local barbaric extraction

I am just finding out about a local barbaric extraction scheme trying to happen on Lummi Island. When you look at the video of what has already happened it's enough to break your heart. For the life of me, I cannot imagine how anyone could think it was a good idea to scrape away any part of a small island. In my book, this falls in with other insanity I call barbaric extraction.

This practice is going on steroids now that we have extracted all the easy stuff. We see it inAppalachia, the 2nd most diverse forest on planet Earth, where mountaintops are being blown off to strip mine the coal. And how did we get to a place where anyone thinks it's ok to destroy the Powder River Basin to extract the coal and ship it by rail across several states, the pacific ocean and then burned for energy. We are long past peak atmosphere. Coal, as a source of producing energy, should have long ago gone the way of whale oil.

We see it in at least 37 states(old numbers....2007) where undisclosed chemicals are blasted thousands of feet vertically and then horizontally to open seams to suck out the natural gas. As my sister said, "oh great, I never even heard of hydraulic fracturing and now I'm going to hear about it everywhere!" In all of these cases, including the proposed expansion on Lummi Island, externalities be damned. These industries put lipstick on the pig and sell these endeavors as assets to the communities. They promise revenues and jobs. They hire slick market-sters to bring the glossy Ads and paint a rosy picture. What isn't talked about is who pays for the unintended consequences and externalities. Fouled water, land and air will be put on our descendents credit cards and some of them haven't even been born yet. We will be dithering around for years to come trying figure out what to do in Bellingham bay and GP is long gone. Yes, there was money and jobs and they put the externalities on the kid's credit cards and moved on.

It's time to wake up! The natural resource orgy is over. We need to use the remaining resources to build infrastructure for local grids using local renewable resources. We need to quit devastating ecosystems to gorge on fossil fuels, gravel, water, wood and every other finite resource this Earth provides. We need to proceed as if our children and grand children's lives depended on our actions now.

I hope we will wake up and stop this devastating destruction on this small island in our county.

senator imhof speaks for the 1%

get your credit cards out kids!! yikes!!!!

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"Get It Done": Urging Climate Justice, Youth Delegate Anjali Appadurai Mic-Checks UN Summit

good question....why does someone who speaks for half of the world's population get to speak last!??!

L A rocks!!!!!

Rally for Respect

It was a pleasure to stand with the nurses of St. Joseph Medical Center. I hope, for the sake of our community, that administration will work with the nurses. They are the ones at the bedside and are the most valuable resource in making decisions about patient care. Patients not profits!!!

Petition to St. Joseph Medical Center

December 1, 2011

We, the residents of the Bellingham region, support the Registered Nurses at St. Joseph Medical Center in their demand for respect and efforts to be heard by hospital administration in decisions impacting patient care.

We, the Registered Nurses at St. Joseph Medical Center, are dedicated to providing safe and quality care to the patients we see every day.

We, the undersigned, request that St. Joseph Medical Center administration stop the implementation of the proposed plans for restructure and partner with the Registered Nurses to address the morale and staff concerns to ensure quality and safe patient care for our community.

here are a few photos of crowd gathering

Rally for Respect

Occupy Bellingham Oct 7 2011

I arrived a few minutes before 4pm and witnessed the crowd growing., I don't know what the total was...alot! People of all ages, old friends and many wondraful folks I have had the pleasure of spending time with in my travels. and, so exciting and inspiring, many young folks. I even had a young fella hug me and thank me for showing up,. Very cool! after receiving my Cowboy Boots calendar for 2012, thanks Six, and seeing all the folks in the street I'm gunna go with the hopesy changey thing. I will believe another world is possible.

Occupy Bellingham Oct 7 2011

occupytogether plans to be there till we get some change.

I stand with The American Dream Movement and wholeheartedly support the 10 most critical steps in their contract.

