Atlas Shrugs

The Democrats’ National Energy Tax Creates the Largest Welfare Program in Our Nation’s History

The road to hell is paved with "hope" and "change"! (from Mike Pence)

The Daily Truth about the Democrats’ National Energy Tax Creates the Largest Welfare Program in Our Nation’s History

What the bill does:

The bill (H.R. 2454) requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide monthly cash payments, or “energy stamps”, to low-income households for their estimated “loss in their purchasing power” resulting from the Democrats’ national energy tax. The bill establishes a national standard of eligibility (covering everyone under 150% of the poverty line). Energy stamps would reach an estimated 65 million individuals (about 20 percent of all US residents) – making it a larger program than welfare, food stamps, or even Medicaid. (H.R. 2454, American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, Sec. 431, p. 1193)

What this means for Americans:

If, as Democrats claim, their national energy tax will create millions of well-paying “green jobs,” then why do we need to create a new energy welfare program? The Democrats’ national energy tax plan will raise energy costs on all Americans. Democrats know this so they created the largest welfare program in American history to compensate for those increased costs. Despite the massive scope of this program, more than 200 million Americans will not receive benefits, just energy tax hikes without direct

Obama wants control of health care (which is irreversible, irrevocable), education and energy.

UPDATE: It was announced today that we lost another half a million jobs last month, but Obama told us today at his daily dear leader mind-f**k press conference that it's a "sign of recovery," because we lost 750,000 the month before. So this is better. Get it? Remember how "terrible" unemployment was under Bush -- 5% -- and the media hand-wringing, caterwauling and howling at the moon was intolerable.

TARGET THE RINOS WHO PASSED CAP AND TAX

Eight traitors to the principles of the Republican party handed the Democrat-communists a victory which may lead to the greatest tax increases and most far-reaching centralized (dictatorship) control over every aspect of American life. (hat tip TC)

The vote was 219 - 212. The 8 RINO votes would have stopped this marxist-transnationalist legislation in its tracks. On a good note - 43 democrats rejected the insanity.

Red State has the names of those who must be targeted and voted out.  The Quisling Republicans

Bono Mack

Castle

Kirk

Lance

LoBiondo

McHugh

Reichert

Smith (NJ)

Complete vote tally here.

219-212: Cap and Trade Passes House. On to the Senate

The Democrats in the House of Representatives have voted to destroy the United States economy unilaterally. The vote was 220-203. 5 people did not vote. (As of 7:15 p.m.)

The vote was extremely close. 8 Republicans voted yes. 43 Democrats voted no.

Your persistent phone calls kept the margin very narrow and now make it extremely difficult to pass the Senate.

We must keep up the pressure in the Senate. We also now have a lot of momentum going into the healthcare fight. Democrats cannot expect to hold the same economy destroying coalition together.

Also, several Democrats are now dead men walking. We will clean their clocks next year.

UPDATED: Both James Inhofe and Harry Reid predict the legislation is dead in the Senate.

Republicans voting yes: 

Congressman Mary Bono, California 202-225-5330
Congressman Mike Castle,Delaware 202-225-4165
Congressman Mark Kirk Illinois 202-225-4835
Congressman Frank Lobiondo New Jersey 202-225-6572
Congressman Leonard Lance New Jersey 202-225-5361
Congressman John McHugh New York 202-225-4611
Congressman Dave Reichert Washington State 202-225-7761
Congressman Chris Smith Trenton New Jersey 202-225-3765

Daryl wrote me earlier:

Did our government surrender to Beijing without telling us?

 

If this bill passes, it will have the effect on America the Versailles Treaty had on Germany.  

 

De-industrialization.

 

We are going to receive a double-whammy because the treaty exempts the worst polluters, the ChiComs, from mandatory emission controls, but WE get to help foot the bill for whatever pollution controls the despots in Beijing decide to deploy.

 

Our manufacturers are mandated to pay for their own investments in pollution control technology and, indirectly through higher taxes for foreign aid, for THEIRS.

 

How come the world's biggest debtor nation has to raise taxes and borrow more money to pay for  aid to the biggest creditor nation?

 

Naturally, this will only further the transfer of manufacturing to China.

 

After the greenback goes the way of the Deutschmark, the middle class has lost its savings to hyper-inflation, and all our non-government jobs have gone to China, how will we avoid the rise of an American Hitler?

The Democrats Strike (your wallet) again

Atlas reader TC asks, do you remember the Democrats who lobbied Iraq? In the summer of 2008 the destroy-USA Democrats, led by "Chuck" Schumer, corralled then Secretary of State Condi Rice, forcing her to pressure Iraq into canceling six contracts that had been previously awarded to Western oil companies - Exxon, Chevron, Shell, Total, BP, etc.

Thanks to these leftists, their ally and model of "progressive utopian dictatorship" - communist China - has reaped the rewards enabled by Democrat treason and has purchased 550 million barrels of oil at $16/barrel:

From Phil's Stock World:

"How much smarter is China than the US?

Well let’s see - The US has spent $1,000,000,000,000 fighting in Iraq and thousands of our soldiers have died and we have secured ZERO barrels of oil for ourselves. China was not part of the coalition of the willing but, for just $8.8Bn, they are getting 550 Million barrels of oil, almost the size of the US’s entire strategic petroleum reserve, through the purchase of Addax Petroleum, and 20% of those reserves are in Iraq . While Bush filled our reserve up "at any price" and became the single largest buyer of crude in the world, filling our SPR at a rate of 2-3Mb a week at times, China simply waited patiently on the sidelines and is now coming in and buying wholesale. That’s pretty smart!

And America is turning over energy to these assclowns? A 1,300 page bill that no one has even read is being rammed down our throats?

ACTION ALERT EMERGENCY: Say no to "Crap and Trade" There is no such thing as Climate Change, It's called "Weather"; STOP THE "FATTEN AL GORE SOME MO" TAX!

UPDATE! 6:15 PM FILIBUSTER! Just thought you might all might want to tune in to CSPAN. House Republican Leader John Boehner is taking the liberty of reading the entire 300-page amendment added to the Waxman-Markey energy bill THIS MORNING at 3am. Democrats want to pass the largest tax in American history, slipping amendments in in the dark? Republicans won’t stand for this. Check it out. His commentary is pretty good too, and Waxman isn’t happy.

______________________________________________________

Cap and trade vote expected today, time, details International Business Times
It's crap and trade. Cap and Trade is a fancy word for tax increase. Worse, it is a tax on the middle class to subsidize the affluent. States that rely heavily on energy pay more. Miami, Ohio will subsidize Miami, Florida. Why not tie actual warming to carbon taxing based on evidence? Considering that it has been decreasing since 2002, the gubmint might wind up owing us money. 

So much going on - breathless. BUT STOP AND LISTEN.

Atlas readers! Call your members of Congress at 202-224-3121 and tell them that they oppose this energy tax. This is a 1,200 page document with an addendum of 300 pages which was added at 3am last night! They are expected to vote on this today. It is a very close count so far.

CONTACT YOUR CONGRESSMAN

CONTACT YOUR US REPRESENTATIVE HERE

This must be stopped. The vampires must get their teeth out of the American taxpayer's neck. This is a crushing blow to capitalism and free markets, to say nothing of the advancement of junk science. This will bankrupt the nation. The massive 'cap and trade' legislation will mean up to a 90% eventual increase in your electricity bill...check out the facts - THIS IS BEING VOTED ON IN THE HOUSE TODAY! CALL YOUR CONGRESSMAN AND TELL HIM OR HER TO VOTE NO ON CAP AND TRADE! 

HOUSE IS RUSHING CLIMATE CHANGE BILL THROUGH
How many politicians read these additional 300 pages 12 hours ago and understand this bill?

If you can't get through to your reps on Capitol Hill, call their district office.

More here.

Anticipating such alarmist efforts, Dr. Ross McKitrick, the brilliant University of Guelph Economics Professor who helped debunk the Hockey Stick fraudulence of Mann et al, called their bluff in this June 12, 2007 Op-Ed. McKitrick’s full argumentation, including his mathematical modeling can be read here (McKitrick, Ross. “A Simple State-Contingent Pricing Rule for Complex Intertemporal Externalities,” July 1, 2008, at the Social Research Network site).

McKitrick’s premise is simple—and wait for this—evidence-based!

Why not tie carbon taxes to actual levels of warming? Both skeptics and alarmists should expect their wishes to be answered

Below are the salient points of McKitrick’s proposal. Again, the entire June 12, 2007 Op-Ed can be read here, and his full discussion of the proposal can be evaluated here.

The IPCC [Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change] predicts a warming rate in the tropical troposphere of about double that at the surface, implying about 0.2C to 1.2C per decade in the tropical troposphere under greenhouse-forcing scenarios. That implies the tax will climb by $4 to $24 per ton per decade, a much more aggressive schedule of emission fee increases than most current proposals. At the upper end of warming forecasts, the tax could reach $200 per ton of CO2 by 2100, forcing major carbon-emission reductions and a global shift to non-carbon energy sources.

Global-warming activists would like this. But so would skeptics, because they believe the models are exaggerating the warming forecasts. After all, the averaged UAH [University of Alabama-Huntsville] / RSS [Remote Sensing Systems] tropical troposphere series went up only about 0.08C over the past decade, and has been going down since 2002. Some solar scientists even expect pronounced cooling to begin in a decade. If they are right, the T3 tax will fall below zero within two decades, turning into a subsidy for carbon emissions.

At this point the global-warming alarmists would leap up to slam the proposal. But not so fast, Mr. Gore: The tax would only become a carbon subsidy if all the climate models are wrong, if greenhouse gases are not warming the atmosphere, and if the sun actually controls the climate. Alarmists sneeringly denounce such claims as “denialism,” so they can hardly reject the policy on the belief that they are true.

Under the T3 tax, the regulator gets to call everyone’s bluff at once, without gambling in advance on who is right. If the tax goes up, it ought to have. If it doesn’t go up, it shouldn’t have. Either way we get a sensible outcome.

Gore has scored 100 million dollars in "global warming" hoax.

Al Gore invests millions to make billions in cap-and-trade software

Al Gore’s venture capital firm has invested $6 million in a software company that stands to make billions of dollars from cap-and-trade regulation — further fueling controversy that Gore lied about his profiteering from cap-and-trade to Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and the House Energy and Environment Subcommittee during testimony in April.

Hara Software sells software to help track greenhouse gas emissions. The market for such software is now about $2.5 billion dollars in size, and is expected to grow by a factor of ten to $25 billion if cap-and-trade legislation is enacted, according to Hara CEO Amit Chatterjee.

