h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Excerpts from the news.

Congress is giving up its battle against V.P. Cheney, who has refused to disclose contacts. Aside from a few details that the administration revealed amid the collapse of Enron Corp., the White House has refused to identify the people the Cheney task force met with. Enron representatives - among President Bush's most generous financial donors in his years as governor and presidential candidate - met six times with the vice president or his aides.

Comments:

Rep. Henry Waxman: ``a tremendous setback for open government.''

Walker said:``In the world's greatest democracy, we should lead by example and base public disclosure on what is the right thing to do rather than on what one believes one is compelled to do.''

U.S. District Judge John Bates: "an unprecedented act that raised serious separation-of-powers issues"

Rep. John Dingell: ``reasonable people cannot differ on the need for more sunshine on this administration's actions.''

The General Accounting Office declined to appeal a recent court ruling in favor of Cheney, leaving the fight to private groups that say the Bush White House must reveal which business executives and lobbyists had a role in influencing the plan.

The Sierra Club & Judicial Watch (conservative group) are pursuing cases against the Cheney task force. Democrats who have been pressing for information about administration-industry links in the energy field said the issue is accountability.

Pitiful & Disturbing

Within the new security bill there is a proposal quietly slipped in: high gov officials are to never to disclose their *gross income* !

Oh come on! Thats grossly wrong!