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womensmarch 2018_6855
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Is Lee Zeldin Really “Good On The Environment”?
A slickly produced mailer from Lee Zeldin appeared in my mailbox this week. It touted our Congressman’s supposed record in “safeguarding our environment.” Mr. Zeldin has been very adept in pulling the wool over voters’ eyes about his actual environmental record. I have often heard from environmentally progressive friends that “Lee Zeldin is at least good on the environment.” Wrong! The League of Conservation Voters has scored him at 8% for 2016 (the most recent scorecard they have produced) and only 11% for his lifetime score.
On his flyer, Zeldin touts his concern for”access to clean air and clean water.” Really? Then why in 2016 did he block protections for clean water (House Roll Call Vote 468), approving riders that expanded exemptions to the Clean Water Act to allow more dumping of pollutants into waterways and blocking the EPA’s Clean Water rule? (Luckily, the Senate did not vote on the riders, so they didn’t pass.)
And, talking of the EPA, why did Lee Zeldin vote in 2017 for H.R. 1430? This Orwellian-named “HONEST Act” endangers public health by making it very difficult for the EPA to use the best available science. Does he think his East End constituents will benefit from blocking good science about the health effects of pollution?
But Lee Zeldin’s attack on the EPA’s ability to carry out its mission didn’t end there. He also attacked its integrity by voting for H.R. 1431, the “EPA Science Advisory Board Reform Act of 2017.” This horrific act weakens conflict-of-interest protections, thereby enshrining industry shills while barring real scientists from EPA advisory panels. It also allows industry to prolong what is already a very long scientific review process so that important public health and environmental protections get even more delayed.
Now back to Zeldin’s claim of “ensuring access to clean air and clean water.” In 2017, he voted for the “Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2017” (H.R. 953), which ended Clean Water Act safeguards protecting communities from toxic pesticides. Specifically, pesticides now can be more freely discharged directly into water bodies. That vote passed with Lee Zeldin’s help. (It seems like Mr. Zeldin has an antipathy for clean water protections. He also voted in 2017 to undermine environmental reviews on water projects with his “yes” vote on H.R. 1654, which also passed with his help.)
You would think that if Mr. Zeldin really cared about the environment on the East End, he would be on the forefront of Congressional efforts to combat climate change. Wrong! In spite of the fact that new predictions forecast nine or more feet of sea level rise this century — putting our coastal properties at risk of going under water — our Congressman voted in 2017 for HR 2019. That law slashes critical investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency and prevents government from assessing the real risks and costs of climate change.
Bizarrely, Mr. Zeldin also voted to quash an amendment that would have protected our National Ocean Policy. This means, for example, that it will be much harder for different constituencies like fisherman, conservationists and local communities to have a place at the table when ocean development issues are decided. To put this in current context, if Trump’s just-announced plans to drill for oil and gas offshore from our Atlantic coastline go forward, the ability of ocean communities to weigh in on those frightening plans got weakened by Mr. Zeldin’s vote (the bill passed.) Zeldin makes much fanfare about opposing offshore oil drilling, but in 2017 he cut off his constituents’ power to influence the policy at the knees.
This is just a snapshot of Lee Zeldin’s awful environmental record. (Check out the League of Conservation Voters to learn more.) We need a real environmental defender as our Congressman, not one like Lee Zeldin who talks a good game while stabbing our environment in the back.
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Zeldin on drilling: tepid
Published today in the East Hampton Star as a letter to the editor:
Just Two Sentences
Lee Zeldin released the following statement in response to the Trump administration’s proposal to open United States waters to offshore oil drilling: “I support an energy strategy that secures American energy independence and drives down costs. On Long Island, however, our waterways are our way of life, and drilling off of Long Island is unacceptable and counterproductive to the well-being of our communities.”
That something as catastrophic as oil drilling off our beaches merits just two sentences from Mr. Zeldin is deeply troubling. He devotes more time to posting lengthy defenses of Trump when he says something offensive. Suggestion for Mr. Zeldin: Let someone else take on the herculean task of explaining what Trump really meant and spend your time more productively, fighting for the people of the First Congressional District.
