Update on the Asian Carp

Photo credit: science.kqed.org

This blog posted an announcement of the public meeting yesterday at Cleveland Public Library. Here the report in The Toledo Blade:

Army Corps of Engineers criticized at meeting for slow pace on carp issue

BY TOM HENRY, BLADE STAFF WRITER

CLEVELAND — U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) got a round of applause on Thursday when she criticized the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the time it took reporting to Congress the most viable ways to fend off Asian carp from the Great Lakes.

“I wish I could say the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers understands the importance and urgency of the situation, but — alas — that does not seem to be the case,” said Miss Kaptur, the ranking Democrat on the House Energy and Water Committee that oversees the Corps’ budget.

“Indeed, the Corps of Engineers was negligent in addressing this issue. It took a bill in Congress to wake up the Corps from its hibernation. The Corps has done this region a disservice in failing to make a firm recommendation about the best course of action to prevent an Asian carp invasion. When the going got tough, the Corps — for whatever reason — punted,” she said at a public meeting inside the Cleveland Public Library auditorium.

The meeting drew about 125 people. Those who attended — a combination of fishermen, businessmen, and public officials — fought rush-hour traffic and icy roads to get there.

Miss Kaptur and several other members of the Great Lakes congressional delegation have said they favor a complete hydrologic separation of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds by rerouting the Chicago Area Waterway System that connects them.

But they anticipate an uphill fight in Congress because the Corps stated in its long-awaited report that option would cost $18.4 billion and take 25 years. If approved, it would be one of North America’s largest engineering projects.

At stake is the Great Lakes region’s fishery, valued at $7 billion a year.

The project is pitched as more than one option to fend off Asian carp and other invasive species.

In Chicago, it is being touted as a major investment to reduce flooding and pollution threats that have existed for decades.

“We have to build a movement to save our Great Lakes,” Miss Kaptur said. “We have to do the opposite of what the Corps did.”

Corps officials running the meeting did not respond as she spoke, although they later said they understand a lot of Great Lakes residents are frustrated by the Asian carp situation and want faster action.

The Corps announced at the outset of Thursday’s meeting it has slated meetings in Erie, Pa., for Jan. 24 and New Orleans for Jan. 31 because of strong interest in those areas. New Orleans wants to weigh in because of the possible effect the project could have on the Mississippi River and the shipping industry.

The next meeting is Tuesday in Ann Arbor. All meetings are from 4 to 7 p.m.

One of the first speakers Thursday was Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, who said he arrived “with a great deal of frustration” because of delays and because of litigation that Ohio, Michigan, New York, Minnesota, and Wisconsin initiated against the federal government and the state of Illinois over the matter. Illinois has resisted calls to temporarily close the Chicago-area locks, citing the need to save jobs.

“Some of us feel nothing is going to work except a complete separation. We do not want to be in a position someday where there is no more sport-fishing,” Mr. DeWine, a Republican and a former U.S. senator from Ohio, said.

As he left the meeting, Mr. DeWine told The Blade he remains in favor of a complete separation, despite its costs and length of time it would take.

The Corps said during most of that 25-year construction period, new reservoirs and tunnels in the Chicago area would be built to prevent flooding and improve water quality.

Mr. DeWine also implored the White House to pick up the pace.

“Now that this study’s finally done, it’s time to do something. Let’s not take another six months,” Mr. DeWine said. “It’s going to be expensive, but it’s going to be more expensive if we don’t [do a complete separation].”

Several Cleveland-area fishermen and property owners testified in favor of a hydrologic separation.

Sam Speck, a Republican who served eight years as Ohio Department of Natural Resources director under former Gov. Bob Taft, said the $18.4 billion price tag is not as enormous as it sounds, given that it could be phased in over 25 years.

“From everything I have seen to date, the most comprehensive approach is the one we need to take,”Mr. Speck said.

Larry Fletcher, Ottawa County Visitors Bureau director, said Ohio’s tourism and economy is supported in large part by the fishing industry.

But Mr. Fletcher said the state’s booming birding industry also would take a big hit if the fishing industry collapses because of the ecological connections between birds and fish. Lake Erie, he said, has become one of the world’s Top 10 birding destinations.

