We wanted to update you on the fight to Save Trestles. Please take time to read the following. Posted at savetrestles.com
Surfrider Foundation Action Network Deny the Toll Road Appeal
The Transportation Corridor Agency is trying to revive its plan to build the 241 Foothill-South Toll Road through San Onofre State Beach. They have asked the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to override the California Coastal Commission's denial of the road. Remember, on February 6, 2008 the California Coastal Commission voted to deny the 241 Foothill South Toll Road through San Onofre State Beach. Following thousands of pages of written comments and a 14 hour hearing attended by thousands, the Commission listened to reason and to the law by rejecting the toll road application. Unfortunately the agency planning this Toll Road has appealed the Coastal Commission’s decision to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. The Secretary is accepting comments from the public on this appeal until May 28th. The people in D.C. need to hear from Californians and people from all over the world who care about San Onofre and Trestles!
Your voice is needed! Don't let the TCA's lobbyists be the only influence on this important decision!
This Christmas Did you get what you wanted? Did you give more than you had too? Did family and friends come to your side showering you with gifts like you were a child lying in a little manger strategizing your mission to save the world? Are you in more debt now that when you started?
Well if you are not, than you probably weaseled your way out of partaking in this great Consumer Holiday called Christmas. Visa and Wal-mart would like you know just How unchristian you are. Or are you? Think about it. You don't have to believe in the Christ to know the only recorded time the Rabbi lost His temper was not when they falsely accused Him to death, but when the temple was turned into a CONSUMER market place. What do you think He would do if he saw His church on Christmas?
A new Movie came out that hits on this topic. What Would Jesus Buy? is the title of a documentary film produced by Morgan Spurlock and directed by Rob VanAlkemade. The title is a play on the phrase "What would Jesus do?" The film debuted on the festival circuit on March 11, 2007, at the South By Southwest (SXSW) conference in Austin, Texas. It is scheduled for wide release on November 16, 2007.
Although the film is a little lengthy and slow at times the topic can not be ignored. The film focuses on the issues of the commercialization of Christmas, materialism, the over-consumption in American culture, globalization, and the business practices of large corporations, as well as their economic and cultural effects on American society, as seen through the prism of activist/performance artist Bill Talen, who goes by the alias of "Reverend Billy," and his troupe of activists, whose street theater performances take the form of a church choir called "The Church of Stop Shopping," that sings anti-shopping and anti-corporate songs. The film follows Billy and his choir as they take a cross-country trip in the month prior to Christmas 2005, and spread their message against what they perceive as the evils of patronizing the retail outlets of several different large corporate chains.
If this is what it will take to open peoples eyes than GO SEE IT.
I found this story interesting and worth reporting. This story was posted by By: Mari-Ela David on KHNL KAUAI (KHNL)
- After leaving Honolulu Harbor on its first official journey out to sea, the Superferry gets a nasty welcome from protestors on Kauai. Once the vessel arrived in Kauai around 6:00 p.m. Sunday, angry words rippled through the waters at Nawiliwili Harbor, as protestors temporarily blocked the Alakai from docking.
Some protestors swam and surfed towards the vessel, determined to block the giant ship's path. For safety reasons, the Coast Guard stepped in and stopped the Superferry from docking, leaving 500 passengers stuck on the ship for at least an hour.
Participating in the protest were some of Kauai's leaders. "I'm really disappointed and utterly shocked that the owners are not willing to follow the law to stop their operations," says Kauai County Councilmember Joann Yukimura. Critics say the Superferry is breaking the law.
The Supreme Court ruled the Superferry must provide an environmental assessment. The debate between supporters and opponents is whether or not that ruling means the Superferry can still operate while the assessment is being conducted.
Among Superferry supporters is the State Administration. "Governor Lingle, and the Department of Transportation - I'm very disappointed that they're not respecting the decision that just came down by the Hawaii Supreme Court and I would hope that they would honor that so we can move forward and resolve this very difficult and complicated situation," says Senator Gary Hooser.
But Superferry officials say they are well within the legal lines. In a statement, Hawaii Superferry says "We are extremely disappointed for the passengers who were booked on the voyage to Kauai...we are sorry to see that minority dissident groups have chosen to oppose a service that the people of Hawaii have overwhelmingly embraced."
The Superferry finally docked around 7 pm Sunday.
