Toxic Omnibus Anti-Energy, Anti-Civil Liberties Stew

American Spectator ^ | 31 mar 09 | John Berlau

[rellimpank]

In discussing the 1,248-page Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, signed yesterday by President Barack Obama after being rammed through the House and Senate by use of unprecedented parliamentary maneuvers designed to cut off debate, two aphorisms come to mind. The first is the old saying that sunshine is the best disinfectant. But the second is that, at least for many members of Congress, it's easier to disguise the flavor of spoiled ingredients if one throws them into a big toxic stew.

Like its cousin, the $410 billion Omnibus spending bill that President Obama earlier signed into law, the Omnibus lands bill contains several bills from previous sessions of Congress wrapped into one. The final legislative package -- which passed the House last week after clearing the Senate the previous week -- actually contains a whopping 170 different bills, according to CNSNews.com

[rellimpank]

---another devastating congressional triumph slips in under the radar--

[thackney]

the bill, according to Hasting's analysis, permanently bans energy exploration -- even for environmentally correct sources like wind and solar -- in more than 1 million acres, puts 2 million acres of public land off limits to transportation including even bicycles and wheelchairs, and imposes fines and even imprisonment for the collecting of common rocks and fossils.

BTTT

[shove_it]

When they come for my Petoskey stone paper weight, that's when I draw the line. This is madness.

[libertarian27]

Stone Soup

A Tale in which strangers trick a starving town into giving them some food