csua.org/u/6p3 -> www.sacbee.com/content/opinion/national/ivins/story/8694081p-9621825c.htm
Bush loses the election narrowly in November, put it down to the birders. What was Rove thinking when he allowed William Haynes II to be nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit? There are all the usual reasons for rejecting a Bush judicial nominee -- he's only tried one case; But the fatal faux pas is the feather-blowing tale of Haynes' role as the top Defense Department lawyer in the case of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. If you have never seen a flock of enraged birders, you don't know what danger is. If we find Rove beaten to a pulp with binoculars, it will be no surprise. There's no way to keep up with the Bush administration's assaults on the environment, they're just endless. Most notable lately was the decision to let mercury pollution, which is extremely toxic, continue. With current technology, we could cut mercury emissions by 90 percent in four years. Instead, the Bushies chose a plan that will reduce it by 50 percent over 14 years, thus saving millions for their big campaign contributors in the power, coal and chemical industries. To make up for it, they warned pregnant women not to eat tuna. Forest Service is going to eliminate any reviews of its actions by outside agencies for compliance with clean water, endangered species and historical preservation laws. To counter this ghastly record, the GOP put out a "talking points" memo for Republican members of Congress. In it, the congressmen are advised to inform their constituents that: A) global warming has not been proved, B) there are no clear links between childhood asthma and air pollution (in what I assume was an unintentionally hilarious slip, the memo advises R's that the links are "cloudy"), and C) America's rivers and lakes aren't nearly as polluted as the EPA says they are. The EPA says at least 40 percent of our streams, rivers and lakes are too polluted for drinking, fishing or swimming. Jim Jeffords of Vermont observed: "It's so incredible that they have this denial of any responsibility for the serious situation we have in this country as far as the environment goes. The latest fad among these anti-immigrant groups, many of which have ties to disgusting racist groups, is to blame immigrants for our environmental problems. I see a lot of Mexican immigrants, and some must be illegal, gardening in this country, but I don't know of many who run power plants that spew tons of mercury into the air. You hardly ever see an illegal Mexican immigrant on a snowmobile in Yellowstone. Illegal Mexicans are seldom in charge of timber companies that want to clear-cut the national forests. It's not often that illegal Mexicans run chemical companies that dump toxins into rivers and wetlands. It's rare to find an illegal Mexican in the Bush administration deciding to end the Superfund cleanup program or to lower air and water quality standards. I don't know about you, but I don't think we can pin this one on them. The Sacramento Bee - Get the whole story every day - 39 SUBSCRIBE NOW!
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