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October 31, 2014 06:35 AM UTC

Friday Open Thread

  • 87 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

Okay, me thinks this stinks trickery
Some weak links in the chain of the mystery
Time for that mist to leave
By way of the breeze, flows formed by my speak

–Del the Funky Homosapien

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87 thoughts on “Friday Open Thread”

  1. The advantage Alabama residents have is the fact that Alabama has the most restrictive law in the nation regarding injection wells. As I understand it, the "Halliburton loophole" was created in response to legislation in Alabama that categorized the fracking process as "injecting" into the ground. Not so in the other 49…

    This is a long read but a very good explanation of the threat facing Alabama as the Oily Boys set their sights on Alabamas' Tar Sands.

     

     

     

    Why A Company Is Buying Up Huge Tracts Of Alabama’s Land And Punching It Full Of Holes

    WOLF SPRINGS, ALABAMA — Over the last few years, a little-known company named MS Industries has bought up as much as 2,500 acres of land in Alabama and drilled holes in it.

    In total, they have drilled hundreds of exploratory bore holes in the northwestern portion of the state — according to some residents, the number is as high as 2,700 but the company’s CEO, Steve Smith, said they’ve done over 1,500 holes of drilling.

    Their search got a boost in July 2013, when the governors of Mississippi and Alabama signed a Memorandum of Understanding that raised a few eyebrows. Govs. Bryant and Bentley agreed to study tar sands resources in their states, drawing on “best practices” developed in Canada to determine whether the mixture of heavy crude oil and sand could be extracted and refined.

    Tar sands, referred to by the industry as oil sands, or perhaps most accurately as bituminous sand, have garnered significantly more attention in recent years, as Canada’s industry booms and the environmental consequences and climate impacts of the practice come into focus. While the years-long battle over whether to approve the controversial Keystone XL tar sands pipeline has brought the issue into the mainstream in the U.S., Americans are largely unaware of the sizable deposits in several states and the renewed push to extract them.

    Bentley reiterated his interest in his January 2014 State of the State address, announcing the creation of the Alabama Oil Sands Program to “begin the study and research of one of this state’s greatest energy resources.” Further cementing the state’s intentions, the legislature gave the Alabama Oil and Gas Board authority over tar sands mining and they are currently drafting the first formal regulations, setting the course for future development.

    2. Great article – thanks for sharing, Duke.  The questions that should loom large for both Alabamans and those of us who contribute to the federal treasury are two-fold:  1) Alabama ranks #7 in the 'takers' category: they receive $1.66 back to their state treasury for every dollar they contribute in federal taxes: "The Red State Ripoff"

       

       

       

       

      2) If they developed this resource, who would ultimately benefit?  In the upside down world we live in, a handful of multinationals would likely extract 100% of the benefits, and further exasperate the state condition, requiring more and more money from the feds.  Having a robust oil and gas industry has done almost nothing for the Colorado state treasury due to our severance tax rates that is half of our neighboring states.  Look at Weld County in particular: while they crow about the wealth creation from energy development in the county, Greeley has the highest poverty rate in the state at 21.7%; 36.2% of children under 18 live in poverty.  In the County of Weld, 9% of all families and 28% of families with a single mother live in poverty; 16% of all Weld County residents over the age of 65 fall in to the 'impoverished' category. 

      Sadly (and increasingly so) the extraction of these natural resources is only widening the chasm between the "haves" and the "have nots" – and our free-market fossil patriots fully expect state and federal government to socialize all of the costs associated with their activities.  I don't expect that Alabama will be any different.

      2. Banana Republic – that's what the GOP wants to make the United States. Weld County is their vision of the future for the country. 

        They want to take a developed economy and try to turn back the clock to 1871 and re-create the Robber Barron era where monopolies ruled and the little guy had to fend for himself. 

        GOPers like Mitt and the Kochs travel to China and India and see the abundance of cheap, poor labor that has no rights and they think to themselves "Now, why can I do that right here in the Good ol' US of A … oh wait, maybe I can."

