Montana Judge Helps Wolverines

Wolverines (Gulo gulo luscus) are cryptic, solitary animals living at high altitude and dependent on snow pack for their dens.  Consequently, they have become trapped in the debate over how climate change is affecting snowfall amounts. {06.02.13}  Their numbers are declining--only about 300 remain in the lower forty-eight--but the Fish & Wildlife Service refused to extend them threatened status under the Endangered Species Act in 2014.  A Montana federal district judge said Monday in his lengthy opinion vacating the agency's decision that it was arbitrary and capricious. He noted the enormous political pressure by western states (Idaho, Wyoming and Montana) and the fossil fuel industry on the agency to deny the wolverine protected status.  Such a decision could have put entire watersheds out of bounds to resource exploitation.

Judge Dan Christensen ordered the agency to reconsider based on science.  The agency's director Dan Ashe maintains that is exactly what his agency used in reaching its decision.  He says it was presented with conflicting evidence of the effects of climate change on the wolverine, the largest member of the weasel family.  Five scientific studies, according to wildlife advocates, concluded that there is a significant connection between wolverine decline and climate change, but the agency chose to ignore them.  A former biologist for the Forest Service characterized the agency treatment of the studies and the scientists who authored them as "disparaging".  Jeff Copeland said the science is clear, "wolverines do not reproduce in the absence of snow."

Wolverines raise their cubs in dens dug into deep snow at tree line, a limited ecological niche.  They stay there until the snow begins melting in May.  As snow season shortens due to warmer temperatures, wolverines have been unable to adapt to changing conditions.  Wolverines are also sensitive to high altitude intrusions by man such as trappers and snowmobilers.  Some snow mobile groups oppose protections for the animal fearing large areas of already fragmented back country will be closed off to their activities.  As a predator and scavenger, the wolverine roams large areas of high altitude terrain in search of food, traveling as much as twenty-five miles in a day.

The mountain devil as it is sometimes known is a fierce creature, able to fend off larger predators despite its compact size. Adult males weigh up to about 40 pounds  Wolverine has been known to kill bull moose. It's luxurious fur is highly prized for its waterproof and insulating characteristics.  Naturalist Ernest Seton said of the wolverine, it is "a personality of unmeasured force, courage and achievement."  It deserves protection from man's degradation of the planet.

'Toontime: The Worm Has Turned

credit: Steve Sack, Star Tribune

Trump lost big in Wisconsin (48-35%), evidence that the NOT-Trump coalition is gaining momentum. Whether he can avoid stepping in the wrong place--such as his comments on abortion--and maintain a delegate lead going into the convention is questionable since his main talent seems to be spontaneous quips placed in the lowest common denominator.  And by the way, Bernie also won!  On to New York with some of the savviest voters in the nation.

Madam Secretary: Who's Bought Off?

GE's CEO weighed in on the 'who's qualified' debate erupted in the Democratic primaries. No surprise he sides with "Madam Secretary". What that dubious endorsement means in plain English is that Clinton is the only Democratic candidate 'we [the plutocrats] are willing to allow'. So it is actually crunch time: is this a government by the people, for the people, or a corporatocracy of the CEOs for the 1%? You decide.

One of the criticisms leveled at Senator Bernie Sanders is that his programs are nothing more than 'pie in the sky' since as President he will not be able to fund his socialist agenda. Here are a few statistics to dispute that allegation. According to Good Jobs First, a national policy center that reviews grants, loans and other subsidies distributed by the federal government since 2000, $68 billion in subsides was given to corporate America. Two thirds of that went to large, multi-national corporations like GE, Ford, and General Motors. Two hundred ninety-eight of these corporations received subsidies of $60 million or more!¹ If corporate America, which Hillary Clinton so ably represents, just paid their fair share of taxes again, this nation could afford to pay for single-payer health care just like other developed nations do, and have money left over to subsidize higher education.

