Barack Obama speaks at an Earth Day rally today in front of the Old Capitol in Iowa City, Iowa

[flpoljunkie]

Democratic presidential hopeful U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., speaks during an Earth Day rally, Sunday, April 22, 2007, in front of the Old Capitol at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

[pstans]

1. A local blogger liveblogged the event...

http://jdeeth.blogspot.com/2007/04/barack-obama-iowa-city-earth-day-42207.html

[flpoljunkie]

3. Definitely like that Obama talks about increasing fuel efficiency to 43 mpg.

"We could increase fuel efficiency – 43 MPG would mean 0 oil imports from mid east. Just those two things could reduce greenhouse gases = to getting 90 million cars off road. Cap power plants and reduce emissions 80% by 2050. We can do these things now."

http://jdeeth.blogspot.com/2007/04/barack-obama-iowa-ci...

The live blogger did a great and throrough job covering the event.

[pstans]

12. That was great to read

I think raising CAFE standards should be a top priority. I saw a commercial on TV saying a car gets a great 27 mpg. That isn't great. That car wouldn't be able to be sold in China or Japan because the fuel effiency is too low.

[William769]

2. For someone advocating coal?

[flpoljunkie]

4. Obama says any new coal technologies must be developed strictly...

Senator Obama is the lead Democratic cosponsor of the Coal-to-Liquid Fuel Promotion Act, along with Senator Bunning. It must be a national priority to improve fuel economy and expand use of renewable fuels and other low-carbon or carbon-neutral fuels, but coal is currently America’s most abundant domestic energy source and will be a critical resource for many years to come. One of America’s largest coal beds lies beneath Illinois and neighboring states. Senator Obama believes that any new coal technologies must be developed strictly in the context of anticipated mandatory carbon control legislation, using technologies to reduce carbon emissions. This bill provides incentives for the development of this diesel technology that can transform coal into cleaner diesel fuel, while encouraging the sequestration of carbon emissions and reducing American reliance on importing fossil fuels.

In addition, Senator Obama has been working within Congress and with the State of Illinois to bring FutureGen, the nation’s first near-zero emissions coal power plant, to Illinois. The billion dollar project would use Illinois coal in generating electricity and hydrogen gas while sequestering carbon emissions.

http://obama.senate.gov/issues/energy/index.html

[William769]

6. No matter ho you look at it, coal is coal.

I have several dead relatives that can attest to that fact.

[flpoljunkie]

7. I share your concerns. We need a moratorium on building old technology coal-fired plants, and to

make damn sure that new coal technologies work before we invest in this new technology for our energy needs.

I found this LATimes article, "Collision on Coal" by Ron Brownstein interesting, and thought you might as well.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-brownstein11apr11,0,6374470.column?coll=la-opinion-center

[zulchzulu]

13. Are you suggesting that coal not be used as an energy source?

Certainly you jest... things have gotten a little more advanced than the old coal-burning and dirty mining technology...

The US has a LOT of coal. There are clean coal burning technologies available now with more on the way. It's an energy source that we would be foolish to ignore...

Check out here:
http://www.futuregenalliance.org/

[William769]

16. I was speaking of the means of getting the coal.

That technology has not changed.

[Colobo]

5. Gobama!

[Clarkie1]

8. I'd really like to see the candidates get over the prejudice the left has against nuclear energy.

The technology has changed so much, and it's a lot safer than coal. If we want to get serious about stopping global warming, we better open our minds to science and put the politics aside. I'm all for increasing fuel standards, renewables, and all the rest, but nuclear power deserves another look given the global climate crises. France gets 90% of their power from "cookie-cutter," affordable, safe nuclear power plants. Why can't we? We should not be closing down debate on the issue within the Democratic Party.

[Tellurian]

10. How is nuclear energy safe..

where do you dump the expended fuel waste?

It stays radioactive for 100+ yrs. People living nearby Yucca Mt., their kids are dying from leukemia.
Is there something new I'm not aware of? Please, I'd like to hear about it.

[zulchzulu]

14. I used to disagree, but there are some cool new things happening

I recently saw where someone had invented a technology where the nuclear energy is passed through small metal balls that are easy to contain and store as well as are not as unwieldy or dense as nuclear fuel rods.

