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Earth Day's message: Eliminate Humans (and Happy Birthday Vladimir Lenin)

4/22/2012

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Here we go again - yet another Earth Day, laced with its annual platitudes about the need to save spaceship earth from its greatest problem, people.   The Washington Times published an insightful editorial a few years ago about ED's dark political agenda that's worth reading.   Today, Climategate expose author Brian Sussman posted an excellent blog piece (below) that explains how eliminating humans has become Earth Day's real message.

But first, let's give credit to the man who kicked-off green activism - to Vladimir Lenin on his birthday, which by some odd chance coincides with Earth Day.   Sussman's new book  "Eco-Tyranny:  How the Left's Green Agenda Will Dismantle America" explains the history of the green revolution in stunning detail.
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Vladimir Lenin, born April 22, 1870
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Earth Day flag, by John McConnell. Lenin and Marx - fathers of the green revolution.
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Karl Marx

Earth Day's message:  Eliminate humans
by Brian Sussman, April 22, 2012

Yesterday I took a video crew to the Earth Day Festival in Santa Cruz, California.  I chose this location because this city is known for being a model of greenness, and even maintains Department of Climate Change, complete with a director making $250,000 per year.

The question I posed in my man-on-the street-interviews was, “What is the greatest threat confronting mankind?”

In almost every interview, I was told the greatest threat was the human species.

Most troubling was an interview with a 12-year old girl who said she had been taught in school that global warming was real, that there were too many people on the planet, and that she occasionally thinks it might be best to end her own life to do her part to save the planet.

Her mom stood next to her, proudly looking on.

This is an example of what I write about in chapter six of Eco-Tyranny, entitled “Green Gospel.”  What this girl has been aught is nothing less than green-child abuse.

I’ll be posting the video later this week—you won’t want to miss it.

The truth is, Earth Day has never been a celebration of the earth, instead, it’s always been an assault on mankind.

On this date in 1970, a trio of radical dreamers established the first Earth Day, an annual event designed to assault capitalism, free-markets and mankind.

The initial concept was conceived by Senator Gaylord Nelson (D-WS).  Nelson was Congress’ leading environmentalist activist, a sort of pre-incarnate Senator Barbara Boxer in drag.  He was also the mastermind behind those ridiculous teach-ins which were vogue in the Sixties and early Seventies.  During the teach-ins, mutinous school instructors would scrap the day’s assigned curriculum, pressure their students to sit cross-legged on the floor, and “rap” about how America was an imperialist nation, and converse about why communism really wasn’t such a bad form of government—it just needed to be implemented properly.   (read more)

After reading this, reflect on Whatcom Farm Friends' Earth Day message that was published in The Bellingham Herald on April 17th.   It talks about food, farming and community like a siren song - whatever advances "sustainability."   The northwest's powerful Bullitt Foundation that funds Futurewise and other NGO's in our region ("Cascadia") describes the hierarchy in no uncertain terms, straight out of the Lenin-Marx green revolution playbook:

     "Any theory of sustainable development must be grounded in an understanding that the human economy is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the natural environment."

Sussman's not alone in exposing the green revolution's real intent.   Awareness of and alarm about the dark underside of trendy environmentalism is growing worldwide.  Click on the eco-activism category in the right column of this webpage to find other Excavator articles.   And by all means, consider reading these books:
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Eco-Tyranny: How the Left’s Green Agenda will Dismantle America - also available in Kindle and e-book formats.
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Watermelons: How the Environmentalists are Killing the Planet, Destroying the Economy and Stealing Your Children's Future, by James Delingpole.
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Global Warming/Climate Change/Disruption--Hot Air Hoax or Red-Hot Reality?

4/22/2012

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Our own WWU professor emeritus, Dr. Don Easterbrook spoke for about an hour and a half at a recent Northwest Business Club luncheon.   He is a frequent contributor to the Watts Up With That website (see his articles and comments). The Northwest Business Club has posted Dr. Easterbrook's presentation on their website.
Dr. Easterbrook is one of many courageous scientists who refuse to yield to the political pressure to embrace the hypothesis formerly known as "Anthropogenic Global Warming" (anthropogenic means "human related" a.k.a., "man caused"). Since the globe has evidently ceased its warming trend, the climate alarmists renamed it "Anthropogenic Climate Change" and  recently, they have apparently settled on "Anthropogenic Climate Disruption". Since the climate is always changing, and severe weather from time to time is a given, these latest scenarios are guaranteed to occur regardless of what humans do, thereby removing any responsibility for accountability or falsifiability.  How convenient!

