Archives for May 2016

The Environmental Protection Agency wants to raise the amount of biofuels in our gasoline once again, but an energy industry executive says the move could severely damage most of our vehicles, reduce the amount of energy per gallon and add to the national economic uncertainty.

The Obama EPA recently unveiled its proposal for the 2017 Renewable Fuel Standard.  The administration says the call for additional biofuels is part of its ongoing effort to reduce dependence upon fossil fuels and develop cleaner burning energy sources.

But that’s not how the energy industry sees it at all.

“The new rule continues to push us toward breaching the blend wall.  That is our big concern here and that is reaching above 10 percent ethanol in the fuel mix. ,” said American Petroleum Institute Downstream Group Director Frank Macchiarola.

He says on paper the new Renewable Fuel Standard, or RFS, would still keep biofuels below the 10 percent threshold, but demand levels could actually drive the percentage above 10 percent.  He says that could be a death sentence to the engines of most personal vehicles in the U.S.

“What AAA has said is that up to 90 percent of the vehicles on the road are not compatible with higher-blended ethanols such as E15.  The more you push toward that, the greater the potential threat is to your fuel system and to your engine,” said Macchiarola.

Far from embracing higher biofuel levels, the American Petroleum is asking Congress to significantly lower them or scrap the RFS altogether.  Macchiarola says the original legislation came in response to conditions that no longer exist.

“We’re asking Congress to repeal or significantly reform the RFS.  Our basic argument here is that when the RFS was passed ten years ago that the energy world looked very different here in the United States,” said Macchiarola.

He says the energy conditions in the U.S. have effectively made a 180 degree shift in the past decade,

“We were a net importer of energy.  We were increasing our dependence on foreign oil.  Our production levels had flattened and were in decline,” said Macchiarole.  “Fast forward ten years, we’ve had this shale revolution in both oil and natural gas and we’re the world’s leading producers of energy.”

As if the potential damage caused by breaching the blend wall weren’t concerning enough, Macchiarola says there’s a deeper economic downside too.

“The one thing about this mandate that is certain is the uncertainty every year.  There’s nothing more damaging to economic growth, in my judgment, than an uncertain business environment,” said Macchiarola.

He says the uncertainty will run from the refineries to automakers to “anybody who is looking at input costs.”  And consumers are not immune either.

“On the consumer side it creates uncertainty at the pump,” said Macchiarola, who points to a Congressional Budget Office report showing that higher biofuel content could lead to a 26-cent hike per gallon of gas.

And all for less energy.

“Those higher-blended ethanol fuels have less energy content.  That means people are driving less between each stop at the gas station,” said Macchiarola.

There is legislation underway on Capitol Hill that would forbid the EPA from ever exceeding the blend wall.  It’s sponsored by Rep. Bill Flores, R-Texas, and Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vermont.  Macchiarola anticipates a bipartisan consensus on the issue because interests on both sides see problems with the RFS proposal.

“Environmental groups, both from an air emissions standpoint and a land use standpoint, are really concerned about a proliferation of corn-based ethanol,” said Macchiarola.

Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review welcome Katie Couric’s reluctant admission she doctored the footage in her anti-gun documentary.  They also shake their heads as the Libertarian Party proves once again it’s not ready for prime time.  And they roll their eyes as Bill Kristol insists he has a new candidate ready to go but won’t announce them yet.

While Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald takes heat over his comparing of veteran wait times for health care to waiting in line at Disney parks, veterans groups say there hasn’t been much progress since the wait time scandal first erupted two years ago.

“Not much has changed,” said Concerned Veterans of America Analyst Shaun Rieley, who served ten years in uniform and did tours in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay.

But Rieley says anyone looking for quick or easy fixes will be disappointed.

“There’s just real structural issues at the VA that can’t really be fixed in a couple of years and can’t really be fixed by just the changing of the secretary,” said Rieley.

“A lot of these problems are systemic to the VA system overall.  There’s a problem with VA being flexible enough to meet the demands of veterans as demographics change, as they move around, as they age and require more care,” said Rieley.

He says there are two major problems that endanger the health of veterans, starting with just getting into the system.

“Delayed care is denied care and denied care is bad care,” said Rieley.  “It’s disingenuous to say the care is really great if you can get it.  Part of the meaning of great care is being able to have access to it,” said Rieley.

