Atlanta is about to run out of water. The E. coli conservatives say: Let them drink Coke.

[marmar]

from OurFuture.org:



Apocalypse Now: The Drought
Submitted by Rick Perlstein on November 7, 2007 - 8:09pm.


The month of October saw America wracked by two Biblical-sized calamities: wildfire in California, and drought in the Southeast. Both indict the conservatives' vision of government. Let us first speak of the drought.

Three million Atlanta-area residents get their water from 38,000-acre Lake Lanier. It's three months away from depletion—and that booming metropolis has no backup plan on file for that eventuality. UPS is testing out urinals that don't use water. Coca-Cola's international headquarters has turned off their decorative fountain. Georgia Tech's greening the grass in its football stadium with spray paint, and the city aquarium has shut off its waterfall.

But the problem hardly ends with one municipality's planning failures and these colorful consequences. Almost a third of the entire Southeast is smack dab in the middle of of the National Weather Service's worst drought category—"exceptional": most of Tennessee and Alabama; the northern half of Georgia; parts of the Carolinas, Kentucky, Virginia. As the AP reports, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue "asked a Florida federal judge to force the Army Corps of Engineers to curb the amount of water draining from Georgia reservoirs into Alabama."

And Alabama has to be thrilled with that.

Then Governor Perdue announced he'd sue the Army Corps of Engineers to keep them from sharing Lake Lanier water with three other states. Among the suggested solutions for Georgia: desalinating ocean water, building regional reservoirs—and, the the AP reports, "piping water in from rivers in neighboring states."

Again, those neighboring states, hit by the regional drought, too, just have to be rejoicing.

The conservative failures here are multiple and intersecting. Global warming clearly plays a role: a scorching summer and unusually dry hurricane season. And I wonder how much the low-tax fetish of the most conservative region in the country contributes to this infrastructure failure. .....(more)

The complete piece is at: http://commonsense.ourfuture.org/apocalypse_now_drought?tx=3

[Warpy]

1. The Coca Cola bottler is running out along with the rest of Atlanta

so that's not going to work. They're going to have to learn to drink that Yankee water from Poland Spring at the same time they learn that conservatives don't have a clue how to do anything but grab money and sit with their thumbs up their asses waiting for a liberal to tell them what to do to fix their messes.

[iamthebandfanman]

34. really?

i thought coke got their water from all over the country , not georgia

[Phentex]

2. But the gov's got a fool-proof plan, right? He proposes

we PRAY for rain.

snip---from the AJC

Heather Teilhet, his spokeswoman, said the governor began talking about wanting to host a service to pray for rain on his way back from Washington D.C. last week. He was in D.C. meeting with federal officials and the governors of Alabama and Florida to discuss the region's water crisis.

Perdue, whose son is a Baptist preacher, has had similar prayer services in the past.

"Georgia needs rain. The issue at the heart of our drought problems is a lack of rain," Teilhet said. "And there is nothing the government can do to make that happen.

"The governor recognizes that the request has got to be made to a higher power."

Teilhet said the governor's office has invited spiritual leaders from several faiths and dominations to participate in the service.

----


And if it doesn't rain, can we finally have separation of Church & State?

[tularetom]

7. Actually the question is

If it DOES rain after this idiot stages his big pray in, will we ever hear the end of it?

[Richard Steele]

11. If it EVER rains there again, some will credit that prayer session for saving them.

You just know it.

[Iris]

10. Don't forget, he also started the "Go Fishing" campaign a few months ago.

priceless.

[marmar]

12. "host a service to pray for rain"

I don't whether to laugh or laugh harder. :rofl:

[Chulanowa]

16. Well, it can't hurt

Doesn't mean it'll help, but, really, you can't blame religious people for praying for stuff.

Question is, are htey willing to sacrifice a canteloupe to Shango...

[SoCalDem]

15. No doubt, Sonny checked out the US Weather service computers

to help him plan his "rain dance prayer services"..

If it rains..the prayers did it..

if it doesn't...the computers(science) was wrong AGAIN!!

[kimmylavin]

17. Oh, for Pete's sake.

There is nothing the government can do to make that happen?
The request has got to be made to a higher power?

GIVE ME A BREAK.

Just because the government WON'T do anything, doesn't mean it can't.

[Generic Brad]

23. What a bunch of fools

Rain dances don't work. They should be sacrificing virgins instead.

[GA_ArmyVet]

25. Too bad on the virgins

we ran out of those a few years ago when the Braves won their last Divsision Title.

[Generic Brad]

26. Thank you

I needed someone from Georgia to say that. Being a Minnesotan I did not dare go that direction.

:rofl:

[GA_ArmyVet]

28. I know it was a bad joke but I could not resist

and it is best to make fun of yourself sometimes.

[Odin2005]

29. Dance for the rain god! Dance for the rain god!!!

:rofl:

[xultar]

3. Republicans only see a need to conserve after shit is FUBAR.

[marmar]

4. Exactly. And I saw a press conference with GA's Gov. saying they were taking proactive steps....

PROACTIVE when you're down to 3 months supply of water? :wtf: What a jackass!

[JeffR]

8. That's our Sonny

always on top of a crisis. If there's a stupider governor in the country, I couldn't bear to hear about it.

[unpossibles]

9. well, to a mindset that consistently looks backward

I guess that is proactive.

[xultar]

13. You didn't mention the statewide prayer session for rain. I'd laugh but

seems to me if god were going to do anything she'd have done it by now.

