My feelings about this exchange are well summarized by these comments at The Plum Line.

P.S. I’ll just add that if Eric Cantor had been a sane and reasonable Republican, he would have scowled angrily at this heinous remark, at the minimum remained stony faced, then forcefully denounced it. Instead, we got Cantor smiling at a deranged question, briefly stating that “noone thinks that the President is a domestic enemy” (is that the denunciation part right there?), then going on to slam Obama for, essentially, being a “domestic enemy.”  Disgusting, as always. In Eric Cantor’s slimy, slippery, oily way of course.

UPDATE: Jake Tapper tweets, “so @EricCantor responds “no one thinks the President is a domestic enemy” and the @Heritage audience boos him! lunacy.”

Note: I have planned to continue my series of articles on the situation in Arizona.  However, I interrupt this series for some important diversions and reflections.

Louisiana

In her condemnation of profit over the good of this nation, last night, Rachel Maddow  asked whether Louisiana is part of our country or not?

America has a choice to make about the State of Louisiana. Is Louisiana part of our country or isn’t it? Because if Louisiana is part of America, then the American people and the American government have to begin to defend Louisiana against American greed, and multinational greed. Because yes, legally it’s the job of BP, the oil company, to clean up this disaster that looms over this wetlands behind me right now.

And she reminded us of this:

… but the risk here, again, the risk here as always isn’t private. It’s public, it’s national, it’s American. It’s borne by Louisiana again, literally borne by the land here and by the people here.  

Indeed. Since at least 2005 Louisiana has been treated as though it is not even a part of these United States.  Even now the cleanup from Hurricane Katrina is incomplete.  But nearly all public housing was demolished and/or sold to developers. We are already years late in treating Louisiana as fully part of us.  What are we waiting for?  It is not just the help of private donors and charity workers that Louisiana needs, though it needs those.  It needs us to reject disaster capitalism and all its opportunists.  And it needs FEMA and other relevant US agencies to render needed assistance.  BTW, the spill is likely to move up the East Coast too.  LA’s problem is our problem in every way.

Arizona

What the Southern Poverty Law Center called a right-wing hate group, the Federation of American Immigration Reform (FAIR–not to be confused with Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting) struck a chord with Democratic “moderates,” who forged the fearful chorus with those letting their xenophobia get the best of them. We now know that a significant portion of the undocumented residents, legal residents and brown-skinned citizens of Arizona are no longer welcome in that state.  The movement of a state against brown people disturbs beyond measure.  Is yet another portion of this nation to be relegated to second class person-hood?  Is it American to force persons to “show their papers” base upon skin color?  No one of any color should have to “show their papers” without probable cause.”

I would like to suggest that, among other things which I will outline later, anyone doubting the contribution by documented and undocumented workers from Mexico, be required to watch the movie, “A Day Without a Mexican.”  In the movie, on a fictitious single day, every Mexican worker in California disappears.  The impact was astronomical and negative.  So would be the impact in Arizona.  And yet, Arizonans opportunistically scapegoat those of Mexican and Latin American because of a Borderlands murder authorities now say was perpetrated by an American.

Washington DC

In what a headline of a McClatchy news item called a “stunning reversal,” the House of Representatives threw Congressional voting rights for Washington DC under the bus.  After all this time, residents of the District still do not have one vote representing them in Congress.  (The “Tea Party” folks don’t know the meaning of lack of representation. And indeed many of them oppose such representation for the District because of DC’s gun laws.)  DC’s nonvoting representative serves as a constant reminder that justice is still lacking for some Americans.  

Puerto Rico

In a “controversial” vote in the US House of Representatives, Puerto Rico gained permission to have a first vote on statehood.  

I don’t oppose statehood for Puerto Rico.  I do oppose shutting the door to real representation in the District, while allowing yet another state Congressional representation.  That is a while off for Puerto Rico.  It seems to me that, should Puerto Rico become a state, let both it and the Distict of Columbia have voting representation in Congress. This is not a zero sum “game.”

However, given the above, I remain amazed that the  territory would have such faith in us as to want to join us.  What I propose is that we seek to become that country worthy of such trust.  To do that we must stop the national passivity and acquiescence of moderates and liberals.  

As a nation presuming itself to be predicated on justice, we are going backwards.  Glenn Beck has even persuaded millions of people that social justice is evil!  No doubt many of them still perceive themselves as virtuous.  

