By Rick Manning || Kathleen Sebelius’ unceremonious dumping answered the question of what does it take to get fired in the Obama Administration with an expected answer. You get fired when it is more useful to Obama for you to be a scapegoat than to be protecting secrets on the inside.
Now that we know that answer, the longest lingering question of the Administration is, will they ever allow the Keystone XL pipeline to be built across the US/Canadian border?
The answer is no.
The latest delay on approval came from the Obama State Department putting off the decision until after the November elections, citing litigation over the location of the pipeline in Nebraska.
A quick look at the U.S. map confirms that Nebraska not only does not border Canada, but it doesn’t even border a state that borders Canada. No, Nebraska’s northern border is approximately 500 miles south of Canada.
While it might sound to the perpetually ignorant of the left like the State Department would have something to do with the fifty states which make up our union, in fact it only deals with foreign states. This might explain their geographic confusion over their decision on whether to allow this pipeline to cross the 49th Parallel that divides Canada and the U.S. in that part of the continent. They must think that their mission statement includes pipeline siting a full day’s drive, as the crow flies, south of the border.
Perhaps a U.S. map should be required to be placed in all State Department offices right next to their pictures of Obama, Biden and Kerry. Arrows pointing away from the U.S. borders in all directions with the words – YOUR JURISDICTION – to provide clarification for these geographically impaired geniuses.
(To continue reading this piece, press the “Read More …” icon below).
Rick Manning is communications director of Americans for Limited Government. This column – which originally appeared on NetRightDaily.com – is reprinted with permission.
73 comments
He’s right. Federal jurisdiction is limited to the 1″ piece of pipe that crosses from Canada into the US. And our prez is sticking his 1″ pipe into us.
He’s right. Federal jurisdiction is limited to the 1″ piece of pipe that crosses from Canada into the US.
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The FBI and DEA will be interested in your analysis of jurisdiction… for instance in the area of kidnapping, and trucking.
…btw, how did you get an inch? Shouldn’t it be an infinitely thin plane that cuts through the pipeline between the atoms of the pipe at the border?
Holy mackeral…imagine this…in the name of political expediency, the Obummer Misrepresentation is delaying yet another policy decision/law until AFTER the 2010-2012-2014 elections. Where have we seen this before? This incompetent bunch is completely devoid of any real decision-making and leadership qualities. They’re just a bunch of Chicago marxist thugs who tell lie after lie after lie, purposely divide people by race and class, make shit up as they go along and have done nothing in the best interests of the country but do everything in their own (election) interests.
Holy mackerel . . . imagine this . . .Blah Blah Blah – different thread, different subject but same old regurgitated WorldNetDaily talking points.
“Chicago Marxist” was pretty entertaining… Richard Daley is turning in his grave.
Koch Brothers are the largest investor in this venture. The oil is going to China. Tell us how ‘we the people’ will benefit?
we’ll benefit because the water the Koch brothers will sell to the present users of the ogallala aquifer will be even better quality than water itself.
Water? Who needs water?
Should the profit of the ultra rich be held up by a mere 2.3 million water drinkers and the agricultural breadbasket of the United States?
A Ferengi without profit is no Ferengi at all.
Source: Rule of Acquisition 18.
Careful, Euwe has a hard time distinguishing between Trekkie’s and libertarians.
Only in large numbers.
Most BMW’ are also exported. That is good. It will be higher valued refined petroleum that will be exported. The US is already an exporter of refined fuel. This will reduce our trade deficit. It will employ Americans in its construction, ports and in oil refining. It diversifies our sources for oil. It helps protects us from another oil embargo or oil crisis.
The oil is from Canada not the US. The pipeline is designed to get Canadian oil to a place where they can ship it to China. It’s not your fault you don’t know that. The Koch Brothers and their Republican allies have spent millions to keep the public in the dark about the purpose of the Pipeline. Better to demonize Obama than debate a issue they do not want to discuss.
It is interesting that the Obama adm. doesn’t make any such claim about Koch or China.
You have been reading to much false propaganda from the International Forum on Globalization (IFR).
Koch Industries has no petroleum or petrochemical facilities in the Asia Pacific region. It is all in US, Canada, and Trinidad and Tobago. They have only have marketing, trading and transporting facilities in the Asia Pacific. They don’ have a stake in the pipeline and I haven’t found where they own shipping. China only has a 5% stake in the Alberta oil reserves. Koch Ind. Has not reserved any capacity on the pipeline.
Here is a link.
http://m.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/03/20/the-biggest-land-owner-in-canadas-oil-sands-isnt-exxon-mobil-or-conoco-phillips-its-the-koch-brothers/
Here is a more humorous link that says if the IFG is right then that is even more of a reason to build it.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2013/10/22/the-kochs-will-not-make-a-100-billion-profit-from-keystone-xl/
Quote from National Geographic: The Keystone XL pipeline, Verleger argues, could transform the U.S. Gulf Coast into the most profitable refining center in the world.