Witnesses say protestors laid down in front of cars as the crew tried to unload the vehicles off Nawiliwili Harbor. At that point, they say the Superferry boarded passengers back on the ship. The vessel is scheduled to arrive at Honolulu Harbor around 11:00 p.m. Sunday.
The Transportation Corridor Agency is seeking to build an extension to the existing 241 Toll Road. The proposed Foothill Transportation Corridor South (FTC-South) is a sixteen-mile long toll road highway that would connect the current terminus of the 241 Toll Road to Interstate 5. The TCA is proposing six alignments for this project; four of which run directly through and along San Mateo Creek. If constructed, not only would this project directly threaten the world class surf break at and around Trestles (including Uppers, Lowers, Middles, Church and Cottons), the project would also result in the obliteration of Southern California?s last remaining pristine coastal watershed and substantially degrade habitat that is critical for the survival of at least seven endangered species, including the Southern Steelhead trout.
Wave Degradation
* This project would require substantial grading of the terrain and millions of yards of hard reinforcement (steel, concrete and other materials), that will alter the natural sediment flow through San Mateo Creek,, which supplies sand to the Trestles surf breaks.
* According to the Transportation Corridor Agency?s own engineering consultants, losses in sedimentation flow would cause ?substantial degradation to surfing resources,? which will likely result in significant degradation to the wave quality at Lower Trestles and nearby breaks (including Uppers, Middles, Cottons and Church).
Water Quality
* A recent scientific report demonstrates that when over 10 percent of a watershed is paved there are significant water quality and ecosystem impacts.
* Similar projects have resulted in generating significant increases of oils, heavy metals and other toxins. Given the proximity of the project to the watershed, this project would result in a decrease of water quality for Trestles and the surrounding breaks.
* The TCA?s assertion that they can mitigate for this run-off is dubious. The initial mitigation systems that were installed on the nearby RT73 Toll Road failed, and had to be replaced at tax-payer expense. All mitigation efforts are ineffective during large rain events.
Environmental Damage from the Toll Road
* The walk in at Trestles is half the experience. The area is home to numerous native plant and animal species, including several endangered species. This area would be profoundly impacted by such a massive project essentially cutting the San Mateo Creek watershed in half.
* The FTC-South will run directly through San Onofre Beach State Park. This 2028 acre park the 5th most visited park in the California State Parks system.
* The San Mateo Creek Watershed is one of the last large coastal open spaces in Southern California The FTC-South will forever change this last vestige of coastal wilderness, including profound compromises to the Donna O?Neill Land Conservancy.
* TCA claims that the FTC-South will provide relief of traffic congestion along Interstate 5 in fact contradict their own FTC-South traffic projections that rely on cannibalizing San Diego County bound traffic from the I-15 and feeding that Inland Empire traffic to the I-5 via the toll roads.
* FTC-South would be built through undeveloped land, which would promote development, and ultimately bring forth new traffic from urbanization.
* FTC-South will increase, not decrease traffic on the 1-5 stretch in south San Clemente where the proposed toll road will merge with 1-5, which is already at over-capacity along this stretch. Northern San Diego County will also be affected by potentially severe increases in traffic congestion.
Expense
* The FTC-South is expected to cost close to $1 billion (nearly $53 million a mile). Currently the plan is to fund the project by non-recourse bonds, as well as development impact fees that are already being added to real estate sales in Southern Orange County.
*Contrary to TCA claims, these projects are NOT SELF FUNDED! According to an October 10, 2005 article in the Orange County Register, the nearby RT73 Toll Road is ?financially struggling? and ?faces not being able to make its debt payments in about nine years.?
SUPPORT THE SURFRIDER FOUNDATION IN ITS FIGHT TO SAVE TRESTLES!
* The dramatic decreases in water quality, degradation to the wave quality at Trestles, destruction of the San Onofre State Beach Park and some of the last open space in Southern California, and harm to endangered and threatened species are costs not worth the questionable benefits of this extremely expensive toll road.
* Surfers, swimmers and other ocean enthusiasts enjoy the waters and waves of Trestles year round. There is no other place like it in California or the world. Please join in our efforts to Save Trestles for our children and future generations.
"100% Powered By Vegetable Oil" Bumper Sticker Gets a 1k Dollar Fine
If the Government could completely have it their way, they would lock you up for using anything other than their heavily taxed gasoline or diesel. If you don't believe take a look at this story from the Charlotte Observer.
Bob Teixeira decided it was time to take a stand against U.S. dependence on foreign oil.
