Dark side of the left

Overview


As the clash in Wisconsin continues we are seeing more and more of THE DARK SIDE OF THE LEFT. The legally elected Democrat Senators from Wisconsin have fled the state and continue to hold out somewhere in Illinois. Every time a Fox News Reporter tries to report from Madison, the teachers, firefighters, and other protester start chanting Fox lies. We are getting more and more lies from the unions there and the leftist media covering the story about there not really being a financial crisis or that Governor Walker has caused it.

What has become apparent is that THE LEFT HAS VERY LITTLE USE FOR DEMOCRACY WHEN THEY LOSE. Freedom of the Press is apparently optional, majority rule is only good if it follows left wing desires, and almost any tactic is okay if it is designed to flummox the right.



Progressivism Unmasked

PUBLIC SECTOR WORKERS HAVE WILLINGLY ABANDONED THE JOBS THEY’RE PAID TO DO. Unscrupulous doctors have written notes filled with lies to protect them. The mainstream media has referred to runaway, anarchist legislators as heros, and deliberately ignored the same hate-filled rhetoric directed at Republicans they declared unseemly and dangerous after the shooting of Gabrielle Giffords. Rhetoric that reached a low point on Wednesday, when Rep. Michael Capuano (D-Mass.) told a group of union supporters that “[E]very once in awhile you need to get out on the streets and get a little bloody when necessary.”

Really, Mr. Capuano? DOING BATTLE WITH WHOM, THE TAXPAYERS WHO UNDERWRITE UNION WAGES AND BENEFITS? Shame on you.

None of it is flying. It’s not flying because most AMERICANS ARE FINALLY BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND THE UNHOLY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE DEMOCRAT PARTY AND THEIR UNION BENEFACTORS. Benefactors who contribute well over ninety percent of their campaign contributions—funded almost exclusively by mandatory dues required of union members—to Democrats.

How unholy is this relationship? Perhaps nothing speaks to it better than a unionized New York school system in which “PASSING” A 2009 THIRD GRADE MATH TEST CONSTITUTED GETTING 11 POINTS OUT OF A POSSIBLE 39—WHICH IS A SCORE OF 28%. Was anyone fired for such child-abusing, blatant corruption? Quite the contrary. NEW YORK CITY PAID $100 MILLION IN BONUSES TO TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS FOR THEIR FINE WORK IN “RAISING” TEST SCORES. The kids? 75% of them need remedial instruction if they choose to attend college.

http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/33794


There is no progress for progressivism.



Bogus statistic from Wisconsin union backers spreads in media despite being debunked

“A lie can make it half way around the world before the truth has time to put its boots on” – like a false statistic recently disseminated by supporters of Wisconsin’s government-employee unions. Despite being debunked by PolitiFact, it has since been widely repeated in multiple letters to the editor, and it remains uncorrected on the web sites of publications like The Economist.

On Wednesday, PolitiFact debunked the claim by Wisconsin union supporters that Virginia, which bans collective bargaining in state agencies, ranks 44th in the nation in ACT/SAT scores, compared to Wisconsin ranking 2nd. For example, it noted that in 2009, Virginia ranked 22nd in ACT scores, while Wisconsin ranked 13th. As PolitiFact notes, this claim was originally disseminated by the Wisconsin Democratic Party, which has now retracted it.

(Although PolitiFact didn’t note this, in 2010, Virginia actually beat Wisconsin in ACT scores, with Virginia ranked 12th and Wisconsin ranked 17th. Unlike Wisconsin, Virginia is a right-to-work state that bars forcing employees to pay union dues. Collective bargaining with government employee unions is currently mandated in Wisconsin, but banned in Virginia).

http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/opinion-zone/2011/02/bogus-statistic-wisconsin-union-backers-spreads-media-despite-being-debun#ixzz1F4dcZAcr



I had seen this claim in a number of chats. Quite frankly it seemed too good to be true if you were a liberal, but that seems to be the kinds of facts the left posts. Things that aren’t true but from their way of thinking should be true.




Walker won’t back down

GOV. SCOTT WALKER REFUSED TO BACK DOWN SUNDAY IN HIS BUDGET SHOWDOWN WITH WISCONSIN’S PUBLIC-EMPLOYEE UNIONS, saying the state is poised at a historic crossroads.

“We’re broke,” said the Republican governor, whose battle with unions in Wisconsin has landed him at the center of a national debate about government spending.

“I do believe that this is our moment in Wisconsin history,” he told NBC‘s “Meet the Press.”