We already refine oil from Venezuela, Mexico and Saudi Arabia and export it to others countries. This helps our trade deficit and employs Americans. Koch Ind. alone employs 50,000 Americans.
Canada sends a pipeline through the United States over the only continental aquifer there is in America, connected from Canada through to the Gulf.. but the State department has no jurisdiction? Ok…
Then why is everyone talking about its 11 volume report that doesn’t say one way or the other whether it should be accepted?
The aquifer is almost dried up from planting crops to feed the world. Think a shortage of oil will be bad, wait and see what happens when the water is gone!!
The aquifer is almost dried up from planting crops to feed the world.
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according to who?
The Ogallala Aquifer is a shallow water table aquifer located beneath the Great Plains in the United States. One of the world’s largest aquifers, it underlies an area of approximately 174,000 mi² (450,000 km²) in portions of eight states: (South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas). It was named in 1898 by N.H. Dartonfrom its type locality near the town of Ogallala, Nebraska. The aquifer is part of the High Plains Aquifer System, and rests on the Ogallala Formation, which is the principal geologic unit underlying 80% of the High Plains.
About 27 percent of the irrigated land in the United States overlies the aquifer, which yields about 30 percent of the ground water used for irrigation in the United States. Since 1950, agricultural irrigation has reduced the saturated volume of the aquifer by an estimated 9%. These areas will take over 100,000 years to replenish naturally through rainfall.
The aquifer system supplies drinking water to 82 percent of the 2.3 million people (1990 census) who live within the boundaries of the High Plains study area
http://www.kansascity.com/2013/09/01/4452173/the-ogallala-aquifer-an-important.html
A vast underground lake beneath western Kansas and parts of seven other states could be mostly depleted by 2060, turning productive farmland back to semi-arid ground, a new study says.
Thanks for the link.
So 2060.. that’s some serious water use! We’d better get an oil spill into it fast, or it’ll dry up!
The reports purpose was not to approve or disapprove. The report said the pipeline would cause no more harm than not building it.
The way I read it, the report neither said it would cause more harm, nor less harm.
Where are all those militias who are out in force with the Nevada rancher? Will they also support the landowners who are opposed to the pipeline?
liberal landowners who are opposed to the pipeline?
fixed that for you.
You misspelled “Marxist Maoist Communist Socialist treasonous class warfaring leftist pinko hippy dope farmers” sir.
“Marxist Maoist Communist Socialist treasonous class warfaring leftist pinko hippy dope farmers”
Until they agree on a price. Then they are “money grubbing polluting crony capitalist”.
Republicans don’t have human nature – they’re more altruistic than anything else.
I was hatched from a pod.
Is that why you believe the crap they’re giving you about caring about the poor, the sick, the elderly, the children, and the country?
Just the poor.
my keyboard has been acting up lately.
For once, you make a good comment.
Build the damn pipeline.
Just cut the blue wire.. if the hydrogen bomb goes off, we won’t be here to see it anyway.
Tell it to the labor unions and democrats that see this for what it is.
Think they’d listen to me this time?
No but Tom Steyer might.
Is that a good thing?
Depends, is Steyer’s money as bad as the Koch’s money?
Money is fungible.
OK don’t answer the question but your silence speaks volumes.
Money isn’t bad, people are bad.
Ok, who is bad the Kocks or Steyer.
The Kocks are bad – I’m not sure about Steyer yet.
I understand now, if Steyer’s $100 million influence fit what you want then he’s good if it doesn’t he’s bad.
We’re really going to get a handle on outside influence aren’t we.
Let me ask you this – if you were against nerve gas, and your enemy used nerve gas on you – would you condemn those who attacked him for it?
We would like to get money out of the voting process, and not fight fire with fire – because the 1% IS running the country.
How about you?
I am not going to deny myself the weapons of my enemy… but I will work tirelessly to restore the vote to the people, and not to the wealthy.
The 1% is not exclusive to one party and it never has been.
Read my reply to Tom above.
Should they be running the country for us? I think not.
How do you plan to end their control of congress?
Come on max, if we could end it we would.
One thing is for sure, I’m not going to call you or anyone else my enemy because we do not agree.
I thought that was the whole idea – that we are Americans, in this together – but it seems to me that the Kock brothers have decided it’s about their profit, and their taxes, and their “family values” – not ours. I don’t like being championed by people with money.. I don’t like class warfare, but these fuckers started it with the Bush tax cuts. It wasn’t for the middle class it was for the rich, and everyone looked the other way… and they’re still acting like the rich are an abused class even though they got astronomically richer at the stock casino while we all lost our retirement money and jobs.
It’s not which particular issue one of these fucks uses their money on – it’s that they do it for themselves first, and fuck everyone else.
I love you, man! :)
See, I think the xl pipeline is good for we Americans but some don’t.
