[CPEO-MEF] This is congressional?

[CPEO Moderator <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

California
IMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS
Our Opinion: This is congressional?
Monday, August 4, 2003 3:51 PM PDT

If Richard Pombo, the big mustachioed, big cowboy hat wearing (and we
don't know him but we would bet cowboy boot swaggering) congressman from
Tracy in Northern California wants to have a meeting regarding the
Imperial Sand Dunes for off-roaders and their supporters, he has every
right to do that. If everyone invited and allowed to speak is a
supporter of the dunes being as open as possible, if everyone is on the
same side, and there is a lot of preaching to the choir, he can call it
a get-together, he can call it a rally, heck, he even call it a dunes
revival meeting.

What he shouldn't call it is a congressional hearing. That gives it the
aura of respectability, of fairness to the planned Aug. 18 sand dunes
"congressional hearing" at (ironically) SeaWorld Adventure Park in San
Diego. And from what he have heard, fairness is not exactly being sought
at this shindig.

Pombo has invited speakers from the off-road community, county
supervisors from Kern, Riverside, San Bernardino and Imperial counties
and representatives from the mining, ranching and film industries. Who
Pombo, chairman of the House Resources Committee, is not inviting are
environmentalists. Also not invited is the congressman in whose area the
dunes lie, our own Bob Filner.

This article can be viewed at:
http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2003/08/04/opinion/ed02.txt

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