Robert Reich explains VERY CLEARLY why a profit-motivated oil company CANNOT really be responsible for the Gulf cleanup, and why the federal gov't MUST place BP America under receivership (first article under Recent Posts) -

http://robertreich.org/

Can we stop referring to the Heritage Foundation as a "THINK" tank? Thinking is a process that starts with data and ends with a conclusion. All work at Heritage STARTS with a desired conclusion, and looks for ways to massage or concoct data, and to form arguements and talking points that support said conclusion.

Never forget, friends, that the Heritage Foundation's original mission was to prove that cigarettes did not pose a health threat.

@MStaggerlie- Right on! That was the dumbest "Dr." ever. How about a denial tank.

@mstaggerlee, I believe you're confusing sound science practices with thinking.

Its a moot point though, I guess we should call them a Conservative Strategist Tank, its more of an accurate description of why and what they do do.

N

I cannot think that we are useless or God would not have created us. There is one God looking down on us all. We are all the children of one God. The sun, the darkness, the winds are all listening to what we have to say.
Geronimo

**Reflection of the Week**

"God did not promise us that the world would be humane or just. God gave us the gift of life and allows us to choose the way we will use our limited time on earth. It is an awesome responsibility."

-- Cesar Chavez

So here's my short list of actions I'd like to seen taken as an answer to this BP disaster:

1. Call for an increase in tariffs so the Government can convert that income directly into incentives for citizens, companies and local governments to install solar and/or wind energy on private and public properties.

2. Government direct investment into factories that manufacture clean alternative energy equipment.

3. Create a special subsidary of the Fire Dept, and train peresonnel that can deal with such disasters of the BP magnitude, or Katrina, etc... that can actually operate the equipment as well as organize the response effort. This Department would do as the Fire Dept does, and permit companies. Therefore if they feel they can't prevent, stop or properly limit an accident they won't permit it.

4. Start a CCC like organization, begin with using these workers as Gulf Clean-up personnel first, then move them on to restoring and maintaining our country's natural parks.

N

YES, I also heard that Rahm Emmanual's rent was paid by BP - finally, something we can work on to get that bastard out of the Whitehouse.

RE Obama has to break free of the DLC

Sounds like wishful thinking.

Who do you think put Obama in power?

Wall St put Obama into power.

@Foodfacist, I don't think Thom and Stephanie are in a big fight, but her co-hosts are definitely using Thom soundbites for their arguments. I believe Thom thinks in bigger terms than to just say Obama is a corporatist and leave it at that, even when he makes such statements he details what he means as well as placing caveats.

Heck, the reality is there is little Obama can do about the spill. He can, however, use this as an opportunity to push for a lot of "Green" initiatives, as well as mandating far stricter regulations on all fossil fuel industries.

As to your other point about possibly joining the Green party if Obama displeases you with his speech. As a Green party member, I welcome you with open arms, we need as many thoughtful and determined activists we can get. Even if you don't ultimately join the greens, by all means get in touch with PDAmerica, or other such groups. Being a "Democratic Party Member" isn't as important as being an "Active Progressive".

Sure we have the Saudi Arabia of wind in the Midwest Thom, but we don't want to deplete that resource, after-all it directly fuels so many blowhards in congress. ;-)

N

BTW does anyone know if wind turbines can also double as solar collectors too? It seems to me that there is a lot of surface area on these turbines, and I've been wondering recently why could they be covered with photovotalic cells that send electricty through another internal set of wires inside the main column. Just seem like a wonderful way to get more bang for your buck if you're simultaneaously using wind and solar power.

Just curious if any one knows if this is doable or if there are reasons that it can't be done.

N

What I would like to hear from President Obama tonight? Why is Salazar not fired and arrested yet?

Why is the administration continuing to keep in place many of the top officials who oversaw the culture of corruption.

Corruption is rampant in America from the Congress to the Courts to the agencies that oversee all of the oversight capabilities of products, procedures, banks, you name it.

Obama continues to allow it all. He seems incapable of doing the job.

I would like to hear him explain why he keeps all these corrupted officials in charge of our national oversight capability across the board.

@Foodfacist, all those points are fine and I agree completely. However, what your talking about is clean up and future prevention. What I'm trying to point out is that, the government does not have the equipment or trained personnel to do anything about the source of the problem, the oil spew from the ocean floor. We can opine all we want about what should have been in place or what should be done in the future, but the reality is what it is, and whether Obama or Gore or whoever is in the White House, it doesn't matter the lack of regulations brought us this oil spew and will continue to spew until it either is stopped or depletes itself.

Also, realistically if Obama made such drastic changes to the fossil fuel industry, he wouldn't make it to the end of his first term, and the changes he tried to make would be rolled back.

N

Think tanks are mercenary organization. They're the royal shortcut in the research grant game. There will always be paying gigs for people to tell the Establishment what it wants to hear.

Let me paraphrase Geronimo!

Our environment is listening to what we have to say.

Is our environment hearing that we will destroy it for the money-god?

@foodfascist, re: #6 - I sincerely hope that the mstaggerlie thing was a typo - I'd really hate to be associated with Joe Lieberman! :D

lol mstaggerlee- yes, sometimes your handle is just too hard to remember how to spell and I can mistype that is for sure. As far as customers willing to buy into solar farms, you are quite right. The State of colorado as a matter of fact is in the process of passing a solar community garden act, and SMUD here in SAC has been highly progressive and looking into a 400MW concentrated solar farm. All the shares have already been sold out. Here is more on these programs-

http://environmental-engineering.suite101.com/article.cfm/solar-power-for-the-roofless-off-site-solutions

@mstaggerlee, well how many of those 90% of the 90% actually own their own home to start with anyway. I rent, I don't have the option of doing a damn thing about adding solar energy to my home. If I could actually afford a home, then installing solar power wouldn't be something that I would consider as an expense, I would consider it an investment that eventually would pay for itself (maybe).

@foodfacist, heck I know Obama isn't a progressive president, I knew he wasn't a progressive candidate when I cast my vote for him. He also isn't a Republican, and if we did have a Republican in the WH, we wouldn't know that there was more than 5,000 barrels gushing from the Gulf, we wouldn't know that the press is being denied access, we wouldn't know anything because the Republican administration would be far more aggressive about covering up the Oil Industry's boo boo. All we would have is rumors from the Internet and conspiracy theory's that are poo pooed on our favorite radio talk shows. I'm not even trying to say don't push Obama on this issue, he does have responsiblities to the American public, that I feel as you do, he's not fulfilling. All I'm saying is be practical when criticizing the President, but yes, by all means criticize him.

N

Heather Bachman is a right-wing drone, whether or not she thinks she is. She really sounds crazy. At least Thom Hartmann is going after her.

The news is playing. Kevin Costner says his contraption takes 99% of oil out of water he tells CNN. Says BP has been testing 32 of them. Keep pushing people.

Now we know why the south vote Republican- they all have made good money off the Gulf. $ grand a month is good money these days. Another clip I saw showed a guy who made 400 grand a year off fishing. It was not clear whether that included his expenses.

re: #44: yeah, mermaid brings up to $3000.

Word, brother, word.

Actually, Obama returned the favor when he booted Dean and installed Kaine - coup d'état.

@foodfascist: I saw a documentary years ago that archaeologists had recovered shards of mica between the stones, which led the scientists to postulate that there originally was a mica "cap", which covered the top 1/5 or 1/6 (my estimate) of the pyramid. I have never heard it discussed elsewhere.