Kleiner Perkins, a venture capital firm in which Al Gore is a partner, invested in Hara just last year. Chatterjee told Reuters that, 

UPDATE: Left Coast Rebel has the numbers here. Wow.

Cap and Tax...get on the horn.

ACTION ALERT: KILL THE 'C[R]AP AND TRADE' TAX INCREASE

I receive emails everyday, "Pamela, what can I do"? I will tell you. Each action must be fought. Each piece of legislation must be voted down. Obama is moving with dizzying speed? Well then, so are we. The days of a passive populace are over. This is still America, and our elected officials answer to us.

On your lists of things to do today, do nothing until you do your part to save the country:

Be sure to call your US Representative!!! Insist they vote no on cap-and-trade. Below is 1) the link to find your US Rep; and 2) members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee [(202) 225-2927]. Let's melt down the Capitol Switchboard!

CONTACT YOUR US REPRESENTATIVE HERE.

CONTACT THE MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE ENERGY AND COMMERCE COMMITTEE HERE.

Cap and Trade is a fancy word for tax increase. Worse, it is a tax on the middle class to subsidize the affluent. States that rely heavily on energy pay more. Miami, Ohio will subsidize Miami, Florida. Why not tie actual warming to carbon taxing based on evidence? Considering that it has been decreasing since 2002, the gubmint might wind up owing us money. 

Global warming is a hoax (here's the evidence).

CALL YOUR PEEPS NOW. We are an energy rich nation. The largest gas reserves were just discovered in Louisiana. We have more oil underground than we know what to do with. China is drilling our oil off the coast of Florida because Castro gave them permission.

Wake up and stop funding the damn jihad!

And don't forget your other righteous task: SAY NO TO KOH.

(SAVE YOUR WALLET AND YOUR COUNTRY!)

UPDATE: Carbon taxation here

Anticipating such alarmist efforts, Dr. Ross McKitrick, the brilliant University of Guelph Economics Professor who helped debunk the Hockey Stick fraudulence of Mann et al, called their bluff in this June 12, 2007 Op-Ed. McKitrick’s full argumentation, including his mathematical modeling can be read here (McKitrick, Ross. “A Simple State-Contingent Pricing Rule for Complex Intertemporal Externalities,” July 1, 2008, at the Social Research Network site).

McKitrick’s premise is simple—and wait for this—evidence-based!

Why not tie carbon taxes to actual levels of warming? Both skeptics and alarmists should expect their wishes to be answered

Below are the salient points of McKitrick’s proposal. Again, the entire June 12, 2007 Op-Ed can be read here, and his full discussion of the proposal can be evaluated here.

The IPCC [Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change] predicts a warming rate in the tropical troposphere of about double that at the surface, implying about 0.2C to 1.2C per decade in the tropical troposphere under greenhouse-forcing scenarios. That implies the tax will climb by $4 to $24 per ton per decade, a much more aggressive schedule of emission fee increases than most current proposals. At the upper end of warming forecasts, the tax could reach $200 per ton of CO2 by 2100, forcing major carbon-emission reductions and a global shift to non-carbon energy sources.

Global-warming activists would like this. But so would skeptics, because they believe the models are exaggerating the warming forecasts. After all, the averaged UAH [University of Alabama-Huntsville] / RSS [Remote Sensing Systems] tropical troposphere series went up only about 0.08C over the past decade, and has been going down since 2002. Some solar scientists even expect pronounced cooling to begin in a decade. If they are right, the T3 tax will fall below zero within two decades, turning into a subsidy for carbon emissions.

At this point the global-warming alarmists would leap up to slam the proposal. But not so fast, Mr. Gore: The tax would only become a carbon subsidy if all the climate models are wrong, if greenhouse gases are not warming the atmosphere, and if the sun actually controls the climate. Alarmists sneeringly denounce such claims as “denialism,” so they can hardly reject the policy on the belief that they are true.

Under the T3 tax, the regulator gets to call everyone’s bluff at once, without gambling in advance on who is right. If the tax goes up, it ought to have. If it doesn’t go up, it shouldn’t have. Either way we get a sensible outcome.

PORK AND SOCIALISM MASQUERADING AS "STIMULUS" ACTION ALERT: CALL CONGRESS NOW~

The only thing the stimulus package is going to stimulate is the end of capitalism in America. It's not a stimulus package, it's a leftwing wish list of every commie leftarded social handout they couldn't get through in the last 20 years. This is an economic jihad and we are at the precipice of a meltdown.

And don't get me started on the death blow President Hussein delivered to the auto industry yesterday -- his new emission standards mean an additional $2,000 a vehicle. This is not the problem - energy is the problem. Getting off the jihad oil is the problem. Drilling and using our untapped resources is the answer.

And the racketeering ACORN is in the bill - the liars, crooks, and jokers are getting 4.1 billion.

BTW, the Dow is at new low ...............

CALL YOUR CONGRESSMAN NOW: DON'T BE LAZY. YOU ARE AMERICA'S ONLY HOPE.

PENCE DENOUNCES DEMOCRAT STIMULUS BILL: "WON'T STIMULATE ANYTHING BUT MORE GOVERNMENT AND MORE DEBT"

Will Urge President Obama Today To Deliver on Promise of Bi-Partisan Solution

WASHINGTON – In response to the filing of the Democrat version of a stimulus bill, Congressman Mike Pence, chairman of the House Republican Conference, issued the following statement today:

"Our nation is facing a serious economic crisis but the Democrats in Congress have offered a purely partisan bill that does not incorporate bipartisan recommendations.

"The American people deserve to know that the President’s call for a compromise has been completely ignored by House Democrats who would use a time of national economic crisis to fund their big government priorities under the guise of stimulating the economy.

"House Republicans take President Obama at his word and will urge him to make good on his pledge to set aside partisan differences and bring the best ideas from both parties to bear on this economic crisis.

"The Democrat promises of change and bipartisanship ring hollow in the face of a stimulus bill that does little more than fund a wish list of longstanding liberal spending priorities.

"What does $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts, $200 million to plant sod on the National Mall, $400 million for climate change research, and $200 million for contraception have to do with creating jobs?

"The Democrat bill won't stimulate anything but more government and more debt. The slow and wasteful spending in the House Democrat bill is a disservice to millions of Americans who want to see this Congress take immediate action to get this economy moving again.

"House Republicans have a better solution. By enacting the Republican plan for fast-acting tax relief for working families and small businesses the American people will see immediate results that will put our nation on the road to recovery."

UPDATE: Big g government is where once successful nations go to die. Mark Steyn (read it all)

THIS IS SICK

Just Some of the Economic Stimulus Bill By Jamie Dupree

What follows are a number of the spending projects included in the economic stimulus bill filed by Democrats late on Friday, which will be voted on in coming days by the House of Representatives.

This is not a complete list. Instead, it is an overview of some of the major items found in this bill in terms of spending. No judgments are made about the need for these expenditures.

That is up to you, the voter, and your elected members of the House and Senate.

You can find the full text of the bill, H.R. 1 at http://www.rules.house.gov/111/LegText/111_hr1_text.pdf

Here is a sampling of what we found:

$44 million for construction, repair and improvements at US Department of Agriculture facilties

$209 million for work on deferred maintenance at Agricultural Research Service facilities

$245 million for maintaining and modernizing the IT system of the Farm Service Agency

$175 million to buy and restore floodplain easements for flood prevention

$50 million for "Watershed Rehabilitation"

$1.1 billion for rural community facilities direct loans

$2 billion for rural business and industry guaranteed loans

$2.7 billion for rural water and waste dispoal direct loans

$22.1 billion for rural housing insurance fund loans

$2.8 billion for loans to spur rural broadband

$150 million for emergency food assistance

$50 million for regional economic development commissions

$1 billion for "Periodic Censuses and Programs"

$350 million for State Broadband Data and Development Grants

$1.8 billion for Rural Broadband Deployment Grants

$1 billion for Rural Wireless Deployment Grants

$650 million for Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Program

$100 million for "Scientific and Technical Research and Services" at the National Institute of Standards And Technology

$30 million for necessary expenses of the "Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership"

$300 million for a competitive construction grant program for research science buildings

$400 million for "habitat restoration and mitigation activities" at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

$600 million for "accelerating satellite development and acquisition"

$140 million for "climate data modeling"

$3 billion for state and local law enforcement grants

$1 billion for "Community Oriented Policing Services"

$250 million for "accelerating the development of the tier 1 set of Earth science climate research missions recommended by the National Academies Decadal Survey."

$50 million for repairs to NASA facilities from storm damage

$300 million for "Major Research Insrumentation program" (science)

$200 million for "academic research facilities modernization"

$100 million for "Education and Human Resources"

$400 million for "Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction"

$4.5 billion to make military facilities more energy efficient

$1.5 billion for Army Operation and Maintenance fund

$624 million for Navy Operation and Maintenance

$128 million for Marine Corps Operation and Maintenance

$1.23 billion for Air Force Operation and Maintenance

$454 million to "Defense Health Program"

$110 million for Army Reserve Operation and Maintenance

$62 million for Navy Reserve Operation and Maintenance

$45 million for Marine Corps Reserve Operation and Maintenance

$14 million for Air Force Reserve Operation and Maintenance

$302 million for National Guard Operation and Maintenance

$29 million for Air National Guard Operation and Maintenance

$350 million for military energy research and development programs

$2 billion for Army Corps of Engineers "Construction"

$250 million for "Mississippi River and Tributaries"

$2.2 billion for Army Corps "Operation and Maintenance"

$25 million for an Army Corps "Regulatory Program"

$126 million for Interior Department "water reclamation and reuse projects"

$80 million for "rural water projects"

$18.5 billion for "Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy" research in the Department of Energy. That money includes:

$2 billion for development of advanced batteries

$800 million of that is for biomass research and $400 million for geothermal technologies

$1 billion in grants to "institutional entities for energy sustainability and efficiency"

$6.2 billion for the Weatherization Assistance Program

$3.5 billion for Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants

$3.4 billion for state energy programs

$200 million for expenses to implement energy independence programs

$300 million for expenses to implement Energy efficient appliance rebate programs including the Energy Star program

$400 million for expenses to implement Alternative Fuel Vehicle and Infrastructure Grants to States and Local Governments

$1 billion for expenses necessary for advanced battery manufacturing

$4.5 billion to modernize the nation's electricity grid

$1 billion for the Advanced Battery Loan Guarantee Program

$2.4 billion to demonstrate "carbon capture and sequestration technologies"

$400 million for the Advanced Research Projects Agency (Science)

$500 million for "Defense Environmental Cleanup"

$1 billion for construction and repair of border facilities and land ports of entry

$6 billion for energy efficiency projects on government buildings

$600 million to buy and lease government plug-in and alternative fuel vehicles

$426 million in small business loans

$100 million for "non-intrusive detection technology to be deployed at sea ports of entry

$150 million for repair and construction at land border ports of entry

$500 million for explosive detection systems for aviation security

$150 million for alteration or removal of obstructive bridges

$200 million for FEMA Emergency Food and Shelter program

$325 million for Interior Department road, bridge and trail repair projects

$300 million for road and bridge work in Wildlife Refuges and Fish Hatcheries

$1.7 billion for "critical deferred maintenance" in the National Park System

$200 million to revitalize the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

$100 million for National Park Service Centennial Challenge programs

$200 million for repair of U.S. Geological Survey facilities

$500 million for repair and replacement of schools, jails, roads, bridges, housing and more for Bureau of Indian Affairs

$800 million for Superfund programs

$200 million for leaking underground storage tank cleanup

$8.4 billion in "State and Tribal Assistance Grants"

$650 million in "Capital Improvement and Maintenance" at the Agriculture Dept.