We need a representative who is a leader, who champions our interests, and who rallies and sways the opinions of fellow representatives; we don’t need a representative who issues a tepid press release on a critical issue and then fades into the background.
CAROL DEISTLER
To LZ: please get our coast line exempted (just like Florida)! Next time the WH asks you for a favor, you know how to respond. Right? D. Posnett
Posted in Environment, Offshore Drilling, Trump, Uncategorized, Zeldin
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Voters exhausted by chaos & hostility of Trump regime
“There’s honor in compromise and civility.” Ezra Klein interviewing Joe Trippi, the chief media strategist on the Doug Jones campaign.
The lessons from Doug Jones’ win in Alabama are discussed in this interesting piece on VOX: “A top Doug Jones staffer explains the Alabama win.” By
Trump is creating enough chaos and divisiveness and hostility that Republicans who would never ordinarily vote for a Democrat say, “Okay, well I’ve got all the chaos and hostility I can handle right now. I’ll vote for somebody who wants to try to find common ground and get things done for me, even if they’re a Democrat.”
There is a lesson here for our district: NY CD-1. It is all about getting those middle of the road voters disgusted by Trump/Zeldin, without losing the energy of the Democratic/Progressive base.
And there is another centrist Dem. , Patty Schachtner, winning in a Rep. district by emphasizing local issues. As per the WaPo and
A stunning Democratic victory, Tuesday, in a special election deep in the heart of Trump country suggests a blue tsunami could be forming.
President Trump became the first Republican to carry Wisconsin in a presidential election since Ronald Reagan by running up his score in places like the rural 10th state Senate district, along the Minnesota border. Trump won there by 17 points in 2016.

There is an important lesson here for national Democrats: Schachtner is the sort of candidate who can actually defeat GOP incumbents in red congressional districts this fall. She has deep roots in the community, and she is not a fire-breathing liberal. Her campaign focused not on attacking Trump but fighting the opioid crisis, improving access to health care and bringing good-paying jobs to the region. She didn’t need to talk about the president to benefit from an outpouring of progressive energy and conservative apathy.
Posted in democrats, long island, Politics, Trump, Uncategorized, Zeldin
Tagged chaos, compromise, doug jones, Patty Schachtner, wisconsin
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“Shithole” Nations

Republican Rep. Mia Love: Trump ‘must apologize’ for ‘shithole’ remark
From Susan Solo Esq.:
Exactly how much longer do Americans have to endure this racist man?
His comments today about why the US has to accept immigrants from Africa, Haiti and El Salvador, so called “shithole” nations, and that he wants immigrants from nations like Norway, are self evident of his mind set.
If there was any doubt before, this eliminates it…he is racist.
The WH defends him & sees no problem with his comments, he speaks to and for his base.
This is a sad day for all of us. Trump is #notmypresident.
Posted in bigotry, immigration/deportation, Trump, Uncategorized
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Glenn Simpson Transcript: Summary

Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Thomson Reuters
One of us has actually read the Glenn Simpson transcript! Mr. Simpson is the man behind an explosive dossier — produced at his firm, Fusion GPS, with a former British spy, Christopher Steele — outlining possible connections between the president, his associates and Russian officials.
John Tepper Marlin reports:
Here is a guide of what is actually in the transcript released by Diane Feinstein!
It’s very readable. It covers some of the same ground as the book Fire & Fury, but it is much more scientifically sound.
Here are a couple of notes I took:
Pages 1-66 – groundwork for the interview
Page 67 – Felix Sater (not mentioned again) and other Russians.
Page 68 – Prevezon, mentioned again p 136
Page 70 – Trump seemed to be okay with organized crime, Italian or Russian (very different)
Page 71 – Trump claims to be poor on his tax forms for federal state and local govts.
Page 73 – Law suit in Scotland revealing
Page 77 – Trump gets its goods for its branded products from sweatshops
Pages 80-95 – Chris Steele, what he reported, old MI5 hand.
