Category: Environment

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Critters Political

Election, please be done

Election 2010 is one of the most exciting mid-terms I’ve been through, and the one I want finished more than any other in the past. That the election has been ugly is the mother of all understatements. Add to this the anxiousness of seeing people I would expect to find living behind barbed wire with signs saying “Trezpassers will be shot”, amid hills filled with buried food and real metal coins, as candidates for national office, and I find myself wishing for an alien invasion from space.

Except the aliens wouldn’t be welcome in Arizona, and no matter their appearance, Sharron Angle would say they look vaguely Asian. It is that kind of fruitcake year.

The effect the Tea Party has had on the election is evident, and not just on the chosen candidates. The Tea Party folks said they were angry and that anger continued and solidified until we now have this sullen ember of burning, querulous discontent that is the antithesis of hope that marked 2008. That a campaign worker would stomp on a woman after she was knocked to the ground just doesn’t surprise us. That he would then ask for an apology from the women is no more than a head shaking moment. Worse, in all the foot stomping media coverage, no one asked the question, “Why was she knocked down in the first place?” She was neither armed nor a threat, and the only crime she seemed to be guilty of is that she wasn’t one of the people around her. But she was knocked down, and the police actually called and no one has said, “Wait? What’s up with that?”

Of course, this doesn’t surprise us either, as we’ve watched candidates literally fleeing from buildings and handcuffing journalists, rather than answer questions that should be asked, to get answers we need.

What’s most frightening though is knowing that there will be people who vote for candidates with staff members that stomp on a woman as she is held helpless on the ground or handcuff a journalist asking questions; candidates who refuse to answer questions and then display an unseemly pride in the fact. “We don’t answer questions from the liberal media”, they shout. When you look around, though, you quickly realize that all but a few are deemed liberal media.

What’s a little humorous, in a sad, shadowy way, is that here in Missouri, one of the birthplaces of the Tea Party movement, not one Tea Party candidate for national office made it to the polls. I’m not sure what that says about Missouri, other than it can be an exhausting place to live sometimes.

We do have our share of contentiousness, though. The Blunt/Carnahan race has been deemed one of the ugliest in the nation, and that tells you a lot when you consider how ugly the campaigns have been. We also have controversial issues up for a vote including Propositions A and B: The Earnings Tax Initiative and the Puppy Mill Cruelty Act. You would expect an issue related to taxes to be acrimonious…but puppies?

Early on, thanks to a rant from Samuel “Joe the Plumber” Wurzelbacher, it was thought that the Tea Party movement would move, as one monolithic body, against the puppies, but no such event happened. It would seem that the Angry Ones draw the line when it comes to their dogs. However, there is still plenty of hostility remaining, as the agricultural interests worked hard to ensure that they would be allowed to treat their animals however they wanted. It is none of our business, they tell us, if dogs live their lives on wire floors, in small cages that barely allow the dog to turn around, without a chance to run on the grass, sniff the air, or even chew a dog bone. One pet shop owner said in an interview that the dogs’ needs are met, and that we should be so lucky to live so well.

Unemployment is high, too high. Companies are actually doing well, but we’re faced with a new phenomena where companies having money no longer translate into jobs, as employees are expected to do more for less pay, or jobs are outsourced to other countries. Some say all we need do is lower taxes, but taxes are not the problem, nor are they the solution.

And yet, among all the anger and evasiveness, and cruelty and greed, the hope does still remain.

This last weekend, as a closed down factory farm breeder auctioned off 800 dogs, rescuers came from all over the country to try to save some of them. They managed to save 200, probably the ones that needed help the most. The other 600 went to commercial dog breeders, primarily the Amish who have taken to large scale dog breeding like ducks to water, but there’s hope for the dogs. There’s a change in the wind, and a growing awareness of what lies behind that cute little doggy in the window, and the days of these large, inhumane facilities are coming to a close.

Today, we also have a national health care plan. If all goes as planned, the majority of those currently uninsured will be covered in three years. In three years, no one need fear having to go bankrupt when they become ill; people will no longer be dying solely because they don’t have insurance. A need for a national health care plan has been one of the top concerns of every president since Harry Truman, and now that we have one, I’ll be damned if I’ll let someone tell me it’s a failure.

Unemployment is high, yes, but we have stopped that out-of-control upward spiral that began in 2008. We are spending a little more—not a lot, but we spending. There is no longer a threat of financial collapse, and people’s pension funds now look a lot safer than they were a few years back. People seemingly hate the stimulus fund, but it has provided jobs. They hate TARP, but it actually succeeded, and may even make the country money someday. We should actually be more hopeful today, if it weren’t for the incessant messages of doom and gloom— messages that reflect political and corporate motivation more than reality.

After years of watching consumer rights eroded, they’re back and even stronger with new consumer protection laws. The practices that triggered our financial meltdown have now been blocked and hopefully blasted into enough pieces so they can never surface again. The FCC came out with a report condemning the debt collection practices and urging states to crack down on abusive debt collectors. A state attorney general managed to convince the largest and most notorious arbitration firm to no longer take consumer cases—people’s constitutional rights to the courts have been restored.

Thanks to the new health care act, health care clinics in our state and others have received enough money to expand their operations; sick kids can’t be denied coverage; the ill can continue needed treatments; college students can remain on their parent’s policies, rather than trust to youth to keep them from financial disaster.

We’re gaining private sector jobs, not losing them. The Osage Bridge opened recently, and our beloved Eades bridge is getting a safety upgrade—just a few of the many stimulus-funded projects that dot the land and provide signs that something is working.

Considering how bad things were two years ago—how hopeless and terrifying the times—the fact that people now have the luxury to be angry is nothing short of a miracle. I have never been more proud of being a Democrat.

And this morning, 200 dogs now have a chance for a better life.

Categories
Critters

Missouri’s puppy mills and Proposition B: An act in many parts

Proposition B is about dogs, nothing more, nothing less.

Though Proposition B has been covered on hundreds of sites and in countless discussions—on TV and radio, in print, and in person—the Columbia Missourian, a student run publication managed by the School of Journalism of the University of Missouri, has remained the ground zero of all debate. In the threads to the many Proposition B articles and letters at this publication you’ll see representatives from the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), members from both HumaneWatch and Stop HumaneWatch, rescue and shelter volunteers and workers, veterinarians, commercial dog breeders, hobby and show breeders, agricultural representatives, as well as just plain folk like myself from both sides of the issue.

I invite you all to the new town hall in politics, and the debate on Proposition B:

All too frequently in the article comments, the discussion focused on HSUS, and the ongoing debate between it and agricultural interests. This was unfortunate because Proposition B is important enough to be discussed on its own merits.

My support for Proposition B remains strong and unwavering. I have come to develop a sense of empathy, though, for those who will be impacted by Proposition B. Oh, not the bad breeders; they I could gleefully shut down with nary a backward glance. But there will be people impacted who have followed the existing rules and feel they are being treated unfairly. I do feel sympathy for their concerns.

However, Proposition B is not only the right thing to do for the dogs, in the end it is the right thing to do for Missouri. We cannot continue with the dubious titles of “Puppy Mill capital of the US” or “Dog Auction capital of the US”. And we can’t continue to pretend that dogs are nothing more than livestock; that as long as they get enough to eat, drink, room to stretch, and protection from elements, this is sufficient for them to be “happy”. You can’t breed an animal for 15,000 years to be our companions, helpers, and friends, and then suddenly isolate them in cages in big factory farms and say they’re “happy”.

Agriculture is about food, fiber, and by-product, and in the US, dogs don’t fit into any of these categories.

Of all the movies that have been linked for Proposition —of horrid breeders where dogs are starved, left unprotected in freezing conditions, untreated when ill, and bred until they drop—the one movie that impacted on me the most shows none of this. In fact, it is a movie of a Missouri Blue Ribbon kennel, considered the best of the large scale commercial dog breeders.

[no longer available]

Dogs are not livestock.

