Anti-pipeline demonstrators outside a San Francisco fundraiser for Barack Obama's reelection campaign (Reuters photo)
KEYSTONE PIPELINE XL PERMIT DENIAL: MAY BE LESS HERE THAN MEETS THE EYE.
(Business Week)
To the delight and self-congratulation of some environmentalists, condemnations by Republicans and a Keystone nosedive in the stock market, cooler heads begin to prevail in the business community as thoughts are given to the fact that the denial is not for the Canada-U.S. pipeline per se, but for its routing with the door left often for a later appeal by the company with a revised route. Skeptics note that the timing of a likely appeal and possible approval would be in 2013 after Obama, with support of environmentalists, would “safely” be in office for his final term as President. Keystone stock is doing a good bit better, thank you!
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IN MIDDLE EASTERN AFFAIRS, U.S. GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO PUT PRESSURE ON ISRAEL, NOT IRAN.
(Common Dreams)
So says law professor Marjorie Cohn, noting that Iran, actually not a real nuclear threat, was a target of last year’s Threat Reduction Act passed by Congress, while Israel, with aggressive projects and plans against Israel, is actually encouraged by a huge largess of U.S. military aid. Most of the commenters on the Common Dreams posting of her article beg to agree.
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HOW’S THAT “HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION AND RAPID RE-HOUSING PROGRAM” THING WORKING OUT FOR YOU?
(McClatchy)
Not so bad, say advocates for U.S. homeless, who note a 1% reduction in number of homeless between 2010 and 2011. Not so good, either, as much of it results from a “doubling up” of more people in the same housing, which one advocate says is but a step toward homelessness. In any case, the marginal improvement is based on results of a $1.5 billion dollars of federal assistance to the homeless that is slated to run out of funding later this year.
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JIM CROW FLYING HIS WAY BACK INTO SOUTHWEST U.S. IN THE FORM OF BANS ON “ETHNIC STUDIES” IN THE SCHOOLS.
(Counterpunch)
Most notably in neo-racist Arizona with its draconian anti-immigration laws (now under court review) but in more “liberal” California, there are frontal assaults on the education of Mexican Americans under the the guise of bans on ethnic studies curricula in the public schools. One feature of this assault is the ban placed (in ethnic studies programs) of material not only from speeches of “subversive” Cesar Chavez, but even Shakespeare’s The Tempest or anything written by Howard Zinn.
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TOTO, WE’RE NOT IN MYANMAR ANY MORE!
(Florida Times-Union)
Refugees from civil strife-torn Myanmar (Burma) make up the largest group of immigrants in Jacksonville, Florida. Here they come face to face with a culture radically different than anything they knew back home. “Extreme Makeover?” Extremely strange.
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Quote of the day...
Obama does indeed have a say – a strong say – over Israel. The United States has pledged $30 billion to Israel over the next 10 years. Obama should inform his counterparts in Israel that if it launches a military attack on Iran, the U.S. will withhold foreign aid from Israel. Although pressure from the neocons to support an Israeli attack on Iran will increase as the presidential elections draws near, Obama has a legal duty to refrain from actions that will lead to war with Iran.
Law professor Marjorie Cohn, on U.S. policy in the Middle East
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Glad that one “principled progressive” is seeing this raw deal for what it is. This is a case of Obama having his environmentalist cake and eating it too. We are being set up for a bait and switch from the president on Keystone. The White House is secrerly telling canada and Harper that the pipeline will be approved, just after the election. Obama is already telling big oil that they will get what they want. It’s a big lie. a scam.
No one wants this in their back yard, for sure. And with floods and earthquakes, I can’t see where it could safely traverse the entire country safely.
And what really is headspinning for me is that this fuel will be shipped out of North America. So, we have all the risk. Doesn’t make a iota of sense to me. But I’m not one of the highly paid execs of those that will prosper, so what do I know.
Obviously Too Early to Pass Judgement. Everything really depends on whether the administration in the end allows the pipeline to be built. Any delay is helpful but it’s meaningless if the pipeline deal is eventually OK’d.
Warner cousin: Remember when Obama did the same bait and switch in the 08 campaign (with the same people no less) when an aide whispered to Canadian leaders that his union-baiting promise to reform NAFTA was just “campaign rhetoric?” So who is surprised now?
It’s time to just reject the thing entirely and to get on with the urgent task of implementing programs and processes that will stave off total climate catastrophe.
I just think that it is funny that the Repubs forget that it was the REPUBLICAN Governor of the state of Nebraska that was against the original pathway of the pipeline. The President never said he was rejecting the pipeline. He just wants to get it right.