The deal corporations have cut for themselves is sweet indeed. In return for a few jobs, they demand exorbitant tax incentives from localities and states to locate their businesses. If there demands are not met, they go elsewhere, often to low-wage countries. The state of Washington paid Boeing tax incentives worth $8.7 billion to keep the company's production facilities at home. The deal makes Boeing the number one recipient for state and local subsides². All this labor extortion contributes mightily to their bottom lines, which is their only real concern. Walmart, the epitome of exploiting a low-wage labor force, has no fewer than 22 shell companies in Luxembourg, an infamous tax heaven. Since 2011 it has transferred $45 billion in assets to those companies while paying Luxembourg less than one percent on profits of $1.3 billion from 2010 to 2013³. Meanwhile low-wage Walmart workers are subsidized by US taxpayers to the tune of $6 billion a year in public nutrition, health care, and housing assistance⁴. Why pay benefits and a living wage when you can influence politicians to pay for workers' needs?

A final statistic that explains why economics has become so skewed in favor of the corporate owners, the 1%. Each of the largest corporations doing business here retains upwards of a hundred lobbyists in Washington. This profit-dedicated pressure group spends more than thirty dollars for every dollar unions and public interest groups spend on social goods like environmental protection, workers' rights, health care and education⁵. The deplorable situation is why America boasts the world's most expensive fighter plane (F-35) that does not work⁶, and gives four times the amount of subsidies to the fossil fuel industry than to renewable energy⁷. Therefore Ms. Secretary, the relevant question is: who's bought off?⁸

1. P. Mattera & K.Tarczynska, Good Jobs First, June 2013
2. M. Baker, St. Louis Post Dispatch, 02.04.14; J. Brunner, Seattle Times, 07.20.15; N. Chokshi, Washington Post, 03.03.15
3. D. Fulton, Common Dreams, 06.17.15
4. C. O'Connor, Forbes, 04.15.14
5. L. Drutman, Atlantic, 04.20.15
6. EU Times, 07.10.15. In a mock battle over the Pacific in January 2015, the F-35 lost to the older, more maneuverable F-16 despite it carrying two drop tanks and the F-35 carrying no weapons. The F-35 was intended to defeat fourth generation jets with its superior technology. Yet its automatic 25mm cannon jams, and its diagnostic software totaling 5 million lines of code gives false positives 80% of the time.
7. D. Carrington & H. Davies, The Guardian, 05.12.15
8. President Zelaya's ouster has connections to the Clintons, Inc. understandably ignored by the corporate mass media. The UK's Guardian did however, cover the story in English. Two of the coup's top advisors have close ties to Madam Secretary. Lanny Davis, a lobbyist and personal lawyer to Bill Clinton campaigned for Hillary.  The other, Robert Ratcliff, has deep roots in the Clinton camp. The Honduran coup leader, General Romeo Vasquez, was trained at CIA's infamous School of the Americas, disparagingly referred to as 'School of the Assassins'. M. Weisbrot, The Guardian, 07.16.09. After being kicked out of Panama by Omar Torrijos (who died in a plane crash), the school relocated to Ft. Benning, Georgia and renamed. President Torrijos had negotiated the return of the Panama Canal with President Jimmy Carter.

Bundy's Cows Still Trampling Critical Habitat

Cliven Bundy is in custody but his cows are still loose on public lands designated as a conservation area for threatened desert tortoises back in 1998.  BLM started rounding up Bundy's cattle two years ago.  The job is not finished and the agency said it has no plans to revisit the Gold Butte area of southern Nevada.  One Nevada official said rounding up the nearly feral cows is expensive and dangerous work calling them "nasty and smart"; somewhat similar to their owner whom the Justice Department described as "lawless and violent". The cows are left to fend for themselves year-round, fighting off predators and scrounging for meager food in arid terrain.  Yet the resilient Brahman breed survives in the harsh desert conditions [photo above].

The livestock was ordered off the desert land because cattle grazing is inconsistent with preserving the desert tortoise. (photo: Gopherus agassizii) US Fish & Wildlife determined the land around Gold Butte is critical habitat for the tortoise. Cows trample eggs and burrows increasing tortoise mortality. They grow slowly and have low reproduction rates while the cows  denude sensitive soils increasing erosion and noxious weed infestations.   Bundy has grazed his cows without a permit since 1993.  Multiple federal judges have ordered the cows removed, but Bundy and his sons have issued threats against contractors hired to corral the beasts.  Bundy's past-due fees are estimated to be more than $1 million.  If Bundy does not pay, BLM could obtain permission from the state's brand inspector to sell the cattle worth an estimated $800,000.  The BLM forfeited a $400,00 matching grant from the Walton Family Foundation for a restoration project to benefit the southwest willow flycatcher because the presence of Bundy's cattle thwarted the project.  Its time for the BLM to finish the job and put an end to Bundy's animal abuse.

Sanders' Team Coverts Nevada Loss into Virtual Tie

Taking advantage of some complicated county convention rules, the Sanders campaign garnered more votes and more delegates to turn a 20 to 15 delegate loss in the Nevada caucuses into an 18 to 17 virtual tie.  The conventions took place on Saturday.  Sanders' supporters flooded the convention in Clark County which includes Las Vegas where Clinton counted on unionized workers to provide her with the margin of victory on February 20th.  The result could change again after the Nevada state convention next month.

Sanders currently leads in the opinion polls by 2 percentage points in Wisconsin that votes tomorrow.  He needs to win there and in New York to make his challenge to Clinton's presumptive anointing plausible.  Thanks to the election of a Repugnant Governor and Repugnant judges on the 7th Circuit federal bench, Wisconsin has one of the strictest voter identification laws on the books and it is in effect for the April 5th vote.  An estimated 300,000 residents who do not have a state issued ID card could be denied access to the polls. The new rules impact minorities and students who usually rely on their student cards to vote, but which are no longer recognized by the state. Voter impersonation, the claimed justification for the new rules, is virtually non existent crime in the state.

According to AP Sanders trails Clinton in pledged delegates, 980 to 1,243.  It will be interesting to see if the party establishment changes its mind about Clinton if Sanders comes into the national convention with a slim lead in pledged delegates.  Will democracy prevail?  Stay tuned.

'Toontime: My Nukes.com

The Current Occupant presided over a nuclear proliferation conference this week without the presence of the second largest nuclear arsenal in the world (Russia) at the table.  What credibility the guy has remaining as leader of the "Empire"  is beyond the appreciation of US Person.  See Footnote 44. 

credit: Michael Ramirez

Wackydoodle axes: Is it time for another medal ceremony?

Bats Beat Miners

The US Forest Service installed 'bat gates' over a disused mine in Lake Tahoe National Forest bats had taken over for their habitat.  Miners sued the federal government for the action as an illegal "taking" since the gates put up to protect the bats also impeded the miners.

The Forest Service recognizes bats as important pollinators and pest control agents.  Consequently, on the advice of biologists the Service erected barriers in the mine shaft to protect the public's safety and allow the bats free access in 2010. Bats are under threat from disease, habitat destruction and pollution. {26.05.11, America's Bats Are Dying}  The miners had filed a mining claim covering the Seymour Quartz mine that was active in the 1950s.  Gold is often associated with quartz deposits in the Sierras; a higher price for gold makes some inactive mines worth working again.   Litigation ensued to remove the gates or compensate the miners who claimed the gates interfered with their claim activities. Removable vertical and horizontal bars prevented modern mining equipment from being used in the mine, rendering it useless according to the miners who represented themselves.  They started in the US District Court in Sacramento, but their claim was dismissed in 2013.  Eventually the lawsuit ended up in the US Claims Court in the District of Columbia.  There, Judge Kaplan issued an opinion on Tuesday saying the miners were still free to exercise their mining claim rights in ways that do not disturb a surface resource, i.e. the bats, so there was no illegal taking of property by the federal government.  Bats 1, Miners 0.