The Kempthorne (Bush) betrayal, naivete. Palin rescue mission.
By gamecock Posted in Archived — Comments (40) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
One of the main reasons I have regarded President George W. Bush to be a great president has been his wisdom with respect to the role of the judiciary and the quality of his judicial nominees. He has understood that We the People through Congress makes the laws.
He also seemed to understand the lunacy of the environmentalists and their judicial allies in preventing economic development via broad interpretations of federal legislation.
So, I can only consider his administration's below decision (significantly not the decision of a liberal federal judge) two weeks ago, to be a betrayal of epic proportions. The health of the U.S. economy has essentially been put in the hands of Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals judges.
Secretary Kempthorne Announces Decision to Protect Polar Bears under Endangered Species Act
Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne today announced that he is accepting the recommendation of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dale Hall to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The listing is based on the best available science, which shows that loss of sea ice threatens and will likely continue to threaten polar bear habitat. This loss of habitat puts polar bears at risk of becoming endangered in the foreseeable future, the standard established by the ESA for designating a threatened species.
In making the announcement, Kempthorne said, “I am also announcing that this listing decision will be accompanied by administrative guidance and a rule that defines the scope of impact my decision will have, in order to protect the polar bear while limiting the unintended harm to the society and economy of the United States.”
Kempthorne further stated, “While the legal standards under the ESA compel me to list the polar bear as threatened, I want to make clear that this listing will not stop global climate change or prevent any sea ice from melting. Any real solution requires action by all major economies for it to be effective. That is why I am taking administrative and regulatory action to make certain the ESA isn’t abused to make global warming policies.”
Kempthorne thinks his essay will make certain that the ESA isn't "abused." Incompetence on parade.
Alaska says it will sue to challenge the listing of polar bears as a threatened species. The designation could block vital oil and gas development. But that was the whole point in the first place.
The state's challenge was announced Wednesday by Gov. Sarah Palin. She argues there isn't enough evidence to support such a listing. And there isn't. She also maintains that polar bears are well-managed, noting that their population has increased dramatically in the last 30 years. She's right on that as well.
Fact is, the world polar population is at a modern-day high and growing. Mitch Taylor, a polar bear biologist with Canada's Federal Provincial Polar Bear Technical Committee, puts the current population at about 24,000, up 40% since 1974.
In winning the listing, environmentalists essentially argued that even if the number of bears isn't declining, their environment is being degraded as global warming melts the Arctic ice they live on. It's the environmentalists, however, who are on thin ice.
Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne made the ruling last week based on three findings: "First, sea ice is vital to polar bear survival. Second, the polar bear's sea-ice habitat has dramatically melted in recent decades. Third, computer models suggest sea ice is likely to further recede in the future."
Fourth, he's wrong.
On April 24 the World Wildlife Fund published a study, based on last September's data, showing Arctic ice has shrunk from 13 million square kilometers to just 3 million.
What the WWF omitted was that by March the Arctic ice had recovered to 14 million square kilometers and that ice-cover around the Bering Strait and Alaska was at the highest level ever recorded.
We dare to ask how the ice-loving polar bear survived much warmer pre-SUV periods than we are now experiencing, the most recent period being about 6,000 years ago, before Al Gore was born. The species has survived warming and cooling for millennia.
Taylor emphasizes polar bears' adaptability, saying they evolved from grizzlies about 250,000 years ago and developed as a distinct species about 125,000 years ago, when natural climate change occurred.
"Reinterpreting the Endangered Species Act in this way is an unequivocal victory for extreme environmentalists who want to block all development in our state," said Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska. And everywhere else, for that matter.
Similar arguments were made when Prudhoe Bay opened in the 1970s and we were told all manner of critters would be hurt. Except they weren't.
This administrative surrender to the greenies could end up being the signature item of Bush's legacy. Judges can now block any economic activity that it deems threatens the polar bear.
Bush did voluntarily what we fear liberal judges would make us do. Inexplicable.
Where does McCain stand?
Mike DeVine’s Charlotte Observer columns
http://thehinzsightreport.com
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"One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson
and I wish I could find the picture showing the concentration of the caribou from the surrounding area to the Prudhoe Bay fields.
Now also found at The Minority Report
somewhere that the caribou and other wildlife would congregate near the pipeline in the winter because of the relative warmth given off by the oil being pumped. Haven't been able to find it. It may have been pre-internet! I am that old!!!
was an explanation given for the concentration of caribou at that one spot??
but IIRC, it was the warmth of the pipelines. I too can not find the original actual analysis. I do remember it saying that the researchers believed that the caribou may have been a relative of the deer that got trapped in the cold North and had to adapt, but really preferred more temperate climes.