Kristy Meyer, Ohio Environmental Council managing director of agricultural and clean water programs, said nearly a third of Ohio’s $40 million tourism industry is supported by the state’s eight Great Lakes counties.

“We need to move quickly. We need to move with interim steps [to fend off Asian carp] that will put a complete separation in place,” Ms. Meyer said.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, and U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, a Republican, did not attend the meeting. A staffer for Mr. Brown delivered a statement in which he reiterated the senator’s support for a separation of the watersheds.

So where does Sen. Portman stand? He led the charge to get action from . . . the Army Corps. of Engineers.  Here's part of a news release on his website from last November:

Portman, Stabenow Lead Senate Effort to Stop Asian Carp

Call on the Army Corps of Engineers to Identify Remaining Steps Needed to Permanently Cut Off Asian Carp Entry Points into the Great Lakes

Washington, D.C. – Today, a bipartisan group of all 16 Great Lake Senators, led by U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan), joined in an ongoing effort in the fight to stop Asian carp from destroying the Great Lakes ecosystem. In a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the bipartisan group of Senators called on the Corps to identify remaining steps needed to permanently cut off Asian carp entry points into the Great Lakes.

Last year, the Stop Invasive Species Act, written by Portman and Stabenow, was signed into law by President Obama.  The law requires the Army Corps of Engineers to present Congress, by the end of the year, with a report (known as the GLMRIS report) on possible strategies to permanently prevent Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes.  Today’s bipartisan action urges the Corps to outline the steps it will take once that report is submitted to determine the best approach among the possible options so work can begin as soon as possible.

The Great Lakes Senators’ letter reads in part:  “It is our expectation that the Corps will work with Congress, our staff, and regional stakeholders before and after the report is issued so that we can expeditiously determine how to best move forward with a comprehensive approach to address Asian Carp and other aquatic invasive species. We ask you to identify how you intend to work with stakeholders on a comprehensive alternative that will maintain commerce, enhance and not degrade water quality, and permanently safeguard the Great Lakes from Asian carp and other invasive species following the release of the GLMRIS report.… Upon release of the GLMRIS report, it is imperative that the Corps continue its evaluation process under existing authority so that we can move very quickly on a comprehensive approach to best protect the environmental and economic health of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River.”

photo credit: mlive.com

IRS Targeting and the 2014 Mid-terms

Outrageous! The IRS is taking aim again at patriot groups -- to muzzle our voices. Kimberley A. Strassel reports today in the Wall Street Journal: 

Democrats are working hard to make sure conservative groups are silenced in the 2014 midterms. 

President Obama and Democrats have been at great pains to insist they knew nothing about IRS targeting of conservative 501(c)(4) nonprofits before the 2012 election. They've been at even greater pains this week to ensure that the same conservative groups are silenced in the 2014 midterms.

That's the big, dirty secret of the omnibus negotiations. As one of the only bills destined to pass this year, the omnibus was—behind the scenes—a flurry of horse trading. One of the biggest fights was over GOP efforts to include language to stop the IRS from instituting a new round of 501(c)(4) targeting. The White House is so counting on the tax agency to muzzle its political opponents that it willingly sacrificed any manner of its own priorities to keep the muzzle in place.

. . .

The fight was sparked by a new rule that the Treasury Department and the IRS introduced during the hush of Thanksgiving recess, ostensibly to "improve" the law governing nonprofits. What the rule in fact does is re-categorize as "political" all manner of educational activities that 501(c)(4) social-welfare organizations currently engage in.

It's IRS targeting all over again, only this time by administration design and with the raw political goal—as House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R., Mich.) notes—of putting "tea party groups out of business."

. . .

With one little IRS rule it can shut up hundreds of groups that pose a direct threat by restricting their ability to speak freely in an election season about spending or ObamaCare or jobs. And it gets away with it by positioning this new targeting as a fix for the first round.

. . .

Mr. Camp's committee has meanwhile noted that Treasury appears to have reverse-engineered the carefully tailored rule—combing through the list of previously targeted tea party groups, compiling a list of their main activities and then restricting those functions.

