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Brave New Films has just created this short video which clearly exposes the utter hypocrisy and obdurate cruelty of Republican health care “efforts”. I commend Congressman Grayson for his honesty and bravery. It is so incredibly rare and refreshing to hear one of our nation’s elected officials actually speak the truth and call out divisive Republicans on their bald-faced lies and obstruction.

Ironically, as I am writing this I am at present a patient at UCSF Medical Center, one of the best hospitals in the country. Three days ago I just had a big scary surgery, and have been receiving amazingly great health care, for which I am immensely grateful. Thanks to the visionary Tom Ammiano, San Francisco, unlike nearly every other place in the United States, provides universal health care coverage for all of its residents. It is now time that the rest of the nation does the same. Health care is a human right, not a privilege.

Climate change? Not so much. If Jon Stewart is snoozing, we know that the rest of America - a goodly percentage of which is far across the spectrum from Stewart and outwardly hostile to climate change arguments - is tuned all the way out. That is partly because climate change, energy and the environment still are considered Birkenstock and granola issues. The Obama operatives that are still engaged on climate change have finally started to tweak the message in a way that might help sell a bill even to science skeptics and the generally apathetic.

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A few weeks ago Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) called for a new energy solution. A solution that came in the form of 100 new nuclear power plants. That vision has not left the republicans’ eyes. And on Tuesday, Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) added his two cents.

During a hearing of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Crapo stated that “any successful plan to reduce carbon emissions must also involve nuclear power…Nuclear power is the best and quickest way to increase our clean energy options.” And mentioned that it should be included in any legislation, including the democrat-backed cap and trade legislation currently on the table.

Crapo said the Idahoans are skeptical of the cap and trade deal due to the possibility of increased energy costs. “A better option may be to ramp up the use of clean, nuclear technology, and existing energy sources so that we may transition to new sources without the damage to our economy we would see under a cap and trade scheme,” he added.

He urged the exploration and advancement on the United States’ nuclear energy infrastructure, calling nuclear power “the best solution on climate change.”

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Photo Credit: huntz via flickr under Creative Commons License

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…and don’t forget to add a caption to this week’s caption contest! Winner to be announced Monday.

The other week I posted a video of House Minority Leader John Boehner claiming that carbon dioxide is no big deal. The statement was in response to a question from George Stephanopoulos about the Republican solution to global warming.

His answer, word-for-word, follows:

“The idea that carbon dioxide is a carcinogen, that it’s harmful to our environment, is almost comical. Every time we exhale, we exhale carbon dioxide. Every cow in the world, you know, when they do what they do, you’ve got more carbon dioxide.”

Read more of this story »

This interview was conducted on April 19 on “This Week.”

Merrigan has been hailed by sustainable agriculture advocates, like the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition; however, Senate Republicans are concerned with her organic ties.

Read more of this story »

Yesterday I posted here about plastic bag fees and bans being frozen in — or before reaching — legislatures. Supposedly that’s due to economics, though reality seems to be more connected to politics. That, coupled with a post here by Low Impact Living about the green benefits of the stimulus plan signed by President Obama recently, got me thinking about a potential solution to our financial woes.

Maybe we don’t need to argue along partisan lines about small versus big government, or about a trillion-dollar stimulus plan versus whatever it is the Republicans think President Obama should be doing. Maybe instead of tax credits and billionaire bailouts, we need to impose a fresh idea of corporate social responsbility: cost-of-living increases + merit salary increases.

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0 House Republicans voted for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act last week.

0.

Could it be that if the Democrats fix the amazing mess we are in then the Republican Party–long known for being the party to trust when it came to all-things-money–will be left without a strength???

Beyond the rhetoric, the mud-slinging, the polls, and even the “issues” is the fact that this “American Experiment” of democracy is greater than any candidate running for office, or political party. Like Thomas M. DeFrank at nydailynews says

“After 931 days of campaigning, 109 primaries and caucuses, 47 debates and $5 billion spent, this marathon election nears its historic finish. Whatever Tuesday’s verdict, America will demolish political barriers that have stood through 55 quadrennial contests by choosing its first African-American President or its first female vice president.”

