Fucking State Department. Who do they work for, us or corporate bullshitters?

[lonestarnot]

There's a lot going on in the news these days, but I want to highlight something that is flying under the radar. Transparency is the bedrock of a democratic government, but the State Department is clamming up when it comes to the public's comments on the Keystone XL pipeline.

The State Department hired an outside firm called Environmental Resources Management to assess the impacts of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which could pollute water sources and cause environmental damage from Canada to Texas. This company has as bad a track record as you'll find in the industry.
Its "experts" not long ago gave the all-clear to a Peruvian gas pipeline called Camisea that led to the clear-cutting of a portion of the Amazon and the displacement of local native communities.

Now the company, being paid with your tax dollars, is refusing to make outside comments on its review of Keystone's impacts available to the public. That's right -- you can't read the comment your neighbor, your friend or even your local elected official offers for the record. The only way to see what anyone says about this review, which will determine the fate of one of the biggest pipeline projects in the Western Hemisphere, is to file a Freedom of Information Act request. In this case, a response would take months.

Please sign my petition today to make the State Department and Environmental Resources Management publicize all comments on Keystone XL. Tell them there's no reason to hide.

You don't have to be a Democrat, a Republican or anything else to believe in the importance of transparency. We don't have an Official Secrets Act or special immunity for well-connected companies. In the United States, everyone is supposed to be treated equally. That only happens if we stay vigilant and make our voices heard.

Sign my petition today to make your voice heard on Keystone XL and the need for open debate. Say loud and clear that important decisions affecting millions of people shouldn't be made without public scrutiny.

http://images.myngp.com/LinkTracker.aspx?crypt=IVi0ax2%2b6UDLpC3olJXC48%2fv%2ftqtQFGd1pYD7HCwFY6cLDeH7plfweSCOUD3b7%2bTOi%2fuQC6cVGN7%2bzlhWcf4FpcCyxMSdciWLo0WMNnzLFd5rym7Qydrgl3yDIfeitxRxA4ga7Rg8BhaZRKhPo4HXSVOiI28uWYYIsq2mEFJlqBDhmmq8VeuDQ%3d%3d


Thanks so much for all you do. Democracy doesn't work without you.

Peace,
Raúl
_______________

Thanks Mr. Representative for keeping us informed.

[Scuba]

1. Corporate bullshitters, same as always.

[lonestarnot]

2. Is representative democracy going to make a comeback or is it just forever dead?

[Doctor_J]

6. It may make a comeback

but not until after the guillotines make one.

[spanone]

3. K&r...

[Octafish]

4. That's why they hate Wikileaks...

Assange showed the world who their masters are, and it isn't We the People.

[Doctor_J]

5. Is this a trick question?

Is there any part of the government that would side with us over the corporations?

[randome]

7. I'm not sure about this.

How was the original commenting system set up? Was there an implication of privacy? If there was, people may not want their comments published any more than someone would want their comments published about a specific employee complaint.

[Vincardog]

8. This is not a private matter.

[randome]

9. Absolutely agree with that!

Just idle speculation on my part about whether comments were intended to be public or private.

[lonestarnot]

10. My answer is I do not know.