I've had high quality garden hoses spring leaks from water pressure. Can you imagine the pressure pushing this crap all those miles through pipes with metal fittings?

they are buildiones pipeline to the west coast of Canada, China is glad to get our enviromemtly responsible oil. America I guess would rather get it from the worst country in the world for environmental damage Nigeria.

No you don't have to get your military to guard it Canada has been sending oil through pipelines down there for 60 years. There are shut off valves every few miles so if there's is a drop in pressure they shut down reducing the amount of spillage.

Hartmann, first of all it is our Prime Minister, not our Premier. The oil sands have the smallest environmental footprint in t.he world. It is the largest engineering project the world has ever seen and with out it your gas would be at least 30% more. Keep in mind about 40 % of your fresh water comes from here maybe we should dam that off to save you from the toxic sludge that is in it.

I hate to break it to you but Canada doesn't care if the Keystone pipeline gets approved the Chinese pay a lot more. Because of NAFTA we have to offer it to you first.

I have tried to educate you guys about this topic but I give up. Heat and cool your homes, pave your roads, build your cell phones, computers, tv, bottles etc with wind and solar at 10 times the cost. I am sure you will all feel warm and fuzzy freezing in the dark in your homes.

Timing is everything. Has anyone noticed in today's news that suddenly the Pentagon has discovered that N. Korea has the ability to put a nuclear warhead on a missile. We are all in danger!

BS. 24 hours after President Obama proposes a $200 Billion cut in the defense industry. How stupid do they think we are? This is an insult to our intelligence. Ironic that this insult comes from our "intelligence."

Personally, I think we should cut $250 Billion from the Defense Department just for gross incompetence brushing this matter off the past month. Idiots!

Does anyone out there buy this tripe?

http://news.yahoo.com/pentagon-nkorea-could-launch-nuclear-missile-183109878--politics.html

chuckle8 ~ wrote: "WHY DOES ANYONE WANT TO BALANCE THE BUDGET?"

Sorry I didn't have time to respond to that question yesterday or today. I've had to work. To address your question, I'm not sure if I understand where you're coming from. A balanced budget is essential for the financial stability of any entity--be that an individual, a single family household, or a nation.

Personally, I disapprove of any credit. I consider it usury and a preliminary tactic used to secure slavery. I have never relied on credit; except in situations where a credit card was the only medium acceptable to pay for a good or service. I then always make it a priority to pay off that debt at the first chance I get. I call this approach, "Responsibility."

There is nothing wrong with a nation borrowing money to invest in something that has a reasonable enough return on investment if it is able to repay that loan in a timely fashion. The sooner the loan is repaid the less money is wasted on interest, and the sooner the nation can begin to profit from the investment. This idea is called, "not wasting money."

The popular idea that perpetual debt is an acceptable condition is ridiculous. Perpetual debt--that is, simply paying off the interest of a loan without ever repaying the principal--is nothing more than permanent indentured slavery. With all due respect my friend, only a fool would defend such an idea.

Quite frankly, our budget must be balanced with a surplus just to free our people from the yoke of slavery.

Ken Ware ~ From two days ago. Sorry my friend that I've been too busy to respond to you as well. Ha! Balancing the nations budget and working for a living is time consuming!

First off, I want to thank you for your response to my posting concerning my faith. I found it to be sincere, and very respectful. I deeply appreciate that! As a one time atheist myself, I know how tedious would be "bible thumpers" can be. I can honestly say you've exercised far more self control than I used to. I didn't realize that you were an atheist like Palindromedary. I will have to try to remember that when responding to either of you in the future.

That being said, I feel that you are confusing the ideas of Faith, Belief and Religion. Let me define these concepts. Religion is a social institution that is common among all societies yet diverse in nature. It's main function is to explain the unexplainable. It can be something as complex as the Catholic church, or as simple as a Witch Doctor. Faith is the personal belief in the supernatural. Although it is common for these two concepts to overlap in ones life, it is also common for people who belong to a Religion not to have Faith; as much as, people who have Faith not to belong to a Religion. You can consider myself as the later in this description. Personal Belief is independent of Religion and Faith; but also overlaps on the two. All people believe something; and, most of that is empirical; but, in the case of Faith it goes beyond the empirical.

