AMERICAN NEWSPEAK is inflicted weekly at http://www.scn.org/news/newspeak/ Celebrating cutting edge advances in the exciting field of Doublespeak! Written by Wayne Grytting

Fairness For Logging Companies

In the past few years, environmental groups have adopted a tactic of bidding on Federal timber lands to preserve old growth trees from rampaging chainsaws. Clever strategy, you say? Completely legal? Wrong, according to an "unauthorized" letter from Agriculture Undersecretary James Lyons, denying the acceptability of "non-harvesting bids." The draft letter with Lyons' signature pointed out two devastating flaws barring the non-logging of public forest tracts. First, it costs money to produce environmental impact statements on logging. The letter points out that "It would be a wasteful use of public monies and contrary to the public interest," to produce reports on logging impacts and then sell the land to non-loggers. (Think of the bureaucrats whose feelings would be hurt.) Secondly, we might be encouraging unfair competition because "non-harvesting bidders would have few, if any, operating or personnel costs..." Hardly fair to send Weyerhauser up against the economic clout of Earth First!. (AP 5/15)

Fellowship in High Places

For those who've worried that national politicians have been skimming all the corporate payoffs, there's good news. A select group of 100 corporations has been giving millions to the National Governor's Association. These corporate "fellows," as they are called, include firms like AT&T, Exxon, General Motors, Dow, and Phillip Morris. In return for their largesse, they receive special briefings, their own work and meeting space at annual conventions and the opportunity to help shape policy in staff meetings. According to an NGA fact sheet, this allows executives to "become better acquainted with governors' staffs and to share common interests." Like backgammon and stamp collecting, I presume. The Governor's group defends this practice as being perfectly legal and "aimed only at getting the best advice on important issues." What ogres would want to deprive our governors of the wisest counsel? And NGA meetings are open to the public, although unfortunately, possibly due to a lack of publicity, only lobbyists have bothered to attend. (NYT 5/17)

New Wine Into Old Wine Bags

Michael Bromwich, inspector general for the U.S. Justice Department, demonstrated in testimony before the House why we need trained professionals running our government. While discussing allegations that FBI lab technicians deliberately gave false testimony in major trials, Bromwitch brought sharp clarity to two phrases often carelessly bandied about--perjury and fabricated evidence. Although he said the Justice Dept. "found instances where examiners gave inaccurate or misleading testimony," it turns out, luckily, this is not perjury. Nor were the instances of "testimonial errors, substandard analytical work, and deficient practices," or the fact that "three explosives unit examiners altered, omitted, or improperly supplemented... internal reports," to be read as signs of fabricated evidence. Even when they all favored the prosecution. Could be coincidence. It's refreshing to find such creativity in our government officials. (AP 5/13)

Censorship Lite With NPR

We usually think of censorship as the property of mindless bureaucrats or foaming-at-the-mouth fanatics. Fortunately, National Public Radio has been working to overcome these stereotypes. Prize winning poet Martin Espada, a former regular on All Things Considered, reports he had the plug pulled on him over a poem about death row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal. Mumia is the Black activist and writer convicted in the 1981 slaying of a police officer in Philadelphia on what many believe was dubious evidence. In 1994, NPR agreed to carry a series of commentaries from him, but caved in to right-wing pressure. Mumia then sued. NPR Spokesperson Diantha Parker told Espada they would not air the poem because of the subject matter, and that the poem was "not the way that NPR wants to return to this subject." Ms. Parker added in an interview on KPFA-FM that she really "loved" the poem, but "the poem should have been run perhaps in a different context." Context is so important. How about a rock station in Argentina? (Prisoners Radio Project)

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