Consequences, the youth outreach organization fighting global warming and demanding a sensible solution to the climate crisis, has announced a special conference call next Tuesday with Sen. John Kerry.
According to their email
"Senator Kerry will engage young people across the country to talk about this historic moment in the fight for clean energy. Senator Kerry, the author of the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act, understands the importance of youth action on the climate issue and wants to hear from us."
The call will take place this upcoming Tuesday, October 27th at 9pm eastern. You can RSVP on their website here.
(In the coming weeks, Okie Funk and Blue Oklahoma will set the record straight when it comes to U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe. This blog will be publishing an open-ended series, "The Case Against Jim Inhofe." The series will comment on Inhofe's political and business escapades, from his earlier lies about when he graduated from college to the insurance company he ran into insolvency to his dirty campaign tactics. It will show how Inhofe has consistently hurt the state's image. It will focus as well on Inhofe's atrocious record on economic, health, energy, environmental, military and government spending issues. Here are the installments published before this post: Part I: "Rice Gains Ground on Inhofe," Part II: "Character Issue Follows Inhofe,"Part III: "When Inhofe Talks, People Cringe,"Part IV: "Iraq Distortions Cast Shadow Over Inhofe Campaign.")
The failed economic policies of the Bush administration and the Republican Party have taken this country close to a complete financial collapse once again.
People around the country are now asking these basic questions: Is my money safe in the bank? Will I lose my job and home? Are my retirement funds safe? Will food and energy prices continue to go up? Will I be able to fill my prescriptions this month? Can I help my children go to college?
In a form of corporate socialism, the Bush/GOP ideology rewards the wealthiest in our culture through tax cuts, business deregulation and other incentives. The ideology punishes most everyone else with higher prices, stagnant wages and inadequate health care.
The recent collapse of several major companies tied to the subprime mortgage controversy has shown, once again, the harsh reality behind the Republican trickle-down theory. In the midst of this man-made muddle, there is much to condemn about the GOP's bogus philosophy that creates the free market as the arbitrator of all American reality.
(In the coming weeks, Okie Funk and Blue Oklahoma will set the record straight when it comes to U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe. This blog will be publishing an open-ended series "The Case Against Jim Inhofe." The series will comment on Inhofe's political and business escapades, from his earlier lies about when he graduated from college to the insurance company he ran into insolvency to his dirty campaign tactics. It will show how Inhofe has consistently hurt the state's image. It will focus as well on Inhofe's atrocious record on economic, health, energy, environmental, military and government spending issues. Here are the installments published before this post: Part I: "Rice Gains Ground on Inhofe," Part II: "Character Issue Follows Inhofe,"Part III: "When Inhofe Talks, People Cringe.")
(A different version of the below post was first published May 7, 2007.)
"Our intelligence system has said that we know that Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction -- I believe including nuclear. There's not one person on this panel who would tell you unequivocally that he doesn't have the missile means now, or is nearly getting the missile means to deliver a weapon of mass destruction. And I for one am not willing to wait for that to happen."--Jim Inhofe on Meet The Press, 2002)
U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe's bizarre comments last year on the Iraq occupation completely contradicted what he said during the time period leading up to the invasion.
In a Tulsa World article ("Vice President Visits Tulsa: Cheney, Inhofe blasted Democrats' plan for Iraq," April 27, 2007), Inhofe claims the reasons for the gruesome Iraq occupation initially had nothing to do with finding weapons of mass destruction. Inhofe actually blamed the press for the so-called "mischaracterization."
This was not simply political spin on Inhofe's part. This was a calculated lie by an angry warmonger intent on rewriting history to cover his errors and misjudgment.
(In the coming weeks, Okie Funk and Blue Oklahoma will set the record straight when it comes to U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe. This blog will be publishing an open-ended series titled "The Case Against Jim Inhofe." The series will comment on Inhofe's political and business escapades, from his earlier lies about when he graduated from college to the insurance company he ran into insolvency to his dirty campaign tactics. It will show how Inhofe has consistently hurt the state's image. It will focus as well on Inhofe's atrocious record on economic, health, energy, environmental, military and government spending issues. Here are the installments published before this post: Part I: "Rice Gains Ground on Inhofe," Part II: "Character Issue Follows Inhofe.")
There are few states in this country that suffer more from image problems than Oklahoma.
