Comic relief

[fatheadfred]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/am...ush-855433.html

 

text:

San Francisco to vote on naming sewer after George Bush

By Guy Adams in Los Angeles

Friday, 27 June 2008

 

 

Some presidents get carved into Mt Rushmore; others have airports, motorways, and even entire cities named in their honour. But when George Bush leaves office, his most visible memorial may be a mouldering patch of human effluent.

 

 

In November, alongside casting their ballot for the next president, the people of San Francisco will also vote on a measure to rename one of the city's largest sewage works the George W Bush Sewage Plant, to provide a "fitting monument" to the outgoing commander-in-chief's achievements.

 

Activists from the Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco, a mischievously-named group behind the move, will ask supporters to participate in a "synchronised flush".

 

It may sound like a student prank, but the proposal is almost certain to be passed. Democrats usually secure between 70 and 80 per cent of the vote in San Francisco

[bobbob1313]

Dumb.

[Guest Jules]

silly

[Analogman]

President George Bush: 'Goodbye from the world's biggest polluter'

By Robert Winnett, Deputy Political Editor and Urmee Khan

Last Updated: 7:52AM BST 10/07/2008

 

George Bush surprised world leaders with a joke about his poor record on the environment as he left the G8 summit in Japan.

 

The American leader, who has been condemned throughout his presidency for failing to tackle climate change, ended a private meeting with the words: "Goodbye from the world's biggest polluter."

 

He then punched the air while grinning widely, as the rest of those present including Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy looked on in shock.

 

Mr Bush, whose second and final term as President ends at the end of the year, then left the meeting at the Windsor Hotel in Hokkaido where the leaders of the world's richest nations had been discussing new targets to cut carbon emissions.

 

One official who witnessed the extraordinary scene said afterwards: "Everyone was very surprised that he was making a joke about America's record on pollution."

 

Mr Bush also faced criticism at the summit after Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian Prime Minister, was described in the White House press pack given to journalists as one of the "most controversial leaders in the history of a country known for government corruption and vice".

 

The White House apologized for what it called "sloppy work" and said an official had simply lifted the characterization from the internet without reading it.

 

Concluding the three-day event, leaders from the G8 and developing countries proclaimed a "shared vision" on climate change. However, they failed to bridge differences between rich and emerging nations on curbing emissions.

[Mr. Kinsley]

I was going to chime in on the "wow, the sewage plant name thing is lame" comments, but after A-man's post... maybe it is rather fitting.

 

BTW- Where is that story from? The Onion? Is that for real?

[Good Old Neon]

It appears to be legit - and further evidence of just how unrepentant this piss poor excuse for a leader, brain dead little war criminal truly is - forget the sewerage plant, they ought to name a dildo after him.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/...luter'.html

[ikol]

Bush is only the world's second biggest polluter. Al Gore has him beat on that.

[tugmoose]

Bush is only the world's second biggest polluter. Al Gore has him beat on that.

Just like the 2000 popular vote!

[Guest Jules]

Just like the 2000 popular vote!

by the way, that doesn't mean anything.

[tugmoose]

by the way, that doesn't mean anything.

It was a quip, a zinger! I know that's not the way democracy works!

 

[Good Old Neon]

Bush is only the world's second biggest polluter. Al Gore has him beat on that.

 

How's that? Because Bush's house is greener? I'm sure Gore's house's carbon footprint pales in comparison, expotentially, to the environmental effects of Bush's phony war.

[quarter23cd]

For the record, I vote YES on the sewage plant name and NO on whether it actually means anything. Kudos to the people of SF for their 5 minutes of hilarity.

 

I had to google that thing that Aman posted b/c it sounded awful Onioneque to me, as well, but it does indeed appear to be legit. Wow. Just wow. What an a-hole.

[Analogman]

I found that story here.

[ikol]

How's that? Because Bush's house is greener? I'm sure Gore's house's carbon footprint pales in comparison, expotentially, to the environmental effects of Bush's phony war.

 

Well, technically, it would be the military that's polluting in the "phony" war, and not Bush. And whether you agree or disagree with the war, it's not like it's Bush's personal war. It's supposedly being waged on behalf of the nation. I've never been invited to stay in Al's mansion. I guess I should cut Gore some slack, though. It's really tough to limit your electricity usage to only 5-10 times that of the normal person. Gore's really making some sacrifices in his effort to stop global warming.

