Sunday, September 21, 2014
Friday, September 12, 2014
Howie Hawkins for NY Governor - Press Conference
Hawkins for Governor
Howie Hawkins, the Green Party candidate for Governor, discusses the primary election and its impact on the campaign as well as the upcoming march for climate change in New York City, the status of gubernatorial debates, fracking, and other issues of concern to NY residents.
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Are you a registered Green who votes Democratic? If so, like many other Greens you probably do so because you see the Democratic candidate as the "lesser of two evils," and a vote for the Green candidate as a wasted vote.
Let's now take a view from the other end of the looking glass, so to speak, with the goal of understanding the mindset of The Powers That Be in the Democratic Party.
They know that you, an otherwise conscious and informed person, will continue to vote for the Democratic candidates no matter what, simply because they are not "the greater evil," the big bad Republican candidates. Thus do you surrender any and all political leverage you might otherwise have had. From their perspective, they OWN you. They don't have to respond to your concerns; they don't have to keep their promises; they can walk all over you and come election day you will still cast your vote for the Democratic candidates. This leaves them the option of moving ever further to the right in hopes of chipping away at the Republican Party's base. It also leaves them free to do the bidding of their masters...the corporations...who are their masters only because you have abdicated that role. If you look back over the last few decades you can clearly see this happening.
Your vote can be effective only if it contains an implicit threat that you might withhold it. Voluntarily surrendering that threat amounts to political suicide. In other words, your sordid little lesser of two evils game has shifted the political center of gravity to the extreme right, boxed you into a corner, and effectively disenfranchised you. Your vote counts for nothing, and is a mockery of your core values. Some political strategy...The only thing it's good for is a round of hearty laughs at cocktail parties in the Hamptons.
It's time to wake up and take back the reins of political power. Stop being the butt of jokes. Stop being a chump. Stop voting for evil, even a so-called lesser evil. Vote your conscience, vote your soul, get mad, and get even. BE the powers that be.
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Methane Baseline Testing
Results of Town of Delaware Methane Testing to be Announced
August 10, 2014 Press Release: Test first of its kind in New York State
NARROWSBURG, NY — Damascus Citizens for Sustainability (DCS) will hold a public meeting at which the results of its baseline methane testing in the Town of Delaware, Sullivan County, NY, will be reported and reviewed, on Sunday, August 24 from 12 noon until 2 p.m. at the Delaware Youth Center on Creamery Road in Callicoon, NY.
Invite your local town or other officials to the event using our handy letter which includes email contacts for many local policy-makers.
The study was performed by Gas Safety, Inc., an industry leader in methane and gas leak detection; and Bryce R. Payne Jr., PhD, a researcher at Wilkes University. Ambient methane levels on all public roads throughout the Town of Delaware were measured, and translated into an easy-to-read map with graph lines showing areas of greater or lesser natural methane concentrations.
The study provides a basis for comparison should natural gas drilling or the building of natural gas infrastructure such as pipelines take place in the town in the future. Called “insurance policies” by some media, such studies enhance landowner and community safety by providing a sound basis for determining when and if increases in methane levels and related drilling-related emissions are occurring, as well as providing the basis for property owners to protect themselves, via data admissible in court, against any adverse impacts from the effects of gas extraction activities, and obtain redress if appropriate.
The meeting will be led by expert Robert Ackley, president of Gas Safety. The findings for the Town of Delaware will be presented and interpreted, and compared with locations in which natural gas drilling has actually taken place. Printed copies of the map and report will be available for those interested.
The event is free, but DCS is accepting donations to go toward additional baseline work.
For more information visit www.damascuscitizens.org.
Two Papers Co-Authored by Bob Ackley:
Washington DC Gas Leak Study
Boston Gas Leak Study
This video is underwritten by Damascus Citizens for Sustainability.
Keywords: Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling
Invite your local town or other officials to the event using our handy letter which includes email contacts for many local policy-makers.
The study was performed by Gas Safety, Inc., an industry leader in methane and gas leak detection; and Bryce R. Payne Jr., PhD, a researcher at Wilkes University. Ambient methane levels on all public roads throughout the Town of Delaware were measured, and translated into an easy-to-read map with graph lines showing areas of greater or lesser natural methane concentrations.
The study provides a basis for comparison should natural gas drilling or the building of natural gas infrastructure such as pipelines take place in the town in the future. Called “insurance policies” by some media, such studies enhance landowner and community safety by providing a sound basis for determining when and if increases in methane levels and related drilling-related emissions are occurring, as well as providing the basis for property owners to protect themselves, via data admissible in court, against any adverse impacts from the effects of gas extraction activities, and obtain redress if appropriate.
The meeting will be led by expert Robert Ackley, president of Gas Safety. The findings for the Town of Delaware will be presented and interpreted, and compared with locations in which natural gas drilling has actually taken place. Printed copies of the map and report will be available for those interested.
The event is free, but DCS is accepting donations to go toward additional baseline work.
For more information visit www.damascuscitizens.org.
Two Papers Co-Authored by Bob Ackley:
Washington DC Gas Leak Study
Boston Gas Leak Study
This video is underwritten by Damascus Citizens for Sustainability.
Keywords: Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling
Friday, June 14, 2013
Public Forum on Fracking and Home Rule
Moderator: Robert Eklund
Presenters: Betta Broad, Dan Raichel, Jon Krois
From the Organizers:
On June 14, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Catskill Mountainkeeper, alongside the Advocates for Morris, the Butternut Valley Alliance, and Otsego 2000 will be holding a public information forum about how New York municipalities can use their home rule authority to protect themselves from the dangers of fracking.
Communities across New York have been rejecting fracking within their borders, passing bans and moratoria on the practice to preserve their way of life and to defend themselves against this harmful industrial activity. On May 2, these communities received a tremendous boost of support when the Third Department Appellate Division upheld the right of two municipalities, Middlefield and Dryden, to exclude fracking from their towns in the Norse Energy Corp. USA v. Town of Dryden decision. This decision reaffirms the fundamental principle that local communities have the right to decide for themselves what their future will look like, and is significant both for municipalities that have already taken a stand against fracking and for those that are considering joining them.
NRDC and Catskill Mountainkeeper invite you to join us for a discussion of the Dryden decision, of local zoning and land use laws about natural gas development, and of how communities can defend themselves against that development.
Keywords: Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Dr. Anthony Ingraffea: Why Not Shale Gas in New York?
Oneonta, NY; May 30, 2013
From the Sponsors:
Dr. Anthony Ingraffea, a compelling speaker who combines hard science with a down-to-earth style and sense of humor, will discuss shale gas in New York State and the potential for energy in the future.
Dr. Ingraffea, of Cornell University, is a leading expert who has done work for the oil and gas industry, National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, NASA, GasResearch Institute, Sandia National Laboratories, Association of Iron and Steel Engineers, General Dynamics, Boeing and Northrop Grumman Aerospace.
Event Sponsors: Otsego 2000, Sustainable Otsego, Concerned Citizens of Oneonta
This video is underwritten by Otsego 2000.
Keywords: Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling
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