Rachel Maddow Tosses More Fuel On The "When Will Buchanan Be Fired" Campfire; Pat Ignites Himself In Studio

From the inbox:
Think Progress reports ~

Last night, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow debated her colleague Pat Buchanan on the role of affirmative action in the Supreme Court nomination of Sonia Sotomayor. When Maddow pointed out that 108 of 110 Supreme Court justices have been white, Buchanan responded, "White men were 100 percent of the people that wrote the Constitution, 100 percent of the people that signed the Declaration of Independence, 100 percent of the people who died at Gettysburg and Vicksburg, probably close to 100 percent of the people who died at Normandy. This has been a country built basically by white folks."

Meanwhile, at FireDogLake, Attaturk reflected on Jamison Foser's Buchanan missive ~ What would Pat Buchanan have to say to get himself fired from MSNBC?

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Jack Ireland's DelCap Picks for Saturday ~ Livin Lovin, Unbridled Belle And Acoma

I can't wait to visit Delaware Park on Saturday!!

The whole day's racing will be top notch --even without Superstar, Rachel Alexandra.

Unbridled Belles is the home girl (WNJ image)

Leading the field is Team Valor International's Unbridled Belle, the 2-1 morning line favorite for trainer Todd Pletcher. Unbridled Belle is making her third straight DelCap start, winning by 73¼4 lengths in 2007 and finishing third last year. Richard Migliore, who rode Unbridled Belle to an 11-length win in the Grade III Obeah at Delaware Park on June 20, will be up.

Ireland give kudos to Acoma but trips the intrigue with this ~

Maybe the most interesting entry is the Steve Klesaris-trained 3-year-old filly Livin Lovin (10-1). She is cross-entered in Saturday's Delaware Oaks for 3-year-old fillies as the 2-1 morning line favorite.

No 3-year-old filly has won the DelCap since 1977 when Our Mims beat Bayard
Sharp's Mississippi Mud in a photo finish.

One bit of controversy was quelled by the racing secretary ~

I do not look at this number [seven entries] as a problem whatsoever," said Pope. "We have noticed other Grade I and II races at major going with four- and five-horse fields. ... This leads me to believe that our Delaware Handicap has brought a very strong field in here."

Yes it has!!

~*~

Monday, Carper's Position On Health Care Insurance Was Simple: It Has To Be BiPartisan. That Was His Entire Position.

I kid you not. When I called, his staffer said, "The Senator's position is that it has to be bipartisan.".

I asked, "That's it?".

"Yes"..."Can I put you on hold? I will get his statement and read it to you".

When she got back on the phone, what she read was Tom Carper saying simply that he will only support a bipartisan bill on health care reform. Period. End of statement.

I asked if she knew whether my Senator was aware that we DEMs now have 60 votes and we don't need a bipartisan bill. (By this time I was on a roll and these were rhetorical questions I didn't really expect her to answer). I asked if he knew how much America needed health insurance relief? Did he not know that President Obama wanted a strong public option and how could he not vote with his party?

Anyone hearing Tom Carper riffing on Frank Luntz' talking points (.pdf), please alert the media. We need to pin the GOPerhead label on his forehead where it belongs.

~*~

Palin's Administration Left Hundreds Of Alaskan Medicare Clients' To Die While Waiting For Treatment?

FDL reports ~ Sarah Palin’s Medicaid Scandal: Letting People Die While Waiting
By: Scarecrow

The Anchorage Daily News just broke a story about a scandal in Alaska's administration of its Medicaid program. It seems federal auditors have suspended new entry into the program because of gross mismanagement by Alaska officials that was leaving hundreds untreated and may have resulted in over 200 deaths while patients were waiting for treatment.

~*~

So Whither These Sachs Of Gold?

(Illustration by Victor Juhasz - Rolling Stone)

Mad: NYT ~ Goldman's Gain America's Risk?

Glad: USNews ~ Why We Should Cheer Goldman's Fat Profits

Sad: CorrenteWire ~ pw3nage

Frickin' Nuts: Delaware Libertarian ~ Goldman Sachs: The Obama Administration's Haliburton?

heh, :-)

~*~

County Auditor BRAKES Pam Scott-Paul Clarky?

More from the Hockessin Community News ~

County Auditor Bob Wasserbach issued a confidential memorandum to council members suggesting that Clark's request doesn't meet county's reimbursement requirements.

Clark said the memo had no bearing on his decision to put off the vote and said he made the decision before Wasserbach's memo hit council members' mailboxes.

"People have questions, and I just want everyone to be comfortable," Clark said.

Riiiiight.
I just love the Community News~!

The memo, obtained by the Community News, points to that recommendation to question whether the matter has been resolved, as the commission has yet to issue its findings.

The legislation proposing Clark's repayment says the charges were "dismissed," and uses what Wasserbach describes as a "nebulous" phrase: that there was a "successful resolution to the investigation."

Wasserbach said individual council members would have to judge if the referral to the Ethics Commission constitutes a dismissal, and suggested the council consider interviewing the Attorney General's investigator, Catarelli or hire legal help to review whether Clark qualifies for reimbursement under county code.

"If there's taxpayer money being considered, then I wanted to make sure the council fully understood the law," Wasserbach said when asked why he chose to intervene in a legal matter.

The Ethic Commission's ruling could come within a month. Once issued, Clark can request a hearing before the commission.

D'OH! NCCo Indemnification Criteria (NCCo Code Section 2.03.201) Covered attorney fees are those resulting from activities which were:

Done in good faith

Done in the reasonable belief that the activities were in the county's best interest and in the furtherance of its practices and policies

Within the scope of authority of the person acting

Within the course of employment of the person acting

Not willful, malicious or wanton

~*~

Check Out Delaware's Wealthy ~ How The Rich Live ~ A Look At Montchanin And Hockessin Demographics

The Hockessin Community News presents a few eye-popping demographic reports on both Hockessin and Montchanin.

~*~

More From Frieda: Nuclear Pollution Is Forever

Just for clarification: Nuclear Pollution is forever!
I have written about the Russian accident which makes Chernobyl look like a minor “spurt”.
(image: Nuclear waste containers at the Mayak nuclear station)
Just in: Radio Free Europe - Radio Liberty reports ~
Residents Of Irradiated Russian Village To Be Relocated By Year’s End

July 12, 2009
CHELYABINSK, Russia – Resident of Muslimovo, in Russia ’s Chelyabinsk Oblast, will be fully relocated by the end of the year because of nuclear contamination in the village, RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir Service reports.

The ethnic Tatar-populated village and much of the surrounding region was heavily contaminated in 1957 by the infamous explosion at the nearby Mayak nuclear station. Russia's oversight body for nuclear power, the Rosatom Nuclear Energy State Corporation, and Chelyabinsk Oblast authorities agreed on the village's relocation in 2006, and some 690 families have been relocated since then.

About 150 families still live there. Local authorities plan to plant trees where the village stood after residents have been fully relocated and the village has been decontaminated by the end of 2009. An estimated 500,000 people have been affected by radiation from Mayak, and large tracts of land have been polluted.

I repeat, this accident happened in 1957 ! Just now they finally discover that the land is not to be lived on?

I get reports of “ accidents” almost on a daily basis. This might make some interesting reading if you would like to know (just ONE project).

And, always the unexpected: Fuel rods damaged at jinxed German nuclear plant


Berlin - Swedish electricity giant Vattenfall admitted Thursday to additional problems at one of its German nuclear power stations, which caught fire several days ago just after a two-year refit from a previous fire. Blunders at the Kruemmel power station have turned nuclear safety into an election issue in Germany .



