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#Post#: 1813--------------------------------------------------
Dirty Money, Dirty Fuels: Why Money in Politics Matters to the E
nvironment
By: AGelbert Date: September 4, 2014, 7:47 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Dirty Money, Dirty Fuels: Why Money in Politics Matters to the
Environment
Politics Matters to the Environment
Lukas Ross, Friends of the Earth | April 30, 2014 10:09 am |
Comments
What if fighting dirty money in our elections was the key to
fighting dirty fuels in our economy?
That’s the question asked in a recent report released by the
Sierra Club and Oil Change International. From the perspective
of the fossil fuel industry, political contributions are just
another form of investment. The only difference is that, for the
millions polluters spend on elections, they see billions in
bonus profits.
As the report says, “The return these polluters are getting on
these political investments—in the form of billions in corporate
tax handouts—exceed 5,000 percent, demonstrating that Congress
remains the best ‘investment’ possible for the coal, oil, and
gas industries.”
For dirty fossil fuel companies, a political contribution is
just another investment. >:(
The oil and gas industries are among the worst offenders.
Between 2009 and 2010, the report estimates that they spent $347
million on lobbying and campaign contributions, and in return
netted a handsome $20 billion in federal subsidies. Most of
these came in the form of accounting gimmicks that help hide
corporate profits and obscure tax breaks that help cover
drilling and refining costs. Because of loopholes like these,
the actual taxes paid by most big energy companies fall well
below the top corporate rate of 35 percent.
You would think that at a time when both Democrats and
Republicans are preoccupied with deficits and debt, cutting
subsidies for polluters should be an easy move. After all, these
are some of the most profitable companies in world history;
surely they need government support like Bill Gates needs food
stamps. The fact that many of these giveaways are nearly a
century old, dating from a time when fossil fuel extraction was
a much riskier game, only adds to their irrelevance. At a time
of significant fiscal strain, decades-old free money for rich
polluters should be the first thing on the chopping block.
Unfortunately, in the new world of campaign finance born after
Citizens United and supercharged earlier this month by
McCutcheon vs. FEC, money speaks much louder than fiscal and
environmental sanity. The report points out that solid
majorities of Americans support action on climate change,
investment in renewable energy, and a repeal of fossil fuel
subsidies. And yet, Congress is arguably in its most rabidly
anti-environment phase in U.S. history, voting repeatedly to
block action on climate change, cut support for renewable
energy, and hobble enforcement of clean air and water
provisions.
The only way to solve this disconnect is through a new system of
public financing. As such, the Sierra Club and Oil Change
International are throwing their weight behind the recently
sponsored Government By The People Act, which would allow
federal candidates to receive money from small donors matched on
a six-to-one basis. This would not end money in politics, or
even strip polluters of their ability to purchase influence.
Winning those fights has to be part of a much longer campaign
against corporate personhood and the idea of money as free
speech. But in the meantime, it would give candidates who share
the increasingly pro-environment sentiments of the American
people a chance to be heard. Friends of the Earth supports the
Government By The People Act and its vision for a more healthy
and just world.
HTML http://ecowatch.com/2014/04/30/dirty-money-dirty-fuels-politics/
#Post#: 1820--------------------------------------------------
Re: Fossil Fuels: Degraded Democracy and Profit Over Planet Poll
ution
By: AGelbert Date: September 5, 2014, 10:00 pm
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Documentary Exposes Fossil Fuel Industries Assault
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/pirates5B15D_th.gif
on the Wild
West
HTML http://ecowatch.com/2014/09/04/utah-tar-sands-oil-shale/
Excellent Comment: [quote]
AllenLadd
"Sometimes it seems like there’s no frontier left unspoiled by
greed and the potential for profit." This is a very interesting
observation. The sudden onslaught of corporate assaults upon
what is left of the "unspoiled frontier" makes one begin to
wonder if it is truly being motivated simply by corporate greed
or something even darker like a fear and hatred of "untamed"
Nature itself.
It is reminiscent in fact of the Puritan's insistence on burning
down primeval forests and slaughtering wild life and "wild
Indians" as some how a "threat" to their salvation, a reminder
that they belong to Nature first, only secondarily and belatedly
to "Civilization".
What is really behind this increasing onslaught that forests,
wolves, wild horses, anything original in its reminder of the
innocence of Eden must be wiped out as a painful memory of
Paradise Lost ? It is easy to explain the profiteer's motive
behind wiping out primeval forest land in Alaska or our wild
horses running free.
It is less easy to explain the public's willing apathy in the
face of such relentless destruction. Have we/they become so
infused with what Erich Fromm called the "fear of freedom" (also
the fear of what is natural) that we are ready to bend the knee
entirely to this complete domination by corporate hostility to
all that is not yet tainted by its grasping taloned outreach for
profit ?
Have we so receded from the memory of Eden itself, so to speak,
that we now side with dark winged Lucifer himself,
Mephistopheles who tempted us to choose Power over Nature
instead of happy harmony within Nature ?[/quote]
#Post#: 1823--------------------------------------------------
Re: Fossil Fuels: Degraded Democracy and Profit Over Planet Poll
ution
By: AGelbert Date: September 6, 2014, 1:46 pm
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[img width=640
height=440]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-060914141751.png[/img]
HTML http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tEuaj4h8dw&feature=player_embedded<br
/>
LEARN WHY MOST of the Medals of HONOR awarded for one "battle"
in U.S. History were awarded. Learn what you were never told
about President Lincoln. Learn how the American Dream of
PROPERTY OWNERSHIP worshiped by all "freedom loving capitalists"
was USED to TAKE LAKOTAH PROPERTY AWAY FROM THEM!
