Susan Eisenhower leaves Republican party

“I have decided I can no longer be a registered Republican. For the first time in my life I announced my support for a Democratic candidate for the presidency, in February of this year. This was not an endorsement of the Democratic platform, nor was it a slap in the face to the Republican Party. It was an expression of support specifically for Senator Barack Obama. I had always intended to go back to party ranks after the election and work with my many dedicated friends and colleagues to help reshape the GOP, especially in the foreign-policy arena. But I now know I will be more effective focusing on our national and international problems than I will be in trying to reinvigorate a political organization that has already consumed nearly all of its moderate “seed corn.” And now, as the party threatens to trivialize what promised to be a serious debate on our future direction, it will alienate many young people who might have come into party ranks”…read more

Protests at McCain appearance in Santa Barbara

Click here to see the protest on land.

Click here to see the protest at sea.

Probably was a bad idea to speak about off-shore drilling in the Santa Barbara area.

Algae powered car works

One teacher and a bunch of high school students did it, aren’t there a few green-minded business folks interested in running with this?  Read the article and click through to see the pictures:

David Levine, a second-year teacher placed in Chicago through the Teach For America program, faced a common problem: how to get students to take the same interest in their studies as in Grand Theft Auto IV. His school, the Al Raby School for Community and Environment, serves populations from the predominately African American neighborhoods on Chicago’s West Side, a place where the median income is more than 40% lower than the city as a whole. How could he motivate his students to invest their time and interest in the scientific process?

Levine settled on one of the biggest issues facing this generation of students: the impact, both environmental and political, of our dependence on foreign sources of fuel. According to the UN Human Development Reports, the US emits 21% of the world’s carbon dioxide despite having only 4.6% of the world’s population. We’re currently engaged in our second war in the oil-rich Middle East. Using these issues as a starting point, Levine sought a project that would address the problems while at the same time providing an educational and compelling experience for his students. Thus the Algae Biodiesel Van was born. more

Great job Mr. Levine!

Oil – Haven’t we been here before?

Didn’t we do this in the 70′s?

Again with high gas prices and proposed little supply. The oil companies again playing games and the Corporate-backing Congressmembers speaking for them. So they want to open all sources of off-shore drilling:

WASHINGTON — With gasoline prices soaring past the $4-a-gallon mark, Congress is again wrestling with proposals to open the eastern Gulf of Mexico’s outer continental shelf to oil and gas drilling.

The latest skirmish occurred today when a House subcommittee rejected a proposal to lift the drilling moratorium off the Florida Gulf Coast on a straight party line vote.

The proposal by Rep. John Peterson, R-Pa., would have lifted the current ban on oil and gas exploration in the Eastern Gulf beyond 50 miles from the Florida coastline.

“By opening up the OCS, we will reduce our growing dependence on oil imports and send OPEC and the world energy markets a message that vast amounts of our own oil and natural gas are now in play,” Peterson told the House Appropriations subcommittee on the Interior.

The great outcome that has occurred is that, where possible, folks are using mass transit more. Of course in California, where oil and tire companies participated in the funding of the freeway system, we’re in a pickle with no mass transit to speak of.

Since we’ve been here before and had time to do something, why don’t we just do something now and stop these knee-jerk corporate-backed behaviors of old. Let’s build up a Green mass transit system, and demand immediate action for car manufacturers to move to all hybrid cars as a start. They basically had over thirty years to do that. Why give them another 15 years to increase fuel economy? Why even worry about fuel economy anymore. We need to move onto another source and stop flapping our lips about it.

South Korea doesn’t want our beef – Europe doesn’t want our chemicals

This past week in South Korea saw tens of thousands of citizens protesting the government’s move to begin US beef imports. The Seattle Times reported:

President Lee Myung-bak suggested Tuesday that South Korea will seek to ban imports of U.S. beef from older cattle amid a public backlash against his government over fears of mad cow disease.

Agriculture Minister Chung Woon-chun said earlier Tuesday that Seoul had asked the U.S. to refrain from exporting any beef from cattle 30 months of age and older, considered at greater risk of the illness.

Presidential spokesman Lee Dong-kwan said the president told a weekly Cabinet meeting that “it is natural not to bring in meat from cattle 30 months of age and older as long as the people do not want it.”

The spokesman also expressed hope that the United States would respect South Korea’s position following large-scale anti-government protests over the weekend.

U.S. Ambassador Alexander Vershbow said Washington saw no need to renegotiate an April agreement for South Korea to resume beef imports.

He said the deal is “based on international science and there is no scientific justification to postpone implementation.”

