Alaska's Progressive Blogging Community Turns on Sen. Begich for Whoring for Corrupt Louisiana Judge

On Tuesday, four of Alaska's most influential, award-winning progressive bloggers, turned on Alaska Sen. Mark Begich en masse for his press release, issued late Tuesday morning, that applauded a corrupt Louisiana judge's decision to overturn President Obama's temporary suspension of new offshore deepwater drilling permits. Here's Begich:

"Today's decision by the Louisiana judge overturning the Obama Administration's temporary ban on deepwater offshore oil and gas development shows the moratorium was overreaching. It should serve as a shot across the bow to the administration and Congress that American workers must continue to develop America's energy resources within our borders.


"Companies demonstrating solid exploration and development plans and oil spill response plans should be able to develop our nation's abundant oil. Lifting a ban on deepwater activity, which carries greater risk than low-pressure, shallow-water development like in Alaska, hopefully will get responsible exploratory drilling planned by Shell in Alaska's Arctic waters back on track soon.


"As much as a tragedy as BP's Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster is, we can't let emotion overrule sound energy policy. Our country's energy policy must include increased domestic oil and gas development as we transition to cleaner energy sources."

Jeanne Devon of The Mudflats, the Cook Inletkeeper 2009 Alaska Muckraker of the Year, wrote:

Who is relieved that the green light for the really dangerous thing in someone else’s back yard may mean that our less dangerous thing can proceed in our own, before we feel confident that we actually know how to STOP whatever caused this catastrophe? Mind you, the administration didn’t shut down the industry. They shut off 33 deep water offshore drilling units of the type that caused the biggest environmental catastrophe in history, for six months during hurricane season. Overreaching?

Actually, what the judge’s ruling shows is NOT as Democratic Senator Mark Begich claims, that the moratorium was “overreaching.” It shows that the Louisiana judge, who has large holdings in energy stock including TransOcean, Halliburton and BP’s two largest shareholders, ruled in his own self-interest. It shows that oil money corrupts everything, including our judicial system. That’s what it shows.

So, please. While America is looking at pictures of commercial fishermen reduced to tears, and Red Lobster is no longer selling oysters, and pelicans are suffocating in pools of oil, and endangered sea turtles are being incinerated alive while we try to burn off the oil, and parents know that their children will not inherit the family business because there won’t be one to inherit, and people are getting profoundly sick from the chemicals we pour on the already toxic mess, and eleven families are still grappling with the grief over losing their loved ones to a horrible violent death that could have easily been prevented by BP… please don’t talk about “shooting across the bow” of an administration that is trying to make sure it never happens again.

Please, when the nation attends together a spiritual funeral for one of the most incredible ecological jewels of our country, and the economic devastation of a region, don’t tell us that we can’t allow “emotion to get in the way of sound energy policy.” Please, don’t tell us we need to “get over it” while the planet still hemmorhages crude oil because of the recklessness of the industry whose interest you are trying so hard to protect, and there’s no end in sight.

It’s too soon.

Shannyn Moore, winner of the 2009 Steve Gilliard Award, spent the second hour of her KUDO-AM radio program today, lambasting Begich's sleazy decision, and then interviewing Rick Steiner, who has written some of the most important essays on the spill recently. He and Moore discussed how seriously out of whack Begich's "shot across the bow" statement truly is.

2009 Thomas van Flein Scorn Award winner, Jesse Griffin wrote at Immoral Minority:

Look I have lived in Alaska my entire life. And I am well aware that our Democrats are not exactly latte drinking, Volvo driving, tree hugging liberals. But they at least should be fucking Democrats!


When President Obama placed that moratorium on deep water drilling he was doing something that should have been done a LONG TIME AGO. Clearly the oil industry has placed profits over the safety of our planet and until there is some serious new oversight put in place we should absolutely NOT allow anymore new wells to be drilled.


And do you know what? I would expect my Alaska Senator to be right on board with adopting that kind of cautious approach after the terrible devastation that we are witnessing in the Gulf of Mexico.


No not Senator Lisa Murkowski, we know that she is prostituting herself to ANY energy company with a bulging billfold and a hard on for spoiling our pristine Alaska environment.


No I am talking about our token Democrat. You know the guy who was supposed to bring a little progressive blue into our blood red Congressional delegation. But instead I see him breaking away from our embattled President, and prostrating himself to the oil companies, when Obama desperately needs all of the support he can get.

And Progressive Alaska, winner of a 2008 New Scientist Hero Award, writes:

Mark, Mark, Mark. The Alaska progressive bloggers raised over $70,000 for you in 2008. Given the margin of victory you had over Sen. Stevens, you might be going to college or something right now, instead of praising corrupt bayou yahoo judges for "putting a shot across the bow" of the President of the United States. Just yesterday, I took you to account for supporting the country most actively engaged in espionage against us, for your having sided against our president twice now. And now your press secretary is telling me that if I want to get information to you, I need to go somewhere other than through her. Huh?

Twice in as many days, Begich has sided with corrupt, out-of-control entities or people. Why?

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Fucking whore.