Let me ask you this about the Bush tax cuts, why were they not over turned the first 2 years of the Obama Presidency when the Dems controlled both the House and the Senate? They passed Obamacare.
Let me ask you this about the Bush tax cuts, why were they not over turned the first 2 years of the Obama Presidency when the Dems controlled both the House and the Senate? They passed Obamacare.
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I remember… just like you do, the reason given was that the economy is still extremely fragile, and we were applying a series of quantitative easings and policies intended to help the banks build equity. They were cutting taxes for the average guy by rescinding ss payments and stuff .. even at the cost of future debt, the wheels of the economy needed as much grease as we could give it.
After that, the Democrats didn’t have a “real” majority anymore, though I’ll grant you, the spineless cowards probably couldn’t get up enough backbone to pass a tax increase on the rich.
I don’t think taxing the rich will solve anything.
As I’ve said before, everyone pays the same rate and eliminate all deductions, reduce the corporate rate and bring the money back to the US.
Tax reform will not happen because the Rs and Ds are vested in being reelected.
BTW you can pick the rate and the economy isn’t much better now than it was before.
don’t think taxing the rich will solve anything.
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That’s enough for me. Let’s drop taxes on the rich completely.
It’s not about taxation – it’s about control of the government by the voters, not the rich.
Left out…rich “more”
I take it you don’t like the way I would change the tax code. Maybe if everyone had skin in the game and only they could donate to politician they would think twice before they voted.
I really don’t care to drag up the flat tax… I’m sure you’ve read multiple refutations of that scheme, and have rejected them. Why should I try to convince you it’s just a scheme to drop the tax on the ultra rich even more?
…and putting the poor’s skin in the game will just leave them with less skin… a sociopath’s dream.
Hurt them – that’s the only thing they understand! Fuck Jesus.
It would never pass anyway, those rich congressmen don’t want to lose their deductions nor do the American public. So lets just blame it all on the rich. When you rob Peter to pay Paul you can always count on the support of Paul and I see two Paul’s in this dilemma.
So lets just blame it all on the rich.
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can you see anyone else at the top of this pyramid?
Like I said there are two Paul’s I know which one I am do you. I’m willing to pay more if everyone does.
I believe in progressive taxation – those who have more, pay more…
my concept is – if a man has a cow, if you take 1% he has no more milk, and will be destitute.
if a man has 100 cows, if you take 1% you take 1 cow. He still has cows.
If a man has 1 million cows, 1% is a round off error.
The country is being run by people with billions, yet pay almost zero taxes.
You don’t want to pay more.
I’m in the bracket that I’m talking about paying more… and I believe that as I make even more, I should pay even more…
but for that taxation, I want representation. I want my VOTE to count, not my MONEY… I don’t want to shut you up, or out – I want to cooperate with you to come to an agreement on how much money we need for the kind of country we want, and then cooperate on exacting that amount from the population.
It’s just like any other club. We decide what we want and we charge a fee, and we collect that fee from the members(only in this case, since the abjectly poor and the super rich are interdependent – fees are progressive)… and we want the administration of the club to serve ALL of the members of the club, not just the rich.
That’s supposed to be what makes us great.
I’ve got to go the bed max, I have to go to the club early tomorrow and play in a golf tournament. Hope you don’t think I’m at the top of the pyramid but I am above the 47% mark.
BTW I agree with you on the abjectly poor but that doesn’t constitute 47%.
Have a good night my friend.
nite, nite, don’t let the bed bugs bite.
All money in politics is bad, but if forced to discuss the level of badness, I would bet the answer to your specific question is no.
Did you miss my comment to you 6 days ago?
Here it is, so who’s answer would be “no”?
I think we should eliminate money in government from all outside
entities except the voting populace. No 501s period, no lobbyist, no PACs left or right, I’ll even let you pick the amount each voter can donate after they get a photo ID voter registration card.
That’s kind of what’s happening fiscally already unfortunately.
Why do you want the pipeline built?
Why, all politics aside, I think it is good for the country.
Look, that billionaire who will spend 100 million for Democrat races in 2014 if Obama delays the pipeline is friends with Warren Buffet. He and Buffet run with Bill Gates and his foundation. Buffet bought the BNSF RR et. al. in 2008 for 38 billion. Without a pipeline, oil must be hauled in rail cars. U.S. crude oil production is forecast to reach 8.5 million barrels a day by the end of 2014, up from 5 million barrels a day in 2008. The increase is overwhelmingly due to the fracking boom in the Bakken region, which is mainly in North Dakota, but also extends into parts of Montana and Canada.
U.S. freight railroads transported about 415,000 carloads of crude in 2013, up from just 9,500 in 2008, according to government and industry figures. A single tank car can carry approximately 680-720 barrels of crude oil
when obama finally approves the pipeline as everyone knows will happen, will republicans then be against it as a federal intrusion on states?
Who owns the rail company that is making huge profits transporting the oil and benefiting from the pipeline delay? I’m not sure, would that be Warren Buffett?