Judge Orders Bush Administration to Decide Polar Bears’ Status by May 15. VOA.
The Bush Administration was pressured into considering the polar bear for endangered species status, and their strategy has been to prolong the consideration while the bears decline, oil leases are let, and their own time in office runs out. A federal judge was wise to their strategy.
Polar Bears could halt Shell Arctic plan. By Nick Mathiason. The Observer.
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Ralph Maughan
Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University with specialties in natural resource politics, public opinion, interest groups, political parties, voting and elections. Aside from academic publications, he is author or co-author of three hiking/backpacking guides, and he is President of the Western Watersheds Project.
THANK GOD THERE ARE STILL A FEW JUDGES LEFT IN AMERICA WITH SOME RESPECT FOR THE LAW!
Law abiding judges are even more endangered in the United States than the polar bears. And when the Bush-Cheney crime syndicate finishes its “judicial cleansing” to root out the remnants of integrity still hanging on in the U.S. District Courts and Magistrates Courts (the appeals courts and the Supreme Court are beyond saving), that species is gone for ever.
Anyway, Congratulations Planet Earth! The good fight isn’t over yet.
Go bears!
And many thanks to reporter NICK MATHIASON at The Observer, London, UK, for his excellent story explaining how this particular chess game is being played out. Once again, Nick, well done.
REG CROWDER
Freelance Business Journalist
London, UK & Brittany, France
http://www.RegCrowder.com
http://www.journalistdirectory.com/journalist/TgTQ/REG-CROWDER
Polar bears are the poster child for global warming. Bush will likely find a way around listing them. To acknowledge their demise will force the death administration to tell the world they have failed to make any progress.
President Bush won’t acknowledge he has moved a nation in reverse. He has based his political direction on oil and greed.
In eight years, he could have made a huge dent in oil addiction. Instead he has been the enabler that has place the needle in the vein so to speak.
Polar bears are a casualty or war to GHWB. They are collateral damage. For what? We have to stop finding destructive ways to keep oil flowing, and focus more efforts on making alternative energy more readily and affordabley available.
I’d like my children to someday see a polar bears, not through glass or filled with stuffing, but free.
Check mate Mr. President, now the only move you can make is to show the world exactly what motivates you!
Want to bet that the Administration does not list the polar bear by 5/15? And who is going to be found in contempt of court? Certainly not GWB.
Sorry for feeling negative on this issue, but I see the feds saying, “So sue me.”
Rick
Many times the DOI has defied court orders (contempt charges and deadlines) in the ongoing case regarding Native Americans and the federal money they are owed by the Feds for leases on their land.
And not once has anyone been in serious trouble for these lapses.
Truthfully, the courts are very reluctant to actually enforce these kind of deadlines or contempt accusations against political appointees of a federal agencies.
Nothing will come of this, either.
And I will never believe that the Polar Bears will stop Shell’s project while oil is above $100 a barrel.
It will be the same thing as the salmon……delay, delay, and delay until you win by default.
It worked in the NW, and it will work in the arctic. Why? Because the public doesn’t really care, this will never come up in the elections.
I advise you to keep your expectations grounded in current American economic and political realities regarding this issue.
Today’s Anchorage Daily News reports that the State Legislature has put $2 million in a pot for “scientists” willing to dispute global warming. That was done without the help of the former speaker of the house, who’s in jail for accepting bribes from VECO, which was a huge player in the Alaska oil industry.
Now in today’s news….Bush’s “original and thoughtful” solution to high gas prices—drumroll—-explore, drill, and refine more at home. DOES ANYBODY STILL NOT SEE THROUGH THIS STUFF? Are we so calloused to these oil grubbing politican’s ways that we accept this stuff? Who honestly believes that if we find more oil at home the oil companies will lower the price? As if that’s acceptable anyway! The only bigger moron than Bush is anybody who accepts and parrots his messages!
Just heard polar bears were listed as threatened today. It will be interesting to see spins Bush’s water carrier Kempthorne it all.