My personal Faith is independent of any organized Religion because I, like you, have had very bad experiences with organized religion. In fact, I have found that in this country, organized religions are composed mostly of people who have no real Faith. They have a thirst for Faith that they quench with public displays of worship. In my personal experience, some of the most profound "pretenders" in this category tend to be hypocrites of such a high order, who;s individual lifestyles are so despicable they can only be described as spiritually phenomenal.

Yet I digress! I'm simply writing this to say that I think you err when you compare Faith to Religion and blame them both for being the "opiate of the masses," and preventing action politically. I will not waste your time defending Religion because in this case I agree with you 100%. However, you are completely wrong when you compare this effect with Faith. Faith empowers people more so than weaponry.

Case in point. The Great Saint, Saint Francis of Assisi. The Pope in his time sent him into the heart of Islam in order to preach Christianity to the Sultan of the Muslims. The Saint was captured unarmed and brought before the Sultan. The Sultan asked why such a brave man was inspired by Christianity. Saint Francis offered a competition with the Priest's of the Sultan. He suggested they build a huge fire and he would prove his Faith by walking into it with the Sultan's Priests. When the time came the Priests cringed in fear, but Saint Francis boldly strolled into the pillar of fire. The Sultan ordered his men to stop Francis. He demanded Francis explain his bravery so that he could create an army of men as brave.

Weather or not Saint Francis' words fell on mute ears is conjecture. However, the powerful commitment and sheer number of today's Islamic suicide bombers is more than enough evidence to show you that Faith is probably the most powerful motivator there is to use for political change. It should also be more than evidence in and of itself that any people who share such faith cannot be conquered by anyone. The fact that the American public has failed to reach this conclusion itself is evidence as to how poorly educated, lacking in critical thought, and devoid of any real Faith they are.

Imagine the resolve and commitment it would take to strap a bomb to yourself and set it off, or to march into a wall of flame. If the American people were capable of these actions our Government would think twice before cutting benefits to their loved ones.

I respect your beliefs, Ken. I only ask that you respect the power of Faith; and, realize that it--in and of itself--can serve your cause well. Please don't discount the potential contribution of those of us with Faith. Thank you. D A M

I agree; there is no such thing as safe tar sands oil. This sludge is so thick it has to be diluted before it can be sent through the pipeline! And comparing the damage the Keystone XL might cause if it ruptured, by comparing it to what we've been allowed to see in Arkansas, is pale. It's going to be much worse over time. That point was brought home to me a few weeks ago when I returned to a favorite camping site on the Gulf of Mexico in Florida, south of Panama City Beach. The place is called Indian Pass, near Appalachicola and Port St. Joe. I went there the first time upon graduating from college in 2004. The beach was pristine, the water a beautiful blue, clear and clean and absolutely the best swimming hole outside of northern Michigan during the summer. That was nine years ago, before the BP/Horizon toxic spill. Today the water is gray, not as bad as the water near Galveston or Texas City, Texas, where destroying the environment is a way of life(???), but the beauty this beach once had is ruined. A thousand miles from the spill, the damage still exists. The food harvesting industry of that region; oysters, fish, etc. has been damaged so badly the people are leaving in droves. Or trying to. We took a drive south along the coast and nearly every single house was for sale. Whether their livelihood was made by harvesting seafood or entertaining tourists, it is a Shell, (as in Oil) of its former self. It was one of the most sickening experiences I've ever endured. The Mayflower spill is pouring into Lake Conway, on its way to the Mississippi River and beyond, just like the BP oil spill spread throughout the region before it and just like the spill in Kalamazoo, Michigan emptied into the Great Lakes. We are rapidly destroying our natural resources, our water, one of our primary food sources - first into the bodies of water this crap seeps into where our seafood lives, then across the ground, where the rest of our food grows or grazes. People who immerse themselves in oily water or drink it, develop cancer at much higher rates than those who don't. We are literally killing ourselves directly with this poison, and it will lead to starvation as the food sources are destroyed and dehydration as the water supply disappears. All for the profits of the goddamned oil companies and their puppets in government.

