With the news that Michael Chertoff may be Bush's top choice to replaceAlbert Gonazales, I thought it would be appropriate to post this video of his(what I believe to be) incompetence. So sit back and watch the show, then askyourself "is this the guy that deserves or is qualified to be the next AttorneyGeneral of The United States"? I'm sure if he is chosen, the petitions will start flying again (hopefully).
Tim Russert exposed the lies that came from the administration after Katrina
In my opinion here is another fine example of government officials BS'ing thepublic. Forty Two thousand gallons of crude oil is happily cruising down a rivertowards a lake that supplies drinking water. The officials say "they're notsure of the extent of contamination" and a spokeswoman for the Dept. of EnvironmentalQuality says "the spill isn't expected tohave an impact on the water-supply intakes located below the surface at thesouth end of the lake. She says oil tends to float on the surface of the water,so the quality of water taken from below the surface of the lake should not beaffected." Personally I don't think you can put forty two thousand gallonsOF water in a river and it not have an impact of some sort.
COFFEYVILLE, Kan. (AP) - Forty-two thousandsgallons of thick crude oil are nearing an Oklahoma lake that supplies water fordrinking and recreation.
The oil spilled from the Coffeyville Resourcesrefinery in Kansas on Sunday into the Verdigris River. It has been floatingdownstream toward Oologah (OO'-luh-gah) Lake, about 30 miles northeast of Tulsa
Officials say a lot of the oil slick remainson the surface and is visible. They're not sure of the extent of contamination.
A spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department ofEnvironmental Quality says the spill isn't expected to have an impact on thewater-supply intakes located below the surface at the south end of the lake. Shesays oil tends to float on the surface of the water, so the quality of watertaken from below the surface of the lake should not be affected. ... (but this is all there is at this link.)
Then we can go down the list of all the things NOT to worry about:
None of the oil reached Oklahoma's Lake Oologah, a source of drinking water for Tulsa and other communities, Oklahoma environmental officials said Wednesday.
Some workers at the refinery and the fertilizer facility already are returning to work. Others have been told to remain at home until contacted by their supervisors to return.
Lipinski says the company is working closely with city, state and federal agencies engaged in mitigating the environmental impact of the loss and is actively reaching out to those people affected.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, was helping the Coffeyville Police Department to conduct air quality tests for potential hazards
At least 1,000 people have been displaced from their homes throughout southeast Kansas, says the Kansas adjutant general's department
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment, KDHE, is distributing tetanus vaccine to prevent the illness in people who have come in contact with the floodwaters
Health officials are warning residents to stay out of the flood waters due to sewage, hazardous materials, and other contaminants. Individuals should contact their nearest health department for a tetanus vaccine if they have had a recent, significant injury or if they have entered the water and have not had a tetanus vaccination in the past 10 years.
The EPA advises people returning to property that may be contaminated with oil and other contaminants to wear work boots, open doors and windows for ventilation, and avoid taking oil-contaminated items to non-contaminated locations. ...
We all know accidents can happen, but when you look at the list of all the"agencies" working on this one, it is similar to Katrina's crack teamsof crack heads. And when fish, birds and other wildlife start popping up dead,or with more eyes and legs then they really need, then they will create afew more committees to investigate the new situation.
A few more emergencies like this and "we're in big troublemister"...ya see, all our federal funds are a little tied up right nowhelping democratize the world.
And besides, what's the worse that could happen? I ain't no tree hugger!
After listening to Sean Hannity's (among other's) Al Gore and trying to get everyone in the phone bookto say he is a hypocrite, I can't express how pleased I was when AssociatedPress Writer Erik Schelzig about his 'green' lifestyle and his TN home's "green-ness".This information has been out for a couple of week, but is a great"at-a-glance" reference and worthy of having on hand.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Al Gore, the environmental activist stung by criticismover his house's energy efficiency, said Friday that renovations are nearlycomplete to make it a model "green" home
"This plan has been in the works for a long time," the former vicepresident said in an interview with The Associated Press. "The only thingthat has changed is that we're more public about it because of the misleadingattack by a global-warming denier group."
Earlier this year, a conservative group criticized Gore, citing electricbills that were far more than the typical Nashville home. Utility records showed the Gore family paid an average monthly electric bill of about $1,200last year for its 10,000-square-foot home.
Gore's renovation project, which he said has been in the works for months,seeks to meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED,standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Once his upscale neighborhood changed zoning laws earlier this year, Gore wasable to place solar panels on his roof, and he's now preparing to install a geothermal system that will, among other things, drastically reducethe cost of heating his pool.
