Saturday, January 05, 2013

ANY nominee to the USA Department of Defense is about money. Just that simple.

I don't care if Chuck Hagel doesn't like aggressive gay men. He has a right not to be sexually harassed.

Posted by Greg Sargent on December 21, 2012 at 4:01 pm
...But in an interview this afternoon, (click here) the target of the 1998 slur, leading gay philanthropist James Hormel, told me he never received an apology from Hagel himself, questioned the sincerity of the apology, and said the incident should still raise questions about whether Hagel is the right man to oversee the repeal of don’t ask don’t tell....

If Hormel came on to the Senator then it is he that should apologize. I think Senator Hagel is married. The former Senator is not being nominated to Secretary of State, it is the DOD and Hagel has a reputation that dictates prudent decision making when approaching the role of the USA in the world. 

Senator Hagel is a conservative in the truest sense of the word. He doesn't like WASTEFUL SPENDING, putting young American lives in harm's way without a definitive reason and he won't put up with pork barrel projects and costly overruns.

The real reason for opposing Senator Hagel to the Department of Defense was stated in The Washington Post:

...The editors of the Washington Post (click here) surprise us this morning by opposing Hagel strongly for his views on defense cuts and Iran: “Mr. Hagel’s stated positions on critical issues, ranging from defense spending to Iran, fall well to the left of those pursued by Mr. Obama during his first term — and place him near the fringe of the Senate that would be asked to confirm him ....

Senator Hagel's greatest strength is his ability to be honest, examine the facts and change his mind. He changed his mind on Iraq and while he saw no reason for sanctions with Iran, he may change his name. 

The greatest hurdle to effective sanctions with Iran is the demand for natural gas as an alternative to Russia's Gasprov. It is why the EU doesn't like to move on sanctions to Iran. They want Iran's natural gas. 


Senator Hagel can speak for himself, but, I always believed he didn't endorse sanctions with Iran because they are unenforceable. Pakistan was going to continue a relationship with Iran no matter what the EU and USA did to limit foreign trade and impose sanctions. Once Musharraf was no longer in the Presidency and Zadari was elected, the change in Pakistan's position with Iran was obvious and the pipeline is still under contention. So, Senator Hagel may very well see the USA relationship with Iran has changed and the sanctions more enforceable.

Senator Hagel's greatest strength is he does not endore war as a first strategy against any country, including Iranb.

The Debt Ceiling is not about entitlements, it is about paying the bills.

The USA economy and it's national debt are not about guessing what will work, it about knowing what the numbers are and what will work.

It is not about skating along waiting for the next set of rhetoric to 'get it right.' It is about the nation knowing what the facts are and paying the bills.

Understanding where the country is, where it is going is not about trusting instincts or what seems natural; it is knowing the facts by asking questions and getting honest answers.

Living in the USA, believing in the truth, understanding the course we are mapping out to solve our problems is what we call leadership. 

If Eric Schmidt can go to North Korea without fear and look for hope in new relationships through in roads; then the people of the USA can come to terms with the truth and bring understanding to the fiscal condition of the USA and why the Republicans can no longer take the country hostage for political reasons.


SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Google's executive chairman is preparing to travel to one of the last frontiers of cyberspace: North Korea.
Eric Schmidt will be traveling to North Korea on a private, humanitarian mission led by former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson that could take place as early as this month, according to two people familiar with the group's plans who asked not to be named because the visit had not been made public.
The trip would be the first by a top executive from U.S.-based Google, the world's largest Internet search provider, to a country considered to have the most restrictive Internet policies on the planet.
North Korea is in the midst of what leader Kim Jong Un called a modern-day "industrial revolution" in a New Year's Day speech to the nation Monday. He is pushing science and technology as a path to economic development for the impoverished country, aiming for computers in every school and digitized machinery in every factory....
Do Americans want to solve the problems we all face so our children don't have to? Or do we want to play games with their future?

Friday, January 04, 2013

The USA jobs report turns the head to global investors. They like it.

Doug Carroll, USA TODAY
8:47a.m. EST January 4, 2013
The economy ended 2012 (click here) with 155,000 more jobs last month and a 7.8% unemployment rate.
That was unchanged from November's unemployment rate, which was revised up from 7.7% to 7.8%.
Ahead of today's Labor Department report, many economists had forecast the economy added 150,000 to 160,000 jobs overall in December. But job market data released Thursday raised the prospect of a positive surprise.
Payroll processor ADP on Thursday said its monthly survey found private employers added 215,000 jobs last month, far more than expected. And outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas said announced job cuts in December fell 43% from November to the second-lowest monthly total of the year....
All to frequently the USA jobs recovery is criticized for political fodder, but, the real facts are the global market place finds the USA economy and its recovery very attractive. 
...Wall Street was expected (click here) to open slightly higher though, with S&P 500 futures up 0.1 percent and contracts for the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 up 0.2 percent.
U.S. stocks will largely depend on the non-farm payrolls report due at 1330 GMT and any clues it gives on the health of the U.S. and global economies.
Analysts polled by Reuters expect a 150,000 rise in jobs, with unemployment holding steady at 7.7 percent. However, after a better-than-expected ADP employment report on Thursday, many may now be betting on an above-consensus jobs number.
"The Fed has made it clear that it will keep policy loose until unemployment drops to 6.5 percent or below, so strong jobs data will undoubtedly raise expectations of a more hawkish Fed,"analysts at Tradition brokerage said in a note.

