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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: stockman_scott who wrote (82803)	8/20/2010 3:13:34 PM
From: tejek	Respond to of 89467

GOP outside cash has Dems scrambling By KENNETH P. VOGEL \| 8/19/10 1:48 PM EDT With less than three months until Election Day, Democrats are becoming increasingly concerned that the independent groups they are counting on for support won’t have the money to counter what they fear will be an unprecedented advertising campaign waged by their Republican counterparts. Republicans and their allies have been working for months with single-minded focus on plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on ads funded by a combination of existing special interest groups and newly formed political outfits. But Democratic operatives trying to raise money for expensive ad campaigns report that the wealthy liberals (and, to some extent, labor unions) who wrote huge checks to independent groups for advertising campaigns in the past three election cycles are sitting on their wallets. Democrats attribute the stinginess to a variety of factors, including the lingering recession, the absence of a single unifying enemy such as former President George W. Bush and fatigue among the wealthy donors who wrote big checks during the past two election cycles. There’s also a degree of disenchantment with the Obama political operation, which discouraged big-dollar independent activity when then-Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign was shattering fundraising records during the 2008 presidential campaign and has done little to revive it since. In addition, tension between the White House and organized labor, a traditional Democratic ally and source of political cash, has suppressed the totals. Partly as a result, some of the big donor-funded groups that had spent millions in past elections on ads boosting Democrats are largely dormant, and new liberal groups created to take advantage of a January Supreme Court decision loosening campaign rules have yet to fill the vacuum. “The Democratic Party’s enthusiasm gap is not only a grass-roots phenomenon, it’s a donor phenomenon as well,” said Mark Longabaugh, who founded and runs Majority Action, a liberal nonprofit group established under Section 527 of the Internal Revenue Service code, allowing it to accept unlimited contributions from individuals, corporations and unions. Majority Action spent about $6 million on so-called independent expenditures boosting Democratic candidates during the 2006 and 2008 election cycles. But it has not reported raising a penny so far this cycle and has scaled back its operations, and Longabaugh did not sound confident that it — or other groups — would be able to ramp up in time to match the anticipated conservative deluge. “With Democrats in the majority and controlling the White House this go-round, there has been some complacency up until now about the superiority of our cash positions,” said Longabaugh, pointing out that the three national Democratic party committees hold a rare combined fundraising advantage over their Republican counterparts headed into the midterms. “Democrats and progressives need to be very, very careful and vigilant here,” said Longabaugh, “because there’s a real danger that the Republicans are not only going to be able to fill that gap with these outside groups, but they’re going to be able to outspend us, and that’s a danger that nobody quite seems to see coming.” Read more: politico.com

To: stockman_scott who wrote (82803)	8/20/2010 9:15:46 PM
From: T L Comiskey	1 Recommendation Respond to of 89467

Maybe...The Eskimos have an answer.. Maybe.... Science shocker: Drought drives decade-long decline in plant growth This could drive an amplifying feedback, undermine biofuels strategy climateprogress.org

To: stockman_scott who wrote (82803)	8/20/2010 9:18:55 PM
From: T L Comiskey	Respond to of 89467

Thinking of riding Jim Inhofe's coat tails.. (Hoping Fox sends a camera team...) And doing an experiment in Igloo construction in front of.. The Heartland Institute... Downtown.... (Sweet home...) Chicago... do you think.. they will show...??!! If not.. Why Not...?? T

To: stockman_scott who wrote (82803)	8/21/2010 7:00:00 AM
From: T L Comiskey	Respond to of 89467

recently purchased ... the front door .. from 'Eskimo Boy' ... Jim Inhofe's stupid ,,, Igloo Stunt hope I did not pay...too much... worldofstock.com

To: stockman_scott who wrote (82803)	8/23/2010 5:11:55 PM
From: Broken_Clock	1 Recommendation Respond to of 89467