$850 million for "Wildland Fire Management"

$550 million for Indian Health facilties

$150 million for deferred maintenance at the Smithsonian museums

$50 million in grants to fund "arts projects and activities which preserve jobs in the non-profit arts sector threatened by declines in philanthropic and other support during the current economic downturn" through the National Endowment for the Arts

$1.2 billion in grants to states for youth summer jobs programs and other activities

$1 billion for states in dislocated worker employment and training activities

$500 million for the dislocated workers assistance national reserve

$80 million for the enforcement of worker protection laws and regulations related to infrastructure and unemployment insurance investments

$300 million for "construction, rehabilitation and acquisition of Job Corps Centers"

$250 million for public health centers

$1 billion for renovation and repair of health centers

$600 million for nurse, physician and dentist training

$462 million for renovation work at the Centers for Disease Control

$1.5 billion for "National Center for Research Resources"

$500 million for "Buildlings and Facilties" at the National Institutes of Health in suburban Washington, D.C.

$700 million for "comparative effectiveness research" on prescription drugs

$1 billion for Low-Income Home Energy Assistance

$2 billion in Child Care and Development Block Grants for states

$1 billion for Head Start programs

$1.1 billion for Early Head Start programs

$100 million for Social Security research programs

$200 million for "Aging Services Programs"

$2 billion for "Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology"

$430 million for public health/social services emergency funds

$2.3 billion for the Centers for Disease Control for a variety of programs

$5.5 billion in targeted education grants

$5.5 billion in "education finance incentive grants"

$2 billion in "school improvement grants"

$13.6 billion for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

$250 million for statewide education data systems

$14 billion for school modernization, renovation and repair

$160 million for AmeriCorps grants

$400 million for the construction and costs to establish a new "National Computer Center" for the Social Security Administration

$500 million to improve processing of disability and retirement claims

$920 million for Army housing and child development centers

$350 million for Navy and Marine Corps housing and child development centers

$280 million in Air Force housing and child development centers

$3.75 billion in military hospital and surgery center construction

$140 million in Army National Guard construction projects

$70 million in Air National Guard construction projects

$100 million in Army Reserve construction projects

$30 million in Navy Reserve construction projects

$60 million in Air Force Reserve construction projects

$950 million for VA Medical Facilities

$50 million for repairs for military cemeteries

$120 million for a backup information management facility for the State Department

$98 million for National Cybersecurity Initiative

$3 billion for "Grants-in-Aid for Airports"

$300 million for Indian Reservation roads

$300 million for Amtrak capital needs

$800 million for national railroad assets or infrastructure repairs, upgrades

$5.4 billion in federal transit grants

$2 billion in infrastructure development for subways and commuter railways

$5 billion for public housing capital

$1 billion in competitive housing grants

$2.5 billion for energy efficiency upgrades in public housing

$500 million in Native American Housing Block Grants

$4.1 billion to help communities deal with foreclosed homes

$1.5 billion in homeless prevention activities

$79 billion in education funds for states

FLYING PIG MOMENT: DEMOCRATS LET DRILLING BAN EXPIRE

The Democrat political elites decided to have mercy on the little people. They have destroyed our financial system, our public education system, our legal system,  our ability to use our own energy resources, the Democrats have expanded fought for terrorists rights, child rapist rights ................ today it all came down around the heads of American people and so the oppressors let up ... a bit

Democrats to let offshore drilling ban expire hat tip Van

WASHINGTON - Democrats have decided to allow a quarter-century ban on drilling for oil off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to expire next week, conceding defeat in a months-long battle with the White House and Republicans set off by $4 a gallon gasoline prices this summer.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, D-Wis., told reporters Tuesday that a provision continuing the moratorium will be dropped this year from a stopgap spending bill to keep the government running after Congress recesses for the election.

Republicans have made lifting the ban a key campaign issue after gasoline prices spiked this summer and public opinion turned in favor of more drilling. President Bush lifted an executive ban on offshore drilling in July.

WAIT! Dems are pigs ..... Clyde point out: "One little thingy buried in the news article about this is the bill that will go forward MINUS the ban WILL contain $25,000,000,000 (billion) dollars in loans to Detroit automakers who are having a "hard time". Woe is  them. I hope Congress makes it as hard for these inept businessmen to get the loan as the businessmen make it for most people to buy a car.

Thanks to three Democrat American senators, China will be pumping Iraqi oil

Read it and weep. No Oil for Blood by Frederick W. Kagan. We have been thoughly infiltrated and route. If Obama snatches the White House ........... it's over. Over at the Weekly Standard (hat tip ejo)

One would have thought that leading Democratic senators who claim to be interested in finding other sources of funding to replace American dollars in Iraq, in helping Iraq spend its own money on its own people, and in lowering the price of gasoline for American citizens, would have been all for it. Instead, Senators Chuck Schumer, John Kerry, and Claire McCaskill wrote a letter to Secretary of State Rice asking her "to persuade the GOI [Government of Iraq] to refrain from signing contracts with multinational oil companies until a hydrocarbon law is in effect in Iraq." The Bush administration wisely refused to do so, but the resulting media hooraw in Iraq led to the cancellation of the contracts, and helps to explain why Iraq is doing oil deals instead with China.

Senators Schumer, McCaskill, and Kerry claimed to be acting from the purest of motives: "It is our fear that this action by the Iraqi government could further deepen political tensions in Iraq and put our service members in even great danger." For that reason, presumably, Schumer went so far as to ask the senior vice president of Exxon "if his company would agree to wait until the GOI produced a fair, equitable, and transparent hydrocarbon revenue sharing law before it signed any long-term agreement with the GOI." Exxon naturally refused, but Schumer managed to get the deal killed anyway. But the ostensible premise of the senators' objections was false--Iraq may not have a hydrocarbons law, but the central government has been sharing oil revenues equitably and there is no reason at all to imagine that signing the deals would have generated increased violence (and this was certainly not the view of American civilian and military officials on the ground in Iraq at the time). It is certain that killing the deals has delayed the maturation of Iraq's oil industry without producing the desired hydrocarbons legislation.

Nor is it entirely clear what the senators' motivations were. Their release (available along with their letter to Secretary Rice at the New York Observer quoted Senator McCaskill as follows: "'It's bad enough that we have no-bid contracts being awarded for work in Iraq. It's bad enough that the big oil companies continue to receive government handouts while they post record breaking profits. But now the most profitable companies in the universe--America's biggest oil companies--stand to reap the rewards of this no-bid contract on top of it all,' McCaskill said. 'It doesn't take a rocket scientist to connect these dots--big oil is running Washington and now they're running Baghdad. There is no reason under the sun not to halt these agreements until we get revenue sharing in place,' McCaskill said." So was this about what's best for Iraq and American interests there or about nailing "big oil" in an election year?

Either way, like Barack Obama's asking the Iraqi foreign minister to hold off on a strategic framework agreement until after the American election, it was nothing but harmful to American interests and our prospects in Iraq.

DEMOCRAT POLITICAL DRILL STUNT: FIDDLING WHILE AMERICANS BURN

The Democrats pulled another fast one. Last night's energy bill was yet another insult to our intelligence. Under the guise of a drill bill,  the Democrats, serving their enviro-industrial masters, passed an "energy" bill that bans offshore drilling within 50 miles of the coastline - in other words, where the oil is.

The whole bill stinks.

The House, on a 236-189 vote, on Tuesday approved a bill to allow oil drilling off the nation's Atlantic and Pacific coasts if states agree — but only 50 or more miles out. Republicans called the bill a ruse, saying that's well beyond where most of the estimated 18 billion barrels of oil is located.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the measure marked "a new direction in energy policy" because of its emphasis on alternative energy.

The White House threatened a veto, saying the bill doesn't go far enough to generate new domestic supplies of oil and natural gas. The bill's prospects in the Senate are unclear.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the measure marked "a new direction in energy policy" because of its emphasis on alternative energy. (more here)

She is disgusting, waiting for her next photo - op of her kissing the ass of Assad.

Drilling is the answer. Listen to this man, he ought to know!

Imagine what a wonderful world it would be - more jobs! more oil! more wealth creation!

In the largest transfer of wealth, 700 billion leaves the U.S. economy every year and goes straight into the hands of the jihad.

Kbliss writes,

It is billed as an offshore energy bill.  It is not.  It is a Prius being sold as a Porsche (see my posting on this today at .) They cannot be allowed to get away with this lie.  While reporters seem intent on probing ad infinitum whether Palin and McCain are lying about the "bridge to nowhere", I suggest themedia probe the callous and insincere stunt the Democrats pulled last night in passing an "offshore bill".  It will amount to almost no additional offshore resources.  It will, however, tax oil companies giving them less dollars to invest in domestic prodcution.  It's all so stupid and short-sighted.  It's a political stunt designed only to shore up their credentials on an issue they were losing just a few weeks ago.  We can't them get away with a lie.  The American people need to understand that they're being sold a bill of goods on this.  The Democrats have still not addressed domestic production in any worthwhile way.  America needs its domestic oil and natural gas.  It is a national security issue of the highest importance.

TAKE BACK AMERICA! VOTE OUT THE DEMS AND DRILL BABY DRILL!

