Soul Snatcher Productions ™ & Law Library ****************- Democracy Wall -***************

A cyberwar is brewing, and Anonymous reprisal attacks on HBGary Federal shows how deep the war goes.

Click HERE for link to military digital complex secret war.

The Adage monster is still twitching and may come back to life.

Blood Sucking Corporation

Tom Duponty, Adage’s PR rep, asserts public opinion has nothing to do with the decision to abandon ship. That’s no surprise. From the outset, Adage demonstrated it viewed residents as annoying irritants or obstacles to its profits.

Port Commissioner Jay Hupp is on record as stating area resources were there for him and his clients to get their hands on while denying he had any responsibility for the welfare of the community.

Mr. Duponty admitted Adage was searching for a buyer to assume its position.  ORCAA’s Gorden Lance opined his agency was inclined to grant the permit application Adage (et al) had submitted. Tim Sheldon reportedly argues Mason County is still a good fit for BioMassacre. A great deal of infrastructure expense has been committed toward that end in Mason County. What to do? How to irrevocably seal the monster’s coffin so neither it nor a surrogate (Simpson?) can again terrorize the community?

An Indecent Proposal:

CCMC is in the midst of a legal battle with the Port of Shelton and Adage in the Washington State Courts appellate system. A brief is soon due from CCMC’s attorney, Mr. Bricklin.  Adage/Port of Shelton must respond to prevail. But having chosen to abandon the field of battle, Adage is now more interested in recouping its losses. The Port of Shelton attorney, Skip Houser, may be inadequate to the task of appellate litigation. And there’s the question of Port finances in defending against the same.

The obvious solution is to make the extra effort to irrevocably drive a wooden stake through the monster’s heart NOW while it is in retreat. SPEND the $ needed to do so through the current appeals process.

What is at issue (legally) before the courts is whether the Port of Shelton erred by granting a fundamentally certain lease option to Adage before allowing the SEPA process to run its course, thereby ensuring Port Commissioners were fully informed of the environmental impacts and threats to the welfare of the community. CCMC may be in a better position to demand a stipulated settlement from the Port and Adage while they’re low on ga$…or to prevail outright. Should CCMC prevail, this could preclude an alternate’s offer tendered to Adage to bail it out and assume its place. The times to strike hard is when the enemy is in disarray and weak–NOW!

Once a judgment favoring residents is in hand, it will diminish the attractiveness of County Commissioner Tim Sheldon’s public invitation for new BioMassacre suitors. Perhaps Japan will serve as an object lesson to the appellate judges who hear this case involving hazards to the public and environment. After all, its unreasonable to believe the legislature anticipated all the dire consequences so many years in advance of Adage’s creation. This strategy is an important component of timing and building momentum toward removing the culpable officials from office.

Hey, hey–spread the news. We just lost the biomass blues!

Adage is DEAD!

Adage has withdrawn its proposal to proceed with BioMassacre in Mason County…states no market for its ‘product’.

Port Commissioner Tom Wallitner confirmed, early this morning, Adage has abandoned its proposal to set up its BioMassacre shop in Mason County. Adage has claimed in a prepared statement the market for its product was insufficient to warrant its investment outlay.

Commissioner Wallitner expressed disbelief that carbon credits had been the driving force behind Adage’s proposal all along, that generating electricity was a transparent fig leaf obscuring Dupe Energy’s true agenda. Now, with a critical Washington State official (Peter Goldmark) publicly on board in opposition to this scheme, the Emporer’s New Clothing has been revealed: Adage was naked!

With the Thurston County moratorium on biomass permits, that makes 2 down and 1 to go in the immediate vicinity of Shelton.

Commissioner Wallitner claimed credit for the Port in bringing about this result due to the ‘stringent terms’ of the contract they negotiated with Adage. Legal expenses and demonstrated community hostility to Adage’s proposal may have had more to do with it abandoning its plans. Peter Goldmark (the elected head of Washington’s DNR) publicly expressed opposition to the scale of Adage’s proposal, portending an inadequate fuel supply for the planned BioMassacre.

Regardless of the details, a celebration of the power of grass roots is in order.  Tell yer ma, tell yer pa, tell all your friends and neighbors, not only in this community but in those others facing similar monsters. Surrounding communities should be invited to the celebration.