[blm]

5. Brilliant frame - E Coli Conservatives.

.

[marmar]

6. Agreed. Perlestein uses that on all stories about how small-government conservatism....

is affecting health and safety.

[gatorboy]

14. Why does God hate the red states?

[loser_user]

18. I don't think he/she hates it, but it makes you wonder doesn't it?

Those fire and brimstone thumpers are probably the ones he/she goes after, but my beliefs are more akin to deism so I can't explain it.

[girl gone mad]

19. Atlanta is a blue city. n/t

[daa]

20. The republican governor is having a prayer meeting nt

[lovuian]

21. Water wars are coming and the Government sits on its duff

http://youtube.com/watch?v=0k8zkbDAsXI

Water Woes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TcDor0rk98

I guess Americans have to get the WAKE UP CALL

[marmar]

22. Thanks for the link.....

:scared:

[noto]

24. From someone sort of in the area . . .

I live in Chattanooga, 2 hours North of Atlanta. Its really odd to feel connected with this problem because the Tennessee River, Nickajack Lake, and other waterways seem pretty full. Nickajack is a huge lake, its looks full to me. A brief news perusal indicates no news regarding drought or lower levels in this enormous waterway. Maybe its naivety, I'm just saying there is little talk by the locals or evidence of a problem here. A brief survey of my (ok, somewhat Cretin) coworkers indicate very few even know Atlanta is having a drought, and I work in GA for God's sake.

So maybe water is available in case of dire emergency to Atlanta. But maybe, just maybe, its a politcal play to get a toehold of control of a natural resource, of which Georgia currently has few. Atlanteans (geez, is that right?) aren't going to die of thirst.

Incidentally, the dry weather has left us with beautiful fall colors on all the mountains, even now in November. I'm just saying.

[GA_ArmyVet]

27. I am from Atlanta and the water issues is not

a conservative caused issue or maybe I should say not a conservative only issue(though god knows there are enough of those there). The problem that we have there is corrupt City Councils and County Commissioners from the 100 or so Metro cites and 10 surrounding counties, who have continued to allow unchecked and unregulated growth way beyond the supporting infrastructures capabilities to support that many people. Even without the drought, Atlanta Metro was facing a water shortage. The only real supply is the Chattahoochee River/Lake Lanier Reservoir and it just cannot refill fast enough to supply the water needs. I have seen politicians on both sides line their damn pockets and get rich selling licenses for businesses and subdivision developers, all the while not requiring any of the profits to be spent on developing additional water reservoirs on the smaller rivers and streams in the area. Nor have they addressed the sewer systems or waste water treatment. Instead I see people kicked out of their home via imminent domain so the developer could get prime forest and farm land at cut rate prices, and watched families be kicked out of their family property. My family had owned the same 200 acre farm for almost 120 years (Obviously, through several generations) and we were told to leave and be happy with the "fair market price" for our Rural Zoned Property. That property was immediately rezoned residential/commercial whose fair market value quadrupled once owned by the developer. Although GA is a "red state" in National Elections, until the current Governor, it was a Dem State Congress and Governor almost the entire time of the rapid growth. To be honest, most of the those elected would have claimed whatever affiliation they needed to get elected. I don't believe the local politicians have any idealogical beliefs at all other than getting into office. Don't get me wrong, the drought is bad, but you get what you vote for, and we voted them in and did not insist on upgrading our community. Then we accepted their corruption and graft and now we are reaping the harvest of the poor decisions and lack of foresight of our elected criminals..I mean representatives.
Sorry..I ranted a bit, but I am so pissed at all whole state Government that I can't hardly stand it.

[tabasco]

30. What a familiar refrain.

It's not the fault of the republicans in charge NOW, it's the fault of the Democrats who used to be in charge.

Republicans always manage to find themselves blameless. Accepting responsibility is not part of their DNA.

Perdue has failed miserably to institute conservation measures in a timely manner.

I heard a pinhead on the radio say that the fall of the dollar was Clinton's fault.

[GA_ArmyVet]

32. That was not what I am saying at all

I am not saying there were not any Republicans involved, simply that they are not alone...The local politic has nothing to do with the party since as I stated before, they choose party for electicability not ideology on the local county levels, which is who controls the growth rate of an area and the infrastructure maintenance. In the ATL Metro, a Rush Limbaugh Style Conservative would claim to be dem if i would get them elected, and vice versa...THEY ARE BOTH TO BLAME. The fucking greed own both sides of the fence is what caused the problem...simply pointing fingers and saying "THe REPUB did it first" is not helpful or accurate. They did it together and neither DEM nor REP acted in any sensible fashion for decades here. This water problem did begin, nor could it have been prevented by Perdue (don;t like him, but I cant blame him for all of this) lake Lanier was going dry in the 80's for god sake. How many Governors did we have there prior to Perdue, well lets see...hmmm...ALL OF THEM...This is a problem which should have been addressed in 1975 through 1980, but our locals were too busy lining their pockets. Again to be clear, I am not saying the Repubs have no guilt in this, just saying it crosses party lines to the fucking corrupt on both sides.

[Atman]

31. Brawndo -- It's got ELECTROLYTES!

Funny if not so sad. Idiocracy will be here well before the 500 years predicted in the movie.

.

[Initech]

33. It's what plants crave!

:rofl:

Actually, it's sad but true - Idiocracy is almost more of a documentary than a comedy movie.