Beautiful story for Memorial Day

Stephan Dinan of The Washington Times reports:

More than two centuries after they died off the coast of present-day Libya, the remains of the first 13 Navy commandos in U.S. history - in the words of one supporter, the “earliest Navy SEALs” - are one step closer to coming home...

...“The United States has an obligation to leave no member of our military behind, regardless of how long ago they were killed,” said Rep. Mike Rogers, Michigan Republican, who visited the grave sites in Libya in 2004 and co-sponsored the legislation with Rep. Frank A. LoBiondo, New Jersey Republican...

...The commandos were part of President Thomas Jefferson’s war against the Barbary pirates, who terrorized shipping off the coast of North Africa in the early 1800s. The commandos died while on a stealth mission to infiltrate Tripoli's harbor and sail a flaming ship into the enemy fleet that lay anchored there, trying to destroy it and force the release of U.S. sailors the pirates imprisoned on land...

Read the full story at http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/may/29/house-moves-bring-home-remains-earliest-navy-seals/

State lawmakers vote to end workers' comp...Democrat state lawmakers

"An Illinois House committee has approved a measure that would abolish the worker's compensation system," WFLD-TV Chicago reports Wednesday.  "Rep. John Bradley is the bill's chief sponsor. The Marion Democrat says negotiations to alter the system are ongoing but wants the bill ready if discussions fail."

This year we've seen Democrats in Congress vote to cut Medicare, Democrats in Massachusetts take away the collective bargaining rights of government employees and now Democrats in Illinois abolish workers comp.

It looks like union goons spent years shooting and savagely beating Republicans for nothing.

Two lessons learned today

I went out this evening for a walk around the neighborhood/phone calls session and to mull over some spiritual matters.  As I was making my way past the Virginia Seminary I noticed a car pulled up to the gate with its flashers on.  I didn't think much of it because people pull in all the time to wait for someone, make a phone call or go for a run. 

About a half-hour later was getting dark, so I turned around and headed back home because I was planning on getting up early Sunday.  On my walk back I noticed the car was still there.  As I walked past I stopped to look inside and noticed a young man, a very pregnant young woman, either the mother or mother-in-law in the car and Florida plates.  That's a sign something wasn't right, and it was getting dark quickly.

They had a flat, and he couldn't get the spare tire free from the trunk.  The custom-made wingnut holding it down was just a smooth rectangle with no grips, which isn't very helpful or practical.  It just was not coming loose.  They were stuck, couldn't call anyone locally to help and I can only imagine how badly the young lady needed to get back home.

That's when I got an idea, reached into my pocket, pulled out a handkerchief, and used it like a rubber (well, cotton) grip around the nut.  One good twist and soon the tire was free.  The car's jack wasn't very cooperative, but after about 30 minutes the car was hoisted, the tires changed and the baby gifts loaded back in the car.

We see situations like that all the time, but too often we assume it's nothing out of the ordinary and fail to stop to ask, especially here in the busy and self-absorbed D.C. area.

Two lessons learned today.  Never venture out without a handkerchief in your pocket, and always keep an eye out for brothers and sisters in need.  They don't pop up when you are ready for them.

Summer Vacation Care Packages for the homeless

(Great idea from SOME.  Either drop them off or keep a few in your car.)  To assemble a summer vacation care package for the homeless, please fill a clear 1 gallon Ziplock bag with the following items:

    1 baseball cap or visor
    1 reusable water bottle or bottled water
    1 pair of sunglasses
    1 bar of soap
    1 stick of deodorant
    1 toothbrush
    Toothpaste
    1 travel size bottle of lotion
    1 travel size bottle of sunscreen
    1 razor
    1 travel size shaving cream/gel
    For women, 3 tampons or pads

Finally, customize your bag with a vacation destination postcard and label your package either 'Man' or 'Woman'

Please do not include the following items:
    Food or candy
    Mouthwash
    Cash

SOME will be accepting summer vacation care packages from June 1st to August 1st. Donations can be dropped off at 71 "O" Street NW.  SOME is open Monday-Friday 7:30am-4pm, and from 7am-2pm on the weekends.

For large donations of care packages, it may be possible to arrange a pick-up with SOME's Donations Truck. To arrange a pick-up, contact Greg Chudy, Donations Coordinator at (202) 797-8806 ext. 2104 or gchudy@some.org.

