The "Tenth Amendment" of the USA Constitution is something Democrats need to become cozy with.

That was "We the people..." NOT "We the people of the corporations..."  and it continues "...in order to form a more perfect union..."  NOT "...a more oppressive regime..."

The extremist Republicans believe deeply The Tenth Amendment actually RESTRICTS the federal government to innumerated powers ONLY under this amendment.  It is a regime belief, not sincerely a political party.  Policital Parties are not as contracted in their views as the RNC has become.  I sincerely believe it is a regime and not a political party in the context of its growing extremism.  They want to restrict freedoms of citizens, not expand them.  That is not a democracy whereby everyone is treated equally.  It is a regime.

"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

It is where the Commerce Clause lives.  It is also viewed by the Republicans as the most important amendment to the Constitution.  The Republicans believe it is the one place they can covet as a righteousness to their view of the world.  The Tenth Amendment has been USED on many occassion to extert financial prowess over the federal government.  The Robert's Court enjoys this amendment far more than they should.  The Tenth Amendment was never intended to 'weigh' the federal powers in less capacity than state powers, but, it has been used that way especially with this court.  I sincerely believe the Democrats need to be well versed in the PROPER application of this amendment and seek to legislate to faciliate the effectiveness of it.  I believe its powers have been abused by The Robert's Court.

"...There is nothing in the history (click title to entry - thank you) of its adoption to suggest that it was more than declaratory of the relationship between the national and state governments as it had been established by the Constitution before the amendment or that its purpose was other than to allay fears that the new national government might seek to exercise powers not granted, and that the states might not be able to exercise fully their reserved powers...."

This evening has been a bit different, but, seimic activity doesn't happen everyday in relation to hydraulic fracturing.

Until later...

In the face of joblessness in the USA, Norquist is a happy man!

...In an Internal Revenue Service filing (click title to entry - thank you) dated Oct. 26, Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform reported receiving $12.39 million in contributions last year. That was three times the amount that Americans for Tax Reform raised in 2009, and more than Norquist's organization reported rising in the three prior years combined.

Why care about Norquist ? He's one of the nation's most influential conservatives. But while his influence rises, the law allows him to shield basic details about his operation.

Now, a year after the 2010 election, Norquist's tax return shows that Americans for Tax Reform's biggest single vendor last year was Mentzer Media Services, a political advertising firm in Maryland. Norquist paid Mentzer $3.6 million to run ads attacking Democrats and supporting Republicans in last year's congressional races.

Mentzer is a go-to firm for conservative politicos, having waged many high-profile campaigns, taking a hand in the 2004 Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ads smearing Sen. John Kerry, a decorated Vietnam War veteran.
Mentzer has been involved in several California campaigns, too, among them the California Chamber of Commerce's ad last year that swung wildly at candidate Brown, seeking to tie him to job losses and tax increases over the past 35 years....

Magnificent !!!!

Demonstrators (click title to entry - thank you) hold up a banner in front of the White House in Washington, D.C., November 6, 2011. Thousands joined hands and circled the White House in protest against the Keystone XL pipeline.

(Credit: KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)

Amazing.  Absolutely Amazing.  The Canadian Oil Sands project is simply "W"rong.  It received exceptional backing from Cheney when he was Vice President.  You know,  I didn't look recently to see if it was in the "Energy Report" the Bush Administration published at the time of the Enron scandal.  I need to check it out.  If it is still online, but, I have two print copies of the report. 

It is still online:

"National Energy Policy - May 2001" (click here)\

Cheney started this committee within two weeks of taking office and the proceedings are still closed to the citizens of this country.

The OLD WORLD idea about the Canadian Tar Sands is that it provides better petroleum options than Mid-East oil because it reduces the threat of terrorists.  Al Qaeda had nothing to do with the petroleum industry or its supply of Mid-East oil.  It is about the worst PR propaganda ever stated.  The nations of the Middle East, primarily Saudi Arabia, have their oil supplies under control.  Even when Saddam was in Iraq the oil fields were intact regardless of their productivity or lack thereof.  Terrorism is not about the petroleum industry, quite the contrary.  The petroleum industry is more of a threat to citizens of foreign lands than the people ever could be:  Nigeria, Equador and Iraq to name just a few.  I never thought I'd see the day the USA would become an aggressor nation over petroleum reserves. 

