Why Keystone XL pipeline is Such a Bad Idea. One Stop Shopping for Arguments to Help Your Friends Understand

Young man Afraid of his Horses, Chief of Oglala band of Lakota Sioux says "Don't Mess With My Water!"

Credit Wikipedia Clicking on picture should take you to proper page for attribution. See next link for info on YMAOHH, real name: They Fear Even His Horses

The Keystone XL pipeline will only provide temporary jobs except for a rump core of what some have said are 50-100 permanent jobs over the stretch of the line.  As it stands now the pipeline route would endanger the massive Ogallala Aquifer that serves most of the High Plains. See map below.  A spill into the Ogallala could cause a spike in food prices, not to mention hardship and possibly even serious illness in families, especially those with children who can be very sensitive to pollutants, that live in the area and get their drinking water from the massive underground source (much of which may date back to the last ice age).

In recent years the Ogallala has been shrinking because of heavier water use than rate of replenishment.  Good luck diluting out any large spill, and the more South a farmer using aquifer waters is, the more he or she depends on it just as the aquifer has less to offer for use or self protection.

Image from Wikipedia used by Creative Commons license specifically (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Though much of this land may be in corn or cattle pasture at this time, some farmers using Ogallala water have gone into organic farming.  It would  be a great help to our nation to have billions of bushels of veggies and fruits as well as the organic grass fed beef already coming out of the high plains.  If the Ogallala is polluted that scenario is not going to materialize.

And if you live in the region, I feel badly for your family.  Just like with the area around Fukushima, many of the powers that be want this to go through will promise you that everything will be okay. And it is, until it's not.  Then it's disaster.

Read important reports below:

Trans Canada is spending big time bribing House members to get their oil pipeline installed across our nation's heartland.

One video report notes that the original Keystone pipeline has already had 12 spills.

Also, another report says: Pipeline Inspector-Turned Whistleblower Calls Keystone XL a Potential Disaster 

Another important report to read: Keystone XL Primer: Why Nebraska Is Ground Zero in the Pipeline Fight
   Quick Take away (but it's best to read the entire report):

The Keystone XL would be the first oil pipeline to run through the Nebraska sandhills, a fragile area with few pipelines of any kind...

A report from February by the NRDC, Pipeline Safety Trust, Sierra Club and National Wildlife Foundation says diluted bitumen is more acidic and corrosive than conventional crude. It requires operators to run the pipeline at higher pressures, Swift said, leading to more friction inside the pipeline and creating extra heat that can further decrease pipeline safety.

Previous reports on our blog:

Proof that #Keystone XL Pipeline will Take #TarSands oil To Make Gasoline for World Market (Asia)

Canadian Filings Show TransCanada is Lying to Americans About Jobs the Keystone XL Pipeline Would Create

Don't Boycott Twitter? Yeah, Right.

We are seeing calls for people to not boycott Twitter.  Even Cent (The Young Turks)  said it wouldn't be a good idea.

Cenk said at least people outside a nation would know what was going on, even if Twitter wouldn't be giving the people within a nation the messages they needed to get.

No, Cenk.  Sorry.

Just think of it:   We sit back and read the messages of desperate young people tweeting for help when there can be none.   I can't think of anything worse.

BTW, I wonder why media people, once they grab part of the big media spotlight suddenly want the rest of us to become their captive audience.

Imagine, if during last year's Eqypt uprising, Twitter had been amenable to censoring, and we knew the addresses of those secret nodes with which they could communicate between themselves, and yet we couldn't transmit the information.

Wouldn't it be great that we could learn about hundreds being rounded up or even killed and though we knew how to get them to safe nodes, we couldn't tell them because the hashtags we use to do so were being censored by the Twits at Twitter in Egypt. 

I know little about those nodes, but I do know that last year I retweeted  any message from those I trust who did give directions to them so they would get to the activists whenever they could check in and read Twitter.

I also think that it is important that this came close after the big investment by Murcoch's Saudi Prince partner.

Many sources cite the Twitter desire to get into China, showing that the Twits have some onerous Chuztpah deciding they will act as censors where Google stopped playing.

I'm guessing their prince wants to  make his investment back quickly.

