Yesterday, about mid-afternoon, this country got a bit darker.  A young man opened fire on a crowd gathered to meet and talk to their local Representative.  The Representative, Gabrielle Giffords was shot through her head and as of writing this, has been left in critical condition.  John M. Roll, 63, a federal district court judge was shot and killed as were Gabriel Zimmerman, 30, Giffords’ director of community outreach, Dorwin Stoddard, 76, a pastor at Mountain Ave. Church of Christ,  Christina Greene, 9, student at Mesa Verde Elementary, Dorthy Murray, 76 and Phyllis Scheck, 79.

This is a genuine tragedy; there is no other way to describe it.  We can however, choose how we react to it.  Our actions, as citizens of the United States should be to brighten the world around us – not to darken it.  Politicians who of late have made their careers by spewing a dialogue of hate speech and divisiveness need to change their tones – immediately. Our Representatives need to be working for us, not against us and certainly not to divide us.

We must actively work to better our communities.  We must say hello to our neighbors, have neighborhood pot lucks – know one another rather than fear one another.  Folks have got to get out there and set a proper example of community stewardship and action.  In my most frustrated moments as a very small time community organizer, it is to that value that my frustration finds itself evaporated into.

As my events are announced, please come out.  Please help me make Allentown a little brighter! Spread good and you do not have to live in fear.  Representative Giffords was doing that yesterday when her life was changed forever by a sick individual.  The 6 people who lost their lives were standing up in their community and trying to make it brighter.  What they have now died for, should be exclaimed and celebrated and you know what – in the face of this hate – they are American heroes.

We need to keep making it brighter.  This darkness must pass.

“A house divided against itself cannot stand” – Lincoln

God help those people left shattered tonight in Arizona.

Pat Toomey is absolutely 100% correct about one thing this campaign season.  His accusations that Admiral Joe Sestak is an unabashed progressive. (he uses the term liberal which the right-wing has manged to turn into some sort of epithet, so I opt not to use it.)  If elected, Admiral Sestak promises to blaze a legislative agenda regarding the environment that is not only forward thinking, but necessary, intelligent and logical.

At Sestak headquarters it took less than ten minutes for the campaign manager (who incidentally is grinding out 18-20 hour days and could use help!) to print out four pages worth of voting history and official statements made by the Admiral on the Environment. Now, Joe isn’t completely perfect regarding environmental issues –he isn’t John Muir but as far as senate candidates go, he is damn close.

There are so many no brainers (like a new Public works program, you know like the one from the first depression that established city and national parks and national infrastructure we still use everyday and public transportation and well, read on) on this list it seems as if this should have been the policy of this country for the last 40 years.

Alas, moderate democrats and neo-conservative republicans have all but damned the true cause of preservation and conservation to the guilt bin of a corporate society and I for one am mad as Hell and not in the mood to take it anymore.  Pat Toomey would effectively ride into office as the corporate horseman of the ecological apocalypse leaving in his wake as political record the continuation of the sixth mass extinction event – the first man made- and deny it until the bitter end.

Admiral Joe Sestak has established for himself a record that is not only pro-environment but pro-humanity not pro-corporation.  I fully support Admiral Sestak, I endorse him and I encourage everyone to volunteer for him to win if you have any care or concern for the environment.  Below, you can view his record for yourself.
(Joe fights the poo water situations, btw -fyi.)

ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Our global environment is at a tipping point; we must reduce greenhouse emissions, stop global warming now, end our nation’s dependence on foreign oil, and our often careless disregard for precious natural resources. Joe believes that America needs a comprehensive strategy with innovative solutions to our energy and environmental crisis that protects our air, water and land.

JOE SESTAK’S EFFORTS TO SUPPORT THE ENVIRONMENT

A CONSISTENT RECORD

100% from PennEnvironment, a citizen-based advocacy organization.

97% from League of Conservation Voters, one of the largest environmental organizations.

ENDORSED BY CLEAN WATER ACTION

One of only six House or Senate representatives in the state to have been endorsed by the national organization working for clean, safe and affordable water.

RENEWABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY

VOTED FOR AMERICAN CLEAN ENERGY AND SECURITY ACT (ACES)

Makes possible a greener, more sustainable economy, addresses the moral imperative to reduce the human

impact on climate change, and restores this nation to a position of global leadership in effort to reduce worldwide emissions and effects of global warming.