Chapter Seven : America's Energy Infrastucture, A Comprehensive Delivery System

- The NEPD Group recommends that the President direct the Secretary of the Interior to work with Congress and the State of Alaska to put in place the most expeditious process for renewal of the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline System lease to ensure that Alaskan oil continues to flow uninterrupted to the West Coast of the United States.

- The NEPD Group recommends that the President direct the Secretaries of Energy and State, coordinating with the Secretary of the Interior and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, to work closely with Canada, the State of Alaska, and all other interested parties to expedite the construction of a pipeline to deliver natural gas to the lower 48 states. This should include proposing to Congress any changes or

waivers of law pursuant to the Alaska Natural Gas Transportation Act of 1976 that

may be required.

The Caspian Sea was coveted as well on page 8-12.  The map on that page includes Russia, Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan.  Then the USA wonders why it is regarded with suspicion of intent and interest when official documents such as this include sovereign nations as a source of USA oil and the invation into Iraq was so obviously propagandized from its sincere purpose as Halliburton profits prove.

The PIPELINE "Pipe Dreams" starts on 7-9.  These plans have been 'on the books' for over a decade.  The oil sands is the worst form of oil production ever conceived.  It is a huge insult to the planet.  I am surprised at Canada, however, at the time of September 11, 2001 the entire globe was sympathetic to the USA and its 'ideas' of preventing attacks on this country and their own.  The oil sands and the pipelines are more exploitation of the planet out of fear.  Alternatives are the future.  Not 'peaked' fossil fuel.

Every measure needs to take place to be sure 'The Infrastructure Investments and The Infrastructure Bank" do not service fossil fuels. 

"Bank Transfer Day" was a huge success for #Occupy Movement.

(NATIONAL) -- From El Paso to Seattle (click title to entry - thank you) to small towns in the Midwest to big cities in the east, an estimated 650,000 Americans by one count came out for “bank transfer day” Saturday to close their accounts at big corporate banks and open new ones at local credit unions.

Saturday was the day when anyone who is fed up with their big corporate bank and bank fees was supposed to take their money and head to a credit union.

According to a national credit union trade group, some 650,000 people across the U.S. have switched to a credit union since Sept. 29.

In Seattle on Saturday some 659 people opened new accounts at 45 branches of the Boeing Employees Credit Union (BECU) according to the Seattle Times. That was a record number of new accounts opened for a Saturday....

They all did themselves proud.  I am more proud of this movement as every day goes by.  It is the largest CONSUMER movement in the USA.  It was not only an important statement to make, but, also a wise financial move for everyone that particiapted.  Federal Credit Unions are member owned.  They are sound ways of securing finances.  They have all the conveniences without any of the dangers.  The more people seek credit unions to safe guard their financial 'HEALTH,' the more the credit unions will be the venue of investment in communities and citizens. 
 
Congratulations.  It is a historic movement.  I proud of everyone, without exception.  I heard the number 650,000 before the dedicated day of "Bank Transfer Day."  Many people were carrying out a change to their banking needs before the exact day of the movement's goal.  I am fairly confident there are more than 650,000 that have found security with community banks and credit unions.  It will keep growing.  It is a good thing.  These institutions were safe from the collapse of 2008.  They were and are nowhere neer AIG.

I have to laugh when I hear the Right Political Wing of the USA blame Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for the collapse of 2008.  It wasn't those institutions that were responsible.  The Right Wing conveniently forgets the banks like BOA and Goldman drove AIG over the brink and that is what caused the collapse and the need for the USA to bailout them out.  AIG's 'rescue insurance' should have never existed.

AIG continues payback despite loss (click here)

Analysts welcome progress in turnaround efforts

November 6, 2011 - 6:00am

NEW YORK—Despite a series of developments at American International Group Inc. last week that included a $4.11 billion third-quarter loss, analysts remain cautiously optimistic about the future of the company and expect it to continue on its path away from government ownership....

If the banks didn't have FAUX assurance in their 'rescue insurance' they would have pursued a far different path then the CLIFF they rode off.  It is amazing to realize that huge investment banks, the people that are suppose to know what they are doing, the CEOs with the know-how; actually found it necessary to pay for 'rescue insurance' in the first place.  Isn't that a bit of an oxymoron?  Yes, it is.  Nothing like A LIVE EXPERIMENT with unpredictable security mechanisms like Credit Default Swaps.  Amazing it the EXPERIMENT existed in the first place.