[Good Old Neon]

Well, technically, it would be the military that's polluting in the "phony" war, and not Bush. And whether you agree or disagree with the war, it's not like it's Bush's personal war. It's supposedly being waged on behalf of the nation. I've never been invited to stay in Al's mansion. I guess I should cut Gore some slack, though. It's really tough to limit your electricity usage to only 5-10 times that of the normal person. Gore's really making some sacrifices in his effort to stop global warming.

 

Sure, but who sent the military into Iraq? That

[ikol]

Long-assed post.

 

So does anything the President orders count toward his carbon footprint? If a President signs a universal healthcare bill, he's responsible for all the electricity consumed in every hospital in the U.S.? Maybe Gore pays a little extra for his electricity so he can sleep at night, but he's gaining far more in wealth and fame for advocating environmentalism than he loses in his half-assed attempt to live "greenly." Sure he's buying renewable electricity, but he's not really making much of a sacrifice. If he really believes we're headed for a global catastrophe (a la "The Day After Tomorrow"), then why doesn't he reduce his energy consumption and spend the savings on renewable electricity for like 20 other households?

[Good Old Neon]

So does anything the President orders count toward his carbon footprint? If a President signs a universal healthcare bill, he's responsible for all the electricity consumed in every hospital in the U.S.? Maybe Gore pays a little extra for his electricity so he can sleep at night, but he's gaining far more in wealth and fame for advocating environmentalism than he loses in his half-assed attempt to live "greenly." Sure he's buying renewable electricity, but he's not really making much of a sacrifice. If he really believes we're headed for a global catastrophe (a la "The Day After Tomorrow"), then why doesn't he reduce his energy consumption and spend the savings on renewable electricity for like 20 other households?

 

Let's take a look at Bush's environmental record while in office with another long assed post - and then, we can weigh it against Gore's electricity bill.

 

http://www.nrdc.org/bushrecord/default.asp - tons of info here.

 

The following are just a few of the changes brought by Bush. (See links at the bottom for more current information.) Systemic problems are listed first:

 

Misleading the Public The Bush Administration shows more finesse than previous Administrations in disguising its anti-environmental agenda. The "bait and switch" method has been used repeatedly. They promise one thing, then a month or a year later quietly do the opposite, often with little media explanation of the turn-about. Examples: wetlands, carbon dioxide, ANWR, mining, roadless areas, and air pollution lawsuits.

 

Legal Inaction Bush often publicly proclaims support for an environmental regulation while privately working to weaken it under the cloak of litigation. Here's how it works: Industry sues to overturn environmental regulations and the Justice Department, led by Attorney General John Ashcroft, puts up only the feeblest of defenses and refuses to appeal adverse decisions. Then the Bush Administration can blame the decision on the judge, and make political points for "trying."

 

Office of Management and Budget The President's OMB is targeting 13 guidelines on environmental protection for change or abolishment, (plus another 10 related to workplace and food-labeling requirements.) This is not normal behavior for the OMB. This is a new effort by the Bush Admin. Industry groups and conservative "think tanks" nominated 12 of the 13 environmental rules on the list. The American Chemistry Council nominated a rule about the handling of the products of hazardous-waste treatment. The Mercatus Institute, a market-oriented research institute, nominated a rule restricting snowmobiles in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park, plus 9 other rules. The American Petroleum Institute nominated rules requiring companies to tell the government if they manufacture or handle toxic substances. The agencies which now implement the rules can decide whether to accept OMB's "suggestions," but OMB has tremendous power over agencies because it can veto other rules agencies would like to enact. A key staffer within OMB, John Graham, Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs was a controversial appointment for Bush, because of his emphasis on cost-benefit standards, which are often inappropriate (or impossible to calculate) for environmental, workplace or food-safety issues.

 

Budget Cuts Last year, Bush cut EPA's budget by $500 million, but was partly blocked by Congress. This year, Bush proposes to cut $40 million from the Bureau of Land Management, $33 million from the Bureau of Reclamation, and $112 million from the Forest Service.

