After his disastrous performance in Congress earlier this week, British Petroleum CEO Tony Hayward finally got his life back today.
How did he do it? By attending a yacht race.
I kid you not. He was watching his hired hands drive his yacht. I guess they must be some of the small people.
Even the Wall Street Journal didn't seem too crazy about it.
Nice job, Tony.
I don’t know about you, but Obama’s oval office speech was a real let down. I wanted something inspiring, some FDR-type fireside style chat that tells Americans that we are facing a real tragedy, yet if we all pull together and we shift the paradigm it will make a difference. You know a JFK “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”. Shifting the paradigm away from corporate greed to protection of the American-way of life.
Something inspiring, something that reflects the reality of the situation. A speech that acknowledged the bare minimum that we expect our President and our government to accomplish. The speech Rachel Maddow gave, for instance:
I wish Rachel Maddow’s Fake presidential speech was what President Obama really said. It is clear and to the point, inspiring, and shifts the paradigm with no ambiguous language. In my opinion, it is Presidential. What’s your take?
In his post What Side Are the Parties On, Jack shows us what trash talk the President is up against for the soul and future of America.
Rush Limbaugh, the intellectual head of the Republican Party: “Who’s gonna get this money? Union activists? ACORN people? Who’s gonna get this money. Let’s keep a sharp eye on who Feinberg gives this money to. Because I’m telling you, this is just another bailout fund, called something else, and we’ll see who gets it.”
By the way, if you haven’t read Fake Rob, Vermont’s satirical take on Entergy’s PR Rep Rob Williams, it’s worth a read on a regular basis.
So apparently when officials working in Nuclear Power Plants lie to government officials, it’s just fine as long as they don’t lie to your government officials:
The NRC had launched an investigation… into statements dating back five years made by… key Entergy Nuclear officials… Entergy Nuclear acknowledged those officials had misled Vermont regulators in 2008 and 2009…
[…]
“The NRC was concerned because some of these individuals had responsibilities that involved decision-making communications that were material to the NRC and/or involved NRC-regulated activities,” the NRC wrote.
[…]
The NRC said it had no authority over the issue of what Entergy officials said to Vermont regulators….
So let’s get this clear: Entergy provided false testimony to a legitimate government body about the existence of pipes, but as far as the NRC is concerned, that’s just fine. Why is it just fine? Because it wasn’t their government body?
What is it, exactly, that the NRC does?
Brian Dubie was declared Godfather of Green Valley and said to be playing a coy chess game on environmental issues by the Free Press Vtbuzz blog.This took place on Thursday after dodging a question Wednesday about believing in climate change. Today he submitted a new complete response.
Thursday an editor at the Free Press contributing to vtbuzz appeared to have Brian’s back on the green climate issue. The editor who previously said of Dubie “Well, the Democrats can’t beat him on green.” but speculated that they might, helpfully takes note of Dubie’s 5 yr. old Green Valley Plan which he found on Dubie’s website and posts with his own observations of what he sees as the candidate’s wily gamesmanship.
Dubie claims to be the Godfather of the Green Valley. I remember the first time I saw him tout this idea at a Lake Champlain Chamber of Commerce breakfast. It must have been five years ago, perhaps longer. He was outfront on this topic, at least in terms of jobs. He continues to play a rather coy chess game.
Wednesday the Vermont League of Conservation Voters posted the answers to their gubernatorial candidate issues questionnaire. It covers the environment, conservation, clean energy, clean water, green jobs, Vermont Yankee and more.
I found my way to the LCV questionnaire from a different vtbuzz blogger entry on Wednesday where it was noted that in his answer to the question: ‘Is climate change real?’ Brian Dubie “…doesn’t come right out and answer the question.”
On first try he ducked part of the question that all five Democrats answered clearly in the affirmative (on their first try !), that climate change is real.
Here is Dubie’s revision:
I believe that scientific data clearly show that climate change is real, and as a result of human behavior, the world is getting warmer.
Will Dubie the Godfather of the Green Valley have to answer a hue and cry from supporters now that he said clearly that anthropomorphic climate change exists? It might change the comfortable Tiger climate he has been enjoying.