        And they are giving it their level best effort and Cory Gardner is going to smile and wink and try to help them do it. 

  2. From Sam Wang  : The Colorado race is also narrowing, with Cory Gardner (R) leading by a median margin of 1.0%. This could be because of voting entirely by mail, which is new in Colorado this year. Or it could be because of genuine movement. Whatever the case, this race is also too close to call.

        1. Still cherry-picking the little pieces you like, and intentionally omitting the parts that don't favor your mentally ill cabal, eh scumbucket?

          You are a disassembling, duplicitous, dishonorable, cowardly piece of garbage — in other words, you are the perfect representative of your evil, amoral Koch Suckers Party. Kicking your scurvy ass is going to be pleasure.

  3. Historic Dem Collapse

    US Senate Race Downgraded and called.

    Republicans Increase lead to 104,120 ballots.

    Republicans increase % of ballots returned to 41.65.

    Dems decrease % of ballots returned to 32.19%

    Romanoff doomed 6th CD R 45%, D 31.6.

    Udall blame game begins.

     

    1. Wrong wrong wrong wingnut Andrew.

       

      Democrats in Colorado are LEADING with voters who didn't turn out in 2010 to vote. Many of those republicans who already sent in their ballots are election day voters.

        1. Real fact 1.1,100,323 ballots returned.

          Real fact 2. 458,305 Republican ballots returned.

          Real fact 3. 354,185 Dem ballots returned.

          Just the facts.  Spin as you will.  You are getting killed.

            1. Here are some more facts. We crushed you pukes in 2006,2008,2010, and 2012. Recent history is on our side. You are going by early ballots while ignoring the fact that thousands and thousands of more democrats will be sending in their ballots as election day gets closer.

          2. Facts 25-35% of Dems vote on election day.

            Fact – GOPers are voting earlier than ever …. voting on election day for Dems will be easier than ever because GOPers will have all voted by then. 

              1. The traditional polling locations are still there, and they now have a drop box, if you prefer to complete the ballot at home and drop it off. Or, you can complete your ballot at the polling location. Or, you can complete it at home and mail it. Or you can complete it at home and drop it off at a location exclusively for drop off voting – with only a drop off box outside of well known neighborhood locations like rec centers or libraries or museums. 

                So many choices – I can't understand why the "free market" GOPers don't like people to have a CHOICE of how they vote. 

      2. Nota, The Republicans expanded their percentage of the vote since the last count.  Who cares if Dems have a larger percentage of people who did not vote in 2010, all that means is that the Dems who did vote in 2010 are not voting.  At this rate the Republicans will have a 150K vote lead before Tuesday

        It is over.

        Acceptance is difficult for some, but it is over.

            1. It isn't over yet. Losses that your worthless party suffered in 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012 should make you understand that. Most of them republican voters are election day voters who voted early. That means you will see a huge surge of democrats sending their ballots in within the next 4 days. 😉

          3. The trolls were on here in 2010 and 2012 saying the same crap as achole is this year. Remember 2010 was their year- the wave – LOL and it crashed in the Rockies and it will again this year.

            1. Kos predicted a gop Senate takeover in 2010 and 2012 – wonder how majority leader mcconnel feels about that? Take care of your rash achole, it's the only thing you will have left on Tuesday.

            2. FUCK. YOU.

              "The Borg has neither honor nor courage. That is our advantage." — Lt. Worf, Star Trek: The Next Generation "The Best of Both Worlds, Part 2" (1990)

              "They (The Borg) think with one mind." — Commander Elizabeth Shelby, Star Trek: The Next Generation "The Best of Both Worlds, Part 2" (1990)

              GOTP = The Borg

        3. I'll be concerned on Monday, if the early vote continues to hold at where it is, the Dem ground game is going to kick in this weekend and Dems (notorious for voting late) turn in their ballots.