But is the care always great once you get access?  Rieley says that’s another problem.

“Part of the problem is it’s so inconsistent, whereas in one area the VA might be really, really great but in another area it might be really poor quality,” said Rieley.

He says the whole VA system stifles progress.

“I think they are set up to fail.  No matter how good their intentions are, the structure of the system too often undermines their ability to do their job,” said Rieley.

Concerned Veterans for America is encouraging presidential hopefuls and members of Congress to pursue restructuring of the VA.

“We recommend VA be pulled out of the Office of Personnel Management system, a federal government-controlled system for civil service, and that the governance be put in the hands of a non-profit-style board of directors,” said Rieley.

“It would bring a lot more accountability to the employees.  It would allow it to function as a health care system that is chartered by and funded by the federal government, rather than a bureaucracy that is attempting to give health care,” said Rieley.

A former Navy SEAL says he is honored to have served with his elite unit but is incredibly frustrated by a military bureaucracy that ties the hands of service members, slapped him with trumped up charges and tried to sully his reputation after leaving the U.S. Navy.

Carl Higbie is author of the brand new book, “Enemies, Foreign and Domestic: A SEAL’s Story.”  Higbie served two tours in Iraq in a SEAL unit.  He says the second tour aggravated him and his comrades because overly cautious commanders refused to let them go on any missions.

“It was extremely frustrating.  We were sitting over there as a SEAL fighting force.  This is what we were designed to do.  We weren’t allowed to action missions,” said Higbie.

“The reason we weren’t allowed to do anything was because the military at that time, because of Barack Obama had become so politicized and so top-heavy in their bureaucracy, they wanted to end the war, but they didn’t want to end the war by actually fighting and winning it.  They wanted to end the war simply by calling us the victors.”

Higbie says the civilian leaders and the top officers lost sight of what the military is for.

“We’re soldiers in the United States Military, the most lethal fighting force the world has ever known.  We are there to put bullets in bad guys.  We are not there to win hearts and minds.  We are not there to rebuild schools, as we have been tasked to do recently.  We are there to kill the bad guy,” said Higbie.

At the very end of that deployment, Higbie’s and his fellow SEALs finally got a mission: to capture the high-value target known as Al-Isawi, otherwise known as the “Butcher of Baghdad.”   Al-Isawi was responsible for killing U.S. forces and hanging their corpses from a bridge in Fallujah years earlier.

Thanks to elite skill and precise intelligence, the mission went splendidly.  Al-Isawi was captured alive.  Higbie says one SEAL mate deserves the most credit.

“The hero of the mission is Matt McCabe.  This guy tackled the butcher on target.  [Al-Isawi] had a gun, so [McCabe] was within his legal authority to shoot him.  But McCabe knew if he was to tackle this guy and bring him back that we’d be more likely to get good intelligence to potentially save American lives,” said Higbie.

But shortly after Al-Isawi was placed in custosy, the nightmare for the SEALs began.  The prisoner showed officers blood on his clothes and Navy commanders decided the SEALs were to blame.  They demanded to know who struck the prisoner.  The entire team insisted none of them had.

“I’m 240 pounds.  This guy was six feet, 130 pounds.  If I had hit him, he would have known about it.  And we had an oral surgeon testify to the fact that there was no abuse here this was a self-inflicted bite wound.  NCIS cleared us.  Our SEAL leadership chain of command is the one that hung us out and it was a travesty,” said Higbie.

How much blood were we talking about?

“Maybe a quarter of a teaspoon?  Your gums bleed more when you brush your teeth,” said Higbie.

While defending themselves against false accusations, Higbie still wondered why anyone would really care if they had roughed up Al-Isawi.

“Who cares anyway?  Even if we did abuse this guy, who cares?  That’s the problem.  We’re developing into such a politically correct nature that our troops are getting sacrificed at the altar of political correctness,” said Higbie, accusing bureaucrats of losing the war by being so careful as to avoid any bad press.

Next, the Navy tried to get Higbie and his SEAL friends to turn on one another.  It didn’t work.

“They thought they could break us by offering us plea deals or promotions if we ratted each other out.  But nobody did anything here.  That’s the fundamental fact,”  said Higbie.