I just got off the phone with Vermont’s federal representative welch (Mark Johnson Show) and asked welch when he intended to apologize to the good people who were involved in ACORN now that we have a litany of investigations clearing ACORN of any wrong doing.
(For the latest report clearing ACORN see this recent post)
And the weasel’s answer? Why he just repeated the list of the lies that he originally used to attack ACORN.
The weasel is still a weasel … he does not deserve to return to congress.
I also suggest that due to welch’s obvious inability to explore the facts behind allegations we probably need to revisit every case he ever prosecuted in Vermont.
Once again, we learn what side the Democrats are on and what side the Republicans are on.
The Democrats
That's right. $20 billion up front from British Petroleum to cover the astronomical costs of damages resulting from the oil spill. That's in comparison to a statutory $75 million cap.
The Republicans
Michelle Bachmann: “The president just called for creating a fund that would be administered by outsiders, which would be more of a redistribution-of-wealth fund,”
Rush Limbaugh, the intellectual head of the Republican Party: “Who's gonna get this money? Union activists? ACORN people? Who's gonna get this money. Let's keep a sharp eye on who Feinberg gives this money to. Because I'm telling you, this is just another bailout fund, called something else, and we'll see who gets it.”
This squarely presents the issue. The Republicans have been pretending to be some kind of little-guy populists, fighting against the entrenched power in Washington. In fact, they're in bed with the wealthiest, most reprehensible corporations in the world.
We need to keep pounding on this theme right on through November.
Oh yeah, on other thing. Later today, Joe Barton apologized for his apology to BP. In fact, he said that if anyone misconstrued his earlier statement, he apologized.
Don't worry, Joe. We didn't misconstrue anything.
Cross posted from Rational Resistance.
Many readers have sent in emails asking us to bring back the gubernatorial mojometers. The reason they fizzled out was that it was more of a challenge to make the transition from an individually-driven feature to one essentially run by committee consensus. Still, we aim to please, so look for a renewed effort to return the mojometer feature next week. In the meantime, here is some brief candidate news housekeeping:
Matt Dunne, Democratic candidate for Governor of Vermont, along with members of his campaign and volunteers (participated) in a service politics event at Hubbard Park in Montpelier. Dunne will be joining Eric Clifford, an AmeriCorps*Vista volunteer with the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, who is working with the Parks Department to prepare a new and improved trail from the Cummings Street low income housing project to the Town Rec Fields and Pool. The goal is to make it easier and more fun for the kids and families from the Cummings St housing to walk or bike to the recreation area.
69 workers sent to the unemployment lines after a Middlebury plant shuts down. A bridge closes and impacts the livelihoods of shop owners and their workers. As governor, I will have a plan for unexpected events like these. I will have job loss strike force teams with the expertise to respond quickly to assist dislocated workers and their families. These teams will help workers access the resources to help them weather the storm. They will also work with the affected communities to help them plan and prepare for future economic recovery.
Click here to view the whole plan (as it doesn’t seem to be on the campaign website, strangely enough Here is the link on the campaign website, as per the comments below).
The Self Proclaimed “Chief Inspired Protagonist” and Co-Founder of Seventh Generation, Jeffrey Holldender, Endorses Peter Shumlin for Governor. Read Jeffrey’s endorsement below!
As the co-founder of Seventh Generation, I take our environmental and energy future seriously. And as a Vermonter, preserving our natural landscape is one of my top concerns.
That is why I am supporting Peter Shumlin for Governor. Peter isn’t afraid to do what’s right and he has the leadership skills and experience to protect our environment and create jobs. If the Gulf crisis has taught us anything it is that we can’t do business as usual. In an age where climate change threatens our way of life, tough leadership is required.
I have led Seventh Generation from its humble beginnings to its current position as the leading brand for natural home products. Seventh Generation is a company built on the philosophy that with every action we must consider its impact on the next seven generations. To me, this isn’t just a motto; it’s a way of life inspired by personal events. Over ten years ago, my son Alex was in the hospital as a result of a dangerous asthma attack. Doctors concluded that environmental factors caused the attack. Creating a sustainable, renewable world isn’t just about the environment – it’s about our families and our future.