The previous 2 presidential elections (2000, 2004) also generated record levels of interest and voters from both sides of the political fence, much like today’s election. Following those elections, the country seemed to become very politically divided and the whole thing created a new breed of partisan-based patriotism. No matter who wins today, the next president will have the challenge of uniting the country and bringing opinions together to reach consensus. So when it comes to eco-policy, just how different are democrats & republicans?

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1. Introduction
It’s obvious why Sarah Palin got the VP nod. And Saturday Night Live makes this point most brilliantly: Hillary Clinton.

2. Sarah Palin On The Environment
Just one day before being picked as the GOP vice president, she wrote a letter to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger urging him to shoot down policy aimed at pollution.

3. Sarah Palin On Ethics
Palin’s record is already dirty enough to warrant a trip to the free clinic, and that’s just as Governor! What is she capable of if elected as VP?

4. Sarah Palin On Energy and Big Oil
Sarah Palin dismisses alternative energy in favor of a pipeline built by God.

5. Sarah Palin On Foreign Policy
Colin Powell is jumping party lines because of Palin - can we afford her on the job training?

Image Credit: bobster1985 via flickr

I think it’s time for a little humor in these final two weeks before an important election.  And so I’m writing an election story about a dead goldfish named Princess Nudelman. The news however, is not being seen as humorous to some, who fear the mistake might be a sign of election fraud. The mailing has generated a number of complaints from residents throughout the state.

“I am just stunned at the level of people compromising the integrity of the voting process,” said Lake County Clerk Willard Helander, a Republican, who said she has noticed problems with almost 1,000 voter registrations this year.

Beth Nudelman, Democrat and owner of the dead fish, said that Princess may have found herself on some sort of mailing list after the family put her name down when applying for a second phone line.

“There was no fraud involved,” said Nudelman. “This person is a dead fish.”

It is thought that the registration materials were sent by the “Women’s Voices, Women Vote” project.  This not-for-profit group encourages single women to vote, and purchased the list of names from a vendor.

From this one mailing, 63,500 people returned their voter applications. In order to validate identities, the mailing asked for a social security number and a driver’s license number.

It doesn’t seem to me anything worth getting all riled up about.  If someone is truly interested in getting people out to vote, they’ll probably come up with a better tactic than luring in the dead pets of Greater Chicago.

Source: msnbc

Photo:  Wikimedia Commons

<< Previous Post: Big Oil, Part Four

Is it gross - sure. Yet the picture sums up the last eight years of foreign policy quite nicely, don’t ya think? We’ve suffered through too much of this cowboy politics crap (pun intended) to allow it to happen again.

But that’s exactly what we’re getting with Palin - more crap! Hell, even Colin Powell is jumping party lines because of this lady. It’s the same political myopia as George W. but with a nicer rack. For example, how could any politician admit to not focusing on the war in Iraq…much? What has she been doing since 2003? And can we afford another administration who thinks God speaks to them? Seriously, that kinda thing never really works out for the best.

More on Palin >>

From Think Progress

Palin Hasn’t Given The War In Iraq Much Thought. Palin told the Alaska Business Monthly, “I’ve been so focused on state government, I haven’t really focused much on the war in Iraq. I heard on the news about the new deployments, and while I support our president, Condoleezza Rice and the administration, I want to know that we have an exit plan in place.” [Alaska Business Monthly, 3/1/07]

Palin Has Never Been To Iraq. In her only trip overseas, Palin visited Alaska National Guard troops stationed in Kuwait and Germany in July 2007. [AP, 7/25/07]

Palin Believes That The Iraq War Is A Task ‘From God.’ Speaking at the Wasilla Assembly of God church in June, Palin said that “our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God.” [Huffington Post, 9/2/08]

