PSR Condemns Choice Of Yucca Mountain As Nuclear Waste Site;
Choice Based On Politics, Not Sound Science, Says Group WASHINGTON, Jan.13 /U.S.
Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham recommended that President Bush designate Yucca Mountain
as the repository for some 77,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste. Although the DOE
claims that the area is "scientifically sound and suitable," there is little
evidence to support this finding, which is bitterly opposed by Nevada residents, local and
state legislators, and environment and health public interest groups. The nuclear industry
has long pressed for the transportation of nuclear waste from commercial facilities and
other sites to Yucca Mountain. This would allow current and new nuclear power stations to
go on producing radioactive waste without regard for the environmental consequences.
usnewswire.com
Ford to cut 35,000 jobs worldwide, 22,000 in North
America 13 January, By Lawrence Porter On Friday morning, January 11, top executives of Ford Motor
Company announced a dramatic restructuring plan that calls for the destruction of 35,000
jobs worldwide and 22,000 jobs in North America. These decisions will mean the
near-certain impoverishment of thousands of families and the devastation of numerous towns
across North America. wsws.org
Politics: Democrat Mark
Warner takes Virginia governor's post The Associated Press RICHMOND,
Va. (January 12, 2002 3:25 p.m. EST) - Mark Warner was inaugurated Saturday as governor,
returning the executive branch to the Democrats after eight years of Republican rule. In
his inaugural address, Warner vowed to work with legislators to solve the state's budget
problems. nandotimes.comBush links to Enron run
deep By BARRIE MCKENNA
January 12 Treasury
official was asked by boss of failing energy company to call banks WASHINGTON --
When George W. Bush began his improbable run for the presidency two years ago, his
Texas-based team of advisers and bagmen were so close to the energy industry that critics
dubbed them the Houston Oilers. Now, as criminal investigators comb through the wreckage
of bankrupt energy giant Enron Corp, his reputation as Big Oil's man has returned to haunt
the former Texas governor. theglobeandmail.com
Bush, Enron chiefs careers, paths intersected
By Deb Riechmann, Jan.12 Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON, President Bush bestowed the nickname "Kenny
Boy" on embattled Enron executive Kenneth Lay back when the two were up-and-comers in
Texas. That doesn't mean they are best buddies; Bush dispenses nicknames freely and
not just on intimates. Yet as their careers soared, their interests became more
intertwined, whether in business, politics or baseball. msnbc.com
Bush is no environmental defender, attorneys charge January 11. During his first year in office, President George W. Bush has
failed to defend the environment and is working with industry behind closed doors to
undermine existing protections, say attorneys from Earthjustice who represent
environmental groups in court. enn.com
Spencer Abraham, Energy Secretary for The Bush
administration announced on Wednesday a new partnership between the federal government and
domestic auto makers to promote the development of a hydrogen refueling
infrastructure. The new clean hydrogen car technology signals the end for the dirty old
Henry Ford era cars and the oil companies which have dominated our civilization and caused
global warming. There is very little oil, less than a six month supply in the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge, and it will take years to get is out of the ground. By the time
we have extracted the oil and irreparably damaged the last unspoiled regions of our
country, the gas guzzler cars will have gone the way of the horse drawn buggy. Ironically
the oil companies continue to enjoy the full support of the Bush White House in their
dying effort to despoil our wilderness areas and milk as much profit out of the American
people as possible. Sadly helping the rich get richer seems to be more important than
our environment and our children's future. cbsnews.com
Bush moves to overturn ruling blocking oil
drilling off California coast January 11, By DAVID KRAVETS SAN
FRANCISCO (AP) The Bush administration urged a federal appeals court
Thursday to overturn a court order blocking oil and natural gas exploration off
Californias central coast. The governments brief follows a federal
judges decision in June barring exploration off San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and
Ventura counties. The judge cited environmental concerns. montanaforum.com
Bush bypasses Senate, appoints conservatives Reich
to State, Scalia to Labor By SANDRA SOBIERAJ 1/11/02 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Circumventing Senate opposition, President Bush signed recess appointments Friday
for conservatives Otto Reich and Eugene Scalia. The White House gave Congress formal
notification of the long-threatened appointments early Friday afternoon and publicly
announced the president's decision without comment. Because Bush exercised his authority
while Congress is in recess, Reich and Scalia will be allowed to serve until Congress
recesses again at the end of the year. nj.com
White House discloses Cabinet contacts with Enron
January 11, By
Ron Fournier WASHINGTON (AP) The White House
revealed on Thursday that Enron Corp., an energy firm closely tied to President Bush,
sought the administration's help shortly before collapsing with the life savings of many
workers. In a separate disclosure, the company's auditors said they had destroyed many
Enron documents. dailynews.com
On January 8, The republican Supreme Court struck
another devastating blow against the American people in their ruling which weakens the "Americans
with Disabilities Act," Jan, 10. Jan, 10.
