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Rep. Goodlatte’s Bill Forces Sec. Salazar to Choose Politics over Science

By
Eileen Levandoski
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1

( – promoted by lowkell)

Stop the Rush to Drill Virginia(Crossposted at HRSierraClub.org.)

Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA06) is proposing a bill, the “Virginia Access to Energy Act” (H.R. 4942), that forces Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to conduct Virginia Lease Sale 220 within a year of the bill’s passage. “The ‘Virginia Access to Energy Act’ will remove the regulatory hurdles that have impeded development and create a path for Virginia to become ‘the Energy Capital of the East Coast'”, Goodlatte said.  

“Impeding development” is the scientific data and analysis potentially supporting Virginia’s offshore drilling. It is 30 years out of date and a thorough environmental study cannot not be performed in time for a 2011 lease sale.

Revealed at a Department of Interior workshop in Williamsburg in December 2008, large data gaps exist when it comes to endangered and protected species, fish and fisheries, the biology of the ocean floor, the ecosystems found in Virginia’s offshore ocean canyons and coral reefs, as well as the physical and geological oceanography.

Off Virginia’s coast, there have been sightings of sea turtles, right whales, humpback whales, and sperm whales – all of which are classified as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Dolphins, porpoises, pilot whales and beaked whales which are all protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act have also been sighted in what is Virginia’s lease sale area.  Due to a lack of consistent survey effort throughout the region, seasonal distribution patterns and abundance patterns for all these species are not well known. Also, no surveys for birds have been conducted in the region. There is limited information regarding the ecosystems of the Norfolk and Washington Canyons as they tend to be spatially diverse, complex and difficult to study.

Especially for oil spill risk analysis, current and wind information has been deemed a high priority data gap. The presence of several deep water canyons within the Virginia lease sale area complicates the physical and geological setting. There is limited understanding of the effect of internal tides and waves and their mixing with currents at the shelf break and canyon heads.

Not only are there huge gaps in the scientific information needed to evaluate the impact of drilling off Virginia’s coast, but its offshore zone is a vital piece of a much larger and interconnected coastal and oceanic ecosystem. So, rather than singling out a small area off a single state for environmental study – as Virginia is right now – the Atlantic coast as a whole needs to be thoroughly studied.

Given that ocean waters know no state boundaries, no study supporting Virginia drilling is complete without the study of its neighboring coastal states. Including Virginia in the same process used to study all other Atlantic offshore drilling makes sense.  

In November 2008, one last parting “gift” from the Bush Administration was the designation of a 2.9 million acre area off the Virginia coast, Lease Sale 220, for oil and gas drilling.  

In May 2009, a District of Columbia Court of Appeals vacated that Bush-era drilling program. The Court’s Opinion noted that insufficient scientific information about offshore waters proposed for drilling made it impossible for the Department of Interior to fully comply with the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. Thus, the legal ramifications of pressing on with drilling Virginia’s offshore zone, which is also enrolled in this flawed drilling program, should also be weighed before pressing on with the rush to drill Virginia.

Now more than ever, please join the over 1,000 Virginians who have emailed Secretary Salazar urging him to resist the rush to drill.  Our precious Chesapeake Bay, our sensitive coastal wetlands, and our highly lucrative tourism and fishing industries are completely dependent on clean beaches and healthy ocean waters. He must appreciate the bounty we have in coastal Virginia and how much we stand to lose if

oil drilling were to occur irresponsibly. Click here to email Salazar TODAY!

(Photo credit: Oceana)

Eric Cantor Should Resign

By
Dave N
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1

When I first heard about the alleged shooting at Rep. Eric Cantor’s Richmond office yesterday, I was disturbed that this country was possibly descending into mass political chaos. But just 24 hours later, after the facts of the matter start trickling out, I’m getting more appalled by the minute.

Congressman Cantor announced the shooting at a press conference on Thursday, and then accused Rep. Chris Van Hollen and former Governor Kaine of “fanning the flames” by using the media to exploit attacks against other members of Congress. Ironic that Cantor did this in front of a gaggle of media types and television cameras.

Next, we found out that the shooting did NOT happen overnight Wednesday night, but in fact happened earlier in the week. Rep. Cantor’s campaign office shares space in an office building with others; one would think that if the incident was major, it would have been noticed and reported the morning after it happened.

Later yesterday, the Richmond Police determine that the bullet was indeed a stray bullet that barely pierced the glass (and at a downward angle) and lodged in the window blinds. Not exactly what one would consider consistent with an attempt at intimidation.

http://www.google.com/hostedne…

Going further, we then come to discover that the office in Richmond is NOT in the congressional district that Cantor represents (the 7th), but actually in the 3rd district, represented by Democratic Rep. Bobby Scott. Way to support the business in your district, Rep. Cantor.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/…

And then this morning, it is reported that not only did the incident happen days before, not only was the bullet intentional, not only is the office not in Cantor’s district, but now, the office is an adjacent office to Rep. Cantor’s campaign office, i.e., not even HIS office!

http://tinyurl.com/y8gy9yn

Rep. Cantor accused Democrats of using the same intimidation tactics that right-wingers used for the past week. A little more than 24 hours later, there is no doubt that Eric Cantor used a random bullet in an office near his as an attempt to once again demonize Democrats. A simply Rovian trick, if I say so myself.