And if we are to reclaim our democracy we must END CORPORATE RULE. LEGALIZE DEMOCRACY. MOVE TO AMEND

MoveOn.org still rocks!

oh and if people still can't get it...thanks Digby for getting us in touch with Alan Grayson.

he gets it!!!!!

Tea Party Zombies

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Today I read a letter to the editor that was filled with hysterical, insane political clap-trap. It was written by one of those 'Tea Party patriots'. At first, I was baffled by how he could possibly believe such absurd and ridiculous lies about President Obama and the Democratic Party. But then I realized:

These Tea Party 'patriots' have been taken in by focus group tested, fear inducing, fabrications about President Obama and the Democratic Party. They have placed their trust in 'conservative'/Tea Party promoters who have abused that trust and, at the direction of their rightwing billionaire benefactors, deceived and misdirected their listeners.

Conservatisms is about resisting change and looking to the past for answers.

'Conservative' Tea Party promoters have taken the worst vices of our past, cronyism, corruption, bigotry, classism and rebranded them to be sold to the Tea Party as virtues. They have cherry picked bit and pieces from our past to paint a picture of a narrow-minded, selfish, self-centered American history.

To lure in their victims, these 'conservative'/Tea Party promoters pour out a never ending deluge of dire warning and conspiracy theories. That's because they trade in fear. They enthrall their listeners with stories of threats to everything they hold dear. They terrify them with tales of impending doom and having reduced their listeners to mindless terror, they then supply them with an enemy to fear and hate.

And the enemy they supply their terrified devotee's? Democrats, liberals, progressives, Obama! Never mind that what they say about these supposed enemies is pure fabrication, they have already frightened their listeners into unthinking submission. Whatever they say is taken as gospel and anything that contradicts that must not be considered. And that fearful, closed-mindedness is exactly what these 'conservative'/Tea Party promoters are aiming for.

These 'conservative'/Tea Party promoters don't want the kind of rational dialogue that is necessary to maintain a democracy. They want to tear down democracy and usher in a plutocracy, run by their rightwing billionaire benefactors.

Doug Ericksen Blows Smoke on Redistricting

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I read "Ericksen: Two Democratic redistricting proposals violate intent and spirit of state law, constitution" on the B'ham Herald's politics blog and I must say that Doug Ericksen has exceeded his usual level hypocrisy.

Off course Doug wants a nice Republican safe 42nd District but to claim that Commissioner Ceis & Foster's redistricting proposal are illegal is just ridiculous.

If you'll look at the compilation of maps below, you'll see that both of the Democrats proposals more or less divide the county by population density. Placing the urban/suburban western part of the county mostly in the 42nd LD with a small portion in the 40th and the rural east county in the 39th. That division certainly honors the concept of 'communities of interest' better than either of the Republican proposals.

Gorton's proposal simply chops out most of Bellingham. I can see no way in which the residents of Ferndale have more common interests with the residents of Nooksack, Everson and Sumas than they do with the residents of Bellingham.

Huffs proposal not only hacks up Bellingham, it also has the 39th LD snaking its way up the east side of lake Whatcom gouging out a narrow swath nearly to Everson.

Clearly, both Republican proposals are drawn along purely partisan lines, with no consideration for the various communities of interest within Whatcom County.

Who Killed Economic Growth?

Nicely done by Richard Heinberg and the amazing folks at Post Carbon Institute There is no planet b. The pyramid scheme is crumbling. And as I like to say, "how's the cancerous phase of unregulated crony capitalism working for you?" and as we move into the future I like the Tina Turner phrase.... how would you like it ....nice and easy or rough? We can do so much better for the generations to follow.

and I really liked his statement on arming oneself with weapons....