From the same article:

By Marc Jones
London, Jan 4 (Reuters)

World shares edged lower and the dollar rose before U.S. jobs data on Friday which investors will watch even more closely than usual after Fed officials raised concerns about possible side effects of its stimulus programme....

The global investment community like the USA economy so much along with its recovery, even the dollar has gained value in the face of every estimation it would loss value. Most Americans forget this was a "Global Great Recession." The USA is doing just fine and we are not losing interest or investors in it's bonds. The Dollar is okay.

MSCI is a global equities indices. (click here) They rank countries into three primary categories, Developed, Emerging and Frontier markets (click here).

IN CONTEXT rather than politically stranded, the USA economy as guided by President Obama is nothing short of genius.

Could Demcratic Leader Tim Gremil be the next Michigan Governor?

Will the Former Governor Granholm weigh in on who is best qualified to be Governor in Michigan?

Michigan's end of year legislation signed by the Governor has been some of the most anti-citizen in the history of the country.

Believe it or not, Snyder reinstated an emergency manager laws after a state referendum removed it. If that isn't Anti-Citizen legislation, don't ask me what is?

"The House Democratic Causus (click here) in extremely disappointed in Gov. Rick Snyder signing the new emergency manager legislation into law. By pushing essentially the same legislation the voters just rejected in less than two months ago,...

Michigan citizens are under siege from a man who sold Michigan Brain Trust inventions to a Wall Street company for his own benefit. The Michigan voters were handed a bill of goods from the Snyder election campaign and the voters believed it was time for a change. The Michigan voter has been experiencing trauma ever since.

It would be 'a help' if Former Governor Granholm would keep in touch with the Michigan DNC to bring about sincere return to sanity for the state. But, there is leadership within the Michigan Democratic Party that could return 'the citizen' to in charge of their state government. 

This bill that returned an emergency manager to the landscape of Michigan after it was removed by the electorate is a huge ethical violation. Who do these people believe they are? They aren't interested in serving the people or solving problems. They are interested in power without regard to any citizen agenda for their state. It could be said, Michigan has an occupying force in the state government.

There are 10 million people in Michigan of which 1.3 million are senior citizens. Snyder and his Republicans swept in during the 2010 elections can do a lot of damage to people before the next Governor election in 2014. But, if the search for the best Democratic candidate begins now there could be a significant victory to bring 'the citizen' back into power in the Governor's office and in the state legislature.

I hear the Former Governor has time on her hands and could be encouraged to assist in the hunt for the best candidate for Governor in 2014. It is time to put the citizen first again in Michigan.

A banner welcomes United Association members to Ann Arbor during August. (click here) County officials are questioning the likelihood the union will return to Michigan for the annual convention after the passage of right-to-work legislation in December.

By AMY BIOLCHINI
County, health and environment reporter
Posted on Fri, Jan 4, 2013 : 5:59 a.m

...The potential loss of several major union conventions that bring millions of dollars and thousands of visitors annually to the area could be the biggest impact to the county as a result of the legislation, ssaid Paul Gallagher, an Ann Arbor lawyer who represents both the county and local unions.
Gallagher was one of several speakers asked to contribute to theWashtenaw County Board of Commissioners’ discussion on the impacts of right-to-work during its first working session of the new term Thursday night....

In Michigan, average age of citizens is 35.5. There are 51% women in the state with 49% men. So, the woman's agenda is important to Michigan.

One of the most important aspects to the future agenda of Michigan is eliminating all that CO2 emissions from burning coal. Michigan is ranked 10th in carbon emissions in the nation which has a result of being 31 in carbon footprints. 

Michigan resides among the highest wind dynamics in the nation. There simply is no reason for such high carbon emissions from a state sharing borders with Canada. The Former Governor Granholm did excellent studies for wind maps in the lakes. The potential of wind energy as the primary source of electricity in Michigan has no limits. 

The anti-wind turbines opposition in Michigan is the usual; unsightly turbines from resort areas, noisy and expensive. There is also a constituency of small wind mill merchants in the state whom believes large turbines would destroy their business by property owners. This constituency will back the promotion of coal and/or biomass power plants to bring the good conscience to citizens to purchase private small wind mills for their property.




Updated: 
A cascade of coal ash, (click here) dirt and mud fell into the shore of Lake Michigan yesterday after a large section of bluff collapsed beside the We Energies Oak Creek Power Plant in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. It is unknown how much coal ash fell from the pile, but the spill left behind a debris field about 120 yards long, the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel reports.

The potential for Michigan Wind Turbines could mean a sincere surplus to the state's economy. The Michigan/Canada wind maps reveal a strong output of electricity which could be sold to surrounding states.

Thursday, January 03, 2013

A Frenchman attains Russian citizenship by the Russian President to become a tax refugee.

...Belgian and French (click here) press reports Monday quoted officials in Belgium confirming the 64-year old performer has moved into a house he bought in the village of Néchin, just one mile from the French border. Speculation is rampant that the move has allowed Depardieu to shift his legal residenceto Belgium to dodge the 75% tax on income over $1.27 million that Socialist President François Hollande will apply as of 2013 as part of his response to France’s debt crisis. The nation salutes your fiscal patriotism, Gégé....


