Minnesota’s Democratic senator, Amy Klobuchar, recently introduced a resolution in the senate that simply stated a clear fact that congress tries to avoid: that climate change is real. James Inhofe (Republican doofus from Oklahoma) got up to insist that he sees nothing, nothing, and that he had a petition from 9,000 cranks that there’s nothing to worry about.
Then Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island rose up to slap him down.
People like Inhofe are a catastrophe for progress and reasonable action on important issues. Could you Oklahomans please stop electing these idiots? We’re getting rid of Bachmann up here in Minnesota, I think it’s only fair that you sacrifice a wingnut, too.
J. M. Inhofe – R-OK, $6.8 million in contributions. $558,150 from oil and gas. $208,654 from electric utilities. $176,193 from mining.
Dude’s a shill of the people who are causing climate change.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Congresscritters have a candy drawer?
He is a shill for the people who are *profiting* from climate change. We are ALL causing climate change.
In support of Minnesotans sacrificing Bachmann, I would like my fellow Californians to assist me in sacrificing Darryl Issa. Who’s with me?
As a Kansan, I’d like to nominate any or all of my congresscritters for sacrifice to Pele. That’s what we are going to do, right, throw them in a volcano?
Here in Georgia we’ve eliminated Jack Kingston, Phil Gingrey and Paul Broun, M.D. from Congress, and shut the door on a resurgent Bob Barr. I think three of a kind beats a lone queen.
Well as a Massachusettsian, I have no sacrifice to bring, since our only notable Republican was Scott Brown, who wormed his way into office with a special election but was removed during the 2012 election cycle. Speaking of which, Scott Brown is apparently going to try to worm his way back into the Senate by running in New Hampshire this year. Though Scott Brown is probably one of the few half-way decent Republicans out there, so it might be better than whatever Randian drone New Hampshire Republicans would normally eagerly produce.
Also: Inhofe should be forced to guzzle gasoline for the rest of his life. At least it would shut him up.
this could be an early round (tho not the first) of a battle between the coastal and inland states on this topic.
I assume you’re talking about this drawer.
Believe me, we are trying!!
I’m glad you made a global warming post this morning because it gives me an excuse to bring this to everyone’s attention:
http://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/are-siberias-methane-blowholes-the-first-warning-sign-of-unstoppable-climate-change/story-fnjwvztl-1227006746397
It’s finally happened. The Siberian permafrost is melting, vast stores of methane are being released, and we’ve started a feedback loops that can’t be stopped.
I don’t know which emotion is more powerful at the moment, fear of what our planet will be like in a few decades or rage at the people who refused to take their heads out of their asses and admit there’s a problem until it’s too late.
On a more positive note. Sheldon Whitehouse is a freakin’ national treasure.
I would wish that Inhofe had died in a plane crash, but that would probably have meant a lot of people on the ground would have died too, which wouldn’t have been fair. Though why he is allowed anywhere near a plane any more is beyond me.
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/bizarre/inhofe-scared-crap-out-airport-workers-192645
I look for Oklahoma to double down. Oil is very big, there, and so is ignorance.
–
It’s not just the money Inhofe gets directly from the carbon industry, it’s his constituents too. Drive through Oklahoma some time and there is the smell of hydrocarbons everywhere. Amazingly there is one small patch of windmills. But Oklahoma is dead as far as farming goes so it’s the money from carbon that keeps the place alive and those folks vote their bucks as well. So ridicule is the only weapon against Inhofe since he’ll hold that seat as long as he wants.
There’s actually been a study showing that Texas and Oklahoma, which produce large amounts of natural gas, would be major beneficiaries of a move away from coal.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/24/us/states-against-epa-rule-on-carbon-pollution-would-gain-study-finds.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimes&_r=0
@4 – Yeah, I’d say we Californians sacrifice Issa. Unfortunately, the 49th district runs from La Jolla to Dana Point, some of the more conservative area’s in California
Time again to mention David Twohy’s excellent The Arrival, where GW is caused by ETs making our planet more like home and they appreciate our help!
Cross-posted from the Lounge thread.
Climate change news: megadrought, the failure of El Nino, and backup for ocean warming causing problems.
Daily Kos link.
More on the megadrought, specific to California and southwestern USA, from the link in comment #19:
Climate news from Alaska:
http://phys.org/news/2014-07-alaska-fisheries-ocean-acidification.html
More climate news from Alaska — nice photo at the link, too.
Daily Kos link.
hawkerhurricane@4, I’m in!
rationalinks@5, Don’t tell the scientologists.
Imhofe sounds like shultz fron “Hogans Heroes”
@samihawkins:
That article just scared the living daylights out of me. I’m terrified and sitting here with sweaty palms. I was already very concerned about our future what with all this global warming going on, but this one will have me worried senseless for time to come.
The article’s style is somewhat too colloquial for me – I sincerely hope the author made somewhat of an exaggerated report and we still have some time to make amends. .I honestly didn’t need this wake-up call, I already felt the urgency to battle global warming, without it.
We need to fucking get our shit together ASAP.