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, speaking on the same program, said the governor wasn’t interested in solving the state’s fiscal crisis, ACCUSING MR. WALKER INSTEAD OF WANTING TO BREAK THE STATE’S UNIONS.

Mr. Trumka said the tactic is backfiring, and he predicted the public would support union rights in Wisconsin and in the 2012 presidential elections.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/feb/27/walker-unswayed-by-budget-stance-critics/


I do believe we need a violin for all the poor unions that are screaming that Walker is just trying to break the unions. Perhaps he is because many of the unions have tried to break the state.



MSNBC’s O’Donnell Suggests ‘Racist Message’ in RNC Ad Linking Obama to Labor Unions

On Friday’s Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell, msnbc host O’Donnell seemed to channel his predecessor, Keith Olbermann, as HE RIDICULOUSLY SUGGESTED RACISM IN AN RNC AD WHICH ACCUSED PRESIDENT OBAMA OF BEING BEHOLDEN TO ORGANIZED LABOR, a charge often made against Democrats for many years in the past.

But, as he began an interview with guest Jennifer Granholm, former Democratic governor of Michigan, O’Donnell wondered, "DOES THAT SOUND TO YOU LIKE THEY ARE TRYING TO CONSCIOUSLY OR SUBCONSCIOUSLY DELIVER THE RACIST MESSAGE THAT, OF COURSE, OF COURSE A BLACK MAN CAN’T BE THE REAL BOSS?"

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/brad-wilmouth/2011/02/25/msnbc-s-o-donnell-suggests-racist-message-rnc-ad-linking-obama-labor-#ixzz1F9aVL9a8


Liberals at times are so entirely predictable. They tend to be so lazy as to resort to name calling instead of mounting an actual intellectual argument for their beliefs or to support their actions. This is just another example of that.




Another fatal blow coming for Obamacare?

Politico today looks at the possibility that federal District Judge Roger Vinson, who struck down Obamacare as unconstitutional, COULD GIVE THE 26 STATES IN THE LAWSUIT A FREE PASS TO STOP IMPLEMENTING OBAMACARE:

The Justice Department asked Vinson to clarify his ruling that struck down the law as unconstitutional. Justice must file its brief on the motion by Monday, AND VINSON HAS SAID HE WOULD RULE QUICKLY AFTER THAT. At issue is whether Vinson meant to stop reform implementation in the 26 states that brought the suit.

The smart money says Vinson will halt implementation, and legal observers are wondering why Justice would take that risk.

“Having lost one game of chicken when it came to the severability of the mandate, the government is now challenging the same judge to back down on whether his decision is binding. Seems like a risky move,” said Randy Barnett, a law professor at Georgetown University.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/02/another-fatal-blow-coming-obamacare#ixzz1FDjjq1Ka

Hmmm, let’s see. Obama has decided not to defend DOMA because he thinks the law is unconstitutional. Now Obamacare has been declared Unconstitutional and he is still fighting to keep it going. Does anyone see a bit of hypocrisy here?



Obama Administration Nixes Drilling

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar was in Houston this weekend talking with oil executives who are eager to start drilling again in the Gulf of Mexico. That may sound like progress, but AFTER THE MEETING SALAZAR SAID THAT NOTHING HAD CHANGED. HE WAS NOT READY TO APPROVE ANY NEW DRILLING.


Despite everything that energy companies have done to devise advanced containment systems, Salazar is unwilling to issue a single new permit. Systems constructed by the nonprofit Marine Well Containment Company and other entities are now able to handle a flow equal or greater than that experienced during the Deepwater Horizon accident last summer. But that's not enough for Salazar, who stated that EVEN THE MOST ADVANCED SYSTEMS HAVE "LIMITATIONS ON WATER DEPTH AND BARREL-PER-DAY CONTAINMENT CAPACITY."

http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/02/obama_nixes_safe_drilling.html


When you are paying $100 to fill up your gas tank, remember it is for your own good. And if you used to work in the oil industry remember that this administration is working night and day to get people back to work.

Take a look at history

TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT THIS FACE: IT HASN'T BEEN SEEN IN OVER FIVE MILLENNIA.

In the year 3289 BC, Otzi trekked up the Schnalstal glacier in the Italian Alps. The Neolithic guy -- dubbed Otzi the Iceman, or "Frozen Fritz" -- wore a coat and leggings made of sheep's fur and moccasins made of cattle leather as he climbed, having just polished off his last meal: unleavened bread and meat.

