 |
||||||
|
||||||
|
You can also mail a check to: Brady Campaign · 1225 Eye Street NW, Suite 1100 · Washington, DC 20005 The Brady Campaign, along with its sister organization, the Brady Center, is the nation's largest, non-partisan grassroots organization leading the fight to protect you, your family and your community from gun violence. | ||||||
BUCKNACKT'S SORDID TAWDRY BLOG We should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive & well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate, bier or wein in hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WHOO-HOO, WHAT A RIDE!!!!!!"
Showing posts with label senate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label senate. Show all posts
22 March 2012
THE TRAYVON MARTIN EXPERIENCE COMING TO YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD? Stop the 'George Zimmerman Armed Vigilante Act' 22MAR12
THE nra wants to bring the Trayvon Martin experience to your neighborhood! Just imagine tens of thousands of george zimmermans in neighborhoods across the country, including yours! That is exactly what the US senate will allow if S 2188 and S 2213 are passed. Please click the link to e mail your Senators and tell them to vote no on these bills.
Sincerely,
10 March 2012
Exposed -- U.S. doing business with Syrian arms supplier 8MAR12 & Syria Crisis: Idlib Assaulted By Regime Troops 10MAR12 & Senate Hearing Probes U.S. Arms Purchases from Rosoboronexport 7MAR12
IT is unbelievable the American government is dealing with a major Russian arms supplier to the Syrian government while assad is slaughtering thousands of Syrians for demanding freedom, democracy and human rights. This must stop now! I am ashamed the American government is dealing with rosoboronexport while the Syrian people die every day struggling for their freedom. Please sign the petition to Sec of Defense Panetta demanding ALL contracts with rosoboronexport be ended now. And check out the article from Human Rights First in the U.S. governments dealings with rosoboronexport....
Yesterday, three U.S. Senators strongly questioned Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta about U.S. contracts with the Russian arms dealer Rosoboronexport — the same company selling billions in arms to Syria. Panetta didn't have an answer. Keep the pressure on and tell Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta to cease all contracts with Rosoboronexport now. Together we will make a difference. —Tom | |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
 | 
The death toll in Syria is now frequently exceeding 100 civilians a day. Men, women and children are being targeted by the Syrian government — and the United States is doing business with the same company supplying weapons to this brutal regime. The U.S government has signed a contract for nearly $1 billion in business with Rosoboronexport — the Russian arms dealer that supplies the Syrian government with weapons capable of targeting homes and streets and murdering thousands of innocent Syrian civilians. Tell Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta to cease all contracts with Rosoboronexport now. The situation in Syria is intensifying. The Syrian regime is slaughtering innocent civilians every day. And 25,000 Syrian citizens have registered as refugees, almost 200,000 people are now displaced within Syria, and the humanitarian situation is rapidly deteriorating. While the United States calls on the world to sanction Syria's government, our own Department of Defense is signing contracts with a company that has provided $4 billion dollars' worth of weapons to the Syrian regime. This is unconscionable. Condemning Syria's regime is not enough. We must also condemn those who are engaging in business with the regime — and especially those that provide the means to enable the continued slaughter. But the United States is entering into contracts with the same company that is responsible for supplying weapons to the Syrian government and providing their military with the means to perpetrate widespread and systematic attacks on civilians. Demand that Secretary Panetta stop doing business with Rosoboronexport — the company responsible for supplying weapons to Syria's murderous government. Thank you for your support. Together we will make a difference in the lives of people facing mass atrocities in Syria. Sincerely, Tom Andrews  President United to End Genocide | |  | ||||||||||||||||
ABOUT UNITED TO END GENOCIDE We are United to End Genocide, the largest activist organization in America dedicated to preventing and ending genocide and mass atrocities worldwide. We are faith leaders, students, artists, investors and genocide survivors, and all those who believe we must fulfill the promise the world made following the Holocaust — "Never Again!"Syria Crisis: Idlib Assaulted By Regime Troopshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/10/syria-crisis-idlib_n_1336541.html?ref=topbarBy ELIZABETH A. KENNEDY, Associated Press BEIRUT -- Syrian troops pushed ahead with a new assault on the northern region of Idlib on Saturday, shelling one of the centers of the uprising against President Bashar Assad's rule and sending families fleeing for safety as armed rebels tried to fend off the attack. Thick black smoke billowed into the sky. The military operation has raised fears that the regime is planning a new all-out offensive in Idlib like the bloody siege last month that captured a restive part of the city of Homs, further south. While the fighting raged, U.N. envoy Kofi Annan met with Assad in Damascus during a high-profile international mission trying to bring a halt to fighting and arrange talks between the two sides to end the country's yearlong conflict. But the mission was already hitting dead ends. Assad told Annan that any political dialogue was doomed to fail "as long as there are armed terrorist groups that work to spread anarchy and destabilize the country," according to the state news agency SANA. The regime blames terrorists acting out a foreign conspiracy for the uprising, not protesters seeking change. The opposition as well has rejected dialogue, saying it is impossible to talk to Assad's regime after a crackdown that the U.N. estimates has killed more than 7,500 people. Activists put the toll even higher, at more than 8,000. In the town of Idlib, a number of families fled, clutching their belongings, according to an Associated Press team in the town, the main center of the northern region. A group of women and children huddled with blankets in a room of one building. Troops that are moving in place to encircle the town battered it with dozens of tanks shells from dawn until noon, the AP team said. Armed opposition fighters dashed through the streets, taking cover behind the corners of buildings in clashes with the troops. Wounded fighters were pulled into trucks to be sped to clinics for treatment. A group of men used shovels to destroy speed bumps along one street to allow ambulances and other rescue vehicles to drive faster. Military reinforcements have been pouring into Idlib this week, including dozens of tanks and armored personnel carriers, activists said, reporting that dozens have been killed in the area in recent days. Their casualty reports could not be independently confirmed. The moves suggested the regime was now turning its focus on Idlib after recapturing the rebel-held district of Baba Amr in the central city of Homs, in a monthlong assault that reportedly killed hundreds and devastated the district. The Homs bloodshed further fueled calls among Arab countries and the West for action to stop the crisis, which many fear is moving closer to civil war as the opposition turns more to armed resistance. The U.N. estimates that more than 7,500 people have been killed since Syria launched its crackdown on the uprising, which began a year ago as peaceful protests against Assad. Activists put the toll at more than 8,000. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov sought to defend his country's stance on the crisis before Arab leaders, angered by Moscow's blocking of international pressure on Syria's president to step down. Last month, just as the Homs offensive was heating up, Russia and China vetoed a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that would have supported an Arab League peace plan calling on Assad to hand over his powers. That brought accusations that Russia, a longtime Assad ally, was giving Assad diplomatic cover to intensify his crackdown. "We are not protecting any regimes," Lavrov insisted at a heated session of the Arab League in Cairo on Saturday. "We are protecting international law ... We are not looking for a special prize or geopolitical interest here." He said Russia was trying to prevent "interference in domestic affairs of states, not to mention military interference" - something he hinted other Arab countries should be concerned about, given the upheaval of the Arab Spring the past year. "We certainly believe that all outside actors must be extremely careful in addressing problems which your countries are facing," he said. He said Russia was trying to "promote a peaceful resolution" to Syria's crisis and that the immediate mission now is to halt violence and enable humanitarian assistance to reach those in need in Syria. "If we agree to this, then we shall not really engage in discussing who is to blame" for the bloodshed, he said. "This could be done later by authority or international structure empowered to do this." Speaking after him, Qatar's prime minister sharply criticized Lavrov's remarks. "There is systematic genocide by the Syrian government," Sheik Hamad bin Jassem Al Thani said, adding that Arabs are not looking for a cease-fire anymore after "genocide" and "systematic killings" of Syrians. Annan's visit to Damascus marks a new international push for peace nearly a year after protesters took to the streets to demand Assad's ouster, inspired by Arab Spring uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. Since then, the regime has dispatched snipers, tanks and civilian gunmen to crush dissent. As the death toll mounted, protests have spread, and some have taken up arms to defend themselves and attack government forces. