Big Shocker: McCain Has Missed 8 Crucial Votes on Renewable Energy

John McCain is a hypocrite. He tours the nation proclaiming himself to be a forward-thinking, green politician who cares deeply about the environment, attempting to paint himself as a reformer. He puts on a big show for his constituents, yelling about how Congress needs to come back from vacation and get started on legislation that will aid America in this energy crisis. And yet, he has personally missed eight – yes, EIGHT – crucial votes on a renewable energy bill.

The bill in question, S. 3335, would have extended investment tax credits for installing solar energy as well as the production tax credits for building wind turbines and other energy-efficiency systems. It’s absolutely vital to the emerging renewable energy industry, which depends on such credits to be competitive with the current polluting industries like coal and oil.

On July 30th, when McCain once again failed to show up to vote for the bill, it failed for the eighth time. As The New York Times reports, McCain missed all eight votes – and one of the times, he was in his office and couldn’t be bothered to saunter on down to participate in the vote.

From The New York Times:

What impact does this have? In the solar industry today there is a rush to finish any project that would be up and running by Dec. 31 — when the credits expire — and most everything beyond that is now on hold. Consider the Solana concentrated solar power plant, 70 miles southwest of Phoenix in McCain’s home state. It is the biggest proposed concentrating solar energy project ever. The farsighted local utility is ready to buy its power.

But because of the Senate’s refusal to extend the solar tax credits, “we cannot get our bank financing,” said Fred Morse, a senior adviser for the American operations of Abengoa Solar, which is building the project. “Without the credits, the numbers don’t work.” Some 2,000 construction jobs are on hold.

Big Oil uses the ‘it’s not cost effective’ excuse to keep solar and wind energy down, but making it cost effective is exactly what this bill is designed to do. No doubt the oil industry has something to do with all the ‘nay’ votes – our congressmen and women can’t seem to keep their hands out of Big Oil’s pockets.

This just goes to show that McCain is all talk and no action – he wants voters to believe that he’s an open-minded, middle-of-the-road Republican who’s out to protect the environment. It’s simply not true. When it comes down to it, McCain is clearly not passionate about turning this country around and bringing clean energy and millions of green collar jobs to American citizens.

If elected, there’s no question that he’d settle immediately into Big Oil’s cozy bosom and remain there until his term was up. Luckily, that’s not going to happen.

Link [The New York Times]
Photo credit: Flickr user Hot Rod

Right-Wing ‘Hot for Jesus’ Congresswoman Claims Planet Already Saved

Meet Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minnesota. Congratulations, America – though Bachmann may not have been on your radar before (unless you’re a Minnesotan), you’re not likely to forget her now, much to your chagrin, since she’s demonstrated herself to be a total right-wing whackjob.

You see, Bachmann’s got a problem with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s insistence that we need an energy policy to ‘save the planet’. It seems that Bachmann is offended by Pelosi’s efforts to prevent us from completely destroying the planet that, according to Bachmann’s own beliefs, was entrusted to us by a ‘higher power’.

From PoliticalBlogs.StarTribune.com:

“[Pelosi] is committed to her global warming fanaticism to the point where she has said that she’s just trying to save the planet,” Bachmann said. “We all know that someone did that over 2,000 years ago, they saved the planet — we didn’t need Nancy Pelosi to do that.”

It’s depressing that there are people in the world – let alone in Congress – who think like this. Call me crazy, but uh – if I remember correctly, the Bible says absolutely nothing about Jesus saving the planet. Just the immortal souls of the people on it, or something like that. So, this line shouldn’t even make sense to people who subscribe to the same beliefs as this wonk-eyed slag. It’s likely an effort to inject some fire into a dejected Republican base before the election, though that may be giving her too much credit. She might just really believe what she said.

We shouldn’t be surprised, though. This is the same woman who told a crowd of parishioners at the Living Word Church in Brooklyn,

“What does God say when he looks at you or looks at me? He wants to say, ‘she’s hot, he’s hot,’ because we are hot for him on the inside,” Bachmann said. “When you are hot for Jesus Christ, nothing is like that life.”

Christ. On. A. Cracker.

Link [Star Tribune]
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Obama: Republicans Take Pride in Being Ignorant

At a town hall meeting in Berea, Ohio, Obama struck back at attempts by McCain and the Republican National Committee to ridicule him by passing out tire gauges labeled ‘Barack Obama’s Energy Plan’. This, of course, was after Obama suggested that one thing ordinary Americans can do to save energy is to keep their tires properly inflated.