Peter understands this and I can count on him to do what it takes to ensure that we leave this world better off than we found it. I trust Peter with the next seven generations of my family. I trust him because he has a record of getting tough things done and the strongest record on these issues. Today, too many politicians talk about what they will do and then fail to deliver once in office. With Peter, I don’t just like what he has to say, I like what he’s done.
• In 2006, Peter returned to the Senate to help combat climate change and sponsored and passed a bill that Vice President Al Gore called “the toughest climate change legislation in the country.”
• In 2008, Peter helped promote an economic development bill with key green provisions that invests stimulus funds into start up green companies and develops more predictable requirements for wind and hydro development.
• And during this past session, Peter worked to retire Vermont Yankee, the aging nuclear power plant on schedule.
Vermont’s environment needs a leader who is willing to stand up and do the right thing – we need Peter Shumlin as our next governor.
Best Wishes,
Jeffrey Hollender
Co-Founder of Seventh Generation
( – promoted by JulieWaters)
While I’m taking a few days off this week to be with my family, it has been truly inspiring to see supporters and volunteers continuing to move the campaign forward in my absence.
This is the benefit of running a grassroots campaign built on a movement rather than an individual. Vermonters across the state have been demanding change in Montpelier and a new approach to politics in the state. That groundswell of support has pushed issues like jobs, the environment and education to the forefront of this campaign and has helped encourage me to run for Governor to help make these changes a reality.
Even while I’m not on the campaign trail, this support surges on. Today, a group from the campaign turned out in our state’s capital to submit my Candidate Petitions of Nomination. Submitting these forms is one of the final steps in running for Governor and ensures that a candidate’s name appears on the ballot in August.
More important than this formality, though, are the names of Vermonters who have signed the petition. This form contains hundreds of signatures, which we gathered from across the state through personal, face-to-face, grassroots engagement. Supporters of our campaign have been canvassing neighborhoods, attending local community events, participating in service politics projects, and meeting Vermonters at candidate forums to have real, authentic conversations about what we need to do to bring the state back on track.
We’re excited to keep the momentum of the campaign going forward and to continue engaging with Vermonters. I encourage you to check out my public calendar to see where I’ll be next and I hope to meet you at the next community event to have an honest conversation about the future of our state.
Jill Alexander of Whey to Go has sent me the following appeal:
Sue, could you please read the attached “sample” and encourage all the readers to send public comments? They can email their comments to Rodney.pingree@state.vt.us; Catherine.Gjessing@state.vt.us and please forward a cc: to 4reiki@fairpoint.net so that we can keep track of how many letters they receive. PLEASE help us before our wells go dry. Thank you. Also please encourage folks to write letters to the editors of these three papers: news@thehardwickgazette.com letters@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com and letters@timesargus.com; and let them know you care. Thank you.
I will add the sample letter to the “comments” section of this post and urge you to take a few moments to write to the State about this important water issue. This has the potential to set precedent regarding access to the aquifer that will impact everyone’s future.
_____________________________________________________________
Monday night, the ANR held a public hearing so that neighbors to the Agri-Mark/Cabot facility could express their concerns.
Said ANR’s Rodney Pingree, chief of water resources:
The permit is pending, but we’re suddenly hearing about this from neighbors who say they’re being affected but don’t know how or why…There’s a lot of things that haven’t been documented. We want to take information at this hearing, but we aren’t prepared to point fingers at anybody. We need to get the full picture
.
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As reported last week, Agri-Mark is seeking a permit for three existing water wells which collectively withdraw 30 million gallons of water per annum. These wells have never been permitted and yet they are already in operation. The neighbors have been alarmed by evidence that their own wells are being depleted by the draw and have requested a public meeting with the Agency of Natural Resources to address their questions about the operation.
A public meeting has now been scheduled for this coming Monday, June 21 at the Cabot Town Hall (above the library), at 6:30 PM. The good folks who are being impacted by these wells are requesting that anyone who can make it to the meeting try to do so to give them much needed support.
These wells have never been subjected to impact studies or analysis of any sort, yet it seems that ANR is poised to grant them a permit to continue withdrawals. Why is Cabot allowed to drill wells without getting permits? Get over there on Monday night and ask some tough questions!