Jan, 10. The republican Supreme
Court has found a way to prevent many individuals whom Congress intended the
"Americans with Disabilities Act" (ADA) to cover, from receiving their Social
Security disability benefits, however there will be more money available for the richest
1% in the form of a 200 billion dollar tax giveaway. Bush calls this robbery of the
peoples Social Security trust fund his "economic-stimulus package." This massive
withdrawal from the fund will bring it closer to bankruptcy and corporate takeover. All of
the wealthy individuals who will receive the peoples Social Security funds in this obscene
and down right mean spirited corporate raid are already stinking filthy rich. Most of them
have doubled and tripled their cash worth in the past eight years. It isn't about need,
it's about greed and power. Bush said he likes the way things are done in Mexico, where
98% of the population is so beaten down and impoverished they only think of how to
survive, voting and politics are beyond them. Without a Social Security system we to will
know the poverty of a two class third world hell like Mexico. editor
New York Times defends Bush on links to Enron corporate
fraud 10 January, By David
Walsh True to form, the editors of the New York Times have rushed
to the defense of President Bush against suggestions that his administration could be
implicated in one of the largest corporate frauds in history, which produced the collapse
of Enron Corporation, the energy trading giant. Bush administration officials, and George
W. Bush personally, had the most intimate ties to top Enron officials, including Chairman
and CEO Kenneth Lay, one of the biggest fundraisers for the Bush 2000 campaign and the
finance chairman of the Bush inaugural. The company filed for Chapter 11 status in
December, the largest corporate bankruptcy in US history, leaving thousands of workers
unemployed and with decimated retirement savings, and devastating thousands more small
investors. wsws.org
White House: Enron Official Phoned January
10 By KAREN GULLO, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON
(AP) - Enron Chairman Kenneth L. Lay reached out to two of President Bush's Cabinet
officers when the energy company was collapsing, the White House disclosed Thursday as the
Justice Department opened a criminal investigation of Enron's bankruptcy. Bush, who
received significant campaign contributions from Lay and other Enron executives, said he
himself has never discussed Enron's financial problems with its embattled corporate
chairman. The president said he last saw Lay in Texas at spring fund-raiser for former
first lady Barbara Bush's literacy foundation. yahoo.com
Trust Names Wendy Lee Gramm The Clean Air 'Villain of the Month'
WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following was released today by Clean Air
Trust: What does a sunset cocktail party in ritzy Naples, Florida, have to do with an oil
company indicted for "environmental crimes" and a soon-to-be-announced Bush
Administration plan to weaken enforcement of the Clean Air Act? usnewswire.com
New Book Says Negotiations by U.S. with Taliban for Oil May
Have Interfered With Efforts to Get Bin Laden Aired
January 9, 2002 - 07:34 ET THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS
FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: As you heard in our last half-hour,
the authors of a new book say secret negotiations by the U.S. with the Taliban for oil may
have actually interfered with efforts to get Osama bin Laden. cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS
Let Down His Rich Pals? Over His Dead Body January 9
by Robert Scheer Talk about the politics of class struggle. George W. Bush now is
apparently willing to give his life to make the rich richer. "Over my dead body"
was his response to proposals to scale back the $1.35 trillion in tax cuts planned for the
next 10 years. Notice that he didn't say "over my dead body" will the
homeless--many of them actually employed in low-paying jobs--sleep in the snows of
Minneapolis because the "faith-based" as well as government shelters are short
on funds. Nor is it "over my dead body" that Enron workers will be left holding
the bag emptied by the president's good friend, Kenneth L. "Kenny Boy" Lay. Nor
is it "over my dead body" that the Boeing company will be given a $22-billion
Air Force contract as it fires thousands of its workers. The president cannot say that
"over my dead body" will he forget his pledge to assist seniors with
prescription medical costs, save Social Security and revive public education, when in fact
his tax cut has made it impossible to deliver on any such promises. commondreams.org
Nuclear Arms Plan: Saving,
Not Scrapping Many Weapons Covered by Bush-Putin Pact Would
Go Into Reserve, Congress Told January 9 by Walter Pincus The Bush administration told Congress
yesterday that many of the warheads, bombs and intercontinental missiles involved in the
president's promised two-thirds reduction of deployed strategic nuclear forces over the
next 10 years would be kept in reserve under its new strategic policy, according to
congressional sources. commondreams.org
When the body is broken and one can no longer work,
the republican Supreme Court simply expects sick and disabled Americans to quietly go
away, die, find an interstate bridge and crawl under it.