“They’re making fun of a step that every expert says could absolutely reduce our oil consumption by 3-4%! It’s like these guys take pride in being ignorant!”

Awesome, and so true!

Link [Gristmill]

Senate Fails Again to Extend Key Renewable Energy Credit

The U.S. Senate has failed to extend a key investment tax credit for renewable energy, which endangers billions of dollars worth of solar and wind power projects and green collar jobs. This was the eight attempt to extend the credit beyond its January 1st, 2009 expiration date. It was blocked by Republicans (big surprise) due to the fear that it would raise taxes (amazing, truly). This is despite backing from renewable energy startups, tech giants, Fortune 500 companies, Wall Street banks and utilities like PG&E and Edison International. The utilities were pushing for an 8-year extension that would give solar projects enough time to get off the ground.

From Green Wombat:

Without the 30 percent tax credit, the viability of several large solar power plant projects remains in doubt. Spanish solar company Abengoa Solar has said it probably will pull out of plans to build a 280-megawatt power plant in Arizona if Congress doesn’t renew the tax credit. Green Wombat happened to have breakfast this morning with a PG&E executive who said that the large solar projects that California utilities are counting on to meet renewable energy mandates would have a hard time securing financing absent the investment tax credit.

First Solar (FSLR) CEO Michael Ahearn said on an earnings call Wednesday afternoon that if the investment tax credit is not extended the thin-film solar module maker would focus its efforts on the European market. “We don’t have massive volumes of solar planned for the U.S. in the short term,” said Ahearn.

WTF? This is disgusting. Republicans and their obsession with taxes. Nevermind that even if taxes were increased, it would be a huge boon to the American economy, giving us more jobs and helping the planet in the process. They don’t care about that – they only care about their wallets.

Did one or more of your state senators block the extension? Check out the list and if so, write them a letter expressing your anger at their selfish decision. You can find your senators’ contact information here.

Link [Green Wombat] + [United States Senate]
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons + Wikimedia Commons

GOP Senator Ted Stevens Indicted for Gifts from Oil Company

The longest serving Republican senator, Ted Stevens, was indicted yesterday on seven felony counts of concealing over a quarter of a million dollars in house renovations and gifts from an oil contractor that lobbied him for government aid. Stevens, 84, has been a central figure in Alaskan politics since before statehood and is the first U.S. senator to be indicted since 1993.

From Yahoo! News:

He is accused of lying on his annual Senate financial disclosure reports between 1999 and 2006 — an indictment that caps a lengthy FBI investigation that has upended Alaska politics and brought unfavorable attention to both Stevens and his congressional colleague, GOP Rep. Don Young. Both are running for re-election this year.

Stevens’ indictment further damages Republican prospects in the November election as Senate Democrats, who now enjoy a 51-49 majority, try to capture a filibuster-proof 60-vote majority. Stevens faces both Democratic and Republican challengers who are trying to capitalize on his legal woes.
The Justice Department accused Stevens of accepting expensive work on his home in Girdwood, Alaska, a ski resort town outside Anchorage, from oil services contractor VECO Corp. and its executives. VECO normally builds oil processing equipment and pipelines, but its employees helped do the work on Stevens’ home.

VECO’s requests included funding and other aid for their projects and partnerships in Pakistan and Russia, federal grants from several agencies and help in building a pipeline in Alaska’s North Slope Region. If convicted, Stevens will face up to five years in prison for each count. He’s expected to turn himself in.

Ha ha – jerkass. I wonder how many other GOP senators are up to the same game with oil companies? Undoubtedly plenty of them…

Link [Yahoo! News]
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Congressman Calls Energy Crisis More Threatening Than Terrorism

Rep. John Peterson (R-Pa.) called the nation’s energy crisis “more important and threatening to America’s future than terrorism”. We agree and – wait – wha? That guy has an R after his name. What’s the deal here?

From The Hill:

Amid the partisan bickering on Capitol Hill, Peterson and Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) are leading a bipartisan group of lawmakers seeking consensus on energy legislation.

On Wednesday, the lawmakers said that their plan will not call for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

Drilling in parts of the United States, however, is expected to be a key part of their plan. Peterson has indicated that provisions on natural gas and shale oil in the West will likely be included in the bipartisan bill.

Aha. Drilling. I see. Of course, they’re right that something needs to be done, and it’s big that people are realizing how important it is. It’s just annoying that somehow, drilling is always the answer.

