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Segami
Segami's Journal
Segami's Journal
April 5, 2013
Ding,ding,.....the 'RIDER' Monsanto weasel is none other than Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.)
As I reported a couple of weeks ago, a recent Senate bill came with a nice bonus for the genetically modified seed industry: a rider, wholly unrelated to the underlying bill, that compels the USDA to ignore federal court decisions that block the agency's approvals of new GM crops. I explained in this post why such a provision, which the industry has been pushing for over a year, is so important to Monsanto and its few peers in the GMO seed industry. (You can also hear my talking about it on NPR's The Takeaway, along with the senator who tried to stop it, Montana's Jon Tester, and see me on Al Jazeera's Inside Story.)
Which senator pushed the rider into the bill? At the time, no one stepped forward to claim credit. But since then, Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) has revealed to Politico's ace reporter David Rogers that he's the responsible party. Blunt even told Rogers that he "worked with" GMO seed giant Monsanto to craft the rider.
The admission shines a light on Blunt's ties to Monsanto, whose office is located in the senator's home state. According to OpenSecrets, Monsanto first started contributing to Blunt back in 2008, when it handed him $10,000. At that point, Blunt was serving in the House of Representatives. In 2010, when Blunt successfully ran for the Senate, Monsanto upped its contribution to $44,250. And in 2012, the GMO seed/pesticide giant enriched Blunt's campaign war chest by $64,250.
Blunt is also a magnet for PAC money from the agribusiness industry as a whole, OpenSecrets data shows. In 2012, agribiz PACs gave him $51,000—more than any other industry save for finance, insurance, and real estate (FIRE). In 2010, the year of his Senate run, agribiz PACs handed him over $243,000, more than any other besides the FIRE and energy industries.
cont'
http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2013/04/sen-roy-blunt-monsantos-man-washington
WHO Added A RIDER To The AG Bill Telling The USDA To IGNORE JUDGES?
Ding,ding,.....the 'RIDER' Monsanto weasel is none other than Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.)
As I reported a couple of weeks ago, a recent Senate bill came with a nice bonus for the genetically modified seed industry: a rider, wholly unrelated to the underlying bill, that compels the USDA to ignore federal court decisions that block the agency's approvals of new GM crops. I explained in this post why such a provision, which the industry has been pushing for over a year, is so important to Monsanto and its few peers in the GMO seed industry. (You can also hear my talking about it on NPR's The Takeaway, along with the senator who tried to stop it, Montana's Jon Tester, and see me on Al Jazeera's Inside Story.)
Which senator pushed the rider into the bill? At the time, no one stepped forward to claim credit. But since then, Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) has revealed to Politico's ace reporter David Rogers that he's the responsible party. Blunt even told Rogers that he "worked with" GMO seed giant Monsanto to craft the rider.
The admission shines a light on Blunt's ties to Monsanto, whose office is located in the senator's home state. According to OpenSecrets, Monsanto first started contributing to Blunt back in 2008, when it handed him $10,000. At that point, Blunt was serving in the House of Representatives. In 2010, when Blunt successfully ran for the Senate, Monsanto upped its contribution to $44,250. And in 2012, the GMO seed/pesticide giant enriched Blunt's campaign war chest by $64,250.
Blunt is also a magnet for PAC money from the agribusiness industry as a whole, OpenSecrets data shows. In 2012, agribiz PACs gave him $51,000—more than any other industry save for finance, insurance, and real estate (FIRE). In 2010, the year of his Senate run, agribiz PACs handed him over $243,000, more than any other besides the FIRE and energy industries.
cont'
http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2013/04/sen-roy-blunt-monsantos-man-washington
April 5, 2013
But why didn't this 40 story building collapse after being engulfed in flames?.....
The blaze that had engulfed the tallest skyscraper in the North Caucasus region of Russia, has been put out, leaving the building almost completely destroyed. According to information given by local emergency services, the fire that had engulfed the 'Grozny City' skyscraper on Wednesday, was put out in the early hours of Thursday, at 1:30 AM. The blaze has left the 40-floor building in a state of near-complete destruction. The local emergency service said the call about the fire on between the 4th and 5th floors was received at around 18:00 PM local time (14:00 GMT).
According to witnesses’ pictures that immediately started to appear on Twitter, all stories of the building had been covered in flames. At the time there had been reports suggesting that the fire started on the top floor and the bottom floor was on fire as well. All people had managed to leave the 145-meter skyscraper ; one woman was seen to be supported by others, witnesses said. Local police confirmed no one was injured. Fire units and ambulances had arrived at the scene. Nearly 300 people were involved in extinguishing the fire. The area around the Grozny-City complex has been cordoned off.
In two hours the fire had completely engulfed three sides of the skyscraper from top to bottom, as the flames spread rapidly due to the plastic trimming on the building. It had also reached the world's largest clock face, located near the apex of the building. Firefighters had managed to extinguish the flames on the lower floors. However, the fire spread very quickly, making it difficult to tackle the blaze from the ground. Helicopters have been sent from the southern city of Pyatigorsk to help out, but have not received the go-ahead for lift-off.
