Finding Ulysses

When the Clean Water Act was passed years ago, it applied to all wetlands and waterways in the United States. Recently, however, right wing Supreme Court justices appointed by George W. Bush ruled that the Clean Water Act should not apply to some wetlands and streams, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation. With this Supreme Court ruling, the integrity of water supplies in many parts of the country was put back in jeopardy.

There’s troubling language in the legislation that expresses support for the idea that the United States of America was founded as a Christian nation. That’s an historically false and politically dangerous assertion. These claims are being made by the Religious Right in order to promote laws giving a privileged legal status to Christians above all other Americans. By voting for the resolution, Representative Arcuri gave aid to this effort.

The House of Representatives passed the bill on Thursday, with the help of Arcuri’s vote. Sadly, the Senate yesterday failed to pass the legislation, thanks to the opposition of Republicans and three Democratic senators: Evan Bayh, Robert Byrd and Mary Landrieu. Nonetheless, thanks are due to Representative Arcuri, who not only voted for the bill, but signed on as one of its co-sponsors.

The Black Diamond Trail’s BIG MOMENT has arrived! NYState Office of Parks has announced PUBLIC HEARINGS on the adoption and implementation of the Master Plan for the trail. This is a MILESTONE. We’ve been waiting 30 years for this day. Please mark your calendars and make it a personal priority to show up for one of the hearings: