Friday, April 29, 2011

My Own Cognitive Dissonance

Sometimes I approach this blog with personal thoughts, and this is one of those moments...
I feel I should work out something that is often on my mind, in light of the fact that this blog is entitled "Practical Anarchy", which leads one to expect that it would not support any political position, party, or even the laws of the land. Such is not the case. Thus the "practical"...

Freedom for all requires some laws to address the loss of freedom imposed one upon another. Freedom for all requires us to address the fact that some people are abusive. Some people do not respect the rights of others. Freedom addresses the need for equality and justice.

We, in America are presumed to be free enough to govern ourselves to a large extent. We aren't told what we can study or learn about, we aren't told what we must do for a living. Indeed, there are other laws imposed upon us, such as being explicitly denied the right to marry someone of the same sex, and in some cases, prohibitions on committing sex acts with a member of the same sex. These are religiously motivated and archaic notions of "government" and the laws regarding marriage and sex are wholly unconstitutional. They will be defeated in the course of time, because they impose restrictions, rather than prevent restriction. (Behold the limited powers of government as granted in the constitution).

But I digress.

I have no faith in any system that claims to be able to, in its entirety, evolve into something that pleases everyone. This is an ideal, and a good one at that, but it is merely an end to strive toward, and is not something that can be wholly accomplished.
When you look at the big picture, there is absolutely no "red" or "blue", just as there is never only "black or white".

There are only shades of gray. So why do we forget this? Many times, some unwittingly, we may even join in the efforts to remove, nay, attack and destroy individual freedoms. People in America agreed to come together with diverse interests beliefs and goals of their own that they must be free to pursue in freedom. Is that what we are still about? Do we succeed at bringing this philosophy to the world? Or do corporations get in the way? Can we have personal sovereignty?

It requires a lot of effort. A lot of "homework", verifying sources, understanding scientific methods, skepticism, optimism, faith in ourselves. A lot of investigation, both outward, and inward.

And my personal belief is that educated "consumers" need to go beyond consumption to become entrepreneurial "providers" if they are to remain free... This is a call to a renaissance of ideals, and an innovative effort on the part of every person who wishes to remain free. It's either this spirit of endeavor, or complacency and dependency. Which will Americans choose when their backs are to the wall? They may not have a choice if they wait that long...

How to learn what can be done, and what helps and what harms?

The overwhelming role of media should be to inform, enlighten, and help us understand things from a perspective that is reasonable, centrist, fair and balanced. But the media has made these claims while it sought to mislead us. Why? I'm not sure. Has a lot to do with profits, and the interests of "conglomerate" leaders. There are individuals leading these efforts. Individuals who can not be held harmless. But they're hiding behind corporate entities that give them protection, and allow them to do great harm.

The media presents misinformation and propagation to weaken, divide, distort, polarize and divide this country. (These days, I might add, we fiddle while Rome burns, and media facilitates the fiddling.)

Consider the dubious state of our environmental policies, and the willy nilly destruction being wrought by big pollutors and overlooked by governments, a mandate for dinosaur energy policies... etc.... While for two solid hours, "Farmville" (or porn?) has your undivided attention. Perhaps you deserve to be subjugated. The jury is still out on this, but it's not looking good.

The media, and also, many divisive "political action" committees, "citizens groups", this "movement" and "that cause"... some well intended, some suspicious... but all jumping on divisive bandwagons. Splintering the American consciousness. Each becomes a granfalloon, sterilized by foundational laws of this nation that are still clinging to their place of importance in preventing such unipolar reality from coming to pass. While nonetheless, each remains completely convinced that America is their groups' personal "Burger King" and that they can, and will certainly have it their way.

They cannot have it their way. They can have what does no harm. Unless we let them have it their way. (((Which our president seems willing to allow. And BTW, WTF are you DOING, Barry???))))

They fiddle with our freedoms while corporations make off with the booty. Big booty too...
Have you SEEN Oil Companies' latest profits???

Do you realize HOW much control over our food supply is in the hands of a mere "several" major companies???

And so, finally, Anarchy is total freedom from laws, other than those you impose upon yourself that dictate your own behaviors.
But, then, if someone violates you, do you then have the right to retaliate under anarchist principles? Certainly. Is that practical. Certainly not. Vigilantism is NOT recommended.

So, the purpose of my post is to sort out, even for myself, what exactly is this "practical" anarchy?

It includes such principles as
Freedom over one's self. Freedom to act, as long as it does no harm to another person. Freedom to think. Freedom to speak.

And upsetting another's sensibilities and sentiments are not normally considered "harm". It is why it's so difficult to expect that women do not have the right to sovereignty over their own bodies, or that gays don't have the right to love whomever they please.

Practical Anarchy means Civil Disobedience

Civil disobedience is personal freedom, autonomy and sovereignty of our own bodies.
The more they try to position mandates to govern these issues, the more I call upon Practical Anarchy against such legislation.

Practical Anarchy means boycotts.

Because "boycotts" stop the flow of money (Power) toward those entities who seek to have influence or control over our personal freedoms, autonomy and sovereignty of our own bodies.