More people stuck on oil. What’s that about? Why can’t people seem to comprehend the idea that there are other, cleaner sources of energy out there? The issue here isn’t just the environmental impacts of drilling, it’s the idea of continuing to rely on oil for energy. Everybody’s looking for that quick fix for high gas prices, but if we’re going to move beyond the age of unsustainable, polluting forms of energy, we’ve got to change our habits during this transitional period. This will undoubtedly piss off the selfish “You can’t tell me what to do” types, but conservation on everybody’s part is what it’s gonna take to push through to the other side.

Link [The Hill]
Photo credit: Flickr user Nestor Galina

U.S. Stops Solar Energy Projects Over ‘Environment Fears’

It sounds like a joke: the U.S. has decided to put off large-scale solar projects on public land so they can first study the effects that the solar panels will have on the environment. No word yet on whether they’ll do the same for coal mining, power plants and other major sources of environmental damage and disruption.

From The Telegraph:

The move has angered some solar energy proponents who argue it could hold up the industry at a vital juncture, given the pressing need to secure alternative energy sources at a time of soaring oil prices.

“This technology has been around for nearly three decades. If there is an environmental concern, that can be addressed without putting a halt to this technology and helping to impact our greenhouse gas emissions and the environmental degradation from coal-fired and natural gas plants,” said Brad Collins, executive director of the American Solar Energy Society.

Amazing, truly amazing. Granted, it’s just PUBLIC land. There will still be plenty of room for the growth of solar technology elsewhere – but that doesn’t change how incredibly stupid this is. Be cautious and think about the environmental repercussions of everything we do, absolutely. But we already know that our current energy production methods are far more damaging, and that we need a better way ASAP. Being conscious of solar panels displacing wildlife is good, but in the meantime, our current energy methods are hurtling us toward destruction of the entire planet at light speed.

Link [The Telegraph]

Photo credit: Worst President Ever

Arnold’s Subtle Digs at McCain and Crist over Offshore Drilling

When you can’t legally run for President, it frees you up to say the darndest things. Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared at the Florida Climate Change Summit in Miami last week, where he subtly blasted Florida governor Charlie Crist and Republican President-Wannabe John McCain for supporting offshore drilling.

From TampaBay.com:

But he appeared to issue a firm rebuke to politicians (including Senator John McCain and Crist) who have suggested ending a ban on offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. “Anyone who tells you this will lower our gas prices anytime soon is blowing smoke,” he said.

Schwarzenegger’s press spokesman Aaron McLear called me a short while ago to stress that this comment was NOT directed at Crist or McCain, and instead was targeted specifically at the impact of offshore drilling on gas prices. “He was not referring to either one of them. Neither Crist nor McCain has said offshore drilling is going to immediately reduce gas prices,” McLear said.

However, the California Governor remained firmly opposed to offshore drilling, McLear added. “He doesn’t believe in offshore drilling. Her certainly doesn’t agree with McCain and Crist on that.”

I don’t know about Crist, but McCain has certainly hinted that offshore drilling will lower gas prices, an attempt to gain approval from voters desperate for some help. Seems like Arnold’s trying to get his point across without causing a rift.

Arnold, a self-proclaimed ‘green Republican’, has seen a lot of criticism himself for his attitude about how we can stop global warming – as Bill Walker of the Environmental Working Group put it, “He’s not sounding an alarm; he’s reassuring us that everything will be all right. We can have hot rods and clean air! Relax, have a cigar.” Arnold has also taken millions of dollars from oil companies over the years. Murky waters, indeed, but we’re glad to have Republicans who are at least headed in the right direction. It’s going to take both parties to effect real change.

Link [TampaBay.com]
Photo credit: Getty Images

White House Suppressed EPA Report on Car Emissions

At this point, I think the question is, can the Bush administration do anything right, or are they really all just a bunch of corrupt assholes? Last December, White House officials tried to stop the EPA from submitting a proposal that would limit greenhouse-gas emissions, supposedly because they ‘threatened public welfare’. Once they found out that the EPA had sent out the email only minutes before, they wanted the email ‘recalled’.

From The Washington Post:

The EPA official who forwarded the e-mail, Associate Deputy Administrator Jason Burnett, refused, said the sources, who insisted on anonymity in order to discuss internal deliberations.

The proposed rule was EPA’s response to an April 2007 Supreme Court ruling that the agency had violated the Clean Air Act by refusing to take up the issue of regulating automobile emissions that contribute to global warming.

Burnett, who resigned from the agency this month, sent the e-mail to the White House Office of Management and Budget at 2:17 p.m. Dec. 5 and received the call warning him to hold off at 2:25 p.m., the sources said. The EPA is expected to release a watered-down version of its original proposal within a week, highlighting the extent to which Bush administration officials continue to resist mandatory federal limits on emissions linked to global warming.