GET FED UP. The Dems gotta go. Done, finished, cooked. Basta! The world is on fire and they have shackled our ability to use our own natural rescources. The Dems ...... hate America

“Despite $4 gasoline, record-high natural gas and home heating oil prices and rising rates for gas-fired utilities, government policies have led to only 91.5 million acres being leased for energy exploration and production. More than 2.3 billion acres are not even being looked at for energy. In total, that’s an amount of land larger than China or Brazil.  So while opponents domestic energy production clamor about “68 million acres” and point fingers at each other, ask yourself who’s doing more to help bring down energy prices -- companies that are producing oil and natural gas at record-high 25% success rate, or your government, which refuses to establish policies that contribute any more than 3.7 percent of your land to help lower prices.” (hat tip Kennedy)

Who's Hoarding America's Oil? Human Events

From Newt:

...make all or part of the offshore drilling ban permanent. Now is the time to let the federal government know we need full and unfettered access to America's offshore energy resources.

Take immediate action by clicking here. Let your voice be heard in favor of expanding American offshore energy production.

• The OCS contains 86 billion barrels of oil and 420 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. However, 85% of the OCS surrounding the lower 48 states is off-limits to energy exploration and production.
  
  
• Increasing access to these offshore resources is critical to America's economic and energy security.

As taxpayers, American citizens own these offshore federal lands and the energy resources that lie beneath them.

I urge you to click here for a quick and easy way to register your support for expanded offshore drilling.

FREE AMERICA FROM THE SHACKLES OF JIHAD OIL

The only "hoax" being perpetrated on the American people is Nancy Pelosi's fallacious argument. Republicans,  serving the interests of the American people, are furiously trying to get legislation passed to drill our oil reserves. Do not falter my good men and women. We must break the shackles of fascist party. I don't care how long it takes, we need to start NOW. Whose interest does Pelosi serve? Her own: Nancy Pelosi Invests In Energy Scheme and Water Grab.

And Atlas readers, write Lindsey Graham and his gang of tools, to back off and STU!

BTW, big oil's interest are the same as mine. Check out ANWR: Atlas Shrugs: ANWR, THE DEMOCRATS AND THE BIG LIE.

Jan put some links together for us and fisks Obama's "energy policy".

The only reason that we have to import any oil is Congress not letting us use our own.  Here are the reserves as I found them on the Internet:

200 BBL (billion barrels): Bakken Oil Formation: link here

1.5 TBL (Trillion barrels): Shale oil: link here.

75 BBL: Tar Sands: link here.

100 BBN: Outer continental shelf: link here

10 BBN ANWAR: link here.

Just these fields add up to 1.885 trillion barrels of oil.  At 20 million barrels a day usage, that comes out to 94,250 day or 258 years.  Of course, they are worth nothing if Congress says we can't use them.

On the other hand, if we do use them (and we the people will give congress no choice), we accomplish a few things:  

1. we could stop sending other countries $750 billion a year.

2. we could counter Russia’s attempt to wrap their oil fingers around Western Europe's throat  

3. we could have a source of revenue to finance basic research into better batteries and solar cells

4. It gives us time to build the infrastructure required to support electric or hydrogen cars

5. It gives us time on how to deal with waste from nuclear power plants

Obamessiah: Turning water into wine and nothing into energy

By Jan Poller

The election is boiling down to two main issues: the economy – which is focused on energy and energy costs and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Energy is now front and center. Obama and the Democrats, McCain and the Republicans are now focused on energy.  There is more to their differences than first meets the eye.

listened to Obama’s energy policy speech and read the http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joseph-romm/obama-delivers-a-real-ene_b_116751.html  comments on it.  I was appalled at the apparent ignorance of the speech writers, the researchers, the commenters and, above all, Obama his own self.

Maybe having a degree in math and physics and a life-long love of fast cars makes me not understand the change of vision the Obamessiah is attempting to bring to us.  Perhaps, I can bring a little bit of reality to people who do not have the technical background that I (and millions of others) have. I hate to bore you with technical details, but it is necessary to put them in to show that Obama’s statements are strictly political, designed to mislead people and are at odds with reality.

Obama says that electric cars will save us from oil and fossil fuel. Electric cars are not a viable alternative to the current fleet of cars.  Everyone knows this, which is why Obama is making his call for massive investment in electric car research.  Never mind that private industry is investing far more than Obama is saying he will invest. 

There are approximately 600 million cars in the world of which 243 million are in the United States.  Think about that when it comes to pollution and the use of resources.  Also think about it as an industry that employees millions of people.

oday, we have a really good comparison of a state-of-the-art electric car and a conventional car.  The electric car is the Tesla Roadster which is based on the Lotus Elise SC sports car and is built in the same factory.    Both cars are based on the same aluminum frame with composite bodies.  I am boring you with the specifications to make the point that electric cars are not feasible replacements for today’s cars.  Basic physics: the more anything weighs the more energy it takes to move it around.

 

Parameter	Lotus Elise SC	Tesla Roadster	Note
Base Price	$55,425	$109,000
Weight LBS	2,028	2,690	Taking out the engine, cooling system and fuel tank, adding in 6,800 batteries and electronics increases the weight by 662 lbs.
Engine type	4 cylinder 1796 CC supercharged Toyota, aluminum	Electric, 3 phase, 4 pole, liquid cooled Regenerative engine braking
Power	218 HP @ 8000 RPM	248 HP@13,000 RPM
Torque	156 LB FT @ 5100 RPM	211 FT lbs @ 1 RPM
Transmission	6 speed manual	1 speed reduction gear
Acceleration 0-60 MPH	4.4 seconds	3.9 seconds
Top speed MPH	150	125
MPG	26
Range		227 EPA cycle
Battery pack		6,800 Lithium-Ion commercially available batteries
Battery Life		100,000 Miles
Replacement cost		$21,000 - $30,000
Fuel/Battery Cost for 100,000 miles with gas at $4.00 gallon	$15,384	$21,000	No figures for electrical recharge cost.  Tesla doesn’t need oil changes.
Refill/recharge time	5 minutes	As low as 3.5 hours
Time to drive 400 miles @ 60 MPH plus refill/recharge	Time: 6:45 Average Speed: 59.25	Time: 10:10Average Average Speed: 39.34	Don’t forget the cost of additional hotel nights on long distance trips.

 

Elise source:  link here

Tesla source:     http://www.teslamotors.com/display_data/teslaroadster_specsheet.pdf
http://auto-specs.zercustoms.com/t/tesla/2007-tesla-roadster-specifications.html
http://autos.yahoo.com/tesla_roadster_convertible-specs/

Electric car information is available.  Obama and the Democrats studiously ignore exact information and just give us “feel good” platitudes.

Obama is going to mandate that we develop technology in a year or two that we haven’t been able to develop in 150 years.  He compares his plan to the Manhattan Project that created the atomic bomb in just a few years.  What he doesn’t realize is that the atomic bomb had a hundred years of physics behind it including knowledge of radioactivity and chain reactions.  We do not have the same physics to produce a battery suitable for mass production to power a car.

When you look at energy saving articles and comments on pro-Obama web sites like www.huffingtonpost.com you find huge support that putting a little more air in your tires is going to reduce our oil consumption enough to affect the price of gas.  You also find energy saving tips like “turn off your computers when you aren’t using them”.  Well, a typical laptop computer as the equivalent of 6 batteries as used in the Tesla.  The Tesla Roadster with its 6800 batteries is equivalent to plugging in 1133 laptop computers!  You can make your own comparison on that.

Even if we invent the technology tomorrow, Obama has no clue how long it takes to put a new model car into production.  Once a car is designed, it has to be tested, the tooling produced and the factories modified.  It costs at least $one billion to make the tooling and set up the factory. It took General Motors from 2006 to 2008 to take the new Chevrolet Camaro from concept to production using existing platforms, engines, suspensions and other components.

Obama is forecasting one million electric cars a year by 2015.  That is not a lot of cars.  In the United States, we have a fleet of 243 million cars and we purchase about 16 million a year.  One million is 4/10%.  They will have no meaningful effect on fuel usage for many, many years.

Obamessiah talks about creating new jobs in Michigan.  He is also talking about putting the oil companies and their hundreds of thousands of employees out of business.  He wants to take all of their profits as a tax and give it to “the people”.  So, besides putting them out of the oil business, he wants to make sure that they don’t have funds to get into a new business.

The added weight of the batteries over the gas engine version of cars requires more energy to move the car.  If transportation uses 20 million barrels of fuel today, switching to electric will require the energy equivalent plus the additional amount for the additional weight.  Where is this energy going to come from?  Nuclear is ruled out.  Wind off Cape Cod is a No No.  We can’t use coal, either.

All this energy is going to come from things not yet invented.  Obama will need to have congress repeal or change the laws of physics to accomplish his implied goals.

Buy it if you want, but not a single implied goal of his can be met even if we have a battery life breakthrough tomorrow.

Last night, I watched an episode of “Ice Road Truckers” on the History Channel.  This show is about blue collar truck drivers delivering supplies and equipment of frozen lakes, rivers and Barents Sea.  Our “liberal” and “progressive” intellectuals take pride in not watching such shows on TV because they aren’t intellectually stimulating,  they aren’t Meet the Press or Chris Mathews.

There is much to learn from this show and what we learn is the self-imposed ignorance the hard left and extreme Greenies.  These truckers are Canadian.  They are hauling supplies and equipment to the far north of Canada to support energy companies and diamond mines.  They haul out waste.  They haul out dirty snow.  They leave a site as clean as when they got there.

Last night’s episode showed scientists camped out on ice over open water researching the capture of methane from sea-floor methane hydrates.  They showed that it works.  In that part of the arctic, there are over a trillion cubic feet of methane.

We Americans are not allowed to do this research.  The Canadians and the rest of the world can.  We Americans are not allowed to drill for oil in the frozen north.  The Canadians and the rest of the world can. We Americans are not allowed to drill far off the coasts.  The Norwegians and English are free to drill in the North Sea.  We, in Virginia, are not allowed to study uranium deposits – despite having the 7^th largest know deposit at 110 million pounds.  Africans, Canadian and Australians are free to do so.  We Americans are not allowed to build new nuclear power plants.  The rest of the world is.

Do we hear any of the Environmentalists complain about what any other country is doing?  Absolutely not!  The same people who decry American nuclear power plants, who stop us from building more are the very same people who strongly support Iran’s nuclear power program.

What is going on here?

Obama and the Democrats keep saying, “We can’t drill our way out of the problem”.  That is true when you realize what they think the problem is.  It isn’t high energy prices: they want us to pay even more.  Obama has said so himself.

No, “The Problem” is that Americans live too well and use to much of the worlds resources. 