Practical Anarchy means Protest
As long as protests cause no harm to person or property, they are the means to maintain personal freedoms, autonomy and sovereignty of our own bodies.

Practical Anarchy means Speak Truth To Power
If there is fear in you that prevents you from speaking your mind, asking questions, seeking the answers and confronting those who claim power over you, you are not free, and you need to break free from this kind of tyranny. When this kind of tyranny is turned into laws, and some entity claims the right to prosecute you for your very thoughts, then such legislation requires Anarchy. Practical Anarchy is Civil Disobedience. Civil means, collectively, people have the power to mandate themselves and as long as this harms no one else, it is the inalienable right of every person to speak up and out.

The more laws that are put in place that stop us from having sovereignty over our own bodies and minds, the more this "Practical Anarchy" becomes an imperative state in order to preserve the freedom and integrity over our own lives that human beings must not have usurped.

How do we go about retaining our freedom? We take responsibility for each and every thing we say, and do, from our proclamations to our purchases, from our vision to our vote.

It is not a "Libertarian" vision. "Libertarian" is another label that is being used by the right. It espouses corporate rights and freedoms just as individuals. To libertarians who are speaking out, the corporate rights and freedoms will trump those of the individual because the corporations own the means of production. We rely on them, but are they agreeing to serve humanity, or instead, do they seek to serve themselves, their shareholders and their bottom line? WE have developed, encouraged, endorsed, and legislated a system where it comes down to "ONLY those who hold the cash have sovereignty over all else." Libertarian principles are wonderful, but not when they're coming from forked tongues with the same corporate agenda as the last clown. The current system is built to support its own ongoing efforts to dictate to you what you will do, where you will go, who you will love, what you will eat, where you can work, what you must know, what you can learn. And it's trying to fine tune the means of control and monitor the outcomes. The current system disenfranchises "the Individual" while blatantly holding him up like an MVP. The Libertarian agenda is good at this. It is not incompatible with corporate fascism. NO system is incompatible with corporate fascism IF a majority of the population can be snowed, and doesn't SEE fascism as such and identify with a movement against it!

Here's a revelation: All of humanity is a "shareholder" over the planet's resources. We all have skin in the game, so WHY have we signed away our freedoms?
For entertainment, amusement, security... to fiddle. We are distracted. We are overwhelmed. We're lazy.

But as more people start to understand this about themselves they will want to feel free again. The bumper sticker wisdom that you've been brainwashed to believe is meant to get you signing off on responsibility for your own body and mind and, then, families, and communities. Freedom is free. Do what you can to take it back. Take practical measures today to take it back.
This is Practical Anarchy.

Barry C. Lynn states in his preface to the book "Cornered: The New Monopoly Capitalism and the Economics of Destruction",
"No matter the cause, however, the effects are clear. Consolidation of power by financiers over the basic institutions of our political economy has resulted in the derangement not merely of our financial systems but also of our industrial systems and political systems. Most terrifying of all is that this consolidation of power - and the political actions taken to achieve it_ appears to have impaired our abilkity to comprehend the dangers we face and to react in an organized and coherent manner."

Many many experiments are going on now...
Food Supply. Uses for Technology. The Subjugation of Labor. The Family. Our Personal Choices. Our Health. Marriage. Religion (or lack thereof).

It's not the public option for healthcare that worries me.
This was labeled the ominious, "Obamacare" and painted as a socialist plot...

This was "Conservative Compromised Care" wrapped up in a liberal coat of paint and so many are so confused by it. But it's a sham...
Let me make it perfectly clear:
It's the RIGHT WING AGENDA we are seeing infiltrating our nation... and out of "health CARE" for the people, we compromised to give subsidies to "health INSURANCE". MORE corporate socialism is what we got. Duh. And your rates go UP UP UP. Just like the price of GAS.Corporations: mindless, soulless, heartless, cold cash seeking corporations, were given the decision making power over our health.

That worries me.
And it should worry you too. And this is only one instance of this abuse.

What we have is
Socialism for Corporations, Libertarianism for the Environment, A Fascist-Corporatist State, and Distraction for "Weeee!! :P ...the People!".

The dumber and easier to fool, the better... so go on back now... that's right.... go back to watching TV, and playing farmville. Someone else is handling this. Right?

We the People ARE the government. Individuals make up our government. We have a government OF the people BY the people and FOR the people. Any anti-government sentiment in America is, therefore understood to be Anti-American sentiments. Think about it just a little bit, and you'll get it.

we each have the right to be free from harm, and just as we have ultimate autonomy over ourselves, but we, as individuals are crippled if we must hold to a standard of "do no harm", while it flies in the face of the premise that "corporate entities" are given a pass to harm at will. AND to pay no taxes. AND to have our tax money funneled to them (indirectly, of course, through such things as Health "care", and Bail Outs, and "Conservation on the 'farm', and WARS. I can't even fathom the justification for Oil subsidies. Do they even bother to try to fool us with some "premise" for oil subsidies?)

This corporate fascism is now being sponsored at it's highest levels by members of government who only "pose " as representatives OF the people.

Please pay attention and whenever, wherever you can, try to identify them and please vote out corporate shills.

Thank you, and have a nice day.