...........Which brings up an important question: Should you assume, and prepare for, a violent future? Ferfal, after recounting how crime has become rampant in his country since the currency crisis (to the point that virtually everyone has been victimized at one time or another), spends over 20 pages of his book advising what kinds of guns are best to acquire; he also discusses knives and other weapons, and how best to employ them. He even advises what to do in the aftermath of a gun battle (assuming you’re not injured, call the cops, but also call your lawyer, get the names of two or three witnesses, and take photos). This is tough reading for a vegetarian pacifist like me, though it’s hard to argue with someone who has been through what Ferfal has. Nevertheless, in the final analysis it’s really up to you to decide what kind of future is likely, what kind of future you want, and how to negotiate the discrepancies between the two. For me, guns are not part of the equation—I would prefer to spend my time building community. By preparing for a future in which everyone is armed and at each other’s throats, I would be helping to create such a future. No thanks. Draw your own conclusion, though.

full article worth reading!

And this is a very valuable investment of 30 minutes in understanding where we find ourselves. A "recovery" to a growth economy is not one of our options. Richard does a great review of our human history and offers some gems for our future that are not at peak. For this pessimist, who is always looking for the silver lining, he offers it.

Dear Thom

As I'm listening to Thom talking about taking over the Democratic party, I am aggravated because he is giving people misinformation that will lead to frustration if taken on face value. I am all about welcoming folks to the party and especially if they want to help!!!!! As I like to say, great ideas are a dime a dozen, what else you got?

since I have had no success communicating with Thom's online communication options, (my unmet challenge) I will just put this out here......

The correct term is PCO (precinct committee officer.) We are elected (or appointed by local chair in between) We don't even have to pay the $1 to file at the auditors office, we can do it for free online. As I like to say, "I didn’t know what a PCO was and now I is one." We are responsible for all the party leadership at the local level. We are not responsible for who makes it to the ballot. Depending on which state you live it it could be done at the caucus or in a primary election. In my state, Washington, the only candidate the “democrats” (anyone who shows up at caucus and says they are a democrat) pick is the presidential candidate. And then delegates go on to national for the final decision. Otherwise, other offices have fallen prey to top two in primary. (in an open primary state!!!!) I could go on and have.

Bottom line, for party organization I would advise folks to contact their local party.

DougE's science project

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Doug Ericksen says: "the county must create our own best available science (BAS) to fight back against state and federal regulations."

And here's just the guys to create it for DougE

tipping point ahead??

a very interesting conversation about where we find ourselves

thank you Thom Hartmann at Conversations With Great Minds

You go Alyce!!

Alyce reminds me of one of my favorite bumper sticker questions, "how's the cancerous phase of unregulated crony, casino capitalism working for you?" The greedy selfish with their teenage narcissism are large and in charge. They are putting their sociopath queen's philosophy proudly in the driver's seat. I remember, as a teenager, many year's ago, when I was telling my Aunt Muriel about the cool book I just read. She cautioned me to give it some thought. I will never forget that. I thought The Fountainhead was the coolest thing since diet pills. I took Alyces advice and watched the Frontline piece and have embedded it here.....thanks Alyce!

