Celebrating Black History Month - Michael Steele, first African-American Lt. Governor of Maryland

Michael Steele, born October 19, 1958  in Andrews Field, Maryland, became the first African-American lieutenant  governor of Maryland January 13, 2003 and served until January 15, 2007.  He served as Chairman of the Republican National Committee from January 2009-January 2011.

Although Republican, Steele has been a vocal critic of The Donald's administration.

Oklahoma schools having trouble retaining teachers...gasp.

Today, Newsok.com posted a report this morning that Oklahoma City schools are having problems keeping teachers.  I know...what a shock. 

Shane Keenan, director of employee engagement in Oklahoma City is reported as saying the turnover rates are because of "teachers who changed schools or were working with emergency credentials because of the state's teacher shortage."

Not because of budget cuts? Not because teachers' salaries are among the lowest in the nation?  Or could there be other reasons? 

In the past two years, I've found ten articles discussing the Oklahoma government's deplorable treatment of its educators:

1. Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs wanted to stop a one-cent sales tax increase to fund education.  They succeeded.

2. Lawmakers banned advanced placement history classes.

3. GOP state reps tried to take over "underperforming" schools.

4. Teachers leaving the state in droves.

5. Oklahoma State Department of Education could not buy new texts books because Oklahoma lawmakers did not appropriate funds for new books.

6. Teachers leaving the state because of the lack of education funding.

7. Failing blames education system, not herself or governments cutting funding, for suffering schools.
http://newsok.com/article/5508902
http://newsok.com/article/5526191

8. Senate Education Committee approves public funds to go to private schools.

9. Oklahoma City Schools closing due to budget cuts.
http://newsok.com/article/5542383
http://kfor.com/2017/03/20/several-schools-in-oklahoma-city-may-close-due-to-budget-crisis/


10. More schools closing, eliminating teachers because the House or Reps can't pass a budget.
http://newsok.com/oklahoma-school-districts-move-on-cuts-without-clear-budget-picture/article/5549452
http://newsok.com/facing-massive-budget-cuts-oklahoma-house-rejects-revenue-package/article/5549409?homePageWidget=1

House Republicans introduce a bill to terminate the EPA

In a move that shouldn't surprise anyone but should alarm everyone, House Republican Matt Gaetz (Florida) along with co-sponsors Thomas Massey (Kentucky), Steve Palazzo (Mississippi) and Barry Loudermilk (Georgia) has introduced a bill H.R. 861 to terminate the Environmental Protection Agency.  The bill was introduced on February 3 and referred to the Subcommittee on the Environment February 10.

https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/861

The Subcommittee on the Environment is lead by Lamar Smith (Texas) who is an outspoken climate-denier and brought a lawsuit against NOAA, claiming they were falsifying data to spread an alarmist agenda.  An independent study proved that NOAA did NOT fudge their data.  Global warming is real, folks!


The Subcommittee doesn't even have it listed on their front page, but it doesn't look like the page has been updated since September 2016.

https://energycommerce.house.gov/subcommittees/environment-and-economy-115th-congress

But Republicans don't get it.  Why terminate the EPA?  What justification is there for exposing millions of Americans to pollutants when we've worked so hard to get clean water, clean air, etc.  I sent a tweet to Jim Inhofe, asking him where his snowball this past month but haven't received a response.

So Trumpsters, how do you justify this one?

Republicans approve killing of bear cubs and wolf pups - WTF?

In the latest move to destroy the environment, House Republicans have repealed an Obama-era law, under which wolf population in Alaska's Denali National Park began to rise from decades of decline.  The law prohibited hunters killing bears and wolves in American National Parks, including shooting from aircraft "if necessary".

Obama's law prohibited hunters from "shooting  or trapping wolves while at their dens with cubs, using airplanes to scout for potential grizzly bear targets, trapping bears with wire snares and luring bears with food to get a point-blank kill."

Alaska Representative Don Young (Republican, surprise, surprise, surprise) said "this is not about the little polar bears, the little grizzly bears or wolves on television."

Alaska's governorBill Walker stated: "As Alaskans, we have a unique relationship with our land — especially in the most rural parts of our state where residents rely on hunting and fishing to put food on the table,"

I suppose we all cannot forget where  we were when we heard about the great starvation of Alaska of recent years, when bears and wolves ate ALL the fish in the state.

Representative Bill Flores (another Republican) called Obama's rule a bad regulation.

Shame on them all!


http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/house-overturns-obama-era-law-protect-alaskan-bears-wolves-n722481

http://www.whitewolfpack.com/2017/02/house-passes-bill-legalizing-killing-of.html

Our environment is doomed, because the GOP lied. Here's the proof:

Trump and Trumpsters have an unhealthy, inexplicable love affair with the coal industry and the GOP sees itself as its savior.  During his campaign, Trump maligned President Obama, Hillary Clinton and the EPA by stating they had declared war on the coal industry.  Trump promised to repeal “all the job-destroying Obama executive actions”.  In his America First Energy Plan he actually said the difference is between wealth and poverty. 

What does Trump know about poverty?

It’s obvious he and his cabinet know nothing about science, either.  Or reading.