Gore is also upgrading windows and ductwork, installing more energy-efficientlight bulbs and creating a rainwater collection system for irrigation and water management
The home houses offices for Gore and his wife, Tipper, as well as acommercial kitchen for formal events.
Drew Johnson, president of the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, thegroup that initially criticized Gore, said the "renovations areobviously in direct response to our finding that he's a hypocrite on the issueof global warming."
WhenHannity tried to get Arnold Schwarzenegger to buy into his "Gore's a hypocrite"theory-smear on 'Hannity's America', the governor responded to
Thegovernor diplomatically brought it up himself. Schwarzenegger said focusing onhow much a public figure contributes to global warming is fair game. "But Idon't think you should crucify someone like that, because if he does so muchgood and inspiring people and changes millions and millions of people to drivewith clean cars and inspires millions of people to use less energy, less waterand all of those things but in the meantime maybe he drives the bigger car, Ithink it is some what of an unfair thing to go and attack him. Yes there is ahypocrisy, absolutely."
On a global warming note: In lastnight's 'BlueNightowl Clips' post, we featured a video titled '', where a rather knowledgeable H.S.science teacher simplifies the global warming issue using common sense,and in a very humble way. His 3 follow-up videos titled ' are more than worthy of viewing.
What exactly does the New Way Forward entail? Our military is stretched tothe limits to the point where our next door neighbors have been called toservice (reservists and national guardsmen). Which has already become a securityand relief issue here at home. If anyone in uniform is fair game, I wonderwhen the Boy Scouts will be called to arms? The Americans aren't calling for thewaving of a white flag, however they are disgusted with how the war continues tobe handled. Bush seems to ALWAYS have a "next plan" after the failure of the previousone.
The United States Will Settle For Nothing Less Than Complete Victory InIraq. Withdrawing on an artificial deadline would endanger the Americanpeople, harm our military, and make the Middle East less stable. It would alsogive the terrorists exactly what they want
Building Democracy In Iraq Will Establish A Peaceful Civil Society That IsAn Ally In The War On Terror. Free societies are peaceful societies, anddemocracies do not attack each other. Free nations give their citizens a path toresolve their differences peacefully through the democratic process. Democracycan be difficult, complicated, and even chaotic. Iraqis have to overcome manychallenges, including longstanding ethnic and religious tensions, and the legacyof decades of brutal repression. But they are learning that democracy is theonly way to build a just and peaceful society - because it is the only systemthat gives every citizen a voice in determining their future.
"Iwo Jima helps us remember the importance of peace and not going to waragain. Twenty thousand Japanese men died on that island, 1,000 came home -- butnot one surrendered. All the survivors were unconscious, or hurt so badly thatthey were captured. It's a tragic place. For Japan, it symbolizes the importanceof peace, and it is a place where the spirits of the dead sleep."
'Before you die, kill as many Americans as you can, even though you knowyou're going to lose.' There is nothing honorable about Iwo Jima -- it was afutile battle."
When our soldiers are fired upon by a sniper, we launch a rocket at thebuilding, which could contain some "friendly Iraqis"
While waiting, we collected the dead bodies of the Japanese soldiers aroundthe area, cut open their bellies and pulled out their guts. We undid the buttonsof our jackets and pushed the guts through the holes into our own chests, anddangled the guts from the bottom of our pants. Then, we waited for the enemy inthe pile of dead soldiers.
We're sending mentally and physicallyinjured soldiers back to fight.
The alternate title for this post was "Disaster after Disaster afterDisaster" (The Tornado, after the after the war in Iraq)
95% of Greensburg Kansas has been destroyed according to officialestimates, and most of the emergency equipment is in Iraq. The equipmentconsists of Humvees, front loaders and troop carriers, all used by the NationalGuard when disasters strike. Well we can thank our administration for this, andthe war of his that is now effecting us at home on a different level.
The John Warner Defense Authorization Act of 2007 gave the president newpowers over the national guard. This means that in a national emergency - whichthe president now has enhanced powers to declare - he can send Michigan'smilitia to enforce a state of emergency that he has declared in Oregon, over theobjections of the state's governor and its citizens.
Step 10. Suspend therule of law. From the Guardian's article ""
Crooks & Liars have 2posts on this issue that are more than worthy of linking to.
We don't see very much about the state of New Orleans on the news, but if yousearch the video sites, or New Orleans, you'll find plenty of information thatwill make you sick. "Help Katrina Survivors Come BackHome"
This is an email from .
Today, Congress has the opportunity to help thousands of New Orleansresidents come back home. The Gulf Coast Hurricane Housing Recovery Act of 2007 wouldre-open desperately needed public housing units and make sure there is no lossof affordable public housing in New Orleans.
