Still Fighting

Activism

There are a lot of things that Bush has done (or not done) over the last five years that have really frustrated us. Not doing more about Sudan. Pushing a Social Security non-plan that no one wants. Destroying foreign relations. But there's nothing more frustrating to us right now that Bush's stance on the Downing Street Memo (or rather, his lack of a stance). One day, someone is going to ask him about it, and demand a straight answer. Thanks to Democrats.com (The Aggressive Progressives), that day might be sooner, rather than later. (Update: A reporter from Reuters asked him...we want an American source to do so, though.) Democrats.com is offering up a $1,000 reward to anyone who can get the president to answer this question with a yes or no. $500 could be yours if you ask, but you don't get a clear yes or no. And if you ask, and he ignores you (but heard you), you'll win $100. It's that simple. Free money, people! Spread the word, or corner Bush in his next "town hall" meeting. We deserve answers, and we're not above supporting people who will pay for you to ask the question!

News

Senate Panel OKs Sweeping FBI Subpoena Powers. In a blow to anybody who values their right to privacy, the Senate Intelligence committee passed legislation on to the full Senate that would allow the FBI to essentially subpoena any personal record, without a judge's approval, from anyone they want. You may remember similar provisions are set to expire in the Patriot Act. We're more appalled that three of the seven Democrats on the Intelligence committee actually voted to pass this. Senator John Rockerfeller (D-WV) voted yea, but expressed reservations about how these new allowances would be used. Hey, Mr. Senator - if you have reservations about it, don't vote for it! This ties in nicely with yesterday's Branch Rickety editorial, where Terrence Samuel wrote about Congress kneeling before the President's agenda, thus losing its own independence bit by bit. As you can guess, Bush was all for these provisions. We only hope the full Senate sees things more clearly, but, as you can probably guess, we don't have high hopes for that to happen.

Schweitzer Tells Bush Off on Roadless Change. Life for Bush isn't always about screwing John and Jane Taxpayer at the federal level. Bush also goes out of his way to screw entire states over. We saw it first with Medicaid, and now we're seeing it with the "roadless rule." Adopted by Bill Clinton, the roadless rule essentially took 58 million acres of American land and set them aside, where roads would not be allowed to be built. It was a great achievement, and a huge thumb in the eye to big business. Now, Bush has overturned that rule, and told the states involved (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona and Wyoming, among others) that they must open their lands up to roads. This will allow the administration to then rewrite the rules on forest management, to allow for more development. Although the administration has said that individual state changes are not mandatory, states like Montana are in a huge bind. You see, in order for a state to be spared from having their protected areas ruined, they must submit a petition to the Forest Service, who will make the final decision. One on hand, states don't have the money to make changes (even if they wanted to). On the other hand, they have big business (like mining and logging companies) clamoring for state governments to do something. What it means is that the decision for a state to redirect millions of dollars in budgeted money from things like essential services and education to creating roads will be made by the Forest Service. Hey, looks like this is another example of Bush screwing John and Jane Taxpayer after all!

Harris To Challenge Nelson for Senate Seat. Remember Katherine Harris? She was the Secretary of State in Florida in 2000, and handed the election to Bush. Literally. Harris is now a U.S. Representative in Florida (and a Republican, if you can believe it), and has announced that she will challenge incumbent Ben Nelson for one of Florida's two Senate seats. Harris stands to raise a substantial amount of money for her campaign, and there's no question why; If it wasn't for Harris's extremely dirty politics in 2000, Al Gore would have won the election. Conservatives owe her, and they know it. Top that off with the fact that Nelson is considered one of the most vulnerable Senators in 2006, and this might spell trouble. The good news is that Democrats hate Harris, and her announcement of running will (hopefully) draw out more Democratic voters. Voters in Florida don't easily forget, and Harris is just as despised today as she was in 2000. You can be sure that we have a personal interest in this election, and we'll keep you updated on it as we approach election '06. Retaining Nelson's seat is key to taking back the Senate.

Editorials

GOP, Like Companies, Wants Workers to Carry the Safety Net. But you knew that, right? Between Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, Ronald Brownstein shows that "Republicans are looking to limit government's financial exposure and shift more of the risk for ensuring pension and healthcare security to workers and retirees in the name of increasing choice." That about sums it up. This GOP-led government wants you to assume all of the risk. The social safety net is disappearing, and it's all a part of Bush's desire to eliminate as many American rights and benefits as possible before he leaves office. To be more specific, he wants to take away the rights of citizens, and transfer those rights to corporations. How else can you explain what's happening here?

Paying To Play. What does it say when columnists in New Zealand are writing more insightful articles about the Bush agenda than our own reporters? Bill Berkowitz chimes in on a pseudo-environmental issue: The privatization of land in America. Environmental issues have gotten very little press here; aside from the big Energy Bill, and the drilling in the Arctic Refuge, environmental issues fall by the MSM wayside. But the privatization of land is a huge deal, and if you think about it a little, you'll likely agree. Do you enjoy going to a state-owned campsite and spending the night? Think about bedding down in the Microsoft National Campgrounds, and paying $88/night to do it. It's hard for us to point you to a solution, as so many environmental activist groups tend to be excessively aggressive. But when stories like this fall through the cracks, it shows that the MSM isn't doing their jobs, and Bush is getting away with a whole lot more than we think (and that's saying something). Berkowitz's editorial is long, but it makes for fascinating reading.

Norman Vincent Moose. Normally, the Bull Moose is more entertaining than informative, but once in a while, he's pretty insightful. In this post, he encourages Democrats to remain positive, for a couple of reasons. One is that optimism (tempered with sanity) wins elections. Another is that if you stop caring about America, then you won't have enough passion to make it better. Sounds good to us. Keep fighting!