 

Enforcement Undercut Eric Schaeffer, EPA's Director of the Office of Regulatory Enforcement (a 12-year veteran who has received awards for his work quality), recently resigned in protest saying he was "tired of fighting a White House that seems determined to weaken the

rules that we are trying to enforce." He said energy industry lobbyists were helping to write proposals to weaken air-pollution regulations for older coal power plants. The Bush Administration's stance has interfered in lawsuit settlement negotiations with 8 major power utilities. The industries hope to get a better deal from Bush, so negotiations have stalled.

 

Schaeffer said, "The big problem is the Dept. of Energy's been put in the front seat on these decisions. Their client is the power industry and our perspective is this is an environmental enforcement matter and I don't think they have a place in those negotiations, but there they are." The Cheney energy task force directed EPA to review whether the rule substantially impeded power generation and to recommend any reforms.

 

This year, Bush's proposed budget would cut EPA inspection staff by 18 percent next year, and civil enforcement staff will decline 11% over 2001 levels. Republican Senator James Inhofe said "the White House is addressing an overzealous agency whose strict enforcement of air pollution rules has sometimes done more harm than good." He supported claims by the coal-fired electricity industry that "stringent modernization rules are actually discouraging plant owners from upgrading pollution controls." (Utilities have benefited for years from loopholes which "grandfather" old plants like the Pulliam on the Fox River. If they think this is a problem, why don't they eliminate the loophole instead of blocking EPA enforcement?)

 

Personnel Purge at BLM Experienced high-level staff in the Bureau of Land Management (under Interior Secy. Norton) have been reassigned to inappropriate jobs which weaken or eliminate their influence in the western states, as retaliation because special interests claimed they "favored environmental interests too much in their approach to overseeing public land." For example: 3 were moved after they restricted cattle grazing, mining or off-road vehicles on sensitive public lands.

 

Eliminated EPA Ombudsman Until Bush, the federal government had it's own version of a "Public Intervenor," called the "EPA Ombudsman" (except this person was not allowed to sue agencies to force compliance with laws.) This one person was to independently respond to citizen complaints about EPA actions. His power lay in his in-depth investigations which disputed costs, investigated health issues, and exposed pork barrel politics, making him unpopular among EPA officials. The Bush Administration used the same slight-of-hand used in Wisconsin to eliminate the Public Intervenor. Rather than honestly eliminating the office, Bush neutralized the Ombudsman by moving him into the EPA Inspector General's Office (similar to local Republicans' moving the Wisconsin Public Intervenor into the DNR, where the office became instantly ineffective.) Rather than move, the EPA Ombudsman resigned in protest.

 

Turning Federal Authority Over to Local Governments Bush opposes federal environmental mandates, preferring a "local approach," but this leads to extreme inconsistencies between states, and allows corporations to play one state against another, forcing states to weaken their environmental standards in order to retain and attract business investments. We need a level playing field coordinated by the federal government with consistent science-based standards. Local governments often lack the technical expertise and budgets to address complex environmental problems. Why should local governments have to spend more taxdollars to reinvent the wheel, when one or two agencies at the federal level can do the work for everyone? A federal system is more efficient and fair.

 

Global Warming During his campaign, Bush pledged to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. After assuming office, he reneged and pulled the U.S. out of the 1997 international Kyoto Treaty to reduce emissions that contribute to global warming, despite strong memos from EPA Administrator Whitman urging him to not abandon his pledge. He lied to the American people. (Ultimately, 178 other countries did sign the Treaty.) If he had been honest with voters, he would not be in the President's office. More recently, Bush belittled his own EPA report showing that Global Warming was indeed a real threat. He dismissed the report as a product of "the bureaucracy."

