Bag Lady Linda Packs It Up

N E W S
Linda Chavez, President-elect
George W. Bush's choice to head the Labor
Department, withdrew her name from consideration
for the post Tuesday amid growing criticism of
assistance she gave to an illegal immigrant. "I
believe I would have made a great secretary of labor
... (but) I have decided that I am becoming a
distraction," Chavez said in announcing her decision. (MSNBC).


Who's On Drugs?
While the Washington media are all a titter about the expected
confirmation battle over Attorney General-designee John Ashcroft --
does he or doesn't he have a statue of Robert E. Lee tucked away in his closet? -- next to no attention
is being paid to the fact that a vital cabinet-level
position remains unfilled. Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey is gone -- can't
you
feel the void? -- but no one is even speculating about who
President-elect
George W. Bush will name to succeed him. (AriannaOnline.
com)

Are You Going To Eat That?
Ralphing Taco Shells
The Taco Bell crisis is indicative of a much larger problem haunting
biotech foods: Genetic engineering has far outrun the science that must
be
its first governing discipline. Many unknowns attend the insertion of
genes
across species, from ecological risks to food allergies. These
uncertainties beg for investigation, before biotech corporations or
their
indentured researchers introduce unintended hazards into the natural
environment. SFBG.com


Corruption
Old Man River

Edwin W. Edwards, the flamboyant former Louisiana governor who
dodged
federal investigations for years while beguiling voters with a roguish
charm and outlandish wit, was sentenced to 10 years in prison today and
fined $250,000 for what prosecutors said was his leading role in
bribery
and extortion schemes involving the awarding of riverboat casino
licenses.
Wa
shington Post


Peace
Turner Time
Ted-e Bear
CNN founder Ted Turner and former senator Sam Nunn (D-Ga.) yesterday
formally unveiled plans for a Washington-based nonprofit organization
that
will focus on safeguarding nuclear weapons and fissile materials in the
former Soviet Union. Wa
shington Post