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Whipple Clip Dozen: Tuesday Morning

By
lowkell
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0

Thanks to Tom Whipple for the Tuesday “Clips.”

1. FOR SALE: GUBERNATORIAL COTTAGE?

2. MCDONNELL SAYS LEGAL IMMIGRATION FUELS ECONOMY

3. MCDONNELL ASKED TO LIFT A BAN ON STATE POLICE TROOPERS REFERRING TO JESUS IN PUBLIC PRAYERS

4. AND AFTER 100 DAYS – HOW DOES THE MCDONNELL ADMINISTRATION LOOK TO DEMOCRATS?

5. STATE ACTION ON PIT BULL ADOPTION RULES QUASHED

7. WARNER: FINANCIAL OVERHAUL WOULD PROTECT TAXPAYERS

8. MCAULIFFE CRITICAL OF MCDONNELL

9. ONCE AND MAYBE FUTURE CANDIDATE MCAULIFFE HIRES FORMER DPVA CHIEF

10. DEMS STILL CHASING CANTOR

12. NORTHROP GRUMMAN DECIDES TO MOVE HEADQUARTERS TO NORTHERN VIRGINIA

15. D.C. SUBURBS LAG BEHIND CITY IN EFFORTS TO FIGHT AIDS, STUDY SAYS

18. METRO ON A SLIPPERY SLOPE

Mormon to speak at Jerry Falwell University

By
Old Redneck
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0

Back in 2007, students at Pat Robertson’s Regent University were outraged and protested mightily when Mitt Romney, a Mormon, was invited to deliver the commencement address.

I wonder if we will see similar protests from students at Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University now that it has been announced that Glenn Beck, ALSO A MORMON, will be speaking at their graduation ceremony next month?

I think we know the answer.

Who gets credit for Northrop Grumman?

By
The Richmonder
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18

Republican bloggers are racing to congratulate Governor Bob McDonnell for his role in “winning” Northrop Grumman new corporate headquarters and the 300 jobs that go with it for Northern Virginia.  Not so fast.

I was reading the Richmond Times Dispatch’s coverage of this story and something fairly leaped of the page at me.  The Richmond Times Dispatch is a notoriously conservative paper that is always trying to portray conservative politicians in the best possible light while playing down the achievements of Democrats.  It must have been with grudging respect for the truth that the Times Dispatch printed the following:

Northrop Grumman’s chief executive officer, Wes Bush, telephoned U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., late this afternoon to inform the former governor of the company’s decision to move to Virginia.

Hmmm, let’s take a closer look at this.  With an important bit of very good news to tell, Northrop Grumman’s CEO Wes Bush didn’t reach out to Bob McDonnell with the big news: instead, he called Democratic U.S. Senator Mark Warner.  The meaning of this snub is clear: Northrop Grumman is coming to Virginia in spite of McDonnell and Ken Cuccinelli, both of whom have done so much lately to make Virginians look silly in the national press.

Ultimately Northern Virginia was the obvious location for Northrop Grumman to locate.  The only real risk that Northern Virginia would lose these jobs came from the antics of McDonnell and Cuccinelli.  Pro-business moderates like Mark Warner were key to convincing Northrop Grumman that McDonnell and Cuccinelli are not typical of Virginia.  Wes Bush’s choice to call Mark Warner and give Warner his decision shows where the real leadership for this achievement came from.

Have the Capitals Entered Their Own Pink Hat Era?

By
TheGreenMiles
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3

The Green Miles grew up in Boston & during my high school years, I took full advantage of the Red Sox sucking. The team finished an average of 4th & while attendance remained strong at 30,000 a night, there were plenty of cheap seats & standing-room-only tickets for a kid with $10 & a T pass.

By the time the Red Sox had won World Series in 2004 & 2007, you could add a 0 to the end of that ticket price. Hardcore fans were priced out as going to Red Sox games became the trendy thing to do. Attendance was less a statement of your dedication as a fan than a fashion statement. The wave of new fans became known by itsDouchiest Caps fan ever on Twitpic most recognizable symbol — the Pink Hats.

I couldn’t help but think of that brand-new-baseball-cap-and-chinos crowd on Friday evening as I walked past this fan sitting outside a wine bar near the Verizon Center. Apologies for the low-quality cell phone pic, but imagine a Frasier Crane lookalike in a pastel polo shirt with a brand-new, still-stiff Alex Ovechkin jersey folded neatly over his shoulders. Horrifying, but telling — it seems like DC’s Gallery Place neighborhood is overrun the night of every Caps game with fans who only know the Red Line as what they took to the game.

As the Caps prepare to close out the Canadiens tonight (knock on Eric Belanger’s new teeth), I kick of this Caps open thread with a question: Is Caps fandom at risk of being overrun — and possibly even defined — by bandwagon fans like this guy?

Mark Warner: “Let’s move forward on Wall Street reform”

By
lowkell
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1



The question is, why are Republicans more concerned with hyper-partisan posturing and with blocking reform of Wall Street than with protecting Americans from another financial meltdown? Priorities, priorities, I guess.

