This week we will find out Obama's choice for Secretary of the Interior. This cabinet position is so critical because it has been our public lands that have often borne the worst of Bush's relentless attacks. We need a strong champion of conservation and science in this position to help undo the mess that years of Gale Norton and others have made.
Mike Thompson, a Blue Dog Democrat from California, is one of the leading candidates, if not THE leading candidate.
Mike Thompson is the WRONG choice!
As Grist notes, Mike Thompson voted FOR Bush's disastrous "Healthy Forests" initiative.
Just think about this for a moment. Obama is possibly about to appoint someone to Interior who voted FOR this crap.
But that's not all!
To remind you about what the "Healthy Forests" initiative is about...
Limit environmental analysis and limit public participation by excluding environmental analysis for any site-specific project[...]
Accelerate aggressive "thinning" across millions of acres of backcountry forests miles away from communities at risk to forest fires.
And on it goes...
Mike Thompson voted AGAINST limiting road construction in Alaska's Tongass National Forest. (He was the ONLY California Democrat to oppose!)
And, true to his Legislator of the Year award from Safari Club International (folks who hunt lions, rhinos, elephants), he voted against closing a loophole that allows American hunters to import heads of polar bears.
As noted elsewhere, Thompson's relatively high LCV score is deceiving. There are lots of votes that are deemed to be pro or con environment. But they are not all weighted equally. Voting FOR Bush's Healthy Forests crap is surely far more damaging than 1000 smaller votes. And what about Thompson's votes against more cash for fish and wildlife, or votes against mass slaughter of bears and cougars, and on and on and on.
Oh, and you think he might help with the Roadless Rule stuff put in place by Clinton? (I know that most of this falls under Agriculture, but as a Cabinet position he would definitely have a voice.) Well, he was one of only 30 Democrats to vote AGAINST an amendment to maintain roadless areas.
And then there's the money...
Thousands and thousands from Safari Club International -- an organization whose members hunt lions, elephants, rhinos, and more -- along with fellow recipients like Michele Bachmann, Don Young, Conrad Burns, and Rick Santorum. (Note that the vast majority of SCI money goes to the GOP.)
Thousands more from mega oil and gas conglomerate Koch Industries.
Is Mike Thompson truly the conservation-minded, science-based, progressive voice we need at Interior to counteract the years of abuse from BushCo?
Please go to change.gov and let the Obama team know: NO to Mike Thompson!
And please can you recommend this diary? :)