Adage Quits

p.s.  Some smug liberals hold the Republican Party in very poor esteem for a variety of reasons–some are persuasive.  But the problems associated with BioMassacre went all the way to the top including the Obama administration throwing money at corporations like Adage in the name of ‘cap and trade’ (carbon credits).  Without the promised federal largess, Adage couldn’t have been drug here kicking and screaming.  Now, with conservatives taking a bigger share of Congress, the federal pork has begun to dry up–hence Adage’s new found reluctance to pursue what was always a bad business model except for the taxpayer furnished dollars they were counting on.

MORAL: A balance of viewpoints is healthy for the democratic process (including those with which you disagree), and, the race goes not to the swift, but the strong!

Adage get its just dessert in the end

ONCE BY THE PACIFIC

...and He set His bow in the sky as a sign of His promise...

The shattered water made a misty din.

Great waves looked over others coming in,

And thought of doing something to the shore

That water never did to land before.

The clouds were low and hairy in the skies,

Like locks blown forward in the gleam of eyes.

You could not tell, and yet it looked as if

The shore was lucky being backed by cliff,

The cliff in being backed by continent;

It looked as if a night of dark intent

Was coming, and not only a night, an age.

Someone had better be prepared for rage.

There would be more than ocean-water broken

Before God’s last Put out the Light was spoken.

-R. Frost-

Melt Down

Concerned Citizens of Mason County attempts to muzzle reporter:

Fran's Power-Point

CCMC, a non-profit corporation chartered to deal with the BioMassacre threat to area residents, held an informational meeting and fund raising drive at the Shelton Civic Center at 6:30pm this Wednesday, 3-9-11.  As usual, yours truly arrived about 15 minutes late to cover the event, so the small room already contained those seated attendees interested in hearing Fran Prescott’s presentation on recent events affecting the Adage proposal so roundly criticized by the community.  Accordingly, this reporter set up camera and tripod adjacent to a side door near the front of the room containing perhaps 5 dozen people in order to document/photograph the public as well as the presenters.

Laura Lewis - Jack Miles

Gonzo journalism was the order of the evening (with apologies to Hunter S. Thompson) while what began as a typically pedestrian civics exercise almost became a brawl in the wake of heated confrontations and exchanges of fighting words.  Unfortunately, no drugs were involved and we were nowhere near Barstow. Still, with a measure of profanity laced confrontations mixed with the asserted vulnerability of elderly grandmothers thrown in, it’s difficult to know where to begin.  Perhaps chronologically will do?

Theresa Jacobson discussed BioMassacre

Beth McBain recently yielded the chairmanship of the CCMC to Fran Prescott due to demands on her time conflicting with keeping Beth’s business running as her family’s primary earner.  So Fran was new to her role as chair and it’s unclear what position Theresa Jacobson holds as an officer in the non-profit. Both were at the head of the room conducting the meeting.

Beth McBain, outgoing chair of CCMC

Commissioner Miles listens to constituents

As Fran worked her way through her slide/power-point presentation displayed on the wall, it seemed there was a free flow of questions and answers befitting an effort to rally community support. Interestingly, after her slide show, Fran explained CCMC was interested in focusing on the larger polluter (Adage) rather than Simpson. This logic is suspect due to the dirtier older unmonitored stack Simpson currently utilizes in the heart of downtown Shelton. Fran went on to describe how Simpson was an acceptable part of the community, unlike Adage, and was a major provider of jobs (no longer true–Fran hasn’t done her homework and is reacting to old cliche’s) rather than the filthy dirty anachronism it has become.

Fran Prescott, incoming chair of CCMC

Adage is now in a position to allege xenophobia and NIMBY politics, not to mention the question of environmental social justice not given the poorer segments of the community who live near the Simpson plant. The wealthier contributors tend to live closer (or downwind) from the proposed Adage site. So a non-profit (CCMC) created to challenge the corruption of politics by corporate money is seen (by this logic) to be tailoring its own suit using whole cloth derived from the same warp and weave. For a moment, Fran sounded all too much like Brenda Hirschi in this regard. Give money to CCMC at the expense of poorer residents who continue to breathe shit?..and with accolades to Simpson from Fran, no less?

This bigotry is at the very root of why CCMC officers condone harassment of an unaffiliated reporter at large whose editorial policies they question. They’re convinced they’re targeting an easy mark…for the same reason downtown residents receive the dirty end of the stick…elitism–not that there aren’t those below the poverty level who’d love to trade places and lick whatever boots necessary to transition there. The poor often are gulled by myths of social mobility. And too often they give up the simple dignity of the poor for the illusion of acceptance by the swells.

The feel-good give and take appeared to continue throughout the meeting although yours truly noted a certain glowering in Theresa Jacobson’s countenance spotted at previous community events. Given Theresa’s obvious brilliance and activism, it was hoped there was nothing personal in it…ahh, but how sharper than a serpent’s tooth. This was nothing but personal, as it turned out, no matter how incongruous that seemed. Schoolyard politics were rife only inches below the surface.

Solidarity & Networking counts for more than egos or $

There was some whining, as the meeting wore on and questions were fielded, about the lack of ‘media coverage’ from the likes of The Journal and KMAS.  Although the observation that WE ARE THE MEDIA today was interjected in response, Theresa Jacobson and Fran Prescott shamelessly allowed one eyed Gary to bully yours truly for photographing the event. Ms. Prescott added this blog’s reporting of names as justification for the objection along with ‘preying’ on helpless old ladies. Most members of the media just can’t resist preying on helpless old ladies or subpoenaing them to court proceedings as material witnesses.  Pat Vandehey comes to mind only because she feigned amnesia when asked to testify to an assault she witnessed committed by ‘mad dog’ outside a Mason County courtroom on 12-13-10 and could (from mere appearances) be construed as a little old lady. She’s the same little old lady that groused about Beth McBain during her tenure as chair. Pat and Fran spend time talking.

THE 'little old lady' in question?

Fran invites strategies of obscurity over transparency. It would have been more productive if Fran had been more genuine about just which ‘old ladies’ she was referencing. But that might have required listening and openness…something CCMC claims it wants from our elected officials. One wonders how keen an ear CCMC itself would have were it holding the reins.

Community Youth (Erik Soper) learn about BioMassacre & Grass Roots

Theresa Jacobson first came to light less than a year ago when she challenged yours truly during the setting up of microphones and a video camera in preparation to cover that event featuring Dr. Greg Helms at the very same Shelton Civic Center. After being asked, “Who gave you permission to tape this event?” she was told, “Duff Badgley.” She temporarily retreated then returned with Duff in tow and insisted no taping take place. When the fair number of other video cameras present in the large gathering were pointed out and she was asked if it was something ‘personal’, she responded the presenters didn’t know who Duff had invited and were uncomfortable.  Theresa was informed in blunt terms, given the public nature & forum of the event, it would be recorded regardless. Subsequently, Theresa ran a spirited campaign for the position of PUD #3 commissioner and lost.

Mr & Mrs John Cox attend CCMC info meeting

As an aside, in the wake of so many dedicated candidates who supported the community view on BioMassacre having been soundly defeated, Kathryn Price wondered out loud in a reflective post how such genuinely intelligent hopefuls could fare so badly at the polls.  She criticized those who were more comfortable with a candidate like Jerry Lingle and a glass of beer than the somewhat thoughtful but brittle Brenda Hirschi. Brenda’s opined take was the community had little choice between her and Jerry. The voters demonstrated their choice was big enough to make a difference. Similarly, voters chose Linda Gott over Theresa despite Ms Jacobson’s spunk and dedication to such an important issue as BioMassacre. Perhaps the collective wisdom concluded a righteous cause won’t substitute for or displace an egotistical attitude in the candidate–something apparent in both women correctly aligned with those opposed to BioMassacre. Arguably, neither could have overcome a reluctance to communicate evenly or an inability to negotiate through civil discourse/dialog. You don’t have to have a college education, collectively, to recognize the candidate seeking your vote is likely to be an asshole in office. We have too many fitting that description holding office now.

Bob & Mary Chilton, goatherd, attend CCMC info meeting

Despite their many cardinal and egregious sins, the local elected villains of BioMassacre have never attempted to stop coverage of public events as have some of the better known BioMassacre radicals like those cited.

Kathryn Price (behind) listens to man speak out at CCMC event

Immediately following the CCMC sponsored meeting, Theresa approached. She had been talking to a one-eyed man named Gary who will be quoted below.  Theresa expressed irritation and disapproval regarding questions asked from behind the camera near the front of the room.  She went on to say they were inappropriate because, she asserted, some might confuse the questioner with ‘authority’ from the CCMC.  She was reminded the community needed as much calcium for those with backbones as it could get. She leveraged her argument by claiming some questions were asked out of turn. When reminded there were many such that came from the midst of those seated, she reasoned the few coming from behind the camera were more objectionable because it was too near the sacrosanct seating of those in the CCMC chairing the meeting at one end of the room.

One Eyed Gary picks fight & bullies photographer anonymously

In a good faith effort to maintain civility at a community event, Theresa was offered the explanation it was important to stay near the camera capturing the images of the meeting. She suggested the camera could have been set up in the BACK of the room (that seemed important to her) although it was pointed out this would have revealed little but the backs of people’s heads. She had little to add but was informed 1st Amendment guarantees would be aggressively cherished. The conflicting views about the same had come full circle right back to where they began a year earlier, and in the very same place. Then Gary, the one eyed man (he refused to give/repeat his name), approached with a chip on his shoulder. His profanity laced belligerency didn’t daunt him a bit when asked his name. “None of your business!” he retorted.  All he wanted known was his dislike and largess.

Carol Hepburn, dance studio business owner attends CCMC meeting

Gary was full of invective, profanity, accusing yours truly of being ‘obnoxious’ and worse. He announced he had given large sums of money to the cause for which we had gathered and would refuse to attend any events where yours truly was present or to give any more money for his favored purpose. This was a transparent effort to marshal support from those he viewed as eager to receive such sums.  He complained bitterly of the pictures having been taken and those acquired at the public 1-31-11 ORCAA hearing at the Shelton Civic Center as well.  He appeared nonplused to the response (sans profanity) offered explaining how the 1st Amendment bore on such objections.

I want that hat!

Fran’s Hyperbole:

Following this round of nose thumbing, Fran Prescott was asked to discuss the issue due to her position as chair of the CCMC and the many preceding telephone conversations. Theresa attempted to join in but was dismissed. Any expectations of solidarity or collegiality were quickly dashed by Fran.  The big surprise came when Fran invoked the ‘little old lady’ red herring. She glibly asserted the reason elderly grandmothers and little old ladies weren’t coming to meetings was due to yours truly taking pictures AND posting ‘names’ on this blog, that THEY WERE AFRAID. She went on to allege that these seniors were being PREYED on. When asked if that was the key word she wanted to use and given an opportunity to select another, she insisted it was the one she wished to apply. But when told that all aspects and remarks during/after the meeting would be published, she forbade being quoted. Her tone & demeanor became mean, hostile, and threatening. Fran acidly demanded to know if yours truly thought he had some God Given Right!?  When told, “Yes,”  she ordered/demanded not to be quoted. She was reminded such had never been a given unless confidentiality was sought and agreed to in advance.

(Fran and friend’s BS is typical of the kind of tactic seen so often in male vs. female krap. The woman feigns fear to gain advantage or, as in the case of ‘Mad Dog’, is suffering from mental illness with paranoia being one of the symptoms.)

[Advice to budding/aspiring journalists: Keep the subjects of your story at a proper distance, avoiding the entanglements that come with familiarity…as it invites contempt and presumptuousness. You can’t be an effective reporter and your subject’s “buddy”.]

Fran then stated she would share NO further information/news and would accept no phone calls. Some residents have been aware of and objected to the allegedly secretive strategy of CCMC operatives. While such confidentiality can arguably be defended, here the tactic was threatened without qualification. Gary presumed (perhaps correctly) that his largess gave him license. But some are uncomfortable with this logic and have said so. (Perhaps CCMC has become too petty to be effective?) An equally powerful (perhaps more so) argument can be made for transparency. Stealth certainly doesn’t lend itself to edifying the larger community. Contributions for attorney fees are helpful, but ultimately the public will be left to itself after those funds are spent.  However, what is invested in the citizens themselves cannot be taken/destroyed. More emphasis/money should be put/spent educating our neighbors, Fran’s pique notwithstanding.

Woman gasps when told of new law permitting burning of sludge/sewage

Following this trio of confrontations and unlikely assertions, several older women were asked if they had been frightened by the taking of photographs at the various events. None asked confirmed Fran’s assertions.