National Council on Disability Deeply Troubled by Supreme Court
Ruling Limiting Scope of Disability Law Jan. 8 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The National Council on Disability is deeply
troubled by today's Supreme Court ruling in Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc. v.
Ella Williams (No.00-1989), in which the Court once again narrowed the scope of the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in a manner inconsistent with Congress and the
American people's intent in its enactment. According to NCD chairperson Marca Bristo,
"Today's Supreme Court decision would prevent many individuals whom Congress intended
ADA to cover from receiving its protection that they may need to secure and maintain
employment." usnewswire.com
Corporations can now blow their noses on the
American People and throw them in the garbage, or as the republicans say, you can always
quit and go homeless and starve.
Disability Group Finds Flawed Logic In Supreme Court Decision;
Toyota vs. Williams Case Raises Concern About ADA Act January 8 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The National Organization on Disability is
disappointed by today's Supreme Court decision in Toyota Vs. Williams, said group
spokesperson Brewster Thackeray. "The disability community values the ADA as a civil
rights law. It was written to protect people if they have, or develop, a condition that
impacts their ability to fully participate in major life activities. When because of a
disability, someone cannot perform a job that he or she has been trained for and held for
years, that is the very kind of situation we count on the ADA to prevent," Thackeray
said. "From what we have heard of this case, it does not sound like Toyota made a
full-hearted effort to accommodate Ms. Williams prior to dismissing her. And if she was as
it appears dismissed specifically because she had a physical disability, the U.S. Supreme
Court should have joined with the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in citing the ADA to
give protection to the injured employee. usnewswire.com
Judge Voids a Union Rule Issued by Bush
January 8By STEVEN GREENHOUSE A
federal judge has overturned one of President Bush's earliest executive orders, which
required federal contractors to post notices telling workers they did not have to join
unions. nytimes.com
SupremeCourt Narrows Reach of Disability Law January 8, By
Edward Walsh The Supreme Court narrowed the scope of the Americans With
Disabilities Act today, ruling that the law only covers impairments that affect a person's
daily life and does not apply to conditions that prevent a worker from performing a
specific job-related task. washingtonpost.com
"No amount of hot
rhetoric will get the economy back on track. January 7 "Let me be clear, I proposed short term
tax cuts to create jobs and generate investment and long-term fiscal discipline, not tax
increases. It is undeniable that the Republicans turned record surpluses into deficits in
the space of just one year. It is time they explain to the American people what they
intend to do about the hole they dug". truthout.com
The President's Political Potshot January 7, LIKE IT OR NOT, it seems we have entered the 2002 election
season. Democratic Senate leader Tom Daschle fired first on Friday; President Bush came
roaring back over the weekend. The subjects were taxes, budgets and the economy; all fair
game, you might say -- this is what politicians are supposed to argue about. But Mr. Bush
came close to suggesting that the partisan rhetoric he was employing to such fine effect
wasn't legitimate when used by the other side. "It's time to take the spirit of unity
that has been prevalent in fighting the war and bring it to Washington, D.C.," the
president said. His economic stimulus plan metamorphosed over the holiday into an
"economic security plan." The implication is that opposition to his tax cuts
would carry a whiff of failed patriotism. washingtonpost.com
Marian and me By Kera Bolonik Jan. 7,
When Michael Moore's publisher
insisted he rewrite his new book to be less critical of President Bush, it took an
outraged librarian to get it back in the stores. It was the kind of battle that provocateur
journalist Michael Moore would ordinarily consider red meat: a major media corporation
threatening a writer's freedom of speech. Moore's new book, "Stupid White Men and
Other Excuses for the State of the Nation," which pointedly criticizes President
George W. Bush and his administration, was due in stores on Oct. 2. As with many books
scheduled for release in the weeks that immediately followed Sept. 11, plans to ship the
title to stores were put on hold. According to HarperCollins, "both Moore and [Judith
Regan's HarperCollins imprint] ReganBooks thought its publication would be insensitive,
given the events of September 11." salon.com
Anti-Bush Protest March Halted by Police January 6 By AndrewKramer
Chanting slogans against President Bush, about 500 activists marched through a Portland
neighborhood Saturday to protest the president's policies just before his arrival here.