Then there are always the reports of health effects from living near Nukes.
AFP's Arnaud Bouvier reports ~

GEESTHACHT, Germany (AFP) — For 20 years, children from a small rural northern German region -- where Alfred Nobel invented dynamite -- have been contracting leukemia at a higher rate than anywhere else in the world and no one knows exactly why……..Campaigners, however, point out that within twokilometres of the region lie the Kruemmel nuclear power station and the GKSS scientific research centre, both of which they believe are to blame for the leukemia outbreaks…….

I have written time and time again about well documented adverse health effect of living near nuclear power plants. Reports keep coming in from all over Europe.

Again I recommend the newly released book by Joe Mangano “Radioactive Baby teeth: the cancer link” . Joseph Mangano’s first book “Low-level Radiation and Immune System Damage’ An Atomic Era legacy” is a well documented report. For copies of the books , let me know or contact Joe. Joe lives in New Jersey. odejoe@aol.com

~*~

Frieda Berryhill Writes: It Can Get Done ~ Congratulations Cathy, I know how Hard You Have Worked To Bring This Maryland Coalition Together

(image: Radioactive emissions and the No. 1 Green House Water Vapor pour out of 104 big American Reactors like Calvert Cliffs daily)
(presser)
Marylanders today announced launch of a citizens' organization to stop the proposed experimental French, double-sized nuclear reactor in order to save the dead and dying Chesapeake Bay
Contacts: Cathy Garger, Co-Founder, People Against A Radioactive Chesapeake(301)710 0405
Janet Marsh, Executive Director Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League(336) 982-2691

Concerned Marylanders from around the state have come together to launch People Against A Radioactive Chesapeake (PAARC). The grassroots citizens group brings together members from local anti-nuclear organizations: Southern Maryland CARES, the Crabshell Alliance, and the Chesapeake Safe Energy Coalition in an effort to halt construction of a Giant 1,710 Megawatt EXPERIMENTAL NUCLEAR REACTOR proposed for the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant on the Chesapeake Bay .

~*~

Jud Bennett Writes: What It Takes To Be a Good Republican?

THIS SHOULD GET A RISE OUT OF SOME OF YOU!

Have you heard about the new litmus test by the Republican leadership to now be an accepted Republican in the Western Part of Sussex County. It may even be that way in all of Sussex County ?

The big question is are you really conservative enough to be allowed to join?

There are 5 major requirements for admission to the new sanctified GOP, among a few others:

1) You must be Pro Life !
2) You must be a fundamentalist Christian !
3 You must be a 2nd amendment enthusiast--guns, guns, and more guns!
4) You cannot under any circumstances be tolerant of alternate life styles, especially homo sexuals !
5) You must be opposed to Gambling of all kinds-- it's a major sin !

Otherwise, you are not welcome in the Republican Party---all others should be Democrats or Independents.

We are now truly pure and righteous and that's why we will win all our future elections?
hmmmmmmmm??????????

~*~

MiniCheney

Attaturk posts a few photoshop funnies ~

This one's by (TWolf1)

~*~

Plus, Eschaton comment rescue ~
(MSNBC link) Liz Cheney tries her Pelosi-hating juu-juu on Eugene Robinson --plantsman, mad google skillz

Delaware One Of Few States Showing Significant Minority Improvements In Education Nationwide

Federal Education Department study notes Delaware's elementary kids' progress. Associated Press reports ~

Scores in reading were especially discouraging. Only three states — New Jersey, Delaware and Florida — narrowed the divide in fourth grade, and no state did so in eighth grade. There was more progress in math among younger kids.

But overall, schooling across the country shows a grim failure to close the racial disparity gap ~

A huge percentage of minority students lack the simple skills they need to function in society, said Hugh Price, professor at Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School and a former president of the Urban League.

Only about half of black and Hispanic fourth graders perform at or above "basic" in reading on the tests used in the study, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, Price noted.

Price argues schools would do well to borrow from the military, emphasizing belonging, teamwork, motivation and self-discipline, structure and routine and accountability and consequences, among other things. He described the successes of military academies in Philadelphia and in South Carolina.

"I'm not proposing that we militarize schools," he said. "But I think there are promising ideas to consider."Haycock singled out two states that made strong achievement gains: Delaware has significantly narrowed the fourth-grade reading gap, from 26 points to 20 points, and Arkansas substantially narrowed the eighth-grade math gap, from 35 points to 28 points.

Delaware officials have focused heavily on literacy, putting reading specialists in schools to coach teachers and help struggling students and beefing up vocabulary and writing in its curriculum, Haycock said. The state also raised expectations for students and put tougher accountability measures in place for schools.

~*~

Delaware's Newest Phenom, Caesar Rodney Institute, Hires Top Investigative Reporter Lee Williams

From the inbox:

Attention Dover: Delawareans are Watching
Gone are the days when we could agree that Dover spends too much money, but nobody could see where our tax dollars are being spent!

Last week, DelawareSpends.com was launched with great fanfare from concernedcitizens across Delaware. DelawareSpends has received tremendous positive feedback from

...Recently, CRI hired investigative reporter Lee Williams. Williams is well known for his more than 150 stories about the Delaware Psychiatric Center (DPC), which led to numerous state probes and an ongoing civil rights investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Check out CRI's policy briefs and op-eds at CaesarRodney.org. Here, you can seethoughts and research on items such as:
Reviving Delaware (pdf)
Delaware's Economic Health (pdf)
Government Growth Adds to Private Sector Burden (pdf)

~*~

New Concept Plans For Barley Mill Plaza Review Set For 6:30PM At St. Joe's On The Brandywine In Greenville Tomorrow

As I noted here a few weeks ago, there's a Public Meeting on the CRG Proposals tomorrow night, July 15, from 6:30 - 9 p.m. at St. Joseph's on the Brandywine, 8 Old Church Rd., Wilm.


From the web: Citizens for Responsible Growth Sponsors Community Meeting

(Wilmington, DE) June 19, 2009 – Citizens for Responsible Growth in New Castle County (CRG) today announced they will sponsor a public meeting at St. Josephs on The Brandywine on July 15th, 2009, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., for the purpose of receiving community input on new concept plans for Barley Mill Plaza and Greenville Center commissioned by CRG.

Torti Gallas Associates, the nationally renowned land planners and community designers engaged by CRG last year, created the new plans. The designs reflect features requested by the surrounding communities, including reduced square footage and building heights, and many of the innovative mixed-use characteristics envisioned by the New Castle County UDC when the mixed-use ordinance was passed.

Last year, when Stoltz Partners promised to reduce the size of Barley Mill Plaza project from 2.8 million square feet to 1.5 million square feet, and to lower the height of its proposed condominium tower in Greenville Center from 12 stories to 6 stories, CRG undertook in return to gather information from the community so that constructive dialog could take place as soon as the revised plans were filed. The upcoming public meeting, to which both Stoltz and the County Land Use Department are being invited, demonstrates the seriousness of CRG’s commitment to a collaborative and constructive process that respects the developer’s objectives while integrating community comments and concerns into the design process.

CRG recognizes that significant traffic issues remain to be resolved before any plans can be finalized and approved. To that end, a regional traffic engineering firm also engaged by CRG, Orth Rogers Associates, is evaluating traffic impact studies as filed by Stoltz, and will be working with DelDOT to generate a traffic impact model for the region affected by the Stoltz plans for Barley Mill Plaza, Greenville Center, 20 Montchanin Road and the Shops at Brandywine Valley. Highway constraints are but one of the many factors that determine the extent to which a developer may seek development approvals “by right” when a rezoning is not required.