Invests a new $90 billion in renewables and energy efficiency by 2025

URGED HIGHER STANDARDS IN ACES

Writes letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urging improvements to the American Clean Energy and

Security Act (ACES) by requiring a stronger Renewable Electricity Standard of at least 20% by 2020

CO-SPONSORED THE AMERICAN RENEWABLE ENERGY ACT

Requires 25% of energy generated be from renewable sources.

SUPPORTED ADDITIONAL LEGISLATION TO:

Raise the CAFE standards for the first time in 32 years.

Extend and expand tax credits supporting alternative energy, including solar and wind.

End unnecessary subsidies to big oil companies and instead provide tax incentives to invest in clean,

renewable energy.

SUCCESSFULLY PASSED THORIUM AMENDMENTS

Thorium has the potential to provide more nuclear power with less than 1% of the waste with a significantly shorter half-life, and without the weapons proliferation concerns.

SECURED $500,000 FOR HYBRID ELECTRIC BUSES

Improves air quality in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

HOSTED THREE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY ROUNDTABLES

Brought together District and Washington clean energy small business for a dialogue about prices, reducing dependency on oil, and expanding use of alternative energy.

SUPPORTS:

Extend the tax credits for renewable energy sources

Provides a predictable tax climate to encourage private investment and innovation.

Increase the national renewable energy standard to 20% by 2020.

Funding for research and development of renewable energy sources

Investment in advance battery technology

Enact national interconnection standards

Adopt national net metering

Ensure an educated and trained green energy workforce

GLOBAL WARMING AND CLEAN AIR

CO-SPONSORED SAFE CLIMATE ACT

Decreases emissions each year from 2010-2050 by 2% and provides regulations requiring reductions to meet such targets. Accelerates the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States by establishing a market driven system of greenhouse gas tradable allowances.

CLEAN WATER

CO-SPONSORED BILLS TO PROTECT OUR WATER

Prevents exclusion of certain bodies of water from environmental protections.

Expands definition of pollutants to anything that replaces portions of waters with dry land or changes the bottom elevation of a water body, and anything discharged into water primarily to dispose of waste.

SECURED $400,000 IN FEDERAL FUNDING FOR CLEAN WATER IN DISTRICT

To separate combined sewer system so raw sewage is not released during heavy rain.

WATERSHED MANAGEMENT

SECURED $250,000 FOR REGIONAL WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PROJECT

To enhance watershed infrastructure, including work on culverts and sewers, as well as provide environmental restoration of Pennsylvania creeks.

First step of a comprehensive solution to extensive flooding and pollution, not only from companies that dump contaminants, but also from indirect runoff of pollutants.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND WATERSHED MANAGEMENT SUMMIT

Brought together federal, state, and local officials to address the serious threat of flooding in the region due to improper watershed management.

CONSERVING NATURAL RESOURCES BY

Establishing an annual park fund of $100 million, through co-sponsored National Parks Centennial Fund Act.

Protecting nearly two million acres of wilderness in eight states.

Protecting 58.5 million acres of this country’s last remaining wild national forests from new road-building and other commodity activities.

Imposing royalties on hardrock mining and mandating environmental protections.

Designating lands within Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) as wilderness and components of National Wilderness Preservation System, through co-sponsored bill.

Making permanent the enhanced tax deduction for conservation easement donations.

SUMMARY OF FUTURE INITIATIVES

Joe has and will continue to fight for clean air, clean water and responsible land use to support a secure environment. Joe supports creating a strong national renewable energy standard, extending renewable tax credits, and integrating renewable energy into the energy market. He strongly supports passage of climate change legislation that will move our economy forward, make us more efficient and globally competitive, and mitigate the severe future negative effects of climate change. Joe is working to reauthorize and improve brownfield legislation to restore the 10,000 brownfield sites in Pennsylvania; increase tax credits for land preservation; and improve how we address watershed flooding and pollution. Specifically, Joe believes we need to:

REVITALIZE AMERICA’S INFRASTRUCTURE: CREATING A 21ST CENTURY PUBLIC WORKS PROJECT

Support an Intermodal Transportation System: We must create more livable communities by better integrating transportation and development planning.

Invest in Broadband Technology: Continue to invest in the installation of broadband infrastructure so that all communities, regardless of wealth or geographical location, will have access to state of the art broadband communications.  We cannot afford to have whole sections of our country, whole communities, and economic groups without access to the channels of commerce and learning of the 21st Century.