Under ATP pressure, Loudoun Board delays Tax and Control plan

LEESBURG, VA –  American Tradition Partnership Executive Director Donald Ferguson released the following statement Tuesday afternoon, after the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted to adopt a motion by Supv. Jim Burton (I-Blue Ridge) tabling consideration of the “Chesapeake Bay” Tax and Control Plan until Commonwealth and EPA officials reach an agreement on a “Chesapeake Bay Watershed Implementation Plan.”

“Today’s vote to postpone consideration of the ‘Chesapeake Bay’ Tax and Control Plan comes after American Tradition Partnership telephoned nearly 60,000 total households, directing Loudoun citizens to contact their supervisors and voice their opposition to this tax hike and land grab.  The Board’s rapid change of direction is a testament to the power of American Tradition Partnership’s effective legislative program.  The Tax and Control Plan did nothing to promote water quality but did provide a teeming habitat for additional government bureaucrats.

“Burton’s proposal comes just days after American Tradition Partnership contacted nearly 4,000 households in Burton’s district, urging citizens to call Burton directly and ask him to oppose the Tax and Control Plan. American Tradition Partnership has contacted around 10,000 total households in Burton’s former, and new, district.  American Tradition Partnership was one of the first and is one of the most active grassroots-supported groups fighting the Tax and Control Plan.

“It is not, however, a total victory for homeowners and taxpayers.  The Board can still bring the Tax and Control Plan, or a similar radical scheme, back in the future.  The threat of tax hikes, job losses and loss of private property rights still loom over the county.

“Today’s vote marks a rapid change of Board direction in response to American Tradition Partnership’s citizen lobbying program.  But with the threat of Tax and Control still looming, American Tradition Partnership will continue to contact citizens, asking the current Board to drop entirely any future consideration of any form of a Tax and Control Plan.”

Supported by contributions from its grassroots supporters, American Tradition Partnership has earned its reputation as the nation’s most effective opponent of the multi-million dollar radical environmentalist lobby.  In just the last few months ATP has:

•    Killed Barack Obama’s “Cap and Tax” bill in Congress.
•    Successfully pushed to have the invasive gray wolf taken off the so-called “Endangered Species List” so it can be hunted down.
•    Filed a federal lawsuit against Colorado to repeal the state’s Expensive Energy Mandate, which forces consumers to buy more expensive wind and solar power against their will.
•    Filed a lawsuit against Montana to stop their ongoing harassment and false smear campaigns against conservative groups, which has already been blasted by federal courts as “petty bureaucratic harassment.”  Montana officials have openly admitted they have no evidence conservative groups have done any wrong and every district attorney has refused to even look into the politically-motivated accusations.
•    Won national headlines along with our federal free speech lawsuit against Montana which allows small employers to spend money on independent political expenditures.
•    Won a federal free speech lawsuit against a liberal Colorado city who passed a law requiring residents to essentially get permission from the government before saying or publishing anything critical of the liberal city council.
•    Stopped a plan by liberals in the U.S. Senate to protect the EPA’s plans to declare carbon dioxide a toxic pollutant.
•    Passed legislation in Montana endorsing nullification of the so-called “Endangered Species Act.”
•    Launched a campaign to repeal New Hampshire’s participation in the “Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative,” a northeastern U.S. “global warming” tax cartel
•    Launched and now pushing nationwide a growing campaign to secure a recorded vote on Sen. Rand Paul’s REINS Act, which strips the EPA of its authority to issue its own major regulations.
ATP does not advocate the election or defeat of candidates.  Supported by grassroots members, ATP is a fast-growing non-profit citizens’ group dedicated to fighting environmental extremism and promoting private property rights and responsible development and management of land, water, and natural resources.

#  #  #

Reid schedules vote THIS EVENING on massive energy tax hike

Dear ATP supporter,

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has scheduled a vote THIS EVENING on his national energy tax bill to attack American energy producers.

As you recall from my letter to you last week, Reid’s original plan was to force energy producers to subsidize their failing wind and solar competitors.

But after a storm of public opposition, including phone calls from ATP supporters, Reid has changed the bill.

Now it strips energy producers of the standard tax deductions enjoyed by all employers.

It is a straight-up tax hike on YOU.

The result?  Higher prices for gasoline and fewer American jobs.