South Korea agreed in April to reopen its market to U.S. beef after it was blocked for most of the past four and a half years after the first case of the brain-wasting cattle disease was found in the U.S. in late 2003.

However, after tens of thousands of people rallied over the weekend and a request from the ruling party, the government said Monday it was delaying implementation of the agreement.

The government decided on the delay to “humbly accept the people’s will,” Chung said. read more

Now the European Union wants to block our products over chemical contents. They feel the chemicals cause cancer and other health problems. From the Washington Post:

Adamantly opposed by the U.S. chemical industry and the Bush administration, the E.U. laws will be phased in over the next decade. It is difficult to know exactly how the changes will affect products sold in the United States. But American manufacturers are already searching for safer alternatives to chemicals used to make thousands of consumer goods, from bike helmets to shower curtains.

From its crackdown on antitrust practices in the computer industry to its rigorous protection of consumer privacy, the European Union has adopted a regulatory philosophy that emphasizes the consumer. Its approach to managing chemical risks, which started with a trickle of individual bans and has swelled into a wave, is part of a European focus on caution when it comes to health and the environment.

“There’s a strong sense in Europe and the world at large that America is letting the market have a free ride,” said Sheila Jasanoff, professor of science and technology studies at Harvard University‘s John F. Kennedy School of Government. “The Europeans believe . . . that being a good global citizen in an era of sustainability means you don’t just charge ahead and destroy the planet without concern for what you’re doing.” read more

George Bush’s current trip to Europe is being marketed as his farewell tour. However I believe he’s on another begging mission. Judging by his previously failed mission to the Middle East begging for oil, he will again not be well received. While Bush’s strong support for corporate interests over consumers does not justify impeachable offenses, examining the world opinion of our nation at this point in time, as a reaction to standard Bush policies, should cause Congress to take another look at the impeachment issue. If they care about our economy, even our ability to export anything of value, they will need to address the administration of George Bush to restore our standing in the Global arena. Our economy depends on this.

George Bush needs to go and the faster the better. Call your local Congressmember. In the 24th district California, that individual is Elton Gallegly.

Project Censored – Keeping the Mainstream News Honest

Here is a great resource discovered on digg.com – Project Censored from Sonoma State University.

Check out their site, which has the endorsement of Walter Cronkite – “Project censored is one of the organizations that we should listen to, to be assured that our newspapers and our broadcast outlets are practicing thorough and ethical journalism.”

Here is a listing of their top stories from last year:

Top 25 Censored Stories for 2007

• 1. Future of Internet Debate Ignored by Media
• 2. Halliburton Charged with Selling Nuclear Technologies to Iran
• 3. Oceans of the World in Extreme Danger
• 4. Hunger and Homelessness Increasing in the US
• 5. High-Tech Genocide in Congo
• 6. Federal Whistleblower Protection in Jeopardy
• 7. US Operatives Torture Detainees to Death in Afghanistan and Iraq
• 8. Pentagon Exempt from Freedom of Information Act
• 9. The World Bank Funds Israel-Palestine Wall
• 10. Expanded Air War in Iraq Kills More Civilians
• 11. Dangers of Genetically Modified Food Confirmed
• 12. Pentagon Plans to Build New Landmines
• 13. New Evidence Establishes Dangers of Roundup
• 14. Homeland Security Contracts KBR to Build Detention Centers in the US
• 15. Chemical Industry is EPA’s Primary Research Partner
• 16. Ecuador and Mexico Defy US on International Criminal Court
• 17. Iraq Invasion Promotes OPEC Agenda
• 18. Physicist Challenges Official 9-11 Story
• 19. Destruction of Rainforests Worst Ever
• 20. Bottled Water: A Global Environmental Problem
• 21. Gold Mining Threatens Ancient Andean Glaciers
• 22. $Billions in Homeland Security Spending Undisclosed
• 23. US Oil Targets Kyoto in Europe
• 24. Cheney’s Halliburton Stock Rose Over 3000 Percent Last Year
• 25. US Military in Paraguay Threatens Region

Check out what’s cooking this year in their current top stories section.

I found this one of particular interest:  Bush Moves Toward Martial Law.  While this happens, what are our elected officials doing and how are they voting?  Do we have a response by our Representative Elton Gallegly?

List of Bush Administration Controversies

Thought this list was amazing.  In looking it over, there appears to be still many missing.  Check the List of Bush Controversies on Wikipedia.

Global Warming – Cap and Trade Won’t Work – Keep Fossil Fuels in the Ground

Michigan Primary January 15, 2008 – Vote!