Guess what? Jack Abramoff has a new book out. It is called "Capital Punishment: The Hard Truth." (click title to entry for Amazon)

President Bush shakes hands with Abramoff client, Raul Garza (photo: White House)\

The entire title is: 

Capitol Punishment: The Hard Truth About Washington Corruption From America's Most Notorious Lobbyist [Hardcover]

It is an interesting title because there is rarely anyone that admits Washington, DC was CORRUPT under the Bush/Cheney Administration.  The word never surfaces.  .

He goes on to say in newsprint that there is still plenty of corruption to go around even today.  Who would ever guess, huh?

...He says plenty of corrupt lobbying practices are still perfectly legal. (click here)
Term limits, he suggests, would prevent lawmakers from getting too close to special interests. He also says lawmakers and their staff should be banned for life from working for any organization that lobbies.
Abramoff, 52, spent 31/2 years in federal prison and is now out of the lobbying business.
He has returned to the home he shares with his wife in Silver Spring, Md., and is promoting the book.
Authorities have said they may seek the book proceeds to help pay a $23 million restitution order....

Abramoff Criticizes New Reforms After Lobbying Scandal (click here)

By NEDRA PICKLER

The Associated Press

First published Nov 05 2011 08:44PM
Updated Nov 5, 2011 11:15PM

...Abramoff  is now out of the lobbying business, but the father of five has returned to the home he shares with his wife in the Washington suburb of Silver Spring, Md., and is promoting the book, including an interview airing Sunday on CBS’ "60 Minutes." Authorities have said in court filings they are looking into using the book proceeds to help repay a $23 million restitution order to his victims....

...The Washington Post in 2004 began a Pulitzer Prize-winning series investigating the tens of millions of dollars that American Indian tribal clients were paying Abramoff and his business partner, former DeLay spokesman Michael Scanlon, who provided grassroots organizing services.

It eventually was revealed that the two men were secretly kicking back profits to one another worth more than $20 million, and the Justice Department pursued felony charges.

Both pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with an investigation that would lead to the conviction of other lobbyists on Abramoff’s team, congressional figures including Ohio Republican Rep. Bob Ney and officials in the Bush administration....

Oklahoma City News Report During 5.6M Earthquake - Nov. 5, 2011

There have been multiple aftershocks in Oklahoma City.  That brings danger in that damage caused by each quake is compounded by subsequent quakes.  The 'rattle and shake damage' aspect is cummulative.

...Oklahoma typically (click title to entry - thank you) had about 50 earthquakes a year until 2009. Then the number spiked, and 1,047 quakes shook the state last year, prompting researchers to install seismographs in the area. Still, most of the earthquakes have been small....

This one is an easy one to guess, isn't it?  No different than the sinking of New Orleans.  The Petroleum Industry.  The PR campaign for 'One Oak' can tip anyone off to what is going to happen next.  What will complete this picture is to realize how muich more fracking has gone on since 2009 in the same region of the increased incidence of SEIMIC ACTIVITY.  Not earthquakes.  This seimic activity is not due to the movement of the Earth's crust, it is due to the destruction of the craton and the solid rock structures under foot.  It is my estimate the reporting of the spike in seimic activity in the public rhelm is a cry for help. 

It is amazing how the petroleum industry likes to blame 'acts of god' for all the trouble they create.  I think the residents of Oklahoma need to sue the fracking companies responsible for this damage.  It wasn't got this time or many times before.  There is no reason for the USA to have to open up the US Treasury to pay for damage caused by companies making a profit off adversity.

...This is not a natural earthquake.  (click here) This is due to fracking operations going on in the area. Sorry for the folks making excuses for the oil and gas operations. This one is theirs at 5 km (3.1miles, 16,500 Feet). Its depth is square in the region affected by their drilling. It may in fact be exactly at their drill depth....