SECURING AFFORDABLE AND DOMESTIC ENERGY THAT CREATES JOBS IN NEW CLEAN ENERGY INDUSTRIES

Renewable Power:

Establish a cap and trade program for carbon emissions: Cap carbon to create an incentive for companies to burn less oil and other fossil fuels and to encourage more carbon-free alternatives such as solar power.

Extend the tax credits for renewable energy sources: Long-term (8 year) extension of renewable energy tax credits.

Increase the national renewable energy standard to 20% by 2020 in conjunction with a strong Renewable Electricity Standard: A Renewable Electricity Standard requiring at least 20% from renewables by 2020 (with the flexibility to meet up to 3% with efficiency) together with a strong Efficiency Resource Standard.

Funding for research and development of renewable energy sources: $150 billion investment over 10 years on renewable energy and energy efficiency and support increased funding to train researchers— securing our competitiveness in the coming years.

Natural Resources:

Coal: Put in place a cap and trade system for carbon emissions; continue investment in clean coal; continue investment and require carbon capture and sequestration.

Nuclear Power: Continuation of the government/industry partnership to help validate the Nuclear Regualtory Commission’s new power plant licensing process, and to resolve technical and/or regulatory issues associated with new nuclear plant designs; Create a commission like BRAC to select long-term storage option(s) and up and down vote from Congress; Continued funding research into developing future reactor technology and design; Promote the use of Thorium following the findings from the Defense and Energy Departments.

Natural Gas:

Give local communities the added protection of the Safe Drinking Water Act, in addition to current State protections.

Encourage the development of natural gas infrastructure and use as a vehicle fuel source.

Increase investment in water infrastructure development.



Having just left the campaign offices of Admiral Joe Sestak, (more on that tomorrow), I pulled into the parking lot of what I would come to discover is called “Toomey Town” very interested to see what the folks in “Toomey Town”had to tell me about Pat’s stance on the environment.

As it would turn out, they didn’t have much to say.

The first person I interacted with was a young man, a shave or two removed from his 18th or 19th birthday.  I asked him for whatever literature or print out was available that detailed Mr. Toomey’s stance on the environment.  I also identified myself as a blogger writing a story about the Senate candidates views on environmental issues.  At that, the young man stood from his chair and told me to wait in order for him to see if such a thing existed.

Upon his return he told me that the press office reps were not around and it would not be possible to get an official statement regarding Toomey’s stance on the environment.  I explained to the young man that I had just left Admiral Sestak’s field office and I showed him the four page document that the Lehigh Valley campaign manager gave me.  The kid gestured and asked his superior what to do.  The superior, the “Toomey Town” manager told me no such thing existed and that there was no official statement on Mr.Toomey’s environmental positions.  He handed me two copies of editorials published by Toomey (likely by his campaign) in 2009 and 2010, told me to “check the website” and walked away.

I left “Toomey Town” with less information than I could acquire using Google.

The two editorials, one decrying Admiral Sestak’s support of a nascent Cap and Trade Bill and one advocating for the drilling of the Marcellus Shale while claiming advocacy of conservation are strikingly similar and actually contain copied paragraphs.  I take these to be the Toomey campaign line and consider them Pat’s stance on the environment:

1.”Pennsylvania is home to the Marcellus Shale, one of the largest unconventional gas reserves in the world. It has the potential to turn our state into a major of producer of clean energy and create thousands of jobs. But a new energy tax could doom this budding industry before it has a chance to develop.”
–Mr Toomey: Are you serious? Do you think us simpletons? Do you actually believe this stuff you are spewing?  The tax exists as a way to stop this drilling because it will cause an ecological holocaust that could potentially take human lives and well, I suppose if there are less people then there are more jobs?

2. “A focus on renewable energy, conservation, low-carbon energy such as natural gas, nuclear energy and cleaner-coal technology are all part of the solution”
–Mr. Toomey: What are you talking about!? Renewable energy? Conservation? You have no policy stances on these issues.  You have no implementation plans, no tax-based incentives, you offer no vision of creation for these issues.  What you advocate is one of the most destructive activities we could possibly engage in to derive a non-renewable resource.

It is clear from the funding of his campaign to his denial of climate change to these policy stances that  Pat Toomey is a legitimate monster as far as ecological protection is concerned.


Tomorrow, I will be taking a look at Admiral Joe Sestak.