Coyote Gulch

Wednesday, January 19, 2005

Govtrack.US
BeSpacific: "Joshua Tauberer, a grad student at U. Penn, has created an amazing legislative tracking service, GovTrack.us, which won the top prize in the Technorati Developer's Contest. The site's automated monitoring services are free, and the data is obtained from federal sources including THOMAS and the websites of the U.S. House and Senate. Users may track bills, issues or committees, representatives, or topics. Daily or weekly email updates are available for registered users, as well as news feeds. The site also includes blog postings on legislation, by authors registered with the site to have their comments appear on the GovTrack Blog."
8:45:16 PM

2008 Presidential Election
Mark Udall: "For two elections, Western and Southwest voters have turned their states into shades of purple, and if you consider voter attitudes and the changing demographics of the region, it is likely that these states will be permanent battleground states in presidential elections."
Thanks to the Western Democrat for the link.
6:33:44 PM

Colorado Water
Alamosa News: "With a draft of well metering rules in hand, and the promise of more water regulations to come, Colorado Division of Water Resources State Engineer Hal Simpson during a Rio Grande Water Conservation District meeting on Tuesday encouraged Valley water users to govern or be governed." governed == water grab.
Thanks to SLV Dweller for the link.
6:31:54 PM

2004 Presidential Transition
Condoleezza Rice's confirmation hearings are becoming a bit of a partisan play on the war in Iraq, according to the Denver Post [January 19, 2005, "Rice takes heat on Iraq"]. From the article, "The most dramatic moment came when Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., accused Rice of knowingly making misleading statements about Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction and ties to terrorism in order to sell the U.S. invasion. 'I personally believe ... that your loyalty to the mission you were given, to sell this war, overwhelmed your respect for the truth. And I don't say it lightly,' said Boxer, recalling Rice's September 2002 statement raising the specter of "a mushroom cloud" from Hussein's alleged nuclear-weapons program. Rice, Bush's national-security adviser for the past four years, sat almost frozen during Boxer's remarks and then responded forcefully."
Here's the coverage from the AP via the Rocky [January 19, 2005, "Rice returns for second day of hearings"].
Hellchild should be on the bus right now heading to Washington D.C. to protest at the president's inauguration. Just 21, out registering voters last summer and early fall, now she's making an important statement. My hat is off to her.
6:50:53 AM

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