The Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act

The Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act, NREPA, which would encompass a sizeable area of wild country from the Yellowstone area of Wyoming up to the Glacier region of Montana, was introduced into the House of Representatives again last Friday by Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Christopher Shays (R-CT) as HR1975. It would give wilderness designation to 23 million acres of public land, restore previously developed land to a wild state, provide connecting corridors between existing wilderness areas, and it's co-sponsors say it will create a number of job opportunities. It's an approach that protects entire ecosystems rather than the island wilderness areas that have been protected in the past, and it's about time.

It's been charged, and wrongly, that this is another attempt by East Coast 'outsiders' to tell us westerners how to manage our own lands. Not so. This idea has been around for at least 20 years now. I don't remember when I first started hearing about it, but the Alliance For The Wild Rockies was pushing for it back in the mid-80's. Max Baucus introduced it in the Senate in 1991, and it has gone through several incarnations since. Maloney and Shays version is simply the latest.

The act would connect wilderness areas from the greater Yellowstone region to the Glacier/Bob Marshall/Great Bear wilderness complex farther north in Montana, and would do much to repair damages done by clearcutting as well as provide linked habitat for species such as the grizzly. I'm behind this idea all the way. I know it's only 23 million acres, a drop in the bucket compared to the 900 million or so that Bush proposed selling off in his latest farce of a budget, but it's a good start. A damn good start.

Things I've Given Up On (Or Sometimes I Just Want To Head For The Hills)

Ever have one of those weeks? The kind where you look around at all that is happening in our world, all the killing and all the blaming and all the knee-jerk reactions and all the corruption, and you just have to shake your head in disgust? You know what I mean? I just feel like loading a pack and heading for the hills and not coming back until I feel like it. If I feel like it. What the hell. This is Montana. There are plenty of places to go.

One thing I've given up on is bashing Georgie Bush & Co. At least for a while. What's the point? All you have to do is catch a little bit of the news to realize that these guys are doing a pretty good number on themselves. They've been doing it now for over six years. What can I possibly add that isn't already being said except to howl now and then about the environmental outrages these guys regularly slide through? I'll always watch for those, but this bunch is doing a pretty damn good job of self-destruction. They don't need my help. Besides, this gang is toast in a little over a year and a half now. The headlights are on them -- we can all watch Georgie's little empire come crashing down around him and his legacy live on in the infamy it so richly deserves.

I've pretty much given up on the Democratic Party too, though that's nothing new. I keep watching and hoping that they'll come up with a real candidate one of these times, but they never do. What Democrat would I support? How the hell would I know? I haven't seen a real Democrat in about 35 years now. Sure, Clinton got launched into office back in '92, but then he was no Democrat either. He was a first-degree corporatist, and I don't think his wife is any better. Obama? Who really knows? I'd like to believe, but it seems that he's firmly in the gutless DLC "let's play it safe, let's not really say anything because it might piss somebody off" camp right along with Hillary. Who needs more of that? About all they've proven is that they can raise a lot of money. Then there's Edwards. He's talking the talk, and I like much of what he has to say, but is it for real? Time will tell. I don't think it matters much though. My hunch is that he'll soon be persona non grata in the corporate world, and the hacks who decide our candidates for us in the corporate media will do their collective hatchet job on him, marginalize him, and effectively kill off his chances. So much for that campaign.

Where does that leave us in a year and a half? Most likely looking at either Hillary or Obama as the Democratic candidate. Or to put it another way, with another dismal presidential election to look forward to. What then? Aww Jeezus -- I don't know. Maybe I'll just have to throw my hands up in disgust, vote for Spongebob, and head for the hills after all. Maybe I'll start packing now. You folks have a good night.

Outrage From A Surprising Source

Maybe it's not that surprising. I don't know. I never followed the career of Lee Iacocca all that closely. But he's written a new book that sounds interesting to say the least. Here's a little gem that hands down wins my vote for top quote of the week:

Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, "Stay the course."

Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned Titanic. I'll give you a sound bite: Throw the bums out!

