Cape Karen
Sneaky, sneaky! The legislature meets again this week ~ the week of Christmas when they hope no one is watching ~ to vote on the Defense Spending Bill; H.R. 2863. The sneaky part is what they've put into the defense bill at the last moment. They've once again inserted the Arctic Drilling provision into another bill where it doesn't belong. (Their last attempt to fool us failed, thanks to alert, environmentally concerned citizens bombarding their Senators with letters and phone calls, when they snuck it into the Budget bill earlier this year.)
Those powerful, wealthy, oil barons are just determined to pull one over on us! They keep paying their cronies in D.C. big bucks to hide the Arctic oil drilling provision in other legislature in a selfish and greed-driven attempt to get their own way. Senator John McCain has rightfully called this legislative scheme "disgusting."
Make no mistake about it, your state Senators are under enormous pressure to vote 'Yes' on this defense spending bill. According to the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and conceded to by those trying to get it by us, a Senate filibuster, to remove Arctic drilling from the defense bill, would have NO effect on aid to our U.S. troops in Iraq. That's because, if the filibuster succeeds, they will simply remove the Arctic drilling provision, and then the defense spending bill will pass easily.
But without our awareness, and our actions to try to stop it, they could easily get away with it this time.
Then, when oil drilling begins in the Arctic, many people will wonder, "How did that happen?" We will then be told that it was voted in, under bill H.R. 2863, in December 2005. 
Whew! It's a lot of work these days. . . keeping up with all the sneaky crap in D.C.
It looks like we'll just have to keep on watching the watchers, and try to keep them from sneaking stuff by us; that is ~ if we truly value a government 'of the people and by the people.'
And here's the good news!
"Millions of Americans spoke up, and the U.S. Senate listened.
Yesterday afternoon, the Senate rejected an outrageous attempt by the Republican leadership to attach Arctic Refuge drilling to a "must-pass" defense spending bill. The pro-drilling forces needed 60 votes to break a filibuster of the bill, but they could only muster 56.
Thousands of you lit up the Capitol Hill switchboards this week to protest the passing of this bill, which included oil drilling in the Arctic refuge. There's no doubt you helped sway the votes of key Senators who were wavering over these last critical days.
To see how your Senators voted, you can go to our website: http://www.nrdcactionfund.org and click on Arctic voters. If your state Senator(s) voted "no," to save the Arctic, please click on their name(s) in the list and send them a message of gratitude.
(Interesting note ~ I see there that the above-mentioned Senator John McCain, who called this ploy "disgusting," voted "yes" for the bill! What a hypocrite! ~ Cape Karen)
This was another stinging defeat for those pro-drilling Senators who attempted to hijack the defense bill in order to force their special agenda through Congress. The Bush White House and its allies in Congress know full well that they can NEVER win a vote, by the rules, on sacrificing the Arctic Refuge. That's why they've resorted, with increasing desperation, to backdoor maneuvers and abuse of the legislative process.
Today, Senate and House leaders are removing the Arctic drilling provision from the defense bill, and are promising to pass that bill, along with additional funding for hurricane victims, before the holidays.
Thank you for speaking out when it mattered most to America's greatest sanctuary for Arctic wildlife.
May you have a wonderful and peaceful holiday season."
John H. Adams / NRDC Action Fund
Posted by Karen at December 21, 2005 11:54 AM