Appalachian Communities Health Emergency Is Exactly What We Have

Because it's not about global warming or pretty forest streams; it's about an unnecessary industrial practice that destroys whole communities. James Carroll at the Courier:

U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth, D-3rd District, and a dozen other House Democrats introduced legislation Tuesday that would impose a moratorium on new or expanded mountaintop mining in Kentucky and other Appalachian states. “The Appalachian Communities Health Emergency Act will provide the families in these communities the answers and the protection they deserve,” said Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, who is the chief sponsor of the bill with Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y. Yarmuth is the only Kentucky lawmaker co-sponsoring the bill. He said mountaintop mining “destroys entire ecosystems, contaminates the water supply in mining communities, and makes people sick.” “In addition, it has cost Kentucky more than half of its mining jobs,” the Louisville congressman said. “If it takes a government health study to finally end this destructive practice, I support it.” The legislation would put a hold on new or expanded mountaintop-removal mining operations until scientific research identifies the potential health risks from such mining.

Find out more about mountaintop removal mining and the efforts in Kentucky to stop it here.

A Hero of the Fight

If I weren't so cynical, I would say that this is a sign that the health care reform fight, in its radical separation of heroes from cowards, could in and of itself mark a sea-change in Congress.

A few hours after Rep. Dennis Kucinich switched his support to become a critical vote for the health care bill, he took to the House floor to ask wavering colleagues to join him. Astonished colleagues pointed to Kucinich (D-OH) darting from member to member on the House floor yesterday, saying privately they'd never seen him get so involved in whipping a vote.

It's not just progressives he's targeting to keep in the fold, it's everyone, a top Democratic aide told me. Members know that Kucinich - a staunch antiwar liberal long in favor of a single-payer system and often going out on a limb with his own agenda - is setting aside deep ideology to help get something passed. "It's a totally new dynamic. People are realizing he's doing it for history," the aide said.

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) told me last night in the House Speaker's lobby that Kucinich's support is "a sign of Democrats recognizing how important this is."

"If Kucinich can back this bill after the way he staked out a position against it, it does help show people they can come together too," Frank said.

chimpale commented in response to someone condemning Kucinich:

Kucinich a sellout. Right.

For all that this bill still allows insurance companies to do, near term, it's still a far cry from the status quo. I hope to see Kucinich leading the fight--and being treated as a leader in the fight--to immediately begin improving on the bill after it's signed and to at least get us a public option.

I replied:

Absolutely. Amazing to witness in real-time one of those moments that turns a mere politician into a statesman for the ages.

I bow to no one on my dirty fucking hippie credentials and I'm telling you that this is going to make the single lefti-est member of the House (since Bernie got promoted to the Senate) into a LEADER on transforming this piece of shit into real single-payer.

Kucinich going from a lefty scold everyone ignores to a lefty Conscience everyone respects is going to accomplish far more on health care and many other issues than committing political suicide over admittedly huge subsidies to a dying industry.

Seriously, it's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

Kentucky's House Delegation Caves to Israel Lobby. Except Geoff Davis

In late December 2008, Israel invaded Gaza. It kept all press out of the beseiged strip of land, preventing any independent observation of actions by both the Israeli Defense Forces and Hamas. Unsurprisingly, accusations of war crimes flew on both sides.

The United Nations appointed experts to investigate the charges, and in September the group released its report, called the Goldstone Report after its leader.

The United Nations fact-finding mission on the Gaza conflict at the start of this year has found evidence that both Israeli forces and Palestinian militants committed serious war crimes and breaches of humanitarian law, which may amount to crimes against humanity.

And all hell broke loose. If you search the internet for "Goldstone Report" the top links will be not to the report itself but to the many condemnations of the report from both sides, but primarily from pro-Israeli voices claiming that it's a fraud because everybody knows only mooslins commit war crimes.

It didn't take long for the stupidity to reach the U.S. House of Representatives.

Down with Tyranny explains:

H.Res. 867 was introduced by an anti-Cuba fanatic with a huge Jewish constituency, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. She had 202 co-sponsors for a cowardly bill to condemn the "Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict (Goldstone Report) to be biased and unworthy of further consideration or legitimacy." It passed overwhelmingly-- 344-36 (with 22 voting "present").

The only members of Congress to oppose the outrageously biased resolution were 33 Democrats and 3 Republicans:

SNIP

Geoff Davis (R-KY)

SNIP

Although Ron Paul issued neither a statement nor a press release on why he voted no, his unofficial mouthpiece, the Daily Paul didn't get into The Protocols of the (Learned) Elders of Zion territory many of his supporters frequent. In fact, they start out with a lengthy self-examination by the Jerusalem Post and point out that "a person would never read such as this in the New York Times or Washington Post or hear it from any US news source. Unlike Israeli newspapers, the US media is a complete mouthpiece for the Israel Lobby. Never a critical word is heard.

This will be even more the case now that the Israel Lobby, after years of effort, has succeeded in repealing the First Amendment by having the Hate Crime Bill attached to the recently passed military appropriations bill. This is the way the syllogism works: It is anti-Semitic to criticize Israel. anti-Semitism is a hate crime. Therefore, to criticize Israel is a hate crime." Democrats had a more rational reason for opposing Ros-Lehtinen's AIPAC-y resolution.

Watch:

Red Meat for Real Democrats

The best things come in small packages, and the Democratic Convention speech that did what party speeches are supposed to do was delivered by power-packed munchkin Dennis Kucinich.



As the Rude Pundit says, it should have been the keynote.

Cross-posted at Blue in the Bluegrass.

Damn You, Dennis Kucinich

Dammit, dammit, dammit.

If I put my money where my mouth is, my money where my heart is, my money on what I actually believe, I would sell my house, my car, my furniture, and my clothes, cash out my retirement and write one big check to Dennis Kucinich.

Yeah, yeah, Ralph Nader, blah, blah, blah.

Fuck it.

Dennis Kucinich is on television right now this minute reading my goddamn mind!

• Out of Iraq This Instant
• Single Payer Healthcare
• Money for the Troops, Not Stupid Weapons Systems
• Voluntary National Service
• Human Rights
• Civil Rights
• Restore American Values
• Global Peace

Shutup, Dennis!

I can't stand it. He has no chance. No chance, NO CHANCE, NO CHANCE!

And the main reason he has no chance is that people like me, who agree with everything he says, who are sitting here tonight sobbing while he speaks our hearts, refuse to support him because he has no chance.

Damn you, Dennis Kucinich.