And an IRS rule that purports to—as Mr. Werfel explained—"improve our work in the tax-exempt area" completely ignores the biggest of political players in the tax-exempt area: unions. The guidance is directed only at 501(c)(4) social-welfare groups—the tax category that has of late been flooded by conservative groups. Mr. Obama's union foot soldiers—which file under 501(c)(5)—can continue playing in politics.

Treasury is also going to great lengths to keep secret the process behind its rule. Cleta Mitchell, an attorney who represents targeted tea party groups, in early December filed a Freedom of Information Act request with Treasury and the IRS, demanding documents or correspondence with the White House or outside groups in the formulation of this rule. By law, the government has 30 days to respond. Treasury sent a letter to Ms. Mitchell this week saying it wouldn't have her documents until April—after the rule's comment period closes. It added that if she didn't like it, she can "file suit." The IRS has yet to respond.

Mr. Camp has now authored stand-alone legislation to rein in the IRS, though the chance of Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) allowing a Senate vote is approximately equal to that of the press corps paying attention to this IRS rule.

Read the rest here. 

Article V Convention discussions at Tea Party Patriots

photo credit: www.allrmc.com

Tea Party Patriots is hosting symposiums to consider the pros and cons of an Article V Convention. Here is the summary from their website: 

Article V Symposium

Article V of the U.S. Constitution outlines two methods for amending the Constitution. The first method allows for Congress to originate an amendment and the second provides for a convention of the states. The second method has never been used. The founders specifically provided that method to allow the people and the states the ability to reign in an over reaching federal government. However, there are some fears and some dangers to an Article V amending convention.

Is today’s federal tyranny demanding that we bring the government back within its constitutional limits? Does that need now outweigh the fears and dangers of an amending convention? Did the Founders provide us with the remedy in Article V? These questions need serious consideration. Tea Party Patriot’s Article V Symposium will tackle those questions by discussing the historical context of Article V, including the historical pros and cons. We will also discuss the current pros and cons and proposed amendments that are being promoted by various pro-convention groups.

Join us for this discussion to become well informed about this very important issue permeating our political discussions. The schedule is as follows:

01/07/14 – Pro, Cons, and Historical Context: Presented by Bill Norton of Tea Party Patriots. A presentation on the history and context of Article V of the U.S. Constitution. Including, historical arguments for and against an amending convention of the states.

01/14/14 –  Arguments for and against: Continuing the discussion with a pro expert and a con expert regarding an Article V amending convention of the states.

01/21/14 – Proposed Amendments Part 1: What are some of the amendments being promoted by pro Article V amending convention groups? From a Balanced Budget Amendment to Term Limits to Repeal 16, learn about them on this webinar.

01/28/14 – Proposed Amendments Part 2: A continuation of proposed amendments.

- - - - - -

Go to the page to register. 

Editorial comment: Personally, while I support Term Limits, I think patriots should direct time and energies to persuading reluctant politicians and agencies to enforce our existing laws, rather than spending time enacting laws and amendments that will likewise be ignored. -DP

Ohio Tea Party Patriot Ralph King in the news

Photo credit: curatorialcuriosities.wordpress.com

Ralph Z. Hallow quotes CTPP Ralph King in The Washington Times:

If the GOP is still the party of the big tent, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie needs to check the roof over his section for a gaping hole.

Over the past few days, Republican establishment leaders have rained down on Mr. Christie with a barrage of opinions — sometimes contradictory — in response to the media-driven fury over the closing of lanes on a New Jersey bridge that has put Mr. Christie’s 2016 presidential ambitions at risk.

Some party leaders have suggested “Bridgegate” is a small-potatoes scandal unworthy of attention, or pleaded to give Mr. Christie the benefit of the doubt. Others have shown far less sympathy, suggesting that the New Jersey governor should own a controversy that emanates from his own smashmouth political style.

. . .

Even former President George W. Bush’s chief political adviser, Karl Rove, the last Republican strategist to forge a winning coalition for the White House, has gotten crossways with a vocal wing of the party by suggesting that Mr. Christie may have earned some “street cred” last week with the tea party by quickly firing the aides responsible for the lane closures and resulting traffic tie-ups.

Tea party folks shot back by suggesting that Mr. Rove and Mr. Christie may both be out of touch.