Now also found at The Minority Report
From September to April or May, the North Slope is pretty much entirely snow-covered. From October to April it is pretty much dark. The Sun sets in Barrow in November and doesn't rise again until mid-February.
What the Pipeline and other corridors like roads and feeder lines do is give nice open areas with lots of grass planted in them. Wild animals use no more energy than is necessary and in these raised, open areas, the "'grass' is tall and the livin' is easy." Much of the tundra is really pretty much a swamp. In addition to thousands and thousands of lakes and ponds, any flat or low-lying area has standing water. In summer in addition to the snow melt that has no place to go, the first few inches, at most the first couple of feet, of the permafrost melts. The standing water is interspersed with semi-floating balls of vegetation that usually turn over if you step on them - they have a "colorful" name here that has fallen into disuse because of political correctness. If you've never been to the North Slope, you've never really seen mosquitos. I've landed up there in small planes and had the windows black from them as soon as the prop stopped spinning. 24 hour Off works for about 24 minutes. It is incredibly difficult for any creature to walk on the tundra, and caribou are no exception; like their more southerly cousin, the moose, those long spindly legs have a purpose.
In Vino Veritas
the people here actually have answers!!
The short stint (Jan - March) I did in Anchorage didn't introduce me to the 'joys' of Alaskan mosquitos. My friend who lives there told me stories of flying over valleys so full of mosquitos that they were filled with a 'black cloud' that moved!
We here in Maine (especially northern Maine) have 'No See'ums'! These little *&$##$#s are so tiny that they go through the finest mosquito netting.
BTW have you tried Woodsman Fly Dope?? I have hunting friends who swear by this stuff! Smells like.......well..it SMELLS but they swear it works!
Eau d'Cutters is pretty much the favorite fragrance here. Eau d'Muskol is probably second. Most wouldn't think it, but Alaska is very buggy, in more than one sense of that word. Mosquitos aren't as bad here in Southeast as they are up North or out West, but they're still pretty bad especially if we've had a wet Spring or lots of snowmelt. I bought one of those propane powered "SkeeterVacs" a couple of years ago and if you get it out early enough it really helps with mosquitos, nosee'us, and WhiteSocks (nasty things with a venomous bite that leaves a hole in your skill for days and is easily infected). Doesn't do much for the bees and yellow jackets though.
We routinely get pested by black flies even a mile or so offshore; they seem to have figured out over time, that large and white = boat = food. My sport when we're trolling and I'm driving from the flybridge is to wage war on them with my flyswatter (trolling is very boring except for those moments when you actually have a fish on). My best day's bag is 41 flies. Some people like the satisfying ZAP they get from using one of the new-fangled electronic flyswatters, but I'm still old school.
In Vino Veritas
mosquito breeding ground! Trust me, when the snow melts and we get into 'Mud' season the 'skeeters are out in force!!!
The thing with the flyswatter must be your natural 'hunting' instinct at work!! (ROTFLMAO)
Are they only in the Panhandle?
The ones that bugged me were the skeeters I could harvest the wings from after shooting them with an arrow (only a slight exxaggeration) and the hardy little buggers that are out in the winter (fortunately very few of them).
But, being between 11 and 14 when in an area with such insects leads to interesting games. We had a regular competition in my Boy Scout troop to see who could explode a skeeter the fastest. You stuck your bare arm out and waited for a skeeter to land on it and then the timer started. It only stopped when the bug blew up or managed to escape and fly away. (see, if you tighten your muscles correctly, you constrict the skin around the mosquito's proboscis, locking it in place and it can't pull free and fly away when it's full. Kind of like blowing too much air into a balloon, but much more fun and gorey.)
"Always be honest with yourself. Even if you are honest with no one else."
--me
as she isn't a man- made global warming fan.
McCain '08
Mike DeVine’s Charlotte Observer columns
http://thehinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
www.race42008.com
"One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson
Right on as usual GC.
_________________
Thou art the Great Cat, the avenger of the Gods, and the judge of words...-Inscription on the Royal Tombs at Thebes
I just got back from a weekend holiday. There was a card in my hotel bathroom that said I could save the planet (including, I assume, the cute polar bear family enpictured on the card), if I used the towels twice.
Which I did. Or, I thought about doing. But it sounds like a really nice idea.
Maybe I'll save the manatee next. Oh, wait, Florida won't allow oil drilling in the Gulf; screw them.
Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible. - Frank Zappa
See the Anchorage Daily News article here:
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/418923.html
Interestingly, the McClatchey-owned Daily News recently opined that the Polar Bear listing was a good thing in an editorial that read like it had been faxed from the DNC, not a talking point nor "KnownFact" was missed.