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told reporters Friday that Annan's priority is to immediately halt all fighting by government forces and opposition fighters - if not simultaneously, then first by government troops, followed by the opposition. Ban said a cease-fire should be quickly followed by inclusive political talks to resolve the yearlong conflict. But there is a widening gap between opposition leaders who say only military aid can stop Assad's regime, and Western powers who fear more weapons will exacerbate the conflict. So far, Western powers have declined to intervene. Unlike Libya, where a U.N.-sanctioned bombing campaign helped rebels topple Moammar Gadhafi last year, Syria has key allies in Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, and shares a border with the region's closest American ally, Israel. Outright war in Syria could spark a regional conflagration. Annan, the former U.N. secretary-general, was appointed last month as the joint special envoy of the United Nations and the Arab League. ___ AP photographer Rodrigo Abd contributed from Idlib. AP correspondents Albert Aji in Damascus and Maggie Michael in Cairo contributed to this report. WARNING: Some of the images below contain graphic content.  PLAY FULLSCREEN ZOOM        Senate Hearing Probes U.S. Arms Purchases from Rosoboronexporthttp://www.humanrightsfirst.org/2012/03/07/senate-hearing-probes-u-s-arms-purchases-from-rosoboronexport/For Immediate Release: March 7, 2012 Washington, DC – Human Rights First today praised Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) for recognizing that U.S. arms purchases from a Russian company enabling atrocities in Syria “makes no sense.” Cornyn raised the U.S. Defense Department’s purchase of arms from Rosoboronexport – a Syrian arms provider – during today’s Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Syria featuring Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey.“Senator Cornyn hit the nail on the head today,” said Human Rights First’s Sadia Hameed. “It makes absolutely no sense for the U.S. to continue doing business with companies that are so clearly enabling atrocities. It’s hard for the U.S. to have credibility in pushing for a cease fire in Syria when it’s buying arms from the same company supplying those carrying out the ongoing atrocities there.” Russia remains the top supplier of weapons to Syria and recent reports from human rights monitoring organizations confirm that Russian weapons have been found at the site of atrocities in Homs. According to Thomson Reuters, at least four cargo ships have left a Russian port used by Rosoboronexport for the Syrian port of Tartus since December 2011, and another Russian ship carrying ammunition and sniper rifles, a weapon Syrian forces have used on protestors, docked in Cyprus in January before delivering its cargo to Syria. In January, Rosoboronexport signed a deal with the Syrian government to sell 36 combat jets capable of hitting ground targets, and the company’s chief spokesperson Vyacheslav N. Davidenk recently declared his intention to continue supplying arms to Syria. Rosoboronexport benefits from a nearly $1 billion contract with the U.S. Department of Defense—signed on May 26, 2011, months after the crackdown began. The U.S. signed a no-bid, fixed price foreign sales contract worth $375 million to purchase the Mi series of rotorcrafts and spare parts with an estimated completion date of March 26, 2016. The contract reportedly comes with an option for $550 million in additional purchases, raising the total to nearly $1 billion. Public contract records show ongoing business between the U.S. Army and Rosoboronexport, with a transaction as recent as November 3, 2011. The United States can withdraw from this contract at any point. When questioned about the contract, Secretary Panetta confirmed the purchase of the Mi-series helicopters for the Afghan Army, but stated that he was not sure if the company it sourced from was Rosoboronexport. In a follow-up question, Dempsey speculated that the sale may have been the result of a competitive bid, which all public reports indicate it was not. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Carl Levin (D-MI) echoed concerns about continued trade with Rosoboronexport. Human Rights First encourages the Defense Department to immediately provide the Committee with more details and answer why this contract would continue given the ongoing atrocities in Syria and Russia’s enabling role. “The American people deserve answers about why the U.S. is doing business with those who are so closely aligned with the atrocities in Syria. It’s time for the U.S. to reevaluate this deal,” Hameed concluded. For more information or to speak with Hameed, please contact Brenda Bowser Soder at bowsersoderb@humanrightsfirst.org or 202-370-3323 | |||||||||||||||||||
Senate defeats Keystone XL from 350.ORG 8MAR12 & Stop Dirty Fuels: Tar Sands from NRDC
THE keystone xl pipeline was defeated again in the senate, but not by much. Here is the update on the vote and the continuing battle in congress on the pipeline from Bill McKibben of 350.org, click the header or the link at the bottom of the article to go to 350.org to find out more about the organization, the truth about trans canada and the keystone xl pipeline and how to become involved in stopping it. AND there is the great article from 350.org about the api (american petroleum institute) press release claiming victory after the vote based on numbers and not the rules of the senate....they quickly pulled it back :-)
Thanks to you, people power once more squeezed out a victory over oil money.
Today the Senate defeated legislation to build the Keystone XL pipeline. The vote was close, but given that this pipeline was a 'no brainer' a year ago, it's pretty remarkable that people power was able to keep working, even in the back rooms of the oil-soaked Senate. (See the full vote count here) Thanks to your hard work -- most recently sending 802,000 messages to the Senate in just 24 hours, not to mention all the calls to your Senators -- we have kept the pipeline at bay yet again. It's unlikely the Senate will take another vote on Keystone XL, but then again, one can't underestimate the corrupting influence of the money Big Oil is pumping into Capitol Hill.
Still, the news isn’t all good. Last week, TransCanada announced plans to build the half of the pipeline that runs from Oklahoma to Texas; and while it doesn’t let them get new tar sands oil across the Canadian border, it’s a blow for folks along the southern half of the route, who we’ll keep fighting side by side with. And TransCanada also announced plans to reapply for a permit to cross the border—so even the partial win we’ve got at the moment may turn out to be temporary. But for right now, there is pipe rusting in big piles across the heartland of the country, instead of sitting underground pumping dirty oil at 700,000 barrels per day. Our victory may not last forever. But today big oil actually lost something big.
We've been playing defense for months, now we've got to go on offense.
The reason this fight has been so hard is because of the financial power of the fossil fuel industry, which brings me to where we go from here. Going forward, we'll be working with the huge majority of Americans who want to end government handouts to the fossil fuel industry. We've learned a lot, not all of it savory, about how the political process works and we're going to put that to use.
The problem couldn’t be more blatant—Senators and Representatives take money from people like Exxon and Koch Industries, and they give them gifts, with our money. It’s gone on for years, and it needs to stop. The vote today is a perfect example: the Senators voting for the pipeline have received $27,552,302 from fossil fuel industries, on average 3 times more than those voting against it.
This fight will stretch out all year long, and you’ll be getting requests for specific actions in your towns and cities in coming weeks. The first thing we’ll need to do is get every Representative, Senator and candidate on the record about their stand on subsidies.
This email isn’t to ask you to do anything in particular, besides just get ready for the next chapter. I think we all need a little well-deserved breather here.
All these battles are connected. We’re finally starting to stand up to the most powerful industry on earth. Sometimes we’ll do it by going to jail, and sometimes by dialing the phone, and sometimes we will win, and sometimes we will lose, but we are—day by day, action by action—building a movement. Together.
