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| US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) |
At 3pm today, the United States Senate will finally vote on
the Keystone Pipeline Extension. Endangered incumbent Mary Landrieu believes
that the legislation will pass. Red state Democrats will definitely support
increasing oil supply to the world at large, especially if they want to
solidify any chance of getting reelected in the next four years.
Still, this pipeline extension was a no-brainer from Day
One. More energy, thousands of jobs, minimal damage to the environment (per the
State Department’s review), and the project would even be a win for labor
unions, at least those which are still viable.
This vote is long overdue. How many years has the Canadian
government had to wait for this moment? The House passed hundreds of bills,
from immigration reform to energy innovation including Keystone, and the
demoted Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid sat on those bills and refused to
allow them to come to the floor of the upper chamber for a full vote.
On this historic day, I called my US Senators, Barbara Boxer
and Dianne Feinstein. I told them I want them to support this bill. They have
already decided to vote “No!” on the project. Before asking for their reasons
to oppose Keystone, I asked their staff to explain why they did nothing about
reforming our broken immigration system when their part held heavy majorities
in Congress. But I digress. . .
Senator Feinstein did release a statement on Keystone,
justifying her “No!” vote. First, she claimed that the oil will go to global
markets as opposed to the United States exclusively. She also sounded concerns
about carbon pollution, and the direct costs on the American people as opposed
to any benefits.
Such economic reasoning is illogical. No wonder Maine Gov.
Paul LePage declared: “I was a Democrat until I learned to count.” The more oil
available to the global market, the greater the supply, thus an ease in demand
and prices will go down. An extensive glut of oil is rising to surface for
distribution off the Gulf Coast. Why would the United States Senate want to
prevent the availability of this commodity?
Besides, the Keystone Pipeline extension is good foreign
policy. Instead of relying petrol plutocrats in South America or the Middle
East for oil, North America and Western Europe (as well as thriving Asian
countries) will have access to other carbon reserves, thus ending the slick cash-flow
to failed, third-world countries bent on civil rights violations rather than
improving civilization.
Turning from California’s Senatorial delegation, I contacted
Rhode Island US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse’s office. He has already informed
the world at large that he will vote against Keystone. Fine. It’s too bad that
his former Majority Leader did not give him (and by extension his constituents)
the opportunity to voice their purported opposition to Keystone XL. I then
asked the staff another question:
Will Senator
Whitehouse filibuster the Keystone extension?
They offered that he had no plans to do that.
Why not? Senator Whitehouse has given over sixty speeches on
climate change, including the big blue poster of the Earth in orbit, with the
words “Time to Wake Up” emblazoned around it. If he is so passionate about
protecting Rhode Islanders from the ill effects of climate change, or global
warming, or whatever they want to call it, why not take to the floor and make
his concerns known?
Sheldon Whitehouse should filibuster the Keystone bill. He
has recent examples to encourage his efforts. US Senator Rand Paul blocked the
nominee to head the CIA over whether the President could order drone strikes on
American citizens. Even liberal Democratic
Senator Robert Wyden of Oregon joined Paul’s filibuster. US Senator Ted Cruz
(who scares Democrats and frustrates his liberal colleagues) joined his
colleague from Kentucky. A few months later, he spoke at length opposing
Obamacare, debating to silence his Democratic opponents and rallying Americans
across the country to #MakeDCListen. There are other Democrats who have
filibustered, too, like New York’s Chuck Schumer, who gave his verbal all to
stop legislation which would have hurt typewriter factors in the Empire State.
So, where is Whitehouse on Keystone? Yes, he will vote
against it, but he should stand and talk against it, too. If it’s time for this
country to wake up to the dangers of climate change (now readily disputed by
scholastic and lay scientists), why not stand up and filibuster the bill in the
US Senate?
Contact Senator Whitehouse, and tell him to put his feet
where his mouth is. Tell him stand and filibuster the Keystone Pipeline
Extension bill.
Providence:
170 Westminster
St. Suite 1100
Providence, RI,
02903
P: (401)
453-5294
F: (401)
453-5085
Washington:
Hart Senate
Office Bldg. Room 530
Washington, DC,
20510
P: (202)
224-2921
F: (202)
228-6362
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| Time to Make Sheldon Stand |
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