From the lingering memories of the Dust Bowl to decades-old poverty to the perception of its residents as uneducated hicks, Oklahoma gets kicked around as a butt of jokes, and, as a result, it often gets passed over for economic development.
Although Oklahoma has made some progress in the last decade to change its reputation, one leader in particular continues to harm the state when it comes to its basic image. That leader is U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, a Republican whose outrageous, public statements taint us all with the "hick" label.
Some in the GOP will argue that Inhofe is only colorful and obstinate, that the state's image matters little to economic development. But that argument is undercut by former and contemporary state leaders-in the private and public sectors-who have consistently realized how important public relations can be to a state like Oklahoma. Even with its now thriving energy sector, the state is part of a larger global business community. The state must welcome different types of people with different types of views and skills or our standard of living and quality of life will suffer.
Yet we know this: When the intolerant 73-year-old Inhofe opens his mouth, people cringe and Oklahoma suffers.
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe's abysmal record on the environment is a major issue among Oklahomans and could help pro-environment Andrew Rice in his campaign against the state's senior senator, according to a recent article in The New Republic.
The June 3 article, written by Marisa Mazria-Katz, notes how state Sen. Rice, 35, pictured right, has put "environment issues at the heart of his campaign."
On the trail, [Rice] emphasizes his efforts in the Oklahoma legislature to convert the state's vehicle fleet to clean-burning fuel and to require public schools to reduce their energy consumption. Rice is hoping his larger agenda of alternative fuel initiatives, which include better harnessing the state's vast natural gas resources, will appeal to a wide range of voters. "There is a segment of Oklahoma's population that is willing to swing to the other side for the first time in 20 years," Rice says.
Rice represents a district in Oklahoma City, but he continues to appeal to state rural voters who are tired of Inhofe's grandstanding on global warming. Environmental issues transcend political affiliation and the 73-year-old Inhofe seems out of touch with the latest scientific information about climate change. Even his own political party's presumptive presidential nominee has proposed a cap-and-trade system on carbon emissions. The article notes,
State Sen. Andrew Rice (D-Oklahoma), who is running for the U.S. Senate against Republican incumbent Jim Inhofe this year, was recently interviewed by Grist, a prominent online magazine dedicated to environmental issues.
In the interview, Rice, pictured right, discussed his campaign against Inhofe, who once called global warming a hoax and fights against any federal legislation addressing climate change. Rice also discussed how fighting climate change could benefit the Oklahoma economy.
Rice said, "This is a win-win for Oklahoma, particularly around wind energy. We're really in a position to be able to provide clean, renewable energy [to nearby states].
"I've got two bills [in the state Senate], one that's going to be converting our state vehicles to alternative fuels, and another that's going to be doing an energy-efficiency study of our schools and state buildings, trying to find ways to save money. I have rural Republican state Senate colleagues who were very supportive of these ethanol, biofuel, wind-energy initiatives we have; it's not a partisan issue for them, because they have constituents in their communities poised to benefit from developing these programs."
Rice's positions on climate change are reasonable and responsible and stand in marked contrast to Inhofe's over-the-top, anti-environment rhetoric, which has embarrassed the state.
The prevailing political partnership between U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe and The Daily Oklahoman will lead to even more severe ice storms like the one Oklahoma experienced last week.
This is because the state's largest newspaper continues to support Inhofe and his wild claims denying the impact of climate change on the state and nation. (Click on the image to the right. An Inhofe interview comes on in about two minutes.) Meanwhile, a state climatologist, Derek Arndt, said last week's ice storm was part of a pattern produced by warmer winters in Oklahoma. In past decades, the ice might have turned to snow-far less dangerous and destructive than ice-before falling to the ground.
Last week's storm was blamed for the deaths of 23 people here. More than 600,000 people were without power at one point. About 125,000 people still remain without power. The storm killed or damaged thousands of trees in the state.
Inhofe and the newspaper's editorial board do not get it, and the state will obviously suffer through frequent, horrific ice storms in the future because of it.
As everyone in the world knows, Inhofe has called global warming a hoax, and he continues to deny that climate change is caused at least partially by carbon emissions. Reputable scientists throughout the world argue otherwise. The evidence is overwhelming. Inhofe, with the newspaper's tacit approval, will not even engage in an intelligent conversation about it. It seems perfectly fitting he represents a state that is probably experiencing more destructive storms caused by global warming than anywhere else in the nation right now.
State Sen. Andrew Rice (D-Oklahoma City), pictured right, will liveblog on Daily Kos at 3 p.m., Thursday Dec. 13. Here is the link.