I need you to do two things for me:

1) Call your two U.S. senators at 202-224-3121.  Tell them to vote NO on the Reid energy tax bill. This vote is THIS EVENING.  Your phone calls and support of ATP are what helped stall the vote this long and force Reid to drop the “green bailouts” in the original bill.

2) Go here or to https://Secure.AmericanTradition.org to rush me your best gift of $100, $50, $35 or just $10. Your support means so much to me, and has produced great results.  But our fight has just begun.  We cannot afford to lose ground.

Again, Harry Reid has scheduled a vote THIS EVENING on a modified version of his energy tax bill. 

It denies American energy producers the same standard tax deductions enjoyed by all employers.  It means higher gasoline prices and fewer jobs.

So please, take just a moment to call your senators at 202-224-3121 and tell them to vote NO on the Reid energy tax bill.

And please go here or to https://Secure.AmericanTradition.org to chip in $10 to fight this Gang Green attack on our economy and freedoms.

Sincerely,


Donald Ferguson
Executive Director
American Tradition Partnership

P.S.  Harry Reid has scheduled a vote THIS EVENING on a modified version of his original national energy tax bill. His new bill raises taxes on American energy, stripping producers of the standard tax deductions given to all employers and raising prices for consumers like you.

Please call your senators at 202-224-3121 and tell them to vote NO on the Reid energy tax bill.  And please go here or to https://Secure.AmericanTradition.org to chip in $10 to help us continue our fight to protect our economy and our freedoms.

Obama accuses GOP of raiding Social Security as Obama raids Social Security

After two years of claiming Republicans were going to "eliminate Social Security funding" (when they were in reality proposing even more spending on it), Obama is now raiding the program to fund overspending elsewhere in government.

Deviance favors Obama

Reading the sample breakout of POLITICO (Tarrance/Lake) poll which claims to show Obama well-positioned to win re-election. 

There is one glaring problem, before you even get deep into the sample.  Thirty-seven percent of the sample describe their ideology as "liberal," which is twice as large as the general electorate in presidential election years.

You can't come down too hard on Tarrance and Lake, as no poll will be a perfect reflection of every fact of the electorate.  But a 200 percent deviance is a little much.

Rhodes: Ronald Reagan is on Limbaugh's 'enemies list'

Newsbusters reports:

(Liberal talk radio host Randi) Rhodes insisted “You know, it's a good thing Ronald Reagan's not around because he'd be on Rush's enemies list.because that was Ronald Reagan's quote. 'Make your political opponents just your opponents. They’re, not your enemies,' Okay?  They’re just Americans who you disagree with....(Limbaugh) doesn't remember that Ronald Reagan had said that, and so now he is trashing Ronald Reagan, his freaking God, his hero, his messiah! It’s so sick! It’s so sick!”

Randi Rhodes' enemies list?

Sidewalks and vodka.

'Whatever he hits, he destroys.'

Greg Tepper: "Maybe [Texas high school running back David Mora] is a robot."
Travis Stewart: "If you're suggesting that we need to test him for humanity..."
GT: "I'm just saying that he ran the ball 498 times. That's all."

-An actual exchange from the next edition of the "Dave Campbell's Texas Football" Podcast, coming Friday

Letter to the Editor, Leesburg Today: Chesapeake Bay Tax and Control Plan


Dear Editor:

Supervisor Jim Burton's proposal to delay voting on the "Chesapeake Bay" Tax and Control Plan until after the Nov. 8 elections is an attempt to save the Tax and Control Plan from citizen opposition.

Burton's proposal to take heat off the Board's Tax and Control majority until after the election comes just days after American Tradition Partnership contacted nearly 4,000 households in Burton's district, urging citizens to call Burton directly and ask him to oppose the Tax and Control Plan. American Tradition Partnership has contacted around 10,000 total households in Burton's former, and new, district.

American Tradition Partnership was one of the first and is one of the most active grassroots-supported groups fighting the Tax and Control Plan.

Since last May American Tradition Partnership has contacted around 60,000 households and 100,000 citizens countywide, with more to come. A grassroots-supported group, American Tradition Partnership puts citizens in direct contact with supervisors so citizens may personally urge supervisors to drop the Tax and Control Plan permanently.

American Tradition Partnership will continue contacting citizens until the Tax and Control Plan is dropped permanently, or repealed.

Supervisor Burton is finally getting our message. American Tradition Partnership, and majority of Loudoun citizens who oppose the Tax and Control Plan, urges Supervisor Burton to amend his motion and seek to drop the Tax and Control Plan permanently.

