"Natural gas" means "Fracking"

Let's call this a Quick Hits.

I want to add to your list of replacement phrases — substitution words that make right-wing statements make sense. For example, when a right-wing politician says something he wants is going to increase "jobs" he really means "profits" — try it yourself; works every time.

Your new replacement phrase — "natural gas" means "fracking". Thus:

• "We need more natural gas" = "We need more fracking"
• "I favor natural gas production" = "I favor fracking"
• "I'm a natural gas company"= "I'm a fracking company"

See how simple? Every word a true one.

I'm seeing a glut of "natural gas" commercials, an absolute flood. "Natural gas is clean" they say. Yes, true of the gas as it burns, relative to other carbon-based products. But what about its production? (Remember your replacement phrase, which hides the truth.)

In the U.S. today, much new natural gas comes from western states where homesteading farmers were prevented by the government (per the Stockraising Homestead Act of 1916) from owning the mineral rights to their own property. This is the meaning of the term "split estate." Western homesteaders after 1916 owned only the surface.

In the east, you own your mineral rights (unless you or your ancestors had sold them). In the west, you don't — the government did and does.

This is what those BLM auctions, by the way, the ones that Tim DeChristopher disrupted and publicized, are all about — natural gas (fracking) leases.

To produce new natural gas from anywhere in the country almost always requires fracking. The perniciousness of western fracking is that the government can give away (sorry, lease) the fracking rights to fracking companies (see, substitution at work) without the landowner's consent.

Do you want to see how widespread fracking is in the U.S.? Click here for the map (it opens in a new tab).

And for a definition of all these terms — fracking, fracking fluid, and so on — go here, a great, bookmarkable resource.

So two points:

■ "Natural gas" means "fracking" and "Increasing natural gas production" means "Increasing fracking."

This is the carefully hidden fact behind all those music-sweetened, "jobs"-dangling, mixed-race–friendly commercials that some highly professional PR firm has created to confuse you. (Stay in school, soulless right-wing kids; you too can be paid for such work.)

■ Watch this trailer for the excellent film Split Estate. A great entry point into this little pocket of evil in the world.



For more on the film, go here.

And remember, the more we "succeed" at carbon production, the more we fail, since everything we "produce" goes into the air. A time-bomb of our own making, and why you should care.

GP

(To follow on Twitter or to send links: @Gaius_Publius)
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How the GOP honors our troops: "Female wounded veteran... ehhh"

You remember GOP Congressman Joe Walsh, he's the deadbeat dad who reportedly owes his three kids $100,000 in child support he's refused to pay.  Iraq war vet Tammy Duckworth is running against him this fall.

Ah, those GOP family values.  (Speaking of family values, right after a judge admonished Walsh for the $100,000 in back child support, a religious right hate group gave Walsh a "family values" award.)

From VoteVets:

In an appalling new low, [GOP] Congressman Joe Walsh today slammed his opponent Tammy Duckworth's military service. Walsh told Politico, "What else has she done? Female, wounded veteran ... ehhh." Duckworth served as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot in Iraq in 2004, and lost her legs and part of the use of her right arm. She was awarded the Purple Heart for her combat injuries and is still active as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Illinois National Guard.

VoteVets.org PAC, the largest group of progressive veterans responded in a statement, demanding an apology to Duckworth, and putting Walsh's own record up against Duckworth's service to the country and veterans.

"Just when you think Congressman Joe Walsh couldn't sink any lower, he insults the service and sacrifice of our Veterans, particularly one like Tammy who lost her limbs in the line of duty. Congressman Walsh owes Tammy Duckworth and all Veterans an apology for his outrageous disrespect for their service," said Jon Soltz, Iraq War Veteran and Chairman of VoteVets.org PAC. "But it's not just that. If you think working for America's veterans at the VA both in Washington and Illinois is nothing, if you think working to improve the economic lives of veterans is nothing, then Joe Walsh's record is below nothing. He represents the do-nothing, obstructionist, extreme Tea Party wing of the GOP, not the values that Tammy stood up for."

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OECD: UK back in recession, will be slow to recover

Another story line that may not make it into the GOP discussions. They're always keen to talk about the savings of austerity, but fail to discuss the real world negative impact that consistently occurs. Now the British public has fewer services and they're hampered by a sagging economy because the government strangled any chance to stimulate the economy. Brilliant.

Only Italy will struggle over a longer period to return to growth, highlighting the difficult situation confronting the British government as it battles to boost confidence and get the economy back on track.

In recent weeks surveys have shown the business and consumer sentiment falling back after an initial boost earlier this year.

The Office for National Statistics added to the gloomy prognosis for the economy on Wednesday when it reported a bigger fall in output in the final three months of 2011 than first estimated. It said a previous 0.2% drop in output had underestimated the size of the fall, which further analysis found to be 0.3%.