[quote]The last chapter in ANY SUCCESSFUL GENOCIDE is when the
oppressor can lift up his hands and say, "My God, what are these
people doing to themselves? They are killing each other!
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/tissue.gif
What is WRONG with
these people?". [img width=40
height=40]
HTML http://www.imgion.com/images/01/Angry-animated-smiley.jpg[/img]<br
/>[img width=40
height=40]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-051113192052.png[/img]<br
/>THIS [img width=50
height=50]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-070814193155.png[/img]<br
/>is how we came to "own" these United States.[/quote]
The Unity Concert is a gathering of members of the Pte Oyate
(Buffalo Nation, also called the Great Sioux Nation), artists,
performers and concerned global citizens committed to educating
and raising support for the Black Hills Initiative. Its
organizers and participants believe that the only way for the
United States of America to be truly great is to honor its word.
Honor the treaties. Join us in healing the Heart of a Nation by
restoring the guardianship of the Black Hills to the Great Sioux
Nation.
On September 13th and 14th, 2014, in the Black Hills of South
Dakota, thousands of people will converge for a UNITY CONCERT --
bringing together Native American tribes with those on the right
side of justice to return the guardianship of the Black Hills to
the Great Sioux Nation.
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/47b20s0.gif
HTML http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_ObmbahV2c&feature=player_embedded<br
/>
HTML http://www.theblackhillsarenotforsale.org/
[img width=640
height=380]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-080814213147.png[/img]
To those whiteys that read this and rush to say the Lakotah have
been HURT but it "wasn't MY FAULT"... Yes it IS your fault
BECAUSE, as long as you think the Congressional District
Boundaries in the Lakotah area are VALID, you are contributing
to this ONGOING GENOCIDE. Live with it! USA! USA! USA!
No, I am not going to the concert. I am poor. But always
remember, if you are white and you are well off, it's NOT YOUR
FAULT. ;)
NOTE: The following is NOT addressed anyone here personally; It
is addressed to people of good will, regardless of color: 8)
Both my wife and I are considered minority trailer trash here in
Vermont. In many ways similar to the Lakotah, our lives are
somewhat self destructive and counterproductive. We struggle
with a Dysphoric Mood because we ARE REALISTS that whitey will
ALWAYS blame on our "mental health" rather than on a SICK,
GREEDBALL, PROFIT OVER PLANT, SUICIDAL SOCIETY.
My wife, who could pass for a (very tall ;D) Lakotah any time,
is used to being targeted by the cops everywhere she goes. For
complaining about prejudicial treatment at a supermarket, she
was FORCED to abide by an order to STAY AWAY FOR A YEAR WITHOUT
HAVING COMMITED ANY FELONY OR MISDEMEANOR WHATSOEVER.
The police delivered the order to her when she tried to go
grocery shopping about three years ago. The "grounds" were
"creating a disturbance". She said complaining about treatment
was NOT creating a disturbance and the (at this time SMIRKING)
store manager (that had gotten the order through the cops) had
no grounds to get a restraining order. The THREE police (two
males and one female - ya always need show of FORCE for these
blackies and brownies, ya know!
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-200714191329.bmp)<br
/>officers repeated that she could not come on the premises or s
he
would be arrested.
One (SMIRKING) police officer gave her a card and said "You can
give my name to your lawyer (GRIN)". She obeyed the order for a
year and went RIGHT BACK to shop at the same Hannaford to the
horror of ALL the employees that act like King Kong just walked
in the door and scatter when she comes in. My wife is a TOUGH
COOKIE. But it's on the OUTSIDE only. The scars and the pain of
whitey injustice for a person that graduated Cum Laude with a
Bachelor in Science and a Major in Chemistry go DEEP. I
understand the Lakotah QUITE WELL. I hope and pray that God will
reward their tenacity, decency and love of justice.
#Post#: 1939--------------------------------------------------
If we Manufactured and Transported stuff like nature does....
By: AGelbert Date: September 28, 2014, 2:32 pm
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[img width=640
height=480]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-280914150743.png[/img]
Repeat after me: Mankind's technology is a primitive, barbaric
piece of planet trashing, eating where we shit, SUICIDAL
STUPIDITY. :iamwithstupid:
[img width=640
height=280]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-060914180554.png[/img]
[center][img width=150
height=100]
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/gen152.gif[/img][/center]<br
/>
It's time to use energy efficiently and sustainably. If we don't
we die, period. 8)
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/126fs2277341.gifhttp://www.pic4ever.com/images/p8.gif<br
/>
MESSAGE TO THE DEFENDERS OF THE STATUS QUO:
[img width=640
height=380]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-260914180633.png[/img]
#Post#: 1942--------------------------------------------------
Seattle City Councilwoman Kshama Sawant should be PRESIDENT of T
HE USA!