The bill quickly passed the House of Representatives, but the two people whoshould be leading the charge in the Senate—Louisiana Senators Landrieu andVitter—are stalling, and without their support, the bill will go nowhere.Please join us in demanding that Senators Landrieu and Vitter stop draggingtheir feet, and lead on this important legislation, now.
Preserving Affordable Housing in New Orleans
Since Hurricane Katrina hit, public housing residents have been fighting toreturn home. Unfortunately, HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development) isplanning to demolish most of the available public housing units—apartmentsthat were minimally damaged by the storm—and replace them with far fewer unitsof affordable public housing.1
In response to residents' protests, Congresswoman Maxine Waters held hearingsin New Orleans, giving residents a chance to voice their concerns to Congress.Around the same time, Governor Blanco met with Congressman Barney Frank—headof the committee that oversees HUD—to discuss the need to re-open housing notdamaged by the storm.2 The result of these meetings was H.R. 1227,the Gulf Coast Hurricane Housing Recovery Act of 20073.
H.R. 1227 honors the right to return of all New Orleans public housingresidents and takes steps to preserve affordable housing in New Orleans. Itrequires the re-opening of at least 3,000 public housing units and ensures thatthere is no net loss of units available and affordable to public housingresidents. The bill swiftly passed the House of Representatives, but it won'tpass the Senate unless Louisiana senators take the lead.
Why haven't Senators Landrieu and Vitter stepped up?
Race and class seem to explain Landrieu and Vitter's refusal to step up. Somepeople have expressed a desire to see a "richer" and"Whiter" post-Katrina New Orleans, and many of them have a great dealof political influence. From what we can tell, Senator Vitter is playing tothose interests by ignoring this legislation– but as a senator for allLouisiana residents, it's his responsibility to ensure that everyone whowants to come home can—not the just the wealthy, privileged, and White.Insiders tell us that Senator Landrieu is being cautious for the same reason:that she doesn't want to offend "moderate" supporters who have asimilar vision for New Orleans.
The Gulf Coast Hurricane Housing Recovery Act is the last great hope forNew Orleans public housing residents who want to come home. By urging theSenate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs to take up H.R. 1227,Senators Landrieu and Vitter can make it a reality. But if the senators fromLouisiana don't lead on this issue, others simply won't follow.
It's time to do what's right for New Orleans public housing residents andpass this bill in the Senate. Join us in demanding that Senators Landrieu andVitter support H.R. 1227.
Thank You and Peace,
-- James, Van, Clarissa, Gabriel, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team April 23rd, 2007
The administration's is forwarding us into a sea of quagmires. The refugees are (to say the least), and being the nice guys we are, we'repledging millions to help solve what the UN describes as "". $18 million to be precise, andthat is extremely generous considering the war to date has ...so Iraqi people, tack that onto the list of "reasonsto thank the US" for. And as a consolation prize we're taking Maybethey'll get here in time for the anti-immigration crowd to round them up anddeport them.
Four years later and we realize something needs to be done tohelp the displaced people of Iraq? Maybe if the White House had their "" sooner, this wouldn't be an issue (or if they asked any pre-schooler).
The offers came at a UN conference in Geneva, which ended onWednesday.
In all there are an estimated four million displaced Iraqis,nearly two million of whom remain in Iraq, forced to move by the violence in thecountry.
Washington and other western states have pledged millions tohelp solve what the UN describes as a neglected humanitarian crisis.
The UN refugee agency, the UNHCR, says an estimated 50,000Iraqis are now fleeing the violence in their country every month, and has warnedthat without international help, the crisis could have grave humanitarianconsequences for the entire Middle East.
Western countries, particularly the US and UK, have been criticizedfor not doing enough to help Iraqi refugees or the countries neighboring Iraqwhich have received millions of refugees.
(a rare pasttime over there) that several parents are pushing for the President of Virginia Tech to be fired due to the negligence and poor handling of the tragedy yesterday.
“My God, if someone shoots somebody there shouldbe an immediate lockdown of the campus,†said John Shourds. “Theytotally blew it. The president blew it, campus police blew it.â€
I can't say I disagree. The warning disseminated to students was a , more than two hours after the first incident and ten minutes after the second had already started. My sends me about 80 junk mails a day (most universities sell their student email lists to advertisers), so many student don't even check their student accounts. Those who do have to fish through scams and spams; once they actually find the email, are we to expect them to react quickly when the email is squished between Lunch Specials and Student Club sign-ups?
. Not sure if there were , and if there were, they aren't pursuing anyone for the first shooting. Tons of speculation in the press conference.
