fossil fuel industry
justice department
migratory bird act
selective law enforcement
wind power industry
The Obama "Injustice" Department is at it again.
@bagarad (14283)
Paso Robles, California
October 2, 2011 12:07am CST
According to Stephen Moore in a column in today's Wall Street Journal, a few months ago the Justice Department brought charges against Continental and six other oil companies in North Dakota for causing the death of 28 migratory birds. The particular crime of Continental was killing one bird "'the size of a sparrow' in one of its oil pits. Tax payer money, of course, is being used to prosecute this "crime" and Continental is pleading not guilty. The penalty is six months in jail, and the bird was not even rare.
It appears if an oil company does it, we must prosecute. If your cat does it, well? However, we don't often see the justice department prosecute the windmill industry, which kills hundreds of thouands of birds each year. Wind energy is politically correct. The fossil fuel industry isn't. The people of North Dakota are outraged. Harold Hamm, CEO of Continental Resources, believes these legal actions against his company are discriminatory and that the government is just harassing one industry that is really creating jobs. North Dakota has the lowest unemployment rate in the nation, according to Mr. Hamm.
What do you think? Do you think justice is being dispensed fairly here? Or is the Justice Dept unfairly targeting an industry it doesn't like while ignoring gross violations of the same law (The Migratory Bird Act)in an industry it does like? Obama is always taking about fairness. Is his adminstration being fair in the way it enforces the law? If not, why not? What would you propose fairness to be?
4 people like this
9 responses
@peavey (16936)
• United States
3 Oct 11
I agree, bagarad. There is a double standard in this country when it comes to things like that.
matersfish, "implementation of it and not the practice" hits the nail on the head. Talking, planning, flying here and there and promoting... yet when it comes down to where it really counts, too many of these people don't practice what they preach.
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
2 Oct 11
@peavey, I'm always suspicious that someone pushing these agendas is set up to profit from it, but, of course, they would not be considered those rich capitalists that need to be punished. Rather, they need to be rewarded because they are politically correct.
@matersfish: I don't think we are all suckers, but some are very easily taken in by propaganda because they want to feel good that they are saving the earth.
1 person likes this
@matersfish (6306)
• United States
2 Oct 11
In all "fairness" (in the context of liberal vision and policy) the proponents of green energy cannot possibly admit fault.
I mean, let's face it. The left's policies are by and large useless money pits if not outright abysmal failures.
Social welfare and union expansion and spending money as the answer to everything from education to getting out of debt - it's all such a sham.
The only possible way they can keep winning hearts and minds is with propaganda. Create an enemy, attack the enemy, propose a solution to the enemy.
Heck, love the left or could do without it, there's really nothing to hang your hat on there. That's not saying that the other side has a lot either, but America's political left and its policies and overall vision is all day FAIL.
Obviously speaking ill of anything green, much less subjecting it to the same standards as anything else, goes against the propaganda campaign. That is something that will never happen.
I don't even find myself mad about it. I fully realize that BS is the only way they can sell their failing ideas to the public, so I would never expect them to treat companies the same. Never.
These people are the grown-up versions of the current Wall Street occupiers. They've learned to spout out talking points instead of having that deer-in-the-headlights look about them, but they're still just as empty-headed and idealistic and bigoted as ever.
2 people like this
@matersfish (6306)
• United States
2 Oct 11
Yes. They have nothing. They're still dumb kids who have strong beliefs and visions of the world, but they're mostly incoherent and revolve around never having to lift a finger to make a living.
