@LarrySabato is declaring that the Nebraska Senate race is now an “Auto-R seat:” I can’t say that I can argue with him on that. As the AP notes, Kerrey was about the only hope that the Democrats had of holding the seat.
Still, mustn’t get complaisant.
This is, unfortunately, a bit late: there were some problems with this and another video, which have seen been resolved. At any rate, Don was one of our speakers at the Gathering – he’s hoping to defeat the other pseudo-moderate Democratic Senator named Nelson in the US Senate – and Don took a few moments to talk with us the night before:
Don’s site is here.
Moe Lane (crosspost)
…what am I doing with that title? I’m keywording for the benefit of future researchers for the Bureau of the Interior who will need to look up this story about how the town of Elk Creek, Nebraska may be sitting on top of what may be an incredibly valuable (and incredibly strategic) deposit of rare earths, including niobium. Short version: a lot of our favorite technological toys require a bunch of extremely rare elements, and unfortunately the luck of the draw of where they’re located hasn’t been all that great from our point of view. So if it’s true that this Nebraska site is real and exploitable (the citizens of Elk Creek, by the way, ARE ALL FOR BEING EXPLOITED, assuming of course that they get their cut), having a source for these elements that isn’t under the firm control of the People’s Republic of China (or even Brazil) will be all to the good.
However, obviously any development along these lines will have to wait until the current administration leaves office, given that Barack Obama’s general attitude towards mineral and resource exploitation is to require that it be done by foreign entities and on foreign soil whenever possible*. Hence, the need for keywords as the title: I assume that this is going to be a bit of an action item in January 2013…
Moe Lane (crossspost) Continue reading Elk Creek, Nebraska, rare earths, niobium
There’s a lot that can be said about this article about how stimulus funds were spent to buy Omahan teachers all copies of a book that effectively argues that Everything’s The Fault Of Dead White Guys*, but little that is new, entertaining, or not exasperated at the fundamental insecurity that lurks in the hearts of your average guilty-minded cultural diversity worshiper. So I’ll just have a laugh at this:
Asked last week if she believes white privilege exists in Omaha, [School Board President Sandra] Jensen said: “That depends on the cultural lens that one looks through.”
Translation: Yes, I do believe that, but I’m too chicken[expletive deleted] to say so. I mean, come on. I’m surrounded by Nebraskans, here!
Or something to that effect.
Moe Lane
*Please, by all means. Complain about my flippant categorization of what was one of the silliest religions to have cropped up in the Twentieth Century. Link to me… hold up:
OK, now link to me.
This is one of those ‘funny when it happens to other countries’ stories. Some background: Senator Tom Harkin (D) of Iowa, having happily participated in saddling the American people with trillions of dollars of generational debt at the behest of his liberal party leadership, has decided to make things right for folks by introducing a bill to cap ATM fees.
Gee. Thanks, Tommie.
Anyway, the bill died, but not before Senator Ben Nelson (D) of Nebraska reminded us that he lives in a wonderful, magic bubble land where things just sort of… happen… for him. By invisible gnomes, no doubt: Continue reading Sen Ben Nelson (D, NE): ‘I know about holograms.’
Regarding the alleged threat to close Nebraska’s military bases if Nelson doesn’t play ball on health care rationing, John Noonan spells it out for this administration (and other uninformed Democrats):
Offutt Air Force Base is one of the nation’s most critical command and control nodes, second to only to the National Military Command Center in the Pentagon. The base’s hardened facilities, designed to withstand a nuclear blast, are so optimized to support leadership during a national emergency that Offutt’s underground command bunker was President Bush’s command center of choice during the 9/11 attacks. It also serves a direct link between President Obama and the nation’s nuclear forces, as Offutt houses the nation’s Primary Alerting System, satellite and radio transmitter/receivers used in nuclear command and control functions, and our fleet of airborne command centers, which are designed to ensure the continuation of civilian and military leadership after a national disaster or military attack.
Unfortunately, these days the national Democratic party simply doesn’t think in terms of natsec as being independent from domestic politics. It makes perfect sense for them to threaten a criticial military base with closure; from their point of view, the only reason that the base exists where it is and as it does is to generate regional jobs and industries. Surely the military can handle having the base’s particular functions upended on a moment’s notice and transferred somewhere else. Which, in fact, the military can. At some expense; and which cost I understand that military personnel typically resent, when it’s not done for good reason.
I suggest that passing a health care rationing bill is not a good reason.
Put not your trust in Democrats.
They tabled the amendment that Senator Nelson offered for the health care rationing bill – the one that would have aligned it with the Stupak amendment for the House version – on a largely party-line vote (54/45, with Byrd not voting). Senator Nelson, despite vowing to filibuster*, is even now revising and extending his remarks:
A few reporters waiting outside the door asked him how it would effect his decision on whether to support the final effort.
“I want to continue to work on this,” he said, not ruling out his support, at least “not at this point in time. I want to continue to work on the project we’re working on… This makes it harder right now [to support the bill]. We’ll have to see if they can make it easier.”
(H/t: Hot Air) The NRLC has already announced that they will now oppose cloture of the health care rationing bill. Mind you, they also promised to score the vote on Nelson-Hatch, and it got tabled anyway. Nelson’s not up for re-election until 2012 anyway, and the man will be 71 by then; he might decide to just retire. So don’t rely on him keeping his word. The Senate is full of Democrats who talk big about their conservative principles, right up to the moment where they have to fight for them.
Moe Lane
Continue reading Nelson prolife amendment tabled: Nelson (D, NE) caving to follow.