The New York Times reported Wednesday that White House officials never opened EPA’s e-mail. In March, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee disclosed documents showing that the White House had overruled EPA’s findings on the impact of vehicle emissions on climate change.

Burnett refused to comment on the White House calls but said in an interview, “In early December, I sent an e-mail with the formal finding that action must be taken to address the risk of climate change,” adding that he resigned his political appointment because the agency had been stymied in its efforts to respond to the Supreme Court. “The White House made it clear they did not want to address the ramifications of that finding and have decided to leave the challenge to the next administration. Some [at the White House] thought that EPA had mistakenly concluded that climate change endangers the public. It was no mistake.”

WTF – does the White House know how email works? They wanted it ‘recalled’? They never opened the email so the EPA rewrote it? Amazing. What a bunch of partisan rightwing hack pussies.

Apparently, the revised version that the EPA is preparing to put out no longer states that climate change is a direct threat to public welfare, is far shorter and no longer includes alternative approaches to regulate greenhouse emissions from vehicles and power plants. The White House stood on the EPA’s balls and the EPA gave in.

Is it 2009 yet?

Link [The Washington Post]

Photo credit: Flickr user KRSPO

Bill O’Reilly Calls Jessica Simpson’s ‘Meat’ T-shirt ‘Patriotic’

Bill O’ Reilly continues to fuel the American Idiot Machine! Much as I hate to give Bill O’Reilly any of the attention he so desperately craves, I’m posting this, if only to provide an example of why so many Fox-News-watching Americans are so unbelievably stupid. This, right here, is a prime example: Bill O’Reilly calling Jessica Simpson’s ‘Real Girls Eat Meat’ t-shirt ‘patriotic’. Because apparently, Ms. Simpson was making a thoughtful social statement on the rights of Americans to stand up to ‘totalitarian’ organizations like PETA. As if there’s a high-school-level thought in that woman’s head.

Methinks it was just an excuse for Bill to ogle Jessica’s chest. I mean, we all know about his weird falafel-in-the-shower fetish, so it’s not like that would be surprising.

Undoubtedly, if Bill were ever to come across this post, he’d think, “This is just another example of the liberal media’s bias against self-destructive, narcissistic, screaming sexist assholes.”

Via [Gabby Babble]

The Dumbing Down of America Under Bush

America has become a nation of idiots.

I think the point where I really started to worry was when people began using the phrase ‘freedom fries’ as a substitute for ‘french fries’. It spread like syphilis at a Roman orgy after France refused to take part in the invasion of Iraq, when anti-France sentiment grew here in the U.S. and two Republican congressmen decided to officially change the name in the restaurants and snack bars run by the House of Representatives. ‘Dang it all, Jeb, if the Republican gov’ment says it, then we should too! Those fancy French people, they’s all disloyal and anti-American and stuff!’

As if that weren’t enough, frighteningly, we seem to be endlessly entertained by crotch gags, like the ‘Ow My Balls!’ segments on America’s Funniest Videos. Some of the most popular programs on television are those that depict people eating bull testicles, transforming themselves into scary plastic mannequins via dozens of plastic surgery procedures, intentionally trying to hurt themselves in the stupidest ways possible and competing for the dubious affections of a man wearing a giant clock around his neck.

Then there are the email forwards. Christ on a bicycle, people, would you please verify that the information you’re about to send is correct before forwarding it to 98 of your closest friends, relatives, business associates and random acquaintances? I don’t know how many times I’ve had to direct the sender of a ridiculous email to Snopes.com to get the real story. It seems that many people are content to simply believe whatever is convenient for them to believe. If they want to convince themselves that Barack Obama really did go to terrorist training school, refuses to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and was sworn into office using the Koran rather than the Bible, they damn well will. [Read more]

Republican Sen. Bob Corker for the Environment?

A lot of people, including us, have been talking about the Lieberman-Warner bill that passed through the Senate last week. The bill aimed to cap greenhouse emissions starting in 2012, requiring electric utilities, refineries, industrial and transportation sectors to make some big changes in how they operate. As expected, the bill didn’t make it through – but what really has people scratching their heads is that it featured some surprising amendments tacked on by Republican Senator Bob Corker (Tenn.).

Grist sums up the amendments:

One would boost the percentage of permits auctioned and return all revenue to citizens; the other would eliminate international offsets as a means of compliance.