Thank you.
--Bill McKibben
350.org is building a global movement to solve the climate crisis. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter, and sign up for email alerts. You can help power our work by getting involved locally and donating here.
What is 350? Go to our website to learn about the science behind the movement.
Another attempt to revive the Keystone XL pipeline zombie failed in the Senate today, despite a massive lobbying campaign from Big Oil to force approval of the project.
The fossil fuel industry was so convinced that their bribery was going to pay off, that minutes after the vote in the Senate, industry front group, the American Petroluem Institute, sent out a press release celebrating that Sen. John Hoeven's amendment to approve the pipeline had passed.
"Bipartisan Senate majority approves building Keystone XL pipeline" crowed the title of the release, which went on to congratulate the Senate for takign a "bold step" in approving the project.
One small problem. The amendment actually failed.
API quickly realized their mistake and a few minutes later, sent out a corrected version of the press release, deleting the title that mentioned the legislation and making the quick edit of "tried to take the bold step" in approving the project. Whoops.
Make no mistake, this vote was close. But remember, just four months ago, a poll of 300 “energy insiders” still found 97% predicting that Keystone XL would get it's permit. For now, that prediction has come remarkably untrue. TransCanada can of course re-apply, but that will be another battle, down the road. For now, people power (the largest civild disobedience action in 30 years, 800,000 messages to the Senate in a single day, bodies encircling the White House shoulder to shoulder five deep) overturned the odds -- and made Big Oil eat their words.
Click thumbnail to see the mapTransCanada's proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline would be the third new dedicated tar sands pipeline, and would lock the United States into a dependence on hard-to-extract oil and generate a massive expansion of the destructive tar sands oil operations in Canada in coming decades.
Tar sands developments are already wreaking havoc on both people and wildlife in the region. For aboriginal peoples, the mining reduces local water supplies and increases exposure to toxic substances. Expanding tar sands operations also heightens the risk for NRDC's Peace-Athabasca Delta BioGem -- just downstream from these developments.
In addition to the extraction impacts, the proposed pipeline would stretch 2000 miles from Alberta, Canada to Texas, threatening to contaminate freshwater supplies in America's agricultural heartland and increase refinery emissions in already-polluted communities of the U.S. Gulf Coast.
At a time when we must embrace a clean energy future, tar sands take us far in the wrong direction. The United States should instead implement a comprehensive oil savings plan and reduce oil consumption by increasing fuel efficiency standards, hybrid cars, renewable energy, environmentally sustainable biofuels, and smart growth to meet our transportation needs.
Read our fact sheet and say no to the Keystone XL pipeline.
Thanks to you, people power once more squeezed out a victory over oil money.
Today the Senate defeated legislation to build the Keystone XL pipeline. The vote was close, but given that this pipeline was a 'no brainer' a year ago, it's pretty remarkable that people power was able to keep working, even in the back rooms of the oil-soaked Senate. (See the full vote count here) Thanks to your hard work -- most recently sending 802,000 messages to the Senate in just 24 hours, not to mention all the calls to your Senators -- we have kept the pipeline at bay yet again. It's unlikely the Senate will take another vote on Keystone XL, but then again, one can't underestimate the corrupting influence of the money Big Oil is pumping into Capitol Hill.
Still, the news isn’t all good. Last week, TransCanada announced plans to build the half of the pipeline that runs from Oklahoma to Texas; and while it doesn’t let them get new tar sands oil across the Canadian border, it’s a blow for folks along the southern half of the route, who we’ll keep fighting side by side with. And TransCanada also announced plans to reapply for a permit to cross the border—so even the partial win we’ve got at the moment may turn out to be temporary. But for right now, there is pipe rusting in big piles across the heartland of the country, instead of sitting underground pumping dirty oil at 700,000 barrels per day. Our victory may not last forever. But today big oil actually lost something big.
We've been playing defense for months, now we've got to go on offense.
The reason this fight has been so hard is because of the financial power of the fossil fuel industry, which brings me to where we go from here. Going forward, we'll be working with the huge majority of Americans who want to end government handouts to the fossil fuel industry. We've learned a lot, not all of it savory, about how the political process works and we're going to put that to use.
The problem couldn’t be more blatant—Senators and Representatives take money from people like Exxon and Koch Industries, and they give them gifts, with our money. It’s gone on for years, and it needs to stop. The vote today is a perfect example: the Senators voting for the pipeline have received $27,552,302 from fossil fuel industries, on average 3 times more than those voting against it.
This fight will stretch out all year long, and you’ll be getting requests for specific actions in your towns and cities in coming weeks. The first thing we’ll need to do is get every Representative, Senator and candidate on the record about their stand on subsidies.
This email isn’t to ask you to do anything in particular, besides just get ready for the next chapter. I think we all need a little well-deserved breather here.
All these battles are connected. We’re finally starting to stand up to the most powerful industry on earth. Sometimes we’ll do it by going to jail, and sometimes by dialing the phone, and sometimes we will win, and sometimes we will lose, but we are—day by day, action by action—building a movement. Together.
Thank you.
--Bill McKibben
350.org is building a global movement to solve the climate crisis. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter, and sign up for email alerts. You can help power our work by getting involved locally and donating here.
What is 350? Go to our website to learn about the science behind the movement.
Big Oil Messes Up and Announces Keystone XL Victory Before Realizing They Lost
Another attempt to revive the Keystone XL pipeline zombie failed in the Senate today, despite a massive lobbying campaign from Big Oil to force approval of the project.The fossil fuel industry was so convinced that their bribery was going to pay off, that minutes after the vote in the Senate, industry front group, the American Petroluem Institute, sent out a press release celebrating that Sen. John Hoeven's amendment to approve the pipeline had passed.
"Bipartisan Senate majority approves building Keystone XL pipeline" crowed the title of the release, which went on to congratulate the Senate for takign a "bold step" in approving the project.
One small problem. The amendment actually failed.
API quickly realized their mistake and a few minutes later, sent out a corrected version of the press release, deleting the title that mentioned the legislation and making the quick edit of "tried to take the bold step" in approving the project. Whoops.
Make no mistake, this vote was close. But remember, just four months ago, a poll of 300 “energy insiders” still found 97% predicting that Keystone XL would get it's permit. For now, that prediction has come remarkably untrue. TransCanada can of course re-apply, but that will be another battle, down the road. For now, people power (the largest civild disobedience action in 30 years, 800,000 messages to the Senate in a single day, bodies encircling the White House shoulder to shoulder five deep) overturned the odds -- and made Big Oil eat their words.
Stop Dirty Fuels:
Tar Sands
Stop Dirty Fuels : Tar Sands : Liquid Coal : Oil Shale
http://www.nrdc.org/energy/dirtyfuels_tar.asp?gclid=CLf3p-nC3K4CFQdN4AodI0HXWg
In Canada, the oil industry is transforming one of the world's last remaining intact ecosystems into America's gas tank.
Alberta's boreal forest and wetlands are home to a diverse range of animals, including lynx, caribou and grizzly bears, and serve as critical breeding grounds for many North American songbirds and waterfowl. Oil companies are scraping up hundreds of thousands of acres of this wildlife haven to mine tar sands -- silty deposits that contain small amounts of crude bitumen.
Extracting tar sands, and turning bitumen into crude oil, uses vast amounts of energy and water, and causes significant air and water pollution, and three times the global warming pollution of conventional crude production. The rush to strip-mine and drill tar sands in the boreal will destroy and fragment millions of acres of this wild forest for low-grade petroleum fuel.