And yes a 24 hour boycott isn't going to get the Twits to change their minds, I'm guessing.

Maybe we should  start a move to another source.  Facebook already has a lot of groups, but they all belong to someone, making it hard for  individuals to block annoying  people from their personal timeline.  This was the bane of the old "forum" model.  One moderator or the small group of leaders would be talked into allowing "gadflies"  in the name of free speech only to see the copious complaints of such people driving good folks out of the group.  One forum group even ousted the creator, a popular Twitter icon.  (Okay, I know; Redundancy alert.)

Google +,  Tumblr,  are also alternatives.  Yahoo has something.   I'm sure I'm probably missing other sources too.

We really might want to transition to one of those formats.  Does anyone know of more?

Leave info in comment section.  Yeah, we do have to approve comments before they appear for the public , but that's only works as a troll gate.  We see a notice of a message whenever we check in to write, and will react quickly. 

BTW, just because I disagree with Cent right now it doesn't  mean I won't continue to watch his show.  It's part of the mix I try to get to each day.

Still, I do think that Twitter which is credited with helping to facilitate the Egypt uprising at least as much or more than Facebook did, is now going to play nice with repressive governments shows they don't get why we used it so much.  

(i guess a link to this post will go to  Twitter.  I haven't  dismantled the feedburner link because it's hard for me to understand how to set it up again, but my real intention was to write on our blog.)

I have a good post on all the arguments I could find from many sources against the Keystone XL pipeline that you could use to win arguments, but I will post that tomorrow morning after the boycott is over.

Newt Has Been Dreaming of Space States for Decades

Even in 1981 Gingrich was fantasizing about permanent space colonies and states. 
Soon, I suspect, Moon Governor Gingrich would be seeking to secede and become Moon President Gingrich. 

Its the old Rick Perry path to presidency.

Too bad Newt's too old for space travel these days.

See original report which above comments address:  http://bit.ly/yBf11r

Canadian Filings Show TransCanada is Lying to Americans About Jobs the Keystone XL Pipeline Would Create

Kansas: Swing and Corn Field

Just the safety of much of our food supply and the health of the families of the High Plains are at risk if a massive pipeline is built across the Ogallala Aquifer.

Picture sharing is allowed via Creative Commons license using Flickr's native attribution and placement code. Roll over for photographer's name, click to go to original Flickr location, to see more sizes of picture available

Remember how TransCanada has been saying that building the Keystone XL pipeline across the breadth of the MidWest would created 20,000 jobs in the US?

Well, their filings with their own government show the real numbers are not so much. Oops, did they say 20k? Well, in the US actually that would be 6k.

Yes, 6000 jobs, most of which will be temporary according to other analyses I've encountered. (In fact, I've heard that only 50 jobs would last beyond the building phase of the pipeline. People just love temporary jobs they can pick up and get busy on while others nab the more permanent jobs.

If the Keystone XL pipeline would create only  temporary jobs en toto,  maybe someone fell asleep and dreamed up that 20k number the pipeline related companies have been feeding to the public through Republican politicians..

I'm guessing that the GOP first taught TransCanada how to lie big-time, in order to get their way.

The good news is that though it's politics as usual and legal to lie to the American public, apparently investors were also deceived over the number of jobs the pipeline would create. That is not allowed under US law.

See ThinkProgress Green: TransCanada’s Dirty Keystone XL Jobs Claims Draw Complaint To SEC

US Transportation Secretary's Son Barred From Leaving Egypt

Ray La Hood's son, Sam, among others from a NGO helping the middle eastern nation's recent election have been stopped at the Cairo airport as they tried to leave.

Their NGO had been helping with the recent elections.

American lobbyists are currently trying to gain support for Cairo's action including one with Clinton ties and (I believe) the man who was briefly Speaker of the House immediately after Newt Gingrich before he also lost the position due to sexual infidelities.

