Foxes in the henhouse: National security edition

Oct 29, 2004 by Guest Blogger

Another new report on this administration letting foxes guard the henhouse? You betcha. This time, the World Policy Institute is reporting on excessive influence from the weapons industry, which, coincidentally, favors the Bush campaign coffers generously. From the press release:

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Science suppressed again: National Parks edition

Oct 29, 2004 by Guest Blogger

The N.Y. Times is reporting that the National Parks Service has suppressed and failed to act upon a report insisting that NPS needs to "do much more to preserve biological diversity and ecological integrity in the national parks," according to a member of the panel that produced the report. That member, Dr. Sylvia Earle, an oceanographer who is explorer in residence at the National Geographic Society, said she and her colleagues had expected that the National Park Service would distribute the report and take action on its findings. Instead, she said, "it has just languished."

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Another call for clean science

Oct 28, 2004 by Guest Blogger

Once again, the National Academy of Sciences has been called to task for stacking an advisory panel with industry-backed players, setting up a serious conflict of interests. This time around, the problematic NAS panel is the Committee to Study Mine Placement of Coal Combustion Wastes, which is charged with addressing the environmental consequences of dumping toxic wastes in mines. Here's an excerpt of a letter to NAS challenging the composition of the panel: Whether CCW disposal in mines is destructive to the environment is a politically

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New Report: Continuing Attacks on Nonprofit Advocacy: Death by a Thousand Cuts II

OMB Watch has published Continuing Attacks on Nonprofit Advocacy: Death by a Thousand Cuts II, which documents a pattern of attempts to limit the policy voice of nonprofits by the Bush administration and its conservative allies. The federal government has used audit powers, funding cuts and other tactics to take action against nonprofits that exercise their right to advocate on issues. See the Executive Summary and download the full report (in pdf format).

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Executive Summary: Continuing Attacks on Nonprofit Speech: Death by a Thousand Cuts II

See this summary of our October 2004 report. Continuing Attacks on Nonprofit Speech: Death By a Thousand Cuts II Executive Summary A Report by OMB Watch October 2004 In July 2003, OMB Watch published An Attack on Nonprofit Speech: Death By a Thousand Cuts, which documented a pattern of attempts to limit the policy voice of nonprofits by the Bush administration and its conservative allies. Over the past year this trend has not only continued, but also expanded. In our newest publication, Continuing Attacks on Nonprofit Speech: Death By a Thousand Cuts II, we found:

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    Danger and inaction in the nation's capital

    Oct 26, 2004 by Guest Blogger

    The local government here in Washington, D.C. is poised to act if the Bush administration continues to fail to act. The problem: "Ninety-ton rail cars that regularly pass within four blocks of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, DC, contain enough chlorine to kill 100,000 people within 30 minutes and could endanger 2.4 million people," according to a recent report.

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    Continuing Attacks on Nonprofit Speech: Death by a Thousand Cuts II

    Government agencies and officials and conservative allies are increasingly targeting nonprofit organizations for their free speech activities, according to an analysis released Oct. 26, Continuing Attacks on Nonprofit Speech: Death by a Thousand Cuts II. Leaders of several affected organizations joined the authors in describing its findings and their experiences in an audio news teleconference at OMB Watch, the publisher of the report.

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    Chemical manufacturers' "gift"

    Oct 26, 2004 by Guest Blogger

    The Washington Post also reports today that the chemical manufacturers' trade association is giving $2 million to the EPA to conduct a comprehensive study of childhood exposure to chemicals. Carol Henry, vice president for science and research at the American Chemistry Council, said her industry wanted to promote a better understanding of the risks associated with chemical exposure. Teaming up with a preexisting federal study gives her group financial leverage, she said. . . .

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    Nuclear perils -- not just Iran and North Korea

    Oct 26, 2004 by Guest Blogger

    An article in today's Washington Post recounts the administration's handling of nuclear threats around the world. Notably, it does not address the administration's failure to address the very real nuclear threat in America's own backyard: the the 103 nuclear reactors in 65 power plants across the country, all of which are vulnerable to attack from terrorists. The administration has failed to secure these facilities since 9/11:

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      "In These Times" Critical of Bush's Federal Economic Policy

      Oct 25, 2004 by Guest Blogger

      "In These Times," a magazine committed to extending political and economic democracy, is publishing a series of retrospective analyses of the Bush record this week. Along with tackling foreign policy, education, health care, and a variety of other issues, the series highlights five different economic areas where Bush's policies have gone awry. The article focuses on:

      - Bush's jobs loss record

      - The unprecedented rise in home prices

      - The overvalued dollar and the trade deficit

      - The threat that structural budget deficits will continue far into the future

      - The effects of massive military spending on the U.S. economy

      The article can be found here.

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