As traffic impacts cannot accurately be projected without viable plans as a starting point, CRG has worked diligently to make certain that the new concept plans will address community concerns, be consistent with community character, and, at the same time, be timely, viable and beneficial for the developer. The Torti Gallas concept plan for Barley Mill Plaza would actually provide more than the 1.5 million square feet that Stoltz had indicated it would show in its revised filing. In addition, the Torti Gallas concept plan for Greenville Center could help Stoltz save on construction costs. CRG looks forward to lively and constructive community discussion at the upcoming public meeting, and to working cooperatively with Stoltz, elected officials, and the Land Use Department towards revised plans for Barley Mill Plaza and Greenville Center that are good for the developer, for area residents and for the community as a whole.

-About Citizens for Responsible Growth in New Castle County Inc. Citizens for Responsible Growth in New Castle County Inc. has been established to preserve the integrity of communities and roads in northern New Castle County in the face of extensive development plans for the area. The mission of the organization is to advocate for responsible and sustainable growth that strikes the appropriate balance between economic development and the preservation of both the unique scenic character of the Brandywine Valley and natural and historic resources surrounding our communities. The organization is made up of concerned citizens, as well as alliance partners – entities that also serve these communities, such as Kennett Pike Association, Delaware Greenways, Council Civic Organizations of Brandywine Hundred, Civic League for New Castle County, Hagley Foundation, Greater Hockessin Area Development Association, and others.

For more information, visit http://www.crginnewcastlecounty.com/

~*~

From The Inbox: Health Care Report By Think Progress

HEALTH CARE
Health Insurer's Practices Revealed
In an interview with PBS's Bill Moyers last Friday, former health insurance executive Wendell Potter spoke out against the practices of health insurance companies, stating that "it became really clear to me that the industry is resorting to the same tactics they've used over the years, and particularly back in the early '90s, when they were leading the effort to kill the Clinton [health care] plan." Potter said insurers seek to "drive down" costs by refusing to insure "unhealthy people," a tactic borne out by the fact that 47 million Americans currently lack health insurance. The "insurance industry has been one of the most successful, in beating back any kinds of legislation that would hinder or affect the profitability of the companies," said Potter, the former head of Corporate Communications at health insurance giant CIGNA. Last month, Potter told the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation that the industry, which once employed him regularly, drops sick policyholders so they can meet "Wall Street's relentless profit expectations."

BACK TO THE CLINTON PLAYBOOK:
In 1993, right-wing pundit Bill Kristol urged Republicans to block any health care proposal in order to prevent the Democrats from being seen as the "generous protector of the middle class." Potter says similar tactics are being used this time around. In the spring, a memo by Republican strategist Frank Luntz outlined the script for opponents of health care reform. Luntz argued that a politician had to first pretend to support it, but should then use phrases like "government takeover," "delayed care is denied care," "consequences of rationing," and "bureaucrats, not doctors prescribing medicine." That jargon is now routinely heard by Republicans arguing against reform. Republican consultant Alex Castellanos recently authored a memo that urged conservatives to co-opt the cause of "bringing down health care cost[s]" in an effort to "slow this sausage-making process down" and "defeat" it. Potter told Moyers that conservative politicians "want to believe that the free market system can and should work in this country, like it does in other industries. ... They parrot those comments, without really realizing what the real situation is."

HOW INSURERS VIEW THE PUBLIC OPTION:
Critics have charged that Obama's proposal to enact a new public health insurance plan to compete directly with private insurers would lead to a "government takeover" of the health care system. Progressives have long argued that a public health insurance option is essential to controlling skyrocketing health care costs and achieving affordable coverage for all. Potter agrees, and argued that health care companies' "biggest concern" is that the U.S. might adopt "a broader program like our Medicare program" which "could potentially reduce the profits of these big companies." "The industry doesn't want to have any competitor," said Potter. "They certainly don't want it from a government plan that might be operating more efficiently than they are." He added that "we shouldn't fear government involvement in our health care system. That there is an appropriate role for government, and it's been proven." Potter said that he doesn't expect the public option to rid the health care system of financial incentive, but he does think it would keep insurers "honest" by offering a "standard benefit plan" that provides comprehensive coverage.

SMEARING MICHAEL MOORE:
In his documentary SiCKO, filmmaker Michael Moore exposed the deplorable practices of the major health insurance and pharmaceutical companies in working to deny coverage to insured individuals. Armed with the deep pockets of the health care industry, a number of front groups -- like Freedom Works, the Galen Institute, and the Heritage Foundation -- lobbed personal insults against Moore (such as perpetuating the false idea that "healthy individuals" would "wind up subsidizing people like Moore") in an effort to maintain the status quo. During the interview with Moyers, Potter said that health insurance companies developed a concerted strategy to radicalize Moore by labeling him a "Hollywood entertainer" while pushing to discredit SiCKO as pure "fantasy." But Potter said that he thought Moore "hit the nail on the head with his movie," which advocated that the government-run systems of other western democracies produce better health care outcomes. The health insurance companies "don't want you to think that it was a documentary that had some trutht," Potter said. To push back on politicians, Potter said the industry routinely worked to defeat anyone who opposed their interests. The strategy included running ads, especially commercials in an elected official's home district, making contributions to a competitor, and using "lobbyists and their own staff to go onto Capitol Hill and say, 'Look, you don't want to believe this movie. You don't want to talk about it. You don't want to endorse it. And if you do, we can make things tough for you." Potter said the plan "worked beautifully" with politicians mouthing the "talking points that had been circulated by the industry."

~*~

Health Care For America Now Coalitions' Report On Discriminatory Health Care In Delaware Set For July 15th In Wilmington

NEW REPORT TO HIGHLIGHT NEED FOR RACIAL JUSTICE IN HEALTH CARE REFORM Delaware Health Care for America Now Details Health Disparities and Emphasizes Opportunity for Equality in Legislation

Wilmington, Delaware – On Wednesday July 15, 2009, and State Partners as a part of Health Care for America Now (HCAN) – the nation’s largest health care campaign – will release a report showing how communities of color are adversely affected by our nation’s broken health care system and suggest ways comprehensive health care reform will correct this inequality and injustice.

“Unequal Lives: Health Care Discrimination Harms Communities of Color in Delaware” will explain how the nation’s more than 103 million people of color suffer disproportionately in our health care system. Wednesday’s release will explain how legislation under consideration in Congress would offer one of the best opportunities since the creation of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965 to erase persistent health disparities.

People of color in the United States live shorter lives and suffer poorer health than non-Latino white Americans, experiencing higher infant mortality rates, higher rates of lack of insurance, lower quality care, reduced likelihood of having a regular doctor, and less access to standard tests, procedures, and drugs regardless of income.

“Unequal Lives” also offers the Health Care for America Now campaign’s recommendations to erase racial and ethnic health care disparities, including the call for an affordable benefit package that provides a defined, comprehensive set of age- and gender-appropriate services that promote health in a linguistically and culturally competent manner.

WHO: Healthcare for America Now coalitions; UAW, AFL-CIO, ACORN, SEIU, APRI, and Alliance for Health
WHAT: “Unequal Lives: Health Care Discrimination Harms Communities of Color in Delaware” report
WHERE: 408 East 8th Street, Wilmington, DE (Peoples Settlement Building)
WHEN: Wednesday July 15th at 11:00am

~*~

The Middletown Corridor Coalition's Andey Daley Writes: Zero State Funds For DelDOT's Rte 301 Project This Year

The Middletown Corridor Coalition has had quite a year. It was a year of ups and downs. This year did end with a positive outcome for both the coalition and the State of Delaware. At the end of the legislative year the Bond Bill Committee wrote up legislation that gave more oversight over DelDOT as it pertains to capital projects. The Bond Bill made it very clear that in the regards to the Rt 301 By-Pass Project that it would be done in phases…. The “Spur “is to be last on the “to do “list of the project.

