Underhanded Sneaky LowDown Varmints

Every environmental group I belong to is flooding my email box with alerts to the latest effort to pass the Arctic Refuge drilling proposal. This one is a real dirty trick, lower than whale poop, for sure. Senator Stevens of Alaska, and Senator Domenici of New Mexico have hatched the idea of sticking this proposal into the Defense Appropriations Bill. This bill is mainly for funding the troops at war, something nobody would want to vote against. It also contains some provisions for aid to victims of Hurricane Katrina and defense against an avian flu epidemic. This measure, however, can be filibustered, unlike the budget bill.

This bill needs to be passed before the Christmas recess, so this is an emergency request for readers to please let your senators hear from you yet again. Email them tonight, phone them tomorrow - tell them that this cynical effort to defeat the wishes of a clear majority of Americans is not something you support. The drilling provision was removed from the House version of the budget exactly because of the huge number of constituents who let their representatives know how they felt. The Senate needs to hear the same thing now. This is truly an astounding finger in the eye of both citizens and our military personnel. A defense spending bill hijacked and held hostage to Big Oil and its congressional lackeys. Just Say No. Earthjustice has an action site where you can send a letter very easily: click here.

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