Environmentally Conscious Voters, Beware

Or should I say BE AWARE?

John McCain has officially picked his Vice Presidential running mate...it's the 'real' maverick and rising Republican star, Governor Sarah "drill in ANWR now" Palin. Her expertise is in communications and media. For utilities. She's savvy, and good at political and administrative maneuvering disguised within the persona of a rebel. Just like Senator McCain, the 'maverick' who voted with George Bush over 90% of the time.

I think we all need to pay attention to what our Senators and Representatives support and how they vote, not to what they say, and how they present themselves. Vote however you want, but vote on facts...how things are actually affecting you, as opposed to how you want them to be. Click on the link below to find the Senate "report card".
http://action.defenders.org/site/VoteCenter?JServSessionIdr012=5tax2nt8m3.app20a&congress=110&location=S&page=congScorecard

Since this is a long post, and some of you aren't readers, I'll post a video here that pretty much says it all. Apparently, world domination through the plundering of natural resources still ranks #1 on the Republican agenda. Here's the new poster girl, prior to her nomination.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=809906073

It's not surprising that the McCain Campaign chose a woman, though he personally seems to have little respect for women's choice when it comes to their own bodies and reproductive rights. He still needs to make a play for the disgruntled Hillary followers, after all.

As much as the Republicans have criticized Barack Obama's alleged lack of experience, you might not expect them to pick a 44 year old who's only experience in politics is as Mayor of Wasilla, AK, and has only held a top government office since 2006. Especially since she would be next in line for the Presidency should something happen to the old coot, er..ahem, Senator. Not what I would have expected from the 'old boys' network. Except for that pesky oil and gas thing.

Governor Palin truly believes that drilling in the ANWR would leave such a "small footprint", and that it's proven the "caribou thrive" even with all of the oil development.
http://www.votesmart.org/speech_detail.php?sc_id=383538&keyword=&phrase=&contain=

As a member of the Alaska Miners Association, the NRA, and the Alaska Resource Development Council, it's not surprising she's agreed with and supported a Supreme Court decision to review "tailing", (disposal of mine waste on sensitive land), and was thrilled with the their NRA-inspired interpretation of the Second Amendment. Anything that benefits the 'people' of Alaska (read; utilities and corporations).

She has fought strongly for compensation of residents and victims of the Exxon Valdez case, criticizing the plaintiff award reduction by the Supreme Court, and even going so far as to encourage Exxon Mobile to end the case after 19 years, and pay up now. Or maybe it was so that she could still hold her head up while advocating for Exxon Mobile to go ahead with their development of Alaska's North Slope natural oil and gas reserves?

Seems to me Governor Palin has been super helpful to the Bush administration's continued attempts at reissuing and overwriting Federal guidelines (including the Endangered Species Act) dealing with habitat protection, and the balance between the natural environment, native peoples, and oil and gas development. Like when she moved the Habitat Division from the Department of Natural Resources to the (toothless) Alaska Department of Fish and Game. From the press release:

Governor Sarah Palin today praised the work of state officials in completing the transition of the Habitat Division from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G). The move, initiated by Governor Palin earlier this year in Executive Order 114, reversed a decision by the prior administration. After extensive discussions with community leaders and after hearing the concerns of numerous Alaskans, the Governor decided that the division belonged in what had been its traditional home at ADF&G.

Earlier this month, she signed Administrative Order 242, directing the State Department of Natural Resources (no longer being burdened by the pesky Habitat office), and the Department of Revenue to work together to commercialize Alaska's North Slope natural gas.
http://www.scandoil.com/moxiebm2/gas/politics_and_policy_gas/alaska-north-slope-natural-gas-to-warm-fairbanks.shtml

This is from the press release:

Specifically, the Administrative Order instructs the two departments to provide specific kinds of support to those pursuing development of an economically and technically viable liquefied natural gas project. That support includes permitting coordination, fiscal and economic analysis, and facilitation of meetings with federal agencies.

No mention of any environmental impact analysis, or of the effects of drilling on the land owned by indigenous tribal Alaskans?

This might make more sense if there were enough undiscovered, recoverable oil and gas reserves in and around the ANWR, except that the US Geological Survey says there is only a limited amount; much less than what we have already developed and in reserve.
http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2005/3043/

On 7/14/08, Governor Palin announced sanctioned development in the Beaufort Sea and OCS (Outer Continental Shelf). This may result in a barely significant 5 million barrels of oil over the life of the project. This is where the beluga and bowhead whale live, and where the polar bears hunt. The indigenous Inupiat people spoke of their way of subsistence being disturbed, the circle or 'web' of life, their medicine and spirituality. That and the fact that there is no current technology in existence that can clean up an oil or toxic spill on broken ice. There is mention of this being included within the Marine Mammal Protection Act, gutted earlier by Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne. Here is a link to the results of an Environmental Impact Statement.
http://www.mms.gov/alaska/cproject/ArcticMultiSale/scoping_rpt.pdf

When the Congress went to recess without voting on this issue, Gov. Palin sued in US District court to have the polar bear's status as 'threatened' overturned. Let's not forget to mention that the decision by Secretary Kempthorne should have been 'endangered', and he straddled what he could. But why not throw yet another lawsuit out there to delay the process long enough for potential drilling to start? I mean that the NRDC, and Defenders of Wildlife have only limited, donor funding, whereas the government, well, need I say more? Can't someone from PETA get on this? Really, you guys could have a field day with this one!
http://www.votesmart.org/speech_detail.php?sc_id=399653&keyword=&phrase=&contain=

Or better yet, how about buying loyalty? Among the governor's most recent accomplishments was the State Legislature passing Senate Bill 4002. Using revenues generated from state resources to provide a one-time special payment of $1,200 to each eligible Alaskan, it returns part of a substantial budget surplus, provides energy relief and a rollback of gas taxes. How nice to be a state so rich in natural resources. How might this affect the decision of voters as they go to the polls in November?

So be aware. Be very aware. I'm invested in an open discussion and public debates about our energy policy, drilling, ANWR, animal rights, Native land rights, sovereignty, responsibility to future generations and to the Earth. I believe there is a responsible way to make it work. I take serious issue with political operatives on any level involved in subverting and circumventing the legal processes put in place to protect us from the short-sighted policies of the current demagogic Bush administration, and it's would-be Republican heirs.

Haven't we had enough lies already?