Some people think that this was a sign that the issue of global warming is finally starting to transcend partisan boundaries; others are highly skeptical that Corker’s motivations are sincere. Some called the amendments ‘poison pills’, intentional attempts to derail the bill to prevent it from passing, and Sen. Corker all but confirmed that last week when he stated,

“This bill is not going to become law,” Mr. Corker said. “It has no chance, none.”

Sen. Corker’s and other Republican lawmakers’ issues with the bill are explained by The New York Times:

One of the major points of contention arises from the bill’s treatment of goods from developing countries that are among the world’s biggest carbon emitters, including China, India, Brazil and Mexico.

The measure directs the president to negotiate agreements with those countries to ensure they are imposing binding limits on carbon emissions on their own industries. If they fail to do so, the United States will impose unspecified tariffs on carbon-intensive products like steel, paper, concrete and glass from those countries. The provision was included at the behest of labor unions and American companies in those industries who would not support the bill without such a cost equalizer.

Senator Corker’s amendments, though intentionally added to prevent the bill from passing, seem to come from a sincere place. Corker strongly supports biofuel and other alternatives to reduce our dependence on oil. But, he also voted ‘no’ on factoring global warming into federal project planning. What sets Corker apart from other Republicans, however, is the fact that he’s willing to learn about the issue of climate change and figure out how Republicans can ‘balance’ related legislation to make it more palatable for their side of the political spectrum.

The Chattanooga Times reports,

Energy issues have been one of Sen. Corker’s top priorities since the beginning of his tenure, landing him a seat on the Senate Energy Committee. From that pulpit, he has emerged as a leading Republican ally in the fight against global warming.

In meetings with his Republican colleagues, he has urged even those most resistant to the idea that global warming is influenced by human activity that legislative action ought to be pursued to combat its acceleration.

“There’s becoming a consensus that there’s no reason to debate the science,” Sen. Corker said. “The place to be in this debate is in discussing the policies and how it affects the world.”

Sen. Corker said his stances reflect a delicate dance between wanting to combat global warming and maintaining ample energy supplies to keep the economy robust in the long-term.

“We’re trying to create a balance between protecting the environment and our country being energy secure,” he said.

We’d love to see more Republican lawmakers unite with Democrats on the environment, and hope that in the future, if Sen. Corker is truly an ally on the issue of global warming, that he’ll stop partaking in such tactics to derail climate change legislation. The times are definitely a-changin’, and we’re optimistic enough to hope that Republicans and Democrats will be able to work together to help save the planet. But that will only happen if Republicans stop pushing their free trade agenda that resists environmental standards and thus prevents real change from taking place.

Link [Grist] + [New York Times] + [Chattanooga Times]
Photo credit: corker.senate.gov

The Republican War on Science

America is already known across the world for having an irrational disdain for science. Not to mention the fact that our country produces so few scientists of its own, we’ve depended on foreign-born scientists to help as along our treasured road of progress for decades. Isn’t it ironic that, despite all of the ‘progress must continue’, ‘don’t take away our technology’ anti-global warming talk, our leaders look down their noses at those who produce this technology?

The past seven and a half years under Bush have made the situation (as with many other situations – really, can we name one thing he actually improved?) much worse. The ‘war on terror’ has produced a convenient cover for the Bush administration to attack foreign-born scientists.

The Huffington Post quotes William A. Wulf, Ph.D., president of the National Academy of Engineering:

Between 1980 and 2000, the percentage of Ph.D. scientists and engineers employed in the United States who were born abroad has increased from 24% to 37%. The current percentage of Ph.D. physicists is about 45%; for engineers, the figure is over 50%. One fourth of the engineering faculty members at U.S. universities were born abroad. Between 1990 and 2004, over one third of Nobel Prizes in the United States were awarded to foreign-born scientists. One third of all U.S. Ph.D’s in science and engineering are now awarded to foreign born graduate students. We have been skimming the best and brightest minds from across the globe, and prospering because of it; we need these new Americans even more now as other countries become more technologically capable.

Dr. Moniem El-Ganayni is one of the scientists you’d think America would want to hold on to. The nuclear physicist has been an American citizen for 20 years and worked at the Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory – that is, until his security clearance was revoked. The reason? He’s an Egyptian-born Muslim. Dr. El-Ganayni’s efforts to get his clearance back have been fruitless, and he thinks he’ll have to move back to Egypt with his American-born wife.

The decision to revoke Dr. El-Ganayni’s clearance without holding a hearing was made by acting Deputy Secretary of Energy Jeffrey F. Kupfer, a Bush administration insider …. [who] certified that the appeals process set forth in DOE regulations “cannot be made available … without damaging the interests of national security by revealing classified information. …

Furthermore, he stated, his decision is “conclusive,” meaning the matter is officially closed.