Scholars Say the Left (Including Unions) Needs a Big Unifying Message

From www.Peoplesworld.org
By Mark Gruenberg, editor of Press Associates Inc. (PAI), a union news service.



WASHINGTON (PAI) - The U.S. left, including unions, needs one unifying theme to both rally their own forces and to gain public backing, a panel of scholars says.

And the four scholars, two from the U.S. and two from abroad, say income inequality could be that theme. But they quickly noted the left must figure out how to get its message across to the masses, and what solutions to offer for the problem.

The lack of a message from the left, especially one that appeals to the mass of the U.S., is a persistent problem the labor movement faces. Several unions, notably the Teachers, have tried to address it. AFT has repeatedly declared that unions' theme should be that "worker rights are human rights." But other unions have not followed.

The four - Steven Kramer of the National Defense University, Georgetown University historian Michael Kazin, former senior Australian Labor Party political advisor Christopher Barrett and Italian attorney and veteran diplomat Roberto Toscano - spoke April 25 at the Woodrow Wilson International Studies Center in Washington.

And there was no shortage of their comments about the problems the left, as a movement, faces both here and abroad.

The four described leftist parties and movements in Western Europe and unions in the U.S., as outflanked in messaging by their rightist and corporatist foes, and as being effective only when great crises - such as the Depression and World War II - hit.

And in recent years, they added, the U.S. left has concentrated on gaining individual political rights rather than economic rights and equality of opportunity.

They also noted the right has consistently found one unifying theme, such as "anti-communism" or "anti-terrorism," with which to scare people. And the right succeeded in demonizing its opponents along the way, particularly by tagging all progressives as "Socialists" and linking them to abuses in the former Soviet Union.

"When the Soviet Union collapsed, it was the end of one ideology. But the other is thriving," Toscano commented.

The left, the scholars said, has developed no similar unifying theme to appeal to the mass of people. And its defenses and institutions - unions in the U.S. and Social Democratic parties in Europe - have been weakened, divided, or both, they said.

And the left underestimated what Toscano called "the protean qualities of capitalism" to adapt and feed people's immediate desires. Despite the right's denunciations of popular culture, capitalism's attitude is "Do you want sex, drugs and rock and roll? Well, I can provide them." That co-opts potential opposition, he said.

"Capitalism can thrive without democracy," he ruefully added, citing China.

Even globalization plays a role in the problems of the left, Toscano pointed out, since "it has made the nation-state much less relevant" and the left has relied on the nation-state to enact progressive programs. That includes U.S. unions.
The scholars warned that workers' rights may be too specific to unify the left and rally the rest of the U.S. Kazin noted the labor movement succeeded in big causes that united much of the U.S., such as civil rights, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. But its own cause - labor law reform - was perceived as just its own interest, and lost.

So they suggested the left, including unions, could adopt the yawning gap between the rich and the rest of us as the theme - explaining why it occurred and offering plans to close it.

"The left needs a vision. Once it was" opposition to "slavery, and the solution was freedom," Kazin said. "Once it was corporate capitalism, and the solution was industrial democracy. Today, many people point to the income gap, but it'll take a big leap" to find a solution, he admitted.

But the scholars also warned the left in general, and unions in particular, have communication problems, especially with white working class men. And the left missed an opportunity, with the Great Recession, to pin the problems of workers on those who caused them, particularly the bankers, traders and financiers, Kramer said.

That let the right step in and blame "regulations," repeating the errors of the 1920s, he added. The reaction of the country to anti-recession legislation was that the bankers got bailed out and everyone else did not, leading to the 2010 sweep, he noted. And now there's another global problem the left must deal with: The unanticipated - at least in the West - rise of industrialization in developing nations, especially China.

"That's led to calls for 'competitiveness,' used as a battering ram to smash the gains and benefits of the middle class," Kramer said.

With the right resurgent in the U.S. after the money-fueled GOP election sweep in 2010, the left finds itself, Kazin said, in an odd position: "We'll have to act as conservatives," in the true sense of the word, "conserving what was gained before, such as Medicare, Social Security and collective bargaining."

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Can we please focus on REALITY now? Thanks.

The White House has posted the President's official Birth Certificate from the State of Hawaii.
Some people now have to find something else to be crazy about...


Monday, April 25, 2011

Gulf Research Initiative Request for Proposals...

Proposals are now being accepted for grant money from BP to research the impact of last year's Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

http://www.gulfresearchinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/GRI_RFP_I.pdf

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Seven Tactics for Denying The Truth

