Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Ron Johnson Accuses Group Fighting Climate Change Of 'Environmental Jihad'

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) coined a new term to describe the push for climate change action: "environmental jihad."

In a fundraising email to supporters on Tuesday, Johnson hit back at the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), an environmental advocacy group, for a new ad campaign attacking the senator and other climate change deniers in Congress.

"The League of Conservation Voters is one of the many attack dog groups used by President Obama, the Democrats and the extreme left to weaken, defeat and silence conservatives," Johnson wrote in the email. "They use TV ads -- filled with smears -- because they work."

"The League of Conservation voters is not an organization with a balanced approach to a cleaner environment," he added. "They are an extreme left group on an environmental jihad."

Johnson also asked his supporters for an "urgent donation" to help him respond to the group's attack ads "with the truth." The senator issued his call for help in response to LCV's Monday announcement of the new ad campaign, but before the senator had even seen the ads themselves -- LCV said the ad targeting Johnson will be released on Wednesday.

The group's advocacy arm announced the $2 million campaign Monday, targeting Johnson and House Reps. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), Dan Benishek (R-Mich.) and Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) in their districts. The spots will run for two weeks both on TV and online.

"The American people are tired of Washington politicians ignoring basic scientific facts and standing in the way of action on climate change," LCV president Gene Karpinski said in a release. "This ad campaign shows that members of Congress won’t be able to sweep their extreme, anti-science voting records under the rug."

Johnson does not face voters again until 2016, but has never been one to mince his words when asked about global warming. The Wisconsin Republican once said climate change was caused by "sunspot activity," and likened President Barack Obama's green energy proposals to the policies of the Soviet Union and Cuba.

Obama unveiled his environmental agenda in June in a highly-publicized speech, in which he announced a series of executive orders aimed at curbing climate change and adequately preparing Americans for its consequences. Republicans were quick to denounce many of the president's initiatives, prompting groups like the LCV and Organizing for Action to ramp up their efforts to draw attention to the conservative lawmakers who dismiss climate change and global warming altogether.

Original Article
Source: huffingtonpost.com
Author: Sabrina Siddiqui

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