Dr. El-Ganayni is far from alone. According to the ACLU, an “untold number of Middle Eastern immigrants and Muslims across the country have been quietly ensnared by measures aimed at strengthening national security in a post-9/11 world.”

In post 9/11 America, the worlds ‘national security’ have been used to shut people up when they question the government’s actions. The Bush administration has enjoyed a free-for-all where silly things like proof, trials, fairness and justice are put aside in the name of ‘protecting our country from terrorists’. And, as we all know, as far as the Bush administration and Republican lawmakers are concerned, if your name sounds foreign, you’re suspicious.

Perhaps there’s a faith-based reason behind some of this – conservatives are certainly known for putting their religious beliefs where they don’t belong, like government policies. The faith vs. science battle that’s constantly being waged in America, from the courtroom to the classroom, from creationism to global warming denial, has made it clear how conservatives feel about science.

Regardless, the Republican war on science has only put America in a position where it’s constantly shooting itself in the foot. Bush has already lost our country vast amounts of credibility. With the lack of top shelf scientists and engineers to help keep us on top, the United States may very well continue on a dramatic slide downward on the world power scale. Obama, at this point, is truly our light at the end of the tunnel. Again, is it 2009 yet?

Link [The Huffington Post]

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

McCain Doesn’t Want to Give Veterans Increased Education Benefits

Apparently, John McCain wants you to support the troops – but not too much. Wear your flag pins and display those yellow ribbons on your vehicles with pride. But don’t actually give the troops the education benefits they were promised before joining the armed forces. That would be wrong, apparently. See, a bill was recently introduced in the Senate that would expand education benefits for veterans. It’s the least we owe them for their service, right? Well, McCain quotes a study that was done on the bill that claims retention rates would decrease by 16% if soldiers were offered more money for college. The funny thing is, he failed to read the quote in the same study that showed that recruitment rates would simultaneously increase – by 16%. Now, we all know that Senator McCain is no mathematician, and I’m not either, but last time I checked, 16 minus 16 equals…. Zero.

From Yahoo News:

McCain, the all-but-nominated Republican presidential candidate, opposes a Democratic-backed bill that would significantly expand the breadth of education benefits for veterans, first adopted for those returning from World War II. Democrats want the proposal included in a war spending bill the Senate is scheduled to vote on this week.

The legislation, sponsored by Democratic Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia and Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, also veterans of Vietnam, would guarantee full tuition payments to veterans at any public school in their home state. Its expected cost is $52 billion over 10 years.

McCain says the legislation is too expensive and has proposed his own version, which would increase the monthly benefit available to most veterans to $1,500 from $1,100. It would not offer the equivalent of a full scholarship.

As Jon Stewart noted on the Daily Show last night, “Where did potential soldiers get the idea that the military was some kind of ‘fast-track to college’ in the first place?” Oh, right, it could be all those ads the military runs where grateful soldiers talk about the military being the only reason they were able to attend college. Nice blunder, McCain – especially when your military record was probably the biggest benefit you had on your side.

Check out a clip from last night’s Daily Show here.

Link [Yahoo News] + [Comedy Central]

Conservative Group Plans to Waste Tons of Energy on ‘Carbon Belch Day’

Oooh, sometimes you hear a bit of news that makes you feel like you’re bordering on a killing spree fueled by murderous rage. This is one of those stories. Conservative grassroots organization Grassfire.org is calling for people to waste as much energy as possible on June 12th, telling people to do things like “hosting a barbecue, going for a drive, watching television, leaving a few lights on, or even smoking a few cigars”.

Information Week has it:

The point: the group wants to “help Americans break free from the ‘carbon footprint guilt’ being imposed by Climate Alarmists.”

Grassfire.org says it’s skeptical over claims that man-made sources of carbon dioxide emissions — from automobile exhausts to manufacturing plants — are raising the Earth’s temperature at a dangerous rate. Theories about global warming were highlighted by former Vice President Al Gore’s 2006 film, An Inconvenient Truth.

Grassfire.org president Steve Elliott, in a statement, said such theories are off the mark. “It’s time for Americans to purge ourselves of the false guilt that Al Gore and the Climate Alarmists have placed on us,” Elliott said.

Grassfire.org said it chose June 12 as the day it wants Americans to rev up their SUVs because it coincides with expected debate in Congress over a $1.2 billion carbon tax rebate program. “Carbon Belch Day will have at least as much impact on the so-called ‘planetary emergency’ of man-made global warming as the goofy save the earth mandates telling us to turn our lights off for an hour,” said Elliott.