Route 301 Spur Road Segment: The General Assembly directs the Department to implement the US 301 Corridor project in Phases, beginning with the US 301 mainline section." [Bond and Capital Improvements Act, SB 190 .pdf Click HERE]

Section 85. Transportation Enhancements. (a) It is the intent of the General Assembly that the Department provide notice to all State agencies, political sub-divisions within the State, and other parties of the availability of, and rules governing, the Transportation Enhancements program.

Such notice shall include, but not be limited to, the definitions of eligible projects, the requirements for matching funds, and such other requirements as may be necessary to insure that any interested entity may work to become a participating recipient under the program. For new projects, the Department of Transportation is directed to submit a detailed list of all projects funded within the Transportation Enhancement Program to the Office of Management and Budget and Office of the Controller General on an annual basis.

The State funding for this program shall be limited to the required percent match of the related Federal Authorization. The projects funded by this program shall be limited to the allowable categories as outlined by the Federal Highway Administration. Any deviation from this process must be approved by the Office of Management and Budget

Also, DelDOT's state funding for the main Rte 301 project is $0.00 for this year. DelDOT was originally going to ask for $50 million in bonds. However, they became aware that, the Middletown Corridor Coalition, along with our Legislator Rep. Cathcart and the Director of WILMAPCO, had determined that the new Traffic Statistics and Future Projections numbers would not support this debt.

DelDOT has failed to establish that the agency could pay back any debt incurred by $604 million in bonds necessary for the construction of the road. They have already received $20 million from the Federal Highway Administration, for design and Right of Way acquisition...That may seem like a lot, however, they would actually need an additional $96 million just for Right of way acquisition...and that seems virtually impossible any time in the near or even distant future.

In the past year, WILMAPCO issued new statistics for the New Castle County area. WILMAPCO has taken the position that new Traffic Statistics and Future Projections numbers show that the Rte 301 project is a fiscal liability to the State of Delaware.Yet, the Rte 301 project has been sold to the public as a “free” road by RK&K, the consultants of the project. Consultants that not only stand to make Millions off of the people of Delaware, they essentially already have made millions on it (and nothing really has been done YET!) .

RK&K Engineers (Rummel, Klepper, and Kahl, LLP), headed by Bill Hellman (former Sec. of Transportation for Maryland from ‘84-‘87), is so ingrained in Delaware's Department of Transportation that we fork over millions a year to them on many projects. Who would know better how to get funds out of a DOT that a former secretary?

The Middletown Corridor Coalition (MCC) has investigated the Rte 301 project intensively over the past three years and has discovered that RK&K has pilfered millions from the state. In many instances they have only produced “cartoon drawings" of projects that will never get done. In other instances they sit at desks placed right next to their State Worker counterparts making 3 times what our state workers are making, This is not only done in the agency of DelDOT but other agencies as well.

In the opinions of the MCC this is like a Transportation Ponzzi Scheme. This is a scheme that take millions from us and produces nothing. Over the next several months you can be sure that more will go into investigating exactly what RK&K, as well as Landmark Engineering, has done for Delaware that we could not do ourselves.

It was only last year that Then Gov. Minner appointed Ted Williams (a Vice President of Landmark Engineering) to the council that make all decisions on Road projects for the state. And what consulting company do you think gets the jobs on their list? I’ll give you three guess and the first two don’t count.

With unscrupulous people (like Hellman and Williams) continually scamming funds from the State of Delaware it’s no wonder we are in the financial state we are in….. something has to change…. And the MCC will do all we can to stop the wasteful spending and gain more oversight when it comes to Capital Road projects.

We are watching!

Andye Daley Chair
Middletown Corridor Coalition

~*~

Frieda Berryhill Writes: Do You Hear Me Now?

When the ground gives way!
In the Mexico City earthquake of 1985, the wet sand beneath tall buildings liquefied and most of the 10,000 people who died were in buildings that collapsed as their foundations sank into liquefied sand.
Into liquefied sand!
…… the wet sand beneath tall buildings liquefied and most of the 10,000 people who died were in buildings that collapsed as their foundations sank into liquefied sand. When a nuclear Power complex goes (due to liquefaction) the number killed from radiation poisoning us unimaginable.
How can an earthquake cause so much damage over 200 miles from its focus? They build it on an artificial island in a shallow lake in Mexico's central altiplano. How? They built it on an artificial Island!
Read it for yourself HERE.

Liquid sand; the liquidlike behavior of soils during major earthquakes causes considerable damage.

The shaking of an earthquake can, within minutes, turn a loose sandy soil saturated with water into a fluid porridge that no longer supports a building. Unless the building is designed to float, it will sink or tip over…

"This phenomenon of soil liquefaction sounds very esoteric," says an earthquake engineer in Troy, N.Y., "but it happens over and over again...

I did my research when the plants on Artificial Island on the Delaware River were built. The Computer and the connection with other organizations make it possible to spread the word. We are talking here about Buildings.
BUT NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS ?
This should give everybody in Delaware , New Jersey , Maryland , Pennsylvania and Virgina nightmares.

I repeat from the official documents:

Boring to 35ft - Sand and gravel…

next 35 ft - Gravel and Mud…

next 35 ft - “Vincentown” formation " a Clayey Quartz Sand

at 100ft - Zero Rock Bottom was detected

There are a number of “Officials” on this list. The silence is deafening.

~*~

John Flaherty Writes: Come Out To The DelDOT Workshop RE: Eminent Domain, Access Roads, And Private Property

Update: WNJ coverage HERE

comment rescues ~

SingleMomma523 wrote:
How many freaking grocery stores do we need on of Rts 13 & 40!?!? Starting at Fox Run and ending in town.... 12 miles?? Acme, Safeway, Giant, Pathmark, Thriftway, Save A Lot, Murray's, Superfresh and that doesn't include the nearby stores on 273, etc!!!

Shadow2084 wrote:
ANOTHER damn shopping center?! I guess New Castle County just can't have enough of those - since the economy is so healthy and vibrant. Follow the money trail people - YOU AND I - the taxpayer will be ponying up for any money to buy out this land owner. YOU AND I - the taxpayer - will be paying for EVERYTHING regarding this "shopping center".

~~~~~

Very important…Your private property rights and access to Rte. 40 may be stolen from you.
You need to be at this Public Workshop!

Public Workshop
Delaware Dept of Transportation
Bear Library
101 Governors Place
Bear, DE
July 14, 2009, 4-7 p.m.

If DelDot is successful, a precedence will be set and property owners in the State of Delaware will be prey to greedy Developers at the hands of DelDOT.
For the official notice, CLICK HERE

Ezra Temko also sent word of this via his newsletter ~

Eminent Domain, Access Roads, and Private Property
TheDelaware Department of Transportation is holding a public workshop at the Bear Library at 101 Governors Place in Bear, Delaware. This will be on July 14 (Tuesday) from 4pm-7pm.

DelDOT is proposing using eminent domain to close a currently operating business to build a new access road in its place.

There are concerns about the process being used to do this as well as the precedent it may set for other property owners in Delaware. This proposal is being taken into consideration in conjunction with a new shopping center that has been proposed for the area.

~*~

Call The Governor, Ask Him To Veto HB 201, The Bottle Bill Repeal, And Tell Him TommyWonk Sent You

Update: I just called and found out that Markell has not signed this bill yet. His office is noting who wants this signed and who wants it vetoed. I'd say that we have a fighting chance on this one.
~~~~~
Tom Noyes is asking everyone to Ask Jack Markell to Veto the Un-Bottle Bill

House Bill 201, the bill to repeal Delaware's original bottle bill, passed the Senate in the early morning of July 1, when most environmental advocates had already gone home. Now advocates are organizing to ask Jack Markell to veto this regressive and short sighted measure.

