The Hightower Report

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FOR THE LOVE OF NATURE

When George W. announced that he was naming Gov. Dirk Kempthorne of Idaho to be his new Secretary of the Interior, he assured us that "Dirk has a long and abiding love for nature."

Wow. If Dirk is Bush's idea of someone who loves nature, what would be his idea of someone who hates nature? Apparently, Bush made his judgment based on the fact that he and Kempthorne bonded when they went mountain biking in Idaho last summer. If George had actually looked at Dirk's record ... well, it's hard to find much love there.

Take Kempthorne's one term in the U.S. Senate. His record on the 70 environmental votes he cast earned him a near-zero ranking from the League of Conservation Voters. On the other hand, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce gave him a near-perfect score for voting with big corporate interests. He favored weakening the Safe Drinking Water Act, for example, and opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil giants.

Dirk took this same industry bias into the Idaho governorship, where he cut the state's environmental budget three times. While the national image of Idaho is one of pristine mountain air and clear running rivers, Kempthorne's seven years at the helm of state have tarnished that image. Idaho's air has gotten dirtier, more rivers have been contaminated, and fewer polluters have been inspected.

While other states are making progress against toxic emissions, for example, Idaho is going in the other direction. This small mountain state now emits more toxics than California, which has nearly 30 times the population! Last year 63% of the "significant violators" of pollution laws were not even inspected, much less prosecuted.

Look out nature! Thanks to George W. and the polluter lobby, Dirk will now be spreading his "love" nationally. To learn more and to side with nature, call the Sierra Club at 202/547-1141 or go to www.sierraclub.org.

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OUR COMICALLY INEPT CONGRESS

When I look at today's Congress, I think of the scarecrow, the tin-man, and the lion in The Wizard of Oz: no brain, no heart, and no courage.

This bunch has cravenly caved in to the Bush-Cheney regime's power grab to impose an imperial presidency on the U.S. For example, when it was revealed last December that Bush was not merely a lawbreaker, but had repeatedly flaunted the law for four years by issuing secret and illegal orders to spy on the American people, what did Congress do? At first, there was much huffing and puffing, indignantly demanding a deep investigation into the criminality of the secret snooping.

But then, Pat Roberts, the pathetically weak-kneed chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, abruptly canceled plans for a Senate investigation and ran to the White House waving a surrender hankie. He came out beaming, comically claiming that he'd negotiated a deal with Dick "Buckshot" Cheney. Roberts said that, in exchange for the Senate giving up its crucial investigative function, Cheney graciously agreed to give the Senate an oversight role in Bush's illegal spy program.

Wow! Way to go, Pat! But wait – specifically, what did he get? Well ... uh ... um ... a new subcommittee. This seven-member panel is to get occasional reports from the White House on the secret snooping. Hello ... Pat. Your full committee is already supposed to be getting such reports – and using the information to stop any illegal executive actions.

Here's a president who has flagrantly committed a serious felony, punishable by a five-year prison term. Yet, rather than hold Bush accountable, the Senate agrees to set up a superfluous subcommittee to watch him continue breaking the law.

Luckily, there is one senator with a heart, brains, and courage. Russ Feingold has introduced a resolution to censure Bush for breaking the law. To learn more, call Feingold's office: 202/224-5323.