This is a great commercial for Dennis Kucinich In Michigan:

California Green Party Register to Vote

Remember January 22, 2008 is the last day to register, or re-register to vote in California for the Democratic Primary.

If you are a Green voter, and feel Dennis Kucinich most closely matches your views, you can re-register your vote to “decline to state” to be able to vote in the Democratic Primary.

There are several links on this site the will provide Kucnich’s stand on global warming and environmental issues. In addition, I’ve just added this one – Compare the Candidates on Environmental Issues.

You can register or re-register to vote here

You can change your registration again after the February 5th primary, if you wish.

Calling All California Green Party and Independent Voters

As you know Green Party Presidential candidates have, historically, had little chance of being elected for the presidency. Sadly, this is the case because of mainstream media’s constant effort in censoring candidates that do not tow their corporate line. As usual, money talks.

Dennis Kucinich is one of the Democratic candidates that most closely matches Green Party principles. You can see his stand on the issues Dennis4President, and decide for yourself. California for Kucinich website.

In this historic election year, you can help make a big difference in the future of our nation.

If, after looking over Kucinich’s views on the key issues facing this nation, you feel Kucinich can speak for you as the next president of the United States, please consider taking the following action:

- Re-submit a voter registration so that you can vote in the upcoming primary. You can change your political party to either “Democrat” OR “I decline to state a political party”. Either declaration will allow you to vote in the upcoming democratic presidential primary.

I will repeat this in case it is confusing: You can “decline to state a political party” on your voter registration card in the state of California and still be able to vote in the Democratic Primary.

-You must re-submit your voter registration to reflect the above selection BEFORE January 22, 2008 to be able to vote in the primary.

-If you check “absentee ballot”, for the primary you will still have to go to your voting site in person as there will not be enough time to obtain your voting ballot by mail. This does not effect your receiving an absentee ballot for the November election.

To complete a new voter registration form, go to the California Secretary of State’s website.

Kucinich has won so many straw polls, there is a strong chance we can all be successful with everyone committing to action.

Take a look at the issues and search your conscience for the future of the nation.

Read carefully, take action, vote wisely.

Fix Environment Without U.S., Gore Tells Climate Change Summit

Here is a sad item that was published on Canada.com December 14, 2007:

NUSA DUA, Indonesia -The Bush administration is the main obstacle to progress in international efforts to fight global warming, but the rest of the world should move on without it, former U.S. vice-president Al Gore said Thursday night during a special appearance at the United Nations climate change summit.

“I am not an official of the United States and I am not bound by the diplomatic niceties,” said Gore in an emotional speech to delegates that lasted close to an hour. “So I am going to speak an inconvenient truth: My own country, the United States, is principally responsible for obstructing progress here in Bali. We all know that.”

Gore, who has become one of the best-known crusaders for action on climate change ever since he was featured in an Academy Award-winning documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, said other countries are also partly to blame. He mentioned none by name, but crafted an analogy from Canada’s national sport to convince delegates why they need to move forward without the United States.

“One of the most famous ice hockey players in history was asked the secret of why he was so good at ice hockey,” said Gore. “And he said in response to the question, ‘I don’t pass the puck to where they are, I pass the puck to where they’re going to be.’ Over the next two years, the United States is going to be somewhere it is not now. You must anticipate that.” (Please use the above link for the full text of the article)

*From my perspective…again this nation is humiliated by George Bush, Dick Cheney, and their corporate interests. How sad and useless. What could the administration be thinking other than filling their own pockets from these corporate interests and personal favors. There is just no logical reason why this country continually refuses to cooperate with the rest of the world. It’s Imperial Hubris, and if we don’t take a stand against politics as usual, it will be our end.

From Wikipedia: “The Kyoto Protocol is an agreement made under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Countries that ratify this protocol commit to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases, or engage in emissions trading if they maintain or increase emissions of these gases. The Kyoto Protocol now covers more than 170 countries globally and more than 60% of countries in terms of global greenhouse gas emissions. As of December 2007, the US and Kazakhstan are the only signatory nations not to have ratified the act. This treaty expires in 2012, and international talks began in May 2007 on a future treaty to succeed the current one.”Here is a chart of the 2008 Presidential Election Candidates that shows where the candidates stand on this important issue. Those listed approving of Kyoto Protocol include:

• Clinton
• Dodd
• Gravel
• Kucinich
• Richardson

I notice that Hillary Clinton states she is in favor of Kyoto, however I am deeply concerned about the possibility of little follow through because of all the Clinton corporate connections. Please consider your vote wisely.