...We should be going forwards on recycling, not backwards. If you agree, please contact Governor Markell today and ask him to veto HB 201. Even though the session ended 12 days ago, the bill may not yet have reached his desk, so there is still time to weigh in on this issue. Tell him TommyWonk sent you.

~*~

She's A Shoe-In!!

Confirmation Hearings Begin for Judge Sonia Sotomayor at 10AM

View it all live on C-SPAN

~*~

Jud Bennett Writes: MARSH FARM REVISITED--A Travesty And Injustice?

Dear Friends,

I recently had an occasion to speak with Jewel Marsh who along with her husband Jeff own a 20 acre Horse Farm off Route 23 near Harbeson. Their farm received quite a bit of notoriety awhile back when the developers of Heron Bay illegally destroyed the Forested Buffer between the two properties. Yours truly wrote quite a bit about the situation, expounding on how such a thing could be allowed to happen with the law clearly written as it was? According to the ordinance at that time, there was clearly supposed to be a 35 foot Forested Buffer between any commercial development and an Agricultural enterprise. I believe this ordinance was intentionally violated and the situation allowed to happen for purely avaricious reasons.

The bottom line, in my opinion, was that the former Sussex County Council and the officials on Planning & Zoning, amid potential conflicts of interest with the developer through a county attorney, who at one time represented both the county and the developer (in a different project), intentionally sat back and allowed it to happen?

While the destruction of the 75 year old trees bordering the properties was under way, with disconcerting rumors that a certain Councilman's former campaign manager, was managing the project for the developer, a letter from the county attorney was written (which I have a copy of) to the developer stating that it was alright to build a stormwater management pond where the trees used to be, because the law made no prohibition against it. The County ordinance made no mention of a mine field either. Of course by putting the storm-water management pond 10 feet from the Marsh property, gave the developer several more lots to build on, as witnessed and commented on by Representative Joe Booth.

All that being said, after already allowing this travesty to happen, the former Council under pressure from the media did finally order the developer to repair the Forested Buffer on the West side of the Marsh farm. I asked Jewel Marsh if it had been done. Her answer was, "hell no, a couple of little trees were planted, but that's it--and furthermore, no county inspectors or anybody from the Council ever bothered to check. Our property has been devalued and permantly compromised and it was allowed to happen because the Sussex County Council does not choose to enforce it's own laws......."

The famous quote in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet by the character Marcellus stating: "Something is rotten in the State of Denmark" is very appropriate here. There was something rotten in Sussex County in regard to what happened to the Marsh Farm. Folks, although the Democrat controlled Council that was responsible for this travesty is gone in part and the Republicans have taken control, there are still two original members in Vance Phillips(R) and George Cole(R)-- sitting there and doing nothing? What happened to Jewel and Jeff Marsh is not only rotten, but the fact that the County has not followed through and chooses to ignore the fact that the developer is still not in compliance with the forested buffer regulation, "stinks to high heaven."

Perhaps, outspoken Council Woman Joan Deaver (D), regardless of attempts by the recent Cape Gazette editorial to intimidate her, will speak out some more, and lead the charge to see that justice is ultimately done for the Marsh family. I challenge her to do so.

~*~

June Eisley Writes: 2nd Program Of The Pacem in Terris Summer Series ~ "A Climate At Peace" A Lecture by John Byrne

Tuesday, July 14 – 7 p.m. – Westminster Presbyterian Church - Pennsylvania Avenue & North Rodney Street (enter through the wooden doors)

“MAKING PEACE WITH THE PLANET” 2nd program of the Pacem in Terris summer series: “A Climate at Peace” A lecture by Dr. John Byrne

Dr. Byrne is Director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy (CEEP) and Distinguished Professor of Energy and Climate Policy at the University of Delaware. He has been a contributing author to Working Group III of the United Nations-sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) since 1992 and is a laureate of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize (an award shared by all IPCC members).

He is co-founder and co-executive director of the Joint Institute for a Sustainable Energy and Environmental Future, an innovative research organization headquartered in South Korea. He co-chairs the Sustainable Energy Utility (SEU) Oversight Board, created by the Delaware General Assembly.

His most recent book is Transforming Power, which explores the prospects for, and economic, social and environmental (especially carbon) implications of significant changes in the world energy system. He has published 17 books and over 150 research articles.

(of note: Dr. Byrne recently joined the Board of Directors of the People's Settlement Association in Wilmington and was instrumental in our pilot study for weatherization and energy conservation education for the residents of the Eastside)

~*~

Jud Bennett Writes: Libertarian Candidate -19th race--Wendy Jones responds:

Libertarian Candidate ,Wendy Jones, from Milton responds to comments by Independent Candidate Matt Opaliski and Charles Agan from SCCOR. Both of her comments are included in this e-mail. Scroll down:

Re: SENATE RACE HEATS UP--SHOTS TAKEN !!!!!!!!
"If people choose to engage in gaming, then they are choosing to be taxed, like consuming tobacco and alcohol. If gaming brings jobs and increased tax revenue through choice, then I do not see the problem in the state profiting from it as opposed to taxing through forced means. What is the difference between taxing the sale and payout of lottery tickets, and slot machines? In the fashion of any other organized crime syndicate, the state is operating exactly the same. Everything seems to be illegal unless the state gets their cut. When you walk into a gaming facility, you know what situation in which you are putting yourself. The people should be free to make an informed choice no matter how high of a percentage the state chooses to take. It should not be the state's position to nanny their citizens.
"Gwendolyn "Wendy" JonesLibertarian Party Candidate for the 19th Senate District http://www.DelawareLiberty.comDelawareLiberty@gmail.com


JONES RESPONDS TO AGAN (SCCOR FOUNDER)
Charles Again stated:"Wendy Jones Libertarian candidate. Lives in Milton owns a business; knows what the Constitution is about. I haven't heard her say much about Delaware law, but I do know she is against gay marriage.""I oppose all government interference between the freedom of choice for consenting adults to freely contract within the sanctity of their home and their church. I have just released a list of campaign issues on my website, where I will now add this comment as a position.
"Gwendolyn "Wendy" JonesLibertarian Party Candidate for the 19th Senate District

Health Care For America Now! Call Senator Carper Via HCAN And Let Your Voice Be Counted

From Darlene Battle ~

Health Care Can't Wait!

This week, Congress goes back to work on important health care legislation that could address our country's health care crisis by lowering costs, making private insurers play by the fair rules and providing affordable coverage for everyone.

Can you make a quick call to your Members of Congress and ask them to stand firm for health care reform that provides quality, affordable health care to everyone in America?

Call 1-877-264-4226 (HCAN)

_____________________

to be connected to Senator Carper, Senator Kaufman and Congressman Castle

________________________

Please be polite. Ask to talk with someone who can tell you the Sen./Rep.'s position on health care. Here's an example of what you could say to Senator Carper's staffers:

I'm calling from Health Care for America Now to make sure that Senator Carper knows that we need real health care reform in 2009. Please tell Senator Carper to support the legislation from the HELP Committee that provides:

Coverage we can afford
Comprehensive benefits we can count on
Choice of a private of public health insurance plan and
Equal access to quality health care

~*~

Come Out To See What The Working Families Party Is All About; Meeting Set For July 13th At 6:30PM At The Brandywine Hundred Library

Monday night ~ The Delaware Working Families Party Northern Wilmington Club will hold a meeting at 6:30 PM at the Brandywine Hundrend Library, 1300 Foulk Road, Wilmington. This group is comprised of Brandywine, Arden and Claymont but they welcome any and all interested Delawareans who wish to join them.

