerry. We'll make direct contributions to candidates together to give them the resources they need to compete, and to remind them who they're working for. Over the next six months, we'll highlight progressive candidates for office, focusing especially on folks who are running in the key "battleground" states. It's a way of doubling the impact of our money: not only will we help good candidates get elected, but strong local grassroots campaigns in the battleground states will help turn out voters for Kerry as well. And we'll raise money for John Kerry, giving him the resources to articulate his vision for our country and take President Bush to task. This support will also remind our future President and future members of Congress that we helped put them there.
All this will help us win on November 2nd. But the Plan is also focused on November 3rd. On November 3rd, we'll have built a strong movement. We'll have helped to register millions of new voters. We'll have helped to elect fresh and exciting leaders to state and federal offices. And we'll have armed swing-state voters with a wealth of information about President Bush and his policies.

And one other thing: on November 3rd, we'll have changed American politics forever. To bring together $50 million directly from real Americans -- doing it without rubber-chicken dinners or high-donor cultivation programs -- is a transformative act. It'll demonstrate that politicians can't afford to ignore their constituents. It'll demonstrate that democracy can really work.

So are you in? We know it's a stretch, but it's time to think big. What can you pledge to raise, between yourself and your friends and colleagues, to take back our country? $1,000? $2,000? $10,000? Pledge your support at:
http://moveonpac.org/50forthefuture/?id=2724-3646104-JGeYoM_TQaU0yQJPG75Ujg

Sincerely,
--Adam, Carrie, Eli, James, Joan, Laura, and Wes
The MoveOn PAC team
April 22nd, 2004

P.S. If you need any more inspiration, here's a report from our bake sales on Saturday:

Our initial bake sale goal was $100,000, but MoveOn members always surprise us -- we not only brought in $750,000, but we gave out 40,000 flyers on John Kerry and registered thousands of voters. We estimate that over half a million people baked, bought, or sold food. One sale in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, raised more than $1000 in just a couple hours, and one in Washington had so many bakers they split into four satellite sales around the area.

You can check out a great map -- with photos -- of the bake sales across the country at:
http://cdn.moveonpac.org/bakesale/flash/

And participants had inspiring reports:

"For a town of only 26,000 (in Kentucky!), we raised a total of $433.82--4 times our initial goal! Also, we had press coverage from two newspapers.People came out in droves, and were just so happy to be able to do SOMETHING to help change the political climate"-- Pernell, Frankfort, KY

"We had a couple who brought us 40 loaves of home baked bread, still warm!"-- Jenifer, Gloucester, MA

"We held the sale in my driveway in a staunchly Republican neighborhood. Folks were glad to see TX still had Democrats."--Barbara, Austin, TX

"Janet and Doris went to a strip mall locally with 'bake sale on wheels' in a baby stroller."--Doris, Milwaukee, WI

"Restored my faith in democracy...and in my neighbors."-- Jeannette, Cullowhee, NC

"I am proud to be an American today!!!"-- Jennifer, Wethersfield, CT

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Wednesday, April 21, 2004

BUSH STILL HAS NOT EXPLAINED TIES TO SAUDI ARABIA

Four days after esteemed journalist Bob Woodward
revealed new ties between
President Bush and the Saudi Arabian government,
the president has yet to
directly address the charges. According to
Woodward, Saudi Arabia issued a
"pledge" to Bush to "increase [oil] production
several million barrels a
day" over the summer "as we get closer to the
election" (1).

Last month, Saudi Arabia led the fight within OPEC
to cut production and
raise gas prices in America to record levels (2).
However, since Woodward's
charges became public, the president has not
answered whether that earlier
move by the Saudis was part of a deliberate effort
to raise prices now so
that prices could then be lowered closer to the
election.

The new allegations once again put President Bush's
close ties to the Saudis
front and center. Despite the Saudi government's
potential ties to
terrorists and 9/11 (3), the president still calls
the Saudis "our friend"
(4) and Vice President Cheney continues to dote on
the royal family (5). As
CBS News reports, Bush has "personal and deep
financial ties with the Saudi
royal family" (6). Author and journalist Craig
Unger, who wrote House of
Bush, House of Saud, documents $1.4 billion that
has "made its way" from the
Saudi royal family to "entities tied" to the Bush
family.