"Hey George, we didn't like your dad and we don't like you," the protesters
shouted, alluding to hostile receptions that Portland activists would give Bush's father
when he was president. The protesters -- many of them opponents of the war in Afghanistan
-- had planned to march to a job training center where President George W Bush spoke to
unemployed people. But police barricades and a line of riot police prevented the marchers
from getting close to the job center. As the protesters milled around the barricades a
military helicopter watched them from above. The march started from a park
several blocks from the job center. Later, outside Bush's second stop at a high school, mounted
police cleared an intersection by spurring their horses into a crowd of jeering
protesters, pushing them onto the sidewalk. kgw.com
Bush: Not over my dead bodyJanuary 6 ONTARIO, Calif. (AP) - Firing back in an
election-year debate over the recession, President George W. Bush yesterday painted
Democratic opponents as tax-raisers and pointedly vowed he wont allow his tax cuts
to be rolled back. "Not over my dead body will they raise your taxes," he
shouted to California workers. He called for bipartisan unity but deflected talk of
compromise on an economic stimulus package, blaming the Democrats for blocking it. With
unemployment at a six-year high of 5.8 percent last month, Bush told a packed high school
gym in Portland, Ore.: "If youre unemployed, its 100 percent, and
Im worried about that." showmenews.com
Daschle challenges Bush on economy January 5, By Kevin Galvin Seattle Times Washington Bureau WASHINGTON The balance
between tax cuts and spending to reinvigorate the nation's economy is shaping up as the
first big partisan test of this election year. In advance of President Bush's visit to
Portland today, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle challenged the president to help
workers displaced by the downturn and chided him for his $1.3 trillion tax cut passed last
spring. "Sept. 11 and the war aren't the only reasons the surplus is nearly
gone," Daschle said yesterday. "The biggest reason is the tax cut." The
South Dakota Democrat was drawing party battle lines for the anticipated confrontation
over economic stimulus when Congress returns from recess later this month. seattletimes.nwsource.com
Reyes backs Daschle's bash of Bush January 5, Sergio
Bustos WASHINGTON -- Backing his party's top leader, U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes,
D-Texas, said Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle's critique Friday of President Bush's
handling of the economy was right on the mark. borderlandnews.com
CBO Report Rates Bush Economic Proposals
Poorly January 5, By
Glenn Kessler, President Bush plans to tout his economic stimulus plan in a
California town-hall meeting today, arguing it is critical to reviving the economy. But
the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office gave poor grades to several of the president's
proposals in a report issued yesterday. The report said several Democratic proposals had a
better chance of reviving the economy at the lowest cost. It reserved its highest praise
for a "payroll tax holiday" advocated by Sen. Pete V. Domenici (R-N.M.). The
administration has been cool to Domenici's plan, but Senate Democrats were open to it
during the inconclusive negotiations on a stimulus bill last month. washingtonpost.com
Nation's Unemployment Rate Rises to 5.8%
January 5, By DANIEL ALTMAN- The unemployment rate continued to
creep upward last month, though fewer Americans lost their jobs than in any of the
previous three months. The Labor Department reported yesterday that the economy lost
124,000 jobs in December, the smallest decline since August. The unemployment rate rose
two- tenths of a percentage point, to 5.8 percent, a level it last reached in April 1995. nytimes.com
Democrat Assails Bush on Economy By
ALISON MITCHELLWASHINGTON, Jan. 5 Senator Tom Daschle, the
capital's most prominent Democrat, accused President Bush and the Republicans today of
causing the "most
dramatic fiscal deterioration in our nation's history" when they pushed through a major tax cut last year. nytimes.com
Drug Discount Cards Give the Elderly Small Savings
January 5, 2002 by ROBERT PEARWASHINGTON Federal
investigators said today that drug discount cards of the type proposed by President Bush
had not significantly cut costs for elderly consumers buying brand-name medicines in
metropolitan areas, where savings averaged less than 10 percent of retail prices. nytimes.com
Ruling Eases Restrictions on Tax Shelters for Companies January 4
By DAVID CAY JOHNSTON, A federal appeals
court has issued a ruling in a case involving Compaq Computer (news/quote)
that tax experts say will make it much more difficult for the Internal Revenue Service to
demolish many corporate tax shelters. A federal appeals
court has issued a ruling in a case involving Compaq Computer (news/quote)
that tax experts say will make it much more difficult for the Internal Revenue Service to
demolish many corporate tax shelters. Some experts predicted that tax shelter
promoters would quickly take advantage of the ruling to fashion new shelters for
corporations to shed billions of dollars in taxes. http://www.nytimes.com
ENRON CORP.: Senate may probe ties with president January 4,WASHINGTON -- Enron
Corp. faced further scrutiny on Capitol Hill Wednesday, with another committee announcing
a probe of the company's collapse, possibly looking at connections between Enron and the
White House. chicagotribune.com
Bush administration repeals rule barring
lawbreaking companies from federal contracts January 4, By Leigh Strope,
WASHINGTON The Bush administration repealed a Clinton-era
rule that prevents the government from awarding federal contracts to businesses that have
broken environmental, labor, tax or other federal laws. signonsandiego.com
Incarcerated Republican Ex-Mayor, Wife Sell Waterbury House January 3, By STEPHANIE REITZ, WATERBURY -- Another tie between Philip A. Giordano
and his hometown has been severed with the recent sale of the imprisoned former mayor's
house. Documents filed in Waterbury City Hall say that Giordano and his wife, Dawn, sold
their three-bedroom ranch home at 157 Southwind Road in December. ctnow.com / Read about how this corrupt
republican pervert raped children.