Tom Davis behind John Cox attends CCMC info meeting

The fact of the matter is, ~85% of those attending these meetings have been senior women, grandmothers, who have been doing most of the heavy lifting and had the strongest language for their elected officials. Little could be more admirable or inspiring. This story is being spelled out in our midst and receiving national attention. This community blog will continue to tell that story and those who are part of it.  It will not succumb to threats, intimidation, or demands to do otherwise or to seek editorial control over how that story and its component events are covered.

Christine Armond & John Cox, Tom Davis, Kathryn Price, et ux

Others have attempted to chill the environment for open reporting or criticism without much success, including the talented, locally notorious but mentally ill Shawnie Vedder when she censored an article covering Brenda Hirschi’s candidacy on her blog.  That article ended up here with further comments about the censorship.  It can be found by searching this blog.

'Mad Dog' Shawnie at public CCMC info event

As always, this blog remains true to its promise to cover ALL the news without editing out the uncomfortable parts, hiding the identity of community participants, or shielding candidates worthy of criticism. Yes, that will include names (when thought relevant), pictures, and refusal to yield to external attempts to censure or control editorial policy/coverage. Some have tried to compromise this community blog by marginalization, specious legal assaults, and even the poisoning of 2 Nubian bucks (mushrooms) and the vandalizing of a mailbox.

...Certain inalienable rights: We hold these truths to be self evident.

This blog reflects a passion for the principles on which America was founded. Those who would pervert these principles are toe jam. There will be NO ‘toning it down’ in defending such principles and holding those who would destroy them accountable.  If you are one who cannot abide these ideals, then go back home to the rock you crawled from, lick the hands of those who feed you, and we will try to forget you were once our countrymen.

Ill tempered Gary becomes part of the 'story'

Open Observation to Theresa & Fran, et al:

Jay Hupp and Tim Sheldon may be greedy bastards and slobs wanting to profit from pollution of the environment, but you guys are control freak Nazis with no respect for civil rights or American values.  I can’t decide which, morally, is worse. But you do remind me that Hitler was a vegetarian.

Possible factors contributing to self delusion in arrogant control freaks & elected officials (Vanity makes them stupid?)

The Photographer’s Rights

Mike Dorsey fires Monty Cobb; Retaliatory Politics Reigns as usual:

After longtime Mason County prosecutor Gary Burleson announced his retirement, Michael Dorsey and Monty Cobb chose to run for election to the position. Mr. Dorsey prevailed in that electoral contest and assumed the position as Mason County Prosecutor. Not so long after the fact, he fired the eminently qualified and philosophically constructive Monty Cobb (who is now collecting unemployment benefits), apparently for having opposed him while running for election, though he’d be quick to reach for a more palatable excuse. A number of others were fired contemporaneously. Curiously, all had supported Monty Cobb in his bid for the prosecutor’s post.

Disturbingly, Monty reveals (had he won) he would have required Mr. Dorsey’s exit. He went on to observe this kind of ‘tit for tat’ politics is not unusual…especially among attorneys. Yours truly believes it ought to be! In fact, there oughta be a law.  The fact there isn’t invites this kind of retaliation where the arbiter of alleged campaign ethics violations goes to the winner, arguably a party with distinct conflicts of interest and self serving reasons in such a scenario.

The trouble with this all too human state of retaliation for alleged campaign excesses is the chilling effect it has on the choice of candidates to run a spirited campaign for office, or, indeed, to run at all.  The recent election for Mason County Sheriff comes to mind. Many elected judges run unopposed because area attorneys fear retaliation, should they lose, when filing motions before these same judges. Not only does this undermine our democracy and the political process, clients end up having their access to the courts effectively reduced if not eliminated. This kind of abuse of the democratic system MUST STOP. Citizens are urged to hold their elected officials accountable for this kind of abuse. In the end, it is the public that receives the greater injury.  Politics is entirely too vital to be left to the politicians.

“Charge a man with one misdemeanor, and all his peccadilloes are raked up and assorted before him.” -Herman Melville-

Mason County Sheriff’s Deputy Danielle Rickards arrested Port of Shelton Commissioner Jack Miles for DUI early Sunday morning, 2-27-11.  The police report noted Jack Miles blew a field breathalyzer reading of 0.184, over double the legal (0.080) limit. The deputy’s report also noted plainly visible skid marks crossing the oncoming lane ending at the Oldsmobile resting over the embankment which Jack admitted he’d been driving. Commissioner Miles is insulin dependent (diabetic) and was chewing gum according to Deputy Rickards.  She reported smelling a moderate amount of alcohol from Mr. Miles.