Seven tactics for denying the truth:
Source: Consumerism, People Systems, Society, Village Development — by Nikos A. Salingaros February 9, 2011

by Nikos A. Salingaros, The University of Texas at San Antonio

1. The “Ostrich” technique — (Tuning Out, Selective Exposure).
Comes into action when you — the questioner — are talking to a person — the subject — and present evidence that his or her beliefs about a topic are wrong. Cognitive dissonance creates a high state of stress, which is unpleasant, so the subject responds by blocking what is being said. In a common physiological response, the subject tunes out the message and severs the channel of communication, just staring back with a blank look. Withdrawing from reality ends further engagement with the questioner. [A popular myth is that the Ostrich reacts to threats by digging a hole and hiding its head in the sand; in fact, the Ostrich lies down to look like a lump.]
2. The “Rhinoceros” technique — (Source Derogation).
involves attacking the questioner while ignoring the question. This action could range from politely disputing the questioner’s credentials and expertise, to implying a corrupt or dishonest motive (i.e. a deliberate ploy), to outright insults and violence. The questioner could be accused of being brainwashed, even though the subject is more likely the one holding onto mistaken beliefs in this instance. Any pretext that can justify a personal attack on the questioner is useful. A real or imagined social, religious, or racial difference between the questioner and subject can be brought up in a classic prejudicial attack: for example, the questioner is accused of being fascist, totalitarian, communist, anarchist, etc. [When annoyed or threatened in any way, the Rhinoceros just puts its head down and charges the source of annoyance.]
3. The “Eel” technique — (Displacement, Disputing Rationality).
a response that engages at some minimal level, but the response is founded upon irrationality. The person holding the false belief — the subject — answers that the issue does not depend upon facts, but is instead purely a matter of opinion. Clinging to this absurdity, however, any rational discussion would be extraneous to the topic and logical argument is futile. There is some minimal engagement but no analysis. The existing false belief is maintained intact and free of any threat from revision because it has been displaced into the realm of opinion as far as the subject is concerned. [The skin of an Eel is covered by slimy mucus so that when someone tries to catch one, it slips out of grasp.]
4. The “Squid” technique — (Irrational Counterarguing).

invents evidence that obscures what the questioner is claiming. In protecting an irrational belief, the subject who holds such a belief is forced to introduce many irrelevant arguments. The problem is that the subject is supporting an irrational belief against the questioner’s competing rational thesis backed by logic and facts. Using verification as the basis for arguing could settle the argument very quickly, but that is never the case. The strategy’s goal is to fully engage in order to confuse the issue and retain the false belief, not to allow it to be questioned. It is impossible to produce a coherent logic to defend an irrational held belief. [The Squid frustrates its predators by releasing a cloud of ink in the water, making it impossible to see anything and facilitating its escape.]
5. The “Lizard” technique — (Selective Support, Attitude Bolstering).
a method of ignoring the evidence presented against a false belief, and instead bringing in other peripheral and distracting pieces of information that might seem to support the false belief. Here the subject tries to build up a logical but tangential edifice for supporting his or her false belief, skirting around the main logical objections to the belief itself, and employing a diversionary tactic. There is no direct engagement on the fundamental issue, only clever side-stepping. [The Lizard drops its still-wiggling tail to divert attention elsewhere while it escapes.]
6. The “Chameleon” technique.
utilizes basic deception to agree with the questioner. The subject listens sympathetically to the arguments. Possibly, the subject may be impressed at that instance by the logic, facts, and rational arguments, but even if this is an honest conviction, it is totally superficial and fleeting. The moment the subject is back in his or her usual milieu, he or she reverts to the original basis of misinformation. [The Chameleon changes its skin color to adapt to its environment and to social situations, responding to temperature, light conditions, mood, and sexual attraction. The change is temporary, and changing color for camouflage is only one aspect of this behavior.]
7. The “Self-justifying Prosecutor” technique — (Inferred Justification).
justifies believing misinformation because it is accepted by authority and/or by the group majority. Presumably, something that is settled should not be questioned. No rational reason is needed for the initial acceptance of misinformation, just groupthink. What happens next is crucial, however: the subject’s brain evolves circuits to create a seemingly rational explanation after the fact. Once that stage has been accomplished, then to the subject holding the false belief, it appears natural and obviously true. The subject claims that the consequences of this false belief (which may be substantial and even catastrophic) actually justify the belief itself. This thought process follows a perverted inverse logic, which assembles a fictitious backwards chain of reasoning to justify misinformation. The colorful label “Self-justifying Prosecutor” is drawn from the criminal justice system. Researchers documented the refusal of judges, prosecuting attorneys, detectives, and police officers to admit to error after a conviction was later reversed through DNA evidence (Tavris & Aronson, 2007). It is very common for the involved parties in the system to stubbornly dismiss the DNA testing and to reinterpret the old evidence so as to justify the original verdict, getting very angry with others in the same system who are re-opening cases already closed. The bottom line — which is never openly expressed — is that admitting error puts the entire system at risk, thus every effort must be made to deny the mistake. The need for self-justification leads prosecutors to use an inverted logic by which if a person actually went to jail, or was executed, then this outcome in itself is sufficient to justify the process that led to that person’s conviction.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Frack Water Treatment being Re-evaluated in PA

The New York Times has ongoing coverage of the Marcellus Shale drilling for natural gas and illustrates the use of toxic materials in this interactive illustration from March this past spring.



Governer Corbett Punts on PA Frack water treatment regs, summoning EPA to determine safety of citizens.


After the accident today leaking thousands of gallons into Towanda Creek which feeds into the Susquehanna River, Shamokin Dam borough has fears of Frack poisoning.l
From the Daily Item article on April 21, 2011:  
"WNEP.com reported the blowout happened Tuesday night on the Morse family farm outside Canton, a farming community. A piece of equipment on a Chesapeake Energy well failed, company officials said, gushing water from the earth and over the well pad.