How do we solve “The Problem”? We solve it by restricting the use of energy and raw materials.  We reduce our standard of living to that of, say, Europe.  This is not about per capita GDP.  This is about how we actually live.  Watch “International House Hunting” on HG-TV (House and Garden TV – another non-intellectual show that isn’t watched by the hard left intellectuals).  See what housing is like in London, Glasgow, Paris, Portugal, Italy and Buenos Aires and compare it to our housing.  Compare kitchens and bathrooms.  Compare our 15 CU FT refrigerators and Freezers to an under-counter refrigerator.

The hard left wants us to be a less powerful, less industrialized poorer nation.  They want us to give up our cars for busses. They want us to wash our dishes by hand and dry our clothes in the wind.  They want US, not them.  Al Gore isn’t giving up his big house, his SUV, his private airplane flights, his new boat to live the way he wants US to live.

Obama wants to take Exxon-Mobile’s profits and give them away.  Has he set an example by giving away his riches?

The lefties of the world want to diminish the power of the United States.  Then they want to destroy the power of Western civilization.  They want to destroy Capitalism.  They want absolute equality for all.  Except for the leaders, of course...  Just like Communist China and Communist Russia.

CALL BACK CONGRESS!

UPDATED: WATCH WHAT HAPPENED IN PELOSI'S POLITBURO (aka the Congress). The American people must see this. (hat tip Allen)

GO HERE NOW SIGN NOW! (This is from Cantor on the very short list for McCain VP.

Looks like a rectal thermometer (childhood nightmare)

Actually a rectal thermometer would be a good symbol for what Obama is going to do to this country.

GO REPUBLICANS! House Republicans to Resume Floor Protest on American Energy Monday

WRITE YOUR SENATORS! YOUR CONGRESSMAN! This is a defining moment, a moment to show the American people what the Democrats really are and who they represent - their special interests. 
This is the defining election issue that is easy for the American people to understand - the media has blacked out Obama's lack of character, content, background, ties, lies, Rezko blah blah blah BUT Americans know they are being given the shaft on oil. They go to the pumps everyday.

This is not just about the White House - we have so many seats up for grabs in the House and Senate this November - it's frightening. Imagine the socialists, commies, and Islamists in control of all three. The nomination of Obama is the triumph of the dumbing down of the American mind.

The end of America (as we know it).

CALL YOUR CONGRESSMAN! MAKE THIS HAPPEN. THIS IS A GIFT! Let's get off the jihad oil - lets top sending the petrol dollars over to that insane, culturally backward part of the world. Stop funding our executioners. NOW.

John Boehner emailed me this:

House Republicans to Resume Floor Protest on American Energy Monday

WASHINGTON, DC – House Republicans will be back on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives again Monday to continue the unprecedented protest that began last Friday, when dozens of Republicans joined hundreds of American citizens on the House floor to protest Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) decision to send Congress home for the rest of the summer without a vote on legislation to lower gas prices and move America toward energy independence.

In an urgent memo sent to GOP Members and staff Saturday (“A Call to Action on American Energy”), Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) hailed Friday’s action, which was led by Reps. Mike Pence (R-IN), Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA), Tom Price (R-GA), and others, and encouraged House Republicans to return to the Capitol beginning Monday morning to help keep the historic effort going.  

“It’s not a request we make lightly.  But the American people are suffering,” Boehner and Blunt said in the memo.  “The consequences of continued congressional inaction on gas prices are unacceptable.  We’ve called on the Speaker to call Congress back into an emergency session this month and schedule a vote on the American Energy Act.  We must continue to make a stand until the Speaker complies.”  

“We realize not everyone can be in Washington next week.  But if you can be, we ask that you come to the Capitol, join our colleagues, and lend your voice, beginning this Monday at 10:00 am,” the GOP leaders wrote.  “If you can’t be in Washington, we ask that you contribute to the cause in other ways – such as spreading the word among your constituents, writing an op-ed for your local newspaper, or taking our ‘all of the above’ energy message to your local airwaves.”

“Republicans stand with the American people.  We share their passion and determination for energy independence, and we’ve pledged to fight boldly until Congress heeds their will,” Boehner and Blunt concluded.

UPDATE: I looooooooove what msd suggested in the comment section of this post, "McCain - no matter who Obama picks, you need to start calling it the Obama-Pelosi ticket with Harry in waiting"

How right you are. The Obambots have no compunction about calling it the Bush McCain ticket (which is hilarious considering how they differ on any number of issues except the surge - which worked!). Obama Pelosi is puuuuuuuuuuuuuurfect.

UPDATE: This is from Pence: PENCE TO RETURN TO CAPITOL MONDAY TO DEMAND A VOTE ON DOMESTIC DRILLING Congressman To Challenge the Democrat Leadership "Bring this Congress back and give the American people a vote to lessen our dependence on foreign oil”

"The American people are hurting from the high price of gasoline and I commend Minority Leader John Boehner, Minority Whip Roy Blunt and all the Republicans in Congress who took to the House floor last week to fight for a vote on an energy bill that includes more domestic supply.

“It was simply wrong for Congress to take a five-week paid vacation without ever taking a vote on giving the American people more access to American oil.

“I look forward to joining our leaders and my fellow Republicans returning to Congress this week. This is not a revolt, this is democracy in action. The American people want Congress to address the new energy crisis with comprehensive reform that includes more domestic drilling.

“The American people will see that House Republicans are going to continue to challenge the Democrat leadership to bring this Congress back and give the American people a vote to lessen our dependence on foreign oil.”

Obama: Energy Genius

Did you see the 29 July 2008 Obama speech in Missouri where he said, "There are things you can do individually, though, to save energy.   Making sure your tires are properly inflated – simple thing.  But we could save all the oil that they're talking about getting off drilling if everybody was just inflating their tires.  And getting regular tune-ups.  You'd actually save just as much!"

Watch the video here (please!). I was ...... dumbfounded. So too apparently were many Atlas readers. The best email was Richards (he suggests the ingenius that the tire gauge should be Obama's new symbol -- replacing his presumptive presidential seal). Stogie, start photoshopping:

That Obama insight or amazing solution for our energy problems should have brought the audience to its feet with wild applause.  This should have been the lead story on all the network news shows and headlined all the newspapers the next day.  No need to drill for more oil - just put some more air in your car's tires.

Of course the television news shows and newspapers covered up Obama's ignorance by not reporting.

But more interesting was the total lack of response from the people sitting behind Obama.  Why didn't they applaud?  I think everyone listening knew, even as the words came out, that Obama was wrong and that if they started to applaud they would reveal to their friends and neighbors sitting beside them what ignorant fools they were.  Anyone applauding would have suffered a huge loss of face.  Support for Obama could become evidence of stupidity in the supporter.  "If my friends know I favor Obama, they will think I am not very intelligent."

Where did Obama get this information?  Did he dream it?  Did he get it from one of his advisers?  Did he over-hear it from someone?  Is this information common knowledge among his advisers?  He seemed to believe what he said.

The tire pressure gauge needs to become the symbol of the Obama campaign and the Democratic party.

  That speech should be played over and over until the first thing people associate with Obama is the line "We could save all the oil that they're talking about getting off drilling if everybody was just inflating their tires.", followed by a knowing smile.  Support for Obama should become synonymous with an admission of stupidity.

Conversely, the electric drill should become the symbol of McCain and the Republicans.  Drill in Alaska.  Drill along the coast.  Drill in the national parks and forests.  Drill in my back yard.  Drill in my teeth.  Drill in front of the White House.  Drill by the Washington Monument.  President Bush could put an oil drilling rig in front of the White House to show his support for drilling.  He must own a drilling rig, after all, he is an oil man.  People should bring electric drills to political rallies, demonstrations, and candidate appearances.

Al Gore made a slide show about global warming and received a Nobel Peace Prize.  Obama could make a slide show about how to read a tire pressure gauge and how to put air in tires - perhaps he too would be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize.  If that's not enough then like Jimmy Carter building houses, Obama could do volunteer work in gas stations checking the tire pressure on the customer's cars.

John Kerry threw away his medals to protest the Vietnam war.  Any demonstrations favoring more drilling, nuclear power or coal plants should include people throwing away their tire gauges.  Demonstrations at the Capital and the Democratic Convention should include people tossing their tire gauges.

Perhaps you could use an electric drill as a prop in a video about energy, oil drilling, or gas prices.  Drill.  Drill.  Drill.  Go to the beach and drill in the sand.

lol. So great.

UPDATE: I heard this live .............it was WILD

House Dems turn out the lights but GOP keeps talking hat tip Van

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and the Democrats adjourned the House, turned off the lights and killed the microphones, but Republicans are still on the floor talking gas prices.

Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) and other GOP leaders opposed the motion to adjourn the House, arguing that Pelosi's refusal to schedule a vote allowing offshore drilling is hurting the American economy. They have refused to leave the floor after the adjournment motion passed at 11:23 a.m., and they are busy bashing Pelosi and her fellow Democrats for leaving town for the August recess.

Update: The Capitol Police are now trying to kick reporters out of the press gallery above the floor, meaning we can't watch the Republicans anymore. CONTD...

Pelosi blocks offshore drilling vote GOP wants

Zachary Coile, Chronicle Washington Bureau Friday, August 1, 2008

For weeks, pressure has been mounting in Congress to approve more domestic oil drilling, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has held the line, using her power to block a vote on offshore drilling. President Bush has made almost daily calls for Democratic leaders to take action. House GOP leaders, citing a new poll showing that a slim majority of Californians now favor offshore drilling, issued a release Thursday saying "even (Pelosi's) own California neighbors oppose her efforts to block new drilling far off American coasts." GOP lawmakers are so disgruntled they're urging Bush to deny Congress its August break by calling a special session on energy. CONTD...

UPDATE: Obama shifts, says he may back offshore drilling

By MIKE GLOVER, Associated Press Writer

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Friday he would be willing to support limited additional offshore oil drilling if that's what it takes to enact a comprehensive policy to foster fuel-efficient autos and develop alternate energy sources.

He was against it before he was for it (I think)

"Like all compromises, it also includes steps that I haven't always
supported," Obama conceded. "I remain skeptical that new offshore
drilling will bring down gas prices in the short-term or
significantly reduce our oil dependence in the long-term, though I
do welcome the establishment of a process that will allow us to make
future drilling decisions based on science and fact."

UPDATE: Stogie photoshops!

Pump it Up!

Mark Levin gave Atlas reader Andy an idea. Because gas prices are so high, Levin wondered aloud if there was a way to get information out to the people at the pumps as to who's to blame for the high prices. This gave Andy an idea.