Commissioner Miles released a statement expressing confidence he would be exonerated, and asking residents to allow full Due Process before reaching any final conclusions about the incident.  Much of that may hinge on symptoms associated with diabetes and the side effects of medication to treat it.

Regardless of the outcome, yours truly is compelled to ask certain material questions regarding Commissioner Miles’ bid for reelection to the Port of Sheldon board:

Should the community support Jack in his bid for reelection for having stood by it in resisting the Adage BioMassacre proposal, or condemn him for putting the public at risk while driving under the influence? Are the two positions incompatible? Does the community have a better alternative at this time? Is Dick Taylor a better alternative to Jack?

Perhaps the last question is the easiest to field.  Currently, Dick Taylor is the ONLY alternative to Jack, and will be unless someone else decides to enter the race.  Mr. Taylor is eagerly supported by Commissioner Jay Hupp (and associates) though reveals a distinct lack of perspicacity about current Port of Shelton controversies when questioned. Although Dick Taylor, a local business owner, has had prior experience as an elected official, he seems decidedly uninformed about what many in the community have taken time to learn regarding how their Port is being run and its inevitable impact on residents. Mr. Taylor is beyond the age most folks look to for retirement.  During a recent interview, he seemed tired and unfocused.  His knee-jerk support of Adage is likely the primary basis for the encouragement he’s received from Jay Hupp & associates.

The first two questions are more difficult.  Many regard Bill Clinton as having done a credible job as US President despite his indiscretions.  JFK remains beloved and the largest number of applications for the Peace Corps followed the day of his assassination.  Dr. Martin Luther King is known to have been flawed as a philanderer. Ghandi was said to have been a better father to his country than his family.  Mayor Barry was reelected to office despite the sting operation conducted against him in a Washington, D.C. hotel room. Governor Lowery once admitted to a packed room of his constituents that he’d been getting into trouble since he was a kid and being governor hadn’t relieved him of his predisposition.  Attendees appeared to forgive and warm to him instantly.

Yes!  Jack remains able and committed to his love for this community and its residents. Few local officials are in a position to cast the first stone.  Jack has demonstrated his desire to lock arms with citizens who have been stonewalled, marginalized, insulted, sneered at, labeled, and ignored by their other local officials.  Commissioner Miles has been a loyal friend to the community in its hour of need when no other official would stand beside us.

Loyal Friends

Jack isn’t perfect.  No politician is.  There are no ‘perfect’ politicians; nor are there any ‘perfect’ voters!  He is flawed.  He is human.  But he has been there, for us, when it counted.  He deserves our support and to be reelected…not so much for his sake, but for ours–especially ours.  His kind of courage doesn’t come along every day.  And he won’t be the last official in our district to make a mistake.  But we’d be foolish to throw the baby out with the bathwater.  Remember that when you consider who you want representing you on the Port of Shelton board.

Friends we can count on

Everybody has heard of Julian Assange and Wikileaks by now.  They’ve read about his extradition to Sweden and the US desire to prosecute him.  The federal government contends it’s because Mr. Assange has compromised the security of the nation by releasing a massive quantity of US diplomatic cables.  The argument for prosecuting a fresh faced US Soldier, Bradley Manning, implicated by convicted hacker Adrian Lamo of providing the material, for a capital offense follows the same rationale.  But a closer examination reveals the true reason private Manning is being used as an example to other potential whistle blowers and facing a life sentence, if convicted.  That motivation is contained in the following embarrassing videos displaying the US military acting in as callous a manner as what BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE documented.  The vicious disregard of human values contained in the videos puts our military in an extremely bad light, but a candid one. The audible remarks made by the soldiers at the scene reveal a shocking indifference to life, even children.  The perpetrators of this kind of collateral murder are returning home to our neighborhoods and workplaces.  We have created a monster!  Julian Assange and Bradley Manning have warned us of this monster in the manner of Daniel Ellsberg’s THE PENTAGON PAPERS.  They should not be punished for having done so. They ought to be congratulated.

Full Video of Collateral Murder

Unedited Video of Collateral Murder

US Soldier Ethan McCord speaks out as to what he witnessed:

TWO Soldiers apologize for their part in the Collateral Murder

2 former US Army soldiers have written an open letter to the people of Iraq. In it Josh Stieber and Ethan McCord apologize for the attack on the van and more broadly for the war in Iraq and what they call the destructive policies of the US Government.

