by The Big E on May 16, 2013
by gregladen on May 16, 2013
I had an interesting experience last night that I thought MN Progressive Project readers would like to hear about, and the best way to do this is to cross post something I wrote on my science blog, so that’s below.
But before getting to that, there is an interesting press release from the Natural Resources Committee’s ranking member Rep. Ed Markey regarding Fracking:
A new draft rule to guide regulation of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, of oil and gas resources on public and Indian lands weakens safety and environmental protections and restricts public knowledge of dangerous chemicals, Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said today. The Department of Interior new version of the so-called “fracking rule” ignores many suggestions made by Rep. Markey and other Democrats on the Natural Resources Committee, and appears to bend more towards the interests of the oil and gas sector, not the general public.
“This new fracking rule is extremely disappointing,” said Rep. Markey, the Ranking Member of the committee. “It gives oil and gas companies the freedom to frack without the proper safety protections and disclosures the American public deserve. Oil and gas companies like to say that every well is different, but this fracking rule would treat wells like cookie cutter activities, potentially leaving huge holes in ensuring that fracking activities on public lands are being done properly and safely. This rule essentially says to oil companies that they can frack first and ask questions later.”
In September, Rep. Markey along with committee members Reps. Rush Holt (N.J.), Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (C.M.), Raul Grijalva (Ariz.), Grace Napolitano (Calif.) and Paul Tonko (N.Y.) wrote DOI expressing concerns with several aspects of the agency’s original draft rule. Those concerns weren’t positively addressed in this new rule, and in fact many were even further weakened in the latest draft rule. The Democrats’original concerns can be found HERE.
The new draft DOI rule doesn’t require companies to disclose what chemicals they are using and how much before they drill the well. Adding insult to potential injury to public lands, the DOI rule then says that companies can use drilling practices on one completed well, and then apply them to multiple wells in the same area.
The rule also puts faith into the industry’s favored “FracFocus” Internet-based disclosure of chemicals, when that website is both not run by the federal government and does not allow for easy public access to the information, limiting oversight of the industry. Finally, it keeps open the question of open pit storage of wastewater, instead of requiring closed system containment.
“Because there are so many issues with this draft rule, 30 days is not enough to review this new version. DOI should provide more time for the public to express their views on this rule. I hope that Secretary Jewell listens to our concerns,” said Rep. Markey.
And now, the the other thing, pertaining to the OFA and Keystone XL, originally posted here:
You’ve gotta love South Minneapolis.
…READ MORE
by The Big E on May 16, 2013
by Bill Prendergast on May 16, 2013
by Dog Gone on May 16, 2013
.
You almost, but not quite, have to feel sorry for the right.
They get so much wrong, and it is catching up with them.
As much as they wanted something bad to be true, we now know that it was the ambassador himself who turned down the offer of military security for Benghazi, made by the African Command, that this was NOT negligence or incompetence by the Obama administration State Department.
As much as the right wanted it to be true, earlier claims to the contrary, there was no cover up or attempt to lie to the public, based on the actual emails released from the White House about the editing process of the talking points. Those were not reported accurately; they were edited to make Obama look bad.
As much as they desperately wanted it to be true, there was no live camera footage watched by the White House in real time, or any other time.
What we DO know is that, unlike Dubya and the righties, THIS administration is more careful and prudent to be sure they know what is fact from fiction before asserting something is true, much less going to war over it. We see it in the example of checking out chemical weapons in Syria.
It’s nice to have a thoughtful, prudent, fact-based grown up sitting in the power chair in the Oval Office. I wish that could be said for the power chair of the Speaker of the House, or the various crackpot witch hunting committees of Congress that waste a lot of money investigating things which don’t merit investigation, while failing to act on things that DO need both investigation and action. Right wing government is not good government, it is not effective government, it is not COST effective government. It is the epitome of political partisanship, waste of tax dollars, and waste of time.
by Dan Burns on May 16, 2013
From Tuesday:
U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum today introduced legislation to establish a special U.S. House committee to conduct oversight, ensure accountability, and report on sexual assault and abuse in the U.S. military. Responding to the on-going and ever growing problem of sexual violence and abuse committed by members of the military, the “Special Committee on Sexual Assault and Abuse in the Armed Forces” would focus congressional attention on necessary reforms to the Department of Defense’s prevention, prosecution, and victims’ services efforts.
And it just so happens that Minnesota’s Congressman most identified with the military is avoiding this issue as determinedly as if it’s an opponent that wants to debate him in public.
And from Minnesota’s Member that is assigned to the Armed Services Committee …. John Kline (R-MN-02) … silence.
No outrage.