"So last fall the Charlotte musician and guitar instructor spent $1,200 to convert his 1981 diesel Mercedes to run on vegetable oil. He bought soybean oil in 5-gallon jugs at Costco, spending about 30 percent more than diesel would cost.
His reward, from a state that heavily promotes alternative fuels: a $1,000 fine last month for not paying motor fuel taxes
He's been told to expect another $1,000 fine from the federal government.
And to legally use veggie oil, state officials told him, he would have to first post a $2,500 bond.
Teixeira is one of a growing number of fuel-it-yourselfers -- backyard brewers who recycle restaurant grease or make moonshine for their car tanks. They do it to save money, reduce pollution or thumb their noses at oil sheiks."
This story is too ridiculous to believe. the truth is we should be exempting people like this from oil taxes, not punishing them! Unfortunately, most state laws have strict penalties for those that do not partake from the traditional pump, and follow their strict LAWS. It’s almost like the Spanish Inquisition has come to the fuel industry. States understandably receive an immense amount of money from taxing fuel to help pay for road repair costs. Still, a $2,500 bond, $1,000 fine, and another $1K from the federal government? It’s enough to make any American think twice about making the switch. Then again, that’s probably the entire point.
The head of the OPEC oil cartel just said that investing in biofuels could push oil prices “through the roof,” the UK’s Financial Times reported yesterday. OPEC secretary general Abdalla El-Badri had the nerve to say that moves to use biofuels would make his members consider cutting investment in oil production.
Even US Oil Tycoon Texas Cowboy/President Bush says the US will aim to cut its petrol use by 20 per cent in the next ten years, partly through increased use of biofuels. Opec members control about 40 per cent of the world’s oil production. El-Badri said that while OPEC members had so far maintained their investment plans, he added: “If we are unable to see a security of demand we may revisit investment in the long term.”
This warning comes as leaders of the G8 industrialized nations gather for their summit in Germany. Environmental issues are high on the agenda and the use of biofuels is central to the attempts of many G8 countries to cut their carbon emissions. Biofuels can be anything made with vegetable matter that burns.
The US is not the only nation that depends on Opecs oil, Gabrielle Reilly at Gift of Gab brings up that China alone is reshaping the global oil relationships in and of itself. This year China has become the second largest user of oil outside of the US surpassing Japan. As China’s economy grows and technology improves, the Chinese are setting aside their bikes for cars. Although it may still be two decades before many of the peasants laboring in the manufacturing sectors become consumers, with a population of well over 1 billion people, it would only take a small percentage of the population to consume as much as the U.S. does. Will this bring China into closer relations with the Middle East in preference to the U.S.? Only time will give us the sure answer to that question.
So OPEC is feeling the pressure? Let's see how they act when their is actual competition on the field. In my opinion, if the Americans paid what Europeans pay at the pumps for gasoline, they would drive less and be looking for way more alternative fuels and modes of transportation. Pushing the envelope further towards bio fuels, maybe even passing positive laws to help enforce them.
The US had a record number of beach closures and health advisories last year, the most in 15 years since research organizations have been monitoring them. -The Clean Water initiative is primarily focused on protecting water quality in coastal watersheds and in the near-shore marine environment. Consequently, the Surfrider Foundation advocates for strong water quality regulations, adequate marine recreational water quality monitoring, reporting and posting, reduction of polluted discharges into the ocean and education regarding personal responsibility for the reduction water pollution. They also support smart land use planning to ensure that coastal environmental resources are protected and healthy watersheds are maintained.
-In 2001, the UN FAO and World Health Organisation estimated that developing countries spend US$3 billion annually on pesticides. However, one-third of these pesticides did not meet internationally accepted quality standards. Developing countries are used as a dumping ground for hazardous chemicals, many of which are banned throughout much of the rest of the world because of the serious threats they pose to human health and the natural environment. Cambodia is one such country.
-Pesticides are toxic by design. Every year, pesticides are estimated to cause tens of millions of cases of accidental poisoning. Many of these poisoning cases are in the developing world where awareness of the dangers is lacking. Symptoms of pesticide poisoning can range from short-term headaches and nausea to convulsions, unconsciousness or death. Longer-term effects include damage to nervous systems, respiratory and skin diseases, cancers and birth defects. What's Your Poison? highlights the shocking evidence between pesticides and damage to human health.