          Ups and downs in rate of returned ballots also are determined by the rate that counties process those votes and those vary across counties – in other words, it's too early yet to say definitively if that rate of returned ballots is indicative entirely of ballots being turned in, or if it also is heavily impacted by the rate at which those ballots are processed, county by county. 

          First time 100% vote by mail, could impact the rate at which counties can process those ballots. 

          1. BT, The projections I have seen have total voting in the 2 to 2.2 million range so half of the votes are accounted for.  There is increased voter turn out with the mail in ballots, but they are Republican ballots.

            1. In all honestly AC, no one can tell with the current data and the process for tallying votes (ie, some counties tally faster than others) … the rate of return is not an aberration in any direction from past years – GOPers are voting earlier, which is the case in all years, and any increase in GOP voting early on very well could only be an indication of more GOP voters voting earlier because of 100% mail in – and not an indicate of MORE total GOPers voting. 

              I just want to try to set your expectations, so that if/when the Dems start catching up, you not are totally crushed.

    3.  

      Colorado

      Through noon on Oct. 30, 1,061,788 voters had submitted mail-in ballots, or about 60 percent of the total vote from 2010.

       

      Early Voters

      Democrats

      Republicans

      Unaffiliated+Minor Parties

      Early voters who voted in 2010

      Early voters who didn’t vote in 2010

      77.2%

      22.8%

      819,216

      242,572

      2010 Electorate

      2014 Early vote

      2014 Early vote, didn’t vote 2010

      33.0%

      32.3%

      30.4%

      565,931

      342,788

      73,719

      2014 Early vote

      2010 Electorate

      2014 Early vote, didn’t vote 2010

      41.7%

      39.8%

      33.4%

      442,367

      683,276

      80,990

      2014 Early vote, didn’t vote 2010

      2010 Electorate

      2014 Early vote

      36.2%

      27.1%

      26.1%

      87,863

      465,417

      276,633

      Vote      Democratic Share of…

      Vote       Republican Share of…

      Vote      Unaffiliated Share of…

       

      Source: Upshot analysis of Colorado voter history, registration, and absentee ballot data from the Colorado Secretary of State.

      1. didn't copy as hoped.  sorry…. one little important detail left off of A.C.'s comment… the all important Unaffiliated + Minor Parties vote…. deal

         

          1. Dems are back to a (9.1%) difference between Dem votes and Repug votes.  It was (10.1%) yesterday. 

            Also, this is the lowest difference since I started tracking on 10/27.  The previous low was (9.4%) — now it's (9.1%).

            Trending our way ever so slowly…..

            GOTV, baby.

            .

             

        2. Pretty much just scrolled through this Piss Ant dominated thread but stopped here to read yours, mama. You are correct about the huge role played by the unaffiliated. Many new, young voters register U because they don't choose to identify with either party. We'll just have to see how they vote. And then there are people like my spouse who has never changed his status to Dem but who has voted for nothing but Dems in all the time I've known him which goes back to '78. The Rs and R supporting groups sending him tons of mailings and calling constantly, of course, don't know this. To them he's right in their grumpy old white guy target demo. Superficials can be deceptive. 

          1. Unaffiliated and Independent trend towards Udall any where from +3, cited in this Latinpost article,  to +12 in the last three polls I've seen, with average about +7.  Quinnipiac Poll has Gardner up with Unaff/ Ind, but Q  always seems to be an outlier.

            The race is tight, but by no means as bleak as Thing1 troll paints it. There's a reason why he never, EVER includes the Independent/ Unaffiliated voter totals.  They don't favor his candiate.

  7. I think AC doth protest  too much.  He is not sure of how the election is going to turn out so he keeps stating the race is over before the election results are in.

    1. After reading many comments by Andrew since I got active on this site, I have to conclude that he lives in his own little world. Fully informed citizens take a sampling of all political opinions in order to form their own. This is why I occasionally watch both Fox News and MSNBC. In terms of the current election,  I said on another post, quoting the great seer Yogi Berra, "it ain't over 'til it's over."  

