Endangered Species Evisceration Act

There's a stealth effort to gut the landmark, and incredibly important, Endangered Species Act. Begun by a typical California Republican, and couched in typically politico-speak terms, this modification of the Endangered Species Act threatens its very nature, to the point of making it a mere nuisance to be waved off by greedy developers and other corporate interests.

With "Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act of 2005", a promise the conservatives have been making for awhile seems to be coming true. The Endangered Species Act has been an important straw man for these right wing fanatics, and now they have enough power to truly bow to their corporate handlers and reduce this important environmental safeguard to the dustbin of history.

That's the thing that really frosts me most about these rightwingnuts - they can't use rational and objective arguments, so they are reduced to using wishy-washy terms that can mean anything to anyone. They quote ridiculous "experts" who spout off in fields they know nothing about. They have an incestuous relationship, quoting each other's fabrications as if they are proven fact. Personally, I'd have alot more respect for them if they just came out and said "I want to pay back my corporate owners and reduce the ESA to ashes so they can pave over more wetlands" - if you really believe in something, then just say. Show some backbone and stand up for the corporate interests. "Recovery Act" indeed!

I feel isolated from alot of this political discussion. I'm sure none of my representatives would vote for something like this. Living in an overwhelming Democratic state like Massachusetts leaves me comfortable at the House and Senate level that my ideals are protected. So I'm not really sure what I can do to get rid of "Democrats" like Cardoza of California, who says this about the "Recovery Act":

"I am co-sponsoring the Endangered Species Recovery Act because I believe the ESA should be enhanced and refocused on its original goal - species recovery. Since the passage of the ESA over 30 years ago, it has been diverted from that goal, and is increasingly driven by litigation, not science. I am confident that this bill will strengthen the ability of ESA to recover species, while reducing the burden on local economies and landowners."

Give me a break! This act does nothing of the kind. It removes all backbone from the act and forces a snap judgment to happen. With Democrats like this, who needs Republicans?

For more info on issue, be sure to see Orcinus. He gives more background and plenty of links. We need to stop this madness now!