More Orwellian news from the Ministry of Truth...
Today the AP reports, "the Bush administration will propose a new plan to open up national forests to more logging." The plan would end a prohibition on road building in remote portions of national forests. Department of Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman explains that the new plan demonstrates "President Bush's commitment to cooperatively conserving roadless areas on national forests." The new plan will be published in the Federal Register this week, with a 60-day comment period extending into September.

Philip Clapp, president of the National Environmental Trust, calls the new proposal "the biggest single giveaway to the timber industry in the history of the national forests." The timber industry has given over $35 million in political donations since 2000, almost 80% of which went to President Bush and his allies in Congress.

The proposal is open to comment for the next sixty days. Whether you're a hiker, an environmentalist, or just don't think we should tear up the nation's forests, now is the time to let the government know how you feel. Written comments on the proposed rule may be faxed to (801) 517-1014 or e-mailed to statepetitionroadless@fs.fed.us.

But it gets worse...
Forest Service Proposes to Log Sequoia National Monument
"Under the guise of forest fire prevention, the Forest Service has proposed massive logging in Sequoia National Monument, thumbing its nose at the special monument designation meant to protect its giant Sequoias."

When all else fails... take Class Action
When businesses and individuals in Door County and all along the shoreline of Lake Michigan are forced to suffer a loss from the irresponsible actions of others perhaps there is a legal means of demanding a solution. I have been asking several individuals for their legal opinion on the possibility of a class action lawsuit against the MMSD for dumping raw sewage into Lake Michigan and just now I discovered another means on-line:

"Thank you for submitting your complaint to Online Legal Services Ltd.."

"Your case number is 282227. You can track the status of your complaint at any time by visiting www.BigClassAction.com/mycase.html and entering your case number."

"In most cases, a lawyer will contact you within 1 to 7 days. If you have not been contacted after 7 days, we encourage you to contact other counsel, and you should do so promptly to avoid having your case barred by the statute of limitations. Please note that we are not offering any opinion whatsoever concerning the merits of any claim you might have."

Perhaps taking legal action is an effective way to fight air pollution and mercury emmissions from coal-fired power plants down the coastline. Stay tuned to find out. The Bush Administration offers another solution... Try Not to Breathe


Whew...
Despite having enough bipartisan support to ensure approval, the measure -- which would have moved class action lawsuits from state to federal jurisdiction -- failed late Thursday July 9, 2004 to gain the votes needed to move forward to a final vote.