Particulate Matters: Society is produced by our wants, and government by wickedness

Friday, January 18, 2013

Society is produced by our wants, and government by wickedness

THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated. T. Paine

What they don't tell you: http://youtu.be/Xcm9qsVaf0o --Climate Change is more than just warming, and more than just human CO2... a lot more.

Also see this: http://youtu.be/bEo3PBaVha8

A unlikely but relevant risk: The Solar Killshot: http://youtu.be/X0KJ_dxp170

TODAY's LINKS:
Saturn Storm: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2013/01/17/cassini-spacecraf...
BOM Statement [Australia]: http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/statements/scs43c.pdf
Asteroid Deflections: http://www.astrobio.net/pressrelease/5268/asteroid-deflection-mission-seeks-s...
ISON: http://spaceweather.com/gallery/indiv_upload.php?upload_id=75686
ISON JPL: http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=C%2F2012%20S1;orb=1;cov=0;log=0;cad=0#orb

ACTIVIST POST FEATURED ARTICLES

Florida Senate Bill Bans Drones From Spying on Citizens
Activist Post

Corporate News Shows Kids Raised on Farms Live Better, Greater Immunity
Heather Callaghan

Thugs in Uniform - A Cesspool of Police Misconduct and Corruption
Mick Meaney

Studies Find Flu Shots Can Harm Your Heart, Infant And Fetus
Sayer Ji

3D Printed Guns Render Gun Control Moot
Tony Cartalucci

The Incredible Debt Spider: It's Time to End the Private Fed
Rand Clifford

50 Shocking Questions That You Should Ask Anyone Who Is Not A Prepper Yet
Michael Snyder

New Must-See Videos

Corporate News Shows Kids Raised on Farms Live Better, Greater Immunity

Thugs in Uniform - A Cesspool of Police Misconduct and Corruption

Good Discussion on Gun Rights

Six States Say They Will Take Action Against White House's Gun Control

Today's Forum Topics

Sandy Hook Survivors Are Made to Sing “Over the Rainbow” to Commemorate

Other Key Articles From Around the Web

Can the DEA Hide a Surveillance Camera on Your Land?

Additions to be made to gun laws for law enforcement

Mortality Rate 50% Higher with More Vaccine Doses

DHS Steps In As Regulator for Medical Device Security

Rand Paul Plans Legislation to Nullify Gun Control Executive Orders

Russia Says World Is Nearing Currency War

There's No Way Out Of The Guantanamo Bay Paradox

Guns and the Government

Anti-Surveillance Hoodie And Scarf Prevent Drones From Tracking You

Facebook's Graph Search Makes It Official: You Are Its Product

Chemical Companies Dispute Reports That Insecticides Killing Bees

Food prices may be catalyst for 2013 revolutions

Indiana state senator files marijuana decriminalization bill

Whole Foods CEO says Obama healthcare law is 'more like fascism'

SIGN IT: Legalize Marijuana at the Federal Level

Bill filed to legalize medical marijuana in Kansas

More and more Americans want pot legal

Whether President Obama approves the Keystone XL pipeline or not hinges on one key question: Which is more important to him, creating jobs and promoting energy independence or fighting climate change?
Two reports released Thursday highlight both issues, making even clearer the choice the White House faces. Mr. Obama has delayed for more than a year a final decision on the massive pipeline, which would transport Canadian oil sands through the U.S. to Gulf Coast refineries.
The project’s latest route also must be approved by Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman, a Republican whose state stands to benefit if the pipeline is built.
A study commissioned by the Consumer Energy Alliance details those benefits: more than 5,500 Nebraska jobs created during the 2013-14 construction period, with nearly 1,000 permanent jobs continuing through 2030; more than $950 million in labor income generated for the life of the project; more than $130 million in property, sales and other taxes for Nebraska coffers; and an estimated $679 million boost to Nebraska’s gross domestic product.
The study, conducted by the Goss Institute for Economic Research, also predicts that the pipeline will increase overall economic activity in Nebraska by about $1.8 billion through 2029.