Obama appoints his BP Czar and lo and behold....BP is skating big time. === Gulf claims chief takes credit for rule that protects BP from spill lawsuits By The Associated Press Sunday, August 22nd, 2010 -- 7:42 pm The new administrator for damage claims from Gulf oil spill victims said Sunday it was his idea, not BP's, to require that anyone who receives a final settlement from the $20 billion compensation fund give up the right to sue the oil giant. But Ken Feinberg told reporters that he has not yet decided whether the no-sue requirement will extend to other companies that may be responsible for the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history. He insisted that payouts from the claims facility he will run will be more generous than those from any court. Feinberg also ran the government compensation fund created after the 9/11 attacks, and there was a similar no-sue provision. "It is not in your interest to tie up you and the courts in years of uncertain protracted litigation when there is an alternative that has been created," Feinberg said. He added, "I take the position, if I don't find you eligible, no court will find you eligible." Any individual or business that receives a short-term emergency payment — one to six months — from the oil spill claims facility that launches Monday will still be able to sue BP. Hundreds of lawsuits have already been filed by spill victims. Feinberg said BP, which had been handling claims up until this point, has paid out roughly $375 million in claims since the April 20 rig explosion on the Gulf of Mexico that killed 11 workers and spewed 206 million gallons of oil from BP's runaway undersea well. The latest guidelines for the victims compensation fund say the nearer you are geographically to the oil spill and the more closely you depend on the Gulf of Mexico's natural resources, the better chance you have of getting a share of the money. Feinberg said that the most "problematic" claims will be from people who work in the tourism business, especially hotels. "I'm going to have to draw some tough lines," Feinberg said. The new claims facility run by Feinberg will take over from BP the processing of claims by individuals and businesses. If a person filed a claim with BP that has not been resolved yet, they must file a new claim form with Feinberg, but any supporting documentation they previously submitted will be automatically forwarded. If a person received money from BP, they can get up to six additional months of compensation from the new claims facility. If they got nothing from BP, they can refile their claim with the new facility and have it reviewed again. Feinberg, who was picked by President Barack Obama to operate the oil spill fund, said that in the next few weeks he would release details on how much he is being paid for his work. He declined a request by an Associated Press reporter on Sunday to declare how much he has been paid to date. A temporary cap placed on the runaway well in mid-July has kept any more oil from spewing. The final sealing of the well should take place after Labor Day. Engineers are preparing to first remove the failed blowout preventer — a key piece of evidence — and replace it with another one. After that, they will complete the drilling of a relief well, then will plug the runaway well for good by pumping mud and cement into the bottom

To: stockman_scott who wrote (82803)	8/23/2010 7:54:05 PM
From: Broken_Clock	1 Recommendation Respond to of 89467

counterpunch.org August 23 / 4, 2010 A CounterPunch Special Report The Gulf Crisis is Not Over Slow Violence and the BP Coverups By ANNE McCLINTOCK Three vanishing acts are being played out in the Gulf: the disappearing of the oil from the ocean surface by Corexit, the disappearing of the story by the media blockade, and the disappearing from view of the shadowy private contractors who are making a mint helping BP and the Coast Guard keep a cover on the clean-up. This triple vanishing trick, collectively choreographed by BP and sundry federal agencies, culminated on August 4th in a report released by NOAA that claimed 75% of the oil spill had been captured, burned, evaporated or broken down. The White House hailed the report as something to celebrate. Energy advisor Carol Browne announced: “the vast majority of the oil is gone.” A clamor of outrage immediately rose from the Gulf, as residents refused to dance the crisis-is-over, happy-feet dance. Hundreds of locals furiously insisted that they were still seeing masses of oil on ocean, beaches and marshes, and dead fish, dolphins, sharks, birds and other marine life washing ashore. Then on August 18th scientists from the Universities of Georgia and South Florida produced an open challenge to the White House report, asserting that 70% to 79% of the oil in the Gulf still remained in the water. Charles Hopkinson, a professor of marine science at the University of Georgia declared: “The idea that 75% of the oil is gone and of no concern to the environment is just absolutely incorrect.” --- cont. at link.

To: stockman_scott who wrote (82803)	8/24/2010 12:30:50 PM
From: Broken_Clock	1 Recommendation Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

US Drone Strike Destroys House Full of Children in Pakistan Several Civilians Among 20 Killed in US Drone Attack by Jason Ditz, August 23, 2010 Email This \| Print This \| Share This \| Antiwar Forum The Obama Administration’s policy of escalating drone strikes took another hit today, after the explosion from a drone attack against the house of “suspected militants” in North Waziristan also destroyed a neighboring house full of women and children. The combined toll from the blast was 20 people killed, with at least four women and three children among the slain. At least 13 other civilians were also reported wounded, including a number of other children. Pakistani intelligence officials say most of the “suspects” killed in the attacks were Afghans, but it is unclear how much evidence they had of wrongdoing. Large numbers of Afghan civilians have been living as refugees in the tribal areas since the 2001 US invasion. The large numbers of civilians (700 in 2009 alone) killed in the US drone strikes has fueled considerable anti-American sentiment in Pakistan. When pressed during a previous visit Secretary of State Hillary Clinton shrugged off concerns about the civilians, saying only “there’s a war going on.”