Sources:
1. "Saudi Envoy Promised Bush a Drop in Oil Prices
Ahead of Election",
Bloomberg News, 04/09/2004,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=29983.
2. "Saudi envoy plays nice with White House on oil
supply", USA Today,
04/02/2004,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=29984.
3. "Saudi Government Provided Aid to 9/11
Hijackers, Sources Say", Los
Angeles Times, 08/02/2003,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=29985.
4. President Bush Vows to Bring Terrorists to
Justice, 05/16/2003,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=29986.
5. White House Photo Gallery,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=29987.
6. "The Tangled Web Of U.S.-Saudi Ties", CBS News,
04/20/2004,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=29988.

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Tuesday, April 20, 2004

NADER - Support the Only Candidate Committed to a Strategy of Peace in the General Election

If only Kerry and Bush debate the war and occupation we can be sure of the result: war and occupation.
We need your financial and volunteer support NOW to make sure Ralph Nader can carry the peace message through the general election. Visit http://votenader.org/contribute/index.php to contribute today. And, visit our ballot access page to help Ralph on the ballot in your state.

Today, Ralph Nader released his three-step approach to rapidly withdraw the United States including military, private military contractors, oil industry and other corporations from Iraq. Nader noted: "Every day the US military remains in Iraq we imperil US security, drain our economy, ignore our nation’s domestic needs and prevent democratic self-rule from developing in Iraq."

The approach also includes the immediate formation under UN auspices, of a peace keeping force from neutral nations with such experience and from Islamic countries; support of Iraqi self rule with free and fair elections being held as soon as possible under international supervision; and continued US humanitarian aid to rebuild the country from the illegal war and the long-term US-led economic sanctions against Iraqi civilians that resulted in tremendous damage to people, their children and the Iraqi infrastructure.

send comments via Email to me, D

BUSH STIFFS WORKERS ON OVERTIME

While touting the economy this month, President
Bush said, "A more
productive worker makes more money" (1). But if he
has his way on new
overtime regulations, that will no longer be the
case for tens of thousands
of workers.

In a move designed to blur the issue, the
Administration today said it was
revising its previous effort to terminate overtime
protections for 8 million
workers (2). But even by the Bush Administration's
own admission, the "new"
regulations will mean that tens of thousands of
lower-income workers will be
cut off (3). Opponents of the Administration's
plan say that the revisions
would still cause problems for mean millions. The
regulations are so bad for
workers that some state legislatures have even
rushed through legislation to
block them (4).

The new overtime regulations come just four months
after AP reported that
the Bush Labor Department began "giving employers
tips on how to avoid
paying overtime to some of the 1.3 million
low-income workers" (5). The
Administration specifically told employers they
could "cut workers' hourly
wages and add the overtime to equal the original
salary, or raise salaries
to the new $22,100 annual threshold, making them
ineligible." Labor
Secretary Elaine Chao testified before Congress
that too many workers were
filing "needless litigation" in efforts to force
employers to pay them back
wages (6). Her insult to workers belied the fact
that judges have ordered
the government to "collect more than $212 million
in back pay for workers" -
the most in a decade and a strong signal that the
efforts to fight worker
abuse are far from "needless."

Sources:
1. President Announces New Education Initiatives
for Stronger Workforce,
04/06/2004,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=29784.
2. "8 million may lose OT pay", CNN Money,
06/27/2003,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=29785.
3. "Administration to Revise Overtime Plan", New
York Times, 04/20/2004,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=29786.
4. "Senate votes to preserve overtime pay",
Associated Press, 04/16/2004,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=29787.
5. "U.S. offers tips on avoiding overtime pay",
MSNBC, 01/05/2004,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=29788.
6. "More workers filing overtime-pay lawsuits",
Seattle Times, 04/11/2004,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=29789
.

send comments via Email to me, D

Tuesday, May 04, 2004

Monday, May 03, 2004

Sunday, May 02, 2004

Saturday, May 01, 2004

Friday, April 30, 2004

Thursday, April 29, 2004

Wednesday, April 28, 2004

Tuesday, April 27, 2004

Monday, April 26, 2004

Sunday, April 25, 2004

Saturday, April 24, 2004

Thursday, April 22, 2004

Wednesday, April 21, 2004

Tuesday, April 20, 2004

Agree or not, talking it over is better...

Saturday Night Live - Palin / Hillary Open

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