Alberta's boreal forest and wetlands are home to a diverse range of animals, including lynx, caribou and grizzly bears, and serve as critical breeding grounds for many North American songbirds and waterfowl. Oil companies are scraping up hundreds of thousands of acres of this wildlife haven to mine tar sands -- silty deposits that contain small amounts of crude bitumen.
Extracting tar sands, and turning bitumen into crude oil, uses vast amounts of energy and water, and causes significant air and water pollution, and three times the global warming pollution of conventional crude production. The rush to strip-mine and drill tar sands in the boreal will destroy and fragment millions of acres of this wild forest for low-grade petroleum fuel.
Keystone XL
Click thumbnail to see the mapTar sands developments are already wreaking havoc on both people and wildlife in the region. For aboriginal peoples, the mining reduces local water supplies and increases exposure to toxic substances. Expanding tar sands operations also heightens the risk for NRDC's Peace-Athabasca Delta BioGem -- just downstream from these developments.
In addition to the extraction impacts, the proposed pipeline would stretch 2000 miles from Alberta, Canada to Texas, threatening to contaminate freshwater supplies in America's agricultural heartland and increase refinery emissions in already-polluted communities of the U.S. Gulf Coast.
At a time when we must embrace a clean energy future, tar sands take us far in the wrong direction. The United States should instead implement a comprehensive oil savings plan and reduce oil consumption by increasing fuel efficiency standards, hybrid cars, renewable energy, environmentally sustainable biofuels, and smart growth to meet our transportation needs.
Read our fact sheet and say no to the Keystone XL pipeline.
Take Action Now!
Thank the President for standing up to Big Oil!
President Obama has changed the rules of the game by listening to the American people, rejecting Big Oil’s political bullying and rejecting the destructive Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. Please send him a message of thanks right away.More about Dirty Fuels from
NRDC's staff blog
- Growing concern that climate change is causing disastrous and expensive weather events underscores why we can't risk expanding tar sands oil extraction
- posted by Liz Barratt-Brown, 3/9/12
- House in Trussville, Alabama destroyed by a recent tornado, February 2012, Photo Credit: Federal Emergency ...
- Victory in the Senate: No revival of the rejected Keystone XL tar sands pipeline
- posted by Susan Casey-Lefkowitz, 3/8/12
- Tar sands destruction. Photo credit: Peter Essick, National Geographic In a victory for people across ...
- Texans Fight to Protect Their Land from the Keystone XL Pipeline
- posted by Rocky Kistner, 3/8/12
- Down in Texas there’s an old saying; “You can put your boots in the oven but it don’t ...
- Senate should not approve defunct Keystone XL tar sands pipeline
- posted by Anthony Swift, 3/7/12
- Many Senate Republicans are pushing yet another bill to approve the already rejected TransCanada Keystone ...
- Canadian threat to send tar sands oil to Asia more bluff than ace in the hole
- posted by Liz Barratt-Brown, 3/7/12
- When the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline permit was rejected in January, the Canadian Prime Minister ...
Send Me Updates About: Tar Sands
As new content on your chosen topic gets posted, you'll receive an automated email via FeedMyInbox. You can unsubscribe at any time.
09 March 2012
TELL TIM KAINE HOW THE ECONOMY HAS AFFECTED YOU AND WHAT YOU EXPECT WASHINGTON TO DO 9MAR12
TIM KAINE wants to hear from everyone in Virginia on the economy and the challenges you are facing as an individual, a family, and a business and what you think needs to be done by Washington to keep the recovery going.....Let him hear from you because Democracy is not a spectator sport!
I've been meeting with business and community leaders in roundtable discussions, business tours, and public events all across Virginia -- from Manassas to Emporia and Roanoke to Chincoteague. I've heard about some of the challenges Virginians are facing, and shared ideas about how to keep our economy growing. Just today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that 227,000 jobs were added in February, marking two straight years of private sector job growth. We're making progress, but we have much more to do.
I started my career in public service in local office, and I've always valued person-to-person interaction and enlisting a two-way dialogue with Virginians. But I can't talk to nearly as many people in our Commonwealth as I'd like to. That's why I'd like you to share your experiences with me.
Please take a moment to tell me, in your own words, about the challenges facing you, your business, or your family in this still-fragile economy.
Leaders at companies I've toured have said that they are looking for skilled workers to place in new jobs in manufacturing and high technology -- in fact, there are actually unfilled jobs in Southside Virginia, where I was last week. Business owners have expressed their frustration with getting access to capital so they can expand and hire new workers.
And everybody agrees that we need to fix Washington. But instead of just fighting Washington, I believe that we need to find common ground on policies that will create jobs and strengthen our recovery.
Over the course of this campaign, I will continue to cross the state, meeting with folks like you and hearing what they need from Washington. But I also want to hear directly from you -- what has your experience been in this economy? What are the challenges you face? How can Washington work with you to help your family or business?
I want to continue the dialogue. Please share with me your concerns, your ideas, and your stories.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Tim Kaine
I've been meeting with business and community leaders in roundtable discussions, business tours, and public events all across Virginia -- from Manassas to Emporia and Roanoke to Chincoteague. I've heard about some of the challenges Virginians are facing, and shared ideas about how to keep our economy growing. Just today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that 227,000 jobs were added in February, marking two straight years of private sector job growth. We're making progress, but we have much more to do. I started my career in public service in local office, and I've always valued person-to-person interaction and enlisting a two-way dialogue with Virginians. But I can't talk to nearly as many people in our Commonwealth as I'd like to. That's why I'd like you to share your experiences with me.
Please take a moment to tell me, in your own words, about the challenges facing you, your business, or your family in this still-fragile economy.
Leaders at companies I've toured have said that they are looking for skilled workers to place in new jobs in manufacturing and high technology -- in fact, there are actually unfilled jobs in Southside Virginia, where I was last week. Business owners have expressed their frustration with getting access to capital so they can expand and hire new workers.
And everybody agrees that we need to fix Washington. But instead of just fighting Washington, I believe that we need to find common ground on policies that will create jobs and strengthen our recovery.
Over the course of this campaign, I will continue to cross the state, meeting with folks like you and hearing what they need from Washington. But I also want to hear directly from you -- what has your experience been in this economy? What are the challenges you face? How can Washington work with you to help your family or business?
I want to continue the dialogue. Please share with me your concerns, your ideas, and your stories.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Tim Kaine
Paid for by Kaine For Virginia
Contributions or gifts to Kaine for Virginia are not tax deductible. 11 February 2012
TELL YOUR SENATORS TO VOTE AGAINST THE BLUNT AMENDMENT (IT WILL UNDO THE WHOLE BIRTH CONTROL COVERAGE POLICY) 11FEB12
I am sick of this, and that is just what the repiglicans and tea-baggers are counting on, that we will be so tired of fighting for this that we will just stop. Please click the link and send a message to your Senators and tell them to reject Sen roy blunt's amendment to the transportation bill.