Perhaps President Putin should send his Foreign Minister to negotiate a settlement.


Good friends ... Vladimir Putin, right, and French actor Gerard Depardieu. Photo: AP


SPINO

SPeaker In Name Only

Police officers are a source of stability in growth and development for elementary school children.


The sign post that used to mark the entrance to the Sandy Hook Elementary school is seen empty in Newtown (Shannon Stapleton, Reuters)

In terms of social and emotional development, (click here) six-year-olds are confident and delight in showing off their talents. They start to display an increasing awareness of their own and others' emotions and begin to develop better techniques for self-control. Six-year-olds enjoy sharing toys and snacks with friends, although conflicts among peers may remain quite frequent. 

Predictable routines are important sources of stability and security for children this age. Six-year-olds also draw emotional stability from their interactions with adults with whom they feel secure, particularly during challenging situations and circumstances.

Police Officers in Connecticut can provide a great deal of emotional satisfaction for these children. I found President Obama's comments to the community enlightening to the quality of life these children enjoy. He stated one of the children approached a police officer after the death of so many and said, "I can lead everyone out because I know karate."

Very brave and reassured to his well being when validated by officers whom they connected. They are very secure children accepting of the authorities around them.

My only concern, as I am sure the parents' concerns, is the presence of guns, accidental opportunities for children's inquisitive nature and any reporting of suspicious activity to the school's principal to follow trends. Police Officers in these circumstances should not be traffic cops on the beat to simply protect those inside; they should provide daily briefing to the principal at the end of every day to follow any trends. These police officers have different focus. They can safely put aside some of their limitations as fact finders. That is not necessarily exclusive to detectives in the community. Police officers are very smart about 'what goes on.' That resource should not be ignored.

This is an elementary school with predictable activity, attendees and adult populations. Police officers should have their own sense of well being on the job as well.


On the way from Newtown to Monroe Wednesday morning, (click here) there were green and white signs welcoming Sandy Hook Elementary School students, parents and staff.
At the edge of the once vacant Chalk Hill School driveway, there was a sign and balloons — as well as several police officers.
Once a middle school, the former Chalk Hill School has been given a makeover and renamed. It is now Sandy Hook Elementary School — a nod to its new occupants who will begin classes in the building Thursday....

No one is playing with this disaster either. No pun intended. I can't help but believe Adam Lanza visited the school in anticipation of his murders of these children. They and the school were objects to him, not living wonderful promises to the future as he once was. I think what bothers me about the gunman is not his mental health issues, because, normally these children receive significant attention from professionals during their growing up years. What is more significant than any mental health issues, is the question what the heck happened to turn him into a killing machine?
Jean Henry (click here) was placed on paid leave by the Chief State Medical Examiner H. Wayne Carver II, pictured, after he learned Henry allowed her husband to view the body of Adam Lanza. (Michael McAndrews, Hartford Courant / January 3, 2013)

I would love to see Representative King as Speaker of the House.

Why he isn't, is a good question. He has paid all the dues to be one. I differ with him on many topics, but, if one thing is plainly obvious he never cowers from taking on tough challenges. I am sure that is what his constituents value about him. 

He has a point. If the House is going to back down from handling the business of the nation due to politics, what does that say about the importance of the business of the nation?

...King immediately name-checked Boehner (click here) (and not in a good way) in a speech on the floor. His show of fury intensified when he later appeared on Fox News. “I’m saying right now, anyone from New York or New Jersey who contributes one penny to congressional Republicans is out of their minds,” he said. “Because what they did last night was put a knife in the back of New Yorkers and New Jerseyans. It was an absolute disgrace.”...

It looks like a star formation and it isn't even household lights.

Northwestern North Dakota (click here) is one of the least-densely populated parts of the United States. Cities and people are scarce, but satellite imagery shows the area has been aglow at night in recent years. The reason: the area is home to the Bakken shale formation, a site where gas and oil production are booming.

Posted: Monday, October 1, 2012 11:10 am

A 3.3-magnitude earthquake (click here) shook ground 11 miles southeast of Williston on the morning of Friday, Sept. 28.
The quake was registered by the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology at 5:53 a.m. near the Missouri River. Deborah Smith of the MBMG said there wasn’t a good solution collected on it because the earthquake was too far away from any station....

It took days before this earthquake was even reported in the media. Above the posting is on October 1, 2012 and the earthquake occurred days before.

M3.3 - 22km ESE of Williston, North Dakota2012-09-28 10:53:42 UTCWhat seems to be the media problem in North Dakota?


Tectonic Summary (click here)

Earthquakes in the Stable Continental Region

Most of North America east of the Rocky Mountains has infrequent earthquakes. Here and there earthquakes are more numerous, for example in the New Madrid seismic zone centered on southeastern Missouri, in the Charlevoix-Kamouraska seismic zone of eastern Quebec, in New England, in the New York - Philadelphia - Wilmington urban corridor, and elsewhere. However, most of the enormous region from the Rockies to the Atlantic can go years without an earthquake large enough to be felt, and several U.S. states have never reported a damaging earthquake. The earthquakes that do occur strike anywhere at irregular intervals.