      Of course, if people prefer to react with swearing and other epithets to Andrew's comments, you're simply doing exactly what Andrew wants you to do.

      Regards,  C.H.B.

    2. Of course he does — it's Trolling 101: "At all costs, by any means necessary, attempt to make your opponents dispirited and downhearted, EVEN IF THE FACTS PAINT A DIFFERENT PICTURE IN REALITY.

      The surest way to know the truth on any given subject or topic is to accept THE POLAR OPPOSITE of what pieces of filth like Scumbucket Troll and Scumbucket Troll Jr. say about it. Lying, conning, cheating and stealing are their very reason for being — just like their mentally ill political party.

    1. I for one welcome the return of the GOP-controlled Senate.  It will be fun to watch the dysfunction of the GOP-controlled House, where 30-40 Tea Party members prevent the GOP from coming anywhere close to what would be considered effective governance transposed to the Senate.  It's not exactly a formula for restoring trust in the ability of govern the country and is only going to further anger the GOP-base and leading to the GOP continuing to consume itself.  It's going to be a bitch for the GOP to slay the Tea Party beast before it causes even more harm than it has.

      El Paso County is a great example.  A locality that is demanding more government welfare in the form of non-productive military spending via contracting whilst also demanding reduced government spending.  Slashing NSF funding isn't going to get you that reduced spending that's demanded, but restructuring military and federal pensions just might, but that then puts El Paso further down the slide into a permanently depressed economy aka Pueblo.

    2. Colorado Women's Alliance endorses Gardner

       

      “Colorado Senator Mark Udall has followed a Washington, D.C. election ‘war on women’ playbook designed to scare women into thinking birth control is the only issue this election. Yet, Colorado Women’s Alliance polling of independent women revealed that a majority of women simply aren’t buying the pickup line this year, despite six ads and millions of dollars spent by the Udall campaign…. In contrast, Cory Gardner brings a fresh energy and an inspiring vision for our future. He is a family man with rural, working-class roots.  He understands what life is like for working families. When Cory says he will “shake up the Senate,” we believe him.” – See more at: http://coloradopeakpolitics.com/2014/10/31/stamp-approval-women-back-beauprez-gardner-coffman/#sthash.EMKPJxcR.dpuf

        2. Several of them probably are featured in Con Man ads and are registered Reps and/or former or current GOP employees and/or employed by conservative lobbying firms. 

  12. Anybody catch this?

    http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/31/us/politics/pr-executives-western-energy-alliance-speech-taped.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0

    The company executives, Mr. Berman said in his speech, must be willing to exploit emotions like fear, greed and anger and turn them against the environmental groups. And major corporations secretly financing such a campaign should not worry about offending the general public because “you can either win ugly or lose pretty,” he said.

    “Think of this as an endless war,” Mr. Berman told the crowd at the June event in Colorado Springs, sponsored by the Western Energy Alliance, a group whose members include Devon Energy, Halliburton and Anadarko Petroleum, which specialize in extracting oil and gas through hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking. “And you have to budget for it.”

  13. Yertle the Turdle announced that he believes it will take 60 votes to repeal Obamacare in the Senate.  

    Moddy, AC, any guess where you guys will find the additional 8 or 9 votes you'll need if you get 51 or 52 seats?  Or is McConnell just being pro-active in making excuses for his failure?

      1. He can do that as a private citizen? All numbers points towards Grimes' victory this Tuesday.

        The Senate remains in Democratic hands as well as a surprising takeover of the House by the Dems. I stand by my predictions.

    2. My guess is we will only need 6 more.  It looks like we may pick up 9 seats,

      Tough to tell how it happens.  Also tough to tell what the message received by the remaining D's will be.  They may conclude being on the President's team is not a ticket to getting reelected.

      2. The message will be to act like the GOP of the past six years for the next two years and refuse to govern or to participate.