Work has begun on the Keystone XL Pipeline near Winona, Texas, but whether it will ever carry oil sands from central Canada to Gulf Coast refineries awaits a decision by President Obama. (Tyler [Texas] Morning Telegraph via Associated Press)

Enlarge Photo

Work has begun on the Keystone XL Pipeline near Winona, Texas, but ... more >

“Once Gov. Heineman and President Obama approve the pipeline, Nebraskans will be able to realize these economic benefits,” the report states.
Congressional Republicans, oil and gas industry groups and other project proponents also have urged the administration to green-light the pipeline. They say it is one of the surest ways to create jobs and continue the U.S. on its path to freedom from Middle Eastern oil.
But Mr. Obama, armed with fresh political capital after his convincing re-election victory, also is facing intense pressure from environmental and conservation groups to reject the pipeline, a move that likely would kill the project once and for all. Because the pipeline crosses an international border, it requires approval from the State Department and the White House.
Another study put forward Thursday by Oil Change International, an environmental group opposed to fossil fuels, points to the carbon emissions that would be generated by Keystone. Opponents argue that by approving the project and green-lighting those carbon emissions, Mr. Obama would be raising a white flag in the war against climate change, an issue he has promised to confront in a second term and one he addressed in his election-night victory speech.
Leading climate scientists also weighed in this week, telling the president in no uncertain terms that his legacy on climate change largely depends on his Keystone decision.
“If we are to restrain the rise in the planet’s temperature, it will require strong action from, among others, the planet’s sole superpower. Some of that work will be difficult, requiring the cooperation of Congress. But other steps are relatively easy,” wrote the group of scientists, which includes scholars from Harvard, Columbia, Princeton, Stanford and other renowned institutions.
“The year of review that you asked for on the project made it clear exactly how pressing the climate issue really is,” they wrote in their brief but blunt letter. “We hope, as scientists, that you will demonstrate the seriousness of your climate convictions by refusing to permit Keystone XL; to do otherwise would be to undermine your legacy.”
Environmental groups argued Thursday that Keystone would undo the steps Mr. Obama has taken to stop climate change over time. The most notable of those steps was the increase in automobile fuel-efficiency standards, but also included other moves such as an effective ban on new coal-fired power plants and the funneling of taxpayer money to wind and solar power production.
The environmental coalition — which includes the Natural Resources Defense Council and Oil Change International — is showing no signs of easing its push on the White House to quash the pipeline.
“Approving Keystone would open the gateway to dramatic new development of tar sands oil and far more harm to our climate,” said Danielle Droitsch, who heads the council’s Canadian efforts.
Story Continues →

Rail line shut down in northern B.C.

In northern B.C., over 100 people from Gitwangak First Nation blocked a CN Rail line east of Terrace. CN Rail spokesman Jim Feeny said it is an important line that carries both passenger and freight traffic and links the port of Prince Rupert with the rest of North America.
The line was shut down due to safety concerns and at least one train was re-routed. The blockade, which began Wednesday morning, ended around 6 p.m. local time.
Earlier Wednesday, several hundred protesters on Vancouver Island blocked traffic on the Pat Bay Highway, which connects the Victoria airport with the Swartz Bay ferry terminal.

Traffic slowed at Ambassador Bridge

Meanwhile, area traffic near the Ambassador Bridge was slowed Wednesday afternoon, Johnson reported.
The Windsor, Ont., bridge is a key border crossing for trade between Canada and the U.S., she added, with roughly 10,000 trucks crossing daily.

Idle No More protesters gather near the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ont. on Wednesday as part of the grassroots movement's national day of action. (CBC)"Any flow of traffic stoppage is a pretty big deal, [but] we are told that is not the goal here today," she reported from Windsor.
Organizers said it was an "economic slowdown" and "not a blockade."
"We don’t want to inconvenience people too much, but we want to be in places that are going to get us noticed and allow us to get our information out," said organizer Lorena Garvey-Shepley.
Elsewhere in Ontario, Idle No More protesters set up a blockade near Highway 6 and Caledonia Bypass, according to CUPE.
In Toronto, demonstrators gathered in the downtown core near the British consulate. And in downtown Ottawa, crowds gathered outside World Exchange Plaza near Parliament Hill for a round dance.

Calgary-Edmonton highway blocked

In Alberta, a few dozen activists briefly delayed traffic on QEII, which connects Calgary and Edmonton, near Gateway Park, the CBC's Briar Stewart reported. Demonstrators from the Papaschase First Nation ended their protest at around 3 p.m. local time.
About 150 Idle No More activists in Calgary attended a candlelight vigil Wednesday evening outside city hall. Earlier in the day, protesters briefly disrupted traffic at a downtown intersection.
In Manitoba, Idle No More protesters gathered outside of the Manitoba Legislature. About an hour west of the city, protesters blockaded a railway line near Portage la Prairie, the CBC's Angela Johnston reported.
About 15 demonstrators, led by former Roseau River First Nation chief Terry Nelson, waved placards at a freight train early Wednesday morning, then took over the crossing, forcing another train to be halted by police at the scene. Service was stopped on the blocked rail line, which CN Rail spokesman Feeny described as a "critical link" in its network.
CN Rail obtained a court injunction to deal with the blockade, which it said was illegal, and protesters heckled officers serving the papers at the rail line. Although demonstrators initially said they would stay put, even if that meant they could be arrested, some left after the court injunction was given to the group.
Four protesters who remained blocked the Yellowhead Highway late in the afternoon, but they had left the area by 6 p.m.
Members of two Shoal Lake First Nations also blocked a section of the Trans-Canada Highway near the Manitoba-Ontario border for about three hours Wednesday afternoon. During the protest, Ontario Provincial Police kept one lane of traffic open to ease the congestion.