Debating
Wisconsin
EDITOR, The Tribune:
   Thank you to the hundred of you readers of the Tribune who responded with notes, e-mails, words, thumbs-up, hugs and letters to the editor following my March 2 column on Wisconsin and Washington state employees. Imagine my surprise the morning my in-box included a letter from Madison teacher Susan Stern, whom I had quoted as asking her first graders “Is this fair, or unfair?” (A relative had read The Lynden Tribune and sent a copy on to her.)
  As those of you who know me are aware, I haven’t stopped asking “Is this fair?” From 2001 to 2008, some 40,000 U.S. manufacturing plants closed and 600,000 jobs disappeared while favored corporations had record profits and executive pay. The top 1 percent earners earn more than the bottom 120 million. The actual taxes paid by top earners is the lowest in my long lifetime.
  But it was last week’s KGMI program “Moneytalk” by Bob Brinker that sent me to Google. Bob has helped me for 26 years while I lived in Iowa, Albuquerque and now Lynden to learn to manage our money conservatively and wisely. Bob hears people who save and invest for the long haul, but clearly we and he are getting tired of the way the laws are rigged against us. We knew that the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act in 1998 removed controls, but he told how the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000 has been disastrous to the American people. The act had been worked on by lobbyists throughout 2000, but it was smashed through in the confusion of the contested Bush-Gore vote count. This act deregulated derivatives so that traders need little reserves to back their risk-taking. This is a form of gambling, and in fact the act included the stipulation that no state could contest these actions by using its own gambling laws. As Brinker called it, this is casino capitalism. Since then, a few people have made vast fortunes. The rest of us lost homes or equity in them, jobs, retirement funds and respect from other nations that suffered from the meltdown in the U.S.A.
  I am no banker or economist, but I know that as citizens we need to figure out how and why we are allowing things to go so wrong. If you also wonder, Google the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000 and also the Frontline program, “The Warning,” an interview with Brooksley Born, who in 1998 foresaw the coming collapse. You will see many of the powerful people and forces that still control Washington, D.C., and Wall Street.
   After you check those things out (or if you are an economist or banker) and you want to call me, we’ll have coffee at Woods to talk about how we are affected and how we are going to pull back the veil from the power of lobbyists and their politicians as our country did early in the 20th century. We can’t keep giving our allegiance to the greedy few who cause so much confusion and pain to the good, practical people of our community.
Alyce Werkema
Lynden

the letter here at The Lynden Tribune but you must be logged in to link to it.

Watch the full episode. See more FRONTLINE.

Gringo Guns....very well said!!!

thanks Evan for this very well done enlightening piece!

past posts Evan

Troll or denial

paid or ???....Hmmmm

a friend sent this excellent post over at the Nation and I glanced down at the comments and thought this does not sound like who I pictured reading the Nation and even if a person had a reasoned disagreement it shouldn't come laden with hostility. Today in comment #6 I recognize a fellow human on the path to: how in the hell are we going to organize ourselves so our descendants will have a hospitable home on this beautiful planet?

We must change our ways and do it now and I welcome the discussion about how we go about that. We are at peak everything and still no planet B in sight. Atmosphere, land, and water are the finite lifeblood we depend on.

I hope we will jump in full speed, looking ahead seven generations.

Published on The Nation
The Government Nudge: A Public Role in the Private Sector

Robert Weissman | June 8, 2011
It’s not easy envisioning a more democratic and just economy not dominated by large corporations. It may be even harder to imagine ways to get from here to there, with giant corporations restructured or displaced altogether. The central involvement of the government in the private sector—as a direct market participant and as a rule setter—offers opportunities, too little appreciated, to spur new forms of economic organization.

Consider the recent case of General Motors. In June 2009 GM—the world’s leading auto maker for much of the twentieth century, and the emblematic enterprise of the modern corporate era—declared bankruptcy. When it re-emerged a month later, the government was its majority holder. Remarkably, this move was accompanied by precious few ideas about how the government could manage and restructure GM to achieve social ends. There was no serious talk about directing R&D funds to speed the introduction of electric cars. No serious consideration of converting closed plants to produce light rail or other products for a sustainable future. No proposals to give workers—who own a sixth of the company’s postbankruptcy shares—meaningful control over the company, or to break it up. Instead, Obama administration officials emphasized their interest in returning GM to private shareholder control as soon as possible.

The GM example is less of an outlier than it might seem. When the government took an ownership stake in Citigroup, AIG, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the midst of the financial crisis, it also took a severely limited view of its role—imposing few obligations in exchange for the bailouts. Whether the public maintains control over an extended period or not, such ownership positions offer an opportunity to fundamentally restructure corporate giants. If the government is going to use taxpayer money to save corporations from disaster, it should seize the opportunity to reshape them for the public good.

read excellent post here

more Bill McKibben

keep our coal in the ground!!!! let's get honest folks...our finite resources are getting harder to extract....we are way past peak atmosphere and if we continue on this path our descendants will pay the price. we can do better.....