        Time to roll out the fascist meme's against the GOP and put little Hitler-esque mustaches on pictures of McConnell.  Not sure who needs to be portrayed as Mussolini, Mike Lee maybe? 

      3. Of course, if the Republicans win the senate, the question won't be what message the Democrats take away from the election but what message the Republicans take away from it. Based on my experience both here and on the "Hill" in Washington, DC, neither party is very good at reading the tea leaves after a victory and then proceeding accordingly. Most of the time, the winning party begins the self congratulations that leads to them believing the public just endorsed everything they believe in which is never the case.

        1. R36 Agreed. My comment as to the Dem part of it was in response to where the republicans would find the additional votes.  Neither party has a monopoly on misreading things.

        2. If they get their 51 or 52 seats, maybe the first thing the Teabaggers will do is declare a jihad against the "moderates" (and I use that term loosely).  Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, and Mike Lee will stage a palace coup, dump Yertle, Cornyn, and Thune and put in place a truly conservative leadership team.  That's how they will read the tea leaves. 

          The House will follow suit unless Bohner has been successful in getting some northeastern moderate Republicans elected (Maine, New Hampshire, Mass., NY) to offset some of the Teabaggers joining the House (e.g., Cantor's replacement, Ken Buck).

    1. Your own linked article proves what an ass you are achole – read to the bottom: 

      UPDATE: 10/31/14, 7:41 a.m. — The CDC has added a new answer about coughing and sneezing to its Ebola Q&A. The new answer emphasizes that the virus doesn't spread that way:

      Can Ebola be spread by coughing or sneezing?

      There is no evidence indicating that Ebola virus is spread by coughing or sneezing. Ebola virus is transmitted through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of a person who is sick with Ebola; the virus is not transmitted through the air (like measles virus). However, droplets (e.g., splashes or sprays) of respiratory or other secretions from a person who is sick with Ebola could be infectious, and therefore certain precautions (called standard, contact, and droplet precautions) are recommended for use in healthcare settings to prevent the transmission of Ebola virus from patients sick with Ebola to healthcare personnel and other patients or family members.

      UPDATE: 10/31/14 2:00 p.m. — The CDC has replaced the document describing the difference between airborne infections and ones that spread via droplet. A key change is that the airborne section stresses that airborne germs "can be inhaled even after the original person is no longer nearby." Droplet germs, by contrast, "travel shorter distances, less than about 6 feet from a source patient." Ebola is the latter   – maybe you should ask the CDC about that nasty rash of yours because it seems to have infected your little brain.

    2. Does any GOPer not wet their pants over Ebola?

      Hey, AC – what about the 30K Americans who die from gun violence each and every year? Why aren't you and Rush Limbaiugh soiling yourselves over that one?   

  15. Shouldn't this be illegal?  And, folks, this wasn't placed by an outside group. This is the RNC lying to voters in Iowa telling them their votes will be public and their neighbors will know if they didn't vote Republican. The fact that you voted is public info. The party, if any, you're registered with is public info. But your ballot is secret. How you voted is not public info as everyone in the RNC knows. 

    First Republicans lost an election and lost the vote in congress and tried blackmail to get the winners to hand over ACA. Now the RNC is using  a variation of blackmail to trick any timid Rs who might be considering voting for D to….ummmm…. reconsider if you don't want everyone to know you're a traitor to the party and lousy liberal lover. And they claim the whole voter ID, shortening and reducing early voting options and locations, fighting same day registration and all mail elections is all about free and fair elections. Right.

    http://thinkprogress.org/election/2014/10/31/3587414/iowa-republican-facebook-ads/?utm_source=huffingtonpost.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pubexchange_article

      1. That looks like you typed it and printed it from your home computer.

        Seriously, AC? That's the best you can come up with?

        Udall has this thing locked up, if this is the quality of opponent we are dealing with. 

      2. The same nonesense??  Maybe you better read again what BC wrote, and what that letter says, and try to discover why the only nonesense in this thread is a result of your inability to comprehend . . . 

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