Still Fighting

Activism

You care about global warming, right? Not only does it impact the environment, but there are many economic and national security factors to consider as this administration blatantly ignores this issue (dare we say "crisis?") We know you want to do something about it, but we're guessing that you probably aren't up for a physical march from Washington state to Washington, DC. Well, you're in luck! Join the 14,000 plus Americans who are taking part in Wes Clark's Virtual March on Washington. With people like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and John McCain adding their voices to Clark's, this movement is picking up steam. Become a virtual marcher, and help force this administration to look at an issue that, for once, doesn't benefit big business.

News

On Tuesday, we talked about White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan's attempt to explain to reporters why Bush wasn't notified when a Cessna flew within three miles of the White House, causing a mass evacuation. McClellan had nothing to fall back on other than "protocols" when reporters (actually) pushed him on this. Well, like sharks who smell blood in the water, the White House press corps took McClellan apart on Wednesday. In the interest of full disclosure, we will say that he had it coming. If you recall, there's been a big to-do over Newsweek magazine. As you can see in the story, some government officials still aren't satisfied with Newsweek's retraction and apology. Rep. Deborah Pryce (Ohio), for example, released a statement saying, "Retraction and regrets will not atone for the reckless behavior of an irresponsible reporter and an overzealous publication." How about the reckless behavior of a President to lie to the country to justify going into a needless war that has cost thousands of lives already? Would that be reckless? The media, by and large, has taken Newsweek's side on this one, as was evidenced in Scott McClellan's White House briefing on Tuesday. McClellan, in his role as presidential mouthpiece, came across as extremely holier-than-thou, demanding that Newsweek explain how they "got this wrong." The press, of course, jumped on him like kids on birthday presents. Dan Froomkin has all the response, both in the White House briefing room and written editorials, but we'll leave the last words to ABC News' Terry Moran (talking to McClelllan in the briefing room). "With respect, who made you the editor of Newsweek? Do you think it's appropriate for you, at that podium, speaking with the authority of the President of the United States, to tell an American magazine what they should print?"

China. Two interesting things in the news about China: First, we see that the Bush administration, attempting to make up for the record trade deficit we have with China, will impose strict limits on clothing imports from China. Bush wants an "even playing field," you see, and with the low value of the yuan, Bush feels like he's left with only two options: Impose import limits, and continue to lean on China to change their currency system. The former is happening, the latter has seen tremendous pressure from the U.S. to make happen. So, China's probably a little steamed. Then we read this today, which discusses Indonesia and China getting together for tea, and, oh yes, teaming up and creating short, medium and long range missiles. The U.S. won't sell weapons to Indonesia or China (the latter is something that's been a bit of a sticking point between the U.S. and Israel), and with tensions running high in Malaysia, there's no reason why Indonesia would say "no" to this. Unfortunately, if Bush keeps prodding them to reform its currency and human rights, we may be hearing a lot more about China.

Super Sheep. Quick, what's the biggest domestic terrorist threat to the U.S.? The KKK? The religious right? According to the FBI, the answer is "ALF, ELF and SHAC." No, they aren't talking about an alien, a Keebler, and a basketball player. ALF, ELF and SHAC are environmental and animal rights activist groups, and as the deputy assistant director for counterterrorism in the FBI, John Lewis testified before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Wednesday, they are the biggest domestic terrorist threat to America right now. Groups like these have claimed credit for over 1200 crimes between 1990 and mid-2004. The biggest question is where these groups are getting their funding. The Senate will continue to investigate, but in the meantime, we're watching you, PETA!

Editorials

The Top 10 Filibuster Falsehoods. The first step towards the "nuclear option" was official taken yesterday, as Frist brought Judge Priscilla Owen's nomination to the floor. And while some responsible Senators are actually trying to avert the loss of any remaining civility in the Senate, Frist is barreling towards meltdown. So, you can bet in the coming days you'll be hearing even more about the filibuster. Mostly, you'll be hearing overheated rhetoric, largely from the Republicans who are trying to justify their unprecedented power grab. This is a huge issue - you need to make your views known, and make sure that anyone who will listen realizes how truly anti-American the GOP is acting, and as such, you need to be armed with the facts.

The Missing Patriot Debate. Lost in the shuffle of Terri, Frist and DeLay is the overhanging Sword of Damocles that is the PATRIOT Act. Congress has until December 31 to choose which (any or all) of the 16 expiring provisions to re-authorize. But don't get too terribly excited. As David Cole writes, these 16 provisions are only a small part of the Act, and most are quite tame (they take up only 25 of the Act's 342 pages). The two most heated provisions will be: the "libraries provision," which allows the government to secretly obtain records of any person from any business, regardless of wrongdoing; and the other authorizes secret "sneak and peek" searches of homes without promptly informing the homeowner. Many provisions that should be stricken, however, remain, such as immigration, and the provision that criminalizes speech by making it illegal to provide "expert advice" to designated "terrorist organizations" (like ALF). So, as Cole says, while there will be outrage when this debate picks up again, regardless of how these 16 provisions are settled, the bigger issues will remain, and that's the real problem.

GOP Actually Prohibits Better Wages. It's hard to stop writing about how the GOP is not concerned with the average American citizen when they keep doing things to show it. As David Sirota writes, Republican Governor of Georgia Sonny Perdue recently signed into law a bill that bars "any city from seeking to require their contractors to pay higher minimum wages to employees than the $5.15 per hour federal standard." Since the lower wages keep workers on the state's low-income healthcare program, big businesses save money, and are happy. The healthcare program, it should be noted, costs the state $10 million, and is footed by taxpayers. But you don't even need to look further than Washington, DC to see that GOP priorities are severely out of touch with America. How out of touch? Soldiers in Iraq go without armor, but DeLay and company drive around DC in uber-SUVs. More than 45 million Americans don't have health coverage, but Congress has provided itself with max-coverage health care and pensions that vest after only five years (thanks to your tax dollars). Oh, and let's not forget that this Republican-led Congress refuses to raise the minimum wage, yet, since 1996, they have given themselves seven pay raises, totaling $28,500! Never mind the to-do on Terri Schiavo, the fanatical focus on seven judges, and the lack of any discussion on the economy. Every day it becomes more obvious that Republicans in Congress don't care a bit about the people they work for, and if that's not enough to get you angry, we're not sure what will.