“Rove’s statement shows, as he [has] shown in the last election cycle, he has no idea what he is talking about when it comes to the tea party or elections,” said Cleveland Tea Party founder Ralph King. “The firing of [Mr. Christie‘s] top aides was not enough to hide his RINO [Republican in name only] horn, and it is laughable at best for Rove to think this earned Christie any ‘street cred’ with the tea party movement.”

Political scandals can be galvanizing, getting party members to rally behind figures they think are unfairly accused or to abandon unsalvageable targets quickly. But the GOP has been unable to do either with Mr. Christie.

Mixed messages

Republicans’ wildly varied responses suggest party leaders are far apart on who should be the next face of the party or even what terms the next elections should be fought on. Is it pragmatic politics or ideology that will beat the Democrats the next time?

Right now, the answer depends on whom one asks.

That is, whether you ask  conservative value voters OR the go-along get-along elite GOPs.

# # #

 

Protect the First Amendment from the IRS

In May of 2013, it became public knowledge that the Internal Revenue Service of the United States was targeting American citizens for their political and religious beliefs. This caused many Americans to spend time and resources to jump through hoops for the IRS to remain in compliance. Speculation is that this was done specifically to prevent conservatives from making their voices heard leading up to the 2012 election, effectively silencing a large segment of the population.

Now, the IRS is prepared to implement regulations that would make their targeting legal. This is an assault on the 1st amendment and we cannot let them get away with this.

We must call Congress and demand that they protect the first amendment. The IRS is accepting comments on the new proposals until February 27, 2014 and we should flood them with comments. Write a letter to the editor of your local paper to inform your community. Finally, forward this email to everyone you know who cares about protecting the first amendment!

TAKE ACTION NOW

1. Call, write, tweet Congress and tell them to stop this assault on the first amendment. Congress directory is here (House) and here (Senate). 
2. Leave a comment with the IRS so we can flood them with comments.
3. Write a letter to the editor to inform your community.

STOP THE CARP! Public meeting Thurs., Jan 16 / 4pm-7pm

Except this is no joke, and it’s not a Godzilla monster. 

It’s the Asian Carp.

The Plain Dealer editorial appears here, and below are some extracts. Mark your calendar for  Thursday, Jan. 16. The Army Corps of Engineers will host a public meeting at the Cleveland Public Library, 325 Superior Avenue, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The carp cometh. (Marlin Levison, The Star Tribune)

The pending carpocalypse of the Great Lakes

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers -- the same folks who have come up with endless ways to delay action on the threatened invasion of Asian carp into the Great Lakes -- seem determined to institutionalize that failure with a new report that obscures the need for immediate action beneath an avalanche of "risk matrix" and "cost methodology."

But you can stop the Corps from turning the Great Lakes into a corpse.

Circle Thursday, Jan. 16, on the calendar. The Corps will host a public meeting at the Cleveland Public Library, 325 Superior Avenue, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The topic: Their Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study, a wishy-washy "We could do this, we could do that" strategy that skims over the half-measures that have allowed the silver and bighead carp -- the most serious threats these 20,000-year-old liquid assets have faced -- to gain a finhold in the largest freshwater ecosystem on the continent.

The five glacial lakes provide drinking water to 30 million people and float a $7.5 billion commercial fishing industry and 800,000 jobs.

Then there is the tourism. In Ohio alone, Lake Erie recreation and tourism net an estimated $11.5 billion annually and support more than 117,000 jobs, according to state statistics.

And yet, the Corps apparently could care less about what happens in Cleveland or Milwaukee or Buffalo -- especially if it means upsetting President Barack Obama's Chicago shipping industry cronies. 

The study -- which took seven years, millions of dollars and a bipartisan boot-in-the-butt by Congress to produce -- offers eight options, beginning with the laughable suggestion that the Corps continues its current do-nothing tactic by relying on the electric barriers in the Chicago Sanitary and Carp, er, Ship Canal that its own research has proven ineffective.

. . .

And then -- buried near the bottom [of the study] -- is the only obvious solution to stop the carp as well as other invasive species from gutting the Great Lakes: Hydrological separation of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins.

Cost: $18.3 billion.

And worth every penny.