Rice, a progressive Democrat, is running against U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe in the 2008 election. Rice, 34, hopes to upset the 73-year-old Senator who has become a symbol of everything that is wrong about Washington politics today.
As Rice reaches out to his constituents and voters, Inhofe, who denies the existence of global warming, will be "gearing up to filibuster a Republican bill that will confront climate change and carbon emissions." (That's not a typo. It's a Republican bill.)
Inhofe continues to embarrass the state with his personal war on science. His political stunts, which only serve the interests of the big oil companies, make the state seem backwards. If the state's chamber of commerce types really want to improve economic development here, they will get behind Rice's campaign.
It's time for a change. The state needs to send Inhofe into retirement and elect someone as U.S. Senator who is forward thinking and intelligent. Check out Daily Kos here at 3 p.m.
This is a press release from the Andrew Rice campaign:
OKLAHOMA CITY (Oct. 29, 2007) - After U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe consumed another two hours of Senate floor time on Friday railing against "left wing scientists" who express concerns about global warming, Oklahoma State Senator Andrew Rice, D-OKC, today asked Inhofe to devote equal time instead to promote his home state's unique position as a leader in the development of clean-burning fuels.
Rice declared his candidacy in August for the Democratic nomination to challenge Inhofe in next year's general election.
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe is making controversial news again. This time he is trying to stop open access to government-funded research.
A bill, passed by the House, would require that manuscripts associated with research conducted by the National Institutes of Health be made public in at least 12 months after they are published.
Inhofe, the infamous global warming denier, has introduced two amendments in the Senate's bill that would effectively gut the provision. Andrew Leonard over at How the World Works at Salon.com has an interesting take on the issue. Leonard ties it to Inhofe's global warming position.
Overall, this is a just another example of the Republican Senator's continued war on science. What people do not know will hurt them, and Inhofe obviously does not care.
Click here to help State Sen. Andrew Rice defeat Inhofe in the 2008 Senate election.
(Yes, please, Inhofe already. It is time to send U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) into retirement. Check out his opponent in the 2008 election, State Sen. Andrew Rice (D-Oklahoma City), a true progressive who supports a full and open discussion on climate change and all environmental issues.)
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe has brought more embarrassment to Oklahoma. The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) has designated Inhofe as the leader of its "Dirty Dozen" list for possessing one of the worst anti-environmental records in Congress.
Unfortunately, the designation ultimately reflects on the state's residents, many of whom do not support Inhofe's radical anti-environmental agenda and ideology. This must include some of his fellow Republicans. For example, in his ongoing gesture of absurdity, Inhofe calls global warming a "hoax" developed by liberals. He has been admonished by U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer twice at Senate Environment and Public Works Committee meetings for acting rudely to former Vice President Al Gore and a fellow senator as they tried to speak candidly about climate change.
(We need to send the denier/denyer into retirement. Click here to support State Sen. Andrew Rice, who is running against U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe in 2008.)
Oklahoma's most embarrassing political leader, U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, continues to throw angry fits in committee meetings in an effort to stop discussions over scientific and firsthand information related to global warming.
In yet another bizarre episode in the senator's personal war against science, Inhofe tried to prevent U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Maryland) from discussing the impact of global warming on the Chesapeake Bay. Mikulski and other Bay area politicians were invited to share information at a recent hearing of the Environment and Public Works Committee, headed by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-California).
Inhofe, who calls global warming a "hoax" created by liberals, is the former head of the committee and one of the main reasons why the country has been late in dealing with the ramifications of climate change. (Even Imperial President George Bush acknowledges global warming and "that human activity is a factor.")
(Click here for the Hunt Terrorists, Not Doves account for Andrew Rice on ActBlue.)
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, the Washington relic and Bush lapdog, is holding his annual Oklahoma Dove Hunt at Quartz Mountain Lodge Sept. 7-8. His invited guest is probably the only other senator who will even be seen with him these days, John Cornyn (R- Texas), another Bush toady and Washington insider.
Are there two more washed-up, narcissistic Washington politicians than Inhofe and Cornyn? And here these two Republican bigwigs are hunting the dove, the international symbol of peace, as more American soldiers and innocent Iraqis die. The hunt is a dark but fitting symbol of the killing these two men have supported during the Iraq occupation. As many Republican leaders, such as U.S. Sens. John Warner (Virgina) and Chuck Hagel (Nebraska) moderate their positions on the occupation, both Inhofe and Cornyn want the killing to continue indefinitely.
