Where there's a Will, there's a way

I received a campaign flier on my door today from the American Future Fund. It includes the usual tea party buzzwords to compare US Senate candidates Mark Kirk and Alexi Giannoulias.

The front side pretends to be non-partisan. "As we decide which direction our country should go with thought you should know the key positions of our Senate candidates."

The flip side compares their positions on three issues: "Obamacare," "Deficit Spending" and "Pledged to Never Raise Taxes."

It claims that Kirk opposes deficit spending. That's news to me since Kirk spent years voting for Bush's budgets that increased the deficit to support tax breaks for the super-rich and two foreign wars.

The creators of the flier may want us to know where the candidates stand on a few "key positions" but they don't want us to know who's funding the American Future Fund. I decided to google them to find out more.

The "about us" page on their website has the usual vague language about "free markets" used by all corporate-backed political front groups. The four people listed on their board of directors all appear to be from Iowa. I guess they got bored with the Senate race in their own state.

A google news search reveals that they're spending millions attacking Democrats around the country, and no one knows where the money is coming from. They're also targeting Illinois Congressman Phil Hare.

They've already come under fire for potential violations of federal election law.

Public Citizen, Protect Our Elections and the Center for Media and Democracy today filed a complaint against the American Future Fund, charging that the group’s “major purpose” is electioneering, which would require it to register as a political committee.

Although the Supreme Court and other federal courts have shredded most laws relating to outside groups’ electioneering activities, such a finding would at least require AFF to reveal the sources of its funds.

I'd like to know how closely Kirk is working with this mysterious group and what they expect from him in return.

Posted by Will at 4:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Another carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) project has followed the fate of FutureGen.

After conducting several studies, Fortum decided to pull the plug on its large-scale CCS demonstration plant. The company cited the technological and financial risks associated with the project as the main variables influencing its decision.

Matti Ruotsala, Executive Vice President of Fortum's Power Division issued this statement regarding the company's decision: "Finncap [the demonstration project] has been one of the biggest and most progressive CCS research projects in the world. Coal condensing is not within the core of the company's operation; in light of this the risks grew too extensive."

Other alternatives are cheaper and cleaner. CCS makes no sense for anyone except coal industry stockholders.

Posted by Will at 10:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

They kept things moving quickly but there was still a long line outside the county election office. It gets more popular every year. Thursday is the last day to vote early.

Posted by Will at 8:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Paul Wellstone died on October 25, 2002. I was devastated when I heard about his plane crash. I decided to go for a hike in the Smokies. I'm sure many blogs are writing about him today so I won't try to add much.

Before he was a Senator, Wellstone co-authored one of the best books I've read about organizing, energy, and politics. If you do any organizing around energy issues or work on anything in rural communities then find a copy of "Powerline: The First Battle of America's Energy War" and read it twice.

Posted by Will at 4:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Which creates more jobs?
1) Building new, cleaner sources of energy.
2) Keeping dirty, old plants running on coal shipped in from other states.

Which fuel source would you prefer?
1) Forces of nature like the wind and sun that have zero delivery costs.
2) Black rocks that have enormous extraction and delivery costs, including water pollution, spreading carcinogens, destroying mountains, destroying farmland and giving miners black lung.

Which energy source would you rather pay for?
1) Expensive and heavily subsidized clean coal experiments.
2) Cheaper wind power that will actually be clean.

These questions are easy. But, Illinois politicians keep giving the wrong answers. We need energy policies and economic development plans that aren't designed by coal industry executives.

Posted by Will at 11:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

My poor neglected blog. I can't believe I'm not posting anything this close to an election.

I don't have much to write tonight but I've been meaning to post a few pictures from my last hiking trip in Southern Illinois. I went to Garden of the Gods in the Shawnee National Forest on October 10th. The leaves were turning and the temperature was in the 80's. It was perfect.

Most of the pictures are from observation trail. You can see the larger versions and more pics by clicking to my flickr page.

Yes, this is in Illinois.

A cave along Indian Point Trail.

Those who attended the recent EPA coal ash hearing in Chicago will recognize my shirt that says, "I kicked coal ash." Yes, I intentionally wore it in Southern Illinois coal country because that's just the sort of thing I do. :D

Posted by Will at 9:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm excited to have Carbon Nation for the next Liberty Brew & View movie this Tuesday, October 19, 7:00pm at Capital City Bar & Grill. It's getting great reviews on the film festival circuit and this will be the first showing in central Illinois.

Carbon Nation is a documentary movie about climate change SOLUTIONS. Even if you doubt the severity of the impact of climate change or just don't buy it at all, this is still a compelling and relevant film that illustrates how SOLUTIONS to climate change also address other social, economic and national security issues. You'll meet a host of entertaining and endearing characters along the way.

* Carbon Nation is an optimistic (and witty) discovery of what people are already doing, what we as a nation could be doing, and what the world needs to do to stave off climate change by moving to a low carbon economy.

* Public opinion is sliding the wrong way - far fewer people are concerned about climate change than even a year ago. We've made Carbon Nation to give a majority of people an entertaining, informed and pragmatic primer about why it's incredibly smart to be a part of the new, low-carbon economy: it's good business, it emboldens national & energy security and it improves health & the environment.

* Carbon Nation's optimism and pragmatism is appealing across the political spectrum. While other good films have been about problems, blame and guilt, Carbon Nation is a film that celebrates solutions, inspiration and action.

The free screening is done with support from the Illinois Science and Technology Coalition. After the film a speaker from the Sierra Club will lead a discussion about energy projects proposed in central Illinois.

This preview clip reminds me of what we could be doing more often in downstate Illinois.

Posted by Will at 1:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)