Palin Believes The Iraq War Was Fought Over Oil. “We are a nation at war and in many [ways] the reasons for war are fights over energy sources,” Palin told BusinessWeek in an interview. [BusinessWeek, 8/29/08]

Palin Didn’t Have A Passport Until 2007. Palin first obtained a passport in July 2007 for her trip to Kuwait and Germany to visit Alaska National Guard troops. Her only other trips outside of the United States have been to Canada and Mexico. A Palin spokeswoman had previously said that Palin had also been to Ireland, although it was actually just a “refueling stop” on her Germany/Kuwait trip. [New York Times, 8/29/08; Politico, 9/2/08; ABC News, 9/12/08]

Palin Has Never Issued An Order To The Alaska National Guard. Maj. Gen. Craig Campbell, the service commander of the Alaska National Guard, has stated that Palin has never personally ordered the National Guard to do anything. [McClatchy, 9/4/08]

Palin Is Unaware Of The Bush Doctrine. During an interview with ABC’s Charlie Gibson, Palin was stumped about the Bush Doctrine, thinking it was the President’s “worldview.” [ABC News, 9/11/08]

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Image source: saintbob on Flickr

More on Palin >>

From Think Progress

Palin’s First Statewide Campaign Was Fueled By Veco. “While mayor of Wasilla, Palin ran for lieutenant governor in 2002. She gathered $5,000 — or about 10 percent of her campaign fund — from Veco officials or their wives along the way.” [Anchorage Daily News, 9/6/06]

Palin’s Inauguration Was Sponsored By BP. Beyond Petroleum Exploration Inc. is listed by the Alaska Inaugural Committee as a sponsor of Palin’s 2007 Governor’s Balls. [Alaska Inaugural Committee]

Palin Is A Top Arctic Wildlife Refuge Drilling Advocate. Palin said she thinks McCain is “going to evolve into, eventually, supporting ANWR opening also” and “I’d like the opportunity to get to change his mind about ANWR.” [Kudlow & Co., 6/25/08]

Palin Opposes Lieberman’s Bill To Prevent Arctic Refuge Drilling. In a letter to Congress opposing the Arctic Wilderness Act (S. 2316), Palin wrote that “as a citizen of the United States” she believes “development [of the Refuge] should be authorized.” [Letter to Sen. Akaka, 11/9/07]

Palin Dismisses Alternative Energy. Palin said that “Congress needs to lift the ban on drilling” because “alternative-energy solutions are far from imminent and would require more than 10 years to develop.” [Charleston Post and Courier, 8/16/08]

Palin Believes It Is ‘God’s Will’ To Build A Natural Gas Pipeline. Speaking to the Wasilla Assembly of God church in June, Palin said, “I think God’s will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built, so pray for that,” referring to a $30 billion national gas pipeline project. [Huffington Post, 9/2/08]

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Image source: Chovee on Flickr

<< Previous Post: On Ethics, Part Three | Foreign Policy, Part Five: Next Post >>

Generally speaking, if we don’t know what the cause of a given problem is, but we know there is indeed a problem, how do we devise a strategy capable of adequately addressing it? Or, in the words of Gov. Palin, “…how are we going to get there to positively affect the impact” (whatever that means).

In Thursday night’s much-ballyhooed vice-presidential debate, the issue of climate change received a bit of attention, but neither candidate was really pushed to develop their statements much beyond their original answers (Biden on his recent comment in a rope-line that the Obama-Biden ticket didn’t support clean coal and Palin on her waffling position on the causes of climate change). But the format didn’t really allow for deeper exploration either.

>>More on the vice-presidential debate at RG&B

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Can we afford to have our government fornicating with big oil when the integrity of our planet is at stake? Most definitely not. Palin’s record is already dirty enough to warrant a trip to the free clinic, and that’s just as Governor! What is she capable of if elected as VP?