Well, I’m an Oklahoman that has never (not once) voted for Inhofe. The first time I became aware of him was when he was running for Congress the first time and a radio ad where Inhofe said God had chosen him to be in Congress. He lost my vote right there…permanently. (Not that there weren’t a host of other problems with his positions.)
An aside…
Right after the revelations of Abu Graib, I wrote an e-mail to Inhofe protesting torture. I got a response back saying how much we needed torture to fight the terrorists. Jeez.
Just did a random sampling of some of the names in the “Petition Project” mentioned. Not random, Edward Teller, whose signature appears on the front page coded in 1999 vintage HTML. Notorious arms hawk and inspiration for Dr. Strangelove, Teller died 2003 – good thing they got to him early. And that seemed to set a trend. More than half of about 10 names I picked (only selection criteria, reasonably likely to be unique) – are dead. Of old age. Those that appear not to be dead are mostly retired. A Sally G. Zinke turned out to be “Geoscience Manager at Ultra Petroleum Corp”. Then I go bored.
We do what we can; would you rather have this one?
http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/2014/06/11/oklahoma_tea_party_candidate_scott_esk_supports_stoning_gay_people_to_death.html
or, perhaps, this one?
http://www.timothyraymurray.com/
sorry, but his really interesting site has been taken down and this is his new one. Probably a cost issue. Though most of it can be found here (text, the links don’t work).
http://www.businessinsider.com/timothy-ray-murray-isnt-a-robot-2014-6
My Name is Helen Morgan, From United Kingdom. I wish to share my testimonies with the general public about what this spiritual doctor called Dr Aigbehi has just done for me, this man has just brought back my lost Ex husband to me with his great spell, I was married to this man called Morgan we were together for a long time and we loved ourselves but when I was unable to give him a child for 2 years he left me and told me he can’t continue anymore then I was now looking for ways to get him back until I saw a testimony about this same doctor on the internet on how he has cured so many disease and help people with other similar problems, then you won’t believe this when I contacted this man on my problems he prepared this spell and in two days after he told me that he was through with the spell work my lost husband came back with more love in his eyes, and after a month I miss my month and go for a test and the result stated am pregnant am happy today am a mother of a baby Boy, he said I will also get pregnant again if I wish to thank you once again the great doctor for what you have done for me, if you are out there searching for any of these spells or healing:
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Sorry Helen. We have no need for spells. However, if you know of any excellent clerics, preferably ones with healing and herbalism proficiencies, there is an opening in the party.
dahduh
Was that before or after he signed the petition? I also wonder how many of the names on that petition have changed their minds since, don’t remember signing it, have asked to take their names of it etc.
Lynna – Aren’t you quite the ray of un-reradiated sunshine today :(. Where I am (southern Alberta) insted of drought we are getting wetter summers and milder but longer (or maybe it just seems that way because the weakening of the polar vortex changes the path of the jet stream resulting in fewer chinooks) with much more snow. The result has been a couple of 100 year floods in one decade.
@samihawkins – yikes – the release of methane from melting permafrost and seafloor clathyrates/hydrates is a positive feedback that is very likely disastrous. I think we have reached the point where geoengineering has to be considered and that is going to be riding a tiger.
WTF is up with comment @#28?
New Jersey can sacrifice Scott Garrett, please?
We’re getting rid of Bachmann up here in Minnesota…
Whaddya mean “we”? So far as I can tell from down South, _law enforcement_ gave Bachmann the choice of leaving office or facing prosecution; the voters in (her part of) the 10K-Lakes State would’ve kept her in office longer than Strom Thurmond if they could.
LOL
no way can the district she comes from take credit for sense on that one. This was a planned GoP strike to get rid of her, as she was becoming more and more of an embarassment.
they basically caught her up in ethics charges and forced her to not run again for re-election.
it had NOTHING to do with the people from her district. really.
if they had their way, she’d probably die in office.
I keep telling people who live where I was born, that the only way to get rid of Issa is exactly the same way they got rid of Bachman.
all you need to do is set him up on ethics charges. just the slightest thing to get him in front of the ethics committee will do.
The GoP will have to be the ones to do it though, and Issa is from a VERY rich district. seems unlikely at this point, even though he is really as much of an embarrassment as Bachman is.
bottom line, you want to get rid of Issa? you have to find a monied interest willing to nudge the GoP into doing it.
…there is another way, though far less likely:
sue the state of CA for redistricting. remove his rural district gerrymandered support, and he’ll get tossed out.
that would require you to get a lawyer who is really interested in pursuing redistricting cases to take it on.
I haven’t seen that happen in that area since the 70s, or maybe the early 80s.
good luck.
if you really ARE interested in the redistricting angle, there was a new push in 2012 (statewide; not specifically to SoCal), and the players you could follow up with are likely listed in stories like this one:
http://blogs.findlaw.com/california_case_law/2012/01/supreme-court-to-broadcast-statewide-redistricting-case.html
…last thing to note: it was the GoP that was screaming about the new district lines for the most part. I don’t know what happened as a result of all that, but I’m betting they got what they wanted.
“if they had their way, she’d probably die in office.”
She’s in office now & should stop procrastinating!