Three chances to speak out against drilling Virginia

By
Eileen Levandoski
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3

( – promoted by Blue Virginia)

There is still bad news coming from Louisiana. The oil rig that exploded, sank and presumed to have cost 11 lives is still leaking about 42,000 gallons of oil per day. The growing oil slick, currently the size of Hong Kong, is now 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana, potentially threatening fragile coastal wetlands, fisheries, shrimp nurseries and other marine life such as sea turtles. “This is a very serious spill, absolutely,” says the Coast Guard’s Rear Admiral Mary Landry.

Yet as quoted in yesterday’s Richmond Times-Dispatch, Governor McDonnell said “the sinking of an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico after an explosion did not shake his faith in drilling for oil and natural gas off the coast of Virginia, which he hopes will begin as early as 2012.”

Our Virginia policy makers recklessly have chosen to completely ignore the huge risks drilling off Virginia’s coast poses to our highly lucrative tourism, recreation and fishing industries. Now more than ever it is up to us Virginians, who treasure our clean beaches and healthy ocean waters, to stand up, speak out and fight hard for their protection.

Below the fold are three opportunities for Virginians to speak out against Virginia offshore drilling. ACT NOW!

TAKE ACTION: Three opportunities to speak out against drilling Virginia!

Opportunity #1:

The Federal Mineral Management Service (MMS) has proposed conducting seismic exploration in the Atlantic ocean.  The environmental risks associated with seismic surveys and ultimately with drilling for oil and gas in the Atlantic vastly outweigh any potential benefits.  Tell MMS to keep airguns out of sensitive areas to include the treasured landscapes existent off Virginia’s coast.  

Failing that, MMS must otherwise promote use of greener alternatives to airguns.  There are technologies that can be available for commercial use within 3 to 5 years that would substantially cut the environmental footprint of airguns.

 WHAT:  MMS Public Hearing on Seismic Exploration of Atlantic

 WHEN:  Thurs., April 29, 2010, 1:00pm and 7:00pm (dinner break in between)

 WHERE: Hilton Norfolk Airport, 1500 N. Military Highway, Norfolk

Click here for talking points and to let me know if you can attend and/or speak.

Can’t make it to Norfolk on April 29th?  Email your comments directly to MMS (GGEIS@mms.gov). Public comments close May 17, 2010.

Opportunity #2:

Our beloved clean Virginia beaches and healthy ocean waters are the backbone of our coastal economy, generating billions of dollars in revenues from tourism, recreation and commercial fishing. One spill, even a fraction the size of that which recently occurred in Louisiana waters, as well as the heavy industrial development onshore that accompanies offshore oil and gas drilling, would devastate our coastal economy.

In the mid-Atlantic, the annual value of tourism, recreation and fishing exceeds the estimated annual value of oil and gas derived in our area by a ratio of almost 4 to 1.  Meanwhile, these coastal dependent businesses completely rely on clean beaches and healthy ocean waters.  To preserve these sustainable activities and the economic value these activities produce, we must keep the dirty, risky nonrenewable activities like oil and gas drilling out.

Additionally, Virginia must not be considered for continued enrollment in the 2007-2012 drilling program. Not only has Secretary Salazar stated that the impacts of Atlantic drilling is “30 years out of date”, but the fact that MMS is only just now proposing seismic studies adds to the “unknowns” that prevent responsible decision-making.

Click here to TAKE ACTION today. Tell MMS to that drilling Virginia is too risky, the benefits too negligible.  You can also email your comments directly to MMS (PRPcomments@mms.gov). Public comments close May 3, 2010.

Opportunity #3:

Join Sierra Club & Surfrider Foundation for HANDS ACROSS THE SAND Saturday June 26, 2010 in Virginia Beach, VA.  People of all walks of life are coming together to draw a human line in the sand, coming together to lock Hands Across the Sand in protest to offshore drilling.

This movement is not about politics; it is about protection of our shoreline, our waterways, our tourism, our coastal military missions and our valuable properties. Hands Across The Sand started in Florida earlier this year as over 10,000 Floridians locked hands over 75 beaches in protest to drilling.

The movement comes to Virginia Beach, Sat., June 26, 2010!  Click here to sign up!

If your organization would like to sign on as a partner, please contact me at eileen.levandoski@sierraclub.org. Corporate sponsorship opportunities are also available.  

Control & Tax: Legalization of Cannabis

By
sumofchange
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1

Cross-posted from Sum of Change

On Friday, April 23rd 2010, I got the chance to sit down with Dale Sky Clare, the Executive Chancellor of Oaksterdam University and the Spokesperson for Control and Tax Cannabis 2010. We talked about the upcoming ballot initiative to legalize cannabis in California.

California’s November vote is going to be one to watch. Recent polling has demonstrated that Californians favor the legislation. Nationwide, 56% of people believe cannabis should be regulated along the lines of alcohol and 60% support medical use (Quick shout out to News Junkie Post for linking to a pdf of the poll, I found numerous articles on this poll with no link to the actual results. It is disgustingly negligent to not provide your readers with information you are sourcing that is so easy to provide).