Thousands upon thousands of gallons of fluid have spilled into nearby land and waterways, WNEP.com reported.

As of deadline Wednesday, the well was still not under control, but officials on site were able to stop the fracking water from discharging into nearby streams, DEP spokeswoman Katy Gresh. Inspectors, Chesapeake officials and emergency responders were still on site, she said.

The main tributaries, including Towanda Creek, are being monitored for contamination and will continue to be throughout emergency response, Gresh said.

Well-control specialists Boots and Coots had arrived from Texas at the blowout site Wednesday, she said.

Dressler advised waiting for more information from DEP “before we go assuming it’s Armageddon,” Hovenstine said.

With any incident up-river, which can include sewage plants and fuel spills, DEP provides an estimate to municipalities of when they’d see the heaviest concentration and whether there is any danger or action to take, Hovenstine said. In the past, the borough has dealt with sewage plant failure that required preventative measures.

“Our water reserves are well-stocked, and we just don’t draw it” from the river during an incident, he said.

“We’d only get surprised if no one would tell us,” he said.

The reserve contains enough water for three to four days, Hovenstine said. A local stream also is an alternate drinking water supply."



It wasn't clear at the time of this article if Shamokin Dam was actually relying on reserves until reports come back on whether the water is indeed going to be safe. Your guess about that is as good as mine.
An average of 1.7 million to 1.9 million gallons of wastewater per day are treated at Sunbury Generation. Marcellus Shale wastewater makes up 8 percent of that.

Nov. 17, 2011, the Sunbury Daily Item also reported that "around" 15 gas-drilling companies truck frack-wastewater to "Sunbury Generation" where the Snyder county plant, treats up to 80,000 gallons of drilling fluid each day, and was authorized to do so since November 2008 by DEP.



 You rarely hear about the radioactivity...  Scientific American posted this about the radioactivity that ends up in fracking fluids back in 2009...
Just trying to keep up with this mess...

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

<<< Links on the side

I've done it!  I've revamped my list of links to resources, and everything seems to be in working order.  If you have any issues, please let me know.  If you have other sites you'd like to suggest for the list, please contact me and I'll put them on the "sites to consider"  list...  :)  Please note that the sites on the left are sites that I have found to have an open and honest perspective on the state of affairs with which each purports to be of concern.  I like those kinds of sites, and not those that are trying to frighten the audience and then sell the answer to the problem.  Some of these sites are indeed commercial, but they make no substantial claims to any agenda other than to offer their merchandise.  It is always up to the discerning buyer, but these sites offer what i consider to be up front products that seem to be forward thinking and the best out there.  Enjoy!!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Gutting Dodd-Frank

Business Roundtable.  More than Leadership...   Sociopathy!

Business Roundtable is a group of corporations that has come together to dictate how shit's gonna be for all the rest of the world.... Could THIS be the biggest lobbying firm in the entire world?


It's a virtual corporate entity/sociopath convention online!

The minced language used to veil "pursuit of profits" in every utterance on this site is kind of funny, in a greedy sociopathic sort of way...
Here's what they have to say about fiscal policy...


Implementing comprehensive tax reform to promote investment in the United States and strengthen U.S. competitiveness in the global marketplace. This includes decreasing the corporate tax rate – American corporations already face the second highest corporate tax rate in the developed world – and considering a territorial tax system.

Funny, last I knew, a lot of corporations were paying nothing.


Sooo, I'm confused.  Less than 0 tax liability isn't good enough? Do they want tax refunds on having paid NOTHING?

I suppose that's already happening in the form of government subsidies to industry...

They need more write offs for R& D, which puts would put tax-exempted scientific findings in the hands of "for profit" interests, which is unethical (as it turns out, last time policy was sane) on so many levels, and could mean that important research into cures and poisons is protected company secrets? Solutions to things like ENERGY crises, FOOD crises, BANKING crises?  They're at the vanguard of technology so that they can control it... and maximize profits... even when that means the technology never sees the light of day.  I give you Nicola Tesla.


Look, I realize that these "corporations" hire people.  Some of them even pay a living wage (mostly to the men, mind you)... but they also gouge us with budgets that include billions for advertising, which supports TV.  Yeah, that's important.
And they have CEO's and CFO's etc. ad nauseum who take home hundreds of millions... and they often set up shop in developing economies where their labor imprisonment camps house thousands of workers in atrocious conditions, keep them slightly malnourished, and pay them 2 dollars a week to make products on which ignorant white people go in debt to buy because they're so unhappy with "the way things are" that they just really want to SHOP. Mindlessly.
I have trouble keeping up.  And I do have a life to live...  All this is infringing on my pursuit of happiness!

It's all just too sick and fucked up to bear.  For today, I'm outta here.

Soil in trouble... courtesy of tax dollars spent...

The government provides subsidies... what do these subsidies do??

incentivize this...

Farm Subsidies to Members of Congress...

Deficit, smecifit!!
Tea partiers are gung ho spenders when it comes to billions of subsidies for coal, oil and rich agricultural livestock, feedstock and cotton industries.