For all our national virtues, too many have sat on the sidelines in the face of scape-goating of other human beings; reverse populism (corporate malfeasance against the people of these United States); the killing off of the Bill of Rights; the assault on any semblance of social justice; and, now, the undermining of the entire New Deal. Right now, in too many states, we are not keeping faith with other members of the public.  We have let populism be redefined by the media in terms of radical Republican ideology.  We’ve been (almost) silent as wars continue consuming our nation’s treasure and more wars are in the offing.  Too few of us say anything at all while this nation is irrevocably changed for the worse. Whether you agree with Puerto Rico’s effort at statehood or not, let the hard work on our national character begin.

What a concept, a “reality-based” Republican, someone whose mind can actually be changed by powerful new evidence. In this case, Schwarzenegger says:

All of you have seen, when you turn on the television, the devastation in the Gulf, and I’m sure that they also were assured that it was safe to drill. I see on TV the birds drenched in oil, the fishermen out of work, the massive oil spill and oil slick destroying our precious ecosystem. That will not happen here in California, and this is why I am withdrawing my support for the T-Ridge project.

In stark contrast, our own governor, ideologue and oil industry tool Bob McDonnell, “continues to lobby aggressively to drill for oil and natural gas without delay.”  The contrast between Ah-nuld and Pat Robertson’s Manchurian Candidate could not be greater, and it really says it all about Bob McDonnell.

P.S. Add Florida Governor Charlie Crist to the list of sane Republicans, as he “declared the issue of drilling off the Florida coast effectively dead Monday as he monitored the latest news surrounding an oil spill caused by an explosion on a BP rig last month.”

UPDATE: See the DPVA’s statement, “Governor McDonnell: Drilling at any cost,” after the “flip.”

The Democratic Party of Virginia is calling on Governor McDonnell to support President Obama’s call to delay any new offshore drilling projects until a full understanding of the causes of this most recent disaster can be determined.  Both of Virginia’s United States Senators,  Jim Webb and Mark Warner, have made it clear that they support the President’s decision, and expect any lessons learned from the Gulf tragedy to be incorporated into federal regulations that would govern offshore energy production off Virginia’s coast. Yet Governor McDonnell continues to declare unrealistic goals for when drilling should begin and he appears to ignore the safety and environmental considerations that the recent disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has brought to light.

“Some Virginia leaders are reconsidering their support for drilling off the state’s coast after a fatal well accident in the Gulf of Mexico, even as Gov. Robert F. McDonnell continues to lobby aggressively to drill for oil and natural gas without delay,” the Washington Post reported today. “McDonnell (R), who has made drilling off Virginia’s coast one of his administration’s top priorities, flew to Houston on Monday to tout the benefits of offshore drilling at an industry-sponsored conference.” [Va. officials reconsider support for drilling after gulf oil accident, Washington Post, Tuesday, May 4, 2010; A10]

And in an interview on WTOP Radio on April 27, Governor McDonnell stated, “This is certainly a setback, but I certainly continue to be dedicated to making us first to drill, 2012 at the latest, and over the next couple years these safety and environmental issues will be addressed.”

“Governor McDonnell’s misplaced priorities have struck again – and this time it’s our environment that is at risk,” said David Mills, Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Virginia.  “When responsible leaders learn of relevant new information, they adapt their positions.  Senator Webb and Senator Warner have agreed that the President’s call for a delay on new projects is the responsible course of action until the cause of the tragedy in the Gulf is determined — yet Governor McDonnell continues to push for unrealistic timetables.”

Mills further stated, “Just last night, Governor McDonnell was in Texas rubbing elbows with oil industry executives as they discussed the profits to be had from offshore drilling. A spill of this magnitude off Virginia’s coast would devastate our coastal economy and endanger the effectiveness of the world’s largest navy base at Norfolk. A responsible leader with the right priorities for Virginia would join Senators Webb and Warner in their commonsense approach.“

Courtesy of EnviroKnow, here’s a statement by Senator Webb’s office about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. I agree with this to a large extent, except for two points I’d make: 1) let’s face it, offshore oil drilling is inherently risky, as even one accident like the current one can be disastrous; and 2) given this country’s relatively small oil reserves and relatively high consumption, the belief that increased U.S. offshore oil drilling will ever constitute a significant component of any “energy independence” strategy for the our country is highly unlikely. With that, here’s the statement from Sen. Webb’s office.

Senator Webb has said consistently that a comprehensive approach is necessary in order to address our nation’s energy needs. Senator Webb believes we must insist on the highest standards of safety and environmental protection, but that we cannot retreat from the goal of energy independence.

Senator Webb has always maintained that offshore drilling be conducted under stringent conditions that safeguard platform workers, the environmentally sensitive coastal region and our nation’s marine resources.