The Obama administration's policy will make sure women of all faiths who work at religiously affiliated hospitals, universities, and service organizations will get contraceptive coverage. It guarantees that women will not encounter any barriers from their bosses or insurance plans in getting birth control without a copay. But anti-contraception politicians are unrelenting in their attacks. Anti-choice Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) is using a transportation bill – of all things – to try to undo the entire birth-control coverage policy. In fact, the Blunt amendment is so much worse than what we could have dreamed up. If we lose, insurers and employers will get the right to deny you coverage for any essential health benefit they deem immoral. The U.S. Senate could vote on the Blunt amendment at any time. Help us fight for birth-control coverage for women, wherever they work, by contacting your senators right now. Anti-contraception groups and politicians have launched an all-out war against the new birth-control policy. They have tried to frame their complaints as concern about "religious discrimination." But our opponents' true goal is to allow any boss to be able to deny his employees a health plan that covers birth control. An official with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops told USA Today that he's outraged because the new birth-control policy will cover employees at regular businesses. He actually said: "Good Catholic business people… can't in good conscience cooperate with this... If I quit this job and opened a Taco Bell, I'd be covered by the mandate." Go ahead, pick your jaw up off the floor. Now that our opponents have showed their cards, we must make sure the Senate understands what's really at stake. Send a message to your senators right now. If this amendment passes, it would be a disaster for women and men's health on many fronts. It would completely undo the no-cost birth control policy, which will ensure that virtually all women get their prescription birth control covered with no copay. The amendment would also go so far as to allow insurers to deny coverage for any essential health service they deem immoral. Think about the implications. Women and men would be at the whim of their boss for HIV treatment. Single women who wish to have a child might be refused coverage for prenatal care. I know we can win this if we all speak out. Pro-choice Americans prove time and again – like you just did protecting funding for breast-cancer screening at Planned Parenthood – that we won't let politicians play games with our freedom and privacy. You made that victory possible. We must continue to work together and defeat this next attempt to take away women's birth-control coverage. Thank you so much for contacting your senators. Nancy Keenan President, NARAL Pro-Choice America |
26 January 2012
Kaine Criticizes Allen’s Irresponsible Pipeline Stance 24JAN12
george allen continues to offers reasons why he should not be elected to the Senate. Check this out and click the header to go to Tim Kaine's campaign website for more on his positions on the economy, education, the environment....
Today: Allen told Virginians he would greenlight a pipeline through the Commonwealth without review
Richmond, VA - In a conference call today, Gov. Tim Kaine criticized Republican candidate George Allen for refusing to apply his own standard of safety in energy projects to the Keystone pipeline project. When it comes to uranium mining in Virginia, Allen says we should wait for a thorough review because "while jobs are important, so is public health and safety." But when it comes to the Keystone pipeline, George Allen and his oil company allies are pushing for approval before a thorough review can be completed. In addition to pointing out Allen's contradictory position, Kaine criticized Allen for saying that he would not require a review or study of any oil or natural gas pipelines through Virginia. Allen made his comments on WINA 1070 in Charlottesville as part of his continuing push for approval of the Keystone pipeline —an effort Allen has pushed since before the affected states had performed their own reviews.
Key quotes from Governor Kaine from today’s call are below:
“In discussions with George at the debate and since, I’ve been surprised to see how adamantly he has been lobbying to build the Keystone pipeline before the full federal review is completed, thereby refusing to apply his own standards of safety and review to the pipeline project.
…
“George Allen said, if Virginia were considering a natural gas or oil pipeline through the Commonwealth we wouldn’t need to do any review or study it, wouldn’t need to review its effects on homeowners or communities because we’ve built other pipelines before. That’s a position that’s really ridiculous. The notion that we can just approve things, without study, that would affect homeowners and the local community is flat wrong.
…
“There’s a reason that we do these reviews. Reviews help you get it right. I think this is a project that may well be the right thing to do, but until the review is complete, we don’t know the answer. We don’t know whether and how it should be done and hopefully the review will point that out. His decision to jump over the review process and say ‘we can do it anyway because it’s popular with the oil companies, who cares about what the citizens of Nebraska think about the routing of the pipeline,’ that’s irresponsible. I’m not going to let any Senator from Nebraska put some pipeline through Virginia and just casually opine upon it because it doesn’t affect their own real estate. If I am representing Virginia I’m going to make sure that projects like this get a review and I’m not letting other Senators from other states just dictate what should be done.”
Earlier today on Charlottesville radio station 1070 WINA, George Allen said:
Host Question: Now it’s for the average person, I understand, I understand the differences, but for the average person who kinda just, you know, on, just pays attention a little bit and gets the superfluous kinda information, what we hear in the last few minutes, the President and his administration says we need time to study the pipeline to make sure that its safe, to make sure we have the safety, the safe guards in place, but then with this other one, we say we need more time to make sure uranium mining is legislated properly and regulated properly in Virginia, both have been studied for years, both could create tons of jobs, what is the real difference?
George Allen: Well there’s a big difference, in that there are pipeline, again, throughout Virginia, and throughout Nebraska, and throughout the plains, so that, the pipeline issue has been studied for three years, the uranium mining issue, there’s been a moratorium in Virginia for years, and with a moratorium naturally there’s no studies, the National Academy of Sciences has just issued their report just last month, and, and, we don’t have any regulations, if this were an issue, I guarantee you, if there were an issue, gosh we’d put a natural gas pipeline, or should be put an oil pipeline through Virginia, it wouldn’t be worrying about gosh, let's have a study, let's determine the danger of this, this is something that is already done, it is fairly routine, uranium mining is unprecedented in Virginia, and obviously radioactive waste is a much greater environmental concern than, than is oil, or natural gas, not that you’d want to have an oil spill, that’s, that’s, harmful, but it's not highly radioactive, it’s why there is such high regulations, because of these potential dangers. So they are not at all comparable, in that again, oil pipelines are throughout Virginia and throughout the country, uranium mining is an issue of first impression, that's really science, Academy of Sciences report came out late last year, and so, I think Virginia’s taking the appropriate approach, if Virginia were trying to hold up a gas pipeline, or oil pipeline, it simply wouldn’t happen, because we have them.
Today: Allen told Virginians he would greenlight a pipeline through the Commonwealth without review
Richmond, VA - In a conference call today, Gov. Tim Kaine criticized Republican candidate George Allen for refusing to apply his own standard of safety in energy projects to the Keystone pipeline project. When it comes to uranium mining in Virginia, Allen says we should wait for a thorough review because "while jobs are important, so is public health and safety." But when it comes to the Keystone pipeline, George Allen and his oil company allies are pushing for approval before a thorough review can be completed. In addition to pointing out Allen's contradictory position, Kaine criticized Allen for saying that he would not require a review or study of any oil or natural gas pipelines through Virginia. Allen made his comments on WINA 1070 in Charlottesville as part of his continuing push for approval of the Keystone pipeline —an effort Allen has pushed since before the affected states had performed their own reviews.
Key quotes from Governor Kaine from today’s call are below:
“In discussions with George at the debate and since, I’ve been surprised to see how adamantly he has been lobbying to build the Keystone pipeline before the full federal review is completed, thereby refusing to apply his own standards of safety and review to the pipeline project.
…
“George Allen said, if Virginia were considering a natural gas or oil pipeline through the Commonwealth we wouldn’t need to do any review or study it, wouldn’t need to review its effects on homeowners or communities because we’ve built other pipelines before. That’s a position that’s really ridiculous. The notion that we can just approve things, without study, that would affect homeowners and the local community is flat wrong.
…
“There’s a reason that we do these reviews. Reviews help you get it right. I think this is a project that may well be the right thing to do, but until the review is complete, we don’t know the answer. We don’t know whether and how it should be done and hopefully the review will point that out. His decision to jump over the review process and say ‘we can do it anyway because it’s popular with the oil companies, who cares about what the citizens of Nebraska think about the routing of the pipeline,’ that’s irresponsible. I’m not going to let any Senator from Nebraska put some pipeline through Virginia and just casually opine upon it because it doesn’t affect their own real estate. If I am representing Virginia I’m going to make sure that projects like this get a review and I’m not letting other Senators from other states just dictate what should be done.”
