Burning Evidence.

As they do with all potentially threatening data, the Dubya White House tries to sweep global warming under the rug by removing key portions of the EPA’s “State of the Environment” report. “The editing eliminated references to many studies concluding that warming is at least partly caused by rising concentrations of smokestack and tail-pipe emissions and could threaten health and ecosystems…In its place, administration officials added a reference to a new study, partly financed by the American Petroleum Institute, questioning that conclusion.” Brilliant. Perhaps I should add the Bugblatter Beast of Traal to Dubya’s advisor pic, since it seems to be his MO they’re constantly following in these cases.

Patriot Games.

Among its many, many, MANY faults, apparently Patriot Act II also guts the Clean Air Act. Bizarre. In related news, Attorney-General Ashcroft finds an unlikely ally in NY Senator Chuck Schumer.

Paging Theodore Rex.

The Old World will burn in the fires of Industry…and yet, concerned about GOP vulnerability in the suburbs, Frank Luntz is now advocating a kindler, gentler environmental message for Republican candidates, including Orwellian substitutions of “conservationist” and “climate change” for “environmentalist” and “global warming” respectively. Well, dang, now that they put it like that, I feel much more at ease about the GOP cutting down trees and drilling up Alaska.