But as they become older, they'll learn to spew out talking points, dress a little nicer, pretend to care about the right people, and many will have solid careers being advocates of social justice or politicians. I'm sure of that.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
2 Oct 11
The last I heard on the Wall Street Occupiers, they didn't even have decent talking points or specific demands, unless Mr. Moore has taken care of that now. I guess I haven't cared enough to check back. MyLot is much more interesting, 
1 person likes this
@flowerchilde (12529)
• United States
10 Nov 11
I do not think justice is being served, but just the opposite! That and the wasting of a lot of taxpayer money (money grows on trees for government!) This sounds just like the book, and now movie "Atlas Shrugged" a fictional novel written by Ayn Rand on the collapse of capitalism.. granted capitalism is sometimes in the extreme which is not good, but people do not realize what wide spread collapse would entail! widespread suffering and even deaths of many.. of course the opposite of capitalism is socialism, which has never worked because socialism requires a gathering of all money and resources, and human nature simply cannot be trusted with that much power.. i.e, they usually gather, but somewhere along the line, the sharing gets forgotten.. but silly humans keep falling for it over and over.. Even in the modern day benign socialism, it doesn't work because you are always decreasing jobs while increasing tax payer expense, before it all collapses because a few taxpayers cannot pay for all the expense of government being in control of, and supporting all things..
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
11 Nov 11
For sure we are headed in the wrong direction. And the worst of it is still almost a secret. I have to do more research before I can be ready to start a discussion on what I'm learning, though. You are correct in everything you've said, but it's even more sinister than that.
@bobmnu (8157)
• United States
29 Oct 11
The left does not have to follow the law if their intentions are good. You need to judge them by their intentions not their actions. The wind industry has the good intention of providing clean (thought deadly to birds) energy while the evil oil companies are only interested in making a profit so that the stock holders Largest stock holders are pension funds and individual IRA's) can make money. After all what is more important one little bird or millions of retired people trying to survive on their pensions funded by the evil oil?
Look at the intention not the out come. To quote from the movie Rooster Cogburn, Eula Goodnight(Katheryn Hepburn): And if thy words Action) stray from the truth for the good of God's own, if thy intent be pure, thou shall not then be judged sinful. This is how we should judge the liberals.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
6 Nov 11
It will be interesting to see what happens when the liberals are left with only good intent to eat, and when they themselves become the victims of well-intentioned socialism, or a country so weakened that it is conquered by enemies who could care less about the environment or our Constitution and Bill of Rights.
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
2 Oct 11
The wind turbines in Altamont California have killed over 2000 Golden Eagles, and the left hasn't so much as wimpered about it.
2 people like this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
2 Oct 11
And I believe the Golden Eagles are a protected species, right? Once again enforcement is discriminatory. I guess windmills can do no wrong, but God help us if we want to build a bridge and the wrong frog or bug or snail is in the way.
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (51838)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
2 Oct 11
How does one bird turn into 28?
2 people like this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
2 Oct 11
The one bird was in one oil pit and appears to be a separate case from the rest of the bird deaths attributed to the companies. There were only details on the one charge, if my memory serves me correctly, as it often doesn't. One bird or 28, they are nowhere near the number killed by the wind turbines.
@elmiko (6630)
• United States
2 Oct 11
i think the Justice Department as well as the Obama Administration is still bitter over the bp spill and the damage it caused so they might be taking it out on Continental as well as the others. that's just my guess or their being overly aggressive to try and prevent further environmental damage. i really don't agree with it since North Dakota employment is doing very well in an overall bad American economy as well as taking oil money away from potential terrorists.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
3 Oct 11
That pretty well expresses what I believe. However, it seems a shame that even unfriendly countries can go on drilling in those same waters while we don't let our own country do it.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
5 Oct 11
Well, I think that if they think that it is necessary to prosecute for killing one small bird in an oil pit, then I do think that it would be proper to prosecute for killing of birds that happens on wind farms.
Now, I do believe that we need to move away from fossil fuels, but wasting tax payer's money in this way because of something that happens in many industries is not the way of moving away from fossil fuels.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
5 Oct 11
Yes. The rules and prosecutions should be on a level playing field rather than being selectively enforced.
@marie2052 (3691)
• United States
2 Oct 11
As I tell my husband on a daily basis, the Prez may leave office with the next campaign but he is sure trying to make sure he touches his hand on every possible thing he can to aid in destroying the US.
personally I think we all need to not only pray for us but give a special prayer to Prez.
I am afraid my prayer to him would start
Please give him a boot in the butt to get his head thinking again. AMEN.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
2 Oct 11
We are told to pray for those in authority over us. However, we often get the government we deserve. Sometimes I think what we have now is a judgment on us for what we as a country are tolerating in the moral arena.