All the SEALs were encouraged to subject themselves to a general’s punishment to avoid courts martial.  All the SEALs rejected the offer and they were all exonerated.

After returning home, Higbie put his frustrations on paper, penning “Battle on the Home Front: A Navy SEAL’s Mission to Save the American Dream.”

The military requires all such books to be submitted for review to make sure no classified material is included.  The review is to last no more than 30 days.  After two years of waiting, Higbie published the book anyway.  At that time the government listed a number of possible violations in the manuscript, although not in writing.  That resulted in another legal battle, which Higbie also won.

Next came the Navy’s treatment of Higbie’s exit from the military.

“They offered me an honorable discharge to get out early.  I took it.  Six weeks after leaving the military, they downgraded my discharge to a general (discharge), which is illegal.  You have to attend a court martial or an Administrative Separation Board.  Both of those are due process.  They had the opportunity to do it.  They didn’t,” said Higbie.

Another fight was on.

“After two years of fighting, we won with a 5-0 appellate court decision in my favor to overturn my discharge back to honorable,” said Higbie.

Higbie says he wrote the new book to prove you can challenge the government and win but that you must by very well prepared.  As for the current state of the military, he says politicians who were elected by people who never served in the military need to let the military do the job it was meant to do.

“Our military has been and always will be the most deadly fighting force the world has ever known, but you have to take the handcuffs off,” said Higbie.  “It is the command leadership that is unwilling to fight this war.”

“You need war fighters and door-kickers to make these decisions on site.  And you need to let us do it,” said Higbie.

Despite the myriad battles with the Navy, Higbie cherishes the time he spent with his unit and says he will never stop fighting for what is right.

“I was not the biggest, fastest, strongest, best, sharpest guy in my unit by any stretch of the imagination.  There were a lot of guys that were better than me and guys I learned a lot from.  To have the ability to serve with such a unit is such an incredible experience.  That’s why I fight for the principles I do in my books because I genuinely believe they’re worth fighting for,” said Higbie.

Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review are pleased to see the mainstream media covering the State Dept. report slamming Hillary Clinton and thrilled they are being tough on her.  They are not at all surprised to see Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe lying in an effort to explain away his FBI investigation.  And they rip Katie Couric for using false footage in her anti-gun documentary to make gun rights supporters look like they have no reasons to oppose background checks.

The nation will pause over the coming days to honor all Americans who have given their lives to defend the United States, and this year the National Memorial Day Concert will continue its legacy of saluting all who have worn the uniform with a special tribute to a man who still serves decades after losing a leg in Vietnam.

The National Memorial Day Concert takes place Sunday, May 29 at 8 p.m. on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol.  It airs on PBS.  Actors Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna will co-host the event, which will include acts such as the Beach Boys, Trace Adkins, two different American Idol performers and the National Symphony Orchestra.

“I wouldn’t be anywhere else this weekend,” said Sinise.  “It’s become such a special way to highlight and honor the men and women who served our country and paid the ultimate price for our freedom.”

Sinise has strong family ties to veterans dating back to World War I.  He became active in supporting Vietnam veterans in the 1980’s and his involvement skyrocketed after playing “Lieutenant Dan” in “Forrest Gump.”  After 9/11, he devoted even more time to active duty forces and veterans.  He now heads the Gary Sinise Foundation and heads up the Lt. Dan Band.

Sinise says the National Memorial Day Concert is a terrific way of reminding Americans Memorial Day means more than a three-day weekend and the unofficial start of summer.

“The freedom to enjoy the backyard and the barbeque and the ballgame and all of that cones with a cost.  The men and women who are a part of this concert and the stories that we tell about those who have served over the years are very, very important,” said Sinise.

Memorial Day is set aside for those who lost their lives in service to America, but Sinise himself will be leading a tribute to a living hero at the concert.

“I’m going to be doing a story about a Vietnam veteran who lost a leg and ended up giving back by going to Walter Reed and supporting the Afghan and Iraqi veterans who are coming back with injuries,” said Sinise.

That veteran is retired U.S. Army Captain Jack Farley.  He was serving as a battery executive officer, overseeing six howitzers on January 10, 1969, when his life changed forever.

“All of a sudden we came under very heavy mortar and rocket attack.  When we were attacked, my wonderful troops shot back.  My men were at the guns and I was out with them on the radio.  All of a sudden, a mortar landed gimme distance from me.  I remember flying through the air,” said Farley.