Iacocca was known as a Republican and a friend of Reagan in the 80's. He was a backer of Georgie Bush in 2000. He changed his tune and supported Kerry in '04. Now in his 80's, he's coming out and letting BushCo and Congress and the voting public have it with both barrels. Whatever you may think of Lee Iacocca I'd say he deserves a lot of credit for this. You're never too old.

The book is called Where Have All The Leaders Gone? It sounds like a good ass-kicking read. Here's an excerpt.

What Would It Take Indeed?

I read a piece recently about the looming death of the Green Party here in Montana, and about how none of the third parties seem to generate much interest. It was asked, what would it take? Yes, what would it take indeed?

I of course, being the way I am, immediately joined as the latest member of the Montana Green Party. I immediately noticed too how few members there really are. I've been involved with Green Party start-ups here in Missoula before and they have always failed. Why? I don't really know. Probably several reasons, but my feeling was, and is, that it's not from lack of interest. There is a great deal of disgust in this country with the current two-party way. More and more people are feeling disenfranchised, feeling like no one is speaking to them or for them anymore, and are either looking for alternatives, or if there are none to be found dropping out of the political process entirely. I've never felt that lack of interest was the problem. There's always great interest at first, but it soon fizzles out. I think they suffer from a lack of focus. There's always good ideas floated, but the down and dirty work of organizing a base and building an ass-kicking party from the ground up tends to get ignored. It's hard work, and too often it doesn't get done.

It got me thinking though, and I want to float the idea by the folks here in Missoula again. Other places can think about it too of course, but I'm mostly thinking about Missoula right now. Is there any interest in starting a Green Party local here? Is it time to do the work necessary to get it up and running, or should we work with the two parties that currently dominate the political process? Can it be done, or is it pissing in the wind? I think it can be done, and I think it needs to be done, but maybe that's just me. What do you think? Thoughts? Ideas? Pass 'em along.

Huh?

It's gotta be an April Fool's Day thing. Right?

Withdrawal? What Withdrawal

I don't spend a lot of time sitting here in little old Missoula hammering away about the war in Iraq. It has been and will continue to be pretty well covered by others. But I'll throw in my take occasionally. Like now.

I don't think we can look forward to an end to our occupation of Iraq anytime in the near future. Barack Obama has pretty much told Georgie Bush that he'll get his war funding even if he vetoes the spending and withdrawal bill coming his way. No great surprise there. All the bullshit about bringing democracy to Iraq and about having to police a civil war is just that -- bullshit. We already know that. The real reason for staying is to control the oil production and to build a model corporate state for the New American Century. That's nothing new either.

The main reason for staying is to make sure the Iraq hydrocarbon law passes, giving control of oil production and profits to Big Oil. The Democrats support this as much as the Republicans do, and it seems to me that that's the only reason for an extended timeline for withdrawal. It seems too that once this passes we need to continue a strong military presence to make sure it stays in effect. If we were to truly let the Iraqi people govern their own country they would likely throw the whole deal right out the window and say we're not going to honor that. It was made under duress and we want no part of it. We can't risk that, hence permanent bases and a continued military presence, probably for a long time to come. Sorry folks.

Rebecca Rotzler of the Green Party had this to say:

Rebecca Rotzler, co-chair of the Green Party of the United States, Deputy Mayor of New Paltz, New York and a member of the Green Party's Peace Action Committee (GPAX):

"Democratic leaders in Congress are using passage of the 'hydrocarbon law' in Iraq as a benchmark for withdrawal of U.S. troops. The new law would privatize and allow foreign control over Iraqi oil resources, and would subject Iraq to World Bank and IMF structural adjustment policies that impoverish people while enriching corporations. In other words, Democrats are happy to prolong the war for the very reasons that President Bush launched it in the first place -- profits for U.S. oil companies, as well as U.S. political and corporate dominance in the region and the strategic interests of Israel."

Here's another Green Party take on an extended military presence.

Read 'em and weep.