I know this kind of thing isn't supposed to happen, but parents should hold the university accountable for parts of the disaster that could have been minimized or avoided altogether.
We hear about the Iraqi refugees in "sound bites", but rarely seethis issue reported in any depth during the nightly news programs. The article brings to light the real and growing problem.
He sits in an unheated two-room apartment furnished with plastic chairs andbegrimed here and there with mold. Dandling his infant son on his knees, hewears the exhausted, vacant look of a man, living on the edge, scrounging dailyto make ends meet and feed his wife and young family.
For Iraqi physician Nafa Abdul-Hadi, the road to exile and dispossessionbegan in his spacious apartment in an affluent Baghdad neighborhood and hasended here in the tenements of Jordan's east Amman. Threatened with beheading bymilitants, the 50-year-old radiologist decided last July to abandon his practiceand joined the mass migration that is looting Iraq of its most vital asset -- anaccomplished and once dynamic middle class.
As little as a year ago, the number of affluent Iraqis fleeing the sectarianholocaust of Iraq for neighboring Jordan and Syria was still relatively small,scarcely more than a few dozen daily. Today it is a veritable exodus ofwhite-collar professionals who, along with their riches, are the vertebrae ofany stable society.
Totaling well over 2 million -- 10 percent of Iraq's population and thelargest displacement of Arabs since the Palestinian-refugee crisis after theArab-Israeli wars of 1948 through 1967 -- it ranks alongside the great humandislocations of Africa and the Indian Subcontinent. Yet because it began as aflight to safety by wealthy Iraqis leaving on jet planes -- a tableau unworthyof media attention, more accustomed to the tents and straggling lines oftraditional refugee crises -- it has been all but overlooked. :
We may have been welcomed early on by the majority ofIraqis, but that has since changed. The war has disrupted the peoples lives, andnot just temporarily which may have been acceptable. Why is the administrationso stubborn about anything less than their undefined version of victory?We (lib/dem) keep getting "Support the Troops" shoved down outthroats, we do support the troops!, we do not however, support the war. The supporters of thewar will not hesitate to use the "we saved the people" card, and givethe illusion that they support the Iraqi people, but come on...we know betterthan that.
Reuters: ""
DUBAI, 17 April 2007 (IRIN) - DUBAI, 17 April 2007 (IRIN) - With upto 50,000 Iraqis fleeing their homes every month because of violence, it is hightime the international community did more to settle them and alleviate theirsuffering, was the key message at a United Nations-hosted conference in Genevaon Tuesday.
famously predicted that technology and information would lead us to what he called a revolution of technology that would inevitably unite us and give us the ability to communicate to anyone in the world at anytime with just about any means.
I am a senior in and in three weeks I'll graduate with degrees in Advertising and Public Relations. One of my morning classes deals with : how to handle tough situations, having a plan in place, communicating facts and answering questions appropriately, etc. My morning class today, Persuasive Communication taught by Dr. Robin Meyers (author of the famous speech, and author of ,) took a detour from the syllabus - about Marshall McLuhan - to just talk. It's difficult to gauge how you're feeling as readers, but as a student I find myself not needing to see political banter or politics for a few hours, at least a few minutes, and rather find myself just wanting to talk.
As a student in , I felt the building shake as I sat in my fourth grade classroom at 9:02AM on April 19, 1995, the morning of the . I drove through the torrential rains and heard my mother scream as the phone disconnected the night she was buried underneath her own house by the - May 3, 1999. I sat in my 11th grade Government class and watched as the second plane crashed into the . Yesterday, I sat in an empty room, the living room where I'll soon occupy in my new home, and listened to the cries of a university, a city, a state, a country, about the horrors of what transpired at .
My life and the technology within it has allowed me to step out from a small suburban classroom, from a city-wide terrorist attack, from a statewide natural disaster, into what was the first of, unfortunately, many global tragedies. The global village has its ups and downs, and the down is that we must all experience the devastation of tragedy without ever feeling the ground shake or hearing the shots fired.
At the time of this publication, we have learned and and have begun to piece together the history of the individual: , , . We've watched a university stumble in crisis from , , and We've watched media outlets frantically interview second- and third- and fourth-hand witnesses and provoke emotional reactions. We've watched Fox News tell you how this will impact the stock market and the war on terror and the security and sanctity of our schools. Unfortunately, until now, we have yet to just talk.
McLuhan says, In this place, the home of inclusion and open-mindedness and intelligent dialogue, I hope the message can resonate from those values. I needed to engage the global village, to speak back to it instead of merely observing it. I hope you'll do the same.
If there's anything you'd like to share - comments, critiques,condolences, thoughts in general - please use the comments section todiscuss.
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