Falsifiability is required by the scientific method, and it refers to the ability to run experiments that would confirm or disprove (falsify) a hypothesis. AGW was non-falsifiable because there was no practical experiment that anyone could run that would prove or disprove that global warming -- when it happens -- is caused by humans. 

The climate alarmists frequently use computer models to "prove" that their assertions are true, and then extrapolate wildly to invariably catastrophic conclusions. However, computer models are not experiments at all, but buggy self-fulfilling prophecies with circular dependencies.

When real scientists attempt to reveal the truth (just like Galileo and Copernicus in the olden days), they are shunned, de-funded, un-published, and called "outliers".  Thank you Dr. Easterbrook, for your courage to speak out. 

Dr. Easterbrook offers real scientific data at his website - you can find it here.
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Huge Wind Turbine Project on Galbraith Mountain Raises Questions

4/8/2012

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Talk around town is that serious questions have been raised about an absolutely immense wind turbine project that's been proposed for installation at the top of Galbraith Mountain.   This mega-machine so far exceeds the County's recently enacted standards it requires a conditional use permit.   WE checked out the turbine specs, and learned that - yes indeed (see the particulars) - this has a 100 meter rotor diameter, that's 328 feet.

With all the outcry from our local eco-elite alarmists about retaining the county's scenic beauty, habitat, and rural character, in uber-green style most want to turn a totally blind eye away from this project's impacts, which would be many.

This machine will make an incredible amount of noise (the specs say 106 decibels) when it runs - well beyond safe limits.   And there's no question that this will slaughter birds like crazy for years if it's built.   At three times the height of Bellingham Towers it will need to have have aircraft warning lights.   So much for the Galbraith Mountain skyline, aesthetics, etc.    The foundation and earthwork will be significant, at a location right between the Lake Whatcom and Lake Samish watersheds.   These turbines are notorious for leaking oil, among other environmental impacts.   So much for watershed protection.   At a minimum, a very big buffer (perhaps 1000 feet) should be required around the thing.   Imagine how far a broken blade would fly (they weigh tons), and there's that pesky noise issue.
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Two griffon vultures killed by turbines in Navarre, Spain. One of them has been sliced in half by the blade.
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Kenersys K100 2.5MW Wind Turbine
To top it off, this wind turbine will require a tremendous amount of cash subsidy.   WE reported last fall how much power bills are already grossly inflated to stuff the pockets of windpower outfits.   This "industry" has been a gold-rush, unrestrained by reality.  Turbines don't turn all the time, and cost-benefit runs to the "highly inefficient end of the scale" almost everywhere.   WE have never been "NIMBY" types, but this looks like a one-way cash cow of the worst kind.

WE suggest you read this position paper written by a local citizen.   And here's a link to a petition you can print and circulate among others if you'd like to get involved.   Opposing a bad idea takes a lot of courage in these parts.
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$500K Donation to School District as Skid Grease for Watershed Land Reconveyance

4/8/2012

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According to The Bellingham Herald,

An anonymous donor and a local nonprofit will pay the Mount Baker School District $500,000 if Whatcom County takes control of 8,700 acres in the Lake Whatcom watershed, a move that would reduce revenue to the district. (Continue reading...)

The City of Bellingham has been pushing for this plan for a couple of years.   This will effectively shut down all development and logging, and turn this enormous parcel of Department of Natural Resources land into a county park.  The major questions have always been:

1.      Do we actually need that much more park, along with the cost to maintain it? The land is providing revenue at the moment.

2.      Is this really supposed to “fix” Lake Whatcom (dubious science from the get-go)?

3.      Is there an anti-logging element?   If so, that strains the County Charter. 

4.      How does a one-time donation to the school district (even half a million dollars), cover the long term loss of logging revenue to the district?

5.      Why has the Land Trust been so involved (negotiating with the school district for the County?), and will this private organization stand to gain assets if this goes through?   They do have a record of “sharing” easements and property with Parks.