Large scale commercial dog breeding is an industry that has no future. When you have millions of dogs euthanized every year, factory farms that attempt to produce thousands of puppies a year are wasteful and inhumane. Several states have enacted stricter commercial dog breeding laws, while other states are focusing on closing down pet stores that sell dogs and cats. This is in addition to an increasing legal challenge to industries that push sick puppies out to the public, and consumers own growing awareness of the dangers of buying puppies over the internet or at a puppy store. While legitimate breeders should continue to flourish, the end of the large scale dog farm is inevitable.

If you live in Missouri, please vote for Proposition B. Regardless of whether you do or don’t, please support your local shelters and dog rescue organizations. And a reminder: Proposition B is as much about hope, as it is about correction.

References:

For those eligible to vote in this week’s election: Wherever you are, however you believe, please vote on Tuesday. The government you get, is the government you make.

Categories
Environment

Thousands impacted

The impact of the BP oil spill is only now being felt, and yet we have demands from the oil industry and Britain, not only to “lay off” our criticism of BP (because British pensioners could supposedly starve to death if we don’t), but to allow any and all new drilling (because Louisiana residents will supposedly starve to death if we don’t).

We are facing the prospect of the death of the Gulf, the destruction of entire species of animals, as well as the utter devastation of a way of life for many people in the Gulf, because we can’t take a moment to ponder these events without immediately demanding that we proceed, business as usual.

The state and federal governments could be using these events as a way to face the harm that our dependence on oil is causing us. They don’t though. They can’t even stop new oil wells from being drilled in shallow water, completely forgetting that more oils spills occur in shallow water operations than those in deeper water, such as the Deepwater Horizon. We mustn’t take time to understand how such a profound breakdown in safety can occur with one oil well, in order to ensure it doesn’t happen again. No, to do so would cost somebody somewhere, and our current crop of leaders—across both parties—doesn’t have the balls to take a stand if doing so might cost a vote.

What is the true cost of the current oil moratorium? Is it the Gulf’s fault that the British pension systems are too heavily invested in one company? A good pension is one that has a diversity of investments, just for contingencies such as this. And frankly, would the British people feel so sanguine if the oil spill were happening in their backyard?

As for those “thousands” of Louisiana residents facing unemployment because we’re not allowing new drilling—what employees? These wells haven’t even begun yet. We’re not stopping the existing platforms. We’re not forcing people currently employed in oil platforms out of work.

And what about the employees in Alabama, Mississippi and Florida that are dependent on tourism? Do they not matter? Or is Louisiana, frankly, playing a Katrina card in order to garner sympathy? Doing so rings hollow, because the oil spill is dumping one environmental disaster on another—if Louisiana politicians are really concerned about the state’s way of life and welfare of the people, they would be in the forefront of demanding the oil moratorium. Instead they call for increased oil drilling out one side of their mouth, while condemning the federal government for not doing enough to protect against oil spills, out the other. I can understand the hypocrisy of the Louisiana politicians; I just can’t understand why they continue to think we’re so stupid as to not see it.

Louisiana unemployment? Ask Michigan about dealing with unemployment. Ask Missouri. California. We are all facing deep problems with unemployment. Unemployment that, ironically, could actually be helped by the oil spill. Why? Because increasing the cost of oil increases the cost of transportation, and eventually those companies that moved their manufacturing overseas may see profits eaten up by transportation, and move the jobs back here.

I could wish our leaders would stand firm on this moratorium—even extend it to not allowing any new offshore oil drilling, period— but I have faint hope that any resolve will last beyond next Fall’s elections.

Categories
Environment

August Crude

Fix it! Fix it!

The New York Times just published an article titled Our Fix-It Faith and the Oil Spill. In it the author, Elisabeth Rosenthal, wrote:

Americans have long had an unswerving belief that technology will save us—it is the cavalry coming over the hill, just as we are about to lose the battle. And yet, as Americans watched scientists struggle to plug the undersea well over the past month, it became apparent that our great belief in technology was perhaps misplaced.

The “top kill” method failed this weekend, and most of the other options carry too much risk with little guarantee of success. We are at a point where we have to acknowledge that the oil in the Gulf is flowing until August. We sit, disillusioned, because we have had so much faith that “someone” somewhere will find a solution. It is the Apollo 13 effect: anything can be fixed with a little duct tape and good old American ingenuity.