By: AGelbert Date: September 28, 2014, 4:20 pm
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Don't miss Naomi calling out the Fossil fueler's "IDIOTIC
BUSINESS MODEL". [img width=40
height=40]
HTML http://www.clker.com/cliparts/c/8/f/8/11949865511933397169thumbs_up_nathan_eady_01.svg.hi.png[/img]<br
/>
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/128fs318181.gif
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/4fvfcja.gif
HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5YaqcPEUNc&feature=player_embedded
[quote]Truthdig columnist Chris Hedges, activist Bill McKibben,
journalist Naomi Klein, Seattle City Councilwoman Kshama Sawant,
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and public radio talk show host
Brian Lehrer participated in a panel discussion the night before
the People’s Climate March in New York City this month.[/quote]
HTML http://www.truthdig.com/avbooth/item/what_will_it_take_to_save_humanity_and_the_planet_20140927
#Post#: 1958--------------------------------------------------
Re: Fossil Fuels: Degraded Democracy and Profit Over Planet Poll
ution
By: AGelbert Date: October 1, 2014, 3:19 pm
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How to Make a “Perfect” Solar Absorber
New system aims to harness the full spectrum of available solar
radiation.
David Chandler, MIT
October 01, 2014
HTML http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2014/10/how-to-make-a-perfect-solar-absorber#comment-135615
HTML http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2014/10/how-to-make-a-perfect-solar-absorber#comment-135615
Agelbert Comment to the latest empty promise of new technology
that will SOON, real SOON, "solve our energy problems". ::) And
of course, NO MENTION of how our gooberment slaps the "national
security" GAG on any patent that threatens the Fossil fuel and
nuclear welfare queen gravy train. [img width=60
height=60]
HTML http://www.imgion.com/images/01/Angry-animated-smiley.jpg[/img]<br
/> [img width=40
height=40]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-051113192052.png[/img]<br
/>
Dave,
Thank you for this article but I must point out the pro-fossil
fuel government of the USA has, for over THIRTY YEARS, possessed
a technology and the patent for it that would solve this heat
storage problem. Insolation can easily be captured but not
stored UNLESS you have a super insulator. The tiles on the space
shuttle ARE THAT SUPER INSULATOR. Every building on the entire
planet could be heated (and cooled using a heat pump) with the
tile technology to save over 95% of required energy for the last
30 years!
WHY hasn't it been released to the public? Because our Fossil
Fuel Loving Government deemed it a National Security Patent.
Sure, a space vehicle with a bomb on it CAN use those tiles as a
heat shield to re-enter the atmosphere. But there is no debate
about whether countries capable of ICBMs need this or would use
it to compromise our national security. They ALREADY have
adequate re-entry shielding. But the fossil fuel Welfare Queen,
over subsidized Industry would have lost, not billions, but
trillions of dollars in profit over planet "profits" they made
during the last thirty years.
Get that tile technology released and it's OVER for fossil fuel
heating and cooling of every building on this planet (including
those in Antarctica!).
I have been 2 feet away from a man holding a piece of a space
shuttle tile about 8 inches square and about 3 inches thick in
his bare, unprotected hand. He applied a blow torch to one
corner until that corner turned cherry red. He was STILL HOLDING
the tile in his bare hand. :o His hand was less than five
inches from the cherry red tile. It would NOT travel to where
his hand was. Now THAT is a SUPER insulator solving most of the
world's energy for heat and cooling problems.
[i]
And that demonstration took place in 1979. The U.S. Government,
thanks to the Fossil Fuel Industry, is STILL sitting on that
patent.
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/2rzukw3.gif
This tile technology would be a nightmare for the refineries
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/www_MyEmoticons_com__smokelots.gifthat<br
/>crack crude oil for the fossil fuel welfare queens. When you
crack crude , you get everything from heavy lubricants to
gasoline to very toxic VOCs. You can tweak the cracking towers
to get a little more of this and a little less of that but you
ALWAYS get a certain amount of all the above. You cannot crack
without getting the smorgasbord of petroleum "products". Those
flaring torches on refineries polluting the **** out of the
environment WOULD NOT be being burned if the fossil fuelers had
figured out a way to get we-the-people to PAY for those
poisonous, carcinogenic, toxic gasses (believe, they are ALWAYS
trying to market "every part of the cow" so to speak - YOUR
welfare is a marketing problem for them, not a concern.
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-200714191329.bmp).<br
/>
Rockefeller created a market for the waste product, gasoline
;D, that was flushed down the rivers of Pennsylvania in the late
19th century :P by convincing car engine manufacturers to tune
the carburetors to use gasoline instead of ethanol (the original
fuel for the internal combustion engine in Henry Ford's cars).
And by some strange coincidence, when Prohibition came about
(After Rockefeller funded temperance movements for nearly a
decade with millions of dollars), ethanol was illegal too!
Now if you don't think that ensuring a demand for heating oil
and kerosene is not important enough for the fossil fuel
industry back in 1979 to keep that shuttle tile technology out
of the hands of consumers, you have a leak in your attic.
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/gen152.gif
More info on that technology:[/i]
[quote]High-temperature reusable surface insulation (HRSI)
tiles, used on the orbiter underside. Made of coated LI-900
Silica ceramics. Used where reentry temperature was below 1260
°C.[/quote]
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_thermal_protection_system
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_thermal_protection_system
And that is just ONE of the several technologies the U.S.
Government, on behalf of the Fossil Fuel and Nuclear Profit over
Planet industries, is SITTING on. This is NOT a conspiracy
theory; it is Predatory Capitalism Polluting our Government and
our Planet.
The U.S. Government CAN transition to 100% Renewable Energy NOW.