Earlier today on Charlottesville radio station 1070 WINA, George Allen said:
Host Question: Now it’s for the average person, I understand, I understand the differences, but for the average person who kinda just, you know, on, just pays attention a little bit and gets the superfluous kinda information, what we hear in the last few minutes, the President and his administration says we need time to study the pipeline to make sure that its safe, to make sure we have the safety, the safe guards in place, but then with this other one, we say we need more time to make sure uranium mining is legislated properly and regulated properly in Virginia, both have been studied for years, both could create tons of jobs, what is the real difference?
George Allen: Well there’s a big difference, in that there are pipeline, again, throughout Virginia, and throughout Nebraska, and throughout the plains, so that, the pipeline issue has been studied for three years, the uranium mining issue, there’s been a moratorium in Virginia for years, and with a moratorium naturally there’s no studies, the National Academy of Sciences has just issued their report just last month, and, and, we don’t have any regulations, if this were an issue, I guarantee you, if there were an issue, gosh we’d put a natural gas pipeline, or should be put an oil pipeline through Virginia, it wouldn’t be worrying about gosh, let's have a study, let's determine the danger of this, this is something that is already done, it is fairly routine, uranium mining is unprecedented in Virginia, and obviously radioactive waste is a much greater environmental concern than, than is oil, or natural gas, not that you’d want to have an oil spill, that’s, that’s, harmful, but it's not highly radioactive, it’s why there is such high regulations, because of these potential dangers. So they are not at all comparable, in that again, oil pipelines are throughout Virginia and throughout the country, uranium mining is an issue of first impression, that's really science, Academy of Sciences report came out late last year, and so, I think Virginia’s taking the appropriate approach, if Virginia were trying to hold up a gas pipeline, or oil pipeline, it simply wouldn’t happen, because we have them.
05 January 2012
President Obama making recess appointments to labor board, again braving GOP outrage 4JAN12
I like having a president with a spine, and said so in my message to Pres Obama, and I told him to remember that feeling and to keep it going. From the Daily Kos......
President Obama is making recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board in addition to his appointment of Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. According to Greg Sargent:
Obama's decision to recess appoint both these NLRB members and Cordray to the CFPB doesn't just put qualified people into the government—it enables the government agencies themselves to function. That functioning, not the specific individuals, was what Republicans hoped to obstruct. It goes without saying that the GOP will be outraged all over again, despite the fact that the last three Republican presidents all made recess appointments to the NLRB. Kudos to Obama for braving the outrage and doing what needs to be done to keep government working.
12:27 PM PT: Send an email to thank President Obama for this important step to protect workers, as well as for appointing Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
(White House)
Obama is set to appoint Sharon Block, Terence Flynn, and Richard Grifin to the board — something unions have made a big priority for them in the new year. Senate Republicans have opposed the recess appointments to the NLRB on constitutional grounds, but unions charge that Republicans are only interested in rendering the agency inoperative.In a statement, Obama said that:
The American people deserve to have qualified public servants fighting for them every day - whether it is to enforce new consumer protections or uphold the rights of working Americans. We can’t wait to act to strengthen the economy and restore security for our middle class and those trying to get in it, and that’s why I am proud to appoint these fine individuals to get to work for the American people.This is huge: Without these appointments, the NLRB would have been down to two members; it cannot make decisions without a three-member quorum. Republicans were determined to block Obama's NLRB nominations to shut down the board and prevent it from being able to pass rules like its recent moves streamlining union elections and requiring employers to put up posters informing workers of their existing legal rights.
Obama's decision to recess appoint both these NLRB members and Cordray to the CFPB doesn't just put qualified people into the government—it enables the government agencies themselves to function. That functioning, not the specific individuals, was what Republicans hoped to obstruct. It goes without saying that the GOP will be outraged all over again, despite the fact that the last three Republican presidents all made recess appointments to the NLRB. Kudos to Obama for braving the outrage and doing what needs to be done to keep government working.
12:27 PM PT: Send an email to thank President Obama for this important step to protect workers, as well as for appointing Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
15 December 2011
Allen has new worries to go with his old ones from THE STAUNTON NEWS LEADER 10DEZ11
A very good editorial from the on the Kaine vs Allen Senate race in Virginia.....
Opinions expressed in this feature represent the majority opinion of the newspaper's editorial board, consisting of: Roger Watson, president and publisher; David Fritz, executive editor; Cindy Corell, community conversations editor; and Jim McCloskey, editorial cartoonist.
Poor George Allen. He's running hard for his old seat in the U.S. Senate, but with none of an incumbent's clout and plenty of baggage. He's trying to run against Washington, the president and the deficit, which likely Democratic nominee Tim Kaine is pointing out to voters is rooted in Allen's own Senate voting record. Allen backed wars and tax cuts that blew holes in a national budget surplus, and that is a fair criticism.
Allen's first debate with Kaine on Wednesday shows why Allen faces an uphill fight.
Allen has come out of the gate early, putting together a staff that manages to pump out email attack after attack, day after day, in a curious effort to overcome his reputation of a mean-spirited bully. It's a reputation Allen burnished to a new lustre during a re-election campaign five years ago.
It was his "macaca" attack on a campaign worker for eventual victor Jim Webb that disqualified Allen with enough voters to send his re-election down in flames.
In fairness, Allen has repeatedly apologized for using the term most associated with non-human primates when referring to the young campaign worker of color. He claims he didn't know what "Macaca" meant. But Kaine on Wednesday asked if Allen also didn't know the meaning of the words Allen spoke just before using the M-word: "Welcome to America. Welcome to the real Virginia."
Even to someone who never heard "macaca" before, the meaning comes through loud and clear in that context. The message coming from a modern, Southern elected official is horrifying — and voters decided, disqualifying.
Allen wants us to believe he has changed. He has nearly a year to convince voters that the new, improved George Allen doesn't think that way, or at least wouldn't admit it out loud.
But in another part of Wednesday's debate, he cast new doubts.
In discussing "personhood" — the idea that the law should consider a fertilized human egg as a full person with all the same rights — Allen flunked a 10th-grade biology quiz.
He disputed basic biology: some birth control can cause a fertilized egg not to implant in a woman's uterus.
Under such laws, Kaine argued, the use of birth control could be prosecuted.
Allen either didn't know or didn't want to know the basics. He instead reverted to the lawyer and argued about the Latin roots of the word "contraception."He discovered a whole new area of science to deny. Did his biology instructor have this problem after quizzes?
When called out and cornered, he reverted to form, referring to Kaine as "Doctor Kaine," in a derisive way for a laugh.
Calling someone a mean-spirited name, it appears, is still a George Allen reflex, and a window on his character. Somewhere he's going to have to learn he has to stop having "macaca" moments if he stands any chance of winning in 2012.
http://www.newsleader.com/article/20111211/OPINION01/112110309
Allen's first debate with Kaine on Wednesday shows why Allen faces an uphill fight.
Allen has come out of the gate early, putting together a staff that manages to pump out email attack after attack, day after day, in a curious effort to overcome his reputation of a mean-spirited bully. It's a reputation Allen burnished to a new lustre during a re-election campaign five years ago.
It was his "macaca" attack on a campaign worker for eventual victor Jim Webb that disqualified Allen with enough voters to send his re-election down in flames.
In fairness, Allen has repeatedly apologized for using the term most associated with non-human primates when referring to the young campaign worker of color. He claims he didn't know what "Macaca" meant. But Kaine on Wednesday asked if Allen also didn't know the meaning of the words Allen spoke just before using the M-word: "Welcome to America. Welcome to the real Virginia."