If this sounds like an April Fool’s Day joke, check your calendar. It’s for real. There are actually douche nozzles like this out there in the world. These people really don’t get it – they’re living in a state of denial. No doubt, they’re part of the camp that thinks those of us who care about the planet we all live on and depend upon for survival are just trying to rob them of ‘the American way of life’. Because apparently, being an American means being a total self-absorbed asshole.

That’s right, conservative douchebags: watch out, we’re coming for you and your Norman Rockwell America. The one that exists SOLELY INSIDE YOUR OWN HEADS. We are bringing you reality, like it or not. Scratch that, you’re bringing it upon yourself with idiotic moves like Carbon Belch Day. Maybe you’ll be lucky and die before we start to see the real effects of how our wasteful lifestyle has harmed the planet, but your kids and grandkids may not be so lucky. So go on being selfish – it’s only the entire world at stake.

Link [Information Week]
Photo credit: Grassfire.org

McCain Campaign Advisors Paid to Stop Cape Wind Renewable Energy Project

Some people out there still seem to need evidence that McCain is just Bush 2.0, and luckily for all of us, McCain’s camp keeps on delivering. Surprise, surprise: two high placed advisors in the McCain campaign worked with lobbyists to stop the Cape Wind renewable energy project.

From The Sietch Blog:

Charlie Black, Senior Political Adviser to McCain: Senate lobbying disclosure documents reveal that lobbying firm BKSH & Associates was retained in January 2008 by the Alliance to
Protect Nantucket Sound to “Defeat the proposal for 130 wind turbines” and “promote alternative means to meet energy needs without sacrificing Nantucket Sound.” Charlie Black was the chairman of BKSH until March. [Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act database]

Tom Loeffler, McCain’s Campaign Co-chairman: The Loeffler Group received $380,000 from the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound from 2003 to 2005 to lobby against Cape Wind. The Loeffler Group was founded by former Republican congressman Tom Loeffler, who remains its chairman. [Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act database]…

In addition to these two jokers, McCain also recently had advisors quit after it was revealed that one was actively working for Myanmar and one had ties to the Saudi government. McCain tries to play himself as an honest guy who’s more moderate than the Bush administration and open to new ideas. Too bad “Mr. Straight Talker Reformerman” is thick with lobbyists who have anything but the best interests of the American people in mind. Taking money to help corporations, organizations and foreign governments tighten their grip on American society. What else is new?

Of course, that doesn’t mean that all of the people who plan to vote for McCain have two brain cells to rub together and are therefore able to process this information. For them, there is no hope. However, perhaps those still on the fence will take it into consideration. There has been a haze of corruption over the White House for nearly 8 years, and McCain taking office will only make it more ominous.

Link [The Sietch Blog] + [Cape Wind]
Photo source: Flickr user Hot Rod Homepage

Newt Gingrich Claims to be an Environmentalist, Then Backpedals When It’s Inconvenient

It’s way, way too late for Newt Gingrich to get on the good side of liberals. So, when the former Republican congressman did an interview last fall with Salon and tried to paint himself as an environmentalist, it’s unlikely that anyone took him too seriously – aside from the handful of conservatives who may have read the piece and wondered where the hell his ‘green’ streak came from.

From the interview:

“Somebody who believes that the environment is part of our heritage, and we have an absolute obligation to try to maintain it, and develop it, and sustain it. And somebody who has reverence for the extraordinary complexity that God has created in the natural world.”

When speaking to his loyal followers, however, Gingrich goes in another direction entirely. Subscribers to his weekly newsletter received this tired spiel in their inboxes just last week:

For decades left-leaning politicians have advocated higher prices and less energy. They were going to save the environment by punishing Americans into driving less and driving smaller cars. Now their policies have succeeded with a vengeance.

The very left wing politicians who favored a policy of no oil and gas exploration, no use of coal, no development of nuclear power, and no aggressive development of new technologies are now panic-stricken that their policies of higher prices have led to higher prices.

Let’s ignore, temporarily, the many stupid things Mr. Gingrich said in the above two paragraphs (particularly the ‘punishing Americans’ bit, ugh, are Americans really so entitled?). Rather, the point of this piece is, in what universe is Newt Gingrich an environmentalist, and why can conservatives not see that while they point their fingers at liberal politicians and call them panderers, that their own politicians and figureheads are doing the same, if not worse?

The only place this irreverent political hack is an environmentalist is in Rush Limbaugh’s dreams and maybe in Bizarro World.