While all of the facts are not in, this high standard plainly was not met with respect to the current disaster. Neither British Petroleum nor our federal regulators have adopted provisions for the remote shut-off of oil valves when explosions or other disasters occur. Brazil, Norway and other countries have maintained such standards since the early 90’s. The United States-and any country involved in exploration off of our coastlines-should as well. The Senator will urge that these measures be adopted in the review of offshore programs that the President has wisely called for.

Before commencing further drilling projects, Senator Webb believes the facts must be ascertained to determine how the disaster off the Gulf Coast could have been prevented-and whether it was due to the lack of technology or the failure to apply available technology. He believes an examination is also in order as to whether appropriate laws and regulations are on the books.

UPDATE #1: Glenn Nye’s office chimes in.

Congressman Nye believes that offshore drilling must be done in an environmentally safe and responsible way that does not threaten Virginia’s tourism or fishing industries. He feels that it is appropriate to delay any drilling off the coast of Virginia until the investigation of the gulf disaster is complete so we can ensure the same thing won’t happen here

UPDATE #2: Mark Warner says it is “‘appropriate’ for Obama to delay offshore projects until safeguards are in place to prevent rig explosions like the one that caused the gulf spill.”

UPDATE #3: I strongly agree with this letter by enviro groups, urging Congress “to oppose efforts to expand offshore oil and gas exploration and drilling off of our coasts” in light of the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster.  

As many of us warned during 2009, if Ken Cuccinelli were ever elected as Virginia’s Attorney General, he would not hesitate to pursue his paranoid, extremist, radical, hateful agenda. Now, he’s proving it in spades, on a wide variety of fronts from anti-gay protections to “states’ rights” to the supposed unconstitutionality of the federal health insurance “mandate to climate change to an exposed woman’s breast to the Confederacy to…you name it. In short, Cooch is flailing around and lashing out on pretty much everything, from “soup to nuts” (emphasis on “nuts”).  In the process, he is helping to turn Virginia into a national laughing stock.

Now, Crazy Cooch’s latest move is this insanity.

In papers sent to UVA April 23, Cuccinelli’s office commands the university to produce a sweeping swath of documents relating to Mann’s receipt of nearly half a million dollars in state grant-funded climate research conducted while Mann- now director of the Earth System Science Center at Penn State- was at UVA between 1999 and 2005.

If Cuccinelli succeeds in finding a smoking gun like the purloined emails that led to the international scandal dubbed Climategate, Cuccinelli could seek the return of all the research money, legal fees, and trebled damages.

Wow, even for Cooch this is off the deep end.  I mean, does Cooch really expect he’s going to find some “smoking gun” here that disproves the science of climate change, about which there is both overwhelming evidence and overwhelming consensus among climate scientists?  As UVA climate faculty member Howie Epstein says in The Hook article, “I don’t really know what they’re looking for or expecting to find.”

Of course, Cuccinelli’s latest crusade has nothing to do with serious scientific inquiry or fact finding. Far more likely, what this is all about is: 1) intimidation of scientists and free academic inquiry; 2) serving his masters in the fossil fuel industry (e.g., Massey Energy); and 3) pandering to his ultra-right-wing, climate-change-denying “base,” etc. As even “climate skeptic” Chip Knappenberger acknowledges, this is a “witch hunt,” plain and simple. It is truly chilling when authorities use their power to intimidate academics against telling the truth.

What’s particularly amazing (and infuriating) is that, even as we destroy the Gulf of Mexico thanks to one fossil fuel industry (oil) and trash our planet’s overall ecosystem largely via another (coal), Cooch is not only failing to learn his lessons, he’s actually doubling down on his ignorance and insanity. What next, is Cooch going to try and bring back the Spanish Inquisition?  Whoops, better not give him any ideas…

Whyohwhyohwhyohwhy couldn’t the good people of Virginia have at least elected Steve Shannon instead of Ken KOOKinelli as Attorney General last November?  Here is Steve’s spot-on evaluation of Crazy Cooch’s first 100 days in office.

“He’s trying to build political power by publicly making Virginia hostile to the government of the United States,” said former state Del. Steve Shannon, a Fairfax County Democrat who was soundly defeated by Cuccinelli last November in the election for attorney general.

“At 100 days, he’s proven to be reckless, uninterested in good government and seems to be running for president of Virginia’s far right. Other than that, what’s not to like?”

Sadly, this is all too true. On the other hand, Cooch has provided a serious economic boost to one sector of our nation’s economy – comedians – by making Virginia the laughingstock of the nation. The only problem is, the joke’s on us. 🙁