"Ughhhh.... This is very disappointing. I care about the environment but I just don't believe in climate change."
First off, I want to give a big congratulations to Darrell Issa. As someone who has fought very hard to deny climate change, he did an excellent job at being such a denier that now, this new award will give him great recognition.
Except, I don't agree with Issa's climate change denying and I'm sure all of you fellow Kossacks feel the same way.
Which is why environmentalists, including the national, state and San Diego League of Conservation Voters have given Issa the Climate Change Denier Award:
http://www.kpbs.org/...
A group of San Diego environmentalists on Tuesday delivered a climate change denier award to Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA 49th) as part of a national day of action to hold climate change deniers accountable.
The coalition criticized Issa for denying the existence of man-made climate change, despite overwhelming evidence and scientific research.
Jenesse Miller, communications director for the California League of Conservation Voters said the Republican lawmaker’s voting record leaves much to be desired.
“That includes everything from ocean protection to climate change to species protection to wilderness protection — you name the environmental issue, and Darrel Issa is usually on the wrong side of it,“ said Miller.
Miller added that 97 percent of scientists accept the science of climate change but 55 percent of Congressional Republicans, including Issa, reject that climate change is a legitimate threat.
A spokesman for Darrell Issa released this statement in response, basically a lame PR response that is nothing more than pure partisan drivel:
http://encinitas.patch.com/...
Frederick Hill, a spokesman for Rep. Issa responded to a Patch query, with the following statement:
“This political gathering isn’t being done to support science, it is being staged by barackobama.com and is intended to promote President Obama’s radical campaign to raise energy costs that will kill Americans jobs. President Obama has already told Americans that under his plan, ‘electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket ’ and his first Energy Secretary declared that, ‘we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe.’
Rep. Issa has long recognized that our climate is changing – it’s his support for expanding domestic energy production and his steadfast opposition to the President’s radical plans to raise energy costs that are the real issue.
Congressman Issa supports a balanced approach that provides the clean domestic energy America needs without raising our energy rates or putting Americans out of work.”
Expanding domestic energy production and "radical plans" to raise energy costs? Interesting how whenever the GOP responds, this is usually what they say.
And really. If Darrell Issa truly believed in climate change, why wasn't he out there fighting for it?
Well, he fights against cap and trade:
•Hill also provided Patch with figures on why Issa voted against cap-and-trade:
•According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the President’s 2009 cap-and-trade proposal would cost the average American household an extra $1,600 per year.
•Cap-and-trade could increase the price for a gallon of gasoline between $0.61 and $2.53.
•Cap-and-trade could increase the cost of electricity by 44% to 129%
Costs this, costs that, prices this, prices that. It's always a math game, isn't it with Darrell Issa and others.
However, they don't seem to be listening to the warning signs:
http://www.kpbs.org/...
A 240-page report released last week by the California Environmental Protection Agency detailed how climate change is taking a toll on California, including warming lakes, rising sea levels, increasing wildfires and changing ecosystems.
"People who are in denial about climate change are downright dangerous," said Jeff Severinghaus, professor of geosciences at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
"The science is very, very clear," Severinghaus said. "There’s no ambiguity now at all. I mean, the world is changing and we understand why, and it’s going to change a lot more.
"We’re looking at a radically altered planet 100 years from now," he warned.
I guess you don't have Republicans like Former Rep. Pete McCloskey in the party anymore.
McCloskey, in case any of you aren't aware, was heavily involved in pro-environmental issues back in the 1960's and 1970's and was the co-sponsor of the Endangered Species Act of 1973. McCloskey though, out of disillusionment with the Republican Party in recent years, has since become a Democrat.
Issa though, on the other hand, won't change. Nor will his environmental views.
If you can't stand to hear more of Darrell Issa's antics, keep the San Diego County Democratic Party busy since they're the most local and active Democratic Party nearby Darrell Issa's area of residence (not to mention his local office).
Make sure you mark down this information and pass it on to others for firing up the base in California's 49th Congressional District if you want to target Issa for re-election and get voter registration drives going. If you can find someone in the CA-49 who can run against Issa in 2014, the more the merrier:
San Diego County Democratic Party Website: http://www.sddemocrats.org/
Address: 8340 Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, Suite 10 San Diego, CA 92111
Phone: (858) 277-3367
Fax: (858) 571-0275
E-mail: info@sddemocrats.org
Contact Form: http://www.sddemocrats.org/...
Oh and don't forget, the DCCC could use some action as well: (202) 863-1500