Interior Appropriations bill at odds with American values

Bill to stop listing of new endangered species, mine the Grand Canyon, and let diseased sheep kill off our bighorns is Un-American-

IMO, House Republicans are not patriots, nor do they care about wildlife or the future of our environment (except maybe that of the top 2%). Ralph Maughan

The Arizona Republic opines on the House Interior Appropriations bill, which contains these provisions that few Americans have heard of and only a small percentage would support.  Interior Appropriations bill at odds with American values.

We gave the details on this earlier. Gutting the Endangered Species Act. By Ken Cole On July 7, 2011. Fiscal Year 2012 – House Interior-Environment Appropriations Bill

Gutting Bighorn Sheep Protections. July 8, 2011 By Ken Cole. Fiscal Year 2012 – House Interior-Environment Appropriations Bill

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The endangered species portion of the appropropiations bill is being called “the extinction rider.” The Dicks-Thompson Amendment will be offered to Strike the Extinction Rider. For those interested, this is one way to contact members of Congress and have something quick and definite to say.

10 thoughts on “Interior Appropriations bill at odds with American values

  1. Important article however I was surprised and put off by the comments section. The hate posters didn’t even appear to have read the article. Is this a new thing in our culture this hate writing that occurs on the internet of has it been there all along and the internet is a place it likes to lurk. Are there really a lot of people who write hate like that or just a few who spend their whole days on the internet. Is it the same as prejudice with just conservative and liberal standing in for black and white and any other prejudice in our history? What a marketing job someone has done to put those terms in a haters mouth. On one such comment thread I noticed that the conservative “side” seems to want to arm themselves for the coming war with “liberals”. Who exactly do they want to shoot and how will they tell who to shoot? What does a conservative or liberal look like? Is these gangs now?

    1. Sometimes, strangely, I find myself being thankful that I have a chronic childhood disease that is taking it’s toll on my body now. I won’t have to see all this crap from the right come to fruition.

    2. The good news is that for all the talk about arms and shooting, there has been no uptick in political assassinations in the United States.

      They do happen on occasion, but I see no increase. In pre-Nazi Germany the Communists and the Brown Shirts (Nazis) fought in the streets. In Italy, it was the Black Shirts (fascists).

      1. Ralph, there are plenty of these people around. And, they are well-armed. The locals I’m aware of pretty much congregate with those of like values, and for some reason can’t find enough adventure in their own lives so that they fantasize about fighting the “Feds” and overthrowing the government. Locally, they have now included the county government, and even the sheriff in their hatred.

        I think it is possible, were social and economic conditions similar to pre-war Germany, that their talk could turn into action.

        1. I agree. If the economy keeps sliding downward to the point that people lose whatever privilege they feel they were born into, they are going to look for someone to blame.

          They’re certainly not going to blame the proponents of deregulation and “free markets.” A lifetime of nodding along to whatever dogma “patriotic” pro-corporate leaders have preached has made those values central to their identities. They won’t willingly expose that part of themselves to the light of critical thinking (if they even have that capacity).

          Instead, they’ll clear the road for the corporations that control their thoughts. It’s called hegemony. Who needs a repressive police force when the population believes its in its best interest to neuter and hobble itself?

          It seems we’ve created an entire warrior caste that is incapable of critical thought and too quick to blame someone. When the economy doesn’t provide other options, they can always become soldiers, police, or prison guards. For doing the master’s bidding and fighting the “evildoers” of the moment, they are rewarded with extra rations and a pat on the head. Things haven’t really improved since Orwell’s day. How can you reason with that kind of system?

    3. Linda – this comment stood out most, amoung so many other brain dead comments:

      +You tree huggers have always amazed me. I’ve seen it happen over and over. The discovery is made the cry goes out!! We have found a nest of inner slobvoian grey hairless underwear crawlers they are ENDANGERED!!! This of course means that we cant build that factory on that site that would have employed 500 people. We must immediatly stop all logging activity within 50 miles so we don’t “disturb” them resulting in the layoff of 200 loggers. Then meanwhile we have to throw 15 or 20 million dollars into “improving” their habitat. Mean while the people in the town not far away are all now unemployed, They lose their homes, their children have no food, they cant afford doctors or medication. But that’s all ok as long as we make life better for a half dozen inner slobvian grey hairless underware crawlers+

      Hmmmm…..I’m guessing this person has spent way to much time in that “material world” mankind so conveniently and synthetically started creating more than a few decades ago.

  2. I don’t know who I despise more, the people who would rape every last inch of this country for a buck, or the politicians who so eagerly drop to their knees for them.

    It sucks that there seems to be these constant attempts by rural politicians to gut environmental protections. Does every piece of major legislation have to have this poison attached to it?

    1. “I don’t know who I despise more, the people who would rape every last inch of this country for a buck, or the politicians who so eagerly drop to their knees for them.” WELL SAID!

  3. It seems this is the new way of doing things (or maybe it always was) where someone puts in a provision that would never see the light of day on it’s own, and slips it through without debate.

  4. At least we can hope the Dicks Thompson amendment will knock some of the wind out of these “Unamerican values.”

    Norm Dicks (WA-D) has been a tremendous supporter of the environment, even though he also represents the folks in spotted owl country.

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