The odd fact there was a 3.3 magnitude earthquake in the exact location of the highest density domestic oil field is no coincidence. This is the North American Carton

...Now it underlies 70 percent (click here) of North America. Parts of the craton contain rocks that range in age from 2.5 to 4 billion years, including Earth's oldest-known rock. Most were highly deformed and metamorphosed as the craton was assembled....

This is the oldest, most stable rock on Earth. And at the very location of high intensity petroleum activity it is quaking. Give me a break. The Petroleum Industry is not this stupid, but, they are this media savvy.

The North Dakota state government is corrupted by petroleum money and don't give a damn about any environmental effects of their indulgences.



North Dakota

Seismic Hazard Map (click here)


It ain't suppose to happen here.

The only activity of any significance in North Dakota has always been in regard to 'felt quakes.' They were tremors 'felt' from other areas of the North American Carton where there was movement deep within the rock. Carton quakes are never severe quakes as the rock is very stable, it is mostly thought to be related to tectonic movement of the entire plate on which the carton is situated. 

The earthquake is not a minor quake. It is a Class III on the Mercalli Intensity Scale: III. Felt quite noticeably by persons indoors, especially on upper floors of buildings. Many people do not recognize it as an earthquake. Standing motor cars may rock slightly. Vibrations similar to the passing of a truck. Duration estimated.

This may seem insignificant to people as there is no major damage, but, for a carton quake this is among the highest that occurs. 

AGAIN. The dangers to high intensity petroleum drilling and hydraulic fracturing is related to the rising possibility of liquefaction.

Liquefaction (click here) occurs when vibrations or water pressure within a mass of soil cause the soil particles to lose contact with one another. As a result, the soil behaves like a liquid, has an inability to support weight and can flow down very gentle slopes. This condition is usually temporary and is most often caused by an earthquake vibrating water-saturated fill or unconsolidated soil.

There was a time when in the USA governments they actually took the threat seriously rather than sacrificing it for jobs (easily political posturing of old world energy sources) and wealth.

Posted October 6, 2012

...Art McGarr, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey, (click here) who is not familiar with North Dakota geology but has studied earthquakes since 1962, said based on his experience and the amount of industrial activity going on in the Williston area, said he believes the most likely hypothesis is that wastewater injection triggered the earthquake.
Oilfield wastewater, including water that results from hydraulic fracturing, is disposed of by injecting it underground into disposal wells. North Dakota has about 390 disposal wells....
Mr. McGarr is with the USGS and not the North Dakota Department of Minerals Management. Mr. McGarr doesn't have to worry about his job and a pink slip from the North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple. Dalrymple was elected to office in 2010 in the infusion of Tea Party extremists. The USGS carries brevity in opinion. It is the correct opinion. And I'll explain why.

There are oil vats and gas vats in the craton. They are liquid or gaseous. They are under high pressure. When there is tectonic movement these liquid / gaseous vats move along with the movement of the plate. It is these areas within the craton that can emit 'felt quakes' because they are under high pressure. The oil and gas vats within the craton actually serve as shock absorbers to the movement of the plate. These vats of liquid and gas protects the craton. They distribute the movement in ways that minimize impact of plate movement to the rock. The felt quakes are low in magnitude to some extent because of these liquid / gaseous areas.

The dangers of the petroleum industry in removing these non-rock areas and replacing it with wastewater containing chemicals that dissolve rock is that they dissolve rock. This is the North American Craton. Why does anyone want to dissolve the rock that serves as the basis of an entire continent? For jobs? You've got to be joking!

When the rock dissolves and liquefaction FILLS IN THE VATS the quakes are no longer felt quakes, are no longer minor quakes and the danger to instability of the craton comes into reality!!!!!!

The shock absorbers cannot be replaced. Once they are gone, they are gone. The areas where wastewater now RESIDES removes the safety zone into dissolving rock and instability. Jerks.

These areas within the craton fall into a category similar to Rossby Waves in the ocean. They are planetary places of stability. It is a potential vorticity issue. How do I put this in plain English? English. Right. Playing billiards. Directing the direction of balls on a billiard table can occur if here is a little bit of 'English' put on the ball. The same is true in Baseball. Pitchers use their ability to change the flight of the ball in a game to out wit the batter. In other words, a 'spin' can be put on the ball while it is traveling straight. That is the kind of dynamic the petroleum industry is playing with when they dissolve rock within a craton. I am sure no one understands it, but, dissolving a craton is not an exceptionally billiant idea. Earth has limits. The Christmas tsunami of 2004 caused the tilt of the planet to change. It is important to understand seismic activity on Earth. Seriously.

A BIOTIC planet as Earth is better have shock absorbers. Earth is highly dynamnic. This antiquated form of energy is completely absurd in the year 2013. Happy New Year.
The Sword of Damocles, Grover? 

Really?

Isn't that semantics?

The Bush Tax Cuts were an act of greed and desperation in the first place. The Bush Economy was designed to destroy the entitlements, was it not?