Congress needs to put an end that $160~$200 billion over 10 years to rich farming conglomerates.   These corporations earn billions without taxpayer subsidies and lavish those earnings on their households and investors at taxpayer expense.
Recipients of Total USDA Subsidies to farms in United States totaled $16,349,000,000 in 2009;
http://farm.ewg.org/top_recips.php?fips=00000&progcode=total&page=0&yr=2009

Tea “oil and coal” party Michelle Bachmann’s family farm received $251,973 in federal subsidies between 1995 and 2006.
End the farce and stop wasting my tax dollars on wealthy farming corporations.
 
Environmental Working Group publishes excellent information on farm subsidies.
They've gone to great lengths to mine the data from applications, since, evidently, the Obama administration has made transparency one layer darker in regards to the agricultural subsidies. I smell a rat. How is it that these subsidies overwhelmingly go to large corporate farms who obviously don't need them? And serve to decrease the overall safety and quality of our food supply??

I wish I had more time to investigate. I invite others' input on these, and other questions surrounding agriculture subsidies, the USDA, and what's real and what's fiction...


US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES (in alphabetical order)

Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.)

Aderholt’s wife, Caroline Aderholt, is a 6.3% owner of McDonald Farms, which received a total of $3,059,878 in federal farm subsidies between 1995 and 2009. Additionally she received $338 directly from USDA in 2009.

EWG’s estimate of farm subsidies to Caroline Aderholt, using the percentage share information received by USDA, is $191,580.

Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-Iowa)

Boswell is listed as directly receiving a total of $16,235 in subsidies between 2001 and 2008.

Rep. John Campbell (R-Calif.)

Campbell is listed as a 1.5 percent owner of the Campbell/McNee Family Farm LLC, which received a total of $10,364 in federal farm subsidies between 2007 and 2009.

EWG’s estimate of the farm subsidy benefits Campbell received, based on the percentage share information submitted to USDA, is a total of $155 between 2007 and 2009.

Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.)

Costa is listed as a 50 percent owner of Lena E Costa Living Trust, which received $2,494 in federal farm subsidies.

EWG’s estimate of farm subsidy benefits Costa received, based on the percentage share information submitted to USDA, is a total of $1,247 between 2006 and 2007.

Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas)

Farenthold received a total of $1,205 in farm subsidies directly from USDA between 1999 and 2005.

Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-Tenn.)

Fincher is listed as directly receiving a total of $114,519 from USDA between 1995 and 2009. Fincher’s farm, Stephen & Lynn Fincher Farms, is also listed in the EWG database as receiving a total of $3,254,324 between 1999 and 2009. Fincher and his wife Lynn are each 50 percent partners in that farm.

EWG’s estimate of the farm subsidy benefits Fincher and his wife received totaled $3,368,843 between 1995 and 2009.

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.)

Hartzler is listed in the EWG Farm Subsidy Database, but no subsidies were directly paid to her. Her husband, Lowell Hartzler, however, is listed as a 98 percent owner of Hartzler Farms, which received a total of $774,489 in farm subsidies between 1995 and 2009. His ownership percentage rose from 53 percent in the years up to 2005 to 98 percent in 2006.

EWG’s estimate of the farm subsidy benefits Lowell Hartzler received, based on the percentage share information (assumed to be 53 percent prior to 2006) supplied to USDA, totaled $469,292 between 1995 and 2009.

Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ)

Holt is listed as a 10.5 percent owner of Froelich Land Trust No. 1, which received at total of $33,021 in farm subsidies between 1995 and 2008. Holt’s wife, Margaret Lancefield, is listed as a 25 percent owner of Lancefield Farm, which received a total of $23,478 in subsidies between 1996 and 2009.

EWG’s estimate of the farm subsidy benefits Holt received, using the percentage share information provided to USDA, is a total of $9,337 between 1995 and 2009.

Rep. Timothy Huelskamp (R-Kansas)

Huelskamp is listed as directly receiving $258 in 2002.

Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.)

Kline’s wife, Vicky Sheldon Kline, is listed as a 20 percent owner of Sheldon Family Farms LP, which received a total of $23,667 between 2000 and 2009.

EWG’s estimate of the farm subsidy benefits Ms. Klein received, based on the percentage share information supplied to USDA, is a total of $4,733 between 2000 and 2009.

Rep. Tom Latham (R-Iowa)

Latham is listed as part owner of four entities: 33 percent owner of Latham Seed Co., which received a total of $448,925 in farm subsidies between 1995 and 2003; 25 percent owner in Latham Hospital Farm, which received a total of $76,612 between 1995 and 2001; 25 percent owner in Latham Kanawha Farm, which received a total of $15,648 between 1995 and 2001; and 3 percent owner in DTB Farms LLC, which received a total of $472,018 between 2003 and 2009.

EWG’s estimate of farm subsidy benefits Latham received, based on the percentage share information submitted to USDA, is a total of $330,046 between 1995 and 2009.

Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.)

Lummis is listed as a 31.33 percent owner of Lummis Livestock, which received a total of $47,093 in farm subsidies in between 1996 and 2002. Lummis listed her ownership of Lummis Livestock in her 2009 financial disclosure form.

EWG’s estimate of the farm subsidy benefits Lummis received, based on the percentage share information submitted to USDA, is a total of $14,289 between 1996 and 2002.

Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R-Texas)

Neugebauer is involved in two business entities. He owns 50 percent of Lubbock Land Company Five LTD, which received a total of $3,369 in farm subsidies between 1998 and 1999. He also owns 50 percent of Lubbock Land Company Two LTD, which received a total of $4,608 in farm subsidies in between 1998 and 1999. Neugebauer’s financial disclosure forms for 2009 do not list either company.

EWG’s estimate of farm subsidy benefits Neugubauer received, based on the percentage share information submitted to USDA, is a total of $3,989 between 1998 and 1999.

Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.)

Noem is listed as having a 13.5 percent share in Racota Valley Ranch between 2000 and 2001 and a 16.9 percent share between 2002 and 2008. Racota Valley Ranch received a total of $3,058,152 in farm subsides between 1995 and 2008. Noem’s 2009 financial disclosure form listed her as a partner in Racota Valley Ranch.

EWG’s estimate of farm subsidy benefits Noem received, based on the percentage share information submitted to USDA, is $443,748.

Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.)

Peterson is listed as receiving a total of $828 between 2005 and 2009.

Rep. Dennis Rehberg (R-Mont.)

Rehberg received a total of $7,971 directly from USDA between 1995 and 2002. Rehburg’s wife, Jan Rehberg, also received $51 directly from USDA in 2008. Jan Rehberg also has ownership in two entities that received payments. She has a 33 percent stake in Lenhardt Property LP, which received a total of $517 between 2006 and 2009. She also has a 5.6 percent stake in Teigen Land and Livestock Company, which received a total of $31,890 between 2002 and 2003.

EWG’s estimate of farm subsidy benefits Rehberg and his wife received, based on the percentage share information provided to USDA, is a total of $9,980 between 1995 and 2009.

Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.)

Stutzman is listed as directly receiving a total of $179,370 in farm subsidies between 1997 and 2009.

Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas)

Thornberry listed as William M. Thornberry, directly received a total of $4,306 in farm subsidies between 1995 and 1999. Thornberry is also a one-third owner of Thornberry Brothers, which received a total of $65,326 in farm subsidies between 1995 and 2009. His financial disclosure form in 2009 lists him as an owner in Thornberry Brothers Cattle.

EWG’s estimate of the farm subsidy benefits Thornberry received, based on the percentage share information provided to USDA, is a total of $26,081 between 1995 and 2009.



US SENATE (in alphabetical order)

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.)

Bennet’s wife, Susan Daggett, is listed in his 2010 financial disclosure forms as 5.5 percent owner of Daggett Farms LP and LMD Farms LP. Daggett Farms LP received a total of $258,916 in farm subsidies between 1995 and 2008. LMD Farms LP received a total of $102,291 between 2000 and 2009.

EWG’s estimate of farm subsidy benefits Daggett received, based on the percentage share information provided to USDA, is a total of $19,866 between 1995 and 2009.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)

Grassley is listed as directly receiving a total of $263,635 in federal farm subsidies between 1995 and 2009.

Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.)

Lugar is listed as a 9.39 percent owner of Lugar Stock Farm. His wife, Charlene Smeltzer Lugar, is listed as a 7.42 percent owner in Lugar Stock Farm. Lugar Stock Farm received a total of $158,892 in farm subsidies in between 1995 and 2009.

EWG’s estimate of the farm subsidy benefits Lugar and his wife received totals $26,710 between 1995 and 2009

Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.)

Tester received a total of $159,549 directly from USDA between 1995 and 2009. Testers’ wife, Sharla, is listed as a 50 percent owner of T-Bone Farms – Tester is listed as owning the other 50 percent. T-Bone farms received a total of $282,754 in federal farm subsidies between 1995 and 2009.

EWG’s estimate of the farm subsidy benefits Tester and his wife received, based on percentage share information provided to USDA, is a total of $442,303 between 1995 and 2009.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah)

EWG’S estimate of the farm subsidy benefits Hatch and his wife received, based on the share information provided to USDA regarding Ms. Hatch’s share of Edries N Hansen Properties LLC, is a total of $909 between 2008 and 2009.


Although Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-Minn.) was the subject of considerable publicity in 2010 over her family’s farm subsidy payments, she is not in this list since she has not received direct payments from USDA. Her late father-in-law, Paul Bachmann, received $259,332 in subsidies between1995 and 2008. Bachmann’s financial disclosure form lists an interest in Bachmann Family Farm LP, receiving subsidy payments income in the $15,001-$50,000 range in 2009, but for unknown reasons, Bachmann Family Farm LP does not appear in the EWG Farm Subsidy Database. If a person is a part owner in a farm, and that farm receives federal subsidies, USDA indicates that that person is a beneficiary of federal farm programs.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

An open letter to my congresspersons in support of the Paycheck Fairness Act

In this tough economy, more and more families are counting on the income from women.
Unfair pay practices make things even harder, especially for those families who rely solely on female earnings. That's an awful lot of households, given the number of negligent fathers so busy out being the captains of industry and all. Single mother households? I was raised in one, as was my daughter, as was my daughter's father, as are half the people I know. That's the common experience today. Child support? For many, the question is "what's that?" Most politicians seem to do nothing about much of anything unless it puts money in their own pockets.