Pages 96-136 – Lots of Russians. One after the other.
The entire document is 311 pages!
You can also read the whole thing here.
Or you can use the New York Times interactive version here.
Posted in Russian connection, Trump, Uncategorized
Tagged Chris Steele, Christopher Steele, feinstein, Fusion GPS, glenn simpson, russia
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Most Popular Blog Posts – 2017

Map of all Indivisible groups across the USA, which includes Resist & Replace (R&R) of East Hampton, NY
The 10 most viewed blog posts in 2017 on R&R are:
1) 780 views – Special Report: Brookhaven Town Clerk (part 1; part 2 and part 3)
2) 693 views – “School Voucher” for the Trump Family
3) 278 views – Manny Vilar: proud Trump supporter
4) 138 views – Zeldin: Guns OK in our Schools?
5) 125 views – Crowd spilling over at OLA meeting in Bridgehampton
6) 123 views – AARP’s letter to Congress
7) 118 views – Rep. Zeldin requesting your opinion
8) 97 views – If Stephen Hawking is right about Earth’s end keep an eye on the deer
9) 96 views – If you see this label on the fruit, do not buy it at any cost
10) 86 views – Zeldin and Bigotry
Happy New Year and keep writing!
Vote for your favorite blog post in the comments section!
Posted in Uncategorized, Zeldin
Tagged 2017, blog, indivisible, posts, top
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Zeldin Boasting about Environment Record?
Recently Congressman Lee Zeldin (R, NY-1), co-chair of the Long Island Sound Caucus and founding member of the “Congressional Estuary Caucus”, was joined by EPA Regional Administrator Pete Lopez, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Regional Director Carrie Meek Gallagher, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Northeast Regional Director Amanda Bassow, and others, to announce 31 grants, totaling $2.04 million, that will be awarded to local governments and community groups. The grants will support projects that will continue to improve water quality, restore natural habitats, enhance living resources, and educate and involve the public in protecting and restoring the Long Island Sound.
“The Long Island Sound is a precious feature of our life, culture, and economy, one that affects the livelihoods of all Long Islanders, as well as our local recreation and tourism industries,” Congressman Zeldin said…
Wow – that sounds great!? But here is the thing:
From Marc Rauch:
Last I checked Long Island Sound was still connected to the Atlantic Ocean.
Lifetime, Zeldin has voted against measures in Congress to mitigate climate change 85% of the time, with 17 anti-env. votes on climate change and 3 pro-env. votes. See complete Zeldin Enviro voting record here and here.
Climate change has a number of deleterious effects on oceans, including warmer ocean temperatures and acidification. Long-term, the disruptive effects of climate change on ocean ecosystems will be profound and in bodies of water like Long Island Sound that are basically extensions of oceans, these adverse effects will overwhelm any benefits that can be gained from efforts to limit runoff, waste disposal, and the like. So Zeldin is touting his advocacy for applying bandaids while repeatedly voting against efforts to cure the underlying serious illness.
From David Friedman:
I see that Zeldin in his press release about the $2.04 million brags about being “a founding member of the Congressional Estuary Caucus” (whatever that is). Based on his record, he will cheerfully vote to damage any estuary outside CD1:
9/7/2017 Voted in favor of Goodlatte Amendment #50 (roll 479) to HR 3354. This amendment reduces the ability of the EPA to enforce standards of the Clean Water Act in cleaning up Chesapeake Bay. It limits EPA’s key authority to protect clean water in the 64,000 square mile Chesapeake Bay watershed which spans 6 states and the District of Columbia. 13 Republicans voted against this amendment.
