Eavesdropping, immunity, and Leahy

"We need to know what our government is doing to spy upon Americans," said Senator Patrick Leahy.

Leahy said while angrilly referring to a USA Today report that the U.S. was NOT listening in on phone conversations when other reports such as from the New York Times concluded that indeed the government had been eavesdropping on conversations between terrorists both in the U.S. and abroad.

The Bush administration says they have authority to listen to conversations to stop terrorist activity. Many others say that they must be granted this authority by a special court and that these steps were never taken, making the eavesdropping illegal.

Senator Leahy and other senate democrats started a petition to stop the White House from granting immunity those telecommunication companies (AT&T, Verizon, Bell South) involved in the illegal eavesdropping. However, in an article in the New York Times on Jan 23, the democrats conceded that they would probably not get enough signatures to stop the immunity.

The House approved a bill in November that omitted the immunity. The issue has caused spits even amongst democrats, with Senator John D. Rockefeller form West Virginia who has received approval from his committee for a plan that include immunity, and senator Patrick Leahy with a competing plan that leaves immunity out.

Regardless, as time goes by and the democrats bicker, the White House continues its eavesdropping.

FOCUS THE NATION

FOCUS THE NATION
FOCUS THE NATION
FOCUS THE NATION

The event, called Focus the Nation, has been organized to “link students and citizens with political leaders, and create a serious, sustained discussion about clean energy solutions.” Thousands of colleges and universities are staging similar days of action all across the country simultaneously.

At GMC, the day includes dozens of faculty speakers as well as a roundtable discussion, a performance from the Bread and Puppet Theater and a potluck dinner. Topics of Thursday’s faculty talks include the “Moral Politics of Climate Change,” “Cow Power: Is This Crap an Energy Solution,” “Making Change with Media: A Five Minute Guide to Eco-Publishing,” and more.

On Thursday afternoon, the College welcomes a panel of climate change scholars, elected officials and members of the media for a roundtable discussion. Participants include: George Crombie, secretary of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources; Ernie Pomerleau, chairman of the Vermont Governor’s Commission on Climate Change; David Moats, editorial page editor of the Rutland Herald; Tom Stokes, coordinator of the Climate Crisis Coalition; Erik Hoffner,coordinator of the Orion Grassroots Network; Alan Betts, a Pittsford-based atmospheric scientist; Betsy Hardy, administrator of Vermont Interfaith Power and Light; Paul Markowitz, Cool Communities Coordinator for the Vermont chapter of the Sierra Club; Whitney Leighton, staff assistant to U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders; and Katie Manaras, assistant to Vermont Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin.

Click here to view the full day’s schedulea at GMC’s “Focus the       Nation” event.

Economy, an upcoming event

Vermonters will discuss the economy at a conference in Burlington

“Building A Movement for Worker Justice”
Saturday January 26 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Davis Center at the University of Vermont.

Bernie Sanders is scheduled to speak at 12:45 p.m. at this conference which will feature national leaders and hundreds of Vermont working people.

Vermont's dirty waters

More than 50% percent of industrial and municipal facilities across Vermont discharged more pollution into our waterways than their Clean Water Act permits allow in 2005, according to Troubled Waters: An analysis of Clean Water Act compliance, a new report released by the Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG).

The goals of the 1972 Clean Water Act are are to stop the discharge of pollutants into waterways and make all U.S. waterways swimmable and fishable. The act has made significant improvements on water quality, but these original goals have still not been met.

When comparing state by state the number and percentage of major facilities that exceeded their Clean Air Act permit in 2005, Vermont was ranked 28. It could be worse, but it could also be a lot better. Being ranked 28 means that about 20 other U.S. states comply with the Clean Water Act better than Vermont.

On average, Vermont facilities exceeding their Clean Water Act permits did so by 822.9%, or by more
than 9 times the legal limit.

The fouling of waterways is an epidemic across the United States. Federal officials and states could work together to improve the countries water quality, but instead the Bush administration has often suggested, proposed, and even enacted policies to weaken the Clean Water.*

From cutbacks for the EPA to general weak environmental enforcement, the Bush administration's attitude toward environmental policies is a continual threat to U.S. waterways.

Reversal of policies that weaker the Clean Water act and stricter enforcement on both the federal and state level are essential to fulfilling the countries main goals of the act.

*Bush administration policies that chip away at Clean Water Act protections:

• In August 2007, the Bush administration proposed removing a Reagan-era rule known as the “buffer zone rule” that prohibits coal-mining activities from disrupting areas within 100 feet of streams.
• In March 2007, the Bush administration expanded the number of Clean Water Act “nationwide permits” –five year general permits that allow the filling of wetlands and streams but do not receive the same level of environmental scrutiny as individual permits and provide no public notice or comment opportunity.
• In November 2006, the Bush administration finalized a rule to exclude pesticide applications from
• regulation under the Clean Water Act’s NPDES program and allow pesticides to be discharged into rivers, lakes, streams, and other waters without a permit.
• In June 2006, the Bush administration proposed a rule to allow water polluted with toxic chemicals, sewage or other contaminants to be transferred from one waterway into another without a NPDES permit.
  
• In June 2006, the Bush administration issued a final rule exempting sediment runoff at oil and gas
• construction sites from regulation under the Clean Water Act.

Click here to read the full VPIRG report.

 

Letter from Sanders

Bernie Sander's sent out his first letter of 2008 to to those registered to receive regular newsletters from the Senator.

The letter was a reflection of, as Sanders said, the "ups and downs of this past congressional session ... and my thoughts about the future." The letter focused on the working class, the war, education, the environment, and where the Senator and congress went wrong.

Sanders was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006, which means he will be representing Vermont for four more years.

His letter was one of sympathy and concern for the working people and dissapointment with the Bush/Cheny administration.

As national poverty levels increase and millions of low-payed American's struggle to afford even the most basic necessities, the new Congress finally addressed the crisis, raising the national minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $7.25 over a three-year period. However, the Senator was quick to admit, "This increase is, in my view, not enough, but it is an important step forward for some of the most desperate families in the country."

Another notable accomplishment was producing the largest increase in funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs in the history of that agency. This should  mean better health care and other benefits for all veterans as well as those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Especially concerned with the young men and women returning from Iraq with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury, Sanders was able to bring funding into Vermont to begin an outreach program to assure all Vermont vets and their families get the help they need.

Next on the check list of things to tackle was the soaring cost of higher education. Sanders helped produced (and eventually pass) legislation to, as he noted, "increase Pell Grants, lower student interest rates and provide debt forgiveness for graduates who work in the public sector or for non-profit organizations ... This legislation will make higher education more affordable for millions."

Last but certainly not least, the Senator mentioned his work as a member of Environment and Public Works Committee and the Energy Committee. Although the admits there's still a long way to go, Sanders was proud to mention how "Congress has begun to reverse some of the horrendous environmental policies of the Bush administration."  Some notable changes were raising fuel-efficiency standards to 35 miles per gallon for cars driven in the United States, and the recently passed energy bill that should also move this country forward in efficiency and sustainability.

The Senator's letter also touched on major concerns that were not effectively dealt with: The Iraq war, the cost of health insurance and our health are system in general, the cost of heating fuel, and the disspicable gap between the poor and wealthy.

Sanders ended his letter on a strong, promising note, "Our country is in trouble and the people want a change in direction.  We must not fail them."

Click here for the full letter from Bernie Sanders