UPDATE: Clueless, insane dems propose raising gas tax

PRESIDENT BUSH TO LIFT EXECUTIVE BAN ON OFFSHORE OIL EXPLORATION

BREAKING NEWS:  SET AMERICA FREE! Of course Obama is against this move, he hates anything that puts us in control of our sovereignty. He rejected lifting the drilling moratorium (of course). He propaganized:

"This is not something that's going to give consumers short-term relief and it is not a long-term solution to our problems with fossil fuels generally and oil in particular," said Obama. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, lumping Bush with McCain, accused them of staging a "cynical campaign ploy" that won't help lower energy prices.

"Despite what President Bush, John McCain and their friends in the oil industry claim, we cannot drill our way out of this problem," Reid said. "The math is simple: America has just three percent of the world's oil reserves, but Americans use a quarter of its oil."

And what did Obama's friends and internationalists say about it - Rezko, Auchi, Soros, Ayers, Dohrn, Wright, Odinga -- I wouldn't bring up friends. It is Obama's achilles heel. He is guilty by association.

The thought of us getting relief runs counter to the narrative of unhappiness that defines the Democrats.  I am so sick and tired of that lame excuse that drilling will not help us today -- well, he's right. It took more than a day for the Dems to get us into this crisis - no drilling, no ANWR, no nuclear power, no refineries, NO NO NO. And it will take us years to get out of their mess. We must start now. We must start correcting the woefully wrongheaded and destructive energy policies the Democrats have rammed down our throats for decades. We have more oil rich resources than the whole of the Middle East. We must stop funding the jihad and these barbaric cultures whose main export is human misery.

Fuel choice in the transportation sector can strip oil of its strategic value, deny our adversaries the wherewithal they use to harm us, and help protect our quality of life and economy against the effects of cuts in foreign energy supplies and the rising costs of oil.

To continue reading, click here.

How sick are these folks? They will torture the American people until the very idea of America is dead and buried.

Pelosi Statement on President Bush Lifting the Executive Ban on Offshore Drilling (hat tip Van)

WASHINGTON  Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on President Bush's announcement lifting the executive ban on drilling in protected coastal areas:

"Once again, the oilman in the White House is echoing the demands of Big Oil.

Uh, wrong. The President in the White House is echoing the demands of the American people.

"The Bush plan is a hoax. It will neither reduce gas prices nor increase energy independence. It just gives millions more acres to the same companies that are sitting on nearly 68 million acres of public lands and coastal areas. CONTD...

The left hates Americans, foe shizzle

Reader Rockman on the Pelosi:

When Nancy Pelosi became Speaker of the House nearly two years ago, Gas prices were $3.07 a gallon. Our Botox-injected, coiffed hair dolly said this is intolerable and said she and the Democratic Congress would bring gas prices down.

Over a year and a half later, gas prices are over $4.20, $4.25 and higher (around $4.09 in Phoenix) and where is Pelosi? where is Harry Reid? and where is Sleaze Boy? Sleaze boy claims Bush gave tax cuts to the rich, well I presume he meant Pelosi and all the rich cats in Hollyweirdo like Spielberg, Burkle, Henley, Geffen and the rest of the crooks who host the big donor parties in Malibu.

Maybe it is high time each of us wrote Pelosi - even if we're not her constituents and demand that she, and prune-face Harry do something about the energy crisis instead of saying no drilling, wringing their hands, and increasing our dependence on THEIR friends, the Saudis.

Remind too, the Neo-Nazis over at MoveOn.Org, the Daily Kostroite, and Puff Ho that they've screamed Halliburton = Cheney too long, and that their idols are in bed with King Abdullah and with Ahmedinejedad, since they won't drill.

Remind all that there are at least four shales within the continental U.S.A. and offshore that can produce enough fuel to run 60 million cars and heat 160 million homes for the next 60 years, but our cowards and crooks Pelosi, Reid and Sleaze won't lift a finger to help America. They'd rather keep us dependent on their Islamofascist allies.

Write a note too, to Boehner and McConnell and ask them why aren't they being more forceful, why aren't they taking out airtime and presenting this to the American people - if they are truly a Republican Congress you wouldn't know it by their silence in the face of the open stupidity and greed of Harry Reid.

Time to take action. I've done it, so should you. Remind the Botoxed 'Ho that while its easy for a rich, silver spoon g irl like her to fill her tank, there's the American people to consider - and she and Prune Face have done NOTHING. Remind her of the promise now.

DRILL DRILL DRILL - and less prices at the pump. Either Pelosi gets it, or we vote in Republicans who will. We beat them on the ILLEGAL issue, we can do it with this as well.

 

Nozzle Rage!

lol lol lol - you must see this

SHARIA FINANCING .... or who sold out the country by not drilling

UPDATE 2: Just how dumb do the Demoncrats think the American people are: Speaker Pelosi Flails: Drilling Is a Hoax

UPDATE: SIGN THIS PETITION NOW. TELL CONGRESS TO START DRILLING!

From s,  "The biggest transfer of wealth has been taking place in the past few years to the Middle East. The Golden Rule states that those who have the gold, rule. Hence The Petrosheikdoms are calling the shots and the West is quaking in their boots. Yet the Dems must agree with this transfer of wealth since they have been blocking drilling, nuclear plants etc. Who made the strongest economy in the World vulnerable and what are McCain or Obama going to do about it? The media aren't interested in asking important questions since they haven't even acknowledged success in Iraq so they can run interference for Obama.

What kind of country will the U.S. be if there is a Democratic Supermajority. There's 4 months left to make sure the USA remains strong and independent of the Petrsheikdoms and the UN......and it's time McCain got his act together instead of running around like Columbo- he should be acting Presidential with a coherent visionary strategy. that's what Obama is trying to do."

NARROWING THE GULF Report on Business.com

A new generation of Islamic banks, which adhere to the sharia prohibition on interest, is setting its sights on the West. As the wealth of Gulf countries swells, Western financial players - including some Canadian banks - are looking to tap these pools of capital (Read the whole thing here)

British businesswoman faces jail in Dubai after 'having sex on the beach':  I'm terrified - it was a mistake':

The Pace of Growth Images of Dubai's Huge growth

Dubai 1990

Dubai 2003

Dubai 2005

"Dubai is said to have between 15-25% of the world's cranes!"

Cranes in Dubai

      

 

Another View of Dubai

Skiing in Dubai?

In the Snow? Where it's 110 degrees?

Yes, Dubai is home to a gigantic indoor ski center. It fact, it's the largest indoor snow skiing resort in the world!









Ski Dubai has 5 runs that vary in difficulty, height and gradient, the longest run being 400 meters with a fall of over 60 meters. It boasts 3000 square meters of snow!

Dubai's Shapeshifting Building

Dubai Announces First Dynamic Skyskraper

Each Floor can move!

If Dubai hasn't already topped everyone with their amazing projects, they just upped the ante. They have recently announced plans for a 'shapeshifting' skyscraper!

The 80-story Dynamic Tower, described as the "world's first building in motion," will also be the first skyscraper constructed from prefabricated units, according to David Fisher's Dynamic Group, which is a New York-based architect.

Each floor would be capable of rotating independently, powered by wind turbines fitted between each floor.

It's also not cheap to rent space there. Apartments will sell for around $3,000 per square foot, making each unit range in price from about $4 million to $40 million.

Work on the tower is due to be completed by 2010, according to Dynamic's Web site.

UPDATE: LAS VEGAS OF THE ARAB WORLD hat tip Hal (watch the sex trade video)

Dubai: Night Secrets The oldest profession in the newest playground (the UN nations of prostitutes)

"According to the 2006 US State department on human trafficking an estimated 10,000 women from sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe, South and East Asia, Iran, Iraq, and Morocco may be victims of sex trafficking in the U.A.E."

More video here.

oh yeah, there's more. Lots more: (hat tip Hal)
Dubai is also building the Palm Islands, the world's biggest marinas.  Each will be 1 and 1/2 times the size of Central Park.  When completed they will be able to be seen from the moon. 

Also Dubai is planning the world's largest dinosaur theme park at a cost of $1.1 billion, called Restless Planet, with over 100 mechanized life sized dinosaurs. Watch this video here.

Dubai is also the site of the largest US naval base outside  the US and the "Disneyland of the arab world for prostitution and debauchery".  (Remember Sodom and Gomorrah?)

"Youth for Oil" Rally July 24th

This is America's future, ladies and gentlemen. Great stuffl. Hope springs eternal. Watch the video. (hat tip Carolyn)

ANWR, THE DEMOCRATS AND THE BIG LIE

I received this from George whose brother worked in D.C. for a firm that helped companies and other entities present their views on public policy issues with printed materials, speeches and congressional testimony. "The pictures below are some of the ones he used on behalf of his client (not these exactly as these were forwarded to me from a friend who did not identify the source). His client was the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Their headline was “If you care about Mother Earth, you should support opening ANWR.” They went on to explain in detail about the methods and care taken to protect the environment while drilling for the energy that is the lifeblood of our economy –and way of life.    I was surprised, too."

Bottom line. When you hear Demoncrats saying ANWR won't solve all of our oil problems. Let me say - no one answer will (until some genius scientist develops a synthetic oil). Until such time, we must take many proactive actions. ANWR, shale, coastal drilling etc. -- altogether these solutions will relieve us of the horrible dependence we have on jihad oil.

Who the hell are the Dems working for? We elected them - they are public servants. They work for us. /not.

ANWR = Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Now… A comparison

And some perspective…

NOTE WHERE THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT AREA IS…

(it's in the "ANWR Coastal Plain")

THIS IS WHAT THE DEMOCRATS, LIBERALS AND "GREENS" SHOW YOU WHEN THEY TALK ABOUT ANWR …and they are right… these ARE photographs of ANWR

ISN'T ANWR BEAUTIFUL? WHY SHOULD WE DRILL HERE (AND DESTROY) THIS BEAUTIFUL PLACE?

WELL… THAT'S NOT EXACTLY THE TRUTH

Check the map .....the map showed that the proposed drilling area is in the ANWR Coastal Plain  

Do those photographs look like a coastal plain to you?  

WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?

THE ANSWER IS SIMPLE…

THAT IS NOT WHERE THEY ARE WANTING TO DRILL!

THIS IS WHAT THE PROPOSED EXPLORATION AREA ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE IN THE WINTER

AND THIS IS WHAT IT ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE IN THE SUMMER

HERE ARE A COUPLE SCREEN SHOTS FROM GOOGLE EARTH

AS YOU CAN SEE, THE AREA WHERE THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT DRILLING IS A BARREN WASTELAND.