However, rather than face the worst case scenario, BP tosses new “fixes” at the well, including those that could cause additional harm. Some people have gone so far as to suggest sending a nuclear bomb down to the oil well. “Nuke the bastard” is heard again in the streets of America, but this time the target is oil, not alien ships.

What an unbelievably foolish idea—one of many where we allow our frustration to override our common sense. More “fixes” that can make things worse than what they are. We’ve already seen this with the dispersant that BP has used. In the end, the cure can be worse than the disease, as horrible as that is to contemplate.

All that we can do now is come face to face with that, which we have created. This is no act of nature, no act of terrorism. This oil spill is as American as apple pie; it is equal parts citizen hubris, and corporate malfeasance.

Categories
Environment Political

Oil Story

I am pleased to see President Obama more engaged in the Gulf crises, but how much control the federal government has is still open for debate. As long as BP controls where resources are allocated in the region, as well as controlling information access, then the Federal government is not in control.

Yes, BP is responsible for all of the costs of the clean up, but it should never have been given the authority in the clean up effort it has been given. It would seem that the Coast Guard in the region, as well as Mineral Management Services, has too cozy a relationship with the oil companies. This also has to end.

The bright spot this week was the moratorium on new oil drilling, particularly along the Arctic. It’s obvious we don’t have a handle on offshore drilling. All we’ve had, is a bit of luck.

Consider what’s happening now: we’ve put the company that caused this disaster in charge of fixing the problem, because the government doesn’t have the expertise or equipment in order to manage the effort. So, now we’re trusting in the competence of the same company whose incompetence triggered this mess. A company that has demonstrated, time and again, that it is acting less than honorably: hiding how much oil is spilling; not allowing independent experts access to the video; preventing media access; downplaying the seriousness of the spill; continuing to use a toxic chemical despite EPA demands. At what point in time is the government going to wake up to the fact that BP is more interested in protecting its butt than the Gulf?

However, the federal government isn’t the only governmental body that needs to be slapped awake. This tragedy is just as much a Louisiana mess as it is a federal government mess. Even now that the state faces untold damage to its coast, it still hastens to assure the oil industry that the two are friends, forever. The state wants the oil jobs and oil revenue, but doesn’t want the oil. As we’re now finding, though, every silver lining has its dark, oily cloud—you can’t separate the oil from the oil wealth.

But lets not talk about this now. This kind of talk is for later, after this current crises is over. You know, when clear heads can prevail. After all, we need the oil: Apple has more iPads to sell. Gosh darn it, can’t make iPads without oil. Instead, let’s focus on good old American ingenuity and know how. There’s no disaster so bad that can’t be fixed with the right mix of technology if we all work together. All we really need, is a wiki.

Governor “never met a press conference he didn’t like” Jindal wants the Army Corps of Engineers to build sand berms to protect the coastal areas. Instead of the oil lapping along the fragile marshes, it hits the sand berms, which can be easily cleaned. Or at least, that’s what we’re told. However, many experts believe the sand berms won’t work, at best, or may push the oil towards the Mississippi state coast line, at worst. It is a politically expedient move, though, and perhaps we may learn from the effort—because goodness knows I hope we learn something, now that we’ve turned the Gulf into one great big oil spill laboratory, already equipped with test animals.

update

I really hope that BP has succeeded in stopping the oil.

Second update

CNN has come out with an article about how little scientists know about the long term impact of the Gulf oil spill. Sometimes scientists irritate the hell out of me. One is “hopeful that scientists will be able to figure out a way to tackle the problem”, which again puts too much reliance on science to fix the problem, rather than changing human behavior to prevent the problem. Another says hopefully we’ll learn from this event for the next time. There should not be a “next time”. If we can’t guarantee the absolute safety of offshore oil platforms, they should be closed down.

However, I do agree with the scientists who are pissed that we didn’t have the research in hand about how to handle a spill before the spill—what were we thinking, to allow all of these drill rigs to operate in the Gulf, without any kind of emergency plan in place? To allow the use of chemicals, when we don’t understand their impact?