At the Republican National Convention, the GOP listed coal’s wonderful quality and vowed to dismantle Obama’s Clean Power Plan, which limits emissions from coal-fired power plants.  GOP Activist David Barton, who has absolutely no background in science, convinced delegates, who approved unanimously to add the adjective ‘clean’ to the platform’s statement:

“The Democratic Party does not understand that coal is an abundant, clean, affordable, reliable domestic energy resource.”

What the Republican Party does not understand is that Democrats are not as stupid as the GOP is.  Democrats base their energy platform on facts, not personal beliefs.  Coal can be made less harmful but it cannot be made clean. 

Barton’s wording comes from the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE).  In a July 11, 2016 posting, the ACCCE set about to debunk ‘myths’ about coal fired power plants.  Addressing the ‘myth’ that coal-fired plants are dirty, the site references an EPA article from 2016. 

This is where the GOP and the ACCCE lied to mislead the public.  The first citation claims the EPA states the total tonnage of three major pollutants (SO₂, NO_x and PM) has been reduced by 83% since 1970. 

The article, National Air Pollutant Emission Trends, 1900-1998 does NOT say that.  Yes, some air pollutant levels have declined but due to the EPA’s Clean Air Act, which the GOP promises to eliminate!  And the reductions are nowhere near what ACCCE claims the EPA said.

Sec. 3.4.1, page 54 states:

“As a result of the EPA’s regulations SO₂ and PM₁₀ emissions from coal-fired electric power facilities fell by 8 and 85 percent, respectively.”  Note the ACCCE quote does not differentiate between PM₁₀ (particulate matter less than 10 microns in diameter) and PM_2.5 (particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter).

The numerous data tables also show the coal-fired industry is not as rosy as the GOP would have you think.  The ACCCE ignored coal’s contribution to carbon monoxide which has soared since 1970 (Table 3-1).  Coal emitted NO₂, which ACCCE said had been reduced, has also increased since 1970 (Table 3-2).

I could continue but I'll let you read the reports for yourself.  Links are below.

The GOP has been outspoken in criticizing NOAA and NASA, accusing them of falsifying data.  But they have no data of their own to support their claims.  They lied and they knew it and they don’t care.  

Just as long as you voted for them.  

https://www.donaldjtrump.com/press-releases/an-america-first-energy-plan

http://www.americaspower.org/issue/myths-coal-fired-power-plants/

https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyNET.exe/2000ETJA.TXT?ZyActionD=ZyDocument&Client=EPA&Index=2000+Thru+2005&Docs=&Query=&Time=&EndTime=&SearchMethod=1&TocRestrict=n&Toc=&TocEntry=&QField=&QFieldYear=&QFieldMonth=&QFieldDay=&IntQFieldOp=0&ExtQFieldOp=0&XmlQuery=&File=D%3A%5Czyfiles%5CIndex%20Data%5C00thru05%5CTxt%5C00000002%5C2000ETJA.txt&User=ANONYMOUS&Password=anonymous&SortMethod=h%7C-&MaximumDocuments=1&FuzzyDegree=0&ImageQuality=r75g8/r75g8/x150y150g16/i425&Display=hpfr&DefSeekPage=x&SearchBack=ZyActionL&Back=ZyActionS&BackDesc=Results%20page&MaximumPages=1&ZyEntry=1&SeekPage=x&ZyPURL

http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2016/12/2016-anti-science-trump-pence-flint-nra-hurricane-matthew

http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2016/11/climate-deniers-trump-administration

"I'm a Republican, but I also realize...the sea level is rising" - Mayor, Tybee Island, Georgia

So much is put into that one statement. Mayor Jason Buelterman of Tybee Island, Georgia admits that Republicans are sticking their heads into the ground when it comes to global warming.  Still seen as a hoax, fellow Republicans such as Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt are suing the Environmental Protection Agency over their clean air plans.

Since when do we need to be saved from clean air?

Tybee Island is suffering the effects of rising sea levels caused by rising temperatures across the globe, to the point their city council voted unanimously in April to accept a plan that addresses the risks from rising seas over the next 50 years.  Buelterman may find himself excommunicated from the Republican party.

According to NOAA, Tybee Island has experience a sea-level rise of 10 inches.  And the community is a low-lying barrier island (which means it protects Savannah from hurricanes) and is especially vulnerable to flooding.

Congress has turned a deaf ear to communities asking for help in guidance and funds to pay for pumps and road improvements to buy some time.  In a New York Times post in September, reporter Stephen Morton said that Congress has even tried to block military plans to combat the problem at numerous bases, naval bases most importantly.

With the new Republican regime about to sit upon the throne, it doesn't seem likely that anything in Washington will change.  At least not until the Chesapeake Bay is lapping at the door.


http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/04/science/flooding-of-coast-caused-by-global-warming-has-already-begun.html?hpw&rref=science&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region&region=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well&_r=1

http://seagrant.noaa.gov/News/FeatureStories/TabId/268/ArtMID/715/ArticleID/663/Community-Resilience-Tybee-Island-creates-Georgia%E2%80%99s-first-sea-level-rise-plan.aspx