You may learn more at www.AmericanTradition.org. Contact your supervisor at 703-777-0204. Ask him or her to drop the "Chesapeake Bay" Tax and Control Plan permanently.

Donny Ferguson
Executive Director
American Tradition Partnership

ATP: Delay in Ches Bay plan is progress, but not good enough



ATP: Delay in Ches Bay plan is progress, but not good enough
Jim Burton reportedly to seek delay in plan after ATP alerts 4,000+ residents of new district

The nation’s largest grassroots opponent of radical environmentalism noted reports Monday that Blue Ridge Supervisor Jim Burton (I) would seek a delay in consideration of a controversial land control plan was progress, but not good enough.

Burton will move to drop consideration of the plan after ATP telephoned nearly 4,000 households in his newly-drawn district last Saturday, informing residents of his support for the “Tax and Control Plan.”  Residents were given his publicly-published home phone number and urged to call him and encourage him to drop consideration of the plan.  In all, ATP has contacted households in Burton’s former and current districts over 11,000 times.

One of the first organizations to oppose the plan and one of the most active, ATP has directly made more than 60,000 contacts with Loudoun residents over the last 12 months, giving them their supervisor’s most direct phone number so they can directly urge them to drop the plan.

“Jim Burton got a message that was as clear as a constantly-ringing phone.  I hope he will amend his motion and to drop all consideration of the plan entirely,” said American Tradition Partnership Executive Director Donald Ferguson.  “This will be a recorded vote and American Tradition Partnership will hold supervisors accountable.  We will also continue to seek a recorded vote on dropping all consideration of the measure.  Citizens will be told of their supervisors decision to support or oppose holding that vote.”

“American Tradition Partnership is not declaring victory.  We are reloading and will continue to fire away until this Tax and Control plan is no more.”

Supported by contributions from its grassroots supporters, American Tradition Partnership has earned its reputation as the nation’s most effective opponent of the multi-million dollar radical environmentalist lobby.  In just the last few months ATP has:

•    Killed Barack Obama’s “Cap and Tax” bill in Congress.
•    Successfully pushed to have the invasive gray wolf taken off the so-called “Endangered Species List” so it can be hunted down.
•    Filed a federal lawsuit against Colorado to repeal the state’s Expensive Energy Mandate, which forces consumers to buy more expensive wind and solar power against their will.
•    Filed a lawsuit against Montana to stop their ongoing harassment and false smear campaigns against conservative groups, which has already been blasted by federal courts as “petty bureaucratic harassment.”  Montana officials have openly admitted they have no evidence conservative groups have done any wrong and every district attorney has refused to even look into the politically-motivated accusations.
•    Won national headlines along with our federal free speech lawsuit against Montana which allows small employers to spend money on independent political expenditures.
•    Won a federal free speech lawsuit against a liberal Colorado city who passed a law requiring residents to essentially get permission from the government before saying or publishing anything critical of the liberal city council.
•    Stopped a plan by liberals in the U.S. Senate to protect the EPA’s plans to declare carbon dioxide a toxic pollutant.
•    Passed legislation in Montana endorsing nullification of the so-called “Endangered Species Act.”
•    Launched a campaign to repeal New Hampshire’s participation in the “Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative,” a northeastern U.S. “global warming” tax cartel
•    Launched and now pushing nationwide a growing campaign to secure a recorded vote on Sen. Rand Paul’s REINS Act, which strips the EPA of its authority to issue its own major regulations.

ATP does not advocate the election or defeat of candidates.  Supported by grassroots members, ATP is a fast-growing non-profit citizens’ group dedicated to fighting environmental extremism and promoting private property rights and responsible development and management of land, water, and natural resources.

#  #  #

ATP congratulates Gingrich on announcing his Democrat bid

ATP congratulates Gingrich on announcing his Democrat bid
D.C. insider's work with Pelosi and Gore, outspoken advocacy of radical environmentalism, will challenge Obama for liberal base

WASHINGTON -- American Tradition Partnership, the nation's largest grassroots opponent of radical environmentalism welcomed this week's news former House Speaker Newt Gingrich may make a Wednesday announcement of a presidential bid, noting his long record of support for the radical environmentalist agenda would make for a tight Democrat contest between he and President Barack Obama.