Great Lake governors, local, state and federal elected officials, scientists, the Alliance for the Great Lakes, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition and the Ohio Environmental Council all endorse that plan.

Now it time to make your voice heard. Tell the Corps why the Great Lakes mean so much to you. Personalize the relationship. 

Attend the Jan. 16 meeting at the Cleveland Public Library. Then ask the Corps officials and other officials who will be present the tough questions:

1. Hydrological separation is the only strategy that meets the congressional mandate to protect the Great Lakes and it's expensive, yet so is doing nothing. Are our lakefront elected representatives including Reps. Marcy Kaptur and David Joyce and Sens. Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman prepared to fight for this money? What about Ohio Gov. John Kasich? Spending hundreds of thousands of federal dollars on the Great Lakes Initiative annually will be a wasted investment if the lakes' fisheries and recreational attractions are laid waste by predatory carp.

2. Given that the Corps' own research confirms that the electric barriers are ineffective and that the physical separation of the two water systems will require extensive and time-consuming work, can Corps officials describe in detail the technologies and any physical barriers they are prepared to implement quickly to prevent the carp from entering the Great Lakes before the watersheds are separated?

3. Considering the urgency of the threat, how soon will Corps officials pledge to have a plan in place to separate the two watersheds? When will the actual separation work begin?

Getting unambiguous answers to these questions is critical for Northeast Ohio and all Great Lakes communities.

THE MEETING: Thursday, Jan. 16 / Cleveland Public Library, 325 Superior Avenue / 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Tea Party Patriots: training sessions announced

Exclusive Tea Party Patriots Training open for Registration!

---

From Tea Party Patriots National Support Team:

2014 is here, bringing new challenges for the movement! Tea Party Patriots is sponsoring virtual training specifically for activists and members across the country. For January's classes, there are four sessions to choose from, however there are a limited number of seats available. Registration is free, thanks to donations made by hardworking men and women everywhere!

Waking the Sleeping Giant - How Mainstream Americans Can Beat Liberals at Their Own Game: A look at how the liberal minority wields such power in American politics and practical tools that mainstream Americans can use to turn the tide.
Presented by Tim Daughtry, author of "Waking the Sleeping Giant" TODAY, January 9 at 2:00PM EST.

Register for "Waking the Sleeping Giant" HERE

  The Determinators - Whoever Pays Holds the Power to Decide: The dark underside of Obamacare that, once fully implemented, will significantly threaten the way Americans live…and die.
Presented by Dr. C.L. Gray, author of "The Battle for America's Soul" Thursday, January 16 at 7:30PM EST.

Register for "The Determinators" HERE

Trump the Race Card! Learn how to trump the race card, inspire more minorities, women and young people to join the ranks of the conservative movement.
Presented by K. Carl Smith, President, Frederick Douglass Republican Thursday, January 23 at 7:30PM EST.

Register for "Trump the Race Card!" HERE

Exercise Your Civic Authority - Put the Odds Forever in your Favor: A new approach to citizen activism.
Presented by Mark Herr, President, Center for Self Governance Thursday, January 30 at 7:30PM EST.

Register for "Exercise Your Civic Authority" HERE

Article V Amending Convention Symposium - Article V of the U.S. Constitution outlines two methods for amending the Constitution. The first method allows for Congress to originate an amendment and the second provides for a convention of the states. The second method has never been used. The founders specifically provided that method to allow the people and the states the ability to reign in an over reaching federal government. However, there are some fears and some dangers to an Article V amending convention.

Join us for this discussion to become well informed about this very important issue permeating our political discussions. The schedule is as follows.

Tuesday, January 14 at 7:30PM EST –  Arguments for and against: Continuing the discussion with a pro expert and a con expert regarding an Article V amending convention of the states.

Tuesday, January 21 at 7:30PM EST – Proposed Amendments Part 1: What are some of the amendments being promoted by pro Article V amending convention groups? From a Balanced Budget Amendment to Term Limits to Repeal 16, learn about them on this webinar.

Tuesday, January 28 at 7:30PM EST – Proposed Amendments Part 2: A continuation of proposed amendments.

If demand for classes is high, there may be opportunities for additional training. 2014 Will be a busy year for the Tea Party, make sure you have the tools to be a part of it!