Now, anything anywhere in the US that can be argued to contribute to "greenhouse gasses" will be scrutinized under the ESA for its potential effect on Arctic Ice. Of course, that is going to be some real interesting science since nobody knows what the "natural" state of Arctic ice is, was, or should be. We only have about 300 years of very spotty, almost anecdotal, observation and only about 75 years of anything resembling widespread, scientific observation. Since what is now the "threatened" Bering Sea ice was dry land only 15,000 years ago or so, this one's going to be tough, but that won't stop the 9th Soviet from becoming "scientists." We can only hope that the USSC is up to it, but that is cold comfort, pun intended, since it allows the Envirowhackos to delay any project anywhere for five or ten years. Even though the USSC is probably reliable on this issue, the real test comes from the fact that none of these appeals can be completed in one gubernatorial term. Consequently, the state actors can change before the appeal is completed making continuation of the appeal simply trade goods in the next gubernatorial election. Any guesses on how a Democrat governor would come down?
In Vino Veritas
Much as I try to avoid commercials, I have caught the WWF's "Polar Bear" commercial a few times--pure, jaw-dropping propaganda.
Even the most Communist of Communists would blush at the outright lies and mis-truths presented as "fact."
If you get a chance, watch it. Scary that people actually fall for it. Like Kempthorne.
GAMECOCK WROTE:
"One of the main reasons I have regarded President George W. Bush to be a great president has been his wisdom with respect to the role of the judiciary and the quality of his judicial nominees. He has understood that We the People through Congress makes the laws."
Whoa, Bush a great president? A non-partisan poll revealed that of 61 percent of historians rate 'W' the worst in American history! What about his pledge to fire whoever leaked Plame's CIA ties? Instead Scooter got pardoned and Karl got to bail out early. What about Hurricane Katrina's disastrous response to a disaster? (heckuva job Brownie!)
And so on, ad infinitum ad nauseum....
Quality of judicial nominees? Gamecock, I'd pick Judge Judy over Harriet Myers. And Alberto GONE-zales? I lost count of how many 'I don't remembers..' at 44 when he testified before Congress. The rest were all Ivy League cronies of the Bush-Cheney pseudo-dynasty. The only good judicial decision W made was to appoint Patrick Fitzgerald as Special Counsel in the Plame-gate scandal.
SO, I'M WONDERING IF GAMECOCK IS ONE OF THOSE 'BRAVE IRAQ WAR VETERANS' WHO'S SUFFERING FROM PTSD, OR ELSE DID HE VOLUNTEER AS A TEST SUBJECT FOR BUSH-CHENEY'S WATERBOARDING POLICY?
CLUE IN.... www.dont-tread-on-me-1776.blogspot.com
Deo Vindice
An American Patriot
leftwing historians and oh by the way history isn't written in the 8 years he is in office it will be written in the 20 years post Presidency...or are you unaware of how good history has been recently to the last "worst" Republican President..
Freedom of Religion NOT Freedom from Religion
settles it.
Bush couldn't fire Joe Wilson since he didn't work for him.
What disaster did Hurricane Katrina respond to? Liberal democratic party government in NOLA?
Gonzales was never nominated and Miers was vetted for 10 years. I'm sure she would have been fine.
Many of the Roberts-Alito decisions have corrected flawed liberal activist decisions.
Appointment of a special prosecutor is not a judicial decision.
wonder of wonders
Mike DeVine’s Charlotte Observer columns
http://thehinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
www.race42008.com
"One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson
lesters have their monds in the gutter.
smile
Mike DeVine’s Charlotte Observer columns
http://thehinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
www.race42008.com
"One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson
10 straight Father Knows best episodes
Mike DeVine’s Charlotte Observer columns
http://thehinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
www.race42008.com
"One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson
Mike DeVine’s Charlotte Observer columns
http://thehinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
www.race42008.com
"One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson
Mike DeVine’s Charlotte Observer columns
http://thehinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
www.race42008.com
"One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson
uncle story.
Plus, prescription doesn't start with "r".
Mike DeVine’s Charlotte Observer columns
http://thehinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
www.race42008.com
"One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson
the latin if I remember my pharmacy technician certification. I don't remember what the latin was, but I'm pretty sure that's what it was.
Now also found at The Minority Report
Mike DeVine’s Charlotte Observer columns
http://thehinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
www.race42008.com
"One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson
We all like to shop at the Post Exchange (PX)...
"Always be honest with yourself. Even if you are honest with no one else."
--me
I don't think he has been a very good president. But all your post told me is that 61% of historians never heard of Jimmy Carter.
"Nothing works like freedom, Nothing succeeds like liberty"
Kyle
Mike DeVine’s Charlotte Observer columns
http://thehinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
www.race42008.com
"One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson
I have this from an authoritative source.
by the Prudhoe Bay oilfields but that never happened! In fact the caribou fared quite nicely according to Matthew Cronin, Ph.D.