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Showing posts with label Coal Ash. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coal Ash. Show all posts

Saturday, April 16, 2011

RedEye on Alabama's Congress Critters

It's official. Congress Critter Mo Brooks joined the ranks of Make Alabama Ashamed in the halls of Congress this week. For some reason he thought it appropriate to call his Democratic Congress colleagues Socialist. Yes Mo. They are laughing at you, but they are really laughing at us for sending you to Washington D.C in the first place.

What Dragontide said

The floor in Washington is a long way from a right-wing talk show studio in the Tennessee Valley, isn't it? The floor in Washington is not a drunken Tea rally, is it?
The man sees Socialists in his sleep. He challenges overwhelming climate science. He beclowns himself even more than Sessions & Shelby. He just might be the most ignorant politician in the history of our state. I hope somebody on Saturday Night Live is working on an impersonation of him. It would be as big as Tina Fey portraying Sarah Palin.


What gets me is Mo had to be forced to withdraw the word Socialist from his remarks and said,
"For whatever reason I am permitted not to use one word."
I'm surprised someone from side of town that's supposed to have a higher IQ than those living on the other side of town doesn't understand why name calling doesn't have a place in civil discourse.

H/T Bessemer Opinions for the best report on CD 7 Congress Critter Terri Sewell.

Terri Sewell voted in favor of HR 910, the so called Energy Tax Prevention Act (which mentions "tax" zero times in the bill, by the way) which could have been called any number of things more accurately.


In lay mans terms this is what Sewell voted for;
Anyway, the bill's purpose is "To amend the Clean Air Act to prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from promulgating any regulation concerning, taking action relating to, or taking into consideration the emission of a greenhouse gas to address climate change, and for other purposes.

The bill goes on to name water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and several other gases as "greenhouse gases."

In other words, the bill prohibits the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from protecting the environment.


Check out the *ahem* double speak from Sewell office
I spoke with someone in Ms. Sewell's office at length about the bill. He told me they had spoken to people in the scientific community and the manufacturing community before deciding how to vote. I asked him to name the scientists, but as it turns out there weren't any, just the "science committee members." (Terri sits on the "Science, Space and Technology Committee, by the way). The committee, like all committees in the house, is chaired by and controlled by Republicans.


So what does little Miss Sewell do to redeem herself after all of this? She pledges to miss a couple of meals after voting for the budget compromise. Woo hoo!
Around America and around the world, many people are hungry because they have no food. Now others are choosing to be hungry to draw attention to the plight of those less fortunate. Fourteen Democratic Congresswomen are joining tens of thousands of Americans in fasting to protest attempts to balance the budget on the backs of those who are most in need and and have the least political power.

The majority of the voters in the 7th district fast every day because they have no JOBS. As a matter of fact, the voters in Perry County have to decide to starve or die. Again I have to ask, what did the voters in the 7th district do to deserve this?

I don't live, work, or most importantly vote in Alabama's 7th congressional district, but I know a lot of people who do. I know a lot of people who don't have indoor plumbing, don't have access to health care, send their students to under achieving public schools and have toxic coal ash waste dumped on them. The 7th congressional district is historically and culturally important to me because thanks to the work of Dr. Joe L. Reed, it is the only African American district in Congress.

Alabama's 7th congressional district is in the heart of the black belt and the cradle of the civil rights movement in Alabama. It was the only Alabama district President Obama won in 2008. For the past 8 years the 7th district has been represented by Artur Davis, who sold them out for his own blind ambition. They deserve competent, committed, effective, courageous, experienced leadership in congress. The stakes are just too high.


Buyers remorse? Naaah. That would be too much like right (pun intended).

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Breaking~ RedEye Congresswoman Sewell Watch

H/T gradyw

We have some serious problems in terms of Democratic leadership in this state. Sewell is the highest ranking elected Dem in the State and needs to show leadership on these matters.
We are well past the time of pomp and circumstance just for getting elected. It's time for someone to show some real leadership in this District.

So far I've seen nothing but disaster from Sewell from her chief of staff decision, to naming Albert Turner Jr to her transition team , to choosing to hobnob with Condoleeza Rice (was in the B'ham News last week in the Social events section) rather than spend time with the real folks in the district.


Also per gradyw

The appointment of Albert Turner Jr to a transition team really is troubling for several reasons.
Google him if you know nothing about him.

He's right in the thick of the coal ash controversy in Perry County for starters. And not on the side of being progressive on this issue.


Per archangelsk regarding the Turner appointment;

I was not aware of that, Albert Turner, Jr. being named to her transition team, and yes it is troubling. Knowing what I know, Sewell needs to take care with the company she keeps. Turner is one of these "bad Democrats" that we as party members need to be on the lookout for.
So this is something that she needs to have her feet held to the fire for...like we need to not be complaining about it so much here, but possibly instead going to her directly and asking her and getting her reaction or reply and then posting it here and discussing that.

We can be gadflies, but there is a way that is much more productive to go about it.


Note to archangelsk, I disagree Sewells' designer pumps shouldn't be publicly held to the fire. She is a public figure. She can not be held accountable with a face to face/one on one meeting, that's how back room deals are conducted. The people are the public therefore public business and interest should be conducted in public, not in private.

Here is the announcement from Turner's office regarding his appointment.

Here is a quick google search regarding Perry County and the Coal Ash dump.

WASHINGTON - The massive coal-ash spill at TVA's Kingston Fossil Plant may have been a costly environmental nightmare, but from Albert Turner Jr.'s point of view, it was "a godsend."

Turner, a county commissioner in the rural Alabama community where the coal ash is being shipped for permanent disposal, said Wednesday that the spill has given the poor, mostly black community an economic boom "unseen since the state of Texas struck oil."

"I sleep well at night knowing we've got coal ash in the ground and cash in the bank," Turner said during a congressional hearing on the spill.


More background on Albert Turner Sr. and Jr.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

A redEYE Look Around Reddest of the Red States

The Bingo War is heating up. It's the Greene County Alabama Sherriff vs. Governor Bob Riley. The Greene County Sherriff says he won't allow Gov. Riley's task force to raid Greentrack. Stay tuned.

Alabama SenatorRichard "Dick" Shelby (r.) is living up to his nick name for blocking every one of the president’s nominees over spending disputes involving his state. Shock and Shame.

Meanwhile the University of Alabama won't cover PACT's tuition gap. You know the gap caused by State Treasurer and republican gubernatorial candidate Cowgirl Kay.

Mobile, Alabama says NO to toxic waste treatment! They are going to stop accepting shipments of wastewater runoff from the Perry County landfill because it's laced with arsenic, mercury, lead, uranium and other heavy metals and toxic substances. Can't say that I blame them.

Can we please have our data back please? Pretty please with sugar on top. Yes, democrats are still begging Parker Griffith to return their date he took with him when he defected to the republican party. Good luck with getting it back.

Real progressive Mitchell Howie is considering running for Congress in the 5th district of Alabama. He's a real progressive which is why he probably doesn't stand a snowmans chance in hell of chance of winning the democratic nomination. Isn't that ironic?

Congressman Artur Davis(DINO) is a strong advocate of Charter Schools, I wonder if he is aware of the data that shows the racial divide grows with Charter Schools? What's that saying about finding out who is driving the wagon before you jump on?

That's what's happening in the reddest of the red states.

Peace Out.