Severely wounded by an arrow and possibly dispatched with a blow to the head by a cudgel, he died, HIS BODY FROZE AND WAS MUMMIFIED, and he lay in place for a very, very long time

.

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/02/25/artists-recreate-face-5300-year-old-iceman-mummy/


I found it interesting. Hope you do too.

Will Wisconsin spread?

Obama’s Attempt to Distance Himself From Wisconsin Rally Fails

In a good indication that the Wisconsin PROTESTS HAVE BECOME A LIABILITY FOR DEMOCRATS, the White House and the DNC have clumsily attempted to distance themselves from the event in the New York Times:

Administration officials said Sunday that the WHITE HOUSE HAD DONE NOTHING TO ENCOURAGE THE DEMONSTRATIONS IN WISCONSIN — nor was it doing so in Ohio, Florida and other states where new Republican governors are trying to make deep cuts to balance their budget. …

And, officials and union leaders said, reports of the involvement of the Democratic National Committee — specifically ORGANIZING FOR AMERICA, THE GRASS-ROOTS NETWORK BORN OF MR. OBAMA’S 2008 CAMPAIGN — WERE OVERBLOWN TO START WITH.…

“This is a Wisconsin story, not a Washington one,” said Dan Pfeiffer, the White House communications director. “False claims of White House involvement are attempts to distract from the organic grass-roots opposition that is happening in Wisconsin.”

But apparently someone forget to tell the DNC’s communication director BOB WOODHOUSE TO SCRUB HIS TWITTER FEED to reflect this new strategy. Doug Ross has pointed out a Feb. 17 Tweet from Woodhouse saying that THE WHITE HOUSE WAS “PROUDLY” PLAYING A ROLE IN THE PROTEST.

http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2011/02/21/obama%e2%80%99s-attempt-to-distance-himself-from-wisconsin-rally-fails/


It sounds as if the President is doing the political hokey pokey. “You put you left foot in you take your left foot out….”


New poll: Public sides with Wisconsin governor over union

A new national poll just released by pollster Scott Rasmussen shows that 48 PERCENT OF THOSE SURVEYED SUPPORT WISCONSIN REPUBLICAN GOV. SCOTT WALKER in his showdown with the state's public-employee unions, while 38 percent support the union. Broken down by party, Rasmussen found that 68 PERCENT OF DEMOCRATS SUPPORT THE UNIONS, WHILE 68 PERCENT OF REPUBLICANS SUPPORT WALKER. Among the POLITICALLY-CRITICAL INDEPENDENTS, 56 PERCENT SUPPORT THE GOVERNOR. And in a showdown in which teachers have abandoned the classroom to protest against Walker's budget bill, 38 percent said they believe that teachers, along with firefighters and police, should have the right to strike, while 49 PERCENT SAID THOSE PUBLIC EMPLOYEES SHOULD NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO STRIKE

.
http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/02/new-poll-public-sides-wisconsin-governor-over-union#ixzz1EgyW4TbQ

And this story may tell you why President Obama is doing the hokey pokey.



Our reactionary President

…..In a noisome bit of body snatching, THE MADISON PROTESTERS ASSOCIATE THEMSELVES WITH THE DEMONSTRATORS IN EGYPT. If we must use Egypt analogies, THIS ONE HAS IT BACKWARD. Tapping into new technologies empowering individuals, the anti-Mubarak protesters overthrew a sclerotic political system that no longer fit the times. In their aims, THE ANTI-WALKER THRONGS ARE MORE LIKE EGYPT’S COUNTERDEMONSTRATORS WHO RODE IN ON CAMELS TO TRY TO SAVE A DECREPIT, 30-YEAR-OLD POLITICAL DISPENSATION.


Obama’s transformative agenda has largely consisted of accelerating already-present trends. WE HAD ALREADY TRIED A STIMULUS AND DEFICIT SPENDING — OBAMA GAVE US MORE OF BOTH. WE ALREADY HAD SUBSIDIES TO GREEN ENERGY — OBAMA CREATED MORE. WE ALREADY WERE SPENDING MORE THAN EVER ON EDUCATION — OBAMA ADDED MORE. WE ALREADY HAD MASSIVE GOVERNMENT HEALTH-CARE PROGRAMS crowding out the private sector and tipping the federal government toward bankruptcy — Obama added yet another one….