Making more money for
corporate America is more important to Bush than national security. Stalin
said that "America would sell Russia the rope with which we will hang them" Or,
in order for the world to be a bad place, justifying our military industrial
complex, we must make it into a bad place by selling our enemies the technology to destroy
us with. So basically the Chinese stole the plans for our advanced multiple warhead
interconental ballistic missiles and now Bush will sell them the computer systems they
need to successfully use these missiles on us. THANKS BUSH. editor
Bush eases Cold War restrictions on computer exports
January 3, The US government has lifted a Cold War ban on the export of
high-speed computers. The move means that high-speed machines can now be shipped to
Russia, China, and other 'Tier 3' security risk countries. The restrictions were designed
to stop other countries' attempts to develop computer-powered nuclear weapons programmes. ananova.com
Bush's Stealthy Pursuit of a Partisan Agenda
By David S. Broder January 2, It was a classic stealth
maneuver -- and it worked. Two days after Christmas, with President Bush at his Texas
ranch and most of official Washington on vacation, the White House announced the rejection
of regulations that would have barred companies that repeatedly violate environmental and
workplace standards from receiving government contracts. washingtonpost.com
Goodbye stock market, goodbye
economy, goodbye environment, goodbye constitutional rights, goodbye Social Security,
hello Bush.
Stocks fell on Monday, a
fitting end to the stock
market's worst year in more than a quarter century January 2 NEW YORK (Reuters) - Money managers closed the
books on a year marked by economic recession, shrinking interest rates, dwindling
corporate profits, Wall Street job losses, and the Sept. 11 attacks that devastated the
heart of New York's financial district. truthout.com
Monsanto Hid Decades Of Pollution
PCBs Drenched Ala. Town, But No One Was Ever Told by Michael Grunwald January 2
ANNISTON, Ala. -- On the west side of Anniston, the poor side of Anniston, the
people ate dirt. They called it "Alabama clay" and cooked it for extra flavor.
They also grew berries in their gardens, raised hogs in their back yards, caught bass in
the murky streams where their children swam and played and were baptized. They didn't know
their dirt and yards and bass and kids -- along with the acrid air they breathed -- were
all contaminated with chemicals. They didn't know they lived in one of the most polluted
patches of America. commondreams.org
My Way, the High Way - By JAMES M. JEFFORDS Jan
1, WASHINGTON -- In the months since my decision to leave the Republican Party and become
an independent, I have been both hailed and admonished. This is not surprising, given the
impact of my decision. Yet, I find that many of the journalists, legislators and ordinary
citizens who offer their thoughts still don't understand the reasons behind my decision.
During my 26 years in Congress, I have been labeled many things--a moderate, a liberal, a
maverick, an independent--but always, at least until last May 24, with the party
affiliation Republican. latimes.com
Bush popularity won't save GOP observers say if economy
flops Jan 1, By KAREN MASTERSON WASHINGTON -- The public
rallied behind President Bush after the Sept. 11 attacks, wrapping up a banner year for
Republicans and handing a near blowout to Democrats who just months earlier had taken
control of the Senate. But many experts, including conservative-leaning analysts, say
Bush's high popularity ratings are unlikely to save his party this year from a public
frustrated with reappearing budget deficits, a weakened economy and high unemployment
rates. chron.com
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