7/13/2017 Voted in favor of H.R. 23. This is a companion bill to H.R. 1654 (see below) which bypasses environmental and other regulatory reviews for the construction of new dams in California, overrides California state law, and enacts a number of other provisions favorable to agribusiness interests in the San Joaquin valley. It weakens protections for endangered species of fish and for commercial fisheries along the West Coast in order to redistribute limited water supplies, primarily to large industrial farming operations in one area of California. It preempts California and federal laws that mandate restoration of the San Joaquin River and its native salmon runs, effectively stopping restoration. The result could be to permanently dry up this river, the second longest within California. It overturns recent court decisions protecting the Trinity river and its Salmon runs. It mandates quantified water delivery for a small set of specified agribusiness users at the expense of everybody else. It truncates the environmental review process for new dam construction. It prevents federal agencies from placing any limits on water use when issuing federal permits (if the use is recognized under state law), which would allow water users to leave streams and rivers on public land dry. This bill would destroy thousands of fishery jobs, do serious damage to the Bay-Delta estuary and possibly cause the extinction of native fish species. It is opposed by the American Sportfishing Association, Golden Gate Salmon Association, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, and Cal Trout. It is also opposed by the Governor of California, both California Senators, and a majority of its Congressional delegation. It is another example of Republicans’ convenient disregard of “states rights” when it comes to favoring big business interests, since it overrides California state law. And it is also an example of “picking winners and losers” in spite of the professed GOP horror of doing that.
6/22/2017 Voted in favor of H.R. 1654. This act establishes the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation as the lead agency for the purposes of coordinating all reviews, analyses, opinions, statements, permits, licenses, or other approvals or decisions required under federal law for new construction or expansions of dams, and above-ground water storage on federal land in 17 Western states. In effect it fast-tracks the construction of new dams by by-passing rules currently in effect to assess the environmental and other impacts of such dam construction. It guts the National Environmental Policy Act by limiting the “Environmental Impact Statement” (EIS) process to “1 year and 30 days”. Although this may sound reasonable on its face, this time frame is actually grossly inadequate in many cases to properly and correctly assess the impact a proposed new dam would have on a river. Proponents of the bill argue that “streamlining” the permitting process for new dams will help to create jobs and grow the economy. In reality, the high cost of building a dam, coupled with the limited available funds and permitting issues on the state level, are the primary impediments to building new dams, not federal environmental laws or delays in the federal permitting process. According to the Bureau of Reclamation, not a single dam has been denied construction because of a lack of coordination between Reclamation and other agencies or because of delays associated with environmental review and permitting. The bill is supported by down-river agricultural interests which stand to benefit from the rapid construction of new dams to facilitate mass irrigation of arid land. Downstream fisheries, obliterated by new dams and reservoirs, will pay the price. The breeding grounds of salmon and other commercially important fish will be cut off or degraded, both upstream and down, as a result of the restricted flow of water. An amendment to H.R. 1654 was introduced by Rep. Alan Lowenthal who represents a downstream California district. This amendment exempts any dam projects from being fast-tracked by the bill if it could harm commercial fisheries. Zeldin voted against this amendment.
Posted in climate change, Environment, EPA, Paris Climate Accord, Uncategorized, Zeldin
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“Trump Slump” in tourism
I have previously posted on the “Trump Slump” in tourism. And here, and here too. But it is time to reexamine the issue because the data over one solid year indicate that the slump is here to stay! How will this affect us locally? TBD.
U.S. Economy Losing Billions As ‘Trump Slump’ Continues In Tourism Sector

Disney Land. The Grand Canyon. The Golden Gate Bridge. Yosemite. The World Trade Center.
The United States has long been a bucket-list destination, but as executive announcement piles on executive announcement, international visitors are wary of choosing the tourism-behemoth for their next vacation.
Inbound arrivals have fallen 1.4% since January, while global arrivals have jumped 4.6%, leading many travel industry experts to say the ‘Trump Slump’ is real. Credit: Nick DeSantis, Forbes.
After the announcement of the first two travel bans in January and March, the number of international travelers arriving in the U.S. has dramatically dropped, according to ForwardKeys, a European travel-prediction firm.
Looking at the number of U.S. inbound arrivals – or the number of international tourists arriving at airports around the country – the firm found that the number of visitors dropped 1.3% following the announcement of the first travel ban on January 27. On June 26, when the second ban was partially re-instated, inbound visitors dropped again by 2.8%.