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PA doctors banned from telling patients about impact of fracking chemicals

Pennsylvania goes from bad to worse with fracking. Besides the earthquake risk, besides the flammable tap water, besides the tax free business of fracking and besides the dangerous impact of chemicals being pumped into the ground with costs left for taxpayers to cover, Pennsylvania is now blocking medical doctors from having honest discussions with patients about the impact of fracking chemicals on their patients. Is there any question as to what industry owns the political class of Pennsylvania? The Atlantic:

Under a new law, doctors in Pennsylvania can access information about chemicals used in natural gas extraction -- but they won't be able to share it with their patients. A provision buried in a law passed last month is drawing scrutiny from the public health and environmental community, who argue that it will "gag" doctors who want to raise concerns related to oil and gas extraction with the people they treat and the general public.

Pennsylvania is at the forefront in the debate over "fracking," the process by which a high-pressure mixture of chemicals, sand, and water are blasted into rock to tap into the gas. Recent discoveries of great reserves in the Marcellus Shale region of the state prompted a rush to development, as have advancements in fracking technologies. But with those changes have come a number of concerns from citizens about potential environmental and health impacts from natural gas drilling.

There is good reason to be curious about exactly what's in those fluids. A 2010 congressional investigation revealed that Halliburton and other fracking companies had used 32 million gallons of diesel products, which include toxic chemicals like benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene, in the fluids they inject into the ground. Low levels of exposure to those chemicals can trigger acute effects like headaches, dizziness, and drowsiness, while higher levels of exposure can cause cancer.

And to think the Republicans are worked into a frenzy about health care coverage rather than doctors having an honest discussion with their patients. Interesting. Read the rest of this post...

Mitt Romney, who has a 3,600 foot basement, mocked John Kerry's home

It's almost as if Romney thinks he's somehow so far above it all, no one will hold him accountable for, or to, his words. From Buzzfeed's Andrew Kaczysnki:

“There's a Senator from my state who wants to get elected President. I don't know why he would want to do that because he would have to move into a smaller house.”

Romney's new home has a 3,600 square foot basement, and he has a separate elevator for his cars.

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UK economy fell more than previously reported last year

There's a cost to austerity that those on the right don't like talking about. It's not a magic cure all and it almost always means even more pain for the working public. The GOP in the US loves talking about the need to cut government spending but fail to discuss the severe impact it has on everyone. If money is no object and you're part of the 1% it may sound wonderful if you don't care about the 99% and the broader social implications.

So remind me again which side of the political spectrum is all about dividing rather than uniting? The Guardian:

Britain's economy was even weaker than expected at the end of last year, underlining the country's struggle to avoid another recession.

GDP fell 0.3% in the fourth quarter, more than the 0.2% drop previously estimated by the Office for National Statistics. The downgrade was mainly prompted by weakness in the country's dominant services sector.

Economists had not been expecting any change to the 0.2% fall, and the news that Britain's economy went into the new year in an even worse state will raise fears it could notch up a technical recession – defined as two consecutive quarters of contraction.

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Video: Street performer in Mexico City (simple and brilliant)

I love this.

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Romney recalls "humorous" story of his dad closing factory

What a knee-slapper. Who hasn't made jokes about shutting down a factory and leaving someone jobless? Get it? Families were on unemployment and had to struggle to get by. Hysterical! Life at the Romney mansion must be a laugh a minute as they cut down the 99%-ers who have to work for a living.

"One of (the) most humorous stories, I think, relates to my father. You may remember my father, George Romney, was president of an automobile company called American Motors," Romney said, according to audio of the call posted by ABC News and first reported by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

"They had a factory in Michigan, and they had a factory in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and another one in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. And as the president of the company he decided to close the factory in Michigan and move all the production to Wisconsin. Now, later he decided to run for governor of Michigan and so you can imagine that having closed the factory and moved all the production to Wisconsin was a very sensitive issue to him, for his campaign," he said.

Romney laughed about the incident and about how it affected his dad, a three-term Michigan governor.

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Guns don't kill people, hoodies kill people

Isn't it rather an odd world where carrying a gun is always blameless -- but an unarmed person wearing a particular piece of clothing, look out.

Geraldo Rivera has apologized for his comments about hoodies (Riversa suggested that Trayvon Martin, the 17 year old recently killed in Florida, shared half the blame for wearing a hoodie), but the fact that that he fixes on clothing worn by the victim rather than the weapon carried by his killer illustrates how the Conservative mind works. Guns can never be the problem, so something else must be the problem, in the same way that big oil can never be a problem so climate change must be a hoax. The conclusion is true by definition, so any evidence that challenges it must be false.

In the wake of 9/11, one of my associates was offered secret service protection. Not the full bore presidential level detail, but one or two officers that would accompany him in public at all times. He rejected it when he discovered that all the protection could really do is limit the number of shots an assailant could fire and maybe kill or capture him. If a trained, armed and alert secret service officer who is only thinking about protecting the life of their protectee can't provide absolute security then I am pretty sure that the average bozo packing heat can't do much to protect themselves either.

