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]

Related posts:

Sex, Lies and Oilgate: A Crude Analysis (Part One)
McCain’s 13-Car Footprint
Setting the Record Straight: Sarah Palin and the Bridge to Nowhere

Image source: Anderson Mancini on Flickr

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A new report says that Big Oil enticed U.S. government employees with sex, drugs, and other “improper” gifts.

If any doubt was left about the complicit corruption of current U.S. energy policy, a report released earlier today by the Interior Department’s inspector general stated that U.S. government employees received what they politely called “improper gifts” from 4 major oil and gas companies.

The $5.3 million dollar investigation found “recreational marijuana and cocaine use” by “a handful” of Interior Department staff and that two federal employees “engaged in brief sexual relationships with representatives from companies doing business” with the department.

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Now wasn’t that lovely? Suspended in post-coital bliss like a fly in amber, you might forgo all you have learned to just relax. However, it’s just as important to exercise environmentalism after sex.

Don’t light up a cigarette. Don’t even think about it.

Break out your soy-based massage oil and give your partner a light massage. Choose a soothing scent, like white tea or lavender, to help him or her relax. When you are ready to get out of bed, jump in the shower for some sudsy fun. Have an organic shampoo and conditioner ready, like Nature’s Shampoo and Conditioner (available at Beeswork.com). Wash each other with an organic cleanser like Nature’s Cleanser or Tom’s of Maine Nature Moisturizing Body Bar. As always, make sure that your shower is under five minutes! Wash up with Tom’s of Maine deodorant, toothpaste, mouthwash, and floss. Slip into organic pajamas, like Kushtushs’ two-piece silk charmeuse set for men and women. Then, snuggle together and get ready for the best, guiltless sleep of your life.

Share the love! Give this affordable gift basket with everything needed for truly organic sex to some newlyweds! You are sure to give the best present at the wedding.

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While their sex guide is currently no more than a list of 10 ways to have sex in ecologically friendly ways, perhaps Greenpeace Mexico and the larger organization should keep developing a more substantial resource. Perhaps they have found a strategy that could expand the number of people interested in their mission. Will mixing sex with hardcore conservation pay off (or should it be the opposite way around?)

While in all honesty some of the tips in the guide are a stretch (translation: lame), some of the more interesting green sex guide tips are as follows:

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Your bed will make all the difference; a naked romp in a verdant meadow isn’t your only green option. Invest in an organic comforter set. Don’t worry—if you are living off a writer’s salary, you can get these luxurious items at an artist’s price at Target. Organic mattresses come at a slightly higher price, but are great long-term investments. An organic Natura Sunshine Mattress sells for $660.00 (Organicsleepproducts.com). Always make sure to wash your sheets with environmentally friendly soaps and softeners (like Sun and Earth Deep Cleaning Detergent) before the fun! You may even want to spritz your sheets with organic perfume, like Dream Tarts’ home fragrance in Midsummer’s Night.

Hopefully by now both (or more!) of you are ready for business. Never ever sacrifice a condom in the name of the environment; it’s just another excuse not to use one (listen ladies!). Given the right conditions, latex condoms should always decompose. However, if you are allergic to latex and use polyurethane condoms you have no choice but to throw them away (it’s the only situation where it’s not a good idea to recycle!). You cannot recycle the condom wrapper, but you should always recycle the box it came in. There are also many organic lubes to choose from. UK-based company Yes Pure Intimacy offers a great selection of water or oil based lubes (www.yesyesyes.org).

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Finally, something both parties can agree on. We need to integrate green living into every aspect of our lives: a single stinky compost heap isn’t enough (it may also be a mood-killer). They may say that “politics makes for strange bedfellows,” but this three-part miniseries will teach you how to get over your differences and save the environment one orgasm at a time.

PART ONE: FOREPLAY

Set the mood right. Instead of going on a long drive down a backcountry road, opt for a walk on the beach or in a secluded garden. You will (hopefully) admit negligible amounts of carbon gas. Don’t live near a scenic getaway? Find interesting things to walk to in your neighborhood: your partner will get to know more about you when he or she see s how you interact with your environment. Although cliché, a tandem bike is also a good option because it’s environmentally safe and promotes close physical proximity.

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Scientists will tell you that men have a lot to learn from the animal world in as far as the art of sex is concerned.

This fact was reinforced last week with the announcement that ecologists at the University of California, Davis had isolated scent-emitting enzymes that could be manipulated to prevent sexual activity between males and females of the Japanese beetle as a way of checking their population.

Essentially, this means that scent has been confirmed to play a major social-environmental stimuli role for sexual activity in insects and other animals, like the mammals and even human beings.

The importance of smell in relation to sex has been studied for centuries. Books like The Scent of Eros: Mysteries of Odor in Human Sexuality by James V. Kohl and Robert T. Francoeur and The Scented Ape: The Biology and Culture of Human Odour by David Michael Stoddart offer great insights into human pheromones, the sense of smell, and human sexual behavior.

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If not… who cares?

There is something I would like to add to list of “things I would never give up, even if sustainable solutions are never found.”

The first thing I mentioned in my second post with Sustainablog.  In “An Evil Kind of Green,” I concede the importance of Western medicine after the immediate relief it gives me from a severe poison ivy rash.

The second is along the same lines…

Based on my grasp of the environmental situation we face right now, it matters little if birth control pills cannot be manufactured in a sustainable way, or if some excess estrogens may be leaked into waterways as a result. The number one factor that needs to be brought under control as soon as possible is… just how many of us there are around.

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“Are you Japanese?” she retorted. And that was that.

It’s the best rebuff I’ve heard to the bevy of Korean men who equate blonde hair with instant gratification. But why did it repel him with such shear efficiency? Or, put another way, what’s so bad about being called Japanese?

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Guys, if you’ve ever had trouble focusing on the issue of peak oil, try watching this video from Oil Release. Then, for a more history-focused video, or to cool down, you can watch this video.

Turning off a sex “switch” triggered when female insects mate may be a smart and green way of controlling pests in future. Scientists said on Sunday they had found a molecular receptor, or switch, common to all insects that sets off post-mating behaviors like egg-laying.

Developing a chemical to artificially block its action could stop insect populations in their tracks and help fight the spread of many human and animal diseases.

(More on this at Scientific America)

Safe sex will soon be greener and more fair. The French Letter Condom Company, based in the UK, will open for business at the end of this month offering Fair Trade latex condoms. The latex used to make the condoms is sourced from rubber producers in India and Sri Lanka who have been working with FairDeal Trading, makers of fine Fair Trade sports equipment, for years.

FairDeal Trading is the only company in the world paying a Fair Trade premium for latex rubber. Shymala, a trade union leader at New Ambadi Rubber Estate in India, works with her co-workers to manage an education fund eastablished using the Fair Trade premium. The education fund makes it possible for New Ambadi employees to send their children to more expensive private schools that give the children a good chance to move up the socio-economic ladder. The Fair Trade premium has also allowed New Ambadi to maintain certification with the Forest Stewardship Council for sustainable production.

The French Letter (the name plays off an old British slang term for condoms) has found that 35 per cent of women buy condoms, and the company is convinced that both the feminine design and the ethical aspect of the condoms will appeal to women. Rebecca Taplin from The French Letter Condom Company says: "Our motto is ‘Fairplay’ - so we’re saying have fun, be ethical, be safe and do it with style."

Upon launch of the company at the end of the month you will find more information at www.frenchlettercondoms.co.uk.

via New Consumer