They just don't want to.
Petition to Demand Liberty from Fossil Fuels through a 100%
Renewable Energy WWII Style Transition Effort
HTML http://www.thepetitionsite.com/420/529/456/demand-liberty-from-fossil-fuels-through-100-renewable-energy-wwii-style-effort/
HTML http://www.thepetitionsite.com/420/529/456/demand-liberty-from-fossil-fuels-through-100-renewable-energy-wwii-style-effort/
#Post#: 2119--------------------------------------------------
Re: Fossil Fuels: Degraded Democracy and Profit Over Planet Poll
ution
By: AGelbert Date: October 30, 2014, 12:36 am
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HTML http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEGd1lDKfjM&feature=player_embedded<br
/>
A town and its environment [img width=30
height=30]
HTML http://www.freesmileys.org/emoticons/emoticon-object-015.gif[/img]<br
/>destroyed by Big Oil. When the people sought a remedy in
court, our bought and paid for handmaidens in our Fascist Court
system shafted them with a tiny settlement in the SERVICE OF
PROFIT OVER PLANET.
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/acigar.gif<br
/>
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/2z6in9g.gif
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-311013200859.png
[img width=640
height=650]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-161014215542.jpeg[/img]
[img width=640
height=380]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-031014141830.png[/img]
#Post#: 2122--------------------------------------------------
Re: Fossil Fuels: Degraded Democracy and Profit Over Planet Poll
ution
By: AGelbert Date: October 30, 2014, 6:57 pm
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[center]Fascist Victory on June 26, 2008 Supreme Court
drastically cuts payouts for plaintiffs in Exxon Valdez oil
spill[/center]
[move][font=courier]Hopes of fishermen throughout Washington and
Alaska were sunk Wednesday when the Supreme Court slashed the
amount of punitive damages that...[/font][/move]
By Lynda V. Mapes
Seattle Times staff reporter
An oil-soaked loon awaits transport to a bird-rescue center
after the Valdez spill.
Enlarge this photo (at link)
CRAIG FUJII / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Hundreds of beach cleaners work to hose off and mop up oil along
the shores of Green Island, Alaska, part of 1,300 miles of
shoreline soiled by the spill.
Enlarge this photo (at link)
The Exxon Valdez is refloated after running aground in Alaska's
Prince William Sound and spilling nearly 11 million gallons of
crude oil in 1989.
Enlarge this photo (at link)
The spill, by the numbers
The money:
• Original damage award in 1994: $5 billion
• Amount award reduced to on appeal: $2.5 billion
• Final amount ordered Wednesday by U.S. Supreme Court: $507.5
million
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-301014183629.gif
• Valdez captain's punishment: $50,000 fine, plus 1,000 hours
community service picking up trash and working at a homeless
center ::)
• Time it will take Exxon to earn current damage amount: about
12 hours of sales
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/acigar.gif
• Amount Exxon has already paid, including cleanup and
compensatory damages: $3.5 billion
• Amount Exxon actually paid, after tax write-offs and
collecting insurance: $1.7 billion
The plaintiffs
• Amount average plaintiff will receive: $15,000, including
interest, not including attorneys' fees ;) or taxes.
• Amount damage award is cut for attorney's fees: nearly 25
percent ;D
• Number of plaintiffs: More than 32,677
• Number of plaintiffs who have died since case was filed: more
than 3,000
• Number of plaintiffs in Washington: 4,700
• Years case has been in court: 19
• Number of law firms involved: more than 60
HTML http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F66PxaSGNyM/UsVwtcJMdRI/AAAAAAAA9uE/2t2MW9yYTrw/s1600/11shark-lawyers.gif
The environmental toll [img width=30
height=30]
HTML http://www.desismileys.com/smileys/desismileys_2955.gif[/img]<br
/>[img width=30
height=30]
HTML http://www.desismileys.com/smileys/desismileys_2953.gif[/img]
• Species deemed recovered since spill: 9
• Species not recovered or still recovering: 11
• Workers deployed to clean beaches: more than 10,000
• Amount of oil estimated still on beaches: 200 tons
• Marine mammals estimated killed by spill: at least 2,662
Sources: Washington state Department of Ecology, Exxon Mobil
Corp. ; Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council ;) ; Seattle
Times research
The spill and the aftermath
11 million gallons
Amount of oil spilled, enough to fill 125 Olympic swimming pools
1,300 miles
Stretch of Alaskan shoreline oiled by March 1989 spill
30,000 birds
Estimated killed
$5 billion
Original damage award
$507.5 million
Wednesday's reduced award [img
width=100]
HTML http://images.zaazu.com/img/Incredible-Hulk-animated-animation-male-smiley-emoticon-000342-large.gif[/img]
$40.61 billion
Exxon's profit last year
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/2z6in9g.gif
$15,000
Amount average plaintiff will receive, not including attorneys'
fees or taxes
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-311013201314.png
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/mocantina.gif
Hopes of fishermen throughout Washington and Alaska were sunk
Wednesday when the Supreme Court slashed the amount of punitive
damages that Exxon must pay for the epic Exxon Valdez oil spill
nearly two decades ago.
The high court, in a 5-3 decision, found that punitive damages
could not be larger than the compensatory damages for actual
losses from the spill, which totaled $507.5 million.