It's very expensive to start a nuclear plant and there are certainly some negatives that some view as outweighing the positives, but if we spent more on R&D, nuclear power could be a very acceptable form of energy generation to add to the non-carbon energy sources available.

To just say all nuclear power sucks to to imply ignorance on the issue and recent trends.

[Tellurian]

15. We're working on ways to stop polluting the Planet..

windfarms, solarpower, recyclables for fuel.. I'm dead set against nuclear power, as well as petroleum.

[rurallib]

9. Thanks for the pics. I was unable to attend.

[illinoisprogressive]

11. How many people were there?? I just got finished watching him on cspan

Road to the White House carried his Sharpton speech from yesterday.

[flpoljunkie]

17. Duplicate post.

[flpoljunkie]

18. Obama Rally Draws 10,000

Obama Rally Draws 10,000

By Hieu Pham
Iowa City Press-Citizen

U.S. Senator and Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama speaks before a crowd estimated at more than 10,000 people Sunday for an Earth Day rally in front of the Old Capitol at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. Press-Citizen / Hannah van Zutphen-Kann

Sen. Barack Obama urged thousands of people Sunday, on Earth Day, to convince their political leaders that environmental protection is a top issue.

"The problem is not the lack of policy, the problem is the lack of will and the lack of urgency," said Obama, who is seeking the Democratic bid for president.

Between 10,000 and 12,000 people dotted the University of Iowa Pentacrest lawn for the rally, according to Iowa campaign spokesman Josh Earnest.

"This is as big a crowd as we've seen, certainly in Iowa and the rest of the country," said Obama, who first visited Iowa City back in November for a rally for then-gubernatorial candidate Chet Culver.

http://www.hawkcentral.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070423/NEWS01/704230317/1079/HAWKS

[pstans]

20. Holy cr*p, 10 to 12 thousand!

:wow:

[thekuch]

19. Obama is a War Funder, yet promotes himself as an anti-war candidate.

Obama is a War Funder, yet promotes himself as an anti-war candidate. You CANNOT fund war and claim to be an anti-war candidate!!!!
Barak Obama is shamelessly promoting his FOR-PROFIT healthcare program as a "NON-PROFIT" universal healthcare program. In other words, Obama's healthcare program is NOT, NOT, NOT a universal healthcare program.


Hillary, Obama and Edwards are WarFunders.

Our troops will NOT be coming home UNTIL Congress cuts funding to this war.

How? Why? Because since the inception of the War Powers Act, that's the ONLY WAY our troops have come home from those military actions. Hillary, Obama and Edwards will NOT be passing any of their bills to end this war. This war will be stopped ONLY BY THE DEMOCRATS IN THE SENATE KILLING BUSH'S WAR BILL!!! Did you know that Democratic Senator Harry Reid could END THIS WAR virtually immediately by simply invoking Senate Rule No. 22 - AUTOMATIC FILIBUSTER! This is a FACT, a very ordinary fact and procedure. The reality of the 41-man filibuster was exemplified in minority party Republicans' BLOCK of the Democrat Party's "non-binding" resolution. ANY RESOLUTION can easily be blocked by either party because it takes only 41 Senators to kill any bill, period.

THIS WAR WILL END ONLY WHEN 41 DEMOCRATIC SENATORS SUPPORT AN AUTOMATIC FILIBUSTER OF BUSH'S WAR BILL!!! http://www.projectfilibuster.com

THAT'S WHY it's so disingenous for Hillary, Obama and Edwards to falsely present themselves as anti-war candidates when in FACT, they are WARFUNDERS!!!!! Each and every time refunding comes up, Hillary and Edwards have voted FOR WAR!!!!!! Over 13 times!!! Obama has had only one opportunity thus far to vote for war, and he decided to FUND Bush's war bill - Obama voted FOR WAR!!! Obama voted YES on Bush's war bill on March 29th, 2007, the last time it came through the Senate.
Date Bill Title Vote
03/29/2007 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill of 2007 Y
http://www.vote-smart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=BS ...


President Kucinich video reveals Obama and Edwards!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9REGbr0nfI