Link [Salon] + [Human Events]
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Sean Hannity Dips Into the Desperation Well And Tries To Pin High Food Prices on Al Gore to Great Hillarity

Great Flying Spaghetti Monster. The pain! I am doubled over in pain from laughing so hard. I picked up on an item from the ‘raz about Faux News laying the blame for record high food prices on…

get this…

Al Gore.

Oh, the delicious pain of it all. The Republican party is in full retreat, they are losing Congressional races left and right in traditionally staunch GOP districts, are looking at a major drubbing in November, and are seeing huge demographic shifts to the left among young people, Hispanics, and even conservative Christians. Fox News ratings are down, right wing talking heads are being canceled every other week, and shilltards like Sean Hannity are reduced to using increasingly pathetic hit pieces like this, complete with scary music and ominous voice overs. Hannity and his dwindling audience of dead-enders are on the downslope of an eight year extreme right neo-con jihadic ciclejerk.

You can watch the hilarious video here.

Here’s a snip from the article that points out a few of the errors Fox News made in the report:

Hannity is correct that increased demand for biofuels is part of the problem. But there are other factors, too, that the “We report. You decide” network conveniently omitted. According to Time magazine, there are three other factors: One is the chronically low productivity of farmers in the poorest countries, caused by their inability to pay for seeds, fertilizers and irrigation. Another is the growing demand for food and the third, which Hannity would probably rather die than admit to, is climate change. Time reported that recent droughts in Australia and Europe cut the global production of grain in 2005 and ‘06. New York Times columnist and economics professor Paul Krugman says that high oil costs play a big role, too.
Hannity also failed to mention that U.S. policies subsidize the conversion of food into biofuels and are also to blame. Time criticizes that policy but notes a possible win-win solution: “There may be a case for biofuels produced on lands that do not produce foods–tree crops (like palm oil), grasses and wood products–but there’s no case for doling out subsidies to put the world’s dinner into the gas tank.”
Hannity went on to quote Gore in 1998 saying he was proud to “stand up for the ethanol tax exemption.” But Hannity didn’t mention that more recently — in 2006, for example — Gore endorsed cellulosic ethanol over corn-based ethanol.

Enjoy the last dying breaths of the Neo-Con revolution while it lasts. I, for one, look forward to looking deep into its eyes as they haze over in anticipation of the coming darkness.

Links [Fox News Video] & [News Hounds] via [Ecorazzi] via [Green Daily]

John McCain Announces Climate Change Tour; America Scratches its Head

GOP presidential candidate John McCain announced on “The Chris Matthews Show” last weekend that he’s planning a climate change tour. Our question is, what does he aim to do exactly – speed up climate change? Make it worse? Tell people it’s not real? Surely he doesn’t expect us to believe that he’ll be as effective at promoting awareness of climate change, or actually doing anything about it if he were to be elected President (OMG, please, no!).

Well, at least according to him, McCain does intend to talk to his base about climate change, which he claims to feel ‘passionately’ about. He knows that it won’t be a popular subject with Republicans, but is hoping to get the message out regardless. The funny thing is, nobody is going to take John McCain seriously on climate change – for many reasons.

From Salon.com:

While McCain may understand the scale of the climate problem, he does not appear to understand the scale of the solution. He understands the country needs to put in place a mandatory cap on GHG emissions and a trading system to energize American innovation. But in a recent Republican debate, he denied that a cap and trade system is a mandate, even though it would arguably be the most far-reaching government mandate ever legislated.

Moreover, like most conservatives, he doesn’t understand or accept the critical role government must play to make that system succeed.

…Avoiding catastrophic climate change will require sweeping legislation that covers every sector of the economy. A McCain-stacked court led by Chief Justice Roberts will rule against any ambiguous or incomplete laws regulating GHG emissions in the commercial, industrial, utility, residential, transportation or agricultural sectors. That in turn will force Congress to write laws that are detailed and specific, but that are also overly intrusive, overly prescriptive, less flexible, less capable of stimulating innovation and hence politically unpopular.

These are just a few reasons why anything that McCain has to say about global warming is a bunch of crap. If he becomes president, we can undoubtedly expect the same kind of progress on climate change initiatives as we’ve had under the Bush administration. The people who would be appointed to his cabinet, more likely than not, would be global warming skeptics. That makes work toward solutions an impossible task. So basically, anything McCain has to say about climate change is a bunch of B.S., though he’ll undoubtedly use it to appeal to moderates and claim that he’s forward-thinking. Bah! Let’s hope he never has a chance to prove us wrong.

Link [Examiner] + [Salon]

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

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