The justices rejected the amount — $2.5 billion — that a federal
appeals court had granted to be shared by 32,677 plaintiffs who
had claimed damages from the worst oil spill in U.S. history,
including fishermen, Alaska natives, local businesses and
others.
That amount had been reduced from the $5 billion that a jury
awarded in 1994.
The anxiously awaited decision, delivered on the eve of the
Supreme Court's summer recess, brings to a close one of the
longest-running class-action lawsuits in the country.
But it was not the end that many had hoped for.
"Crime pays, and environmental crime pays really well," said
William Rodgers, a professor of law at the University of
Washington and an expert on the Exxon Valdez case.
[font=times new roman]
"I am sure they [Exxon] are sitting down and having a toast of
the town. [img width=140
height=080]
HTML http://images.zaazu.com/img/cheers-cheers-champagne-wine-smiley-emoticon-000183-large.gif[/img]<br
/> The other lesson they have taught is scorched-earth litigatio
n
pays. Just keep litigating, making up issues."[/font]
The fight over the punitive damages reached the Ninth Circuit
Court of Appeals in 1999. Since then, Exxon filed more than 60
petitions and appeals, sought 23 time extensions and filed more
than 1,000 motions, briefs, requests and demands. The company
requested a reduction in the damages amount, a reversal of the
verdict and a new trial, claiming jury misconduct and jury
tampering, according to Rodgers.
More than 3,000 claimants died waiting for an outcome in the
case.
The original jury award of $5 billion was intended to be the
equivalent of about a year's average profits for the company.
Last year, Exxon Mobil made $40 billion, the largest annual
profit of any corporation in U.S. history.
Exxon has contended that it shouldn't be required to pay any
punitive damages because it has already paid millions to clean
up after the spill, plus criminal fines and restitution,
compensation paid to more than 11,000 individuals hurt by the
spill, legal fees and other costs.
"Obviously this was very much a tragic accident," said Tony
Cudmore, an Exxon Mobil spokesman. "This case is not about
compensation for loss, it is about whether further punishment is
warranted, and in our view it is not."
As the plaintiffs took stock of Wednesday's ruling, some said
they always figured that getting any payment out of Exxon was a
longshot.
"I consider it kind of like buying a lottery ticket," Gig Harbor
fisherman Ken Manning said.
"A lot of fishermen hate Exxon. The ill feeling I have is for
the court system.
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/2rzukw3.gif<br
/>They have just strung everyone along for so long."
But other Washington state fishermen said the case wasn't about
just money.
"This isn't about repaying a bunch of victims from 19 years
ago," said Tom Copeland of Bellingham, who turned to farming
bamboo after his fishing business suffered because of the spill.
"The important thing about punitive damages is telling them they
have to clean up their act. It's important to give them the
punishment they deserve, and they continue to deserve it."
Better handling of spills
The massive spill, which gushed 11 million gallons of crude into
Alaska's Prince William Sound when the single-hull tanker hit a
reef, transformed lives and an entire ecosystem seemingly
overnight.
But it also forever changed the way government regulates spills
and the transport of oil.
Congress has mandated that by 2015, all oil tankers have to have
double hulls to reduce the risk of catastrophic spills. ::)
AGELBERT NOTE: Double hulls were proposed in 1980! Reagan deep
sixed the proposals and contributed to the Exxon Valdez
accident. We not only have a fossil fuel Government, we DO NOT
have a functioning Court System EITHER! ONLY the lawyers and
Exxon made out like BANDITS here!
Washington still endures some 4,000 oil spills a year, but the
number of large spills has been reduced dramatically. That's
because the Exxon Valdez disaster helped change the state's
oil-spill prevention and response programs top to bottom, said
Jon Neel of the state Department of Ecology.
In 2007, 182 tankers from all over the world called at
Washington ports, 137 of them with double hulls. Petroleum
products are also barged around Puget Sound and up the Columbia
River, and pumped into vessels of every size every day on bodies
of water all over Washington.
Some 20 billion gallons of oil move through the state as cargo
and fuel each year, and some 14 billion gallons of oil are
transferred, according to the Ecology Department.
Today, the state has one of the most rigorous spill-prevention
programs in the country, including a 2006 initiative to place
oil booms around large commercial ships and docks before
transferring oil or fuel, except gasoline, when conditions
allow.
The state also has a dedicated fund, staff, and full-time
program to prevent and respond to oil spills — a focus that
didn't exist before the Exxon Valdez spill.
The damage remains [img width=50
height=50]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-070814193155.png[/img]
Two decades later, the fragile ecosystem of Prince William Sound
has yet to fully recover, especially on the hardest-hit beaches.
More than 200 tons of oil remain in beach sediment. Herring —
which are vital as food to 40 species of birds, mammals and fish
— have never returned to pre-spill populations.
"Until herring recover, we are kind of treading water," said
Riki Ott, a scientist and author in Cordova, Alaska. "Prince
William Sound is beautiful, but if you take a shovel all you
have to do is dig down six inches and there is oil. It smells
like a gas station, still, today."
The legal fights over the Exxon Valdez aren't completely over.
Still to be litigated is a claim against Exxon by the federal
government and state of Alaska for $92 million in so-called
"re-opener" damages, intended to help pay for environmental harm
not detected at the time of the spill.
The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, a division of
Alaska's Department of Fish and Game, last year said there are
more species still suffering since the spill than have
recovered.
Some Washington fishing families certainly put themselves in
that category.