With the highest registration among third parties in the state, let's keep the momentum going:

Health Care For America Now campaign
Employee Free Choice Act
Economic security for working and middle class families

Working Families Party Strategy is:

Continuing to support Progressive candidates
Advocating for issues at the State Legislature
Holding our Elected Officials Accountable

For more information contact Dan at (703) 606-8708

~*~

What's Wrong With The Senate Is The Senators?

Thers rips out a great one over at the Lake ~

...With few exceptions, US Senators are assholes. They are as pompous as they are ignorant, which is not surprising, since they are as powerful as they are unaccountable. Once they're elected it is notoriously hard to vote them out, even in the case of large-scale demographic shifts or astonishingly scandalous behavior. And even if you do get rid of one bad Senator, typically through retirement shortly before death, the replacement is likely to be someone with views congenial to the established party leadership in the Senate, so you don't get much change. And anyhow what you get is just another Senator, who is going to face immense pressure to start acting like one, namely, like an asshole.

There's been a lot of giggling about Bobo Brooks' story of the GOP Senator who felt him up at a dinner party. Granting that this story is true, one of the things it speaks to is the enormous sense of power and entitlement on the part of the groper. This is something that someone does not just if they are absolutely sure they can get away with it, but if they are smugly convinced they are absolutely entitled to do. "All your junk are belong to me." Which is not to say that assholes like this don't exist elsewhere than the Senate, they obviously do, but it is to say that in the Senate, assholes like this find a wonderfully congenial home.

As for broader issues, while there are any number of reasons why we're having so much difficulty making progress on issues that are, literally life and death -- healthcare, global climate change -- one of the most serious roadblocks is the structure of the Senate itself, with its absurd rules and traditions, like the filibuster, which aren't even constitutional. In a nutshell, take the fact that a total and complete nut, James Inhofe, has more power to impede saving the planet than all the scientists in the world have to save it. And that's not even hyperbole (well, maybe by a little, but not a lot).

~*~

Delaware Mortgage Assistance Program Workshop Set For July 15th In Wilmington

The Middletown Transcript reports ~ State agencies to sponsor additional workshops to help homeowners and reduce foreclosure fraud

The Attorney General’s Mortgage Fraud Task Force, Office of the State Bank Commissioner, and Delaware State Housing Authority recently announced that statewide housing workshops offered last month connected more than 200 homeowners with on-site mortgage counseling and government services. They also announced additional housing workshops in July and beyond.

The New Castle County workshop will be Wednesday, July 15, from 4 to 8 p.m., at 408 E. 8th St., Wilmington, with presentations at 4, 5:30 and 7 p.m.

During each workshop, State employees and counselors from HUD-approved Delaware housing agencies will lead informational presentations and will be available to meet with individuals one-on-one to provide details about the Delaware Mortgage Assistance Program (DEMAP), mortgage refinancing options, foreclosure and foreclosure rescue scams. The workshop represents a partial list of housing events statewide. For a complete list of additional Delaware housing events, including housing counselor seminars, visit the Delaware State Housing Authority’s Foreclosure Help website at http://www.deforeclosurehelp.org/.

Homeowners facing foreclosure or who suspect foreclosure fraud are encouraged to call the Attorney General's Mortgage Hotline at (800) 220-5424, go to the Attorney General’s Web site at www.attorneygeneral.delaware.gov/mortgageforeclosure, or go to the Delaware State Housing Authority’s Foreclosure Help Web site at http://www.deforeclosurehelp.org/.

~*~

Now Can We Have Official Hearings In DE On The “Secret” Emergency Evacuation Plan?

We Delawareans do need an educational platform for emergency evacuation in case problems arise at Artificial Island. That should be a given. I hear that there aren't enough buses available to transport all of the school children out of the ten mile zone.
Plus, at New Jersey's Salem County hearing, Frieda testified that attempts to reach bedrock during the construction of the Artificial Island Nuclear Complex were unsuccessful. She can prove that they drilled to 100 feet without hitting bedrock and that the pilings supporting the complex go 75 feet through gravel and sand.

Frieda and a Riverkeeper representative, (Jane Nagoki) both testified that they had the documentation that the island was not, in fact, secured into bedrock. Mr. Mulligan, from the Bureau of Nuclear Energy, claimed otherwise.

Mulligan had told me before the meeting started that the Artificial Island is drilled into bedrock. After I questioned him about the discrepancy during the hearing, he said, for the record, that he will give me an answer to this question in writing. (He also gave me his card) The testimony is, however, recorded as part of the record for the State of New Jersey. If Mr. Mullligan should write that the drilling did indeed hit bedrock, Frieda Berryhill is prepared to present her own extensive documentation to the contrary.

The island was constructed atop a marshy swamp. It's comprised of layers of compressed gravel and sand piked with metal rods. The term liquefaction means that this sandy-gravel underpinnings of this nuclear complex could --at some point-- compress to a jelly-like aqueous state and the complex would be subject to upheaval and possible leakages or worse.

Frieda writes:
One more time: Salem has NO ROCK BOTTOM!! It sits on an Artificial Island...Rather then plan a fourth reactor on Artificial Island , the whole thing should be shut down. and cleaned up PRONTO!

NRC has not denied my testimony, PSE&G has not denied it, New Jersey officials have not denied it, legislators have not denied it, and nobody cares.

Alaska, 1964
J12. Displacement and tilting of houses due to soil liquefaction in the Turnagain Height area of Anchorage during the 1964 Alaska Earthquake [7, 8].

THE M = 7.5 NIIGATA , JAPAN , EARTHQUAKE
J13. Tilting of apartment buildings at Kawagishi-Cho, Niigata , produced by liquefaction of the soil during the 1964 Niigata Earthquake [9].

J14. Collapse of the super- structure of the Showa Bridge by falling off its piers; 1964 Niigata Earthquake [9].

The Niigata Earthquake resulted in dramatic damage due to liquefaction of the sand deposits in the low-lying areas of Niigata City .

On June 16, 1964, Niigata was subjected to a magnitude 7.5 earthquake. Although the buildings had been designed and constructed to withstand the violent shaking, something unanticipated happened: the soils beneath the foundations turned to "quicksand". These reinforced concrete buildings sank into the earth and tilted like ships listing in heavy seas. Ok, quicksand, I always called it jello

Civil and geotechnical engineers around the world immediately became aware of potential earthquake-induced ground failures that were rarely considered before in design.
http://www.ellingtoncross.com/liquefaction/liquefaction-mitigation-systems-ground-improvement-soil-stabilization-geotechnical-engineers.htm

Salem began operating in 1979
License expires, Unit 1: August 13, 2016. Unit 2: April 18, 2020 Already PSE&G is requesting license extension for another 20 years. Oyster Creek came on line in 1986.
They should be shut down and dismantled

Excerpts From "The REAL Dirt on Liquefaction"
The Port of Oakland handles 95% of the container cargo that travels under the Golden Gate Bridge , as well as some break-bulk, bulk liquid, and bulk dry cargo (personal comm., G. Joseph, Port of Oakland , September 2000). Damage to port facilities in 1989 was due primarily to liquefaction of the hydraulic fill………note due to liquefaction...
Still not a nuclear power plant complex

The Port of Kobe, Japan is one of the largest in the world, and handles over ten times the cargo of Oakland . Kobe 's port suffered major damage as a result of the 1995 Kobe (Hyogo-Ken Nanbu) earthquake. The three main facilities consisted of perimeter quay walls filled with granular hydraulic fill on sea-bottom clay. As a result of the earthquake, large sections of wharf and warehousing areas sank and were covered with water…..Due to liquefaction
.Civil and geotechnical engineers around the world immediately became aware of potential earthquake-induced ground failures that were rarely considered before in design.
http://www.ellingtoncross.com/liquefaction/liquefaction-mitigation-systems-ground-improvement-soil-stabilization-geotechnical-engineers.htm

California
Artificial spill deposits (Like the dredge spoils from the Delaware River which built the Island )
on the east side of San Francisco Bay underwent moderate to severe levels of soil liquefaction during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Typical of all these sites, which represent occurrences of liquefaction-induced damage farthest from the rupture zone, are low cone-penetration-test (CPT) and standard-penetration-test (SPT) resistances in zones of cohesion less silty and sandy hydraulic fill

Does anybody care?

