TobyWollin

Remember this whole thing about Gingrich saying that union janitors in schools should be fired and replaced with kids? When I read that, I could not stop thinking, “Where the heck is THAT coming from?”

Well, now we know.

Spring has sprung here at Chez Siberia and I do mean sprung as in “if you stopped to tie your shoes, you missed the transition.’
Damn.

If you live in an area where fracking is taking place, and you start having symptoms which you think might have something to do with your being exposed to chemicals which might have been used in fracking, your doctor or any other doctors involved in your treatment can ask for information on chemicals that companies drilling in your area use in fracking. But they don’t have to tell anyone and in order to get that information, your doctor will have to sign a legally binding NDA which will prevent him from passing on that info.

I can’t use the photo, so I will direct readers to their own link and I will direct you NOT to Jan Brewer’s finger (or her mouth for that matter which looks as if she is screaming at the top of her lungs… though perhaps there was engine noise and she just wanted the President to hear what she had to say), but to the President’s right arm and hand (which you can’t see but which you can sort of figure out where it is from the angle and so on). He has moved in and is either putting his hand or trying to put his hand on her arm (perhaps on her elbow). He is trying to draw her in, reduce the distance between them.

In terms of refreshments at Chez Siberia (we are not entertaining a crowd here; New Year’s Eve at our house consists of movies and lots and lots of food), we’ve got laid out: meatballs, artichoke dip, home make French bread, oven bbq chicken thighs, a fruit, veggie and cheese plate, and punch, with a Finger Lakes bubbly (we drink local) for the toast.

So, will MSA collect? Will any of the miners’ families collect? Will anyone in upper management of Massey EVER see the inside of a court room (much less a jail cell?)? Will anyone who was a member of the Board of Directors ever see the inside of a court room? Inquiring minds would like to know.

There is a lot of discussion these days about ‘buying local’. There is even a national organization with chapters which promotes it (along with a lot of other local initiatives) Local Economies . American Express just sponsored, for the second year, a national event called “Small Business Saturday” to encourage people to buy with small businesses (not only local; and as an incentive, they offered a credit off the customer’s bill for buying at a small business).

But, when it comes time for us, as consumers, to actually find local businesses, it might not be so easy.

A president elected in reaction to the economic and political environment. A president hated on the left for lack of bold action and accused by the right of being a socialist. A president who appears to struggle with any sort of confrontation within his own Administration and who appears to have continuing issues with quality of staffers. A president accused of promoting class warfare and ‘uncertainty’. A president with a justice on the Supreme Court who opposes him named Roberts. A president with a wife who is, to many, as controversial as he is. A president and an Administration during a time when bold decisive action is required, but who seem to suffer from chronic timidity.

Obama or Roosevelt? Both?

The horse is out of the barn already. Krup’s comment about ‘if we can do it the right way’ is totally moot. Companies like Cabot Energy and Chesapeake have been doing shale gas production through fracking for years (oh and there were four 4+ on the Richter scale earthquakes in Oklahoma recently; don’t tell me this is NOT from the fracking that is going on down there). You’d think they’d know how ‘to do it the right way’ all ready. They don’t and they don’t have any control over the negligence of the crews.

But they sure don’t want to have to pay for it once it’s happened; and once the brine hits the water table, it’s pretty hard to stuff it ‘back in the barn.’

What are we going to do about this? We need jobs and we need lots of them. We need jobs and we need training to make sure that the people out there can do the work that needs doing.

Sure seems like we need a whole heckuva lot of investment to make that happen. Ideas, people?