This haunting photograph depicts trees swathed in webs following the epic floods in Pakistan. Is it really because there is no home for the spiders in the water that remains standing on the land as inferred - or has their population exploded for some other reason? The article says that countless trees are dying.
Of course this blog is mainly about trees dying from pollution and collapsing ecosystems in the framework of climate change...but I am keenly interested in the two other aspects of the Trifucta - peak oil and resources, and the meltdown of the economic ponzi scheme. There are the most amazing pictures coming from London, where half a million marched against cuts to service, and hundreds rioted into the night.
The New York Times has lost its last reason to be read - Bob Herbert writes his final column of finely tuned outrage here.
The rabble is starting to realize how thoroughly and systematically fleeced we have been by the ultra-rich, one aspect of which is documented in this startling recounting of the "criminal enterprise" that constitutes Koch Industries (so designated by their disaffected brother!). Only read the following excerpts if you have no concern about your blood pressure:
"In March, 2001 the incoming Bush administration repealed the "responsible contractor rule" that barred companies that chronically defraud the government and/or violate federal pollution, wage and other rules from receiving federal contracts."
"Then, in 2002 the Bush II administration awarded Koch the contract to supply oil to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. (There were accusations that the government bought oil when prices were high, and sold it when prices were low.) The contract was renewed in 2004. Koch received tens of millions in other government contracts during the Bush years."
"The story and timeline of the Koch operation (and its front-groups) go on and on, organizing and funding climate-denial front groups, front-groups run and funded by the Koch Brothers organizing and funding the Tea Party."
Great post, thank you for the info on the Koch brothers.
ReplyDeleteI'll tweet.
Jeanabella
Kudos to Roddy for bringing this up over at Climate Progress. I'm surprised they let it through censorship.
ReplyDeleteThis is horrifying, and it makes no difference if the coal goes to China.
The only sensible explanation is that Obama works for the money, and does what they say. Salazar’s announcement fits a pattern. A right wing woman friend who used to date a CIA operative warned me about this during Obama’s campaign, and even went into some conspiratorial details about how he was picked during college and then groomed, along with about twenty other young men. The same thing happened to Bill Clinton.
The people who picked them didn’t care if he was a Democrat or Republican, since part of the process is to see that whoever they choose can be controlled. In exchange, they are provided financial and political support to see that their rise is assured. When they ascend to the top, they make sure that the money- banks and fossil fuel companies- is taken care of. My friend also said that they are aware of global warming, in spite of what their employees on Fox say, and think that the coming cull is necessary.
It sounded pretty weird at the time, especially since she was going on about the Council on Foreign Relations, the CIA, and even the Bildeburgs. It appears now that there is some truth there, though people like us have no way of knowing.
The people need to rise up in the streets, and after that Obama should face a strong primary challenger. Maybe Howard Dean or Kathleen Sibelius.
My research has led me to the same conclusion. What we must realize is that the position of president of the most powerful nation the earth has ever witnessed would never be left to whim and caprice. The Plutocrats have a bullpen of potential candidates they have groomed....some of them, like Clinton and Obama, from a very early age by the CIA. COnsidering Full Spectrum Dominance, the Military Industrial Complex holds sway over the destiny of Humankind....and that fate is ill. I called the shot on Obama back when he gave the keynote speech at Democratic National Convention in 2004. My wife, when she watched the speech, said "he's going to be President in 2008." I told her, "yes," but not for the reasons she thought. And so it's come to fruition. Too bad I don't get paid for my prognostications. What would getting paid matter anyway, considering the future.