Published Jun 2 2011 by TomDispatch, Archived Jun 2 2011

Three strikes and you’re hot: Time for Obama to say no to the fossil fuel wish list

by Bill McKibben

In our globalized world, old-fashioned geography is not supposed to count for much: mountain ranges, deep-water ports, railroad grades -- those seem so nineteenth century. The earth is flat, or so I remember somebody saying.

But those nostalgic for an earlier day, take heart. The Obama administration is making its biggest decisions yet on our energy future and those decisions are intimately tied to this continent’s geography. Remember those old maps from your high-school textbooks that showed each state and province’s prime economic activities? A sheaf of wheat for farm country? A little steel mill for manufacturing? These days in North America what you want to look for are the pickaxes that mean mining, and the derricks that stand for oil.

There’s a pickaxe in the Powder River Basin of Montana and Wyoming, one of the world’s richest deposits of coal. If we’re going to have any hope of slowing climate change, that coal -- and so all that future carbon dioxide -- needs to stay in the ground. In precisely the way we hope Brazil guards the Amazon rainforest, that massive sponge for carbon dioxide absorption, we need to stand sentinel over all that coal.

full article

Bill McKibben COAL, CLIMATE CHANGE & ACTIVISM

It was a great community gathering for Bill McKibbon's visit to Bellingham. We are faced with a devastating future as corporate profiteers propose using our area as a conduit for our coal, barbarically extracted from public lands and shipped to China to be released into Earth's atmosphere heavily contributing to climate change and putting all life on Earth at risk. Coal as a source of energy production should go the way of whale oil. I hope we will be able to stop this irresponsible squandering of our descendant's future.

Bill McKibben COAL, CLIMATE CHANGE & ACTIVISM

Climate Solutions

350.org

1SKY

Read about the gateway terminal at Re Sources

previous participation in world climate action

in solidarity......

while we are on the subject of coal I can't help thinking of the folks in Appalachia and today on Thom Hartmann's radio show Robert Kennedy Jr. was on talking about his new movie documenting the tragedy they are living with.

past posts about coal and Robert Kennedy Jr. on the myth of clean coal

Fracking: The Music Video

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This speaks for itself...

What's Fracking got to do with Whatcom County?

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Perhaps the controversy and contaminated groundwater that go with natural gas drilling that uses hydraulic fracturing (Fracking) seems like a problem for other people in other places. But it could be closer to home than you think.

Fracking (also often referred to as hydraulic fracturing or hydrofracking) is a process in which a fluid is injected at high pressure into oil or methane gas deposits to fracture the rock above and release the liquid or gas below. The process and its aftermath has generated controversy because of harm to drinking water and health where it has been used, in Colorado and New Mexico ^[1], and more recently in expanded drilling plans in the Marcellus Shale in New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and other mid-Atlantic states.^[2]

Fracking -- which uses enormous amounts of drinkable water along with toxic chemicals and which also releases radioactive materials and other hazardous substances in shale deposits -- has raised significant environmental and health concerns.^[3] In New Mexico, for example, similar processes have leached toxic chemicals into the water table at 800 sites.^[4]

The industry lobbied the Bush Administration and Congress with its claims that the "fracking fluid" should be considered "proprietary" and exempt from disclosure under federal drinking water protection laws.^[5] Led by Halliburton and aided by the former CEO of Halliburton, then-Vice President Dick Cheney, the industry obtained this exception in the law along with favorable treatment by political appointees and regulators in the "Environmental Protection Agency." As a result of the "Halliburton loophole" to the law, drilling companies have not been required to divulge the cocktail of chemicals that are in the fracking fluids used at each of the proposed or continuing drill sites across the country.

from: SourceWatch

There's gas bearing shale right here in Whatcom County.