More From Jud ~ Local Lewes Activist Speculates On Up Coming Elections

"Had Thurman lived to"retire" I do not believe Joe Booth would have had a serious challenge for the seat. Sadly, for both individuals, that was not to be. My take on the evolution in the 19th District is that the Dems knew Joe would sail into the Senate unless a carefully crafted oppositional slate was established. Ergo, I believe western locals have been quietly encouraged to run w/ Mervine being the logical Dem opponent. A shrewd tactical manuver. Opaliski is naught more than a well placed spoiler to syphon votes away from Joe. A 12 point plurality??? I think you are extremely optimistic and grossly underestimate the constituency west of 113.

As for the 37th ... I doubt there will be an election in the 37th, but, if there is, it will be the Democrat's to loose. I happen to like John Schroeder (as an individual). However, from a political standpoint he has too much baggage from the past that too many remember, the Dems need to choose quite carefully & Ford would be a good choice. On the Republican side ... I don't see a good choice, much less a shinning star, in the names you offered. I doubt that King, a realtor, could establish a positive relationship w/ the controlled growth constituency. And, although I agree w/ Bodenwiser's stance on DelPointe, this election would become more than a one issue debate and that is where he would be lacking. As to the young Mr. Hudson ... Christian Hudson needs no organized opposition, he is his own undoing. Adrift in a political ocean, his published writings are a rope around his neck attached to a large block of cement !

Later,
RICHARD ANTHONY-LEWES "

Jud Bennett Writes: SENATE RACE HEATS UP--SHOTS TAKEN !!!!!!!!

19th SENATE RACE HEATS UP WITH LINES BEING DRAWN IN THE SAND by Independent Candidate MATT OPALISKI and SCCOR's Founder- CHARLES AGAN:

RECENTLY FORWARDED INTO THE COASTAL NETWORK ( the forwarder wishes to remain unknown, so I have removed his name, but I have confirmed the veracity with both writers--Opaliski and Agan.--SCROLL DOWN:

* Disclaimer-- As in the case of all forwarded comments, the statements made below do not necessarily concur with my opinion and are being forwarded as items of public interest. JUDSON BENNETT-COASTAL NETWORK

Independent Candidate for the 19th Senatatorial District Special Election, Matt Opaliski-a registered Republican, who believes he can win, others believe he could be a spoiler--- is opposed to increased slots. In another transmission he is endorsed by SCCOR founder Charles Agan which I have included below, as well. I have a hunch that notable responses will be forthcoming from Booth, Mervine, and Jones. Your comments are always welcome and subject to being forwarded.


For Immediate Release:


"To the People of the 19th Senate District;

I am in favor of and support a free market economy where individuals and businesses reserve the right to chart their own course. I’m also a proponent of property rights, meaning that I’m not in favor of the Government making the decisions for how you’re best suited to use your land or your capital.
With regard to gambling, the General Assembly passed HB 100 this session, signed in May, which increases the State’s proceeds that are taken from the Slots venues from 37% to 45% and imposes a $4.5 million annual licensing fee to be shared by the existing venues. (Racino commissions decrease by 7% and Horse Racing by 1%)

In my view the State shouldn’t be in the business of being in business, generally, and given that the recent increase contained in HB 100 puts the State at a near 50% share of the slot revenue for doing nothing other than whoring itself out for the easy dollar. I wouldn’t support further expanding that effort."
Matthew A. Opaliski 100 Sussex Ave, PO Box 695 Greenwood, De 19950 302.349.9356 302.236.5337 (cell)


FROM CHARLES AGAN (SCCOR FOUNDER)

"Dear Friends,

As you know Senator Thurman Adams passed away recently. This has opened up the senate seat he filled. There is going to be a special election held on Aug. 3rd, 2009. There are 4 candidates running in the election.

‘Status Quo Joe’ Booth, the State Representative from the 37th district is the Republican candidate. He serves on the Joint Finance, Appropriations, Transportation/Land use and Infrastructure Committees. Being on the Joint Finance committee, he is entrusted with writing the budget bill every year. This year the budget has many new tax increases, one that raises income tax (personal wealth confiscation) that effects me personally. Yes, technically Mr. Booth voted not to increase taxes by voting no on the individual pieces of legislation that raised taxes but yet he helped to write and then voted for the Budget that required those tax increases to pass. Can you say I voted against before I voted for? Very John Kerry like don't you say? He has also introduced legislation in 4 consecutive legislative sessions (over the last 7 years) to increase the Sussex County Council from 5 members to 7 members making government BIGGER. Does that sound like someone you want to vote for?
Polly “wanna be the heiress to daddy's throne” Adams-Mervine. Don't know a lot about her except from what I hear-- "she ain't her daddy." She tends to lean to the left (you know Obama's side). The Democrat party had picked their candidate but the Adams family cried enough that Mr. Parker dropped out. Is this what you want representing you? I think not.
Wendy Jones Libertarian candidate. Lives in Milton owns a business; knows what the Constitution is about. I haven't heard her say much about Delaware law, but I do know she is against gay marriage.
Matthew Opaliski, registered Republican running on the independent ticket. Now why would Matt do that??? Well let me tell you:

Some of you may know that I have founded a grassroots conservative group called Sussex County Community Organized Regiment or SCCOR.. Matt is the co- author of our mission statement, is drafting by-laws for the group and had input on SCCOR's platform on the issues. You can find these at sccor.org.

Matt is a no nonsense guy that has had it with the way our elected “EMPLOYEES” (that is how you should refer to elected officials from now on) have taken it upon themselves to push their own agenda and forget that they are representing us. THE TAX PAYING EMPLOYER. Matt is a family man with 4 children works for a living like all of us. He is seeing his children's future disappear. He is stepping up not for himself but for the people of the state. This senate seat is the people's seat. A representative for the people must be elected by the people to work for the people. Matt has publicly said, "that if elected he will never vote for tax or fee increases, a budget that has increases in government or taxes and will work to decrease the size of government."
We are in a war for the freedoms the founding fathers left for us to protect. This is one small battle, that if won, will send a message to many-- that the people have taken back the power and are going to use the power to protect our children and grandchildren's future. I'm asking you to join me in voting for Matthew Opaliski on August 3rd, and given the political climate of the Status Quo in Dover, I'm actively working to get him elected, it's something that I feel compelled to do. I'm also asking that in addition to your vote, you contact those people in your circle of friends and try to persuade them as well if they live in the 19th District.

He is approachable and personable, give him a call @ 236.5337 if you have some questions as to where he stands on anything, you'll get a straight answer. Also, check his website @ www.opaliskicampaign.com .