The Bush Tax Cuts removed any restraint on wealth to inspire investment into the country. It literally moved monies out of the USA federal government into the pockets of the wealthy. No one can deny that. The Bush Tax Cuts raided the reserves of the federal government of every dime, sent the country into debt after a surplus, groveled for some kind of economy for 'job seekers,' while pandering to China and creating the largest population of food stamp recipients in recent history in the USA before the crash.

Along with the Bush Tax Cuts, the defense budget was moved out of the national budget and was always submitted for funding as a supplement. The reason for that was a strategy to bring the entitlements to a greater portion of the national treasury and cause a destruction of them.

Now, give me a break here, Grover. The Bush years were designed by intent to move the USA into bankruptcy to destroy the entitlements. The recovery from that strategy has been grueling. And what is even more humorous than The Sword of Damocles is the Heritage Foundation. They are dying to call the USA an entitlement society in the aftermath of the Bush Great Recession.


More than Half of All Federal Spending Will Be on Entitlement Programs in 2012 (click here)

In the desperation of having any kind of purpose, The Heritage Foundation (click here), has included Food Stamps as an entitlement to contrive some kind of reality to stop "The Entitlement Society."

Every aspect of the 'Crying Towel' the Republicans now have in common was designed by The Heritage Foundation. 

Grover.

Get a new life, while the rest of the country continues to rescue itself from the unartful and down right crude administration that left in it's wake a floundering country and emptied treasury. I am grateful for the entitlements as the very base of an economy that nearly was no more. Little did FDR know what he had inspired to protect the vitality of the USA economy. If FDR realized that while seeking compassion for our elderly, then he was more a genius than he ever gets credit for. Go away, Grover; you have become an annoyance, irrelevant and historical joke.

Wednesday, January 02, 2013

The species in Alaska need protection due to the high potential for oil contamination of the sea.

Stellar Sea Lion

It doesn't matter if the oil rig appears to be 'holding up,' it won't. There is too much fluid in the rig to insure it will not crash against the rocks. It will crash. The sea will break up the rig. No doubt in my mind.

The other possibility is that the rig will be surrounded by ice and frozen in place. That is a better alternative, except, the ice could put enough pressure on the hull to crush it enough to break a hole in it.

The petroleum industry is trying to be smart in this new environment in that they believe the ice formations will be friendly like 'Ice Road Trucker' ice formations. NOT. Definitely not.

The sea with sea ice and ice formation along the coast are unstable. They many look like they are huge rocks and strong enough to stand up to any forces, but, that is not case. Ice, sea ice and coastal ice is effected by the waters it floats on.

The wildlife in the entire area of Kodiak Island is at risk. The scientists involved with these species can possibly preserve genetic diversity by transporting the individuals of endangered species into Canada. There is the issue of territorial adjustment which could result in deaths of important individuals, so Canada could survey for isolated areas to place new members of the protected species to slowly incorporate into existing populations.

The petroleum industry needs to be responsible for handling these issues in regard to protecting the wildlife there. Above is an example of what is going to happen to the coastal area where the oil platform is located. Sea ice. These are huge pieces of ice. They have not 'developed' in formation by waves splashing up in the air and freezing. This is sea ice that was once in the water. It received enormous pressures to BREAK into pieces and was then forced a shore. This is what is going to happen to the oil rig. It will not maintain it's integrity. It will be tossed around like a toy and the hull will be breached.


The Steller's Eider

This coastal bird is endangered as well.  See, when a species becomes endangered and/or threatened the numbers of individuals fall and the genetic diversity of the species is in danger.

There is also economy in the area for Alaska. Big economy. 

FISHING (click here)

Besides tourism there is a huge commercial fishing industry throughout the seas of Alaska.

An Overview of the Alaska Commercial Fishing Industry (click here)


ECONOMIC IMPACT

The commercial fishing industry is a major contributor to the Alaskan economy.  The fishing industry supports one-sixth of the state's economy and employs 40,000 of  its residents, more than any other of the state's basic industries.  The state hosts a large number of fishers from the Pacific Northwest and processing plant workers from throughout North America, swelling the seasonal employment total to 70,000.  That employment figure encompasses harvesting, processing, and support services.  Alaska
produces 60 percent of the nation's seafood and 2 percent of the world's supply.  Of the top 10 U.S. fishing ports in 1990, 6 were Alaskan, including Dutch Harbor/Unalaska, Kodiak, Petersburg, Kenai, Ketchikan, and Cordova.  The Aleutian Island port of Dutch Harbor/Unalaska landed more seafood on its docks in 1990 and 1991 than any other U.S. port.  (see Exhibit 1-1)...

I can hear it now, Corexit has sent all the escaped oil to the bottom of the sea and the oil is being degraded into a safe form of GLOBS, so "No, worries."

We know those are blatant lies. We know the oil causes loss of seabed for ALASKAN KING CRAB. The shrimp beds in the Gulf of Mexico was the first victim of the oil from the Deepwater Horizon. We know that Corexit creates massive oil spills at the bottom of ocean waters. The Gulf, by the way, is far less turbulent than the waters off the southern shores of Alaska. So, there is a real possibility that Corexit would never work anyway. It would be dispersed and washed ashore. 

We know for a fact the chemical impacts of oil, aqueous methane and corexit causes birth defects in marine mammals. And there are plenty of endangered marine mammals in the area, both, on shore and in the ocean. The marine mammals in the area of Alaska are sea otters, seals, whales and dolphins (click here).