To: stockman_scott who wrote (82803)	8/27/2010 10:57:33 AM
From: T L Comiskey	Respond to of 89467

Energy use is way down - but wind surges Wind power increased significantly in 2009, even as overall energy consumption fell by the largest margin since records have been kept. By Ben Rooney, staff reporterAugust 26, 2010: 5:06 PM ET NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Energy use in the United States fell nearly 5% last year, marking the largest annual drop on record, according to an analysis of federal data by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Total U.S. energy use fell in 2009 to an estimated 94.6 quadrillion British Thermal Units, down from 99.2 quadrillion BTUs in 2008. To put that in perspective, the average room air conditioner uses about 10,000 BTUs. This was the largest year-over-year drop since the government began keeping track in 1949, said A.J. Simon, an energy analyst at LLNL. "Energy use tends to follow the level of economic activity, and that level declined last year," he said. "Simply said, people are doing less stuff. Therefore, they're burning less fuel." Despite the drop in overall energy use, Simon said the study also showed a substantial increase in alternative sources of energy, including gains in solar, hydro and wind power. "The increase in renewables is a really good story, especially in the wind arena," said Simon. "It's a result of very good incentives and technological advancements." The use of wind power rose "dramatically" to 0.7 quadrillion BTUs in 2009 from 0.51 quadrillion BTUs the year before, according to LLNL which compiles the data for the U.S. Department of Energy. Under the 2009 economic recovery act, the Department of Energy has offered generous tax breaks and grants to help fund the development of wind energy. President Obama has set a target of doubling the country's renewable energy capacity by 2012. The growth of wind power, which is used mostly to generate electricity, helped reduce coal consumption. In addition, lower demand for electricity in general and a shift to natural gas also helped offset coal use. Energy consumption in the U.S. declined in the residential, commercial, industrial and transportation sectors last year. But that wasn't just because of the economic slowdown. LLNH said it was also due to the fact that Americans are adopting more energy efficient cars and appliances. Burning coal for energy creates carbon emissions, which have been blamed for contributing to global warming. While it remains to be seen how the trends in energy use will impact U.S. carbon output, Simon said he expects data that's due out later this year to show that carbon emissions fell in 2009. "The reduction in the use of natural gas, coal and petroleum is commensurate with a reduction in carbon emissions," he said. money.cnn.com

To: stockman_scott who wrote (82803)	8/27/2010 11:10:11 AM
From: T L Comiskey	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

UN: 1 million more displaced by Pakistan floods By SHAKIL ADIL, Associated Press Writer THATTA, Pakistan – Hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis fled floodwaters Friday after the surging River Indus smashed through levees in two places, but many refused to leave the danger zone while others took shelter in an ancient graveyard for Muslim saints. The new flooding came after the Taliban issued a veiled threat against foreign aid workers helping out in the crisis, a development likely to complicate the massive relief effort. More than 8 million people are in need of emergency assistance across the country. The floods began in the mountainous northwest about a month ago with the onset of monsoon rains and have moved slowly down the country toward the coast in the south, inundating vast swaths of prime agricultural land and damaging or destroying more than 1 million homes. About 175,000 people are believed to have fled their homes overnight in the southern city of Thatta after the levee protecting the city was breached, said Manzoor Sheikh, a senior government official. Authorities were trying to repair the levee, about 75 miles (125 kilometers) southeast of the major coastal city of Karachi. "The situation is getting worse," said local disaster official Hadi Baksh Kalhoro. "The water is flowing into a nearby canal endangering Thatta city." A second breach occurred in the Soorjani levee in the same region, said Gulab Shah, who is helping relief efforts. "It is beyond control now," he said. "Thousands of people are sitting with their cattle and belongings and their lives are in danger. They are not willing to leave."