"Our life has been kind of on hold since the spill," said Katie
Dexter, whose husband still fishes Prince William Sound.
"We have been in debt since the spill. We love Prince William
Sound, and to see that kind of devastation has been hard on many
levels. There is no amount of money that can really undo the
damage."
Lynda V. Mapes: 206-464-2736 or lmapes@seattletimes.com.
Information from The Associated Press was included in this
report.
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
HTML http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2008018035_exxon26m.html
Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes on what the LAW was
ALL ABOUT
HTML http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/who-can-you-trust/corruption-in-government/msg2045/#msg2045
The Lady Justice Legal Scales mean the OPPOSITE of what you
think they mean[b]
HTML http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/who-can-you-trust/corruption-in-government/msg2041/#msg2041
[b]Don't count on our Court System to defend Americans from
Fascism - Here's why the solution to Corporate Profit over
Planet is EX CURIA
HTML http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/who-can-you-trust/corruption-in-government/msg2019/#msg2019
How Lawyers took the power from the King (for themselves)
pretending it was FOR THE PEOPLE
HTML http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/geopolitics/key-historical-events-that-you-may-have-never-heard-of/msg2051/#msg2051
Golden Rule Government: A Lawful System Based on Caring instead
of Conquest
HTML http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/who-can-you-trust/corruption-in-government/msg2043/#msg2043
#Post#: 2123--------------------------------------------------
Re: Fossil Fuels: Degraded Democracy and Profit Over Planet Poll
ution
By: AGelbert Date: October 30, 2014, 10:29 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
HTML http://jenkinslaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Running-Aground-in-a-Sea-of-Complex-Litigation-a-Case-Comment-on-the-Exxon-Valdez-Litigation.pdf
[quote][font=times new roman]JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL LAW [Vol.
18:151
The purpose of this comment is to describe the history of the
Exxon Valdez litigation and analyze whether the courts and
corresponding laws are equipped to effectively handle mass
environmental litigation. [/font][/quote][quote] [font=times new
roman]Robert Jenkins is a J.D. Candidate, UCLA School of Law,
2000; Bachelor of Journalism, University of Texas, Austin,
1997[/font]
[/quote]
Agelbert NOTE: Such careful language. LOL! Notice that word,
"equipped". ::) They are EQUIPPED, alright! They are EQUIPPED
to be HANDMAIDENS of Fascist Government Policies. Their coercive
power shows its fangs every single time, without exception, that
the state, in cahoots with a large corporation, wish to "limit"
the liability.
But NO SUCH care is taken when an individual, say, starts a fire
by accident on corporate or public land. This brazen display of
a double standard is proof that there IS NO LAW, just service
for those in power. Every law, statute, code and regulation,
both civil and criminal, can be litigated around in a mockery of
any ethical considerations whatsoever. The system is EQUIPPED
quite well to DEFEND POWER.
So, although I understand the approach of the lawyer here to
look for "reparable" flaws in the system BECAUSE he is, after
all, PART of that system as a licensed attorney, I can only
conclude that it is extremely myopic.
That too, is part of the design of the Court system and lawyer
Training logical thought train. They wish to hair split
everything down to tiny, manageable pieces of "liability" which
TOTALLY IGNORES the MASSIVE Mens Rea in all planning and
execution of activities in the corporate world. The Court system
REFUSES to ASSUME that corporations are, by definition, GUILTY
until proven innocent. Corporations have a "guilty mind" because
their charter DEMANDS they eschew ethics in order to attain
profits.
This hair splitting plays into the hands of lawyers because they
have more to argue about and thus charge more for their services
and thus limit a large portion of the population to NOT BEING
ABLE TO AFFORD their services. The corporations (actually, the
wealthy individuals that run the corporations - the whole
"limited liability" SCAM is all about legal IRRESPONSIBILITY)
HAVE the power and the money so it serves THEM well. This
corrupt, self reinforcing loop of money chasing power and
shafting the poor degrades democracy and accelerates total
fascist tyranny over the masses.
The end result is a Court System that is INCAPABLE (by design,
NOT by accident of some "overlooked" flaw) of administering
justice but coats all their pro-corporate skullduggery with the
color of law (look what [i]"color of law" means to understand
that statement I just made[/i]. ;)).
Snippet 1:
[quote]Oil spills leave more than an environmental mess in their
wake. They usually leave a mess of litigants and court dockets
jammed with lawsuits filed by private and public parties, making
claims for damages based upon a myriad of theories of
liability.'[/quote]
Snippet 2:
[quote].. this comment focuses almost exclusively on the
litigation between the numerous plaintiffs who suffered injuries
as a result of the spill and the defendant Exxon. 15 Although
this paper focuses on Exxon, it is important to note that
plaintiffs filed suit against other defendants who played a role
in the tragedy. 16 Despite these other suits, the
plaintiffs'primarily focused their efforts on Exxon.[/quote]
[quote][color=purple][size=12pt]Snippet 3:
The analysis in Part II discusses the strategies chosen by the
plaintiffs for pursuing their cases against Exxon, their goals,
and the strengths and weaknesses of their choices.
Part III consists of two parts:
Section A discusses the substantive and procedural tools used by
Exxon to minimize the number of plaintiffs proceeding with
claims and their ultimate results;
Section B analyzes Exxon's use of settlements, particularly with
the governments of Alaska and the United States to limit its
liability to private parties.
