Supreme Court hears case Wednesday on Navy sonar, whales

Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2008
Court hears case Wednesday on Navy sonar, whales
By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court is weighing whether presidential power in wartime can override environmental concerns in a case that pits the Navy's submarine-hunting training against protection for whales.

Why do I get the feeling that the whales are going to lose this one?

Maybe because they're up against the US Navy and if the Navy loses, then the oil companies will feel like they are threatened?

Dead whales and oil companies' seismic testing

Mmm, missed this last month.
Whales stranded off Madagascar
BBC News - news.bbc.co.uk
09 Jun 2008

Same old shit, different company.

Whatever.

Missed this one,

and this one

Shit. All of these articles go on and on about algae blooms and chasing fish, and eating sand and blah blah blah. Most of these mass beaching have one of two things in common:

Seismic testing (generally for oil or gas), or Navy Sonar testing in the area recently, both of which are so fucking loud that the bones in ceteceans' ears break.

I'm not a scientist, but I'm not a freaking idiot either. I became a liberal after taking business classes, how's that for defiant?

The militaries which depend upon oil probably don't want me connecting the dots, eh?

Fuck 'em. This planet is so fucked because of human activity.

Mixed feelings this AM.

First the funny stuff. Amita Sharma has a lovely voice with slight inflections that are interesting to try to figure out. This morning on the local NPR station I really don't know where she was emotionally, but I was laughing my ass off:

San Diego Wants Blackwater to Make Training Facility Wheelchair Accessible

I can't stand Bonfiglio, & I love Mike Aguirre AND his brother.

Still plugging along until the isp sends the right driver. Dayang I miss reading y'all, but this thing is just sooooo slow. Oy. Be back soon. Vista is a pain in the ass so far.

Not happy with the Supreme Court this morning either:

Court rejects death penalty for raping children

By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 58 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court has struck down a Louisiana law that allows the execution of people convicted of a raping a child...

and

The Supreme Court on Wednesday also cut the $2.5 billion punitive damages award in the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster to $500 million.

and watch the Supreme Court be responsible for more dead cetaceans:


Supreme Court to decide Navy sonar appeal
Mon Jun 23, 2008 1:29pm

Seriously. Who does the Supreme Court protect in these cases? It ain't the whales.

Justices asked to hear Navy sonar, whales case

Bush administration asks Supreme Court to review ruling that limits use

Reed Saxon / AP

A gray whale dives off the Southern California coast near the Palos Verdes Peninsula on Jan. 16.

Evolution of the whale ear

MARINE MAMMAL AUDITORY SYSTEMS:
A SUMMARY OF AUDIOMETRIC AND ANATOMICAL DATA AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR UNDERWATER ACOUSTIC IMPACTS


Bush administration appeals Navy sonar case to Supreme Court
Joshua Pantesco at 8:50 AM ET
Tuesday, April 01, 2008

The Justice Department petition argues that the decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco jeopardizes the Navy's ability to train sailors and Marines for service in wartime.

Something tells me that the Sooopreme court justices won't be using teh Google search terms that they need to. It'll be all Homeland Security All The Time.

I've heard from more than one sailor that one of the few joys when you're stuck out at sea for what seems like forever is watching the dolphins.

Bush Exempts Navy From Environmental Law

(click on pic for C&L "Die, Whales Die!!!" post.)
Bush Exempts Navy From Environmental Law
PAULINE JELINEK | January 16, 2008 01:50 PM EST | AP

WASHINGTON — President Bush exempted the Navy from an environmental law so it can continue using sonar in its anti-submarine warfare training off the California coast _ a practice critics say is harmful to whales and other marine mammals.

How many times have I posted on this?

How many more days do we have to deal with this asshole? I knew he would get his way in less than six months, and the spoiled rotten fucktard piece of shit did.

Yes, I did just call the president of the US a FUCKTARD PIECE OF SHIT. We will have to deal with the world-wide devastation of this administration, stemming from the absolute fanatical worship at the altar of the "free market," for the rest of our lives, our kids lives, and if the planet can still sustain lives, our great great grand children's lives.

You don't get the connection between allowing the military to train and the "free market" neocon fucktards?

Cubby Holes.

You think the federal dollars are heading to San Diego study the health of the ocean?

Or to the military-industrial-congressional-complex?

Which WILL protect the profits of the privatization warriors.

Fuckers are making money on both sides of the "war on terra."

Upper management seems to think that they are playing with toy soldiers.

Not human beings.

US navy barred from using sonar

From correspondents in Los Angeles
August 07, 2007 09:32am
THE US navy was today barred from using an ear-splitting sonar in upcoming wargames off the California coast alleged to be harmful to whales and other marine life.


alleged to be harmful to whales and other marine life. ?

Alleged?

Arrrrrgggggghhhh!


Good job, Captains of Industry.

Mmmm,m pr'haps I shouldn't be so hasty to blame Navy sonar for the demise of the whales, it could be a number of Navy pollutants, or it might be sound bombing . You know, for oil exploration.

Alrighty then.

Good job, captains of industry

Heeeey, looks good....

Gray whale births rebounding on Pacific Coast
Thursday, June 29, 2006 Posted: 1456 GMT (2256 HKT)

Will it last?







A mystery of mass death
By Andrew Darby
December 1, 2004

Mystery my ass, pay attention, I predict more beachings


Navy allowed to use sonar in war games
HI Star Bulletin
Posted on: Friday, June 30, 2006 10:50 AM HST



Yeesh, between the gas and oil companies , the companies and people that pollute, the Navies that protect them and the ignorance of global warming, the whales and dolphins are fucked. The noise isn't just "pollution" to them it is survival, or death. They beach themselves, and sometimes the tympanic bones recovered from their corpses are broken. If they are deafened that means that they have no way to navigate.

In fact the oceans are fucked, but don't try to tell the captains of industry that, their useless offspring don't have enough in their trust funds yet. And the captains have help.

Just more of the same

And via Danny, some digging on what I suspected

Ok that was a bummer, now go laugh at Rush via Robin Williams on Leno Crooks & Liars

thanks C&L, I needed to laugh.

Blowholes and Blowback

400 Dead Dolphins Wash Up on African Beach
MSNBC News
Friday 28 April 2006

Underwater noise:Death knell of our oceans?
Linda Weilgart, Ph.D
Assistant Professor of Biology,
Dalhousie University 7 November 2005

U.S. Navy Sonar May Harm Killer Whales, Expert Says
John Pickrell for National Geographic News
March 31, 2004

Media Looks the Other Way: U.S. Military Largest Source of Toxic Waste
By Andrea Sutton Apr 1, 2004, 23:48


Blowback: The Cost and Consequences of American Foreign Policy
by Jon Baker

Update: Hmmmm, when I posted this morning, I had no idea that Chalmers Johnson would be writing for TomDispatch today. Weird, huh?