As the supply of fossil fuels decline and prices continue to climb, even small deposits of natural gas will draw interest. As the map shows, there have already been lots of gas well permits issued here in Whatcom county. Some are exploratory wells, many are water wells that hit gas.

Here's something that explains how trapped methane is release when coal mining fractures the rock, with the 1895 Blue Canyon mine disaster as an example.

Explosion Hazards From Methane Emissions Related to Geologic Features in Coal Mines
Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/pubs/pdfs/2008-123.pdf

... Shales and siltstones rich in organic matter often contain
significant quantities of methane gas [Darton 1915; Johnson and Flores 1998]
and may contribute unexpected emissions into active mine workings. As their
permeabilities are typically low, the large amounts of gas stored in these
strata may not be released until mining-induced fractures increase their
permeability. In studying the gas content of U.K. coalbeds, Creedy [1988]
concluded that the porosity and gas content of coal measure rocks were small.
Nevertheless, he did allow that well-developed joint or fracture systems play
a role in gas release from adjacent strata. It may be assumed that under some
conditions certain organic-rich rocks adjacent to mined coalbeds have the
potential to release methane gas at or near the working face in quantities
sufficient to create explosive conditions.

Examples of disasters related to adjacent source beds include
the disaster at the Blue Canyon Mine, Lake Whatcom, WA, on April 18, 1895.
During drilling and blasting of bottom rock, an explosion occurred from "[g]as
[that] was evident in quantity and under pressure in the strata" [Humphrey
1960]. ...

An article from 1895 about the mine explosion: http://www3.gendisasters.com/washington/6003/new-whatcom-wa-blue-canyon-coal-mine-explosion-apr-1895

Here's something more to think about:

April 11, 2011

Shale Gas Isn't Cleaner Than Coal, Cornell Researchers Say

By MIKE SORAGHAN of Greenwire

Cornell University researchers say that natural gas pried from shale formations is dirtier than coal in the short term, rather than cleaner, and "comparable" in the long term.

That finding -- fiercely disputed by the gas industry -- undermines the widely stated belief that gas is twice as "clean" as coal in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. The gas industry has promoted that concept as a way for electric utilities to prepare for climate change regulations by switching from coal-fired plants to gas.

But if both gas and coal are considered plentiful and cheap, utilities would have little incentive to switch.

The lead author of the study, Robert Howarth, had previously stated the idea that shale gas production emits more greenhouse gases than coal production (ClimateWire, April 2, 2010). But now it is being published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. [ continue reading the article: HERE ]

Switching from coal to natural gas doesn't sound quite so good, does it. Not only does Fracking contaminate our drinking & irrigation water sources, it also releases huge quantities of methane (a far worse greenhouse gas than CO2)

We're showing the movie Gasland this Sunday. Come learn more:

DFA - Gasland Movie Night

Sunday - Apr 17, 2011, 3:00 PM PDT

Whatcom Educational Credit Union
5659 Barrett Road
Ferndale WA 98248

3:00pm - 3:30pm - Welcome guests and mingle
3:30pm - 5:15pm - Watch Gasland the Movie

RSVP: http://www.democracyforamerica.com/events/35113-gasland-movie-night

INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY EVENT

Today was an amazing gathering of solidarity with brothers and sisters from British Columbia, Washington and Oregon coming together in unity. We arrived early and I started taking these pictures. We had a brief downpour, promised by the dark clouds in the first few photos, and then the sun came out and so did the people. It was a beautiful day. Thanks to all who worked to make this happen. We went Wisconsin!!

INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY EVENT

video coming.....

Stand with Planned Parenthood

It was a great day!!! A very enthusiastic crowd of people, men and women, of all ages showed up to stand with Planned Parenthood. It has never been more important to fund reproductive health. In many cases this is the only way some folks are getting health care. Overwhelmingly the traffic passing by honked and waved their support and enthusiasm.

Stand with Planned Parenthood

good laugh for the morning

Stephanie Miller and Thom Hartmann both told this joke the am so I assume it's going around...still, it nails it and got my morning off with a laugh...