See all other details of what Politico says is an exclusive report at Politico (mobile): http://bit.ly/wdrvjG

Scott Walker Ahead in #Wisconsin Recall Election If You believe in Faeries #wiunion

Scott Walker leads the recall race in Wisconsin thanks to unlimited donations until the signatures are verified.
But there's a lot of uncertainty even beyond the great capacity for political action the people of the state have shown.
1st- almost all the candidates are within the law school's poll's large margin of error (unless I've misremembered and they all are, I'm working from my phone and can't go back to check). 
The opposition field is also divided, and Walker has used more than he's raised already though he's gotten millions to fight off the challengers. 
See Washington Post report got more from their article at:  http://wapo.st/zXleRS
The activists in the state can keep you up to date at #wiunion on Twitter (blocking the obvious trolls in that line is a fine idea too).
You can edit trolls out by searching on #wiunion -troll1 -troll2 etc but they will attack you by mention so it's just easiest to block them right off.  You will know who they are, I'm sure.

Thanks to an interview on Current's Countdown Wednesday night, we've learned that the source of the poll above is a Republican friendly entity and not to be relied upon.  The Interviewee also mentioned the large margin of error as I did above yesterday morning.  The question is why the Washington Post chose to run this as news without even the obvious caveats being mentioned.

Officials: Rescue of hostages in Somalia due to concerns for health

US officials say that concern for the health of the hostages led to recent raid that rescued 2. 

Plus more at LA Times (mobile):
http://bit.ly/ybiNum

Obama Learned Before #SOTU: SEAL Team 6 Rescued Hostages #p2 #tcot

Obama's cryptic remark to Defense Secretary Panetta on a "good job" referred to the rescue of two from Somali pirates by members of the same team that killed bin Laden.  See more details at link:
http://bit.ly/yrad7I

Video: Newt Gingrich: Tax Cheat?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Update TSA: Rand Paul Was Never "Detained"

Though Senator Paul claimed to have been detained in a "small cubicle" for an hour, according to an AP report referenced by CBS News Political Hotsheet the TSA says they never "detained" him. 

Paul's father tweeted that his son was  he was "detained" without describing what might be a detention inspired room.

I guess the news media will sort this out, (or not since it is a sensitive issue for Republicans).

In fact, according to Dictionary.com "detain" can be used for delayed, but there is that small problem of the "cubicle" reference.

Read the Hotsheet report at Rand Paul in TSA showdown after refusing pat down.
 

Rand Paul Detained at Airport After Body Scan Anomaly Found

Apparently, after a body scan anomaly Senator Paul refused a pat down check and therefore was detained.

Count on his father, Ron Paul, to make a big deal about this at the coming debate until some begin to suspect a set up from the first.

Many experts recommend opting for a pat down instead of s scan from the first to save your skin from the concentrated dose of rays the scanner aims at it.

Paul's refusal of a pat down shows he puts a juvenile sense of   "propriety" over the safety of everyone on board the plane he was to travel on, and in fact, on any plane. 
Beyond just his own flight, if this incident gets enough steam worked up to reduce airport security and an attack gets through, it would have the opposite effect than the lessening of security measures the Rand men claim they want.

It would increase security, boost the size and intrusiveness of government, and would likely to lead to more war instead of less.

So Rand Paul's refusal shows him to be less a libertarian than a man with a great sense of self entitlement.  Then again, that's the outfit his fathers been wearing for years.

BTW, where was Candidate Rand Paul's great libertarianism when he allowed a body guard to put his weight on a protestor's neck to protect the optimologist from confrontation with the woman's ideas and expressions while he approached his waiting limo when he was running to become senator?

Not just a little hypocrisy is being exposed here.

See Politico blogger for original report I read on the Rand Paul detention:  http://bit.ly/xp42Vm

Proof that #Keystone XL Pipeline will Take #TarSands oil To Make Gasoline for World Market (Asia)

The shrill GOP defenders of the Keystone XL pipeline say they are interested in getting that Tar Sands oil to Texas in order to fill gas tanks in the US with cheaper oil, but they are lying.  The fact that the Keystone XL pipeline is being built across a major MidWest aquifer to transport  the tarsands oil to the Gulf Coast proves that the resultant gas will be used for the world market not the US.

There are plenty of refineries in the upper MidWest in with which to refine the tar sands oil and some of them wanted that chance so badly that they were willing to undertake extensive expansion for the chance, which would create 10 times more permanent jobs in the Great Lakes region than the pipeline will. 