"We are ready, but the helicopters won't be able to maneuver between the buildings, which are packed tight," said emergency ministry official Aleksandr Barsuk.
http://rt.com/news/chechnya-tallest-building-fire-280/
Stunning Video: BLAZE ENGULFS SKYSCRAPER in Chechnya
But why didn't this 40 story building collapse after being engulfed in flames?.....
The blaze that had engulfed the tallest skyscraper in the North Caucasus region of Russia, has been put out, leaving the building almost completely destroyed. According to information given by local emergency services, the fire that had engulfed the 'Grozny City' skyscraper on Wednesday, was put out in the early hours of Thursday, at 1:30 AM. The blaze has left the 40-floor building in a state of near-complete destruction. The local emergency service said the call about the fire on between the 4th and 5th floors was received at around 18:00 PM local time (14:00 GMT).
According to witnesses’ pictures that immediately started to appear on Twitter, all stories of the building had been covered in flames. At the time there had been reports suggesting that the fire started on the top floor and the bottom floor was on fire as well. All people had managed to leave the 145-meter skyscraper ; one woman was seen to be supported by others, witnesses said. Local police confirmed no one was injured. Fire units and ambulances had arrived at the scene. Nearly 300 people were involved in extinguishing the fire. The area around the Grozny-City complex has been cordoned off.
In two hours the fire had completely engulfed three sides of the skyscraper from top to bottom, as the flames spread rapidly due to the plastic trimming on the building. It had also reached the world's largest clock face, located near the apex of the building. Firefighters had managed to extinguish the flames on the lower floors. However, the fire spread very quickly, making it difficult to tackle the blaze from the ground. Helicopters have been sent from the southern city of Pyatigorsk to help out, but have not received the go-ahead for lift-off.
"We are ready, but the helicopters won't be able to maneuver between the buildings, which are packed tight," said emergency ministry official Aleksandr Barsuk.
http://rt.com/news/chechnya-tallest-building-fire-280/
April 3, 2013
GUN WEASEL!
As the Senate prepares to take up a comprehensive gun violence prevention plan later this month, gun advocates have amped up their already inflammatory rhetoric against any additional gun regulations. Ahead of President Obama’s visit to Colorado on Wednesday to promote the measure, one local gun organization promised to give him and other Democrats a hostile welcome.
In an interview with NPR, former NRA lobbyist and founder of Rocky Mountain Gun Owners Dudley Brown compared deer hunting season with election season, when gun owners would be free to “hunt Democrats”:
Brown complains universal background checks are just a step towards identifying gun owners so the government can seize their weapons, and he calls the 15-bullet limit on ammunition clips arbitrary. He’s promising political payback in next year’s election that could cost Colorado Democrats their majorities.
“I liken it to the proverbial hunting season,” Brown says. “We tell gun owners, there’s a time to hunt deer. And the next election is the time to hunt Democrats.”
The analogy between elections and hunting is a favorite among conservatives; former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin was widely condemned for her website’s map placing crosshairs over vulnerable Democratic districts in 2010.
Brown left the NRA in the 1990s because he felt the NRA was “kissing up to politicians.” The NRA, at the time, blasted Rocky Mountain Gun Owners as an “extreme right gun group” and called Brown the “Al Sharpton of the gun movement” for his inflammatory approach. Since then, the NRA has been pulled much farther to the right and is much more aligned with the “extreme” beliefs of RMGO. Both the NRA and RMGO believe there is a UN conspiracy to take away guns. The NRA and Republican lawmakers have warned of “tyranny” and compared Obama to Hitler and Stalin.
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2013/04/03/1815171/head-of-gun-organization-time-to-hunt-democrats/
Head Of Gun Organization: ‘TIME TO HUNT DEMOCRATS’
GUN WEASEL!
As the Senate prepares to take up a comprehensive gun violence prevention plan later this month, gun advocates have amped up their already inflammatory rhetoric against any additional gun regulations. Ahead of President Obama’s visit to Colorado on Wednesday to promote the measure, one local gun organization promised to give him and other Democrats a hostile welcome.
In an interview with NPR, former NRA lobbyist and founder of Rocky Mountain Gun Owners Dudley Brown compared deer hunting season with election season, when gun owners would be free to “hunt Democrats”:
Brown complains universal background checks are just a step towards identifying gun owners so the government can seize their weapons, and he calls the 15-bullet limit on ammunition clips arbitrary. He’s promising political payback in next year’s election that could cost Colorado Democrats their majorities.
“I liken it to the proverbial hunting season,” Brown says. “We tell gun owners, there’s a time to hunt deer. And the next election is the time to hunt Democrats.”
The analogy between elections and hunting is a favorite among conservatives; former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin was widely condemned for her website’s map placing crosshairs over vulnerable Democratic districts in 2010.
Brown left the NRA in the 1990s because he felt the NRA was “kissing up to politicians.” The NRA, at the time, blasted Rocky Mountain Gun Owners as an “extreme right gun group” and called Brown the “Al Sharpton of the gun movement” for his inflammatory approach. Since then, the NRA has been pulled much farther to the right and is much more aligned with the “extreme” beliefs of RMGO. Both the NRA and RMGO believe there is a UN conspiracy to take away guns. The NRA and Republican lawmakers have warned of “tyranny” and compared Obama to Hitler and Stalin.
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2013/04/03/1815171/head-of-gun-organization-time-to-hunt-democrats/
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