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/260307/our-reactionary-president-rich-lowry


Progressive? It doesn’t really look like it. In fact, the left has grown lazy and moribund in regard to ideas. When challenged on what they are doing they tend to resort to name calling using racist, bigots, homophobe, sexists, etc instead of explanations. These are not the actions of a dynamic and thoughtful movement.



The Left’s Assault on Democracy in Wisconsin

LEFTIST RADICALS DON’T BELIEVE IN DEMOCRACY IN THE WAY THE TERM IS USED IN AMERICA. If they win, it’s democracy in action, a noble rendering of the wise judgment of the people. If they lose, democracy has been undermined and usually some cabal of corporate villains in a smoke-filled backroom somewhere is to blame for the injustice.

The union goons and paid protesters wreaking havoc in Madison, Wisconsin believe in the radical left-wing un-American conception of democracy.

They’re being cheered on by the REV. JESSE JACKSON who dropped by to outrageously compare the ongoing disruptions to the 1965 civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. “THIS IS A MARTIN LUTHER KING MOMENT, this is a Gandhi moment,” he said without chuckling.

They’re also being praised and encouraged by the nation’s foremost leftist guru, professor Noam Chomsky. CHOMSKY TOLD DEMOCRACY NOW! RECENTLY THAT HE HOPES THE PROTESTS BEGIN TO RESEMBLE THE VIOLENT DEMONSTRATIONS IN EGYPT. “It was heartening to see that there are tens of thousands of people protesting in Madison day after day in fact. I mean that’s the beginning maybe of what we really need here, a democracy uprising. Democracy’s almost been eviscerated

http://frontpagemag.com/2011/02/22/the-left%E2%80%99s-assault-on-democracy-in-wisconsin/


We’ve seen a lot of hypocrisy going on over the past week. I guess the phrase “We won,” is only applicable if it is a leftist who won the election.


Howard Dean and the $100,000 Wisconsin Slush Fund

YOU CAN CALL THEM "DEAN DOLLARS."

Former Vermont Governor and Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, a one-time presidential candidate, is the founder of a group that by mid-day of President's Day HAD RAISED OVER $100,000 IN A SLUSH FUND TO "BACK" THE ON-THE-LAM WISCONSIN DEMOCRATIC STATE SENATORS.

The Dean Dollars are being specifically funneled to the Wisconsin State Senate Democratic Committee (SSDC) -- AN APPARENT VIOLATION OF WISCONSIN ELECTION LAW that pointedly says, according to the Wisconsin Election Board's Legal Counsel in a 2005 decision, that the "SSDC may not accept a contribution of more than $6,000 from a single committee in a calendar year."

http://spectator.org/archives/2011/02/22/howard-dean-and-the-100000-wis


It appears we have welfare for elected officials who are on the lam.



Missing Democrats: A spreading problem

Seats on one side of the Indiana House were nearly empty today as House Democrats departed the the state rather than vote on anti-union legislation.

A source tells the Indianapolis Star that Democrats are headed to Illinois, though it was possible some also might go to Kentucky. They need to go to a state with a Democratic governor to avoid being taken into police custody and returned to Indiana.

The House was came into session twice this morning, with only three of the 40 Democrats present. Those were needed to make a motion, and a seconding motion, for any procedural steps Democrats would want to take to ensure Republicans don’t do anything official without quorum.

With only 58 legislators present, there was no quorum present to do business. The House needs 67 of its members to be present.

http://www.indystar.com/article/20110222/NEWS/110222004/House-Democrats-flee-Indiana-stop-votes?odyssey=mod

It appears we have a new Democratic phenom.  The case of the disappearing Democrats.  Actually it is more like the spoiled kid who if he doesn't get his way threatens to take is ball and go home. 


George Will dissects Wisconsin

…He does, however, think there is sincerity unleavened by information: MANY PROTESTERS DO NOT REALIZE THAT MOST WORKER PROTECTIONS - merit hiring; just cause for discipline and termination - ARE THE RESULT NOT OF COLLECTIVE BARGAINING BUT OF WISCONSIN'S UNIQUELY STRONG AND CENTURY-OLD CIVIL SERVICE LAW.

"I am convinced," he says, "this is about money - but not the employees' money." IT CONCERNS UNION DUES, WHICH HE WANTS THE STATE TO STOP COLLECTING FOR THE UNIONS, just as he wants annual votes by state employees on re-certifying the unions. He says many employees pay $500 to $600 annually in union dues - teachers pay up to $1,000. Given a choice, many might prefer to apply this money to health care premiums or retirement plans. And he thinks "eventually" most will say about the dues collectors, "What do we need this for?"