From Think Progress

Palin’s Lobbyist Had ‘Close Ties’ To Don Young, Ted Stevens. “As mayor of Wasilla, however, Palin oversaw the hiring of Robertson, Monagle & Eastaugh, an Anchorage-based law firm with close ties to Alaska’s most senior Republicans: Rep. Don Young and Sen. Ted Stevens, who was indicted in July on charges of accepting illegal gifts.” [9/2/08]

Palin’s Lobbyist Was Part Of ‘Team Abramoff.’ Steven Silver, the lobbyist Palin hired as Wasilla Mayor, also listed Jack Abramoff’s lobbying firm, Greenberg Traurig, as a client. Silver lobbied on issues similar to those headed up by Abramoff, including “Indian/Native American policy” and “legislation relating to gaming issues.” [TPMmuckracker, 9/2/08; Washington Post, 9/2/08]

Palin Served As Director Of ‘Ted Stevens Excellence In Public Service’ 527. Palin’s name was listed on 2003 incorporation papers of the “Ted Stevens Excellence in Public Service, Inc.,” a 527 group that could raise unlimited funds from corporate donors. She also “served as one of three directors until June 2005, when her name was replaced on state filings.” [Washington Post, 9/1/08]

State Employee Charged Palin With Ethics Violation. A state employee filed an ethics complaint alleging Palin tried to secure a job for one of her supporters. The complaint accused Palin and her top staffers of “breaking executive ethics branch and hiring rules. It centers on the hiring of surveyor Tom Lamal, who once co-hosted a Palin fundraiser, for a state right-of-way agent job in Fairbanks.” [Anchorage Daily News, 9/7/08]

Palin Forced Top Wasilla Employees To Resign As Loyalty Test. As Mayor of Wasilla in 1998, “asked all of the city’s top managers to resign in order to test their loyalty to her administration.”[Daily Sitka Sentenial, 10/28/06]

Palin Fired Police Chief For Not Fully Supporting Her. After becoming Mayor of Wasilla, Palin fired the city’s police chief, Irl Stambaugh, writing, “I do not feel I have your full support in my efforts to govern the city of Wasilla. Therefore I intend to terminate your employment.” Stambaugh charged that Palin fired him “because he stepped on the toes of Palin’s campaign contributors, including bar owners and the National Rifle Association.” [Anchorage Daily News, 2/1/97; ABC News, 9/3/08]

Palin Used Mayoral Office Resources For Campaigning. During her 2002 campaign for lieutenant governor, Palin ordered campaign materials from City Hall, had them delivered there, and used city employees on city-aid time to arrange campaign events. According to the Anchorage Daily News, there was “no indication she repaid the city for the incidental expenses the city incurred.” [Anchorage Daily News, 7/21/06]

Palin Billed Taxpayers For Nights Spent At Home. Palin billed the state for “312 nights spent in her own home during her first 19 months in office, charging a “per diem” allowance intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business.” She also charged for travel expenses to take her children and husband on “official out-of-town missions.” [Washington Post, 9/9/08]

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Image source: Anderson Mancini on Flickr

<< Previous Post: The Environment, Part Two | Big Oil, Part Four : Next Post >>

Okay, that’s not true. However, it summarizes how environmentally out-of-touch I feel the Alaskan Governor is. For example, just one day before being picked as the GOP vice president, she wrote a letter to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger urging him to shoot down pollution-reduction efforts aimed at cargo containers. Palin’s concerns were aimed at the Alaskan economy, and well…not the environment. Oh, and it gets better! Check out some of the other things Palin has had to say on the topic.