Sincerely,
Charles "Chuck" Agan
SCCOR Chairman
302-381-9799"

Sanders Asks Why No Loan Guarantees For Solar/Thermal Plants At Climate Change Hearing; Carper A "Lieutenant" On DEM Senate Team

Watching the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee's Hearing on Climate Change on C-SPAN this morning: Bernie Sanders came out swinging --asking why some Senators are pushing for nuclear power. He said that there is no place to put the toxic waste; not one single state is willing to accept nuclear waste and yet, there are provisions to guarantee loans for nukes and not for solar/thermal plants. Secretary Ken Salazar said that we could generate over a third of the nation's energy needs through solar/thermal production. [Secretary Chu told Sanders that he was looking at such applications and I found at least one HERE].

McClatchy covers some of the testimony HERE. and HERE ~

Boxer has been working closely with top White House aides and Reid, a close ally, to figure out a way to pass the bill. To reach out to farm-state and coal-state senators, she's enlisted a team of lieutenants: Democratic Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts , Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota , Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Thomas Carper of Delaware, among others.

While Boxer has yet to introduce specifics of her bill, it's expected to build on a House plan that was approved 219-212 last month, which would set the first enforceable limits on global warming pollution. The cap on emissions would reduce them by 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and 83 percent below 2005 levels by 2050. Among other things, it also would require that the nation get 20 percent of its electricity from renewable energy in 2020 and set energy-saving standards for buildings, appliances and industries.

The Obama administration is expected to lobby hard on Boxer's behalf, as was evidenced by this week's hearings. The administration sent four of its top-level appointees to make the case for the bill: Energy Secretary Steven Chu , Interior Secretary Ken Salazar , Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Lisa Jackson , the head of the Environmental Protection Agency .

Meanwhile, DP&L and the City of Dover are planning a new solar power utility plant.

~*~

International Monetary Fund's Projections For Economic Growth Through 2010

US News reports ~ The IMF expects at least 11 major parts of the world to have more severe economic contractions than the United State this year, including most of western Europe, Japan, Russia, and Mexico. Europe will still be stumbling along behind the United States next year, as well. Here are the IMF's projections for economic growth in various parts of the world:
2009 to 2010

China 7.5 to 8.5

India 5.4 to 6.5

Middle East 2.0 to 3.7

Africa 1.8 to 4.7

Brazil -1.3 -to 2.5

World total -1.4 to 2.5

Canada -2.3 to 1.6

U.S. -2.6 to 0.8

France -3.0 to 0.4

Spain -4.0 to -0.8

U.K. -4.2 to 0.2

European Union -4.7 to -0.1

Cent,/E. Europe -5.0 to 1.0

Italy -5.1 -to -0.1

Japan -6.0 to 1.7

Germany -6.2 -to -0.6

Russia -6.5 to 1.5

Mexico -7.3 to 3.0

~*~

Ruh Roh, Protesting Vet Flips Stars And Stripes; Reaction Leads To First Amendment Flap

The Associate Press reports ~

WAUSAU, Wis. – An American flag flown upside down as a protest in a northern Wisconsin village was seized by police before a Fourth of July parade and the businessman who flew it — an Iraq war veteran — claims the officers trespassed and stole his property.

A day after the parade, police returned the flag and the man's protest — over a liquor license — continued.

...Hours before a Fourth of July parade, four police officers went to Congine's property and removed the flag under the advice of Marinette County District Attorney Allen Brey. Neighbor Steven Klein watched in disbelief. "I said, 'What are you doing?' Klein said. "They said, 'It is none of your business.'"

The next day, police returned the flag.

..."It is pretty bad when I go and fight a tyrannical government somewhere else," Congine said, "and then I come home to find it right here at my front door."

~*~

Frieda Berryhill Writes: Something Different! Determination Of The human Spirit

THE AFTER PICTURES ARE VISUALLY EXTRAORDINARY
HIROSHIMA 64 YRS LATER...
Hiroshima, Nagasaki
1945

We all know that Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed in August 1945 after explosion of atomic bombs.

However we know less about the progress made by the people of that land during the past 62 years.

Here are some photos...
HIROSHIMA THE COLORFUL CITY Now

Hard to believe isn't it???

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Annual Security Inspection Report

(presser via Frieda)
NRC PUBLISHES ANNUAL SECURITY INSPECTION REPORT TO CONGRESS

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has made available to the public an unclassified version of an annual report to Congress outlining the previous year’s security inspection program. The report is required under the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

The report covers the NRC’s security inspection program, including force-on-force exercises, for commercial nuclear power reactors and certain nuclear fuel cycle facilities for calendar year 2008.

“It is my pleasure to submit this report to our congressional oversight committees,” NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko said. “At the NRC we take our mission to protect public health and safety very seriously, and we want to share our efforts with the public as much as possible”

According to the report, the NRC conducted 182 security inspections at nuclear power plants and Category I fuel cycle facilities with spent nuclear material in 2008. Of those inspections, 24 were force-on-force inspections, which use a well-trained mock adversary force to test a facility's ability to respond to threats.

The security inspections identified a total of 133 findings, of which 125 were of very low security significance and eight were of low-to-moderate security significance. All were corrected immediately or compensatory measures put in place, if necessary. Details of the findings are considered sensitive and not released to the public.

The report also contains information on programmatic improvements made as a result of a videotape of sleeping security officers at the Peach Bottom nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, a discussion of corrective actions taken after some force-on-force inspections, and the primary objectives of the Category 1 security oversight program.

The public version of the report can be found on the NRC Web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/congress-docs/correspondence/2009/boxer-06-30-2009.pdf.

~*~

CIGNA Whistleblower, Wendell Potter, Gets First Media Bite With Bill Moyer; Plus A Few Of Carper's "Open Secrets"

Jawbone links to Bill Moyer's interview ~ This is Potter's first TV interview since he left Cigna, which is somewhat amazing since he testified before Congress last month.

Looking back over his long career, Potter sees an industry corrupted by Wall Street expectations and greed. According to Potter, insurers have every incentive to deny coverage — every dollar they don't pay out to a claim is a dollar they can add to their profits, and Wall Street investors demand they pay out less every year. Under these conditions, Potter says, "You don't think about individual people. You think about the numbers, and whether or not you're going to meet Wall Street's expectations."

By the way, thanks go out to Allan Loudell for trying to pin Carper down last night on who, exactly, he represents --considering his coffer accumulations (Loudell cited the recent Shuster smackdown). Carper scoffed that health insurers' contributions amounted to a meager 2% or two cents on the dollar. Is it reasonable to expect that his vote comes so cheap?

Here's an analysis from Open Secret's Capital Eye Blog ~

How large of a role do campaign contributions play when it comes time to vote on controversial legislation? That's the question that MSNBC's David Shuster poised to Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) Monday night. Citing data from the Center for Responsive Politics, the report noted that Carper has collected $223,460 from all types of insurers since 2005, and $122,870 from the pharmaceutical and health products industry. Carper, like many in the health industry, prefers that a government-backed health insurance plan be offered only as a back-up measure to private insurance. Moreover, our latest health care money analysis, part of our series on health care reform, shows that the Delaware Democrat has raised $238,460 from health insurers alone since 2000, and $341,464 from pharmaceutical companies.

"Why shouldn't people believe that your decision to say a public option as a back-up plan," Shuster asked, "why shouldn't people believe that it's been influenced by the money you've gotten from insurance companies and from pharmaceutical [companies], who don't want a public option at all or as a back-up plan as a worse case scenario?"

Carper denied any conflict of interest. "The most effective lobbyists for me in everything I've ever done are actually people from Delaware," he said.

Riiiiiiiiiiight.

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