No press release.
No Facebook post.
No Tweet.
No membership in the bi-partisan Military Sexual Assault Prevention Caucus
And No Legislation … heck, John Kline has failed to co-sponsor the BE-SAFE Act (H.R. 1867), the Military Judicial Reform Act of 2013 (H.R. 1079) or Sexual Assault Training Oversight and Prevention Act (H.R. 1593) — all legislation that has bi-partisan support and addresses sexual assaults in the military.
Simply stated, John Kline continues to disappoint Minnesotans.
(MN Political Roundtable)
I’m not qualified to provide informed, comprehensive discussion on sexual assault in the military, which is being described with terms like “epidemic.” For example, as to whether it‘s more about a redneck conservative military culture, or the proverbial “few bad apples.” (Though I have my opinions, and they lean strongly toward the former.) The bottom line is that it has to end, and legislators that don’t help to seriously work toward that, via their votes, don’t belong in office.
by The Big E on May 15, 2013
by The Big E on May 15, 2013
by Bill Prendergast on May 15, 2013
a mother jones reporter has pronounced michele bachmann’s political career dead. this is a sub-genre in michele bachmann literature: “attempted political epitaphs for michele bachmann.”
i should have been collecting these all along, over the years. it’s been so long since i read the very first attempt to write her political epitaph — that i can’t remember who wrote it or when. it was probably some liberal or progressive (like me.) over the years, it’s been liberals and progressives who’ve submitted the majority of failed Bachmann epitaphs.
Why is that? well — i guess in most cases we could put it down to wishful thinking. don’t get me wrong: i’m not saying that most liberals and progressives are ‘wishful thinkers.’ that is not my opinion and is far from being the case. what i’m saying is: there are some liberals and progressives who are wishful thinkers…and over the years, they have occasionally succumbed to that, and tried to wish bachmann away by announcing that her career was over — when it was not.
Why would they want to succumb to wishful thinking? A lot of reasons. They might feel free to do so, because there’s no ‘punishment’ if you happen to be wrong in your assessment of bachmann’s career. Another reason: there’s a competition for funding and political attention span. “how can I raise money for *my* candidate or vital cause, if this marginal lunatic bachmann is taking up so much space in media real estate, grassroots fundraising, and audience attention? best to try to convince my fellow Dems that she’s ‘over, no longer a threat, the struggle to defeat her is a waste of time and money.”
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by R Thomas on May 15, 2013
I have been thinking about taxes in here in America and how some people don’t want to pay them. They seem to think they should not have to. This confuses me. I have a couple honest questions about this idea, and I really want to understand why people think this way. I’m hoping I can get people to tell me why they feel that way. Here is one…
Most of the conservatives I know, I think, genuinely love our country. So why will you not sacrifice a little extra of your own wealth for the greater good of our society?
People claim that they hate the entitlement programs; I like to think of them a little differently. Most people who are on these programs don’t want to be, period. Those that are milking the system are such a small percentage that we should not consider them a problem to the system as a whole. Maybe if they thought about these safety nets like they do their assault weapons. Why should they not have them because a few people shoot up a school or 50? Maybe we should get the people that are on these programs jobs. What jobs? How about fixing our infrastructure? It is a win, win situation. You get people off of the safety net, those people who get out are working to stand on their own two feet again they again feel like a contributing member of society.
If you do love our country as much as you claim you should be lining up to pay taxes for our greater good. And yes, I have put my money where my mouth is, before my wife and I had kids we were making very good money and not much we really needed. One of the more prosperous years we went to get our taxes done. When they were done with the numbers we gave them, the tax lady said if we tweaked a number here and there we would have to pay in a lot less. Like over a thousand dollars less. We looked at each other and said nope, we can afford to pay a little more. This was under Bush so it might not have gone to where we wanted it too, but some of it might have. We will be doing this again when we can afford to do it again.
So, please stop bitching about taxes and pay a little more for the sake of the great nation we live in.
There is a reason you didn’t see any Minnesota State Senators at the marriage equality signing ceremony on the State Capitol steps. It is because the Republican Senators behaved like absolute jerks. Only the bill’s authors, Sen. Scott Dibble and Sen. Tony Lourey, attended.
Once everyone (aside from Dibble and Lourey) were in the chamber, Republicans filed a arcane motion requiring Sargeant-At-Arms to bar the doors and prevent any Senators from leaving.
George Takei made this 
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has a new conspiracy theory. She wants us all to believe that the IRS will use Obamacare to kill conservatives. This is a particulary jaw-dropping display of theorizing as it combines four different conspiracy theories and adds a twist that is quintessential Bachmann.
