Rense.com

Land Grab Act Comes Back
In Congress At 2:30
AM
By David Palmquist
Editor - AllSouthwest
News Service
11-16-2

S. 990 - The "Son of CARA" - a version of CARA - the
Condemnation and relocation Act - is on the fast track and moving
through Congress! This discredited land grab bill had not moved for
eleven months, until the dark of nite in the wee hours of Friday
morning.

ONCE AGAIN, selected members of Congress have moved
legislation - S. 990 - in the dead of night that will

1) make the Endangered Species Act EVEN
WORSE,

2) permit SEIZURE of private property, and

3) hand out cash to environmental extremists and
animal rights outfits!!!

Oh yes, and 4) it hands out up to $25 million to
foreign countries for land acquisition. We couldn't make this up,
folks!

You may recall at the end of 2001, just four days
before Christmas, the Senate approved S. 990 - the "Son of CARA" land
grab bill. It was 11:45pm, with only three Senators present, NO
debate, NO hearings, NO vote - just "unanimous consent" on their last
night in session for the year, after nearly all Senators had left the
Capitol.

THEY DID IT AGAIN !!!

This time it was the House of Representatives. It
was the last day the House was in session for the year, November 15,
2:35am!!! That's right, two thirty-five in the morning!!!!

Nearly all congressmen had gone home, NO debate, NO
hearings, NO vote, just "unanimous consent" and a BILLION dollar
enviro pork barrel land grabbing disaster - S. 990, the "Son of CARA"
- was approved.

HOWEVER - the Senate last year, and the House this
year, approved DIFFERENT versions of S. 990.

The House is now out of session for the rest of
2002. However, the Senate is in session for one more week, from
November 18 to 21.

*** The Senate must vote on what the House just
passed in order to give final congressional approval to S. 990.
***

******* ACTION ITEM BELOW !!! *******

******* TELL YOUR SENATOR ******* NO on S. 990
*******

WHY?? WHY?? WHY??

WHY are REPUBLICAN Senator Bob Smith of New
Hampshire and REPUBLICAN Congressman Jim Hansen of Utah joining
together and attempting to push this disaster through at the last
minute??

ANSWER: BOTH are leaving Congress this year, and
BOTH are in "Legacy Mode." BOTH have buried provisions in S. 990 to
give a name for themselves, at the expense of private property and
fiscal responsibility.

####### HERE is the item snuck in for New Hampshire
by Senator Bob Smith. Page 19, "Grants to the State of New Hampshire."
A NINE million dollar payoff handed over to the Trust for Public Land,
to buy property that will only cost SEVEN million dollars!!! A two
million dollar profit for a "non-profit" land trust!!!!!!!

####### UTAH: Jim Hansen is attempting to blow a
total of THIRTEEN million dollars of taxpayer funds to glorify
himself! On page 49 is two million dollars for the James V. Hansen
Shoshone Trail. On page 52 is eleven million dollars for the Bear
River Visitor Center to be named after you guessed it - James V.
Hansen!!!!!!!!

This self glorification is bad enough. But here are
the FOUR problems for everyone in the entire country with S.
990:

FIRST: It will make the Endangered Species Act EVEN
WORSE by adding a new category called "species at risk" in addition to
the current "threatened species" and "endangered species." It hands
out up to $150 million per year to "environmental organizations," with
no prohibition on animal rights outfits receiving funds, to enforce
this new category.

SECOND: It hands out $50 million per year to states
for "cooperative conservation" plans that include "property
acquisition" with no prohibition on condemnation power.

THIRD: hands out up to $50 million per year for
"shrubland and grassland" conservation, with "environmental
organizations" again eligible to feed at the taxpayer trough. EVEN
WORSE - grass and shrubs are defined as, well, grass and shrubs - AND
- areas "historically dominated" by grass and shrubs - AND - areas
that "if restored to natural grassland or shrubland, would have the
potential to serve as habitat for endangered species, threatened
species, or species at risk." In other words, just about every inch of
America outside the Mojave Desert!!!

*** ACTION ITEM ***

You must call AND Fax both your Senators so their
offices are deluged with messages beginning Monday morning. This is
not a time you can depend on someone else. YOU must do it.

Tell your Senator to put a hold on S 990. Ask his
staff person for a commitment that his or her boss will do it. Follow
up to make sure they did it. Then you must keep up the pressure to
make sure the hold is not taken off.

Any Senator can stop S 990 by simply putting a hold
on the bill. That will delay it until next year. But you must make
sure the hold gets put on and stays on. Don't assume that because the
staff person tells you the hold is on, that it is on. Keep
calling.

The Senate is an old boys club and they try to get
along by going along. Also, its very late. It is a lame duck session.
Many Senators are not paying attention. They just want to get out of
town.

-----1. Write a fax immediately and fax it to your
Senator. If you don't have his or her fax, call Monday morning early
and get it. Insist that he or she put a hold on S 990.

-----2. Early Monday morning call both your
Senators. Every Senator may be called at (202) 224-3121 or the
temporary FREE NUMBER: (800) 648-3516. Don't take your Senator for
granted.

-----3. Call at least three times on Monday. A vote
is likely late in the day. It could be delayed until Tuesday so keep
calling Tuesday.

-----4. Call your friends, neighbors, associations
and anyone else you can to get them to call and fax. This is a big
deal. And you can win.

David Palmquist Editor, AllSouthwest News Service
http://www.allsouthwest.com

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