OKLAHOMA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OBSERVATORY (click here)                         
OKLAHOMA EARTHQUAKE CATALOG

1882 OCT 22 afternoon   NE I.T.        8     5.0     36.      -95.
1915 NOV 08             ROGERS      OK F     3.9     36.2000  -95.8000        T
1926 JUN 20 14 20 00.00 SEQUOYAH    OK 5     4.3     35.6000  -94.9000        D
1929 DEC 28 00 30 00.00 CANADIAN    OK 6     4.0     35.5000  -98.0000        U

Earthquake locations are from the USGS/NEIC PDE catalog. (click here)




Virtual Fracking Site (click here)






Hydraulic Fracturing Timeline (click here)

 

 

Instrumental Intensity Map (click here)

Average number of Earthquakes per Year per 12,300 km2, Magnitude 5 and Greater Shallow Earthquakes: Depth 0-70 km (click here)

SDWA amended to regulate over 100 specic drinking water contaminants; hydraulic fracturing, in practice at this point for nearly 40 years, never considered for SDWA regulation.

The problem with the Oklahoma Hydraulic Fracturing State Review is that it isn't a STATE ONLY review.  It has devolved into a MITIGATION non-profit organization with petroleum industry member-stakeholders involved.

A mitigation group is NOT a "STRONGER" method of protecting citizens.  These guys are getting away with effective regulation and review.

Oklahoma Hydraulic Facturing State Review - January 2011 (click here)

In 1999, administration of the State Review Program devolved to a non-profit, multi-stakeholder

organization named State Review of Oil and Natural Gas Environmental Regulations, Inc.

(STRONGER). STRONGER again revised, expanded and updated the Guidelines, which were

accepted by the IOGCC and published in June 2000 as Guidelines for the Review of State Oil

and Natural Gas Environmental Regulatory Programs (the “2000 Guidelines”). In 2005,

STRONGER again revised, expanded and updated the Guidelines (the “2005 Guidelines”).

\

In 2009, STRONGER formed a Hydraulic Fracturing Workgroup consisting of stakeholders to

review issues associated with hydraulic fracturing and develop guidelines for state regulatory

programs to address identified issues. After several meetings and a round of public comment,

the workgroup submitted to STRONGER a set of guidelines that represented the consensus of

the workgroup. In 2010, STRONGER distributed the workgroup’s guidelines (the “2010

Hydraulic Fracturing Guidelines”)...

Deep Shale Gas and Oil  (click here)

Unlike shallow projects, such as shallow coalbed methane (CBM), the producible portions of deep shale natural gas and oil formations exist many thousands of feet below the surface. Across the U.S. the average depth of a Chesapeake well is 7,700 feet (almost 1.5 miles below the earth’s surface and many thousands of feet below freshwater formations). This number varies depending on the development area. Chesapeake does not conduct any production or fracking activities in fresh groundwater aquifers. In fact, across its deep shale gas operations, groundwater aquifers and producing formations are separated by thousands of feet of protective rock barriers.

How Deep Is 7,700 Feet?

• More than six Empire State Buildings stacked end to end
• 1½ times deeper than the deepest part of the Grand Canyon
• More than 25 football fields laid out goalpost to goalpost

That information should relay the understanding that the spike in SEIMIC ACTIVITY affiliated with hydraulic fracturing is real and corrupt to the core when it comes to regulation and oversight.  The problem with the PR from the petroleum industry relates to the deception and frank lying they engage in to 'sell' their exploitation of American lands.  There is no such thing as PROTECTIVE rock layers once a hole has been punched in them.  There is no such thing as a 'methane leak free' fracturing operation.  There is no such thing as a 'safe method' of fracturing that provides standards to prevent methane leaks to the atmosphere and/or protections of ground water.  It is not possible to place concrete and pipe into a deep hole either in the water or on land that is 'self contained.'  It is all PR that has no basis in fact.  These sites should be regulated and inspected the same as deep water sites.

What happens in Mississippi when the state has custody of all fertilized embryos?

How long should the fertilized embryo be allowed to exist as an embryo before it is harvested by the state as a PERSONHOOD in need of a surrogate?

Whom then are the surrogates, adoptiver parents or others?

Whom then qualifies as a surrogate, a single person or married persons?

What is meant by marriage?  Same sex or heterosecual only?

What then happens to children of single parents and homosexual parents when it is determined that surrogates can only be married and the marriage is between a man and woman?
\
This is a slippery slope that will dismantle democracy in the USA and it needs to be identified as such!

Privacy in contract law.

