Hello everyone! First I'd like to apologize for the delay in getting this latest blog post out. I had some computer issues that required an upgrade to Windows 7 and it didn't go quite as smoothly as I'd hoped, but now I'm in great shape and ready to get back to blogging! Second, I'm going to do a slightly abbreviated recap of the Big Bend Environmental Forum (the Forum) so that I can move forward with some other topics before the much anticipated primary election, which is one week from tomorrow! Yikes!
The Forum was a really informative event in many ways and was done really well! It was broken up into two distinct segments with candidates from FL House District 9 and FL Senate District 6 taking part first and candidates from FL's 2nd Congressional District second. During the first part there really wasn't a lot of disagreement overall. There were certainly different ideas about how to get to the end result of improving and sustaining our environment, but the panel was across the board in favor of doing all we can to protect the environment.
However, no sooner had the 2nd segment started than I began to wonder if I'd been transported to Bizarro. The three FL-02 candidates taking part were Dianne Berryhill (NPA), Paul McKain (NPA), and Ron McNeil (R). To make it simpler, I'm going to go by candidate instead of by question and, of course, add in a little of my commentary along the way ;-)
Dianne Berryhill got defensive pretty quickly. I think it might have had something to do with all the jaws on the floor after her first couple of responses and then no doubt the looks she was getting after the audience picked its collective jaw off the floor. Ms. Berryhill stated in clear terms that she is in favor of drilling anywhere and everywhere in the US and the sooner the better! She doesn't believe global climate change is caused by humans, therefore she is also in favor of more nuclear power, more coal power, and anything else we could possibly exploit. When asked what she does to help the environment, she said she recycles, but that's about it although she does have "Indian blood" so of course she respects "mother earth." Even so, she is going to continue putting the thermostat in her home wherever she wants without regard to efficiency and will drive a large gas-guzzling SUV for the rest of her life because she has 5 kids. This really came out of her mouth, folks, and in a very condescending way. Oh yes, and she believes in "the free trade." I wonder...is that practiced at "the Wal-Mart" or in "the Iraq"?
Then there was Paul McKain. His answer to every question was essentially that the market should be allowed free reign to take care of everything. However, when asked how the market could protect our drinking water he did have the decency to say he didn't have an answer (and neither did the other two). That might have been the best question of the night! And when asked what should be done about foreign plant species in FL, he said he thought there should be more oversight or scrutiny...but wait...that sounds like more regulation! Hmmmm, that surely couldn't be right. Can't the market just fix that too?
And last, but not least, there was Ron "Have We Lost Our Minds" McNeil, who of course plugged his book. He spent more time talking about various aspects of his ranch and all of his patents than he did issues, but he did pass along a few gems, such as stating our country is too large for mass transit.
I initially couldn't figure out why in the world these three showed up to an environmental forum, but it didn't take long for the answer to come. They have nothing to lose as they have little or no chance of winning, so why not? Make no mistake...the Repubs who didn't show up should be worrying us a whole lot more.
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