White House’s Medicare videos ruled illegal
The General Accounting Office, an investigative arm of Congress, said on May 19 that the Bush administration had violated federal law by producing and disseminating television news segments that portray the new Medicare law as a boon to the elderly.

The agency said the videos were a form of “covert propaganda” because the government was not identified as the source of the materials, broadcast by at least 40 television stations in 33 markets. The agency also expressed some concern about the content of the videos, but based its ruling on the lack of disclosure.

The General Accounting Office said that a specific part of the videos, a made-for-television “story package,” violated the prohibition on using taxpayer money for propaganda.

People seeing the videos in a newscast would “believe that the information came from a nongovernment source or neutral party,” it said.

The accounting office said the administration’s misuse of federal money “also constitutes a violation of the Antideficiency Act,” which prohibits spending in excess of appropriations. Under the law, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tommy G. Thompson, must report the violation to Congress and the president, with “a statement of actions taken” to prevent a recurrence. (NY T)

Denver zine library threatened by city
When Kelly Costello and Jamez Terry opened the Denver Zine Library (DZL) in a small shed in their back yard last December, they were fulfilling a dream they had had for years: creating a resource center for alternative, do-it-yourself media. Unfortunately, the City of Denver is now trying to throw the book at the DZL.

On Mar. 12, Costello and Terry got a notice from a zoning inspector stating that Denver Community Planning and Development (DCPD) had received a complaint about the DZL from an anonymous neighbor. The library, which archives and lends more than 4,000 self-published zines from around the world, is located behind Costello and Terry’s house. Open twelve hours a week on Saturdays and Sundays only, the library sees an average of twenty visitors every weekend, from dedicated zinesters to curious passersby.

The planning department is in the process of issuing a cease-and-desist order against the DZL for violating city zoning codes. “When you purchase a home, you make the investment thinking that you have a good idea of how the adjacent property is being utilized,” says department spokesman Julius Zsako. “You don’t expect a gunpowder factory, recycling yard, or UPS terminal to be located there.”

Zsako also says that the DZL violates another zoning code that mandates “minimum setback requirements,” guidelines that determine exactly where non-attached structures may stand in back yards.

For now, Costello and Terry are waiting for to receive the cease-and-desist order from DCPD; fifteen days after it arrives, an appeals hearing will be held. Legally, the library is allowed to stay open until the outcome of the hearing is determined; until then, the two proprietors are considering circulating a petition and seeking a meeting with city councilwoman Judy Montero. (Book ‘em)