OH… AND THEY SAY THAT THEY ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE EFFECT ON THE LOCAL WILDLIFE…  

HERE IS A PHOTO (SHOT DURING THE SUMMER) OF THE "DEPLETED WILDLIFE" SITUATION CREATED BY DRILLING AROUND PRUDHOE BAY*… DON'T YOU THINK THAT THE CARIBOU REALLY HATE THAT DRILLING?

HERE'S THAT SAME SPOT DURING THE WINTER.

HEY, THIS BEAR SEEMS TO REALLY HATE THE PIPELINE NEAR PRUDHOE BAY*…

*The Prudhoe bay area accounts for 17% of U.S. domestic oil production

NOW, WHY DO YOU THINK THAT THE DEMOCRATS ARE LYING ABOUT ANWR?

REMEMBER WHEN AL GORE SAID THAT THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD WORK TO ARTIFICIALLY RAISE GAS PRICES TO $5.00 A GALLON?

WELL… AL GORE AND HIS FELLOW DEMOCRATS HAVE ALMOST REACHED THEIR GOAL!

You may want to give credit where credit is due to Al Gore and his global warming campaign the next time you fill your car with gasoline, because there is a direct connection between Global Warming and four dollar a gallon gas.  It is shocking, but true, to learn that the entire Global Warming frenzy is based on the environmentalist’s attack on fossil fuels, particularly gasoline.  All this big time science, international meetings, thick research papers, dire threats for the future; all of it, comes down to their claim that the carbon dioxide in the exhaust from your car and in the smoke stacks from our power plants is destroying the climate of planet Earth.  What an amazing fraud; what a scam. (more from John Coleman herer)

* The New Hampshire Union Leader: “It is conveniently forgotten today that former Vice President Al Gore, among other leftists, once advocated that the government artificially raise gas prices to discourage oil consumption." hat tip Tim Blair

NOW THAT YOU KNOW THE TRUTH, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?

UPDATE: Stogie has this:

ANWR Exploration
House Republicans: 91% Supported
House Democrats: 86% Opposed

Coal-to-Liquid
House Republicans: 97% Supported
House Democrats: 78% Opposed
Oil Shale Exploration
House Republicans: 90% Supported
House Democrats: 86% Opposed
Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Exploration
House Republicans: 81% Supported
House Democrats: 83% Opposed
Refinery Increased Capacity
House Republicans: 97% Supported
House Democrats: 96% Opposed
SUMMARY
91% of House Republicans have historically
voted to increase the production of American-
made oil and gas.
86% of House Democrats have historically
voted against increasing the production of
American-made oil and gas.

Obama's Oil Idiocy

Why does it seem like the Democrats are doing everything in their power to actually prolong the energy crisis?

Not content with hamstringing US oil exploration, they are against Iraq handing out contracts: Senators seek to stop Iraq oil deals

Mustn't let ANYONE provide more oil!  Not us, not Iraq.  I'm surprised they haven' t leaned on OPEC to cut production.

Ben explains:

Note the Dems are a day late and a dollar short, as usual:  Total, a FRENCH corporation, just scored a deal with Iraq.

Obama's ignorance is astounding.  Try applying his "We can't drill our way out of an oil shortage!" logic to any other commodity, and you get:

"More construction of new homes will NOT reduce the housing shortage!"  and

"Increased farming will not ease the food shortage!"

Nothing ever misspoke by Bush has ever been so utterly stupid.  It is one thing to fumble the words while processing a coherent thought.  Obama is a guy who will clearly and plainly speak words of absolute idiocy.

Obama, The Democrats and Offshore Oil Drilling

Jan Poller sent this to me and I quite agree. The Democrats have gone off the cliff on energy policy. Like lemmings off a cliff, they cling to their irrational dogma. It's one thing when oil was cheap and theycould sell let's-all-be- green nonsense. It's another when you are funding Islamic jihad with every gallon you buy, when Americans are getting financially screwed and the problem is solvable with our own resources.

This will sink the left this fall. Like a stone. Every Republican should be drilling this point home. The left is wrong on every issue, it's time the American people were made aware of it.

Obama, The Democrats and Offshore Oil Drilling Jan Poller

The Democrats display remarkable unity on the idea of offshore oil drilling.  The unity extends to the wording they use.  Whether it is Obama himself, Nancy Pelosi, Ben C. Nelson, Debbie Wasserman Shultz or Alan Colmes (Fox News Liberal), we get the same ideas down to the words:

• ·         “Even if we drill, it will be 10 years before we get any oil and then it will save only a few pennies a gallon.”  I must say, Obama did display a remarkable streak of independence.  He said it would be 2025 before we got oil.  That is 17 years and it is expressed in terms of a date, not how many years.
• ·         “The oil companies are sitting in 86 million acres of leases that they aren’t doing anything with.”  (According to the American Petroleum Institute, they are exploring the leased land.)
• ·         “The speculators are driving up the price of oil.”
• ·         “The oil companies are earning windfall profits that could be put into alternate energy.”
• ·         “We can’t drill our way out of the problem.”
• ·         “Alternate energy is the solution.”  (What alternative energy is never mentioned – it isn’t in the play book.)

I like to remind people that such unity of thought gave us communist Russia, Communist china, Communist North Vietnam and Nazi Germany.  Be thankful that you do not agree 100% with John McCain or any other politician.

Since the Democrats insist that offshore drilling will result in oil spills and will ruin the $65 billion a year tourist industry in Florida (thank you, Debbie Wasserman Shultz), since it will have no affect on oil prices, shouldn’t we announce today that we are going to shut down all existing offshore oil production in 3 years?  Surely it can only raise prices a few pennies and will be so good for the ecology, right?

The only thing acceptable to the Democrats is conservation and alternate energy forms that don’t exist.  When they talk about electric cars and “the hydrogen economy” they always fail to mention where the electricity is to come from.  It isn’t in their play book.  If they supported nuclear energy, it would be in their play book and the words “nuclear energy” would appear in everyone’s statement.

Chris Plant, radio talk show host in Washington, D.C. gave a good analogy for the extent of drilling in ANWAR.  He said, “Look at a page in your newspaper and think of it as all of ANWAR.  Pick a letter at the top.  That is where all the drilling will take place.”

This move by the Democrats has sealed their fate.  They will lose the presidential election over this.  They could even lose congress over this.  When gas hits about $6.00 a gallon in a few months, everyone will be reminded not to vote for high energy cost democrats when it costs them $70.00 to fill their gas tank.  All we have to do is remind people that Obama said he is happy with the higher oil prices but unhappy that they rose so fast (by which he means before the election).

BUSH:LIFT OFFSHORE OIL DRILLING BAN

Long long overdue. Serious Democrat dementia has put this nation's security at risk.No driling offshore! No drilling in the frozen tundra! No nuclear power plants! No refineries!

The energy deable will be discussed at length on my show with Jameds Woolsey tomorrow.  Empowering jihad nations and throwing America in front of the bus has fueled the Islamic world's dream of the return of caliphate.

Languid Larwyn sent me this. I suggest all my readers contact their Congress

Breaking: Bush Will Call On Congress To Lift Ban On Offshore Drilling Tomorrow Gateway

 

President George W. Bush will call on Congress to lift the ban on offshore drilling tomorrow.
--Via FOX News.

For decades Democrats have set up "No Zones" where they will not allow drilling or development:

(Republican Senator Craig put together this map.)
As Americans pay more for gas than ever under this Congress--
Democrats continue to vote against drilling and oil exploration.

Over the past 30 years:

Democrats have blocked the development of new sources of petroleum.
Democrats have blocked drilling in ANWR.
Democrats have blocked drilling off the coast of Florida.
Democrats have blocked drilling off of the east coast.
Democrats have blocked drilling off of the west coast.
Democrats have blocked drilling off the Alaskan coast.
Democrats have blocked building oil refineries.
Democrats have blocked clean nuclear energy production.
Democrats have blocked clean coal production.

67% of Americans support offshore- 64% say it will lower gas prices.
Rasmussen reported:

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey—conducted before McCain announced his intentions on the issue--finds that 67% of voters believe that drilling should be allowed off the coasts of California, Florida and other states. Only 18% disagree and 15% are undecided. Conservative and moderate voters strongly support this approach, while liberals are more evenly divided (46% of liberals favor drilling, 37% oppose).

Sixty-four percent (64%) of voters believe it is at least somewhat likely that gas prices will go down if offshore oil drilling is allowed, although 27% don't believe it. Seventy-eight percent (78%) of conservatives say offshore drilling is at least somewhat likely to drive prices down. That view is shared by 57% of moderates and 50% of liberal voters.

Barack Obama opposes drilling for oil.

In related news... Al Gore's home consumed 10% more electricity this year than last.

But What about the oil?

This is the critical issue of the day. The media is so busy talking to each other about evetything thats nothing and nothing thats everything. The time is now to take action. We must stop funding Islamic terror. We have to stop buying oil from the jihad.

The Democrats' Shale Game

Energy: A North Dakota field holds at least 4 billion barrels of oil and possibly much more. But its Democratic senator demonstrates his party's schizophrenia on energy, preaching independence while doing nothing to achieve it.

The price of crude hit a record $112 a barrel last week, just about the time the U.S. Geological Survey released its assessment of the oil and gas potential of a region known as the Bakken Formation.

The USGS estimates that the shale formation straddling western North Dakota and Montana contains 3.65 billion barrels of technically recoverable oil.

Dorgan: But what about the buffalo?

The oil is trapped in a thin layer of dense rock nearly two miles beneath the surface. The USGS estimate may be conservative and is based on current technology.

Leigh Price, a USGS scientist, authored a study before his death in 2000 estimating that the entire formation, which extends into Saskatchewan and Manitoba, may hold up to 500 billion barrels of recoverable oil, an amount that dwarf's the 16 billion barrels in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

Read it all. Where are our leaders.

 

Get off the Fookin Oil!

Stop funding Islam, Islamic terror, barbarians, wifebeaters, child abuses, wahhabism, mad mullahs, all of it. STOP. Without money they are nothing. They contribute nothing. They create nothing. They invent nothing.

CLEAN ENERGY IS THE ANSWER!

Get the dhimmicrats out of the way.

 

The Black Hand of Soros

Libtard PBS says the poor townspeople are divided. I say bullshit. They are on the Soros payroll and Soros is up to his nefarious tricks again. hat tip Larwyn

Make Up Your Own Mine  John Fund WSJ
An impoverished town strikes gold. George Soros and foreign environmentalists say, leave it in the ground.The recent tragedy in Utah has brightened the spotlight on mining, already under assault by environmental and anti-globalization activists world-wide.
These activists have produced several documentaries, and the anti-mining campaign has attracted the attention of billionaire George Soros and actress Vanessa Redgrave--and enough charges of greed or hypocrisy to fill a mine shaft.

