Saturday, August 30, 2008

Big Dan's Big News August 30, 2008

Sarah Palin: When will the GOP dump her as VP pick???

McCain Campaign Sending Investigators to Alaska to Check Into Palin’s Troopergate: Did these idiots not vet her?

'Troopergate' inquiry lurks

Palin Is a Global-Warming-Denying, Polar-Bear-Dissing, Pat Buchanan Acolyte

...Sarah Palin also opposed designating polar bears as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, fearing that step would get in the way of a proposed natural gas pipeline tapping the North Slope’s vast reserves:

Sarah Palin: "This month, the secretary of the interior is expected to rule on whether polar bears should be listed under the Endangered Species Act. I strongly believe that adding them to the list is the wrong move at this time. My decision is based on a comprehensive review by state wildlife officials of scientific information from a broad range of climate, ice and polar bear experts."

Is the ridiculous Sarah Palin VP nomination a "Rove Head-Fake"?

HERE’S PLUNGER'S TAKE:

This entire Palin selection is a Rovian head fake. It was designed by Rove to accomplish two goals. First and foremost, to take ALL of the air out of the media that the Obama camp was destined to carry into the GOP convention. It did that, in spades. The echo just simply stopped. The news cycle yesterday was absent of any analysis or follow-through on Obama's speech...itself a major coup for Rove. It’s as though the entire media machine stopped speaking of anything “Democratic,” in unison.

Secondly, the (apparent) selection of Palin throws a bone to the Puma's and to women generally…one that McCain doesn’t have to necessarily follow through with, but made for a nice (disingenuous) photo-op.

Third; they're just not that stupid not to have known about the controversy - and her familial requirements and responsibilities (Downs Syndrome newborn to care for). In short, their unbelievable choice is in fact, unbelievable..."a straw-woman."

By the time the convention occurs, news will come out that the GOP's own investigators have determined that, while no proof of wrong doing exists, the mere investigation of it is a distraction that the GOP simply cannot afford so close to the election. As such, the announcement that either Lieberman or Romney have become McCain’s choice will come as a massive relief to the GOP base, and capture the entire news cycle for weeks to come. If Rove thought it would be impossible for a McCain/Lieberman ticket to succeed without some form of trickery, he would have dreamed this up, making Lieberman look good by comparison. All of the push-back will already be out of the system.

He’s pulled these same stunts in the past – like putting Bernie Kerik’s name into nomination only to pull him and install Chertoff as Homeland Security Dictator. Remember when the name of Harriet Miers was put forward for a Supreme Court position? Remember? A fire storm of push back erupted, only to be followed by the swift and easy confirmation of Roberts, who looked like a breath of fresh air BY COMPARISON. THEY ARE GAMING YOU!

If I'm wrong, you'll let me know. If I'm right, you heard it here first. Learn about all the Rovian Stunts and how the evil genius operates here: http://plungerspeaks.blogspot.com


Special commentary by Big Dan: "Sarah Palin is such an 'off-the-charts' ridiculous pick by McCain, there is NO WAY she will be the final GOP VP pick! No way! Something will happen between now and the election, and Sarah Palin will NOT be the GOP VP pick!"

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38 million viewers watched Obama's speech!

Obama's Speech Seen By 38 Million Viewers; More Viewers Than Olympics, Idol, Academy Awards

Gallup Daily: Obama Stretches Lead to 8 Points



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The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill tanker.

Two days before John McCain picked Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska (for less than 2 years btw), for his VP, Exxon/Mobil finally agrees to pay something on their 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. They agree to pay $383 million of the original $5 BILLION judgement against them, which was reduced from $5 billion to $500 million by the Supreme Court in June of this year. I would just like to know exactly what's going on here! The timing here STINKS to high heaven!

So, you're telling me, that no money was dispersed since the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, and then 9 years later and 2 days before McCain picks the governor of Alaska as his VP, Exxon finally decides to disburse $383 million? Do you think I'm stupid? What's going on here?

August 29, 2008, McCain announces VP pick is governor of Alaska.

August 27, 2008: Exxon agrees to pay out 75 percent of Valdez damages

June 26, 2008: Supreme Court Slashes Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Fine to One-Tenth of Original $5 Billion Ruling The Supreme Court handed corporate America a major victory this week when it sharply reduced the amount of money Exxon Mobil has to pay in punitive damages for the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska. An Alaskan jury had initially ruled Exxon should pay five billion dollars in punitive damages but in 2006, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court cut the award of punitive damages in half. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court cut the amount of punitive damages again and ordered Exxon Mobil to pay just $500 million in punitive damages – one tenth of the original jury’s ruling.


Attention: Read this and you won't trust Big Oil to be safe with off-shore drilling!

Greg Palast: The official story is, "Drunken Skipper Hits Reef." But don't believe it, Mr. Souter. Alaska's Native lands and coastline were destroyed by a systematic fraud motivated by profit-crazed penny-pinching.

Here's the unreported story, the one you won't get tonight on the Petroleum Broadcast System:

It begins in 1969 when big shots from Humble Oil and ARCO (now known as Exxon and British Petroleum) met with the Chugach Natives, owners of the most valuable parcel of land on the planet: Valdez Port, the only conceivable terminus for a pipeline that would handle a trillion dollars in crude oil.

These Alaskan natives ultimately agreed to sell the Exxon consortium this astronomically valuable patch of land -- for a single dollar.

The Natives refused cash. Rather, in 1969, they asked only that the oil companies promise to protect their Prince William Sound fishing and seal hunting grounds from oil.

In 1971, Exxon and partners agreed to place the Natives' specific list of safeguards into federal law. These commitments to safety reassured enough Congressmen for the oil group to win, by one vote, the right to ship oil from Valdez.

The oil companies repeated their promises under oath to the US Congress.

The spill disaster was the result of Exxon and partners breaking every one of those promises - cynically, systematically, disastrously, in the fifteen years leading up to the spill.

Forget the drunken skipper fable. As to Captain Joe Hazelwood, he was below decks, sleeping off his bender. At the helm, the third mate would never have collided with Bligh Reef had he looked at his Raycas radar. But the radar was not turned on. In fact, the tanker's radar was left broken and disasbled for more than a year before the disaster, and Exxon management knew it. It was just too expensive to fix and operate.

Read more...

Bobby Kennedy, Jr. with investigative reporter Greg Palast on the upcoming stolen election and the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill:



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