"American Tradition Partnership welcomes Newt Gingrich's entry into the Democrat presidential primary, where his decades-long record of radical 'green' activism will make for a close contest between he and President Obama for the liberal base," said American Tradition Partnership Executive Director Donald Ferguson.  "As a paid operative of ethanol interests and an outspoken advocate of global regulatory regimes, redistribution of wealth, federal controls of private property, multi-billion dollar welfare programs for wind and solar and taxing Americans into what he calls 'environmental compliance,' Gingrich's entry into the Democrat race was a foregone conclusion." 

"Gingrich's 2008 TV ad he recorded at the request of Al Gore, where he snuggles on a love seat with Nancy Pelosi and blames the American economy for so-called 'global warming' is the kind of manifesto that really speaks to radical environmentalists.  And we all know how much environmentalists love issuing manifestos."

“American Tradition Partnership looks forward to taking our campaign of truth about Newt Gingrich to places like Iowa and New Hampshire.  Voters have the right to know about the radical 'green' agenda of a D.C. insider who’s just Al Gore hiding under a Phil Donahue wig,” said Ferguson.  "Newt Gingrich may try to paint himself Republican red, but his record is radical green."

The organization previously took aim at the former Speaker at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference.  The organization distributed thousands of “Power-Grabbing Newts” (a sticky gel lizard) and a list of 25 quotes from Gingrich’s books, “A Contract With The Earth,” Winning The Future” and “Real Change” calling for increased government power and taxation to seek what he calls “environmental compliance.”  The list is reprinted below.

With a coveted speaking slot, exhibiting organization and book signing, hosting three panels and a reception and screening two films, Gingrich’s presence dominated that of other presumptive presidential candidates.  CPAC looked to be a launching pad for a Gingrich presidential bid.  Instead, the Republican powerhouse cratered after ATP informed voters of Gingrich’s long record of supporting massive tax hikes, increased government power and international regulatory regimes to enforce what he calls “environmental compliance.”

After the ATP program. Gingrich crashed to a disappointing fifth with just five percent of the vote in the annual CPAC Presidential Straw Poll.  Gingrich finished 26 points out of first place.

ATP does not advocate the election or defeat of candidates.  Supported by grassroots members, ATP is a fast-growing non-profit citizens’ group dedicated to fighting environmental extremism and promoting private property rights and responsible development and management of land, water, and natural resources.

I WAS A GREEN PUPPET WHEN IT WASN’T COOL: “When I first ran for Congress I was the natural candidate of most environmental groups…” Newt Gingrich, “Winning The Future,” Page 168

CREATE GLOBAL SPENDING REGIMES: “If the United States challenged Europe and Japan to join it in financing a world biodiversity refuge system and tied foreign aid into the process of maintaining biodiversity, we could probably save a very high percentage of the earth’s biological richness…” Newt Gingrich, “Winning The Future,” Pages 170-171

SPREAD THE WEALTH, TO GREENS: “The United States should support substantial research into climate change, managing the response to climate change, and in developing new non-carbon energy systems.” Newt Gingrich, “Winning The Future,” Page 171

PUT DC IN CONTROL: “The federal government should establish measurable standards for a healthy environment…” Newt Gingrich, “Winning The Future,” Page 172

CASH FOR CLUNKERS? MORE, PLEASE: “A tax credit to subsidize energy efficient cars (including a tax credit for turning in old and heavily polluting cars) is another idea we should support.” Newt Gingrich, “Winning The Future,” Page 174

INDOCTRINATE THEM YOUNG: “As a young professor at West Georgia College, I taught in the second Earth Day in 1971 and coordinated an interdisciplinary environmental studies program.” Newt Gingrich, “Real Change,” Page 196

NEWT ENDORSES ‘CASH FOR CLUNKERS,’ AGAIN: “There ought to be a tax break for trading in old cars that use a lot of petroleum and emit a lot of pollution.” Newt Gingrich, “Real Change,” Page 204

WE MUST PROTECT THE ESA “That is why I worked so diligently as Speaker of the House to protect the Endangered Species Act, historic legislation that has been mired in controversy…The Endangered Species Act is an excellent example of the value of civility, consultation and collaboration.” Newt Gingrich, “A Contract With The Earth,” Pages XII & 51