Anti-mining? That's rich. These evil elites would have us all living in caves while they live in unfathomable luxury. Full-of-shitniks.

The other side to the controversy is told in a new film that will never be shown on PBS, but is nonetheless rattling the environmental community. "Mine Your Own Business" is a documentary by Irish filmmakers Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney. They conclude that the biggest threat to the people of Rosia Montana "comes from upper-class Western environmentalism that seeks to keep them poor and unable to clean up the horrific pollution caused by Ceausescu's mining."

Mr. McAleer, a former Financial Times journalist who has followed the mine battle for seven years, says he "found that everything the environmentalists were saying about the project was misleading, exaggerated or quite simply false." He produced his film on a shoestring $230,000 budget largely provided by Gabriel Resources, but says he was given complete editorial control.

Tonight, PBS will air "Gold Futures," a film by Hungary's Tibor Kocsis. The film focuses on residents in Romania's Rosia Montana, a rural Transylvanian town, who are divided over the benefits of a proposed gold mine. It also features Gabriel Resources, the Canadian mining company trying to convince them to relocate so it can dig for a huge gold deposit estimated at 14.6 million ounces, worth almost $10 billion. PBS describes the film as a "David-and-Goliath story."

NO MORE TAXPAYER DOLLARS FOR PBS! USEFUL IDIOTS.

Opponents of the mine claim that Rosia Montana residents agree with their stance. "Local opposition to the mine is strong and organized" says a statement signed by 80 environmental groups in January. In his letter, Mr. Soros cites a recent poll organized by some members of Romania's parliament that "found 90% of respondents rejecting the project." But the poll turns out to be an unscientific Internet survey, and one of the environmental groups Mr. Soros funds urged people outside Romania to participate in it. What is clear: Two-thirds of Rosia Montana's people have accepted Gabriel's voluntary offer to buy their homes at above market rates. Most will move four miles away to a less polluted area.

The Left Forces US to Go Begging

Look that this. Look how we go begging while the America hating left does not allow us to drill on our own lands and off our own shores. How ironic that China will be drilling off the Florida coast (vis a vis Cuba) but we can't. Remember all in November folks, remember all. Remember how the America hating left forces us to enrich the despots, dictators and tin pot shitheads that are bringing the world to war and imposing Sharia on the West.

US oil firms get little play at Bush-Putin meeting Reuters
President George W. Bush did not press the case during almost two hours of private talks on Saturday with Russian President Vladimir that a U.S. company should be selected to help develop a giant Russian natural gas field, Bush's national security adviser said.

Democrats' Gas pain Plan

More toons here. The Democrats have all the anti-answers.

Clinton's Future Presidency, A Descent into Dhimmitude

What is it about the left? They can't help themselves when it comes to helping the enemy. I am sure you are familiar with Clinton's (Hillary) speech yesterday reported in the New York Sun;

Over the din of beating tom-toms, surrounded by activists wearing antlers and dressed as polar and grizzly bears, Senator Clinton yesterday dismissed high gas prices and the destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina as a "diversion," cautioning that proponents of arctic drilling were exploiting recent crises to make their case for a long-term anti-environment agenda.
Mrs. Clinton's remarks were delivered to hundreds of demonstrators amassed on the West Lawn of the Capitol as part of Arctic Refuge Action Day, and her midday speech followed remarks by other congressional Democrats, including Senator Kerry of Massachusetts.

Mrs. Clinton told those opposed to drilling to be "absolutely firm in our opposition" to drawing petroleum from Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

"Some might say, 'Well, senator, we have gas prices going up - don't we need to drill in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge?'" Mrs. Clinton said. "And of course the answer is that we do not. The answer is that that is a diversion. The answer is that we need to break our addiction to foreign oil."

And how would the Anti-Christ suggest we do that...............uh how about ANWR?

Environ-MENTALISM as Religion is a national threat and has left devastating destruction in its wake. It dictates our energy policy (ANWR anyone?), G8, frees the UN to sic pedophiles
on helpless nations, , antisemitism, and corruption and gives the left diversionary  rubber bullets
Let me first begin by insisting you read Michael Crichton Speech on Environmentalism.

Secondly, what better way to empower our enemies than to continue to rely on their oil (Chavez, hellloooooooooooooo) and subsidizing the Jihadists whose intent is world domination. Buying Middle Eastern oil fuels theocracies, mullahs, tyrants IRAN. And if you weren't convinced of the Jihadis intent,

Jihad warns Abbas against meeting with Sharon 
A senior Islamic Jihad leader warned of a possible civil war if Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas meets with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Clinton wants this? Clinton wants to keep our murderers strong.
WE MUST DRILL IN  ANWR. Surely it is Seward's folly if we pass on our own natural resources, this golden gift.

Even Alaska wants us to open ANWR.

The American Association of Petroleum Geologists, an international organization, supports access to the 1.5 million acre coastal plain of the 19 million acre Arctic        National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for petroleum exploration and development.         In more than thirty years of modern-era exploration and commercial production     from the North Slope of Alaska, the petroleum industry has demonstrated its ability to protect the environment while producing a significant part  of the nation’s daily oil production. It is in the best interests of the United States to allow petroleum exploration and development in the ANWR coastal plain, one of the most prospective areas of the country.

More here;

“Since 1987, environmental pressure groups have blocked every attempt to open ANWR with a collection of bogus arguments, false claims, and irrelevant facts,” said Myron Ebell, director of global warming policy at CEI. “The damage done by Hurricane Katrina to America 's energy supplies should cause Americans to look more closely at the facts.” Contrary to claims by many opponents of oil production in ANWR, the coastal plain is not pristine wilderness. The Brooks Range and designated wilderness areas are far to the south. The coastal plain contains former military installations and the Inupiat village of Kaktovik . The people of Kaktovik officially support oil exploration. Polls regularly show that 70 percent of Alaskans also support it.

Oh and BTW this is the same moonbat party that led to the arrest of an organizer of an anti-war gathering  at Union Square that featured Cindy Sheehan provoking a furious reaction from protesters, who pressed up against police officers and called them "pigs," "fascists," and "Stalinists."
Anti-War Protesters Call Police 'Stalinists'

Tom of HamsterMotor.Time sent me this insightful piece by Isabel Paterson The Humanitarian with the Guillotine which fleshes out my long held belief that the LEFT LOVES IDEAS, HATES PEOPLE.

Most of the harm in the world is done by good people, and not by accident, lapse, or omission. It is the result of their deliberate actions, long persevered in, which they hold to be motivated by high ideals toward virtuous ends. This is demonstrably true; nor could it occur otherwise. The percentage of positively malignant, vicious, or depraved persons is necessarily small, for no species could survive if its members were habitually and consciously bent upon injuring one another. Destruction is so easy that even a minority of persistently evil intent could shortly exterminate the unsuspecting majority of well-disposed persons. Murder, theft, rapine, and destruction are easily within the power of every individual at any time. If it is presumed that they are restrained only by fear or force, what is it they fear, or who would turn the force against them if all men were of like mind? Certainly if the harm done by willful criminals were to be computed, the number of murders, the extent of damage and loss, would be found negligible in the sum total of death and devastation wrought upon human beings by their kind. Therefore it is obvious that in periods when millions are slaughtered, when torture is practiced, starvation enforced, oppression made a policy, as at present over a large part of the world, and as it has often been in the past, it must be at the behest of very many good people, and even by their direct action, for what they consider a worthy object. When they are not the immediate executants, they are on record as giving approval, elaborating justifications, or else cloaking facts with silence, and discountenancing discussion.

Yup read it all........................

Environ-MENTALISM as Religion

Regulars readers know how passionate I am about the lefty psuedo-science of environ-mentalism (dash is deliberate). See my Environ-mentalism column on my lower right sidebar.
How oft I have sited Crichton's Commonwealth speech? And the farce that is global warming?

It would be one thing if it were like Scientology and created small brushfires between vapid celebritites, it is quite another when we are clubbed to death with it like baby seals.

It dictates our energy policy (ANWAR anyone?), G8, frees the UN to focus on pedophilia, antisemitism, and corruption and gives the left rubber  bullets (although if it wasn't the environment it would  surely be something equally ridiculous  - the left doesn't need much of an argument to make an argument.)

The problem with environmentalism and global warming is it cloaks itself in science and is therefore taken quite seriously.

Please read Kobayashi Maru's outstanding post on today's commentary piece by James Schlesinger in the Wall Street Journal.

The Case for Nuclear Energy

Gary Becker makes a must read case for nuclear energy in today's Wall Street Journal.
Hard to believe that we haven't built a nuclear power plant in over 25 years (since hanoi jane's lefty flick China Syndrome?)

"Even though no U.S. nuclear plants have been started for 25 years, old plants have raised output much closer to their capacity. As a result, nuclear power currently supplies about 20% of all electricity generated in the U.S. Yet this is much smaller than the 70% supplied by nuclear power in France, one-third in Japan, and about half in that highly improbable country, Sweden."

Becker points out "The excellent safety record at American nuclear plants, growing imports of oil, natural gas, and other fossil fuels at high prices, and increased concern over the pollution and global warming caused by fossil fuels, has made the case for reducing regulatory obstacles"

"Nuclear power has other advantages. Uranium is abundant, easily transported and efficient in producing energy. One kilogram of natural uranium will yield 20,000 times as much energy as a kilogram of coal. Nuclear plants would reduce U.S. dependence on imports of natural gas and oil. To the extent there is concern about running out of fossil fuels -- a concern that I believe is greatly exaggerated -- nuclear generation of electricity becomes even more attractive

Look, this is a meaningful answer to the lunacy of our funding of terror, wahhabism, maddrassas, and Radical Islam. We gotta get off the crackcocaine.

The Nuclear Option

oh and while you're at it, Read Michael Crichton's speech on the fallacy of Environmentalism.

Increasingly it seems facts aren't necessary, because the tenets of environmentalism are all about belief. It's about whether you are going to be a sinner, or saved. Whether you are going to be one of the people on the side of salvation, or on the side of doom. Whether you are going to be one of us, or one of them.

Am I exaggerating to make a point? I am afraid not. Because we know a lot more about the world than we did forty or fifty years ago. And what we know now is not so supportive of certain core environmental myths, yet the myths do not die. Let's examine some of those beliefs.

If you haven't read it, shut everything off, sit down with the java and read every word. It's is that important........