According to TransCanada, their leak detection system only identifies leaks of more than 1% of the flow. If they're pumping 800,000-900,000 barrels per day, that would mean 8000-9000 barrels per day could be leaking and no one would know or for how long until the oil bubbled to the surface or into someone's water and the cattle would start dying....maybe the people, too.

Besides the Arkansas leak, there's the Enbridge tar sands oil leak in July 2010 in Marshall, MI, that contaminated 40-miles of the Kalamazoo watershed. Over a year later, large amounts of the oil still remained on the bottom of streams. According to people in Marshall, there were dumpsters full of dead birds, semi-trailers full of dead animals that were killed by drinking the stream waters and who have watched their neighbors come down with rare disorders and cancers. TransCanada would not say what is in the dilutent in the diluted bitumen.

Yes, the Keystone XL pipeline could be a disaster waiting to happen. What is worse is the destruction of thousands of square miles of Canada's boreal forest to get to the tarsands. The loss of habitat to the wood caribou and bison besides the loss of forest. The pollution of lakes and streams surrounding the tarsands. The deformed fish in the Athabasca, the high cancer rates among resident First Nation peoples in nearby communities. It's a disaster and Michele Bachmann wants that here in the U.S.? A company is already tearing up the landscape out of Moab on State of Utah public lands....in the desert, no less, where water is at a premium.

I have been writing sonnets lately to focus my vision. Here is one explaining why I think the KeystoneXL pipeline is a bad idea. love, Eliz

STOP KeystoneXL

A toxic pulsing worm, diseased, too long

Pushes hot death through the living heartland.

The guardian soul cries out, “This is wrong!”

And struggles to stop the destructive hand.

Crushed under bidding of violent greed

Sacred earth, battered, bleeds an oily puss.

What is this monster, what is the need?

Killing the green for pottage is not just.

Cannot drink bitumen, money’s not food.

Safety’s a joke, promised jobs -- that’s a lie!

Families are choking, water’s no good;

To enrich a few, so many must die.

Corrupt and careless the rapers must fail;

Only the people, aroused, can prevail.

c 2013 Elizabeth Barger may be used with cites.

OK, I don't care if this is off topic; I'm posting it anyway, because it's that important!

The amount of disinformation flying around about Social Security would actually be laughable if it weren't so tragic. Our own PRESIDENT is one of the main purveyors of false information.

It's really critical that people stop drinking the Kool Aid being spewed by the politicians as reported by the mainstream media and try to grasp the facts!. PLEASE, read the following: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sen-don-riegle/post_1901_b_845106.html

Kend, I did a little checking and found out Koch Industries is among Canada's largest crude oil purchasers, shippers, and exporters. Their pipeline from Alberta to the Texas coast will reduce supplies to the midwest and actually increase gas prices for folks here in the United States. So it sounds like Canada and the Kochs are the only winners here. But you know what, in the end we all lose, your grandchildren, everyone, climate change has much more savage clout than the Koch's God almighty money.

Yes you are right. The Koch's don't run a non profit organization. I live in Alberta where the Oil Sands are. Here the government or Albertians own that oil so we get royalties so the higher the price we get the lower our taxes are. So of course we want more. Oil prices are around $90 a barrel and we are only getting $40 because we have no other pipelines. So believe me we are building more we are not sure where yet I guess it's up to your President but be careful want you wish for it might come true. If this oil goes to China your energy costs will sky rocket.

Kend ~ I'm sorry! Apparently you took my comment seriously. Actually, I'm blowing off this topic.

You see, the worst thing this project can do is to harm the United States and it's people--perhaps the rest of the world as well. That is people, not the Earth. Until the US, and it's people, do something to redeem themselves for the harm they have done to the rest of the world, this project is doing the work of God. I don't care any more than I'm concerned about Yosemite erupting and burying the US under ash, The Canary Island mountain sliding into the sea and flooding the east coast with a tsunami, Japan spitting into two and destroying the west coast with a Mega Tsunami, or an asteroid impact creating a crater where Texas used to be. If God's happy, I'm happy!

Besides, if we cared at all about God's green Earth this pipeline wouldn't exist in the first place, would it? God gave us more than enough energy for our needs from the Sun in the sky. We choose to feed off of death. We chose death! As we sow, so we should reap! Don't you think?