“The Wikileaks video only begins to depict the suffering we have created.”

We are both soldiers who occupied your neighborhood for 14 months. Ethan McCord pulled your daughter and son from the van, and when doing so, saw the faces of his own children back home. Josh Stieber was in the same company but was not there that day, though he contributed to your pain, and the pain of your community on many other occasions.

Amy Goodman Reports

The Plan: Citizens rise up–fight The Power, Corruption

A Matter of RESPECT: Citizens Demonstrate Creative Non-Violent Resistance

The particle size from wood fire/biomass is much smaller than from other combustion processes.

Such fine (PM2.5 and smaller) particulates cannot be effectively filtered out with existing (‘baghouses’ and BACT) technology.  Even worse, the surface area of such particles are disproportionately larger.  This surface area is where toxins such as heavy metals, Dioxin, radioactive isotopes, etc. bind, though the particles themselves give rise to cancer, athma, lung and heart disease as well as diabetes.

Air Date: Week of February 4, 2011 Biomass power plants don’t have visible emissions pouring from their smokestacks, but the wood they burn can release as much carbon dioxide as fossil fuels. (Photo: Mitra Taj) The country is looking for alternatives to fossil fuels, and some power companies are seeing a solution in biomass – electricity from the burning of wood and plant materials. While regulators consider biomass a renewable energy source, some scientists say it could be worse for the climate than coal. Living on Earth’s Mitra Taj reports on the ongoing debate over biomass’ emissions. RealAudio for this Story (Requires RealPlayer) Download this Story (mp3 format) Links Related to this Story