The problem with guns is not simply that they provide a way in which one person can kill another, but that they make it possible to do so in an instant. Killing someone with a knife is hard. Suffocation even harder. Gunshots, a simple flick of the finger.

It is possible that Zimmerman or Martin might have been killed if neither one was armed, but it is much less likely that would have happened, just as it is much less likely that a domestic dispute will result in murder if no gun is present:

A 1997 study that examined the risk factors for violent death for women in the home found that when there were one or more guns in the home, the risk of suicide among women increased nearly five times and the risk of homicide increased more than three times. The increased risk of homicide associated with firearms was attributable to homicides at the hands of a spouse, intimate acquaintance, or close relative.

An analysis of female domestic homicides (a woman murdered by a spouse, intimate acquaintance, or close relative) showed that prior domestic violence in the household made a woman 14.6 times more likely, and having one or more guns in the home made a woman 7.2 times more likely, to be the victim of such a homicide.

Having a gun in the home makes it three times more likely that you or someone you care about will be murdered by a family member or intimate partner.

A firearm in the home may be a key factor in the escalation of nonfatal spousal abuse to homicide. In a study of family and intimate assaults for the city of Atlanta, Georgia, in 1984, firearm-associated family and intimate assaults were 12 times more likely to result in death than non-firearm associated assaults between family and intimates.

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Please help us elect Trevor Thomas to the US Congress

We've written several posts about our good friend, Trevor Thomas, who is running for Congress in his hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Today we are joining with other LGBT and progressive bloggers to ask you to donate to Trevor's campaign via this link or the box below. We posted this at AMERICAblog Gay earlier today, too.

Trevor needs our help to make this happen. The first campaign filing deadline is Saturday, March 31. There will be a lot of attention paid to this first report. Big decisions are made about a candidate's so-called "viability." Let's make sure Trevor is viable financially. Suffice it say, Trevor conducted a poll before he got into the race that shows a path to victory. But, money matters -- too much -- but it matters.

Today, along with a large group of progressive and LGBT bloggers, we're raising funds for Trevor's campaign before the March 31 deadline.  Trevor is the real deal.  Please give whatever you can.

Also helping Trevor today are:

- Marcy Wheeler at EmptyWheel
- Chris Savage at EclectaBlog and Blogging for Michigan
- Pam Spaulding at Pam's House Blend
- Bil Browning at Bilerico Project
- Joe Jervis at Joe.My.God
- Jeremy Hooper at Good As You
- Andy Towle, Towleroad
- Karen Ocamb at LGBT POV
- Howie Klein, DownWithTyranny.com
- Scott Wooledge, Daily Kos
- David Badash, The New Civil Rights Movement

That's quite an impressive line-up. Not sure there are many other first-time primary candidates who could pull that off.

And, Trevor really needs the help. See, he's running against a rich self-funding, conservative Democrat, Steve Pestka in the August 8th Democratic primary. Then, he'll face the incumbent, Justin Amash, a self-funding Tea-Party GOPer in the fall. Just what Congress needs, more anti-choice millionaires, right?

Unlike Pestka and Amash, Trevor isn't a millionaire. He comes from a working class family -- his mom and dad met on the factory lines of General Motors where they worked together for more than 30 years. And, if you have ever worked with Trevor, as John and I have, you know that he's one of the smartest, earnest and most committed people you'll ever meet.

Marcy Wheeler lives in Trevor's district. She's learned first hand that the institutional Democrats don't like people talking about Pestka's anti-choice record. And, I find it very disturbing that any Democrats would describe Trevor's work on behalf of LGBT issues, which includeds the repeal of DADT, "extreme." We're going to watch this race closely to make sure there isn't anti-gay code talk coming from the other campaign. Needless to say, that would be a very, very, very bad strategy to pursue.

As Trev often points out, the seat for which he is running was once held by President Jerry Ford, who believed in clean water, the Civil Rights Act, LGBT equality, and a woman's right to make her own personal health care decisions. And, while the District leans red, Trevor is going to hold true to his solidly progressive stances, which, of course, are the same views held by Gerald Ford.

Today, I got another email from the DCCC about the GOP's war on women. This time it was from DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz:

Since the year began, Republicans have waged some of the most extreme attacks against women’s health care I’ve seen in my lifetime.

Given the emphasis on women's health, you'd like to think that the DCCC is jumping on board with Trevor's campaign. His Democratic primary opponent, Steve Pestka, is anti-choice. But, the DCCC likes self-funders. The problem with conservative self-funders is that they don't generate enthusiasm among the base. The institutional Democrats look at candidates through a financial lens only. And, money matters, but it doesn't translate to excitement and enthusiasm.

So do what you can to help Trevor, please. I know there are a lot of requests for fundraising going on, but this is a chance to get a solid progressive into Congress. And, it's one of the only primary races, maybe the only one, that pits a pro-choice Democrat against an anti-choice Democrat.  Please give whatever you can -- even twenty-five dollars would be great.  Thanks so much. Read the rest of this post...