WE hope there are still opportunities for these questions to be raised in public hearings.

Will there even BE public hearings?   A lot of bills arrive at Council without them lately, have you noticed?

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Affordable Housing? Don't Look to Bellingham to Slow Alleged Rural Sprawl

4/4/2012

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Contributed by GEMINI 1

       Is the proposed Padden Trails development just another City of Bellingham issue involving an “evil developer’s” request for a rezone, or is it a symptom of something larger?  Hardly a day passes without reminders of the anti-growth attitudes which continue to influence local policy-making, depressing wages and economic opportunity here in the Fourth Corner.  This pervasive syndrome’s latest manifestation surfaced as Bellingham City Council held a March 26 work session to consider the proposed Padden Trails project.

     Bellingham’s Planning Commission and planning staff recommended Council’s approval of the proposal which would provide for projected population growth and permit increased density within Bellingham City Limits as required by the state’s Growth Management Act.  If you think the planning-obsessed, command-and-control socialists who comprise the City Council would favor such a proposal, you would be seriously mistaken.  These same hypocrites and their leftist friends support Futurewise’s lawsuits against Whatcom County in protest of too much ill-defined “rural sprawl” consuming agricultural land and open space.  They continuously complain about degradation of Lake Whatcom’s drinking water and have favored measures such as banning boats from the lake.

     When tangible Council action could be taken to address such concerns by providing for greater housing diversity and affordability within Bellingham , these “leaders” are nowhere to be found, and the anti-growth syndrome is once again on full display.


Infill Meets Bellingham's Goal of No Development Sprawl
a "Whatcom View" by Linda Twitchell
Bellingham Herald, March 31, 2012

There's a proposal before Bellingham City Council that you should know about if you're concerned about sprawl or you're concerned about how you, your family and friends can find housing in Bellingham.

The question has arisen: Is City Council serious about encouraging "infill" to keep growth inside the city? The council has adamantly opposed sprawl, saying it favors high-density infill. The city even adopted an "infill toolkit" three years ago to allow higher-density housing mixes, but it has never been used in a major project.

Bellingham now has a proposal for using the "toolkit." Developers of a 113-acre property west of Lake Padden and north of Interstate 5 want a change from low-density, single-family to low-density, multi-family zoning, allowing a mix of housing types and protecting critical areas. Density would go from 246 housing units (two per acre) to 492 (four per acre). Dwelling sizes would vary, and prices would range accordingly. Trails and open space are planned. The developer would build all needed infrastructure, including a $900,000 traffic light off-site, to help out the neighborhood.

Bellingham's Planning Commission and planning staff have recommended approval, saying the project conforms to the comprehensive plan and city goals, and doesn't present environmental problems. City Council members, however, made it clear at a work session March 26 that none of them supports the project as proposed. They suggest building at the original lower density - despite the fact that planning staff say that's not economically feasible. Infrastructure costs remain the same, regardless of how many homes are built. At the original density only 152 traditional, single-family houses could be built - selling for $700,000 or more. With 492 units built in clustered "infill toolkit" housing forms - small single-family homes, garden courtyards, townhouses, etc. - the average price would be $285,000 or less.

One councilman suggested the higher density isn't compatible with "existing neighborhood character." Zoning in most of the neighborhood is two- to four-units per acre, city planners report; one area is multi-family. Additionally, this project is on relatively isolated land, not visible from surrounding areas. Traffic would exit at the neighborhood's edge. If we can't have infill here, at densities that justify the cost of development, then where?

Let's be realistic - no neighborhood wants higher density. But if we're going to avoid sprawl outside town, we have to make room for people in town. The Growth Management Act requires cities to predict population growth, then accommodate it; "no growth" is not a legal option.

Bellingham is running out of "easy" places to build. Other than Cordata, at the north edge of town, buildable tracts in Bellingham tend to be steep and wooded.

Expense is an issue. Bellingham's building permits and fees are among the highest in the state. And as regulations make it harder and more expensive to build in town, people are finding homes elsewhere. Last year, only 20 percent of the new residential building permits issued in Whatcom County were in Bellingham, which issued fewer permits than Ferndale, Lynden, or unincorporated Whatcom County. Building in Bellingham during the past five years has dropped for single-family homes (194 units in 2007 to 71 units last year) and multifamily units (291 units to 104). The Realtors Association confirms this trend.