So, basically, NOAA needs to evaluate the ocean currents, the path the oil and aqueous methane will take along with any other idiotic chemicals in the water due to the contents of the rig and provide information to the scientists involved with these valuable animal populations so they can take action to protect them and move then if necessary. Canada needs to assess the ocean currents as well to know if the junk will make it to their pristine areas as well.

Fish populations will be lost and contaminated for years. Don't believe me? Look up the recovery of the fisheries at Valdez.

Although the fish and wildlife resources (click here) that appear on the List experienced population-level or chronic injury from the spill, not every species that suffered some degree of injury was included. For example, carcasses of about 90 different species of oiled birds were recovered in 1989, but only 10 species of birds were included on the List.

The Trustee Council recognizes (click here) that a tremendous amount of work had been accomplished over 20 years of research, monitoring and specific activities directed at addressing the goals of the 1994 Restoration Plan. With the information provided by subsistence-resource users, government agency representatives, non-governmental organizations, commercial fishermen, scientists and other stakeholders, the Council is continually evolving to seek better ways to achieve their mission.

Oil Remains: The Persistence, Toxicity, and Impact of Exxon Valdez Oil (click here)

Visitors today experience the spectacular scenery and wildlife of Prince William Sound and the North Gulf of Alaska. However, one of the most stunning revelations of Trustee Council-funded monitoring over the last ten years is that Exxon Valdez oil persists in the environment and in places, is nearly as toxic as it was the first few weeks after the spill.

The Petroleum Industry lies. They lie and the government swears to it. The continued drive for drilling by this industry is never based in new technology that guarantees there will never be environmental disasters, it is ALWAYS "It will never happen again." Spills and disaster are always one time tragedies to the petroleum industry. Their industry is so safe the lives lost of employees and the environmental disasters are so very, very rare it is shocking to realize there are disasters at all.

NOT !!!!!!!!!!

There is appreciation of recreation in Valdez, so let me at least validate the fact the Americans living in the area are dedicated to it's restoration.

...Surrounding salt waters (click here) offer opportunities for pink, silver, king, and chum salmon. Pinks and silvers can be caught directly from shore as well as by boat. Anglers who venture out into the adjacent seas will encounter all four of these species, as well as rockfish, lingcod, and Pacific halibut. However, the 700 lb gorilla of the salt-water show is always the pink. Millions return to Valdez during even-numbered years.  Some parts of Port Valdez will actually look black due to the unbelievable numbers of fish....

The new Secretary of State to the Obama Administration will receive demands for the Transcontinental Pipeline for Canadian sludge. One of the arguments they will make is that a land based pipeline is far, far better than this mess.

Don't even try it! And this mess never should have been either.

"...for fifteen minutes." Chris. Governor Christie. You need to be the leader you are meant to be.



I sincerely hope the New Jersey Governor maintains his advocacy with the Republicans in the House. There is a lot wrong here that the Governor can't necessarily fix, but, the people love him. He could literally run for any New Jersey Office anywhere in the state or federal authority and win. He has made more than friends of the people of New Jersey, he has made alliances.

The House Republicans have gone into a stance to make the country pay for the election of Democrats. Because there has been a Democratic President and Senate, the House postured with the Hastert Rule to control the outcomes of the nation. With the Hastert Rule, The Tea Party has a lot of clout, otherwise, they would be far less important. There are enough reasonable Republicans in the House to join with Democrats to do the business of the nation. 

I suggest the Governors of New Jersey and New York schedule an appearance on the House floor and demand they suspend the Hastert Rule. It will then be a fair vote and I know the Democrats will join with the Governors to make this happen. 

I think Governor Christie has significant influence within the party that he has yet to tap into. Make this happen, Chris. Get rid of the effect of the extremists and the nation will be grateful. I realize the Governors are focused on their states, but, their requests are not unreasonable and the nation will finally witness what the problems are with the House and how they are resolved. 

Governor Christie doesn't have to worry about election campaign donors; he has an entire state full of them; if he only asked for their support. He has to ask. He has to take his case to the people and ask them to vote for him. They don't know in which way they are needed until they are asked. His constituents are busy living their lives and restoring their sanity. He has to ask for any support he needs from his people across the State of New Jersey.

Good luck to both Governors.

I love the fleece, too. Maybe that is what is missing in DC. New Jersey fleeces.

I want to support the USA troops in a different way now.

I want to support them to come home. 

We did a great job in recognizing the troops (click here) and keeping them as safe as possible over the past 11 years, but, it is time to end the idea of a vast war machine and empowering future administrations to wage war 'at will' as occurred in Iraq.

The sequester that all the Republicans complain about in destroying national security has to go into effect. There are to be no more domestic cuts in the USA that are not matched by military cuts. The USA has too much tied up in the defense industry.

The level of employment does not have to be effected by the Defense Department cuts, but, it does have to bring down costs. A prime example of how USA military spending gets out of control is the F-35 Fighter and I have addressed this before. 

There a many, many ways of reducing the size of our National Debt. Policing the cost of our Defense Department is one of them.

The GOP is teaching Governor Chris Christie a lesson.