THE EARTH NEEDS A GOVERNMENT TAKEOVER “Government, at all levels, should be a facilitator for entrepreneurial, private-sector innovations and the formation of private-public environmental partnerships.” Newt Gingrich, “A Contract With The Earth,” Page 13

STOP THE CONSERVATIVES FROM LIMITING GOVERNMENT POWER “For that reason, we have supported its (the Endangered Species Act’s) continuation against all challenges by private citizens, interest groups, and congressional opponents.” Newt Gingrich, “A Contract With The Earth,” Page 53

CREATE NEW GOVERNMENT SPENDING PROGRAMS “The U.S. government operates endowments for the humanities and the arts…Perhaps, it is time we consider a new endowment for conservation and the environment.” “Newt Gingrich, “A Contract With The Earth,” Pages 115-116 [NOTE: As Speaker, Gingrich told conservatives he wanted to eliminate the wasteful National Endowment for the Arts.  Now he cites it as an example of a government spending spree that needs to be duplicated.]

SPEND ‘SIGNIFICANT’ TAX MONEY IN THE U.S., AND AROUND THE WORLD “Significant resources should be set aside to protect hallowed sites such as the Galapagos Islands, the Virguna Volcanoes in Central Africa, and Georgia’s Okenfenokee Swamp, to name a few.” Newt Gingrich, “A Contract With The Earth,” Page 117

MILITANT ENVIRONMENTALISM…LITERALLY? “John Muir, for most of his adult life, experienced nature in spiritual overtones…He even favored using the armed forces to enforce environmental law…However, with the inexorable advance of the urban realm, the defense of forested land assumes a greater urgency as we strive to sustain the highest-quality standards for our nation’s air, water, and land.” Newt Gingrich, “A Contract With The Earth,” Page 127

HOORAY FOR RECORD-BREAKING SPENDING HIKES! “Our national parks and wildlife reserves require more vigorous protection.  With an eye toward strengthening his environmental legacy in the 2007 federal budget, President Bush requested the largest increase for national park funding in our nation’s history.  We should expect nothing less than excellence from our national park system.” Newt Gingrich, “A Contract With The Earth,” Pages 130-131

ENVIRONMENTALISM, OUR GLOBAL RELIGION OF PEACE “Far from becoming a new source of global discord, environmentalism, which binds nations to a common concern, will be the best thing that’s ever happened to international relations.” Newt Gingrich, “A Contract With The Earth,” Pages 149-150

GLOBAL GOVERNANCE IS THE SOLUTION “We will need to organize a series of high-level global conferences that focus on specific [environmental] problems…” Newt Gingrich, “A Contract With The Earth,” Page 158

GOVERNMENT IS THE ONLY SOURCE OF INNOVATION “…the type of arduous research that produces real breakthroughs can only be funded by astute governments.” Newt Gingrich, “A Contract With The Earth,” Page 167

NEWT WANTS TO BRING BACK CARTER ENERGY POLICIES “America used to be that kind of government [that spent millions of tax dollars on “energy research” welfare programs,] but our commitments have wavered in recent years so government incentives for energy research will be issues in future political campaigns.” Newt Gingrich, “A Contract With The Earth,” Page 167

NEWT LOVES THE UN’S KYOTO TREATY GLOBAL APPROACH “Mobilizing other countries to join us will not be as easy as it may appear.  Many of the countries that signed and ratified the Kyoto Protocol are lagging behind on their commitments.” Newt Gingrich, “A Contract With The Earth,” Page 168

STOP CONSERVATIVE OPPOSITION TO THE ESA “The act [Endangered Species Act] has been, by any measure, a very successful guardian of wildlife and habitat and any attempt to weaken it should be resisted.” Newt Gingrich, “A Contract With The Earth,” Page 170

NEWT INVENTS A NEW DISEASE ONLY ENVIRONMENTALISM CAN CURE  “…our children, according to Louv, run the risk of acquiring ‘nature deficit disorder,’ a malady that he describes as a contributing factor to a recognized mental health construct, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.  Nature deficit disorder, not yet acknowledged by scientists or clinicians, is a working hypothesis that Louv believes helps to explain the onset of ADHD, and he proposes that exposure to nature should be offered as a therapy for children who have difficulty attending to stimuli and learning in conventional classrooms.  His call for research in this domain is compelling.” Newt Gingrich, “A Contract With The Earth,” Page 182

