Full Spectrum Culture

Glenn Reynolds and the Porkbusters (which Dave Barry would tell you would make an excellent name for a rock band) have found a hero in Tom Coburn, Republican Senator from Oklahoma. He is standing up to the big spenders in the Senate by attempting to attach an amendment to a bill that would defund the famous bridge to nowhere in Alaska and shift that money to rebuilding the I-10 bridge to New Orleans that was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. The Club for Growth has the best overall realtime coverage of this story as it develops:

• The Coburn Amendment – A Blog Swarm?
• Press Statement (from CFG)
• Extensive Coverage on the Coburn Amendment
• Roll Call Vote on Smaller Coburn Amendment fails, darn it.
• Patty Murray Issues a Threat? Who does she think she is?
• Bridge to Nowhere: A National Embarrassment. Ain’t that the truth…
• It’s Time for Liberal Blogs to Step Up and Help “Come together! Right now…”
• The Sierra Club Supports Coburn Amendment to counter urban sprawl.
• An Update on the ‘Bridge to Nowhere’ Amendment sponsored by Tom Coburn.
• Kit Bond is a greedy power monger.
• Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska is a freakin’ cry-baby.
• Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska is only fooling herself.
• NEWSFLASH! Don’t let the door hit ya where the dog would have bit ya.
• Some organizations were Key Voting the Coburn Amendment today.
• Then there was an Update on the Coburn Amendment Vote.
• Pat Toomey, president of Club for Growth speaks at Today’s Press Conference on TV.
• The Daily Kos gets this one right.
• The Vote Has Concluded. Fiscal sanity lost, and the wicked power-hungry majority won …this time.
• Senator Coburn Issues a Statement, showing him to be a true public servant.

This round was lost, but perhaps now that the con’s-piracy of pork has been broken by fifteen brave individuals in the Senate, they will get that much closer to victory next time. Just compare the men on either side of the debate; which one do you think truly serves this country and not just himself? The dishonorable senator ted stevens?

“This is not the way to treat a state. We are a sovereign state.” “The amendment before us now will affect only Alaska…this is something that I think is—every Senator must examine his own conscience.” “This is not the way to meet a disaster need.” “We have the smallest allocation per area of any state in the union.” “We must build bridges so we can bring together areas that are inaccessible otherwise.” (uh, he’s yelling now…) “I have never seen this suggested, to single out a state and say, ‘You pay! You pay for a disaster 5,000 miles away. You shoulder the burden!’” “We need bridges so we can get from one private area to another private area.” “It’s not taxpayer money. It’s highway-user money.” “We came here to have the same rights, same privileges counted to the people in every other state.” “It’s wrong to put us into a position where we have to explain why — why! — this is being done, something that has never been done before — NEVER!” “This amendment will not pass. If it does, the bill will not pass. If it does, I’ll be taken out of here on a stretcher.”

or the Honorable Tom Coburn?

“The American people expect their elected officials to make sacrifices in a time of war, rising deficits, and disaster recovery. Unfortunately, many members of Congress are more committed to protecting a system that allows them to fund extravagant projects at the expense of the common good. Our refusal to prioritize spending and exercise restraint has created a rumble among the American people. Tonight’s vote will only cause that rumble to grow,” Dr. Coburn said.

We’re with you, Tom. Keep on fighting the good fight.