Even to someone who never heard "macaca" before, the meaning comes through loud and clear in that context. The message coming from a modern, Southern elected official is horrifying — and voters decided, disqualifying.
Allen wants us to believe he has changed. He has nearly a year to convince voters that the new, improved George Allen doesn't think that way, or at least wouldn't admit it out loud.
But in another part of Wednesday's debate, he cast new doubts.
In discussing "personhood" — the idea that the law should consider a fertilized human egg as a full person with all the same rights — Allen flunked a 10th-grade biology quiz.
He disputed basic biology: some birth control can cause a fertilized egg not to implant in a woman's uterus.
Under such laws, Kaine argued, the use of birth control could be prosecuted.
Allen either didn't know or didn't want to know the basics. He instead reverted to the lawyer and argued about the Latin roots of the word "contraception."He discovered a whole new area of science to deny. Did his biology instructor have this problem after quizzes?
When called out and cornered, he reverted to form, referring to Kaine as "Doctor Kaine," in a derisive way for a laugh.
Calling someone a mean-spirited name, it appears, is still a George Allen reflex, and a window on his character. Somewhere he's going to have to learn he has to stop having "macaca" moments if he stands any chance of winning in 2012.
http://www.newsleader.com/article/20111211/OPINION01/112110309
08 December 2011
Senate blocks Richard Cordray confirmation to head consumer watchdog agency 8DEZ11
I saw that fotze sen kay bailey-hutchinson r TX on the PBS NewsHour last night and her performance defending the lack of regulation and oversight of financial institutions not regulated by the FED or SEC or any other government agency and her fear-mongering of the power and cost of the CFPB was worthy of a high priced political whore, which is exactly what she is, a whore for the bank-financial cabal and wall street. Know this Kay, most of the country doesn't swallow and doesn't believe the gop / tea-bagger propaganda either. From the WashPost....
Editor’s Note: This post was inadvertantly published early, before the vote. The vote has now occurred.
In a long-awaited vote Thursday morning, Senate Republicans blocked the confirmation of President Obama’s nominee to lead his signature consumer watchdog agency, a move that prevents it from exercising many of its broad new powers.
Republicans relied on a procedural vote to keep the Senate from even considering former Ohio attorney general Richard Cordray for the top job at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
By a vote of 53 to 45, Senate Democrats were unable to close off debate to allow the confirmation to proceed; 60 votes were needed to end a filibuster and proceed.
Though GOP lawmakers have praised Cordray’s qualifications for the job -- he currently serves as the CFPB’s director of enforcement -- they have pledged to prevent any candidate from being confirmed unless significant structural change are made to the bureau.
Republicans want the director replaced by a five-member commission and tighter oversight of the agency’s decisions by other regulatory bodies. They are also seeking to subject the CFPB to the congressional appropriations process; currently, it is funded through the Federal Reserve.
Democrats have balked at those requests, leaving the leaderless bureau trapped in a political stalemate. Though the CFPB can enforce existing consumer regulations, it cannot begin oversight of so-called “nonbank” financial institutions such as payday lenders, prepaid card providers and private student lenders until a director is confirmed.
It remains unclear what the next step for the Obama administration will be. The White House has been reluctant to name a director through recess appointment despite pressure to do so by several Democratic lawmakers and consumer advocacy groups.
In addition, Republicans have prevented the Senate from going on recess at all, instead holding pro forma sessions aimed at blocking any appointments. According to the Congressional Research Service, the shortest recess during which a presidential appointment has been made in the last 20 years was 10 days. The appointee also could only serve until the next session of Congress; a confirmed CFPB director would serve for five years.
Only two of the 47 Republicans in the Senate did not vote to block Cordray’s confirmation. One was Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), who voted “present.” The other was Scott Brown of Massachusetts, who is facing the CFPB’s original architect, Elizabeth Warren, in the 2012 Senate race.
“I disagree with Republicans on this issue,” Brown said in a statement explaining his “yes” vote. “Mr. Cordray deserves an up or down vote, and I look forward to supporting his nomination. Having a leader at the helm is critical at a time when the agency is getting up and running. The unfortunate truth is that there are still bad actors in the financial system who will take advantage of vulnerable people in our society.”
Rosalind S. Helderman contributed to this report.
This story initially misreported one of the Republican senators voting not to block Cordray. It has been corrected.
Editor’s Note: This post was inadvertantly published early, before the vote. The vote has now occurred.
In a long-awaited vote Thursday morning, Senate Republicans blocked the confirmation of President Obama’s nominee to lead his signature consumer watchdog agency, a move that prevents it from exercising many of its broad new powers.
Republicans relied on a procedural vote to keep the Senate from even considering former Ohio attorney general Richard Cordray for the top job at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
By a vote of 53 to 45, Senate Democrats were unable to close off debate to allow the confirmation to proceed; 60 votes were needed to end a filibuster and proceed.
Though GOP lawmakers have praised Cordray’s qualifications for the job -- he currently serves as the CFPB’s director of enforcement -- they have pledged to prevent any candidate from being confirmed unless significant structural change are made to the bureau.
Republicans want the director replaced by a five-member commission and tighter oversight of the agency’s decisions by other regulatory bodies. They are also seeking to subject the CFPB to the congressional appropriations process; currently, it is funded through the Federal Reserve.
Democrats have balked at those requests, leaving the leaderless bureau trapped in a political stalemate. Though the CFPB can enforce existing consumer regulations, it cannot begin oversight of so-called “nonbank” financial institutions such as payday lenders, prepaid card providers and private student lenders until a director is confirmed.
It remains unclear what the next step for the Obama administration will be. The White House has been reluctant to name a director through recess appointment despite pressure to do so by several Democratic lawmakers and consumer advocacy groups.
In addition, Republicans have prevented the Senate from going on recess at all, instead holding pro forma sessions aimed at blocking any appointments. According to the Congressional Research Service, the shortest recess during which a presidential appointment has been made in the last 20 years was 10 days. The appointee also could only serve until the next session of Congress; a confirmed CFPB director would serve for five years.
Only two of the 47 Republicans in the Senate did not vote to block Cordray’s confirmation. One was Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), who voted “present.” The other was Scott Brown of Massachusetts, who is facing the CFPB’s original architect, Elizabeth Warren, in the 2012 Senate race.
“I disagree with Republicans on this issue,” Brown said in a statement explaining his “yes” vote. “Mr. Cordray deserves an up or down vote, and I look forward to supporting his nomination. Having a leader at the helm is critical at a time when the agency is getting up and running. The unfortunate truth is that there are still bad actors in the financial system who will take advantage of vulnerable people in our society.”
Rosalind S. Helderman contributed to this report.
This story initially misreported one of the Republican senators voting not to block Cordray. It has been corrected.
02 December 2011
Payroll Tax Cut Extension Rejected In Senate Vote 1-2DEZ11
A few repiglicans and tea baggers defeated legislation in the senate that would have extended the middle class payroll tax break and raised taxes on those making $1,000,000.00 or more. The vote was 51 to 48 for the bill, a majority voted for it and still it failed. WHY? Because politicians have been allowed to conduct virtual filibusters and that is what they did this time, requiring 60 votes for passage. The democratic senate leadership can do something about this and end a lot of the gridlock in the senate. Sen Reid, find your spine, invoke the nuclear option, change the rules allowing virtual filibusters and make the republicans remain on the senate floor so the nation can see who is responsible for preventing the extension of the middle class payroll tax cut, who is preventing raising taxes on millionaires, who is protecting the greed of the wealthy and corporate America. Make them show their faces to the nation so everyone can see who is delaying legislation addressing the desperate economic needs of the country. Publicly hold these senators responsible. Don't have the political guts to take such a drastic step? Then you might as well be a tea-baggin repiglican too. Below is info on filibustering from Wikipedia, followed by an article on the vote from HuffPost....