LOCAL GOVERNMENTS SHOULD REDISTRIBUTE INCOME TO ‘STIMULATE’ GREEN COMPLIANCE “Local governments operate much closer to the origin of environmental problems, and they have begun to provide tax incentives and large cash rewards for environmental compliance…While the motivation is driven by the application of tax dollars, the effect is rewarding rather than punitive…” Newt Gingrich, “A Contract With The Earth,” Page 194

DON’T CUT GOVERNMENT, JUST MAKE IT NICER “…our government, at all levels, must be modernized to successfully partner, let alone compete, with the private sector.” Newt Gingrich, “A Contract With The Earth,” Page 196

MAN-MADE CLIMATE CHANGE IS A FACT “We agree that there is plenty of evidence that global climate change is occurring…While humanity is certainly causing its fair share of the change, scientists are still not able to precisely pinpoint the extent of the change, or the margin of error in their estimates.” Newt Gingrich, “A Contract With The Earth,” Page 200

GIVING TAX DOLLARS TO LIBERALS IS OUR ONLY HOPE “In spite of the demonstrated liberal leanings in academia, we have nothing but respect for the nation’s scientists.  They represent America’s best hope to protect the environment.  We support a dramatic increase in science and technology research and development because we desperately need to understand global climate change and other environmental phenomena.” Newt Gingrich, “A Contract With The Earth,” Page 201

MOTHER EARTH NEEDS ALL YOUR INCOME “Needless to say, an appropriate and significant investment of public and private funding to renew the earth will pay dividends.” Newt Gingrich, “A Contract With The Earth,” Page 202

#  #  #

Environmentalism kills the Earth. Yet again.

"A rare whale has washed up dead in Puerto Rico, and a biologist is blaming plastic bags for its demise," the Associated Press reports.  "Nilda Jimenez says that she conducted a necropsy of the Gervais beaked whale and found more than 10 pounds (4.5 kilos) of twisted plastic inside its stomach."

And whom do we have to thank for pushing humans to buy billions of plastic bags?

Environmentalists.

If you'll recall, about 20 years ago there was a move to "save the Earth" by eliminating paper shopping and grocery bags and replacing them with billions of plastic bags.

We were told because of the use of paper bags the planet risked running out of trees, and plastic bags were the "green" alternative. 

Never mind the fact trees used in the manufacture of bags are almost entirely farmed trees, planted by timber companies often in areas where trees did not exist.  In fact, thanks to timber companies and the proliferation of consumer goods like paper bags, the United States has more trees now than it did 200 years ago.

But the irrational bleating of environmentalism prevailed and, like MTBEs and DDT, the "green solution" of plastic bags is causing more environmental damage than the problem environmentalists claimed it would solve.

It appears that, once again, the single greatest threat this planet faces is environmentalism itself.

Who will save the Earth...from environmentalists?

Billions of taxpayer dollars are going down the drain

An interesting letter to editor of The Hill, about the affordability and efficiency of PVC pipe and the need for reform in federal water projects.

Our water infrastructure is in crisis. Over 850 water main breaks occur each day and some 2.6 trillion gallons of potable water are lost yearly through crumbling, corroding, leaking pipes. The cost to taxpayers in lost treated water alone is some $4 billion annually.

A 2002 congressional study determined that corrosion costs water and waste water systems a total of over $50.7 billion annually. We also waste an estimated $4.1 billion a year on energy pumping water through broken and corroded pipes.

Since January 2000, corrosion of water and sewer systems has cost nearly a half-trillion dollars. The problem is so acute that corrosion is literally undermining our ability to replace and repair our piping infrastructure, which needs an estimated $1.1 trillion dollar investment over the next 20 years.

Despite this staggering waste, Congress is already spending billions on water and sewer projects while leaving proven, better technology out of the bidding process. Among those superior technologies is PVC, which has been used in water systems across the country for more than five decades. Not only is PVC corrosion-free, it is also the most affordable and durable pipe material available.

Conversions to PVC in sanitary systems alone are already saving an estimated $270 million a year and an amazing $1.5 trillion over the next century. Moreover, converting our nation’s entire sanitary system to PVC would save another $800 million a year and $4.5 trillion over the next 100 years.

The solution to our infrastructure crisis is clear. However, implementing it will require that water-system projects funded with federal dollars have open bidding and use the best-performing and most affordable material available.

Bruce Hollands
Executive Director, Uni-Bell PVC Pipe Association
Dallas, Texas