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Part IV describes Exxon's numerous post-trial motions and
appeals as well as allegations by plaintiffs that Exxon is using
delay tactics to avoid payment. :( >:(
Finally, the conclusion to this paper contains a general
analysis of how the court system performed ;D in handling this
complex environmental litigation. ;)[/size][/color][/quote]
Snippet 4:
[quote]THE PLAINTIFFS GATHER: MAY WE BE HEARD?
The litigants ... are as varied as the species of wildlife in
Prince William Sound.17
The Exxon Valdez litigation began with more than 52,000
plaintiffs and 84 law firms filing more than 200 suits in both
state and federal court in the first year alone. While the army
of plaintiffs
were allies against a common enemy, they also had competing
interests. Specifically, the plaintiffs were in disagreement on
whether to proceed as individual claimants or to implement
representative litigation through class certification. Those in
favor of representative litigation believed it was the most
effective way to combat a deep-pocket defendant like Exxon on
behalf of plaintiffs who would otherwise lack the resources to
pursue their claims. The plaintiffs favoring individualism
through the pursuit of their own claims argued that
representative litigation would be inefficient, take longer, and
would deny them their constitutional right to the counsel of
their choice.19
HTML http://www.desismileys.com/smileys/desismileys_0293.gif
Exxon, for its part, argued that "certification would
unnecessarily complicate the case, lead to logistical and
paperwork problems, and allow for frivolous claims. "20° Exxon
wanted to continue their ongoing [color=brown]claims-settlement
program which had already paid a total of $235 million to about
10,500 claimants.2' 17. Swisher,[/color][/quote]
Agelbert NOTE: Right off the bat, we have plaintiffs approaching
the COURT SYSTEM from the assumption that there is more justice
for a "deep pocketed" adversary than not. This is prima facie
evidence of a DYSFUNCTIONAL COURT SYSTEM.
If the Court system WAS functional, the constitutionally
protected individual approach would be the obvious choice to
obtain justice, rather than mass litigation.
Exxon hemmed and hawed about "frivolous" lawsuits and such
because they were persuing a divide and counquer strategy
through individual settlements (out of court, if possible).
Exxon's legalese LIE that "certification would unnecessarily
complicate the case, lead to logistical and paperwork problems,
and allow for frivolous claims. " was part of it's ethics free
efforts to AVOID liabiliity.
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Snippet 5:
[quote]Another reason representative litigation was the better
choice for the plaintiffs in the Valdez litigation was because
litigating against Exxon meant litigating against one of the
world's largest corporations.43 Representative litigation
enables plaintiffs to combine resources-a more effective way for
individuals with limited funds to do battle against a
deep-pocket defendant with seemingly limitless resources. For
example, as of March 1999, Exxon spent more than $300 million in
legal fees and appears willing to spend whatever it takes to
litigate the matter through every possible level.44[/quote]
Agelbert NOTE: More evidence that the so-called "day in court"
that the Court System "guarantees" is a polite, but cruel,
fiction. As above, MONEY, not justice or ethics, dictated the
approach to REPRESENTATIVE (i.e. class action scattergun mass
settlement). Even though Exxon made some noises about not
wanting "certification" of classes for damage awards, in a mass
settlement award, The CHIEF benefactor is the corporation being
sued because its legal fees are much reduced AND its liability
is GAURANTEED to be limited by the settlement. That is NOT
justice.
And I find it absolutely insulting for an attorny to claim
representative litigation is BETTER because a Corporation CANNOT
BE EASILY BANKRUPTED by the "Race to the Courthouse" of many
litigants. Say WHAT? So now, all of a sudden, the guilty party
has to be PROTECTED if it is a large corporation, REGARDLESS of
the damages? MORE PROOF of what our Court System is REALLY all
about:
[quote]Representative litigation in a case of this magnitude may
also have the advantage of preventing a race to the courthouse
for a limited fund. Parties might fear that their interests will
be impaired by other plaintiff's judgments. Exxon's company
profits for the year of the spill exceeded $4 billion.45 While
it is true that Exxon had tremendous economic strength, by
September 1991,
252 private lawsuits were filed seeking a total of $59
billion.46
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/tissue.gif[/quote]
Agelbert NOTE: The counselor is concerned about all those
lawsuits. Isn't that rich! Race to the Courthouse!!? Hello? You
mean judges can't prioritize damages awards? You mean Courts
cannot group lawsuits under one large umbrella? That's BS! I
know they can! See the massive RIP OFF minuscule award to the
Navajoes ($150,000) from Uranium mining.
NOW, all of a sudden, the "day in Court" for ANYONE who suffered
damages that our COURT SYSTEM is SUPPOSEDLY BASED ON in order to
provide JUSTICE on an INDIVIDUAL BASIS
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/ugly004.gif,
has to take second
fiddle to CONCERN for bankrupting a GUILTY AS SIN corporation or
a more agile plaintiff getting all the money than the late
coming, but better deserving plaintiff!!? Is this guy for REAL?
People DIED, animals DIED, nature was contaminated and people
and animals are STILL suffering and dying from this but the
LAWYER now claims that a REPRESNTATIVE settlement is a "Better
deal" for the PLAINTIFFS (LOL!).