Now is the time for Congress to take the steps necessary to effectively address wage discrimination and eliminate loopholes that have undermined the Equal Pay Act's effectiveness. Again, I urge you to become an early co-sponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act. If you fail to do so, you're participating in polishing the glass ceiling for future generations of women. Perhaps even a daughter of your own?
Women are well aware of the need for this legislation. We cannot rely on industries to do the right thing. Stop trying to kid us that we don't need protections from so many corporations which are, in fact, diagnosable sociopathic entities.

Most sectors of industry have proven this time and again. A "free" market is an indulgent concept that amounts to a romantic legend; a damaging legend to which the more privileged among us seem to want to cling tightly, and many everyday hardworking citizens still look to as some kind of beacon of freedom, when it does more to keep them chained to subsistence. This is particularly true for working women. It's even more bitter for working women with children. The government already hopes to dictate what women will and will not do with their very own bodies. Now the labor force in America along with a woman's sovereignty over her very own body is being thrown under a bus. One can only presume this move will put women back in the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant where they belong. One can further surmise that this is the ultimate goal for "cultural changes" the GOP keep telling us they hope to mandate with their budget starvation techniques so affectionately dubbed "The Catfood Commission". Are these goals then also reflective of your position, a position evidenced by callous delusions wrapped up in the sheep's clothing of some authoritarian imposed morality? Not all your constituents are clueless, and some of us do keep track and do vote.
Thanks. I don't need a response. Ignore the tag that says otherwise. A canned response to me is absolutely worthless. I don't need to hear back from you because I'll see if you endorse this in congress, and I'll check how you vote, on this issue and many others, each and every time you vote.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

for-profit education is a rip off and other stuff...

Private, for-profit education should be regulated to protect consumers...
These assholes in congress didn't think so....

Tim Holden, 17th district, Pennsylvania - Democrat.
Glenn Thompson, 5th District, Pennsylvania - Republican
CArolyn McCarthy 4th District, New York - Democrat
Edolphus Towns, 10th District, New York - Democrat
Alcee Hastings, 23rd District, Florida - Democrat
David (Phil) Roe, 1st District, Tennesee - Republican
Rob Andrews, 1st District, New Jersey - Democrat
Donald Payne, 10th District, New Jersey - Democrat
Howard McKeon, 25th District, California - Republican
Judy Biggert, 13th District, Illinois - Republican
John Kline, 2nd District, Minnesota - Republican
Education Interests Donated $62,900 Individuals: $40,600 PAC's: $22,300
For some strange reason, one of John Kline's largest contributors was "Starkey Labs"... whose website offers some insight into their "hearing instruments" to "select branches" of the federal government. (use your imagination).
Wireless wiretapping, anyone?
Kline is quoted as saying, "These regulations are a clear example of federal overreach into the affairs of American institutions of higher education,"
So, his idea of "overreaching" only extends into the realm of private, for-profit interests, then?

Virginia Foxx, 5th District, North Carolina - Republican

No time to snoop into the rest of these clowns... feel free.

Here's a gem found in today's NYTimes...


- QUOTATION OF THE DAY -

"We want to see real structural, cultural-type changes
tied to this debt ceiling. We're not interested in a
one-off kind of savings, or anything small."
REPRESENTATIVE MICK MULVANEY, a first-term Republican from
South Carolina.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/10/us/politics/10debt.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha3

And just for good measure, corporations diagnosed as psychopaths.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Mass Animal Deaths Mapped

Google map marking recent mass animal deaths across the globe.  
Most are in industrialized nations, the bulk in the USA, and along the east coast.
News articles linked to each site give further details.
Disturbing. :(

Thursday, April 7, 2011

One of the Earliest...


Hepatica acutiloba
Liverwort
Beautiful specimens found scattered at a ratio of about 3 plants for each square yard running along the bottom length of a 50' x 50' north facing slope at Faylor Lake's inlet, Middle Creek, in central Pennsylvania on April 8, 2010.  On this day, temperatures reached 80 degrees, made for 2010's unusually warm start to springtime in this region.  April 2010 saw temperatures reach the 90s.  The summer turned out to be extremely warm, and rainfall ended up deficient by up to 9"  in many areas.  It was a tough one.

Springtime 2011 thus far has been relatively normal to chilly in terms of temperatures while in the precipitation department, the persistent showers and humidity are pretty typical for April here.  We are planning to make it back to this location this weekend, hoping to find them healthy and prolific once again.  Since temperatures here have only gotten up to around 70 degrees , and only a few days thus far, it is unknown if it has been warm enough to prompt their reproductive stage, and coax those adorable flowers into the day.   

Liverwort flowers gracefully crown the tops of hairy, curvy stems like a 5 petaled parasol and may be white, light or dark lavender in color.   

According to the Doctrine of Signatures the plant was once regarded as useful to treat liver ailments.   Their lovely ruddy, leathery foilage curiously resembles the human liver and makes this somewhat rare wildflower somewhat quirky as well.

They also happen to be one of my all time favorite wildflowers... but then there are so many of those!  :)