A CEO, a tea bagger and a union member were sitting at a table with a plate of 12 cookies in the middle. The CEO reached over and took 11. He then turned to the tea bagger and said, “watch out, the union member is trying to steal part of your cookie.”

Fire Fighters Cross-off WA State Senator Ericksen

→ The photo is from Saturdays Rally to Save the American Dream in Olympia. Why is the IAFF (Fire Fighters Union) crossing off Republican Doug Ericksen?

It's because DougE has taken a step too far toward the Ultra Rightwing. He, as an obedient tool of the plutocrats conspiracy to destroy the American middle class, sponsored SB 5345.

SB 5345 is one of several Bills intended to eliminate workers rights. Those Bills were written by Billionaire-backed Ultra-Rightwing think-tanks and introduced by Republican state legislators in nearly every State in the Union.

WFSE/AFSCME
Washington Federation of State Employees

2/23/11 HOTLINE: Union urges senators to reject Indiana-style health cost increases here; where we're at after first committee cut-off http://www.wfse.org/index.cfm?zone=/unionactive/view_article.cfm&homeID=194578

[snip]WHERE WE STAND AFTER THE SESSION’S FIRST COMMITTEE CUT-OFF

Non-fiscal bills had to clear their committees by Monday. Those that didn’t can be considered when the Legislature re-convenes in 2012. Or if any exception is made or the bills become budget provisos.

With those cautions, here’s a quick rundown of bills that remain alive and those that appear to be dead for this session:

• Wisconsin-style rollback bills proposed by Senate Republicans all died in the Senate Labor, Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee without a hearing: SB 5349 (repeal collective bargaining), SB 5347 (repeal employees’ union rights) and SB 5345 (contracting out rights). [/snip]

Fortunately, DougE's Bill is dead, for this session. But, as long as he's still in the State Legislature, expect him to continue to ignore what's good for his constituents in the 42nd LD and slavishly introduce Bills written by Ultra-Rightwing outsiders.

Wisconsin and beyond....kleptocracy on steroids!!

Hopefully, we will wake up to the takeover of our united states by the greedy, selfish. Last January (2010) the supreme court opened the floodgates "citizens united" and last November served as a preview of what's coming. Wisconsin is textbook. They are stealing!! I still hope we will wake up and turn toward a future on planet Earth for those who come after.



Join Russ Feingold: Pledge to fight corporate corruption in Washington

oh and.... Wisconsin begs the question, “How's the cancerous phase of unregulated crony casino capitalism working for you?” I did not get a very friendly answer from my fox watchin' mother.

Naomi is brilliant again

Naomi understands and articulates the place we find ourselves so brilliantly. She describes the desperate practice of barbaric extraction as we try to continue the fossil fuel orgy we have been on this past century. There is no planet B. The Earth's resources are finite. We are currently stealing our descendent's future at breakneck speed.

Wake up humans!! this is 20 minutes worth investing.......

Stephen on sarah

Colbert delivers the portrait of sarah brilliantly.....

Mika Brzezinski Experiences Palin Fatigue

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog</a> Video Archive

The History of Unions, it's a simple story

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The history of unions is the history of working people fight back against mistreatment.


There's more (video) on the history of unions HERE

enough with the schizophrenic bashing

I am horrified when I hear people, many I have great respect for, tossing out the schizophrenic diagnosis in regard to the shooter in the recent horrible massacre in Tucsan. People who are qualified to diagnose, give this diagnosis to a very small number of our fellow humans. Most, who have this diagnosis, are not violent. As someone who has spent many years delivering healthcare in an acute psychiatric setting, I have been regularly amazed at how well people do, living productive, quality lives in spite of having what can be a debilitating diagnosis.

This person responsible for the massacre in Arizona may have this diagnosis, but I hope we will not associate his behavior with this diagnosis.