Inhofe has also embarrassed Oklahoma and the nation with his outrageous comments about torture, global warming and lifestyles. He is despised throughout the world as an ultra-partisan who does not believe in basic scientific evidence.
State Sen. Andrew Rice's U.S. Senate campaign against the kooky Jim Inhofe continues to draw national attention.
Rice was featured in this excellent and thorough kos blog today on Daily Kos. Yesterday, his campaign was featured on the Congressional Quarterly site.
Also, a campaign fundraising account for Rice on ActBlue is steadily growing in donors and money.
State Sen. Andrew Rice, who recently announced his U.S. Senate bid against Jim Inhofe, will live blog on Daily Kos at 3 p.m. (CST) Wednesday.
Rice decided to take on the gargantuan task of bringing down Inhofe when grassroots supporters in Oklahoma and across the nation appealed to him. He plans to run an aggressive campaign that will point out Inhofe's lack of integrity and the many times the kooky senator has embarrassed the state with his outrageous public comments.
Are you sick and tired of Jim Inhofe? Here is Rice's ActBlue account. ActBlue helps progressive candidates throughout the country raise money through the netroots. Please consider donating some money to help Oklahoma take a giant step forward in terms of its national image.
Another day, another local, right-wing media outlet argues Democrats should be like Republicans so some Republicans can be to the right of the quasi-fascist, mission-accomplished president they so adore.
So here we are, still 14 months away from the 2008 elections, and already the editorial writers at The Daily Oklahoman feel compelled to criticize State Sen. Andrew Rice’s campaign against U.S. Senate Jim Inhofe.
Heck, Rice has not even officially announced he is running yet. The bullies and chicken hawks at The Daily Oklahoman, the propaganda ministry for the state GOP, must be scared.
After a few weeks on the road in Oklahoma and a whirlwind of meetings in Washington, D.C., it now seems likely State Senator Andrew Rice will soon be filing papers to challenge U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe in the 2008 election.
Since winning election to the State Senate from a diverse, inner-OKC district, Rice has already proven to be a skilled consensus builder who gets results. He offers a stark contrast to the right-wing curmudgeon, Jim Inhofe.
Rice still says he will make a formal announcement after Labor Day but fundraising prospects have surpassed his expectations and sources close to him say he may be “all in” within the next 10 days. He has received encouragement on a draft Rice Web site, www.runandrewrun.com, and in meetings throughout the state. We also hear the DSCC now views Rice as a potential upset challenger in the style of a Jim Webb or a Jon Tester.
Rice lost a brother in the World Trade Center on 9/11 and believes that Bush and Inhofe took their eye off the ball by waging war in Iraq while Al Quaeda rebuilt its global terror network. Inhofe, who once called global warming a “hoax,” boasts of being "one of the last true conservatives left in the Senate".
Play the new and fun U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe Narcissistic Personality Disorder or Stupid Game!
Pick your favorite Inhofe quote from the list below and then explain in a comment if it is the result of a narcissistic personality disorder or just plain stupidity.
(2) In a 2002 Senate speech, Inhofe said, "One of the reason I believe the spiritual door [emphasis added] was opened for an attack against the United States of America is that the policy of our government has been to ask the Israelis, and demand it with pressure, not to retaliate in a significant way against the terrorist strikes that have been launched against them."
(4) In a June 6, 2006 Senate speech, Inhofe said, “…As you see here, and I think this is maybe the most important prop [family photo] we’ll have during the entire debate, my wife and I have been married 47 years. We have 20 kids and grandkids. I'm really proud to say that in the recorded history of our family, we've never had a divorce or any kind of homosexual relationship.”
(Misterokrahead says: Tired of crazy ol’ cusses like Inhofe making Oklahoma a laughingstock throughout the nation? Click here to sign a petition urging state Sen. Andrew Rice to run against Inhofe in the 2008 election.)
This is a community blog operated since 2006 by people dedicated to promoting and restoring progressive values in Oklahoma. A courageous band of patriots, we fight right-wing tyranny in one of the reddest of red states. Do you want to help by posting here? Do you want traffic back to your blog or site? We welcome posts written by liberals and centrist to conservative Democrats and Independents. Register above and start posting. Crossposting is allowed. Questions? Contact kurt.hochenauer@gmail.com.
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