-EJF's work to raise awareness of the human health impact of endosulfan and the publication of End of the Road for Endosulfan led to the Cambodian Government announcing a ban on the import, sale and use of this dangerous pesticide. Find out why endosulfan is so dangerous to human health: [Read EJF's report End of the Road for Endosulfan]
-Cotton uses nearly 10% of the world's pesticides, and of this, 25% of the world's insecticides. The consequences for human health and the environment are well known, particularly in the developing world where pesticides are not subject to stringent regulation and where public awareness of the risks are limited. There has been a slow response from producers, traders and retailers to developing and promoting organic cotton production that can sustain environment and rural communities.
Winston Churchill once said something like if you're under 30 and you're not a Democrat, than you have no heart. But if you're over 40 and you're not a Republican, than you have no brains. Well now I am in my mid thirties and I am fed with both of them. If you follow that cheese race and pay any attention to politics today in the US and have the ability to somewhat think for yourself instead of blindly following a "leader," you should be very fed up. We should be thankful for our rights while we use the voice our forefathers worked so hard to get into the constitution that most modern day spin doctors today dance around. Today The Republican and Democratic parties are almost the same. Some people even refer to the two as one party, the Republicrat party. Neither of the two major parties are interested in doing what is best for Americans, nor what American voters want their representatives to do. As an American, it is our privilege and duty to vote for people who are willing to represent our interests, not their own interests or those of corporate lobbyists.
Love your new shirt - know how the cotton was grown?
Over two thirds of the world's cotton - used in the clothes we all wear - is grown in developing countries and the former Soviet Union.
Valued at US$35 billion a year, global cotton production should be improving lives but this "white gold" all too often brings misery to millions.
Forced child labour, heavy pesticide use and environmental degradation are all rife in cotton production, but most people are still in the dark about the full story behind the clothes we wear and how they are produced.
Unless you have made a positive choice and are wearing certified organic or fairly traded cotton, you won't know it from the label.
The Environmental Justice Foundation is leading an international campaign to end human rights and environmental abuses in cotton production, and to promote organic and fairly traded cotton.
Read the reports, watch the award-winning short film and then TAKE ACTION so you can Pick Your Cotton Carefully.
Watch "White Gold - The True Cost of Cotton"
EJF Campaigns:
* to raise public awareness of the conditions under which cotton is produced
* to press retailers to ensure they only sell "clean cotton"
* for an EU regulation on forced child labour, and for cotton products to show the country of origin of the cotton on the label
The struggle to preserve public access to the beach is spreading across the nation from California to Connecticut and from Florida to the Great Lakes. California's beaches belong to all the people. The wealthy rich prick beachfront enclave of Malibu and media mogul David Geffen nevertheless filed suit to cut off the people'sright to reach the beach. A Newport Beach city councilmember opposes improvements to a public beach because "with grass we usually get Mexicans coming in there early in the morning and they claim it as theirs and it becomes their personal, private grounds all day." People of color and low-income people suffer first and worst from the efforts to privatize public beaches. While eighty percent of the 34 million people of California live within an hour of the coast, disproportionately White and wealthy homeowners stand to benefit from the privatization of this public good, while communities of color and low-income communities are disproportionately denied the benefit of coastal access.
Beaches are not a luxury. Beaches are a public space that provide a different set of rhythms to renew public life. Beaches are a democratic commons that bring people together as equals. People swim and splash in the waves, "people watch," surf, wile away the afternoon under an umbrella, scamper between tide pools, or gaze off into the sunset. Public access to the beach is integral to democracy and equality. Rio de Janeiro, like Los Angeles, is marked by some of the greatest disparities between wealth and poverty in the world. Yet Rio's famous beaches are open to all, rich and poor, Black and White. The beach in Rio is the great equalizer. California's world famous beaches must also remain public for all, not the exclusive province of the rich and famous. The Connecticut Supreme Court has recognized the First Amendment right of non-residents to use a public beach against efforts by the city of Greenwhich to restrict access to its residents. A New Jersey appellate court has recognized the right of public access to reach the beach at a private club under the public trust doctrine. A Michigan court, however, has recently limited public access to the beach along Lake Michigan. In Florida, 60% of the "public" beaches are now "private."
In order to make a difference before it gets to late The center For the law and Public Justice along with the Surfrider foundation have put together a "Free the Beach" campaign. For more information go to http://www.surfrider.org/media5.asp
Your unique spirit and individual personality are not mistakes; there is a plan and a purpose for your life. Pay Attention, when you are being lied to. Please do not be fooled, each one of us is responsible for the decisions we make and the actions we do or do not take.