Experts expected to see falling arrivals following the first executive announcement in January, when European interest in visiting the U.S. fell 12% but to see the number of arrivals impacted so quickly is startling.
“The confusing and convoluted travel bans have done nothing but worsen the country’s reputation around the world,” said Lee Abbamonte, an American travel expert who has been to every country in the world, in an email. Although he believes there should be a vetting process, he says that as it stands now, it is too stringent, and confusing for many international citizens.
A small percentage drop in arrivals is no small potatoes when translated into a dollar amount. In 2016, the U.S. travel and tourism industry generated over $1.5 trillion in economic output, supporting 7.6 million jobs, according to SelectUSA, an international trade analyst firm. That represents 2.7% of overall GDP.
“I’m not surprised inbound travel is dropping,” agrees Liz Carlson, a travel expert blogger who was recently named New Zealand’s top blogger, in an email. An American, Carlson lives in Wanaka, New Zealand. Most of her friends are foreigners, and Carlson says that each of the executive announcements, as well as laptop bans, have put many off from traveling to the land of the free and the brave.
She says, “Whenever I meet people traveling, everyone says something about it, and nothing is positive … My friends who have traveled there recently are worried about the rules where TSA can look through your phones or laptops.”
In March, after the second travel ban, Oxford Economics, an advisory and analysis firm, found that travel could drop by 8% due to the executive announcements and procedures to restrict immigration to the U.S.
“Our latest detailed findings confirm what our data has been predicting since the first travel ban. There has been a ‘Trump Slump,’ and the strong dollar has compounded it,” said ForwardKeys co-founder and CEO, Olivier Jager, in an email. “This must be worrying for the US economy – travel is a huge earner for the United States, and relative to the rest of the world, its tourism exports are losing ground.”
Tourism is the seventh largest employer in the US economy. In 2012, nearly 84% of travel companies identified themselves as small businesses. For those Americans, the outlook is bleak.
Over the first three months of Donald Trump’s presidency, 697,791 fewer foreigners visited the U.S. than normal, down 4.2% to 15.8 million people, according to new figures released by the U.S. Department of Commerce. That drop accounted for $2.7 billion in spending, according to Tourism Economics.
In cities like New York, foreign tourists spend four times as much as domestic tourists, so even slight drops in inbound arrivals spell big losses for the U.S. economy. According to US Travel, international travel spending directly supports 1.2 million American jobs, accounting for nearly $32.4 billion in wages. the typical overseas traveler spends around $4,360 when visiting the United States, over an 18 night stay.
Cities across the U.S. have seen the writing on the wall and are bracing for declining tourism revenues. Los Angeles Tourism board led the charge earlier this year, putting millions towards a marketing campaign to welcome foreigners with a gigantic human powered sign that welcomed incoming planes in four languages. Other tourism boards have followed suit with their own campaigns.
But as the third executive announcement is implemented and the Supreme Court hearing on the previous travel bans is cancelled, many industry experts wonder if this is just the beginning of another lagging sector in the U.S. economy as tourists choose destinations with easier, more comprehensive visa policies.
Comment (D. Posnett): I have wondered how a real estate mogul like Trump who owns hotels and golf courses does not seem to care about tourism. It is interesting to follow stock prices of major hotel chains like Hilton and Marriott and see that they are doing just fine. In fact, like Trump businesses, they are expanding internationally. So perhaps this means that worldwide tourism is not that much affected. It is just that international tourists are chosing to go elsewhere rather than visiting the USA. For example, as the per Dan Caplinger in the Motely Fool: “Marriott sees prosperous days ahead. Sorenson noted that the international opportunity that the hotel company has is huge, pointing out that more than half of rooms under development are located outside North America“.
So much for those American jobs that Trump voters had bet on.
Posted in economy, immigration/deportation, National Parks & Monuments, Travel Ban, Trump, Uncategorized, Zeldin
Tagged hotels, job drain, jobs, tourism, trump slump
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