 

Energy Plan Bush is a former oil company owner and executive. Vice President Cheney, former CEO of Halliburton Industries, a major oil corporation, has spearheaded a national energy plan obsessed with promoting the oil and gas industry. (During the 2000 campaign, Cheney denied that Halliburton had a business relationship with Saddam Hussein. The Washington Post has since revealed that two Halliburton subsidiaries were doing business with Iraq.) Cheney is also at the center of a scandal due to his hundreds of secret meetings with energy corporations (such as Enron) and his refusal to meet with any environmental representatives. The Bush Administration has refused to release the records from those meetings. Not surprisingly, the resulting Bush Energy Plan promotes expanded oil and gas exploration, and coal-fired and nuclear power, instead of conservation, efficiency and renewable sources. At the same time, Bush cut funding for research into renewable energy sources by 50%. Kenneth Lay, of Enron fame, used his close relationship with Bush to pressure the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to speed up energy deregulation, and provided Bush with a list of preferred candidates for key commission posts. Bush and Cheney relied on Lay for advice; some administration appointees had first to be "interviewed" by Lay before getting the job. Many former Enron employees now work in key federal positions.

 

Vehicle Gas Mileage Standards Bush opposed improved gas mileage standards for vehicles when this was before Congress, and cut funding for research into cleaner, more efficient cars and trucks by 28%. Bush also cancelled the 2004 deadline for auto makers to develop prototype high-mileage cars.

 

Appliance Efficiency Standards Bush grabbed headlines for not rescinding Clinton's order to improve energy efficiency standards for washing machines and water heaters, but several news articles failed to mention that Bush DID block Clinton's rule mandating such improvements for air conditioners. Air conditioners are heavy and often wasteful energy users, especially during peak summer demand periods which lead to the need for new power plants.

 

Offshore Drilling Bush proposed new off-shore drilling projects at coastal sites around the country. Sites off Florida's eastern shore were about to be auctioned off, but the proposal was dropped instantly when Bush's brother Jeb (Florida's Governor) objected. Other states also objected, but Bush has continued to push for drilling in politically weaker (and most Democratic) areas.

 

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge This is a well-known issue. Last year, Bush grabbed headlines by pledging that he would not pursue drilling in the refuge, then he reversed himself and became the leading champion of this boondoggle project. Luckily, Congress has voted so far to block the project, but it keeps appearing as a rider on other legislation. Citizens must stay vigilant.

 

National Forest Drilling Bush has announced plans to allow oil drilling in Montana's Lewis and Clark National Forest.

 

Arsenic A well-known fiasco. Bush was more concerned about costs than public health, and was lobbied by local officials equally warped. The media often reported Bush's decision as an arsenic "reduction" when it was actually an increase over Clinton's directive. Eventually, public pressure and media attention forced Bush to accept the healthier (but still not fully protective) Clinton standard.

 

Superfund Bush cut in half the number of toxic waste sites to be cleaned up across the country. At the same time, Republican's have consistently blocked the law's funding source, a surcharge on chemical feedstocks and petroleum (the usual sources of hazardous waste), so the fund is running dry. The loss of the tax forces general taxpayers to pay to cleanup corporate mistakes, and eliminates a lot of the legal leverage the EPA has over polluters. Now that polluters know the agency is cash poor, they'll be more willing to fight against cleanups and attack Superfund Law as "too slow" (because it's out of money.) Negotiated cleanups will be much weaker and cheaper. Neighbors of sites without identifiable polluters will continue to be poisoned because no money is available.

 

Bad Actors Bush revoked rules strengthening government authority to deny contracts to companies that violate federal laws, environmental laws, and workplace safety standards.

 

Land and Water Conservation Fund During his campaign, Bush pledged to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which purchases development rights or land in environmentally sensitive areas. Last year, Bush received glowing media tributes for announcing he was increasing LWCF funds. Full funding requires $900 million a year (split between the feds and states), and Bush claims they've provided $911 million, but conservationists argue only $486 million of that $911 million would go toward LWCF purposes. The rest would go to other existing programs that Bush renamed as part of the LWCF. He also eliminated traditional LWCF programs, including an important wildlife grant program and a program to protect urban parkland.

 

Diesel Emissions Bush got media attention for not rescinding Clinton's directive requiring manufacturers of heavy-duty trucks and buses to reduce diesel emissions by more than 90 percent and refiners to reduce sulfur in diesel fuel by 97 percent, to 15 ppm. (In this case, the rule had the support of the powerful automobile industry.) In other words, Bush got credit for not doing anything.

