Posts Tagged ‘U.S.’

Possible Coal Industry Link to Forged Letters

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

Details continue to come out regarding fraudulent letters sent to Congress urging a vote against the Waxman-Markey energy and climate billLast week we reported on a series of forged letters sent to freshman Congressman Tom Perriello, purportedly from constituent groups, but in reality from an employee for “grassroots” lobbying firm Bonner & Associates. The letters urged Perriello to vote against the Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009.

A total of 12 forged letters, sent to three House Democrats, have thus far been uncovered. As well, as Perriello, who voted for ACES, Kathy Dahlkemper and Chris Carney of Pennsylvania also received letters claiming authorship from community organizations. Dahlkemper and Carney voted against ACES.

The task now is unraveling the extent of the connection between the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, the forged letters, and Bonner & Associates.

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Lobbyists Forge Letters Urging Vote Against Waxman-Markey Climate Bill

Friday, July 31st, 2009

Lobbyists forge letters urging vote against Waxman-Markey billFreshman congressman Tom Perriello, a Democrat representing the 5th district of Virginia, had a hard decision to make in voting for the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES). His hard fought seat and freshman status left him vulnerable to Republican attacks vehemently opposed to the bill, yet he voted for the legislation nonetheless, believing it the right thing to do.

The decision to do so was made even harder after he received five letters from local constituency groups, including a Hispanic advocacy group and a local chapter of the NAACP, opposing the legislation. Or so he at first thought. According to an investigation by DailyProgress, it turns out those letters weren’t what they appeared to be and were in fact forged by Washington DC-area lobbyists.

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Red Rocks, Rock n’ Roll, and FDR’s New Deal

Thursday, July 30th, 2009

I’m such a geek. This week, I’m headed to the legendary Red Rocks Park, in Morrison, Colorado, for four sold-out nights of music from the Vermont-based band, Phish, at what is arguably one of the greatest outdoor music venues in the United States, if not the world. And I will, at some point or another, be thinking about the New Deal.

That’s right, in the middle of some twenty-minute swirling, epic jam, my mind will undoubtedly stray a little and wonder about the millions of unemployed Americans that were employed during and after the Great Depression building thousands of roads, bridges, post offices, schools, dams and, well, amazing places like Red Rocks.

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Sarah Palin Farewell Speech: As Performed by William Shatner

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

Outgoing Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s farewell speech to the people of Alaska left more than a few people scratching their heads about the tone, message, and even the general point of it. I was particularly struck by the allusions to nature, the turning of the seasons, Alaskan wildlife, and the climate. And While Palin’s chain of independent clauses may have sounded a little disjointed to the untrained ear, they didn’t to William Shatner.

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