The Bush administration has just upped the ante on turning federally-administrated public lands over to corporate interests. Previously, they had just pushed to expand timber, oil and mineral lease rights, citing the energy crunch and need for "energy independence" due to Middle East instability. Now they are talking about an unprecedented direct sell-off--in the name of closing budget deficits themselves created by the Iraq adventure. From Montana's Great Falls Tribune, May 8:

A good thing we all know global warming is only a myth. From MSNBC, May 2:

BEIJING — Glaciers covering China's Qinghai-Tibet plateau are shrinking by 7 percent a year due to global warming and the environmental consequences may be dire, the government-run Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday.

From AP, May 3:

Sonar tied to deaths of 400 dolphins?
Zanzibar scientists look for clues; U.S. Navy task force in area
ZANZIBAR - Scientists are studying the remains of some of the 400 dolphins that washed up dead on a beach popular with tourists on the northern coast of Zanzibar.

This is just about the most insidious thing the Bush boys are doing—because while plans to bomb Iran at least spark headlines and outrage, plans to bomb the Moon languish in the back pages of the newspapers, and even many "progressives" see it as harmless "science." Recall, this is the same administration which is vigorously suppressing science at NASA, when it comes to the mounting evidence of global warming that would upset Bush's pals in the oil biz. Similarly, this supposed pursuit of "science" is also soley about advancing corporate power—to the final frontier. After Earth is destroyed, there is still the Moon and eight other planets to chew up and spit out. It would be an absolute disaster if water is found on the Moon. The anti-war forces must adopt this as an urgent issue. U.S. IMPERIALISM HANDS OFF THE MOON! From AP, April 10:

This one isn't a joke, tho we wish it was. Another entry in the fast-mounting signs of global ecological collapse. From AP, March 31:

WASHINGTON - A one-two punch of bleaching from record hot water followed by disease has killed ancient and delicate coral in the biggest loss of reefs scientists have ever seen in Caribbean waters.

Six meters is almost 20 feet. From The Guardian, March 25:

Half of Greenland and vast areas of Antarctica are destined to melt if global warming continues at the same pace until the end of the century, scientists warned on Thursday.

From the New York Times, March 15:

Ice Retreats in Arctic for 2nd Year; Some Fear Most of It Will Vanish
For the second year in a row, the cloak of sea ice on the Arctic Ocean failed to grow to its normal winter expanse, scientists said yesterday. The finding led some climate experts to predict a record expansion of open water this summer.

With all the global horrors in the headlines, this one barely grabbed any attention. Ironically, our attention is distracted precisely by the Middle East instability being used to justify the expansion of oil exploitation on Alaska's public lands. From MarketWatch, March 10:

BP Plc. said Friday it hoped to soon wrap up repairs to a leaking pipeline on Alaska's giant Prudhoe oil field that has already spilled over 200,000 gallons of crude, one of the biggest spills ever seen on the state's North Slope.