March across N.B. bridge in Miramichi

In New Brunswick, hundreds of demonstrators marched across a bridge along a major highway in Miramichi, the CBC's Jennifer Choi reported.
RCMP officers blocked the entranceways to Miramichi bridge from either direction as roughly 200 to 300 protesters marched, stalling traffic for nearly 2.5 hours, she added.
While many of the protests Wednesday were peaceful, Grand Chief Derek Nepinak of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs said he worried some protesters might take things too far.
"I think it's very important to recognize that we do not, at this time, condone the use of any kind of force," Nepinak said.
"We can't win in any kind of environment where we're using force."
Other chiefs said that today's action would be peaceful, but that if nothing changes to improve First Nations conditions, blockades would follow.
"At this time we have no plans to organize or facilitate the organization of roadblock on Highway 63 for Jan. 16 or any set date," said Chief Allan Adam of the Athabaska Chipewyan First Nation, referring to the northern Alberta highway to the oilsands region.
"However, the people are upset with the current state of affairs in this country and things are escalating towards more direct action."

PMO has no plans to revisit bill

First Nations activists are also planning a demonstration in front of the Canadian High Commission in London in the U.K. on Thursday.
A key demand of the protesters and chiefs alike is for the government to back down on changes to environmental oversight in two recent omnibus bills.

1 of 12

"The complete gutting of all environmental approval, regulatory and enforcement mechanisms in Canada … mean that the reassertion of aboriginal and treaty rights are the last best hope to protect both First Nations' and Canadians' water, air and soil from being poisoned forever by big oil and mining corporations," said Clayton Thomas-Muller from the Canadian Indigenous Tar Sands Campaign.
The government opposes any changes.
Andrew McDougall, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's spokesman, said: "The government has no plans to reconsider its legislation."

What say the environmentalist and land owners have to say?

January 18, 2013
Contact: Blake Androff (DOI) 202-208-6416
Kathy Pedrick (BLM) 602-417-9235
Dennis Godfrey (BLM) 602-417-9499

Secretary Salazar Finalizes Plan to Establish Renewable Energy Zone on Public Lands in ArizonaFirst-ever state-wide plan to identify, set aside previously disturbed lands to encourage wind and solar energy development

WASHINGTON, DC -- Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced that Interior has designated 192,100 acres of public land across Arizona as potentially suitable for utility-scale solar and wind energy development, furthering President Obama’s ‘all-of-the-above’ strategy to expand domestic energy production.

The publication of the Record of Decision (ROD) for this initiative, known as the Restoration Design Energy Project, caps a three-year, statewide environmental analysis of disturbed land and other areas with few known resource conflicts that could accommodate commercial renewable energy projects.

The ROD also establishes the Agua Caliente Solar Energy Zone, the third solar zone on public lands in Arizona and the 18th nationwide. The Solar Energy Zones are part of the Obama Administration’s efforts to facilitate solar energy development by identifying areas in six states in the West with high solar potential, few resource conflicts and access to existing or planned transmission. With the Agua Caliente zone, Interior is delivering on the promise made as part of the Western Solar Plan to identify and establish additional solar energy zones.

“This project is a key milestone in our work to spur smart development of solar and wind energy on public lands across the West,” Secretary Salazar said. “Arizona has huge potential when it comes to building a clean energy economy, and this landscape-level plan lays a solid foundation for making sure that it happens in the right way and in the right places. As we advance the President’s energy strategy, we continue to work closely with states, local communities, tribes, industry, conservation and other groups to reduce potential resource conflicts and expedite appropriate projects that will generate jobs and investment in rural communities.”

Since 2009, the Obama Administration has approved 34 renewable energy proposals for public lands, including solar, wind and geothermal projects. Together, they could generate 10,400 megawatts of electricity, or enough energy to power more than 3 million homes.