Rep. Cantor has descended to a level beneath what is expected of not only a congressman, but beneath a congressman who is in a leadership position in his party. It’s time for Rep. Eric Cantor to face up to his bald-faced lies and resign for the good of our Commonwealth.

#CantorTallTales

By
TheGreenMiles
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2

When Rep. Eric Cantor finds himself once again in the national spotlight for an embarrassing situation purely of his own making, there’s only one thing to do.

Start a Twitter hashtag piling on:

@MilesGrant Snowmageddon was an attack on Eric Cantor. The rest of us were innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire. #CantorTallTales

@hedwyg If a tree falls in the forest, and nobody is there to hear it, it was aiming for Eric Cantor. #CantorTallTales

@mimva The Big Bang was actually trying to blast Eric Cantor #CantorTallTales

@news_wired BREAKING NEWS: Eric Cantor in runaway balloon somewhere over Washington, DC #CantorTallTales

Tweet your own with the #CantorTallTales hashtag, or if you’re not a Twitterer, leave them in comments below.

Barack Obama Begins To Earn His Nobel Peace Prize

By
lowkell
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0



When I heard that Barack Obama had won the Nobel Peace Prize, my reaction that it was extremely premature. Yes, I thought, Obama might ultimately merit the Nobel Peace Prize, but not after a few weeks as president.  Well, it now looks like Obama is starting to earn that Nobel Peace Prize.

President Obama and Russia President Dmitry Medvedev sealed a new nuclear arms reduction treaty during a phone call this morning, committing the two nations to a significant new reduction of the strategic missiles each side has deployed, U.S. officials announced Friday.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, flanked by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Michael Mullen, announced the agreement to reporters at the White House, calling it an historic step toward a world without nuclear weapons.

Great work by President Obama on the crucial issue of reducing the threat of nuclear weapons and strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation regime. I strongly urge the Senate to ratify this treaty.

“Catholics United” Thanks Tom Perriello

By
lowkell
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0

Bob McDonnell’s “Rampant” Illogic on Anti-Discrimination Laws

By
lowkell
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3

So, Bob McDonnell believes that “Virginia does not need to write protections for gays and lesbians into state statute because he has not seen evidence of discrimination in the state workforce.” McDonnell adds that “If you’re going to have a law, it needs to actually address a real problem.”

To illustrate the rampant illogic here, let’s apply Bob McDonnell’s standard to other areas where the problem isn’t “rampant” either.

*Anti-black racism in state government is probably not “rampant,” but does that mean we shouldn’t have anti-discrimination laws for African Americans?

*Anti-female discrimination in state government is probably not “rampant” either, but again, does that mean we shouldn’t outlaw it?

*Arson isn’t “rampant,” in fact it’s very rare, so do we not need laws against it? How about murder? Poaching of bald eagles? Dumping of radioactive materials in the water?

Obviously, all of this is absurd, since nobody would ever seriously argue that we shouldn’t have laws against racist discrimination or murder or eagle poaching or whatever. But, it does illustrate the laughable illogic of McDonnell’s “rampant” standard.

As to McDonnell’s “address a real problem” standard, how is it not a “real problem” if even a few dozen people – or one person, for that matter – are discriminated against in state hiring every year?  It’s certainly a “real problem” for the people who were discriminated against, and it’s also a “real problem” for Virginia’s attractiveness as a place for people to live and work, as well as for businesses to locate.  

Sorry, but the only things “rampant” here are Bob McDonnell’s lack of sensitivity and his lack of willingness to move beyond the rigid he was taught by Pat Robertson’s professors back in the “thesis” days.

Whipple Clip Dozen: Friday Morning

By
lowkell
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0

Thanks to Tom Whipple for the Friday “Clips.”

1. MCDONNELL ANNOUNCES WIDE RANGE OF APPOINTMENTS

3. NO ‘RAMPANT DISCRIMINATION’ AGAINST GAY EMPLOYEES TO ARGUE FOR LAW, MCDONNELL SAYS

4. GREENPEACE SPOOFS BOB MCDONNELL

6. CUCCINELLI’S SOLO BID SHIFTS SPOTLIGHT TO AG’S OFFICE

7. CUCCINELLI OFFERS ASSISTANCE IN GAS LINE INVESTIGATION

8. GAS LINE CUTTING DEEMED ‘DELIBERATE’ VANDALISM

10. ERIC CANTOR ACCUSES DEMOCRATS OF ‘FANNING FLAMES’ ON MEMBER THREATS

11. DUELING PETITIONS ON HEALTH CARE COLLECT THOUSANDS OF SIGNATURES

13. BULLET THAT HIT VA. CONGRESSMAN’S OFFICE RANDOM

20. A MERCY, NOT WITHOUT END

23. A RAIL CORRIDOR ALONG I-81 THAT WOULD GET TRAFFIC AND THE ECONOMY MOVING AGAIN

43. TRUCKER CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER IN I-95 ROAD-RAGE CASE

Cenk Uygur, Paul Krugman on Eric Cantor, Right-Wing Victimhood, etc.