City Council repeatedly promotes high-density, multi-level "urban villages" to meet Bellingham's housing needs. But not everyone wants to live in a highrise. And not everyone wants downtown Bellingham built to the density of Bellevue, which is what the council has planned for.

Which do you prefer, sprawl or infill? Now is the time to speak up. Please give this serious consideration, and let the City Council know your preference. The public record is open until April 16 on this proposal, known as Padden Trails. Information is posted on the city's website.

The Building Industry Association of Whatcom County is a nonprofit with 350 members - homebuilders and related businesses (engineers to telecommunications firms). The association has no financial interest in this project and does not back it specifically. But we are interested in finding workable solutions for our community to make this a place where we all can afford to live. We think it's time to get serious about infill, or to stop complaining about sprawl.

Linda Twitchell is the government affairs director for the Building Industry Association of Whatcom County.
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Resistance Continues - San Juan "Natural Conservation Area" Designation Questioned by Congress

4/1/2012

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Here's to the folks in San Juan County who continue to raise questions and resistance to the "at all costs" action underway by the Obama Administration to designate "Natural Conservation Areas" (NCAs) of BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land throughout the islands.   Salazar (the head of BLM) and Obama are so hot to trot they're toying with the idea of doing an end-run around Congress and making all these places "national monuments" by presidential decree at the stroke of a pen, using the Antiquities Act.

Regular readers will recall that the WE raised alarm when three parcels in Whatcom County were added to the list by a County Council resolution last August.    Our concerns seem to be proving out.   Congress - the Natural Resources Committee - questioned not only the itent of this scheme, but the way it's been rammed down the nation's throat.   See the committee webpage questioning transparency - it's illuminating.    There's a video below that frames the big push.

Although NCA designation was sold as sunshine and featured as a part of Obama's "America's Great Outdoors" initiative promising to make federal lands more accessible, the Wildnerness Society  has been pressing BLM to make these parcels "Areas of Critical Environmental Concern" [ACECs].    Management plans are already being formulated that call for long-term lock down and uber-management of the whole region.   That was always their real goal.   Over-regulation is already crushing decent residents.   Have you seen the Charles Dalton story?

A citizen e-mail circulating in the Islands that we just received summarizes the situation:

"1)  Senators Cantwell, and Murray and Representatives Larsen and Inslee have bills before Congress that would designate the San Juan BLM Lands as National Conservation Areas.  In his opinion, the language in those bills would be preferable to an Executive Order, unless the language in the bills mirrored that in the bills.  It is more than unlikely that these bills will get to the floor this year.  

2)  The second way the BLM Lands will be "reidentified" is by an Executive Order by the President into a National Monument.

To further complicate these issues a ACEC Designation = Areas of Critical Environmental Concern could/would be imposed.  In Oregon, groups are fighting to keep National Parks open to the public."

We had a bad feeling this would be "bait and switch."   Pulling the "National Monument" maneuver to evade Congressional approval is nothing short of a dirty trick (using the Antiquities Act).

WE think it's a good idea to fax continuing concerns to Congressman Doc Hastings who's on the Natural Resources Committee at (202) 225-3251 [his voice line is (202) 225-5816].    And it's not too late to write or e-mail the San Juan County Council, though by all accounts they're ready to swing their rubber stamp of approval on this in just two days, on April 3rd.

San Juan County Council
350 Court St #1
Friday Harbor, WA 98250
(360) 378-2898     Fax (360) 378-7208      council@sanjuanco.com
P.S.     Federal lock-down of public lands is a growing problem, not just in wilderness or conservation areas, but everywhere - including national forests and national parks.   The road closure plan for Oregon's largest national forest targets a nearly 4,000-mile network - the final plan for Wallowa-Whitman National Forest is already drawing opposition:

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2012/03/road_closure_plan_for_oregons.html

The final plan for Wallowa-Whitman National Forest http://www.fs.usda.gov/wallowa-whitman/

Travel Management Plan Decision http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/wallowa-whitman/landmanagement/projects/?cid=fsbdev7_008909
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