Utah Schoolchildren Asked To Celebrate Fossil Fuels And Mining On Earth Day

Earth Day is April 22, and today is the last day children in Utah can send in their submissions for the state-sponsored Earth Day poster contest lauding fossil fuel production.

This year’s theme is “Where Would WE Be Without Oil, Gas & Mining?”

Last year’s theme was “How Do YOU Use Oil, Gas, and Mining?”

The contest is literally made possible by fossil fuel interests. This year’s sponsors include the Salt Lake Petroleum Section of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and the Utah Division of Oil, Gas & Mining. Last year’s sponsor list was longer, including Arch Coal, Anadarko Petroleum, and Rio Tinto/Kennecott Utah Copper.

Any child in Utah between Kindergarten and sixth grade is eligible. The contest’s primary objective is “to improve students’ and the public’s awareness of the important role that oil, gas, and mining play in our everyday lives.” Last year’s contest winners made posters that detailed how dependent we have become on fossil fuels. To their credit, the grand prize winner detailed both ways we use products created by fossil fuels and ways we can reduce our consumption.

The children were not asked to make posters about the climate impacts caused by those same fossil fuels: drought, wildfires, and warmer winters.

Some parents are not happy, as this letter to the editor by Colby Poulson makes clear:

Why is the state backing an “Earth Day” contest that celebrates fossil fuels, while completely ignoring the adverse effects that their use and extraction can too often have on our air quality, water quality, public lands and the other organisms we share the world with? Shouldn’t Earth Day be about championing things that can help reverse the negative impact of our dependence on fossil fuels?

Frankly, I’m disgusted that the state is backing propaganda like this in our schools.

Why allow a contest like this to run two years in a row? The state could be taking its cues from its Congressional delegation, one of whom runs the House Science subcommittee and denies the reality of human-caused climate change. Or its state legislature, which in 2010 adopted a resolution doubting the reality of climate change.

Perhaps they missed the Salt Lake Tribune‘s editorial, “A killing climate: Global warming unchecked,” or those Utah scientists who reported:

Based on extensive scientific research, there is very high confidence that human-generated increases in greenhouse gas concentrations are responsible for most of the global warming observed during the past 50 years. It is very unlikely that natural climate variations alone, such as changes in the brightness of the sun or carbon dioxide emissions from volcanoes, have produced this recent warming. …

Utah is projected to warm more than the average for the entire globe and the expected consequences of this warming are fewer frost days, longer growing seasons, and more heat waves.

Appropriately, the winners of the Earth Day poster contest will be notified on April Fool’s Day.

jQuery(document).ready(function(){jQuery('#comment_submit').click(function(){if(jQuery('#comment_check:checked').length

View the original article here

Conservatives Celebrate ‘National Marriage Week’ With Sexism

Last week, conservative groups held “National Marriage Week,” an attempt to amplify Christian messaging about marriage. Ironically, many of the pieces published for the occasion celebrated the many benefits of marriage, highlighting how the same groups’ opposition to same-sex marriage is in turn a cruel attack on the well-being of gays and lesbians. As part of the week’s messaging, The Heritage Foundation featured a letter from President Ronald Reagan to his son about marriage, then today posted the following graphic on its tumblr excerpting its final quote:

The quote is unfortunately sexist, given that it implies the man is working and the woman is waiting at home. But of course, its use is implicitly heterosexist as well. The Heritage Foundation opposes LGBT equality and regularly publishes arguments against recognizing same-sex marriage, so it would likely not be quick to celebrate the happiness of a gay man who knows he, too, has someone to come home to.

At any rate, however, progressives can agree with conservatives and President Reagan on the essential component of this quote: companionship is a healthy support structure for adults and the core foundation of families and communities.

View the original article here

Obama: Inauguration a chance to celebrate ‘this incredible nation’

In a short speech at the National Building Museum on Sunday night, President Obama thanked his supporters and said his second inauguration was a chance to celebrate “this incredible nation.”

“What we are celebrating is not just the election or swearing-in of a president; what we are doing is celebrating each other and celebrating this incredible nation we call home,” said Obama at a reception for campaign donors and backers of the Presidential Inaugural Committee. 

“And after we celebrate, let's be sure to work as hard as we can to pass on an America that is worthy of our past and our future,” he added, looking ahead to his second term.

Obama was preceded by first lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Biden and Dr. Jill Biden, all of whom also delivered remarks.

“I’m delivering another speech tomorrow, so tonight I’m going to be pretty brief, because there are a limited amount of good lines and you don’t want to use them all,” Obama joked. “My main purpose tonight is just to say thank you.”

The president said looking around the room he could see people from “every walk of life” who had “invested so much of their heart, soul, time, money and energy.”

“One of the things that made this campaign unique was the degree of investment and ownership people had in this common project of ours, because you understood this was not just about a candidate,” Obama added. “It was not just about Joe Biden or Barack Obama. It was about us and who we are as a nation, what values we cherish, how hard we are willing to fight to make those values live for future generations.”

Vice President Biden, who spoke before Obama, said he had been “honored” to serve with the president, and thanked their supporters for “believing in us.”

“This man’s already done an already remarkable job,” said Biden, citing Obama’s healthcare law, the end of the war in Iraq, the drawdown in Afghanistan and his support for same-sex marriage.

“He’s just getting started,” Biden added to cheers. “In the months ahead we are going to reduce gun violence here in America, we’re going to pass comprehensive immigration reform and we’re going to put this nation’s economy on a sustainable path to the future.”

Obama and Biden were officially sworn in on Sunday morning, but on Monday will take their ceremonial public oaths of office.

The president appeared relaxed and encouraged his supporters to enjoy the Inaugural festivities.

“Feel free to stay up as long as you want; tomorrow’s not a school night,” Obama joked.

The president also praised the first lady, who introduced him to the audience.

“First of all, I love Michelle Obama, and to address the most significant event of this weekend, I love her bangs,” said the president about the first lady’s new hairstyle. “She always looks good.”

View Comments

View the original article here

Maine And Maryland Couples Celebrate Marriage Equality As Laws Take Effect

Over the past week, same-sex couples in Maryland and Maine were able to start wedding as voter-approved laws in both states took effect. Celebrations began in Maine on Saturday and in Maryland New Year’s Day. Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake officiated one of the first ceremonies just after midnight, calling the passed referendum “a remarkable achievement” for Maryland. Nine states and the District of Columbia now have full marriage equality.

Not all couples are rushing to get married, however. The Portland Press Herald notes that like opposite-sex couples, many same-sex couples are planning weddings where they can include their friends and family. One Maryland couple is even planning to invite strangers from Reddit to their April ceremony. Still, support was strong for couples who have already been waiting years to obtain legal recognition for their relationship, including a crowd singing “All You Need Is Love” outside the Portland City Hall and cheering on newlyweds early Saturday morning after midnight. This included Steven Bridges and Michael Snell, who were the first Maine couple to be married. Watch clips of their ceremony and the supportive crowd outside:

View the original article here