By
lowkell
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1

The following “Young Turks” video and excerpt from today’s Paul Krugman column pretty much sum up my feelings toward Eric Cantor’s “bullet through my office window” story. Enjoy.

Now, here’s Paul Krugman.

What has been really striking has been the eliminationist rhetoric of the G.O.P., coming not from some radical fringe but from the party’s leaders. John Boehner, the House minority leader, declared that the passage of health reform was “Armageddon.” The Republican National Committee put out a fund-raising appeal that included a picture of Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, surrounded by flames, while the committee’s chairman declared that it was time to put Ms. Pelosi on “the firing line.” And Sarah Palin put out a map literally putting Democratic lawmakers in the cross hairs of a rifle sight.

All of this goes far beyond politics as usual. Democrats had a lot of harsh things to say about former President George W. Bush – but you’ll search in vain for anything comparably menacing, anything that even hinted at an appeal to violence, from members of Congress, let alone senior party officials.

Of course, the facts would interfere with right wingers’ desperate attempts at false equivalency and victimhood, not to mention the cowardly corporate media’s eager embrace of this meme.  So, carry on, cowardly corporate media, you’re doing a heckuva job as always!

UPDATE: Cantor’s story continues to crumble.

Cantor: Another GOP Embarrassment

By
Elaine in Roanoke
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0

(Also posted at Blue Commonwealth)

As if the Virginia Republicans hadn’t inflicted enough on the rest of us with the timid, hesitating guy who was elected governor and the fire-breathing wing nut who became attorney general, now we have Rep. Eric Cantor (R-7th), GOP House whip, blaming the Democrats for the crazies that the GOP encouraged and assisted in their campaign to demonize the President of the United States and the health care reform bill.

Now we have the absurdity of Cantor blaming the people who have been victimized by death threats and obscene comments left on answering machines for the hatred the Republican party has only too happily promoted.

Cantor angrily lashed out at several Democratic leaders, accusing them of “dangerously fanning the flames” by blaming the GOP. He said he, too, has also been the recipient of threats.

The incident he was evidently referring to was last week when Cantor’s office in Richmond had a window broken by a bullet. Police now believe that someone fired a weapon in the air after hours, and the bullet broke the window as it fell to the earth. It did not even have enough force to penetrate the window’s blinds.

(I once had my classroom penetrated by a bullet after school hours. A window was broken and the bullet lodged in the wall opposite the windows. The police determined the bullet was probably fired by vandals with no malice. So, Mr. Cantor, don’t worry. Your incident was probably like mine.)

That’s not what we are talking about here. We are discussing why Republicans have spent most of this year fanning the fires of extremism and why Eric Cantor would dare to blame the Democrats for it.

Cantor continued, “I have deep concerns that some – DCCC Chairman Chris Van Hollen and DNC Chairman Tim Kaine in particular – are dangerously fanning the flames by suggesting that these incidents be used as a political weapon. Security threats against members of Congress is [sic] not a partisan issue, and they should not be treated that way. To use such threats as political weapons is reprehensible.”

Excuse me, Cantor, but you people have been “fanning” that fire for months. Face it, Cantor. You and the rest of your party have acquiesced in allowing Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, and others like them become the face of the GOP. You were deliriously happy when Dick Armey and some of his friends decided to invent the “Tea Party.” Far too many of your party – including Bob Goodlatte – decided that they would jump on the “Tea Party” hate wagon and go for a ride.

I personally witnessed my so-called “representative,” Bob Goodlatte (R-6th), smile and encourage the “Tea Baggers” who packed his phony “town hall meeting” last August. Goodlatte called on many of the extremists in attendance to ask questions. He preened and pranced around, approving the venom they spewed and distorting what the legislation that has now passed Congress would do. The few people who tried to speak rationally were shouted down by the “Tea Beggers,” and Goodlatte did nothing to stop them.

Now, all you Republicans are reaping the harvest of your reliance on hatred to replace a viable political philosophy.

When Republican members of Congress go out and applaud the people in a rowdy crowd below, the same people who had called Rep. Barney Frank a “faggot,” who had called Rep. John Lewis and other Black members of Congress “Ni**ers” and spat on them, who cursed Democratic representatives entering Congress…the result is that the Republicans become part of that mob.

Eric Cantor may try to deflect the backlash from his political party but to no avail. He and his ilk have become the “Party of Hate” as well as “the Party of No.”

I find myself agreeing with David Frum, former speech writer for George W. Bush, who recently said, “Republicans originally thought that Fox worked for us and now we’re discovering we work for Fox. And this balance here has been completely reversed. The thing that sustains a strong Fox network is the thing that undermines a strong Republican party.”

“We followed the most radical voices in the party and the movement, and they led us to abject and irreversible defeat,” Frum said.

He might have added that it led them to make themselves a laughingstock, instead of a viable alternative to the Democrats. It also unleashed a dangerous force into our society.

Polluter Harmony Ad: Rex’s Story

By
lowkell
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0

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