It was reported that the new assemblyman, Adam Gray, and his family (mother Candice, uncle Robin, Gray’s most senior political advisor, and his in-laws the Condit Tribe led by his wife, Cadee, brought a real old-fashioned political dog-and-pony show on fracking to Merced on Friday. The report explains why Gray, why Merced, why now:
 

11-5-13
California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA)  

State and Federal Water Projects Violate Standards: Delta Fisheries Plunge in Summer of 2013 
Regulators look the other way; refuse to enforce the law
 

California cultivates it. Here, fracking is the new sugar beet. -- blj
 
11-6-13
Reuters
Colorado an energy battleground as towns ban fracking
By Keith Coffman
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/06/us-usa-fracking-colorado-idUSBRE9A50QT20131106

 11-6-13
Chicago Sun-Times Voices
Early and Often
 
Protestors disrupt Illinois House by sprinkling fake money on lawmakers’ heads
Dave McKenney
http://voices.suntimes.com/early-and-often/politics/protestors-disrupt-illinois-house-by-sprinkling-fake-money-on-lawmakers-heads/

 The powerful, durable Filipino community of Delano is “taking action” as the LA Times headline accurately announces, to do what it can to help people, some of them family and friends, hurt by the monstrous typhoon that hit the Philippines last week. As this wonderful article relates, this is one immigrant community in the Valley that has always taken action at the necessary time.

 Because we live in The Valley That Feeds the World, we are very poor and need our Social Security. -- blj
11-2-13
Commondreams.org
Growing Movement: Expand Social Security or 'Pay a Price'
Sen. Warren: 'Social Security is incredibly effective, it is incredibly popular, and the calls for strengthening it are growing louder every day.'
- Lauren McCauley, staff writer
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/11/20-6
 

 In a more vigorous intellectual era -- it takes more historical knowledge than we have to imagine an American intellectual era more flaccid than the present -- we called the sort of exercise described below as "intellectual masturbation." In the case of this circle of scientists (grant hustlers) and special interests (known as "stakeholders"), the problem of course is our old friend, Consensus, that blunt instrument the corporate state has imposed on every "decision-making process" in the land (except the important decisions made in their own boardrooms by anything but "democratic" means).