 

Endangered Species In a major precedent-setting move, Bush flagrantly abandoned his responsibilities under the Endangered Species Act and cut protections for fish habitat protections in 4 states, as part of a legal settlement with the National Association of Home Builders and other groups. This will result in critical habitat destruction for 19 species of threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead trout in California, Oregon, Idaho and Washington. Numerous other species will also be affected. "Critical habitat" has been identified by government scientists as essential for the survival of the species. The Bush Administration said they "wanted a chance to devise new habitat designations after revisiting some key issues." They deemed the Clinton-era economic analysis "less than acceptable." Bush also blocked efforts to breach four old dams on the Snake River in Idaho, which biologists have shown block the migrations and breeding of several economically important salmon and steelhead species. The Army Corps of Engineers promises instead to improve the fish-ladders, but those have already proven inadequate and bound to fail.

 

Rain Forests Bush broke his campaign promise to invest $100 million per year in rain forest conservation.

 

Everglades Bush brags about his leadership in Everglades restoration, but draft rules for Everglades restoration issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in December attempted to fudge what the actual goals will be for measuring the project's success, fail to set timetables for those goals, and do not specify the amount of water dedicated to Everglades restoration. Interior Secy. Norton also shut down the federal office for Everglades restoration.

 

Brownfields Bush embraced a Clinton initiative to weaken cleanup standards and subsidize cleanup of "abandoned" urban toxic sites, because this bailed out potentially responsible property owners and corporations. This is hailed by Republicans as "environmental" but in reality is another form of corporate welfare. Once again, taxpayers pay to cleanup corporate mistakes.

 

Hudson River PCB Cleanup Bush grabbed headlines by not rescinding Clinton's proposed plan to cleanup the Hudson River. Again, he gets credit for doing nothing. But this plan was only the second-best option presented by EPA and allows PCBs to linger in fish at unsafe levels for 67 years or more. The best plan would have accomplished this in only 11 years. The cleanup was strongly promoted by New York's Republican Governor and the State of New Jersey downstream (where EPA Administrator Christine Whitman was Governor). The Hudson had clear political advantages over the proposed Fox River cleanup.

 

National Monument Abuse Bush grabbed headlines by not rescinding Clinton's designation of 18 national monuments, but he asked for state and local responses and is opening the monuments to numerous destructive uses such as oil drilling, grazing, coal mining, and timber harvests.

 

National Parks Bush grabbed headlines by touting the $4.9 billion he was seeking for national parks. But too much of the money, to be spent over 5 years, would go for road building and tourist buildings, and too little to preservation and research.

 

Mining Bush reversed Clinton Admin. regulations on mining on public lands that would have given the government veto power over projects deemed harmful to nature. Bush's budget this year proposes 15% ($30 million) less for cleaning up old mines or protecting watersheds affected by surface mining.

 

Wetlands Bush grabbed headlines by promising to not to rescind Clinton's directive protecting wetlands. Then a few months later, Bush gutted wetland protections through actions of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

 

Road-building in Forests Bush is abandoning a Clinton directive protecting 58.5 million acres of national forest from road-building and other development. Last year, after suspending it for several months of review, Bush publicly promised to uphold the roadless rule. But his legal defense of the rule in court was extremely weak, and he obviously used the court to roll back this popular measure. When the judge blocked implementation of the rule, Bush failed to appeal the decision. Then, Bush started a new rule-making process to weaken or eliminate the rule. Nine separate lawsuits have been filed to challenge the rule, including suits by timber industry associations, off-road vehicle groups, livestock companies and states eager for revenue from development of federal land. Bush has quietly failed to fight any of them. While cases go through court, Bush is already removing roadless protections through directives coming from the office of the Forest Service Chief. Two examples:

 

Tongass National Forest (Alaska) About 2.5 million acres are vulnerable if the roadless rule is abandoned. The Forest Service is currently planning many timber sales there in ecologically rich areas. One site may be Gravina Island, where the Service plans 22 miles of new roads.

 

Bitterroot National Forest (Montana) A federal judge issued an injunction blocking the Administration from 41,000 acres of proposed logging, saying the Forest Service illegally shut the public out of its decision-making process. (Citizens were not allowed any administrative appeal process, despite statutory requirements for such a right.)