GELLERMAN: It’s Living on Earth, I’m Bruce Gellerman. Generating electricity produces about a third of the nation’s climate changing emissions. Much of that comes from aging coal-fired power plants. Now, for the first time ever, the Environmental Protection Agency is taking steps to stem the flow of greenhouse gases from utilities. But NOT those that come from burning biomass – wood chips, forest waste and other plant material. Biomass is widely considered a renewable energy source, but its green credentials are being called into question. Living on Earth’s Mitra Taj reports. [SQUEAKY NOISE, INDUSTRIAL SOUND UP AND UNDER] TAJ: Not far from the heart of coal country in Virginia, a power plant is busy churning out the kind of energy that lights up your home, eighty mega watts of electricity—enough to meet the needs of about 20,000 households. [GENERATOR NOISE] TAJ: In the boiler room, giant stoves heat water – producing steam – to turn a turbine that creates electricity. It’s the same system that converts fossil fuels into power, but what’s burned here – is wood. [OUTSIDE SOUND, TRUCKS PASSING AND BEEPING] TAJ: Just outside the plant, it smells like cut pine, and truck after truck drives into the yard bearing big loads of little pieces of wood. They’re dumped onto a giant pile that’s fed into the plant’s boilers. HELTON: That’s about seven days of fuel for the plant. TAJ: John Helton is the station manager for this Dominion biomass power plant near a small town called Hurt. The wood chips, he says, are a byproduct of nearby logging operations. Trees that would otherwise be burnt or thrown out as waste come here. HELTON: We’re buying the wood that comes in, and they scale in. It has a barcode system, so it’s automatic, and then they scale out. This is the largest biomass plant in the state, and one of the largest in the country. At Dominion’s Pittsylvania biomass plant in Hurt, Virginia, a truck dumps wood chips into a pile to be burnt to generate electricity. Each truck carries about 22 tons of woody material. (Photo: Mitra Taj) TAJ: Dominion bought it in 2004, and is building another biomass plant in southern Virginia now. Nachy Kanfer of the Sierra Club says biomass has caught the eye of power companies like Dominion that are watching as new regulations on pollution turn their inefficient, coal-fired power plants – into liabilities. KANFER: Coal power is more expensive to run and it’s still just as dirty as before. So, a company like Dominon or like most utilities in this country are looking at their coal fleets and saying—how do we get this coal power offline before it starts really doing damage to our bottom line? So they’re looking at biomass as one possible solution to that. TAJ: With a few fixes, instead of working with dirty coal, a utility can work with trees. Instead of contributing to climate change, it can be part of a clean energy solution. At least, on paper. Most regulators treat biomass as a renewable, but some scientists say it shouldn’t be. After all, carbon dioxide makes up about half of most trees, and burning them releases it. Growing trees back to be big enough to suck up substantial amounts of carbon takes decades, and that’s if they’re replanted at all. Mary Booth, a carbon cycling scientist with the Massachusetts Environmental Energy Alliance, says in practice biomass can be worse than coal. BOOTH: Trees and forests are really our best defense against climate change right now. Forests currently sequester a large proportion of greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels right now, so cutting those forests and burning them and liquidating that carbon into the atmosphere makes no sense at all from a climate change perspective. TAJ: The key to whether biomass can be truly renewable is whether the wood burned in power plants would go to waste anyway. If a logging or pulpwood company burns its waste wood as trash or lets it decompose, it’s already emitting carbon dioxide. So no harm done from using the material for electricity. No additional emissions to the atmosphere. But there are no federal regulations that require biomass come from waste wood, and even if there were…. BOOTH: The definition of what is to be considered waste wood is really in the eye of the beholder. And we’re seeing a lot of things defined as waste wood that might otherwise not be considered to be that. TAJ: Biomass started as a money saver for the paper and pulp industry in the 1980s. Instead of throwing away woody waste, companies started burning it to save on their electricity bills. But today biomass has become crucial to efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions. More than 20 states mandate utilities supply more renewable electricity. There are state and federal tax credits for renewable energy production – and regional cap-and-trade programs on both coasts discourage CO2 emissions. CLEAVES: It’s widely believed that without biomass we won’t get near our goals. TAJ: Bob Cleaves is the head of the industry-lobbying group the Biomass Power Association. CLEAVES: Take the commonwealth of Massachusetts as an example. Right now biomass is 40 percent of that state’s renewable energy supply, and so if biomass were to go away, that would make it nearly impossible not only to meet future targets but you’d see it would set back the effort to green the country’s energy supply significantly. TAJ: But Mary Booth, who led a study on biomass emissions for the Environmental Working Group, says renewable energy goals mean nothing if emissions aren’t actually reduced. BOOTH: Indeed, it is discouraging to think that a large fraction of the renewable energy that we’ve been promised we can deploy isn’t going to help with our need to reduce carbon emissions but the best tonic for this is just to deal with the reality and go back to the drawing board and redouble our efforts in other arenas. Because the last thing we would want to do is incentivize something as renewable energy that actually makes climate change worse. TAJ: Half of the country’s renewable electricity now comes from biomass. There are about 100 plants generating power from biomass in about 20 states, and consumption of biomass power to more than double by 2020. That biomass is given the same incentives as solar and wind frustrates some environmentalists who fear the growing demand for it won’t just help heat up the planet, it could also wipe out the country’s forests. But Bob Cleaves says that argument doesn’t make any economic sense. Biomass power plants don’t have visible emissions pouring from their smokestacks, but the wood they burn can release as much carbon dioxide as fossil fuels. (Photo: Mitra Taj) CLEAVES: If you were to clear cut forests, causing deforestation, I don’t think anyone thinks that that’s sustainable, and no one would say that’s — quote — carbon neutral. Fortunately, no one does that. It’s not economically rational to take a tree, chip it and burn it in a boiler, because you would never do that from an economic standpoint. And we don’t think the economics are going to change substantially. TAJ: Even in a carbon-constrained future? CLEAVES: Certainly in theory if the country placed a price on carbon that was dramatically different from what people are modeling right now, or if carbon were valued at $100 a ton for example, could that in theory happen? Sure. Do we think it’s going to happen? No. Nor do we encourage it as an industry. TAJ: The EPA says it needs until 2014 to study the science of emissions linked to biomass before deciding how to regulate them. In the meantime, it can issue permits for biomass plants that will be exempt from greenhouse gas regulations in the future. The agency’s decision has pleased the Biomass Power Association, and the more than two-dozen members of Congress who petitioned the EPA in support of the industry. Many are swing votes for the kind of clean energy legislation the Obama administration hopes to pass in this Congress, which could, in turn, give another big boost to biomass. For Living on Earth, I’m Mitra Taj.

For more on Mary Booth’s work on biomass, click here. The Biomass Power Association Learn more about the EPA’s recent biomass decision. Click here to read about how a power company in Ohio backed out of its plans for more biomass.