Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category
A new Suffolk University poll shows Hillary Clinton with a comfortable lead in New Hampshire among the declared contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination, nearly double that of Barack Obama (Clinton 37%; Obama 19%). Not a huge stunner considering the sizable machine behind Hillary, but when the poll is expanded to include former Vice President Al Gore, the results change dramatically.
The only obstacle for Clinton in the Democratic primary is Al Gore. Twenty-nine percent of Clinton voters would switch to Gore if he announced for president, and when all of the switches from other Democratic candidates were recalculated, Gore would defeat Clinton. In total, 32 percent of Democratic voters would support Gore over the candidate they are currently leaning toward.
Keep in mind that this is with no advertising, no campaigning and no fundraising efforts. What a difference seven years can make according to FastCompany.com’s Eleen McGirt. Read the rest of this entry »
The National Wildlife Federation has the rundown on the passing of the Senate’s energy bill.
The Good – The raising of fuel standards to 35 mpg by year 2020. The Bad – Renewable energies got nothing, nada, zero, zilch, zip, zippo, zot, bupkus, diddly, goose egg, scratch, shutout, jack squat. The Ugly – Sen. James Inhofe’s (R-OK) amendment to build more oil refineries and Sen. Levin’s (D-MI) amendment to try to weaken the 35 mpg fuel standard. Both failed, fortunately but were blatant reminders of the heavy influence and deep pockets of the oil and auto industries.
TreeHugger discusses the problem with nukes:
As John (Laumer) noted earlier, President Bush has suggested that “”Nuclear power helps us protect the environment” and wants to build new plants. However, there is a problem that John posted about last year and that raised its head again: water, and the huge amounts needed to keep reactors operating at safe temperatures. David Lochbaum, a nuclear engineer with the Union of Concerned Scientists, told the International Herald Tribune:”We’re going to have to solve the climate-change problem if we’re going to have nuclear power, not the other way around. As the climate warms up, nuclear power plants are less able to deliver…
And finally, The Onion weighs in with their “news” of President’s Bush initiative to deal with global warming.
In a nationally televised address reminiscent of President Kennedy’s historic 1961 speech pledging to put a man on the moon, President Bush responded to the global warming crisis Monday by calling for the construction of a giant national air conditioner by the year 2015.
“Climate change is real and it demands a real solution,” Bush said. “Therefore, I am committed to dedicating all of the technology, all of the brainpower, and all of the resources we need in order to keep America cool and comfortable well into the 21st century.”
In an extraordinarily rare move, an industrial-scale dairy has been stripped of its organic certification due to serious violations of organic standards. Organic, Inc. author Samuel Fromartz broke the story at Chews Wise blog:
In a sign that pressure is mounting on big confinement organic dairy farms, Quality Assurance International, a major organic certification agency, has yanked certification for the Case Vander Eyk organic dairy in California, an operation with an estimated 3,500 cows.
This dairy in the central valley of California has been the subject of complaints by the advocacy group, Cornucopia Institute. But QAI’s decision marks the first time a certifier has suspended a big confinement dairy, though these farms have been criticized for years.
Reasons for the drastic measures include insufficient record-keeping in terms of verifying that Case Vander Eyk’s cows were managed in compliance with the USDA’s National Organic Program’s livestock standards, which apply to animals used for meat, milk, eggs, and other animal products represented as organically produced. Read the rest of this entry »
In terms of global warming, or “climate change” as it’s known on planet Luntz, the Bush administration has always stressed research as the most key element in their battle against climate change. So serious was their campaign to let the world know that they were… so serious about this research to see if climate change was… so serious, that The Climate Change Research Initiative (CCRI) was established in June of 2001, the infancy of the administration. One of the first tasks of the CCRI was to release a report in August of 2001 titled, “Survey of Research Strategies to Reduce Scientific Uncertainties, Presented By Donald L. Evans, Secretary, Department of Commerce, At the Request of President George W. Bush, Jr.”
Now there’s a problem with the research going forward. A very big problem.
A confidential report to the White House, obtained by The Associated Press, warns that U.S. scientists will soon lose much of their ability to monitor warming from space using a costly and problem-plagued satellite initiative begun more than a decade ago.
Because of technology glitches and a near-doubling in the original $6.5 billion cost, the Defense Department has decided to downsize and launch four satellites paired into two orbits, instead of six satellites and three orbits.
The satellites were intended to gather weather and climate data, replacing existing satellites as they come to the end of their useful lifetimes beginning in the next couple of years.
The reduced system of four satellites will now focus on weather forecasting. Most of the climate instruments needed to collect more precise data over long periods are being eliminated. Read the rest of this entry »
The Glenn Reynolds Retraction Watch now stands at 19 days. Perhaps fact-checking is a bit cumbersome for Mr. Reynolds?
Gristmill reports that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev), recipient of more than $100,000 in donations from the mining industry, shows that shilling for lobbyists is not a partisan issue.
Lighter Footstep gives some useful advice for dealing with mosquito season, sans toxins.
Oregon will be gaining an eco-convenience store according to Sustainable is Good. No word yet if they’ll be selling the Lobo – Greatest Hits CD for $1.99.
And finally, here is a Bill Maher clip which is worth 3:34 of your time.
Another timely resignation. Today’s word is accountability.
Julie MacDonald, deputy assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks, submitted her resignation letter to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, a department spokesman said Tuesday.
MacDonald resigned a week before a House congressional oversight committee was to hold a hearing on accusations that she violated the Endangered Species Act, censored science and mistreated staff of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Read the rest of this entry »
The above clip is one brief portion of a mesmerizing and comprehensive episode of PBS’s Frontline series, titled “HOT POLITICS: Examining the U.S. government’s failure to act on the biggest environmental problem of our time”. The program covers the years 1988 to present, and spares no criticism for officials from either party. Read the rest of this entry »
The first debate of the presidential primary season will occur this evening as the 8 declared Democratic party candidates engage at 7:00 eastern time. The debate will be carried on MSNBC television.
All appearances suggest that whoever occupies the white house beginning January 2009 will have much work to do and several changes from the current course. As citizens, we have a sobering responsibility in determining which paths are chosen.
I for one will be monitoring all debates of both major parties with a keen interest in proposed environmental policy.
This past Wednesday a historic hearing convened in the House of Representatives. No, nothing to do with less than competent attorney generals who developed sudden levels of amnesia that would make a disgraced Enron executive proud. The topic focused on the shortage of organic foods with an eye toward developing federal programs to help farmers transition to organic farming and increasing supplies. Samuel Fromartz at Chews Wise does the legwork on this very underreported story. Read the rest of this entry »
Patrick Kennedy has posted a worthwhile read at BlueClimate titled “Another Republican Straying From the Climate Change Playbook?”
Florida’s newbie Gov. Charlie Crist, who snubbed president Bush during the 2006 campaign in favor of appearing with John McCain, participated in a recent news conference with An Inconvenient Truth Producer Laurie David and singer Sheryl Crow, who have declared that Crist “has talked more about global warming in his first 100 days in office, than the former governor did in his eight years in office.”