 

Rights of Way on Public Lands Federal officials and Utah state officials have been holding closed door talks concerning more than 10,000 roads and trails crossing federal lands. These cross national parks, national monuments, national forests, and wilderness areas, including some of Utah's most pristine and environmentally sensitive areas. Recognition of state claims could relinquish federal authority over these roads and trails, with potentially disastrous consequences for the rights of all U.S. citizens. Citizen groups have sued to obtain documents concerning the closed-door meetings, alleging that the Dept. of Interior is violating the Freedom of Information Act by refusing to release the documents.

 

Clean Water Act Bush's EPA intends to weaken rules which set TMDL's (Total Maximum Daily Loads) of pollutants to bodies of water. This will remove many waterbodies from programs designed to reduce their pollution by logging, grazing and farming. Under the Clinton Administration, additional clean water rules were developed to address these unregulated polluters. Instead of defending the rules in court, Bush asked the court to put all the lawsuits on hold, which the courts agreed to do. The Administration has since said they intend to change the rules and have been taking input, mostly from industry sources, to bolster support for weakening the Clinton rules. Recently, Bush proposed to allow polluters to buy, sell and trade water pollution credits, as described in last month's newsletter.

 

Air Pollution Lawsuits Bush promised to continue pursuing lawsuits against power plants who upgrade old generating plants without installing better pollution controls, but has undercut settlement negotiations and is now rewriting the rule. The industries have been enjoying a huge loophole for years, with all their old plants grandfathered and exempt from air pollution controls. But until recently they've been allowed to violate the law and upgrade and STILL not meet modern air pollution controls. When the government finally enforced the law, the companies started whining that it was "arbitrary." Yet, they helped write the loophole that they now criticize. They still want special breaks, while they threaten public health.

 

Clear Skies Initiative Bush is grabbing headlines with his "Clear Skies" initiative, which requires reductions of 70 percent in emissions of three of the worst air pollutants (nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and mercury) by 2018. The measure actually is a weakening of current air pollution regulations. Critics, including former EPA staff, say EPA could achieve deeper emissions cuts through vigorous enforcement of the current Clean Air Act. Bush is giving polluters "more flexibility" to reach the required emission cuts.

 

Sierra Nevada Bush made a high-profile endorsement of a conservation plan for California's Sierra Nevada, but the next day quietly promised to review (and probably undercut) the plan.

 

Environmental Education Bush's 2003 Budget shifts Environmental Education funding from the EPA to the National Science Foundation math and science program, a change based on OMB's assessment that EPA's current EE program "has supported environmental advocacy rather than environmental education" and is therefore "ineffective." (This is not based on any formal study or evaluation by OMB or EPA.) The transfer of funds does not include the transfer of activities mandated under the National Environmental Education Act of 1990. Therefore, the budget not only abolishes EPA's EE program, which supports inter-disciplinary teaching, but also EPA's annual grants to state agencies, schools, nature centers and other nonprofit entities; a national educator training program; a federal interagency program to coordinate EE across the federal government; the Presidential Environmental Youth Awards program; and funding to support the National EE and Training Foundation (NEETF).

 

Fish-eating Advisories Bush's Food & Drug Administration softened its warning to pregnant women about the dangers of mercury in fish, notably tuna, after pressure from the seafood industry.

 

Hanford Nuclear Congress appropriated $1.8 billion for the Hanford Nuclear Reservation Cleanup in Washington State, but DOE won't say whether it's enough to meet its legal obligations in 2002. Bush allocated $383 million less.

Testing Pesticides on Humans The Clinton Administration had refused to consider results or encourage use of human tests of pesticides (using doses EPA considered hundreds of times higher than levels EPA deemed safe for the general public), due to concerns that such tests were unsafe, useless and unethical. The Bush Administration said they would evaluate the industry test results as "part of an evolving policy." Now, due to public outcry, Bush is backpedaling.

 

Pesticides in Food Bush is taking credit for not rescinding Clinton's decision to let stand a pesticide reduction plan reached in a consent decree between the EPA and the Natural Resources Defense Council. EPA will take steps to limit pesticides in food which might affect children (but Bush cut EPA's budget.) Again, Bush takes credit for not doing something.