Most of the jobs for the Keystone XL pipeline heading for Texas will instead  be temporary ones, and once the tar sands oil reaches it's destination on the Gulf Coast, the resultant product can be dumped onto ships and taken through the Panama canal to Asia keeping gasoline prices just as high as always home.

And that's the reason the world wants the US to endanger the underground water supply (Ogallala aquifer) for a major portion of the MidWest.  Tainted drinking water, anyone?

At least, the GOP should allow enough time for a real analysis of the ability to safely build and maintain that pipeline to be completed, but the Republicans want to posture about the pipeline for the 2012 political race. and can't wait for safety evaluations.   A spill could be incredibly damaging to the upper plains region.

But many interested parties don't like to think about problems that could develop in the future. That's how Japan ended up with a major disaster from the Fukushima nuclear plant.

Is that how we should do things in our nation?

Not if we want to protect the environment and especially regional families' health and well being.  The MidWest shouldn't be held hostage under the threat of public safety crisis to the world gas market.

We need to do the environmental review, do it right and select the proper route for the tar sands oil.

The GOP should stop posturing.  The gas isn't for us.  It won't help us.  So we need to look out for ourselves first and take the time to figure out how to do the job safely.

Gabby Giffords To Resign from #Congress #p2 #ows #Arizona #wiunion

The Democratic representative to resign shortly to work on recovery.

It feels like the shooter and the haters won, but it id likely to be best for her, so that's good.

Politico article doesn't say how she will be replaced. Special election?   Appointment by governor?

See: http://bit.ly/Agwxme

Why Gingrich's Treatment of His Wives is So Wrong

A New York Times article "For Gingrich, Wives Always at Center of Career"
begins to hint at what is so wrong about Newt Gingrich's affairs behind his wives' backs and with the idea that he should have been given an open marriage.

The report describes Marianne Gingrich as constantly with her husband acting as a kind of foil off which to bounce ideas (my take) or as the Times writer seems to indicate more directly act as a constant adviser though the piece described her as uncomfortable in the position.

And though it seems nice that Gingrich felt so comfortable with her, such a devotion becomes so overwhelming of one's personal life, it is often difficult for a woman to maintain such a constant companionship and still have time for herself.  Apparently that time for self was not a priority for Marianne.

My own father and mother had such a life together.  It showed how devoted they were to each other and gave them company in good times and bad.  But I have to note that it took much work on the part of my Mother, and mostly, as with the Gingriches they worked to further my father's career and after-work interests, and yes that focus was somewhat successful.  My father was ABC News'  "Person of the Week" once.  Not a lot of people can say that.

But my father never fooled around on my mother, instead rewarding her with the constant devotion to her that Gingrich refused to offer Marianne.  Newt apparently then asked her share him  (according to her words in an interview).

Newt's actions also violated his own professed religious tenets.

His actions and his lack of honesty should not be ignored.  This is not a personal matter.  It goes to the heart of whether he will be honest with Americans or whether he will tell us any lie that is convenient while selling us out to the highers bidder.  I don't know if his creepy reaction to the news media trying to get to the bottom of his infidelities and desire for an open marriage or his views on how women should serve him while he's got an eye open for the next, younger, one is more disturbing.

For contrast read The Kama Sutra of Kindness: Position Number 3 by Mary Mackey

It shows a good way to go through life in love.  Of course, people and life being what they are the perfection in the poem is not always achieved, but I find it hard to believe that most men treat their wives with more fairness and decency that Newt did at least his first two wives.  Who know who he has on the side these days.  I guess we'll learn in about a decade.

Politico Blogger: Gingrich Attack on John King Just Shtick To Gain Approval From Red Meat Conservatives

After the last South Carolina debate in which Newt Gingrich derided the news media especially harshly the former speaker of the House of Representatives congratulated the newsman who he had implied was waging a vicious attack on him just a short while before, proving what a hypocrite he is willing to become to gain political power.

I see a man who is a combination of both Richard Nixon and his even more odious Vice President, Spiro Agnew.

And the key to both men was that they were both corrupt, but Agnew was so bad they had to convince him to leave office before they could allow Nixon to resign.


See Politico post: http://bit.ly/xCP09p