Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Didn't we win an election a few years ago? Or was I dreaming?

If you're familiar with the tar sands oil extraction happening in Alberta, you know that it is an environmental disaster. According to an article I read at the Huffington Post, we're importing the practice here.

Money quote:

"According to a WWF report, oil sands extraction produces three times the carbon emissions of conventional oil production, and three barrels of water are required to produce a single barrel of oil. In Canada, this has reduced water levels in the Athabasca river to alarming levels. For Utah, a state where water is already extremely scarce, the consequences could be immense. According to ItsGettingHotInHere.org, the proposed Utah oil sands project, operated by Canadian-based Earth Energy Resource Inc., would occupy 213 acres in eastern Utah within the Colorado River watershed, which supports 30 million people. "The total amount of oil produced by this mine over seven years of operation would cover just seven hours of American oil demand - a tiny blip on the radar. However, it will take millennia to restore the watershed they are about to destroy," John Weisheit, Colorado Riverkeeper and Conservation Director of Living Rivers, tells the blog."

Okay, let's recap, shall we?

The Illegal detention and torture that occurred a few years ago remain not only unpunished, but unrecognized by our government. Innocent individuals who suffered both remain unable to obtain satisfaction at law because the Obama government will not permit it. Indeed, Obama's assault on our civil rights rivals his predecessors.

Tim Geithner and Larry Summers are running our economic policy—Paul Krugman is persona non grata. We're claiming mission accomplished in Iraq, even though more than fifty thousand troops are there. Afghanistan is fucking out of control. The Obama administration announced their support for off-shore drilling mere days before the worst oil spill in history was caused by an off-shore drilling rig—hardly surprising, since they've really done nothing (talk doesn't count) to prevent the strip-mining in West Virginia, or provided any meaningful leadership to enable new climate legislation. Bush's U.S. Attorneys still dot the roster, because Obama is too timid to replace them, and the watered down health plan we finally got is being reviled in every quarter without meaningful resistance, and even Obama seems to be running from it now.

Tell me again—who the fuck won???

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