Make no mistakes. The GOP does not care about their constituents, they care about their agenda, cronies and exclusivity from being sensitive to the needs of the country.

They have done this before, but, never to the Former Governor Bush of Florida.

President Obama needs to examine what can be done through the Executive Branch and even through Executive Order. This is no joke, New Jersey and New York is important to the economy of the USA.

In 1999, while President Clinton was in office, there was a Republican leadership in the House. In 1999, Hurricane Floyd hit North Carolina. It was a huge and damaging storm costing 20 Americans their lives. The state was abandoned by a Republican legislature while President Clinton went to North Carolina and told residents to set aside their pride and priorities and accept the help the federal government could give them including emergency Food Stamps.

Hurricane Floyd was not Hurricane Sandy, but, it was substantial. It was not Hurricane Katrina either. But, the federal help sought by North Carolina was rejected sending the state into significant turmoil and debt. The reason? There was a Democratic majority in the North Carolina legislature and governorship. One might look at that dynamic today, where the state now has no liability for emergency room physicians. Don't tell me the GOP cruelty on people doesn't work, it works just fine. Fear and suffering seeks resolution in the human condition and the GOP has mastered it.

Hurricane Katrina was a huge embarrassment to the GOP. It was that embarrassment which compelled the relief for Louisiana and New Orleans. Believe me when I say the Republicans wanted 'The Big One.' All one has to examine is how the Army Corp over the decades warned about it and how those warnings were rejected. Why? Ah, come on, anyone can guess that. Who died, who profited and who is building there now? 

The wetlands were destroyed by the petroleum industry. It was that destruction that allowed the storm surge. American needs to put on their thinking caps. Seriously.

Congress needs to put their pants on.

How did we get here?

Of the $4 Trillion if DEBT and not deficit; $1.2 Trillion is contained in the sequester cuts that have timidly been pushed off for another two months.

Congress is not doing its job, yet.

If Congress is to do the business of the country the filibuster and the Hastert Rule has to be ended in ways that cause the people first ahead of politics.

We have a lot of work to do and now because Congress has been so been so very dysfunctional.

The good news is the two layers of tax cuts of the highest incomes have been ended. That is a good beginning. But, the tax base of the USA has to be expanded. There are many Americans maintaining their lives on low incomes. There are many Americans unable to effectively parent their children or entertain the idea of marriage and family because they work several jobs to make ends meet. The dynamic of the Three Job Lifestyle has to stop. The unions cannot take no for an answer. It is time to move the nation forward to a stronger tax base. The real benefit is it will increase the quality of life for Americans and drive our economy to higher levels of productivity.

Removing the highest Bush Tax Cuts will bring about a 'push down' dynamic that will bring costs to USA consumers under control. Basically, how much money does any one person need in a lifetime. While that is a liberal concept, it is also a concept of democracy and freedom. This country affords the wealthy the ability to be so and there is ultimately a price to pay for that privilege, the least of which is a national defense where some of young adults lose their lives for the love and PROMISES of this country.

The issues of money have to be over. We need to address the Simpson-Bowles Presidential Committee findings and we need to move forward on stabilizing this country's solvency. We need complete tax reform. The tax structure of the past served a purpose, but, it is antiquated to today's priorities.

We need to review the entitlements and move them into a safety zone. I would suggest any changes to the entitlements have a sundown provision to review the changes in five years and ten years. OR. When the economy ticks up and/or the tax base widens, there should be automatic returns to the current standards of our entitlements. 

I do not believe in changing entitlements following The Great Recession. Buckling under to political pressure of the SLICK Right Wing while there is still recessive residuals in the economy is gross negligence of the people of this nation. It is throwing them over a different cliff; a personal cliff; for the agenda of political demands. Basically, I believe the attacks of the Slick Right Wing of the entitlements following the Great Recession is opportunistic and an attack on the citizens of this country.

To be completely honest the attacks on the entitlements by the Right Wing during a delicate time in our country still recovering from Right Wing Spending policies of the past administration is complete rhetoric. I do not understand why legislators see the entitlements as a way to solve the nation's National Debt. The entitlements are THE BASE of the USA economy. It is the minimalist  of circulating monies, but, it does demand the USA Treasury be healthy and not so in debt there has to be dissolution of the entitlements. I sincerely believe it is insane to attack the entitlements, but, it is equally insane to run the USA into debt to collapse. There has to be a threshold in the USA Treasury that is RECOGNIZED as dangerous. Dangerous to the USA which also is dangerous to the global economy.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Congressional Budget Office (click here) on Tuesday said Senate-passed legislation to avert the "fiscal cliff"  would add nearly $4 trillion to federal deficits over a decade, largely because it would extend low tax rates for almost all Americans.
The congressional scorekeeper's analysis was released as a number of Republicans in the House of Representatives voiced opposition to the bill, and considered amending it with deeper spending cuts.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and others complained the bill's spending cuts would do little to curb trillion-dollar deficits.
Senate-passed plan extends decade-old Bush-era tax rates for individuals earning up to $400,000 and couples earning up to $450,000 - nearly 99 percent of U.S. taxpayers.
But the non-partisan CBO compared the Senate plan's revenue and expenditure changes to laws that are currently in force, which call for $600 billion in tax hikes and automatic spending cuts in 2013 alone - effectively a dive off the fiscal cliff..

