THE HEADLINES

Coal-induced smog covers downtown Beijing, an phenomenon that will head towards the US West Coast as China increases its reliance on coal-fired power plants

THE “BIGGEST CLIMATE FIGHT” OF THE YEAR MAY ALREADY BE HERE, AND IT COULD HAVE BIG CONSEQUENCES FOR THE HEALTH OF OUR PLANET.

A tiny Oregon town is at the center of a brewing struggle over big profits for the coal industry and whether simply “offshoring” the dirtiest of fossil fuels will negate any future clean energy agenda in America. While coal has fallen out of favor due to costs, health risks and cheap natural gas, the Asian market has filled the void for the U.S. coal industry. Asia is now the faster-growing market for coal in the world, and much of it increasingly is being shipped across the Pacific. Coal interests are demanding a bigger West Cost port to ship more of their product to places like China, where coal-burning power plants are responsible for recent bouts of some of the worst pollution and smog ever recorded in Beijing. Federal and state regulators are currently weighing whether to approve the project, which scientists and environmentalists say could be yet another tipping point that would make the worst effects of climate change unavoidable.

(Grist)

`

“AMERICA WILL REMAIN THE ANCHOR OF STRONG ALLIANCES IN EVERY CORNER OF THE GLOBE…”

Strong imperialistic tendencies were evident in the foreign policy aspects of President Obama’s second inaugural address on Monday, laying the groundwork for an even greater global role for U.S. forces in the president’s second term. Obama spoke of the need to “win the peace” and touted his own ostensible achievements in doing so by removing troops from Iraq and promising to wind down involvement in Afghanistan. But such rhetoric ignores the very real wars that the president said he would end that have taken on new faces in those two countries and dozens more. Even as Obama spoke on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, American drones were killing suspected “terrorist” targets in Yemen. With new warfare technology and the belief in a mandate to advance U.S. interests without regard to sovereignty or practicality, Obama’s vision for an American presence in “every corner of the globe” may be realized.

(Army Times)

`

GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISM: GIFT TO THE MILITARY/INDUSTRIAL/SECURITY/MEDIA COMPLEX THAT KEEPS ON GIVING.

Pentagon spokesmen were not being ironical in referring to the GWOT as The Long War. To Pepe Escobar, it seems the forever war, as a new arena of war is opening in Africa courtesy hostage taking in Algeria and the definition of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) as the terrorist threat du jour. AQIM may be something of a phantom, but the lust for the gold of Mali and the uranium of Niger is anything but that. France may be the spearhead for western military intrusion in northwest Africa but U.S. AFRICOM cannot be far behind.

(Asia Times)

`

VIRGINIA REPUBLICANS STAGE BRAZEN GERRYMANDER COUP .

Unhappy with current legislative districts that have produced a slim one-vote majority, Virgina Senate Republicans launched an unprecedented and highly controversial stealth redistricting this week that draws new, more favorable maps for the GOP. This gerrymandering on steroids was only possible by acting on the day Sen. Henry Marsh, a veteran civil rights activist and long-time state senator, was attending Inauguration Day festivities in Washington. With one fewer vote in opposition, the hastily arranged redistricting bill was able to pass, eliminating several senate seats and potentially turning the current 20-20 State Senate tie — with the Republican Lt. Gov. serving as the tiebreaker — into a more than 10 seat GOP advantage. Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell has expressed public concern with how the measure was passed, but has not indicated that he would veto the measure. Virgina is only the latest in a string of states that have employed similar gerrymandering practices, silencing debate on redistricting that typically consolidate the majority party’s hold on power.

(Slate)

`

COMPLAINTS ARISE OVER FLORIDA GOVERNOR’S JUDICIAL DIVERSITY SCORECARD.

That score is not very good, and minority lawmakers and activists are letting Gov. Rick Scott know about it. Despite a racially and ethnically diverse population and the segregationist and exclusionary past that faced minorities for decades in the state fresh in the minds of many, Scott has rebuffed calls for more African American or Hispanic judicial appointees. The governor is on track to appoint fewer black judges than either of his Republican predecessors, and far fewer Hispanic judges than during the two terms Jeb Bush served in Tallahassee. Scott and his staff scoff at the notion that racism may be in play, challenging that most minority candidates are too “activist” for the liking of the conservative governor.

(Miami Herald)

`

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Quote of the day…

These governments claim they want to prevent catastrophic climate change, but shamefully continue to approve and promote major fossil fuel projects that will lead to climate chaos and devastation.

Kumi Naidoo, executive director of Greenpeace International on fracking and other environmentally unfriendly production practices allowed by governments of U.S., Canada, Australia and other governments

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… .

 Do you receive the daily headlines in the form of an early-morning e-mail? If you don’t and you would like to receive them, just send a note to sunstateactivist2@yahoo.com and you’ll be enrolled in the “Progressive breakfast club.”

`