The proposed amendment to the constitution of the state of Mississippi seeks to covet every fertilized embryo, whether in vitro or in vivo and make it a ward of the state.  That is not a democracy.  Citizens no longer have control over the outcomes of their reproductive function and places the state at a higher priority than its citizens. 

Absolutely no more coveting faux issues in political elections in the USA should be tolerated..  If coveting a topic that is unconstitutional comes up in an election strategy it is fraud and has to be considered criminal in its intent.  The Burger Court was most correct in its approach to constitutional law.  The laws of the federal, state or local govenrment are to serve 'the individual citizen' and not 'the state.'  This is a representative democracy and not a representiative dictatorship.  The Burger Court also fostered 'tolerance of diversity' in that individuals can be different than the religious majority in the country and be guaranteed all the rights as anyone else in carryout their life.

The right to bear children or not is inalienable to women.  It is the responsiblilty of the government to be sure all measures are availaible to uphold the rights of the individual as well as insuring a citizen is safe from malpractice and/or negligence.

This attempt to remove children from parents to ensure every embryo becomes a pregnancy and then born is an outrage.  Because that is what will happen when embryos are no longer wanted to reach personhood at the time of birth.  It will become a crime to use embryos of any kind for research including genetic research and the state will OWN LIFE and define it.  It is not based in democracy!  It is based in fanatical religious dogma!

In MIssissippi's Anti-Abortion push The Commerce Claus enters the scene.

The fact that IVF clinics and abortion clinics and abortion hospitals are not found in all states requires a look at the interference of commerce across state lines.  Additionally, the 'idea' that a government can dictate a physician's practice is out of the question.  If an IVF phyisican needs to fertilize all the ovums obtained from a consenting woman for THE BEST outcome for a fertilized ovum leading to a pregnancy than that is the PROCEDURE the physician has to follow and what he is paid for.  To impurdently place all the ovums in a women seeking to give birth or a surrogate mother to give birth for another person is simply malpractice while endangering the women and the perspective 'term' pregnancy.  That has already been determined by peer review of a physican that allowed fanaticism by his patient into his practice, ie: Octomom.

The issue has to be removed from 'the religious rhelm' in the USA because there is no and there never shall be an official religion of the USA.  Additionally, the relationship between physician and persepctive parent or one of abortion where the 'opportunity' to parent is terminated is a FINANCIAL CONTRACT.  The USA first and foremost has defined itself as a democracy whereby contract law exists freely between citizens.  If a contract for services is engaged between a physician and a woman or person, the state has no right to interfere with that contract.  IVF is a very expensive contract.  Abortion less so.  But, none the less each PROCEDURE is a contract between individuals that requires an exchange of money and/or an understanding of exchange of services if there is any research being conducted.  Either way this is directly related to The Commerce Clause.  It would get really interesting if the IVF Clinic were on a floating barge in USA waters as the court already applied the Commerce Clause to that capacity.

One might want to look beyond the inflammatory political PROGRAM of the Anti-Abortionists and look at the candidates willing to compromise the rights of Americans as the cause of such nonsense as this.

"...for a constitutional (click here) amendment declaring fertilized eggs legal persons...." 

That is the craziest mess I have ever witnessed to date.  IVF results in fertilized eggs that THE OWNER at some point in time will decide to bring to a pregnancy.  In every state in the country Frozen Embryos (a multiple cell cluster without definition) has an OWNER or two owners.  The owner of the embryos were transformed into an owner through a contract with a physician that faciliated that ownership.  The Mississippi Insanity over microscopic cell clusters assaults the 'idea' of parenthood and places it in limbo at the very least.  More over it places the embryos in a potential to lose their sanctity of potential parenthood demanding every embryo be brought to pregnancy and birth and ultimately PERSONHOOD as demanded by the constitutional rights of same as practiced today.  It is crazy and will unlease hardship and heartache to potential parents that do not need any more violations of their biological rights, privacy and EXCLUSIVITY to parent a UNIQUE child.  The Anti-Abortion Movement is dangerous and wades into waters of ugenics (click here) at the very least.  It is time political candidates that harness this energy to win elections be held responsible on the same podium of destroying the basic human rights endeared in the US Constitution which states a person is a citizen at birth!

Personhood (click here) supporters gather at a prayer rally at the Capitol in Jackson, Mississippi. Photo: Reuters