 

Lead Poisoning Bush gained a lot of positive media coverage for not rescinding Clinton's lead rule, but all this rule does is require lead polluters to disclose the amount of lead they release to the environment. The rule does NOT stop the pollution. At the same time, Bush suspended Clinton's new standards for lead in paint, soil and dust.

 

Ozone Depletion Due to the war in Afghanistan, Bush's EPA dropped plans to object to gas venting by U.S. military jets, using gases known to deplete the ozone layer. The agency had tried to persuade the Pentagon to eliminate the gas by changing the fire suppressant to one equally effective in fighter jets' fuel tanks. The military continues to use Halon 1301 despite the international Montreal Treaty in 1994 banning its production. The F-16 fighter jet is currently the single largest emitter worldwide of Halon 1301.

 

Whales and Cruise Ships Congress and Bush circumvented a federal court ruling limiting the number of cruise ships allowed to visit Alaska's whale-friendly Glacier Bay, by including provisions in the Interior Department appropriations bill for fiscal 2002.

 

Dioxin Report Stifled Bush has continued the years of delay in releasing important health information about dioxin. The assessment was started at the request of industry and a first draft was released in 1985. But they were unhappy with the results and called for a reassessment in 1994, which provided even more proof of harm, so they called for another reassessment which they've successfully blocked for several years. Due to widespread dioxin contamination in meats, the report was expected to advise reduced meat and dairy consumption. The chemical, livestock and meatpacking industries gave $1,171,000 to Bush's campaign.

 

Overflights of Parks Bush suspended new Clinton FAA rules that restricted nuiscance flights of helicopters and airplanes providing sightseeing tours over national parks.

 

Meat Safety Bush suspended meat safety rules created by Clinton. The rule required plants producing hot dogs and other ready-to-eat meats to conduct periodic testing for listeria bacteria.

 

Mississippi River Bush suspended a rule to cut back on pollution in the Mississippi River.

 

Pollution from Animal Feedlots Bush suspended a rule to restrict manure runoff from animal feeding operations.

 

National Missle Defense System Bush's initiative will have severe environmental consequences, including increased production of uranium, plutonium and other hazardous materials. The U.S. already faces a backlog of billions of dollars for the environmental devastation caused by nuclear weapons construction during the Cold War. While Bush claims there will be cuts in the number of nuclear weapons the U.S. produces, he proposed a 4.5 percent increase in fiscal year 2002 for the design, development and production of nuclear weapons. At the same time, Bush cut funds for nuclear waste cleanup. About 150 military sites around the U.S. are contaminated. The National Research Council says the majority will never be cleaned up. The DOE says the remaining nuclear cleanup in the U.S. could take up to 70 years at a cost of at least $300 billion.

 

Nuclear Treaty Violations Bush has pushed for development of "mini-nukes," designed to attack deeply buried targets, a clear violation of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. The U.S. is being heavily criticized by leaders worldwide.

 

Germ Warfare Bush rejected an international accord to enforce the 1972 treaty banning germ warfare.

 

Permit Process Bush proposes to ease the permit process for constructing refineries and nuclear and hydroelectric dams, including lowering environmental standards.

 

Family Planning Cuts As soon as he took office, Bush reinstated the Reagan/Bush gag rule, preventing any agency (in other countries) from even mentioning abortions or they would lose their supplemental U.S. family planning funds. Even though Americans can freely discuss abortions and even GET abortions, Bush dictates that people in other countries can't even discuss it. So much for the "Defender of Freedom." Bush caused enormous hardships at clinics around the world, when he froze funds designated by Congress for contraceptive care in other countries. He prevented any U.S. aid from going to international family planning organizations which provide abortion counselling, referrals, or services with their own funds. Millions of women lack even basic contraceptive control over their lives, leading to extreme suffering. And continued population growth in several parts of the world cannot be sustained without severe environmental degradation. U.S. contraceptive aid is needed.

 

Insurance Coverage for Federal Employees Bush eliminated coverage for prescription contraceptives for federal employees. (Though coverage was still available for Viagra.)

 

Eliminating the Public's Right to Know Terrorism is being used as an excuse to prevent the public from knowing about dangerous situations in their own communities. This is censorship of critical information and leaves advocacy groups like ours with no data to use when arguing for better safety precautions, processes and rules. It only protects the chemical users and polluters, not the public. Determined terrorists have multiple ways of learning locations of dangerous chemicals and explosives, whether this data is divulged to the public in an organized way or not.