A filibuster in the United States Senate usually refers to any dilatory or obstructive tactics used to prevent a measure from being brought to a vote. The most common form of filibuster occurs when a senator attempts to delay or entirely prevent a vote on a bill by extending the debate on the measure, but other dilatory tactics exist. The rules permit a senator, or a series of senators, to speak for as long as they wish and on any topic they choose, unless "three-fifths of the Senators duly chosen and sworn"[1] (usually 60 out of 100 senators) brings debate to a close by invoking cloture under Senate Rule XXII.
According to the Supreme Court ruling in United States v. Ballin (1892), changes to Senate rules could be achieved by a simple majority. Nevertheless, under current Senate rules, a rule change itself could be filibustered, with two-thirds of those senators present and voting (as opposed to the normal three-fifths of those sworn) needing to vote to end debate.[1] Despite this written requirement, the possibility exists that the filibuster could be changed by majority vote, using the so-called nuclear option, also sometimes called the constitutional option by proponents.
WASHINGTON -- The Senate failed Thursday to pass an extension of a payroll tax cut, leaving in limbo a break that saved working class households about $1,000 a piece this year.
Democrats sought to extend and expand the break, while paying for it with a 3.25 percent surtax on incomes over $1 million. Just one Senate Republican, Maine's Susan Collins, voted for the middle class break, which died 51 to 49 in an unsuccessful effort to end a Republican filibuster. Three Democrats opposed the bill.
"I am extremely disappointed that Republicans' insistence on protecting millionaires from paying a penny more in taxes has blocked our effort to extend and expand the payroll tax cut for millions of middle class families and small business owners," said Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.).
Minutes later, a Republican version of the measure was blocked by Democrats and a majority of the GOP senators.
Democrats had complained that it was too small of a break -- and that it was paid for by cutting 200,000 federal workers.
"Tonight's votes highlight a sharp contrast between the two parties: Democrats voted to put more money in the pockets of the middle class families who need it most, while Republicans would only support a bill that exacts a price from middle class workers while protecting the wealthiest Americans," Murray, the fourth-ranking Democrat, said.
Democrats pointed to the defection of Republicans from the GOP bill as an embarrassment for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who had predicted there would be support for some sort of payroll tax cut extension.
"Republicans spent this week trying to convince us that they support middle class tax cuts, but tonight a majority of Senate Republicans voted against their own bill -– calling into question whether they support middle class tax cuts at all," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).
"I was encouraged to see one Republican join Democrats in asking millionaires to pay their fair share," Reid said. "But because every other Republican continues to insist on protecting millionaires, middle class families could face a $1,000 tax increase next year."
Reid has said he will bring the measure back. Most Republican leaders have also said that ultimately the payroll tax cut should be extended, but it was not clear how after Thursday's twin failures.
President Barack Obama released his own statement to hammer the middle class message that's emerging as a key theme of his campaign.
"Tonight, Senate Republicans chose to raise taxes on nearly 160 million hardworking Americans because they refused to ask a few hundred thousand millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share," he said. "That is unacceptable. It makes absolutely no sense to raise taxes on the middle class at a time when so many are still trying to get back on their feet."
A filibuster in the United States Senate usually refers to any dilatory or obstructive tactics used to prevent a measure from being brought to a vote. The most common form of filibuster occurs when a senator attempts to delay or entirely prevent a vote on a bill by extending the debate on the measure, but other dilatory tactics exist. The rules permit a senator, or a series of senators, to speak for as long as they wish and on any topic they choose, unless "three-fifths of the Senators duly chosen and sworn"[1] (usually 60 out of 100 senators) brings debate to a close by invoking cloture under Senate Rule XXII.
According to the Supreme Court ruling in United States v. Ballin (1892), changes to Senate rules could be achieved by a simple majority. Nevertheless, under current Senate rules, a rule change itself could be filibustered, with two-thirds of those senators present and voting (as opposed to the normal three-fifths of those sworn) needing to vote to end debate.[1] Despite this written requirement, the possibility exists that the filibuster could be changed by majority vote, using the so-called nuclear option, also sometimes called the constitutional option by proponents.
WASHINGTON -- The Senate failed Thursday to pass an extension of a payroll tax cut, leaving in limbo a break that saved working class households about $1,000 a piece this year.
Democrats sought to extend and expand the break, while paying for it with a 3.25 percent surtax on incomes over $1 million. Just one Senate Republican, Maine's Susan Collins, voted for the middle class break, which died 51 to 49 in an unsuccessful effort to end a Republican filibuster. Three Democrats opposed the bill.
"I am extremely disappointed that Republicans' insistence on protecting millionaires from paying a penny more in taxes has blocked our effort to extend and expand the payroll tax cut for millions of middle class families and small business owners," said Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.).
Minutes later, a Republican version of the measure was blocked by Democrats and a majority of the GOP senators.
Democrats had complained that it was too small of a break -- and that it was paid for by cutting 200,000 federal workers.
"Tonight's votes highlight a sharp contrast between the two parties: Democrats voted to put more money in the pockets of the middle class families who need it most, while Republicans would only support a bill that exacts a price from middle class workers while protecting the wealthiest Americans," Murray, the fourth-ranking Democrat, said.
Democrats pointed to the defection of Republicans from the GOP bill as an embarrassment for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who had predicted there would be support for some sort of payroll tax cut extension.
"Republicans spent this week trying to convince us that they support middle class tax cuts, but tonight a majority of Senate Republicans voted against their own bill -– calling into question whether they support middle class tax cuts at all," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).
"I was encouraged to see one Republican join Democrats in asking millionaires to pay their fair share," Reid said. "But because every other Republican continues to insist on protecting millionaires, middle class families could face a $1,000 tax increase next year."
Reid has said he will bring the measure back. Most Republican leaders have also said that ultimately the payroll tax cut should be extended, but it was not clear how after Thursday's twin failures.
President Barack Obama released his own statement to hammer the middle class message that's emerging as a key theme of his campaign.
"Tonight, Senate Republicans chose to raise taxes on nearly 160 million hardworking Americans because they refused to ask a few hundred thousand millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share," he said. "That is unacceptable. It makes absolutely no sense to raise taxes on the middle class at a time when so many are still trying to get back on their feet."
17 November 2011
SUPERFRAUD: Call your senator: No "SUPER-COMMITTEE" cuts to Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security benefits 17NOV11
THE democrats are getting ready to cave to the gop / tea-baggers again, this time in negotiations of the "super-committee" which may result in massive cuts in Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Click this link to contact your Senators and tell them we will be better off with no "super-committee" deal than the one now being considered, and to remember they are supposed to be representing the best interest of all Americans and not just the 1%. Be sure to read Paul Krugman's op-ed in the NY Times from 14NOV11.
 |
|
Tell your senators not to weaken Clean Water Act protections for America's most vulnerable waters 16NOV11
THE constant assaults on federal regulations benefiting all Americans by the gop / teabaggers are designed to wear the public down until we, the people, finally tire of fighting and give up so they get their way. The latest attack, this time on the Clean Water Act, must not be allowed to succeed. The NRDC and other mainstream environmental groups are organizing campaigns in defense of the Clean Water Act. Click the link to send a message from you to your Senators to vote against any legislation to weaken the Clean Water Act.
 |  | ||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)