1 Billion Gals of Toxic Sludge Oozes Towards River

Sunday, December 28th, 2008

In case you missed it on Dec- ember 21st a TVA levee wall burst in Oak Ridge, Ten- nessee. But it wasn’t water in the retention pond, but rather 1,000,000,000 gallons of coal ash sludge, a byproduct of coal fired power plant.

Initially TVA estimated the spill at about 350 million gallons, but had to up the spillage estimate to 1 billion gallons upon closer examination. The sludge spill roared downhill and reached depths of 6′ burying cars, porches and even downing power lines. (Source)

So what’s in a billion gallons of coal ash sludge? Well concentrated levels of mercury and arsenic, according to environmental experts. TVA experts claim there’s no danger to humans from the chemicals. This claim despite hundreds of fish turning up dead in nearby waters. (Source) Naturally many local residents aren’t too comforted by the TVA’s assurances.

The spill is working it’s way into the Tennessee River, the source of drinking water for 1 million Tennesseans. TVA has built a rock wall to try to stop the sludge from oozing in.

“You have acute problems we are dealing with today, but we’ll have chronic problems for a long time. This whole area has been devastated environmentally.” - Stephen Smith of CleanEnergy.org (Source)

Tags: Coal Ash, Oak Ridge, Sludge, TVA
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Drama at the National Review

Wednesday, October 15th, 2008

The National Review, a magazine founded by the late William F. Buckley, Jr., in 1955 based on his conservative political ideas, has accepted the resignation of the his son Christopher Buckley for the crime of endorsing Barack Obama for president.

And crime it is in the eyes of conservatives, as Buckley relates in his article in the Daily Beast, Sorry Dad I Was Fired, since the endorsement of Obama article appeared there on his blog, he’s received hundreds of death threats from Joe Sixpack Republicans.

The only thing the Right can’t quite decide is whether I should be boiled in oil or just put up against the wall and shot. Lethal injection would be too painless. No one has yet suggested my dear old Mum should have aborted me, but it’s pretty darned angry out there in Right Wing Land. One editor at National Review—a friend of 30 years—emailed me that he thought my opinions “cretinous.” One thoughtful correspondent, who feels that I have “betrayed”—the b-word has been much used in all this—my father and the conservative movement generally, said he plans to devote the rest of his life to getting people to cancel their subscriptions to National Review. But there was one bright spot: To those who wrote me to demand, “Cancel my subscription,” I was able to quote the title of my father’s last book, a delicious compendium of his NR “Notes and Asides”: Cancel Your Own Goddam Subscription. - Christopher Buckley

- (Source)

It should be noted that Buckley didn’t endorse Obama in the National Review, but in The Daily Beast. Still the complaints to the National Review poured in, and Buckley was forced to offer his resignation to the magazine his famous father created. Why? For not marching in lockstep, for refusing to pretend that Sarah Palin, hell John McCain, is qualified to lead the free world.

So, I have been effectively fatwahed (is that how you spell it?) by the conservative movement, and the magazine that my father founded must now distance itself from me. But then, conservatives have always had a bit of trouble with the concept of diversity. The GOP likes to say it’s a big-tent. Looks more like a yurt to me.

While I regret this development, I am not in mourning, for I no longer have any clear idea what, exactly, the modern conservative movement stands for. Eight years of “conservative” government has brought us a doubled national debt, ruinous expansion of entitlement programs, bridges to nowhere, poster boy Jack Abramoff and an ill-premised, ill-waged war conducted by politicians of breathtaking arrogance. As a sideshow, it brought us a truly obscene attempt at federal intervention in the Terry Schiavo case.

So, to paraphrase a real conservative, Ronald Reagan: I haven’t left the Republican Party. It left me.

(Source)

Don’t keep BubbleMixx a secret! Share on Digg, Stumble or Reddit why don’tcha?

Tags: Christopher Buckley, Endorsement, National Review, Obama, The Daily Beast, Willima F Buckley jr
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McCain and the Politics of Distraction

Wednesday, September 24th, 2008

Why did John McCain “suspend” his campaign and pull out of the debate? Is it because he’s so concerned about the banking crisis that he has to roll up his sleeves as a good Senator and pitch in to write new laws? Is it because Bush’s 700 Billion dollar bailout just won’t fly without the Maverick twisting a few arms?

Why did John McCain pick ultra-conservative right winger, and political unknown Sarah Palin for Veep? Was it because she can see Russia from her house?

No, of course not. It’s purely political; the politics of distraction. He’s trying to draw attention away from his lack of vision, and now his sagging poll numbers too. The Palin ploy worked for a little while, and even gave him a boost, but now with the public’s growing recognition of her complete inadequacy to lead the nation, he needs a new dodge. Pretending to be committed to banking reform, will do this week.

“We need leadership, not a campaign photo op. If there were ever a time for both candidates to hold a debate before the American people about this serious challenge, it is now.” - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

(Source)

But perhaps Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, when referring to McCain’s politics of distraction, said it best:

“The longest Hail Mary pass in the history of either football or Marys.”

(Source)

Let’s hope the MSM doesn’t drop the ball.

But one thing Senator McCain hasn’t counted on is that the public, like most of the Senate, is turning on the Bush Bailout plan. The idea of pouring more billions of unaccountable taxpayers money down the rat hole is less and less appealing - go figure.

And John McCain wants to be the champion of that? Go get ‘em, tiger.

Senator Obama wisely rejected McCain’s call to postpone the debate noting that Presidents need to be able to focus on more than one issue at a time.

“It’s going to be part of the president’s job to be able to deal with more than one thing at once.”

Senator Obama (Source)

Tags: Campaign, Debate, Election, McCain, Obama
Posted in Election 08, Environment, Opinion, Politics, Weird | 1 Comment »

Evicting Peter Rabbit

Saturday, September 13th, 2008

A small Nebraska town is trying to evict a 35 year old horse named Peter Rabbit that has lived on the pasture land since 1976. The town of Hickman passed a livestock ordinance in 1988 but nobody bothered Peter Rabbit until new houses sprung up recently outside his pasture.

Hickman has been transforming from a small farming town to a suburb of Lincoln, Nebraska’s capitol. The change has brought new residents who are less tolerant of Peter Rabbit.

But 76 year old Harley Scott, the horses owner, vows to stand up to town Mayor Jim Hrouda and the City Council which voted 5-1 to evict the horse. Mr. Scott says the 32 year old horse is too old to move and would likely die from the experience.

“He could drop dead today,” Scott said. “I would prefer to have him remain as stable as he is and be able to enjoy his life. I like to go out and pet him. It’s just a matter of feeding and petting him. I would be totally lost at the point where he disappears from the scene.” - 76 year old Harley Scott, horses owner (Source)

Mr. Scott plans to ignore the order to evict the horse by Sept. 15th, and also to hire an attorney to explore his legal options.

Tags: Hickman Nebraska, Horse, Peter Rabbit
Posted in Weird, news | No Comments »