SUCH UNIONS ARE GOVERNMENT ORGANIZED AS AN INTEREST GROUP TO LOBBY ITSELF TO DO WHAT IT ALWAYS WANTS TO DO ANYWAY - GROW. These unions use dues extracted from members to elect their members' employers. And governments, not disciplined by the need to make a profit, extract government employees' salaries from taxpayers. Government sits on both sides of the table in cozy "negotiations" with unions.

A few days after President Obama submitted a budget that would increase the federal deficit, he tried to sabotage Wisconsin's progress toward solvency. THE WASHINGTON POST: "THE PRESIDENT'S POLITICAL MACHINE WORKED IN CLOSE COORDINATION . . . WITH STATE AND NATIONAL UNION OFFICIALS TO MOBILIZE THOUSANDS OF PROTESTERS TO GATHER IN MADISON and to plan similar demonstrations in other state capitals." Walker notes that in the 1990s, Wisconsin was a trendsetter regarding school choice and welfare reform. Obama, he thinks, may be worried that Wisconsin might again be a harbinger….

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/21/AR2011022103190.html


One of the truisms of Unions is that they will sacrifice many of the promises they made to organize a group to get a check off clause (the company collects union dues from the members for the union) in that first contract. Of all the things being proposed by Walker, doing away with this is most likely the biggest problem for the Unions.


Two-Thirds of Wisconsin Public-School 8th Graders Can’t Read Proficiently

TWO-THIRDS OF THE EIGHTH GRADERS IN WISCONSIN PUBLIC SCHOOLS CANNOT READ PROFICIENTLY ACCORDING TO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, despite the fact that Wisconsin spends more per pupil in its public schools than any other state in the Midwest.

In the National Assessment of Educational Progress tests administered by the U.S. Department of Education in 2009—the latest year available—ONLY 32 PERCENT OF WISCONSIN PUBLIC-SCHOOL EIGHTH GRADERS EARNED A “PROFICIENT” RATING WHILE ANOTHER 2 PERCENT EARNED AN “ADVANCED” rating. The other 66 percent of Wisconsin public-school eighth graders earned ratings below “proficient,” including 44 percent who earned a rating of “basic” and 22 percent who earned a rating of “below basic

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/two-thirds-wisconsin-public-school-8th-g


This sounds like those teachers really need to be back in the classroom explain what is happening since it appears 66% of their students will have a tough time reading about it.



Wisconsin labor unrest spills across Lake Michigan

MICHIGAN UNION LEADERS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE ACTIVISTS WILL JOIN WITH COLLEAGUES IN WISCONSIN AND OHIO ON TUESDAY AS THE AFL-CIO PLANS STREET PROTESTS IN LANSING against Republican Gov. Rick Snyder's attempt to balance the state budget on the backs of public employees.

In scenes that US Rep. Paul Ryan (R) has likened to the massive recent protests and clashes in Cairo, Wisconsin public sector employees and union activists staged a seventh day of protests in Madison Monday as Gov. Scott Walker (R) refused to budge on his plan to gut collective bargaining, the behind-closed-doors process by which civil service workers, including teachers, secure pay, health, and pension benefits.

FIGHTING SIMILAR PROPOSALS, OHIO UNION ACTIVISTS PROTESTED IN COLUMBUS LAST WEEK, as well, and now Michigan union protesters are planning a morning protest in Lansing. In Tennessee, a Republican-backed plan to end collective bargaining for the state's 52,000 teachers has drawn sharp rebukes from the education establishment. Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels has also proposed curbing collective bargaining rules in the Hoosier State….

http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20110221/ts_csm/364791


Wisconsin is only the first place you will be seeing this struggle. Stand bye.


Mika Makes Excuses For Vile WI Signs—Till She Sees Them

Mika Brzezinski learned a life lesson this morning: look before you leap to defend liberals . . .


At the top of Morning Joe, Joe Scarborough referenced the hateful emails he and Mika had received from the left and the similarly ugly signs held by Wisconsin union protesters. MIKA REFLEXIVELY DEFENDED THE VILENESS, SAYING THAT PEOPLE WERE "HURTING AND REALLY DON'T FEEL LIKE THEY'RE BEING HEARD."


Aww. But later, the show rolled video of some of the Wisconsin signs, including one with crosshairs on Gov. Walker, another calling him Hitler, one accusing him of rape, and of course that great old standard "death to tyrants."