From Think Progress

Palin Denies Man-Made Global Warming. When asked for her “take on global warming,” Palin replied, “A changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location. I’m not one though who would attribute it to being man-made.” [Newsmax, 08/29/08]

Palin Says She’s Not A ‘Doom-And-Gloom Environmentalist’ Who Blames Global Warming On ‘Human Activity.’ “I’m not an Al Gore, doom-and-gloom environmentalist blaming the changes in our climate on human activity, but I’m not going to put my head in the sand and pretend there aren’t changes.” [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, 12/4/07]

Challenging ‘Uncertain Climate Models,’ Palin Is Suing To Lift Protected Status For Polar Bears. After a multi-year court battle, the Bush administration recognized in 2008 that polar bears are threatened with extinction by global warming. Announcing Alaska’s suit to block the listing, Palin said, “We believe that the listing was unwarranted and that it’s unprecedented to list a currently healthy population based on uncertain climate models.” [Reuters, 5/22/08]

Palin Established Illegal Fly-By Wolf Hunting Bounty. In 2007, Palin illegally established “a $150 bounty to the state sanctioned airborne wolf hunters as an added incentive to increase their kills,” soon overturned by the Alaska State Court. [Alaska Wildlife Alliance; Anchorage Daily News, 3/31/07]

Related posts:

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Image source: bobster1985 on Flickr

<< Previous Post: In Her Own Words | Her Ethics, Part Three :Next Post >>

Though I wish the GOP was progressive enough to have a woman on the presidential ticket. That is, based on merit and not merely as a political pawn. Much in the same vein, I would also love for wars to be fought with hugs and Skittles. I really don’t see that one happening either.

Since the announcement of Palin joining the Republican ticket, a lot of buzz has been made about the Alaskan Governor. For example, her limp stance on Global Warming. Then there’s her support of the Bridge to Nowhere. Don’t forget the whole Troopergate fiasco. And sometimes it’s even hard to tell if she is with us or against us; mostly against, by the way.

And the media-machine that gnawed away for eighteen months on the Obama-Clinton flavored primary quickly shifted to the virtual unknown. Heck, I have done so myself! And while I’d like to continue waxing politically about her qualifications for the VP slot, I am stuck - somewhat reluctantly - with only one thing to say: MILF.

Thank you Saturday Night Live!

Yes, Palin was picked because of Clinton. Duh! It’s calculated, shameless and oh so very very smart. But why does it matter? Mostly because McCain is so very very old.

The GOP is no stranger to having a token VP - ahem…Dan Quayle! But with McCain having one foot in the grave, Palin’s political stance matters more than those prior. It matters that the energy-expert-wanna-be doesn’t think man’s had anything to do with the climate crisis. It matters that she backs an offshore drilling solution to our oil crisis. But don’t take my word for it, take hers.

In this series, I will be highlighting some of Sarah Palin’s comments on everything from the environment to foreign policy.

Up next - The Sarah Palin Chronicles: The Environment, Part Two

Image Credit: bobster1985 via flickr

A: “Global warming exists. Let’s do something about it.”

B: “Screw you! Global warming is a commie, liberal farce!”

A: “We should harvest the wind and sun for energy.”

B: “Screw you! My car is set up for petroleum; my house likes coal-fired electricity…commie, liberal farce!”

“We should care about Earth and each other. Nothing stays the same; we’ve got to evolve.”

“Screw…farce!”

And so on.

Oh, and on the relatively civilized tip…

A: “Science demonstrates that global warming exists.”

B: (In the eloquence of Dick Cheney…) “So.”

I’m perplexed of late by the glaring contrast of view points on some important issues in our world. Not to mention the venom and vitriol that charges so many of the outbursts. And not to mention that facts seem irrelevant to many people, even when they honest-to-goodness exist.

Republican or Democrat? Conservative or Liberal? Science or Religion? United States or Everyone Else? Rich or poor? Self or Others? Us or Them?

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However, now that the dust is (sort of) starting to settle, some more sober analysis of the Vice Presidential candidate’s record on renewable energy is starting to emerge.

For starters, as Alaskan Governor, there are signs that she may have paid more than lip service to her supposed support for alternatives to oil. She promised green campaigners that she would put together a comprehensive plan on renewables, and even appointed someone to head up the mission. Beyond this though, there has been little genuine conviction or leadership in support of the sector. In fact, as the summary below reveals, her record on the issue is decidedly shaky:

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