All oars in the water, please. There is such a thing as political pollution and it kills.

February 19, 2021
By Ariel Cohen

Let’s not mince words (click here) – the energy crisis in Texas is an unmitigated disaster on all fronts. Some 4.4 million people have been without power, heat, and running water for days and lack of the state grid’s preparation is to blame. Texas loves to brag about its energy independence and self-reliant electrical grid. But the events of the past week underscore that America’s largest energy producer is not as energy secure as once thought. About 90% of the Lone Star State is powered by a Texas-only power grid, but the current events strongly suggest that the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) should join a regional transmission organization to meet energy demands.

Texas’ energy island, compounded by a failure to weatherize renewable and thermal power sources, led to the worst energy crisis in the country since the Northeast Power Outage of 2003. So far 30 people have died and hundreds have been poisoned by carbon monoxide from generators in their house or by car exhaust, trying to stay warm. What’s worse, we failed to prepare the country for the expectable pandemic, and now we have also failed to prepare a large section of the country to cope with fully expectable weather conditions. These are massive failures of resilience our geopolitical enemies take very seriously.

Climate change is empirically leading to more frequent and more extreme weather events on both sides of the thermometer – this is a fundamental reality. At the same time, America’s energy infrastructure has grown increasingly fragile, with vulnerabilities put on display over the years in California, New York, and now Texas....

Why is USA Today quoting "InfoWars?"

I was following the tragedy in Texas and Oklahoma. I would have been posting to the internet if there was a US DOE obstructing energy to Texas. What I read in reports at the time was that both Texas authorities and the US DOE were pushing ERCOT to produce as much energy as possible. The energy conglomerate didn't have the capacity regardless of emissions.

I was very, very surprised to see an earlier report by USA Today that quoted Infowars. USA Today has since updated the report to reflect the truth. Infowars is part of the problem in the media, not a solution to the country's vast misinformation under Trump.

Infowars globbed onto this letter (click here). It was signed and put into effect on the evening of February 14th. Unfortunately, the storm began hours after this letter was issued. 

One of the priorities of the Biden Administration is to bring an end to adverse environmental conditions of minority communities. So, any emissions by energy companies are going to be reviewed by this administration. The letter is specific and allowed time to answer it's questions.

February 15, 2021

Austin -The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) (click here) entered emergency conditions and initiated rotating outages at 1:25 a.m. today.

About 10,500 MW of customer load was shed at the highest point. This is enough power to serve approximately two million homes.

Extreme weather conditions caused many generating units – across fuel types – to trip offline and become unavailable.

There is now over 30,000 MW of generation forced off the system.

"Every grid operator and every electric company is fighting to restore power right now," said ERCOT President and CEO Bill Magness.

Rotating outages will likely last throughout the morning and could be initiated until this weather emergency ends....

That day, any restrictions were lifted by both the State of Texas and the US DOE. As a matter of fact, ERCOT was ORDERED to work at maximum capacity both by the State and the US DOE. I blogged that days ago. That is on this blog.

February 22, 2021
By Ali Swenson

CLAIM: An order from the U.S. Department of Energy (click here) under President Joe Biden blocked Texas from generating adequate power during the recent statewide emergency because it would exceed pollution limits.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The order did the opposite of what social media users are claiming. It gave the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates Texas’ power grid, emergency permission to produce enough energy to restore power to Texas homes, even if it temporarily exceeded pollution limits.

Please have confidence in the quality of governance being brought to the USA by the Biden Administration. When adverse information is brought forward to the media PLEASE validate that with authority. The Biden Administration is not going to lie to the media or the people. That "Era of Lies" ended when Trump vacated the White House.

Not to say there won't be mistakes from time to time, but, the mistakes will be minimal. The media should be interested in reporting everything good and bad, but, I guarantee if there is any problem it will be straightened out by if no one else the President himself. He wants the facts. Don't be afraid to share them with the press secretary to be sure the people are receiving good information.

The media has been through a rough few years. I really want the best of media coverage to come back. I want the media to find a way to remove hate from our dialogue as a country. We need to go there. 

But, quoting right wing extreme media is a big mistake. They spin everything. Try to practice the best of what I know is possible. The country needs it. Let's try to bring the people together around the truth and hold the government responsible when anything isn't as promised. This country is sometimes slow to make that turn because of capitalism and it's consumerism, but, it can be done and the media needs to put the muscle behind that turn. We have lives to save from a deadly virus. 

Thanks.

continued...

The Democrats need to find a path for their priorities and promises.

The Biden presidency has a great deal of confidence from the country. I was astounded by the graph in Philadelphia and the change in the number of cases of COVID-19 on a daily basis. That is definitely Joe Biden and his relationship with the country. He has taken action against all the monsters facing the USA. Texas is being held in his hand to be sure people are not exploited and has provided help to the state to return safety to their lives without being gouged for money by a utility plan that simply is a bad idea.

I hope President Biden maintains Neera Tanden to lead the Office of Budget and Management as an Acting Director. She deserves the opportunity to lead this office. He obviously has confidence in her and she has incredible credentials. I think she will be great.

I think Trump was saying in his defense at his impeachment trial and the US Senate accepted it, that the First Amendment protects inflammatory speech. That is a lie, but, if inflammatory speech is upheld by the US Senate, then the US Senate cannot be serious about their complaints as thin-skinned pouters to remove the nomination of Ms. Tanden. 

The pouting Republicans are not partners to the Democrats and certainly not the country. January 6th was real and the best the Republicans can do is leave Trump as a place holder to their future elections. That is simply mindlessness lead by Trump's priorities. As far as I am concerned, Trump is lucky to be within the borders of the USA, yet alone be upheld as a leader of the Republican Party. There is nothing left to value with the Republican Party. Their former members are running away in herds from the party. The exception to that might be the ones with guns and plans for more hatred of their very own country.

The Democrats must lead. They must help the American people to recover their lives. That isn't going to come from a Republican Party led by Moscow Mitch of spineless McCarthy. The Dems need to get on with it. The Republicans are putting a drag on the economic recovery.

Welcome J&J. The FDA sees a place for the vaccine in the country.

February 24, 2021
By Lynsey Mukomel

Grand Rapids, Mich.- The Food and Drug Administration’s report (click here) that Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine is safe and protects against severe illness is welcomed news for those tasked with inoculating the public.

The regulating agency confirmed Wednesday the single-dose shot is about 66% effective at preventing moderate to severe COVID-19. That efficacy rate is even higher, 85%, against the most serious illness.

Perhaps the most promising aspect of the vaccine analysis is that 28 days after vaccination, there were no hospitalizations or deaths for those who received the shot.

Kent County Health Department Immunization Supervisor Mary Wisinski says that takeaway is more important than comparing efficacy rates related to preventing illness altogether — both Moderna and Pfizer were 95% effective at protection against the virus....

McCarthy is like McConnell, they are mindless idiots reading off the same email from Trump.

Liz Cheney is a thinking person. She is not partisan. She makes decisions and spurns rhetoric. She carries the values conservatives are looking for and not finding anywhere else. She needs to set up her own caucus in the Republican House. She is capable of taking the US House. She should be at the lead, not empty-headed McCarthy.

The Republican women took the seats in the US House. 

I am not a Republican. I don't trust McCarthy or McConnell, but, I trust Liz Cheney. She is not an extension of her father, however, she is his daughter. She makes her own decisions.