The lands identified in Arizona today include previously disturbed sites (primarily former agricultural areas) and lands with low resource sensitivity and few environmental conflicts. Bureau of Land Management lands in Arizona containing sensitive resources requiring protection, such as endangered or threatened wildlife and sites of cultural and historic importance, were eliminated from consideration. Additionally, the areas selected had to have reasonable access to transmission lines and load centers as well as be situated near areas with high electricity demand.

The ROD also sets standards for projects to avoid impacts to sensitive watersheds, ground water supplies and water quality and establishes a baseline set of environmental protection measures for proposed renewable energy projects. Today’s action does not directly authorize any solar or wind energy projects; any proposal will need to undergo a site-specific environmental review.

“This initiative exemplifies our ‘Smart-from-the-Start’ review process, which puts appropriate pieces in place for responsibly developing renewable energy projects on public lands,” said Mike Pool, acting BLM Director. “The Arizona project can really serve as a model for future statewide analyses for responsible energy development in the West.”

The new 2,550-acre Agua Caliente Solar Energy Zone is located in Yuma County near Dateland, and the BLM estimates that the zone could generate more than 20 megawatts through utility-scale solar projects. The BLM administers about 12.2 million surface acres of public lands in Arizona.

To implement the ROD, eight BLM resource management plans will be amended to identify Renewable Energy Development Areas and provide guidance on how public lands are to be used. These identified areas are within 5 miles of a transmission line or a designated transmission corridor, and are close to cities, towns, or industrial centers.

For more information on today’s announcement, including maps, a fact sheet and the ROD, click here.

///////////////////////////

The US is about to treat the world to the first genetically modified meat: a mutant salmon that could wipe out wild salmon populations and threaten human health. Unless we stop it, this Frankenfish could open the floodgates for biotech meat around the world. Click below to build 1 million voices to stop it:

The US is about to treat the world to the first genetically modified meat: a mutant salmon that could wipe out wild salmon populations and threaten human health -- but we can stop it now before our plates are filled with suspicious Frankenfish.

The new fake salmon grows twice as fast as the real one, and not even scientists know its long-term health effects. Yet it’s about to be declared safe for us to eat, based on studies paid for by the company that created the GMO creature! Luckily, the US is legally required to consider public opinion before deciding. A growing coalition of consumers, environmentalists, and fishermen is calling on the government to trash this fishy deal. Let's urgently build an avalanche of global support to help them win.

The consultation is happening right now and we have a real chance to keep mutant fish off the menu. Sign to stop Frankenfish and share widely -- when we reach 1 million, our call will be officially submitted to the public consultation:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_frankenfish_r/?bNxfadb&v=21102

The company that developed the Frankenfish altered the DNA of the salmon to create a fish that would grow at lightning speed, year-round. Not only do we not understand its long term health effects, if a few of them or their eggs reached the wild, these super-salmon could decimate entire wild salmon populations. Worse, once they hit supermarkets, we won’t be able to tell apart Frankenfish and real salmon, so there won’t be a way to avoid it!

The biotech industry has spent hundreds of millions of dollars lobbying governments to approve its GM crops. Frankenfish is their next million dollar baby -- it could open the floodgates for other transgenic meats. But the US government will consider public opinion before it makes its final decision -- if we can stun them with a giant global opposition when they least expect it, we can stop this reckless deal.

Frankenfish is on the verge of being approved -- let’s make sure biotech companies don't decide what we eat. Help build one million voices to stop the mutant fish:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_frankenfish_r/?bNxfadb&v=21102

Avaaz members have come together to protect the natural world and our food system from dangerous meddling. In 2010, over 1 million of us spoke out against genetically modified food in Europe. Let’s come together again to stop Frankenfish.

With hope,

Jamie, Nick, Emma, Dalia, Emily, Paul, Ricken, Wen-Hua and the whole Avaaz team

MORE INFORMATION

Engineered Fish Moves a Step Closer to Approval (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/22/business/gene-altered-fish-moves-closer-to-federal-approval.html

GM salmon: FDA's assessment of environmental risks (LA Times)
http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-aquabounty-salmon-fda-assesses-risks-20121224,0,2554480.story

Genetically Modified Animals (Women’s Health Magazine)
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/genetically-modified-animals

Protect our waters from GE Salmon (Center for Food Safety)
http://ge-fish.org/

Below the Surface: The Dangers of Genetically Engineered Salmon (Food & Water Watch)
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/factsheet/below-the-surface/

Genetically Engineered Salmon (Ocean Conservancy)
http://www.oceanconservancy.org/our-work/aquaculture/aquaculture-genetically.html

Particulate Matters