When I voted for President Obama in 2008, I didn't vote for pro- patriot act, pro- drone, pro-bank bailout,pro-monsanto immunity, anti-social security Obama. And when I voted for him again in 2012. I was still with the "hope and change" that suggested to raise the cap on social security was the best solvency inoculation for social security.

Are "we the people" about to wake-up under siege to find our commons stolen and the sacrifice of ourselves and our predessors sadly wasted?

SNAKE OIL SALESMAN!!!

Why didn't you vote for a third party candidate...like Jill Stein or Rocky Anderson...really?! We will never break out of this corrupt system if you keep voting the way they want you to vote...ie: Republicants or Democants. You are just throwing your vote away when you vote for the corrupt two party system. Make your vote count...vote for someone else this time.

I had said, over and over again before 2012, that voting for Obama was just stupid because he had proven that he was not the person we thought we voted for in 2008. I believed then, as I still do, that Obama and many of the Democrats will continue to sell us out to the wealthy.

I voted for Jill Stein and I am glad I voted my conscience and better judgement. I feel good about myself because I know I wasn't suckered, once again, into being used as a "useful idiot" for a Party that has lost all credibility and who will continue down that road as long as they can scare you into voting for them. Both parties are "thick as thieves" because they both are just that... thieves... dishonest...spineless.. dishonorable.. and cowardly thieves. They have the revolving doors to riches and they will continue to screw us all.

You say you voted to keep the Republicans out but you missed a bunch...the ones that dress themselves as Democrats...who may utter a few Democrat or Progressive sounding words from time to time but then they sell us out in the end. Judge them by their deeds..not their hollow and insincere rhetoric.

Even if you had voted for Gore...Bush would have "won"...the election was fixed...he had the right wing Stupremes on his side. And I'm not convinced that Gore would have been much different than Clinton or even Bush or even Obama. The whole system is corrupt and the cards are stacked against us. The Democrats have just played out their lies that they represent the people and end up screwing us anyway.

Sure, go ahead and vote for Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee of the Republican/Democrat empire. The system will never change that way. We'll always be stuck with a "just pretend" democracy. The wealthy in this country are counting on you, and others like you, to continue voting Democrat...they'd prefer you voted Republican...but, never mind, it time for plan B...the Democrats...they'll keep the dumbed-down and flaccid-minded people in line to serve the best interests of the wealthy.

The best magic tricks are when one hand distracts while the other sneaks in the "magic". Both the Republicans and the Democrats are the distraction while the wealthy stabs us all in the backs. It's either hit the streets and massively disrupt or we can try to shock the good-old-boy system of corruption by masses of people saying they are not going to be fooled anymore and vote for someone else next time.

But, the ruling regime knows the psychology of the people...they've been honing their propagandist skills for decades and they are not too afraid of an upset. You really think that the ruling elite are terribly upset that Democrats are "in power (yeah right!)". The Democrats are used as a "pressure relief valve" to keep the masses from rioting in the streets. They trick us by feeding us "hope we can(not) believe in" to keep people thinking they still have a chance...but they don't...not really. The ruling elite know that the people will swallow anything...any stupid belief...just use various tools...like fear...to keep them in line. People are just too afraid to take a chance.

And when people are dying and starving in the streets...that's when they'll rebel...but with what energy? They won't have any left...their spirit will have been destroyed. Their chances of a successful rebellion are when they are still able to resist...not when they have all been tricked out of giving up all their weapons or resolve to resist.

Wait till they do in the US what they are doing in Cyprus...the government stealing right out of people's savings accounts. What will happen then? A massive run on the banks? Bank accounts will be frozen and people won't be able to get their money (any large sums anyway) nor transfer it out. The richest people with inside knowledge, like in Cyprus, will sneak their money out before the government moves in, of course, leaving most of the smaller savers to lose their money.

Before, it was "bail-out" and tax payers had to pay....now, it's "bail-in"...steal it right out of our accounts. You don't think it will happen hear? Wait and see! FDIC insured? Ha! That's a laugh! You'll see! The dying empires, with no one else to screw, will go after the weakest...their own civilians...the ones without the guns.