GREAT LAKES WATER ACCORD APPROVED

Friday, President Bush signed the Great Lakes Compact – an agreement whose completion ended a decade of work to protect the Great Lakes waters from being diverted to other locations.

The Great Lakes – our natural wonder right here in the Midwest – contain 20% of the world’s fresh surface water. Compact supporters have long feared that arid regions such as the rapidly growing Sun Belt would target the lakes as a source of much-needed water supplies – a real possibility as population trends show a marked shift to the southwest as well as other warmer climates.

Photo Credit: Google Images

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The deal was negotiated by the governors and ratified by the legislatures in all eight affected states – New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. In addition to our states, the provinces of Ontario and Quebec adopted similar provisions.

Although the Accord protects against large-scale diversions by pipeline or ship , environmentalists fear a loop-hole that allows Great Lakes water to be bottled and sold in containers no larger than 5.7 gallons will be exploited to increase diversion in lesser quantities.

The United Nations estimates that by 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population will lack ready access to clean, fresh water.

PALIN SLITHERING INTO HER ROLE AS ATTACK VP

Following on the heels of the announcement of McCain’s new strategy, Palin quickly slithered into her new role as attack VP, using her pulpit to espouse the politics of fear.

Speaking at a fund-raising event in Colorado Saturday, Palin said:

“This is not a man who sees America as you and I do – as the greatest force for good in the world.” “This is someone who sees American as imperfect enough to pal around with terrorists who targeted their own country.”

The statements were released by the McCain/Palin campaign. Folks, these tactics won’t work. They are the desperate, last-ditch efforts in a campaign that is on its way down. Americans want to hear about the plans the candidates have, not the same old rehash that we have been through for the last heaven knows how many months.

Photo Credit: The Huffington Post

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McCain and Palin are now desperate and will try anything. It sure didn’t take Palin long to drop her folksy, down-home persona and morph into the type of politician she and McCain have always decried.

IF YOU CAN’T BEAT ‘EM – MUCK ‘EM – McCAIN TO PLAY DIRTY POLITICS

John McCain is about to crawl down into the muck trenches in a last ditch attempt to beat Barack Obama. Apparently McCain’s campaign strategists have figured out the McCain/Palin ticket isn’t quite convincing the American public that they are “the ones.”

McCain’s biography as a war hero, experienced lawmaker, and straight-talking maverick just aren’t playing to the American voters, and his campaign is just plain out of material.

With November 4th looming on the horizon, McCain’s strategists have decided, in a desperate, last-ditch effort, to return to attacking Obama’s honesty, judgment, and personal associations – as if that hasn’t been done now for months and months.

Of course, the more McCain and company can stray from the economy – an issue which favors Obama – the more McCain is relieved from showing just how much he doesn’t know about the financial foundations of the country.

One of his operatives – speaking on the condition of anonymity of course – said:

“We’ve got to question the guy’s associations. Very soon. There’s no question that we have to change the subject here.”

But the downside is that McCain risks losing independent, swing voters who haven’t quite decided for whom they will vote. McCain’s new strategy of “down and dirty” may just be what they need to steer them toward Obama.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

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Obama should remain on task and not retaliate with dirty attacks. His strategy of focusing on the economy and other issues important to Americans has been working, so, my advice, let McCain be the one to sink to new lows.

Let McCain be the one to slide into the muck trenches with the last gasp of “if you can’t beat ‘em – muck ‘em.”