We need to do a lot in this nation that has nothing to do with money, but, has a lot do to with quality of life for Americans. New Americans. The clock is running on the President's Executive Order for some of our most talented and moral Americans. 

The babies born here to parents brave enough to come here and risk their lives to achieve something called The American Dream. We have invested heavily in these babies and we need to keep them here. Their parents were willing to sacrifice their lives to bring about a better reality for them. While the terrible name of Illegal Alien is applied to their parents and to them, they were never terrible people. 

The so called Illegal Aliens work hard and often in jobs with very poor pay and working conditions. Don't tell me about these people, I don't want to hear it. Wall Street profits and the USA food policies have benefited heavily on the backs of these people. These folks pay taxes and they never complain about it. They simply do their part, work their jobs and oddly for as impoverished as they start out they don't stay there and are among the most moral of people in this country. They believe in the USA. They hold this country dear to them.

We need to address the Climate Crisis. It is not an option. I have a suggestion. In every relief program including the most recent disaster, Superstorm Sandy, there needs to be provisions within the bill to address carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions. While carbon dioxide is the primary driver to our Climate Crisis, methane is on the rise. It is on the rise from economic industries, but, also as part of the negative feedback loop within the Climate Crisis. We sincerely need to worry about both CO2 and Methane. Methane on Earth was stored in protected frozen landscapes such as the Permafrost and underwater beds. In the North Atlantic, off Norway, there have been beds of frozen methane maintained for millennium that are now being released due to a warming ocean.

You know, melting starts when temperatures change in incremental ways, it doesn't wait for the human understanding of boiling water. So, to try to explain the concepts involved in human induced global warming / anthropogenic planetary warming would be a mess. If anyone believes understanding economic movements is difficult they can't even begin to do the math involved in knowing what is occurring with our planet's troposphere.

But, basically, the best way to legislate monies to disaster areas is to also include measures to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions as a requirement to THE NATION, not just the area effected. Lord knows, the storms land where they land, they don't choose the most dense emission areas to cause damage. Would be interesting if that was the case for many reasons, but, that is not the case.

By Michael McCarthy
Environmental Editor
Monday, 22 February 2010

Atmospheric levels of methane, (click here) the greenhouse gas which is much more powerful than carbon dioxide, have risen significantly for the last three years running, scientists will disclose today – leading to fears that a major global-warming "feedback" is beginning to kick in....

We have come a long way to recovering this nation. Oddly enough all the problems we face that are not economic in definition such as the Climate Crisis are very much economic issues as well. 

I fully expect the new tax structure to work to recover the economy. Besides the obvious of expanding the purchase power of the Middle Class it will also push down on the wealthy to continue to excoriate the cost of living into unreasonable levels. With an increase in taxes to the highest levels of income in the USA it will once again give incentive to investment into the economy, entrepreneurial investments and bring new technologies on board to growth of wealth.

One of the things I wanted to review on "It's Sunday Night" is the Obama Administration successful launch of Green Chemistry. It is a wonder and benevolent way for the priorities of the youngest of tax paying generations to spawn their futures. It is only one of the focus of the Obama Economy. There are others and I will feature it one of these weeks. We need to focus on the future generations as a means of economic growth. They have great ideas. They have huge commitments to the future. They are ready to lead into the future and it is time. It past time to pay attention to their ideas and desire for a fantastic future for themselves and their children.

We need gun control. The number of guns on the street are hideous. It is pushing the country into examining the institution of Marshall Law. We simply can't have citizens breaking the laws that currently exist to allow guns to get into the hands of criminals and emotionally and mentally challenged. There also needs to be a clear understanding there are weapons within the USA civilian populous that simply should not be there. We need gun control legislation. I find the idea there are Boards of Education and Mayors actually putting armed officers at schools following the Sandy Hook murders a horror all itself.

I can't say this enough. There is NOTHING that can be done to enhance the response of First Responders. In both cases, the Colorado Movie Theater murders and the Sandy Hook Elementary School murders, the First Responders where practically transported to where they were needed in light speed. I don't know how anyone can improve that.

ALSO and not separately, the gunman in both cases were heavily armed with an automatic weapon and high powered hand guns. They were prepared to kill and kill in large numbers. The Colorado gunman had tear gas grenades. Adding an armed officer(s) to a school for the sole purpose of stopping gunmen so armed MAY BE a deterrent to some, but, to those this determined, it is simply another hurdle to overcome. The Sandy Hook gunman shot his way into the school. There were measures to stop him. It didn't work. He had a way of overcoming that safety measure. In the case of the Colorado gunman, he used tear gas bombs to disarm any people in the theater that might be armed to stop him. He over came that hurdle in his decisions to kill.

Society makes the mistake to think of these gunmen as inanimate objects that can be controlled by outsmarting them. They are thinking people. They may or may not have high IQs. The IQ of a gunman really doesn't matter. The learning curve to mastering firearms is very low. One doesn't need an education to pull a trigger. The only viable way to end this hideous method of murdering Americans is to limit the availability of that method. That means there needs to be a limit on the power of the weapons on the street and their ability to kill. That is the only way to stop this hideous dynamic that is solely American.

Until later.