TO HER CREDIT, MIKA DID CHANGE HER TUNE. VIEW VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP.

Admitting that she hadn't previously seen those signs, MIKA AGREED WITH JOE THAT IF TEA PARTIERS HELD UP SOMETHING SIMILAR, "THEY'D BE ON A [MSM] LOOP."

View the video and watch Mika's change of heart as she runs headlong into the hard reality of what's happening in Wisconsin.

http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/mark-finkelstein/2011/02/21/mika-makes-excuses-vile-wi-signs-till-she-sees-them#ixzz1EgpGKtH1


An admission that the MSM treats the TEA Party more harshly than it does Public Employee Unions. Who would of thought it?



GOP can cut spending without closing government

Washington Democrats and liberal mainstream media journalists have been wearing out their tongues for a week PREDICTING HOUSE REPUBLICANS WILL FORCE A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN JUST AS THEY DID IN 1995, WITH THE SAME DISASTROUS RESULTS FOR THE GOP. They are framing the issue this way because they want a government shutdown, thinking IT WILL BLUNT THE DRIVE BY HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO CUT FEDERAL SPENDING, which voters demanded last November. Unfortunately, many Republicans have bought into the fallacy that the only way to achieve their goal is through a political stalemate that forces a suspension of government services.

In fact, THIS IS NOT AN "EITHER/OR" PROPOSITION, as congressional Republicans can show this week by taking two steps. First, HOUSE GOP LEADERS SHOULD INTRODUCE AN ALTERNATIVE CONTINUING RESOLUTION THAT ENSURES NO SLOWDOWN IN ESSENTIAL SERVICES, including the delivery of Social Security checks and Medicare payments for medical treatment, keeping the military at full strength and funding agencies charged with maintaining the public safety. House Speaker John Boehner should make clear that this alternative continuing resolution will be approved if Senate Democrats and/or President Obama refuse to accept the $61 billion in spending cuts approved last week by the lower chamber. Just as Cato the Elder ended his every Roman Senate speech by demanding that "Carthage must die," BOEHNER SHOULD CONSTANTLY DEMAND THAT DEMOCRATS STOP OBSTRUCTING THE DEFUNDING OF OBAMACARE, WHITE HOUSE "CZARS," EPA'S REGULATORY CAP-AND-TRADE, AND OTHER MUCH-NEEDED SPENDING CUTS…..

http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/2011/02/examiner-editorial-gop-can-cut-spending-without-closing-government#ixzz1Eh9uvyg9

I do think the democrats think this is 1995, not 2011. There seems to be a giggly anticipation that this will do the Republicans in and revive the Democrats. I don’t think this is the case.



Time Magazine: Greens move on from 'climate change' to organic food movement

THESE ARE DARK DAYS FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT. A year after being on the cusp of passing landmark legislation to cap greenhouse gases, greens are coming to accept the fact THAT THE CHANCE OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE HAS BECOME MORE REMOTE THAN EVER. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is under attack by newly empowered Republicans in Congress who argue that the very idea of environmental protection is unaffordable for our debt-ridden country. Accustomed to remaining optimistic in the face of long odds, the environmental movement all at once faces a challenge just to stay relevant in a hostile political climate. In 2004, authors Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus faced a harsh backlash from the greens when they released a polemic essay called "The Death of Environmentalism," but now it appears they might have been ahead of their time.

EVEN AS TRADITIONAL ENVIRONMENTALISM STRUGGLES, ANOTHER MOVEMENT IS RISING IN ITS PLACE, ALIGNING CONSUMERS, PRODUCERS, THE MEDIA AND EVEN POLITICIANS. IT'S THE FOOD MOVEMENT, AND IF IT CONTINUES TO GROW IT MAY BE ABLE TO CREATE JUST THE SORT OF POLITICAL AND SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION THAT ENVIRONMENTALISTS HAVE FAILED TO ACHIEVE IN RECENT YEARS. That would mean not only changing the way Americans eat and the way they farm — away from industrialized, cheap calories and toward more organic, small-scale production, with plenty of fruits and vegetables — but also altering the way we work and relate to one another. TO ITS MOST ARDENT ADHERENTS, THE FOOD MOVEMENT ISN'T JUST ABOUT REFORM — IT'S ABOUT REVOLUTION…..

http://hockeyschtick.blogspot.com/2011/02/time-magazine-greens-move-on-from.html


As AGW falls new green movements are afoot. This is a new one on me. I had heard that bio-diversity was the next big green assault.