 

Some issues raised by the watchdog group, OMB Watch:

 

EPA has removed from its web site Risk Management Plans (RMP) collected under Section 112

[ikol]

Longer-assed post.

 

OK, but what does that have to do with my posts? I am not arguing about environmental policies of Bush. Bush is obviously not the Nobel-prize-winning crusader (don't start a religious argument just because I used the word "crusader") for the environment. It's pretty easy to make policies that force others to be environmentally kosher (again, no religious argument) and even easier to make a slanted, inaccurate documentary advocating such policies, but apparently it's not so easy to limit your personal electricity usage to that of 10 other households. If that's only "mildly" hypocritical, I'd hate to see what fucking hypocritical is. Of course, I guess it's possible that Gore has like 40 children of which I'm unaware.

[Good Old Neon]

OK, but what does that have to do with my posts? I am not arguing about environmental policies of Bush. Bush is obviously not the Nobel-prize-winning crusader (don't start a religious argument just because I used the word "crusader") for the environment. It's pretty easy to make policies that force others to be environmentally kosher (again, no religious argument) and even easier to make a slanted, inaccurate documentary advocating such policies, but apparently it's not so easy to limit your personal electricity usage to that of 10 other households. If that's only "mildly" hypocritical, I'd hate to see what fucking hypocritical is. Of course, I guess it's possible that Gore has like 40 children of which I'm unaware.

 

Bush is only the world's second biggest polluter. Al Gore has him beat on that.

 

It has everything to do with your post. Bush has enacted policies that will further increase the damage related to climate change, and cut or eliminated altogether others that have and would serve to mitigate further damage. The harm these actions have on the environment absolutely dwarf Gore

[ikol]

It has everything to do with your post. Bush has enacted policies that will further increase the damage related to climate change, and cut or eliminated altogether others that have and would serve to mitigate further damage. The harm these actions have on the environment absolutely dwarf Gore

[Good Old Neon]

OK, but by not forcing others to pollute less, Bush is not the one doing the polluting. That's like saying Bush is the world's biggest terrorist because he didn't prevent 9/11 (maybe a bad example for some on this board). When it comes to living a lifestyle conducive to pollution, Gore has Bush beat.

 

 

 

Yeah, I guess I should have listened to Gore when he said the debate was over, despite the fact that the debate is never over in science. That type of attitude more closely resembles a religious one than a scientific one.

 

Does he, Bush

[MrRain422]

No no no. Because some details are still being debated, the whole thing is bunk. Obviously.

[owl]

Well, technically, it would be the military that's polluting in the "phony" war, and not Bush. And whether you agree or disagree with the war, it's not like it's Bush's personal war. It's supposedly being waged on behalf of the nation. I've never been invited to stay in Al's mansion. I guess I should cut Gore some slack, though. It's really tough to limit your electricity usage to only 5-10 times that of the normal person. Gore's really making some sacrifices in his effort to stop global warming.

 

You make a good point: because Al Gore travels by jet, he's wrong about climate change.

[ikol]

And Gore is referring to the overwhelming evidence in favor of human influenced warming. He has already made it clear, through continuing debate, that the severity of future climate forecasts is still open to debate. But what is clear, based on what we do know, is that human behavior is contributing to global warming.

 

But it kind of matters what exactly the contribution is, and Gore's position seems to be that the debate on that is over. Yeah, maybe humans are contributing to temperature changes, but the sun could account for the vast majority of the change. It just seems a little odd to me that Mars is also warming despite the lack of burning fossil fuels there.

 

No no no. Because some details are still being debated, the whole thing is bunk. Obviously.

 

I don't think we're allowed to debate this.

 

You make a good point: because Al Gore travels by jet, he's wrong about climate change.

 

Or because Gore's right about climate change, he's wrong to travel by jet. I've noticed on this board that hypocrisy on the right seems to invalidate their views.

[owl]

Or because Gore's right about climate change, he's wrong to travel by jet. I've noticed on this board that hypocrisy on the right seems to invalidate their views.

You make a good point: if climate change is true, then everyone would have to give up travel.