The Control and Tax Cannabis 2010 campaign is pushing both an economic and moral message. Ms Clare comes to this with a unique perspective, having taught the D.A.R.E program, and spent a lot of time talking about the dangers of an underground market.

To get involved with the campaign visit www.taxcannabis.org

Enviro Groups Issue Statement on Clean Energy/Climate Change Legislation

By
lowkell
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12

I agree with the following statement, it’s time to stay focused and get clean energy/climate change legislation done. Now. The planet can’t wait any longer, nor can our energy security or our economy.

And no, immigration reform should not be an excuse to put off crucial, clean energy and climate change legislation. Last I checked, the Congress was supposed to be able to walk, talk and chew gum at the same time. I see no reason why Congress can’t pass BOTH clean energy/climate change legislation AND immigration reform legislation.

Everyday the Senate fails to pass clean energy and climate legislation we put our economy, our national security and our environment at greater risk. Americans are demanding the millions of jobs, energy independence, and clean air and water comprehensive legislation can deliver. Inaction is too costly, and the challenge is too urgent.

The tireless work of Senators Kerry, Graham and Lieberman is proof positive that bipartisan success is well within reach. The House has passed historic legislation; now it is time for the Senate and the White House to stay focused and finish the job. The moment is ours. Now is the time for our leaders to act.

Alliance for Climate Protection

Blue Green Alliance

Environment America

Environmental Defense Fund

League of Conservation Voters

National Wildlife Federation

Natural Resources Defense Council

Sierra Club

Union of Concerned Scientists

The Girl Who Silenced the UN

By
Teddy Goodson
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0

A reminder from the next generation: a 13-year old girl spoke at the UN Climate Conference in Brasil, and left the delegates speechless. She reminded the adults that they owed their own offpsring a better effort at protecting the globe’s eco systems.

The Coal Industry/Government Revolving Door

By
Elaine in Roanoke
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0

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette recently reported on what it called the coal company waltz. “More than 200 former congressional staff members, federal regulators and retired lawmakers are employed by the mining industry as lobbyists, consultants or senior executives, including dozens who work for coal companies with the worst safety records in the nation.”

The “waltz” simply isn’t the dance of former legislators onto K Street or into corporate suites. In the last decade, industry officials have also gotten jobs on staffs in Congress and at the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), which is supposed to enforce safety standards.

An argument can be made that persons with expertise in a field of endeavor are necessary in order to understand how to regulate an industry. However, the danger of serious conflicts of interest are obvious, and it appears that the situation at MSHA was an example of a conflict of interest gone terribly wrong.

It was a 30-year veteran executive of the coal industry, Richard Stickler, that George W. Bush nominated to head the MSHA in 2006. That was not a good appointment if you are a miner, nor was Bush’s earlier appointment of David Lauriski.

Stickler was so embedded in the coal industry that senators on both sides of the aisle felt he had too many conflicts of interest to serve in the job. His nomination was twice sent back to Bush by the Senate. So, Bush used a recess appointment to put Stickler in office.

It was Stickler who devised the so-called “scoring system” for identifying dangerous coal mines. That system, which President Obama has strongly criticized, has allowed mines like Massey’s Upper Big Branch in West Virginia to continue operations even after dangerous safety violations have been found. Compounding the problem has been the ability of coal operators to contest every violation that the MSHA writes, rather than fixing them.

Before Stickler took over, President Bush nominated David Lauriski to head the agency. Lauriski was the guy who oversaw regulations that allowed conveyor belt tunnels to double as ventilation shafts. Some people believe that practice helped cause the 2006 Massey Aracoma Alma No. 1 mine fire that killed two miners. Massey lost a lawsuit over that tragedy, in part because CEO Don Blankenship had threatened to fire a mine supervisor who wanted to stop digging coal long enough to fix problems with the conveyor belt and the heat that was building up in the tunnel..

The Post-Gazette notes that two coal companies, Massey Energy and Murray Energy, have accounted for accidents that have claimed 40 lives in the last decade. They have “more than 5,700 pending safety violations.” The companies also have hired almost a dozen former MHSA district directors in various executive positions.

There should be a sea change in store for the MSHA. Joseph Main, who was in charge of health and safety programs for the United Mine Workers of America, has been appointed by President Obama to head the agency.

There is no way that this nation can stop using coal as a fuel in the foreseeable future. However, we can commit to two things. First, we – and I mean industry as well as government – must invest in “clean coal technology,” which right now doesn’t exist. If someone can come up with a way burn coal in a relatively clean way, the entire earth will benefit. After all, the United States is not the largest consumer of coal. China is. Coal supplied 70% of China’s energy needs in 2006.

Second, we have to end the massive environmental destruction caused by most mountaintop removal surface mining  and, at the same time, insure that underground mining is safer for the men who venture deep into the earth to extract coal. It ought to be unthinkable to put people in charge of the agency that regulates mine safety and miners’ health who are in bed with the very people they should be regulating.

The coal company waltz needs to end.

(Massey recently acquired Cumberland Resources, one of the largest privately-held coal companies. Cumberland is headquartered in Wise County, insuring that Massey now has a large presence in the Commonwealth.)

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