Soberly, he pulls out the legal FACT that punitive damages are
designed to punish, not destroy. Yes that is true. That's why
Exxon lawyers sought to avoid "compensatory" damages like the
plague and agreed to a "punitive" damages type settlement. But
our crocodile tear crying counselor does not mention that minor
detail until he calls it a "victory" for Exxon further down. So
this is a GAME? ??? It's about WINNERS AND LOSERS, not Ubi jus
ibi remedium? ???
At any rate, that is an ADMISSION that, though the lawyer
doesn't want to go there
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-200714191258.bmp,<br
/> even though people, animals and nature were DESTROYED, the
COURT SYSTEM cannot asset strip a corporation to the last penny,
if need be, to provide an equitable damages award.
[quote]
Even an economic giant like Exxon could be slain and bankrupted
by massive litigation.
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/tissue.gif<br
/>
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/shame.gif
Thus, the possibility
of a race for the courthouse suggests that representative
litigation is a better approach for plaintiffs in environmental
disasters of this magnitude To this end, the certification of a
mandatory punitive damages class was also appropriate. After
all, punitive damages are designed to punish and not to destroy.
Courts have found that excessive damages awards can be a
violation of a defendant's due process rights. These
constitutional concerns could have come into play if Exxon had
suffered unlimited multiple punishments.
47[/quote]
Agelbert NOTE: SURE... The old "Courts have found" TRICK.
Violation of the defendant's "due process rights" is code speech
for limiting a corporation's LIABILITY under LEGALESE color of
law. WHO, EXACTLY, decides, boys and girls, what an "excessive
damages award" IS, anyway?
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-301014182447.gif.<br
/>
RIGHT! The JUDGE, not the jury! So this baloney about "excessive
damages award threat" being a logical and practical reason to go
the representative litigation route is pure sophistry. I am
certain a study of the stare decisis involving "excessive
damages awards" is 100% about CORPORATE defendants getting
coddled by the judge while the individual plaintiff gets the
shaft. "Due Process", MY ARSE!
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/swear1.gif
This ROT in or system goes back, once again , to the "limited
liability" FICTION so loved by fascists the world over. So we
have a logical train of thought here that claims Exxon has lots
of money so it is prudent and practical to do representative
litigation even though our legal system is "based on individual
litigation". That is followed by the more "prudence" about
individuals not having the money to go at it individually and
the, really ridiculous, rationale that some individuals might
have such "small" damages that they wouldn't "bother" to sue
because the legal costs won't make it "worth their while".
WTF!? It's OBVIOUS that individuals in a damages lawsuit SHOULD
have ALL legal costs paid by the losing party! Exxon was GUILTY
from day one. The only thing to discuss was the damages, period.
It should have been ASSUMED that all the plaintiffs' legal fees
would be the responsibility of Exxon. But that's not how our
DYSFUNCTIONAL COURT SYSTEM "works". So this lawyer is doing some
"practical and prudent" pretzel logic to "justify"
representative class action even though it A) will reduce the
per person damages and B) the legal costs to Exxon while not
helping the plaintiffs with THEIR legal costs AT ALL! >:(
Snippet 6:
[quote]Unlike its resistance to the certification of plaintiffs'
classes for compensatory damages, Exxon pursued and supported
class certification for punitive damages. Exxon scored a big
victory by getting a non-opt-out mandatory class for punitive
damages. Thus, there would be only one trial for punitive
damages to defend and no possibility for multiple punishments.
This would reduce Exxon's litigation expenses and, more
importantly, limit their exposure to punitive damages.[/quote]
Agelbert NOTE: So Exxon pulled the fast one on the plaintiffs by
getting "punitive", rather than "compensatory" damages. See what
the counselor said about "punitive" awards are to punish, not to
destroy according to the law. Ethics free Exxon and its ethics
free lawyers KNOW how the Court System "works". So it goes.
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To be continued: 8)
#Post#: 2124--------------------------------------------------
Re: Fossil Fuels: Degraded Democracy and Profit Over Planet Poll
ution
By: AGelbert Date: October 30, 2014, 11:10 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote]"How could we ever have imagined that the companies could
turn water into sickness?” says Criollo, now 60. “When the
drilling started, the oil stuck to our bodies. We cooked with
poisoned water. Our children drank from the river. We were told
it was safe.” [/quote]
[img width=640
height=440]
HTML http://www.takepart.com/sites/default/files/styles/feature_article_hero/public/AZ_TP2Hero3.jpg?itok=7daYwZGA[/img]
Meet the Amazon Tribespeople Who Beat Chevron in Court [img
width=060
height=055]
HTML http://www.emofaces.com/png/200/emoticons/fingerscrossed.png[/img]—but<br
/>Are Still Fighting for Clean Water
With the judgment in their favor tied up in a New York
courtroom,
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-200714191329.bmp
indigenous residents of Ecuador's oil-polluted rainforest are
going back to basics.
Excellent photos and informative article on one more place and
PEOPLE the fossil fuelers have DESPOILED for profit over planet
at link below. These brave people ARE NOT waiting for lawyers.
They know how that "works". They also have learned the hard
lesson that oil companies are always trying to keep them
dependent to the oil companies.
[quote]
What they wanted was clean water. And they wanted to control it
at the source. They told Anderson they were tired of being
dependent on the duplicitous oil firms, which ran their
communities as part reservation, part company town. >:([/quote]
HTML http://www.takepart.com/feature/2014/10/30/amazon-tribes-chevron-lawsuit-ecuador-oil-pollution
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