His time combat was over.

“They took the leg off in Japan after gangrene set in and I was medevaced to Walter Reed.  I spent a year-and-a-half learning how to use a new leg and then went about what I thought would be a normal life.

Farley started a family, went to law school and was eventually nominated to be one of the original judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.

But he later discovered his greatest gift was reaching out to those who found themselves where he was in 1969.

“I got involved working with other amputees.  When Iraq and Afghanistan started, I got called over to Walter Reed and really never left.  I helped set up the amputee program.  I was on the original board of directors.  And I continue to train the amputee peer visitors at Walter Reed,” said Farley.

With more than 1,500 service members enduring amputations as a result of their service, Farley says he and his friends help shepherd the vets through the process of dealing with such a major change in their lives.  He says there are critical stages they must go through.

“In the beginning it’s enduring, getting through it.  You’re all confused.  You’re wondering what’s going on.  You get into a stage of suffering.  Gradually, you start to get into a stage of reckoning, becoming aware of this new reality.  Then you reconcile.  You put that loss into perspective.  Finally, we hope that you’re getting into a normalizing,” said Farley.

He says some amputees reach an even more optimum level of “thriving.”

“As they go through the process, often what we see, and I include myself in this group, is that having gone through this process you actually come out stronger.  You can actually accomplish things that you might not have accomplished before,” said Farley.

Farley says he is deeply honored to be a part of the National Memorial Day Concert, although he admits he’s a bit nervous about what Sinise might say since concert organizers will not let him read the script.

The hero who continues to serve hopes the moment brings help to those who need it.

“To the extent that any of my Vietnam colleagues can take any strength from it – just one of them – I’d be thrilled,” said Farley.

Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review welcome the State Department Inspector General’s report concluding that Hillary Clinton violated department rules by having her own email and server.  They also slam violent anti-Trump protesters and explain how these chaotic events help Trump immensely.  And they they flashback to April as Jim discovers that Trump claimed the New York Jets won two AFC titles while Rex Ryan was their coach.

Democrats are insisting that Congress give President Obama every penny he’s asking for to effectively combat the Zika virus in the United States, congressional Republicans are pushing less costly legislation and a veterinarian-turned-congressman says education and common sense will do a lot more to protect women and children than more government spending.

Even more, Democrats are being accused of instinctively pursuing higher spending and impeding an effective response due to their loyalties to the environmental lobby.

Since the Zika threat emerged earlier this year, President Obama has asked for Congress to approve $1.9 billion in spending to assure an effective federal response.  The GOP-controlled Senate approved a $1.1 billion package, while the House passed $622 million.

The House total is on top of another half-billion dollars moved around to address Zika.

“The White House, typically, wants to throw money at the situation as a knee-jerk reaction.  We’ve already redirected over $500 million earlier this year.  That wasn’t new spending.  It was redirecting money,” said Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., who worked for many years as a veterinarian before coming to Congress.

“Then we passed another bill of around $600 million as you pointed out.  That’s not new money.  That’s money coming out of the Ebola account.  They have over a billion dollars left in that account,” said Yoho.

Congressional Democrats are unsatisfied, with some insisting they will oppose any amount of money short of what Obama is requesting.

“I would not support inadequate funding to deal with the healthcare catastrophe that could develop if we do not tackle the Zika virus in the right way,” said Rep. Xavier Becerra, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus to reporters.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., also rejects the lower amounts being offered by Republicans.

“They said it’s half a loaf. No, it’s half a shoe. You cannot get to where you need to be with half a shoe,” she said in comments recorded by The Hill.

Yoho says Democrats are locked into a number instead of what will actually reduce the Zika threat.

“To get into an argument of, ‘The president wants to spend more money so that’s right,’ vs. just doing a controlled response to this I think would be the more prudent thing to do, and I think you’ll get as good if not better results,” said Yoho.

“Throwing money is not the solution.  What you have to do is.  What you have to do is look at vector control, which would be the mosquito and do the proper type of sprayings at the right time of year, have mosquito repellents that are safe and non-toxic for pregnant mothers, and just use the common sense approaches they we do in any kind of an outbreak,” said Yoho.

In addition to believing Democrats reflexively believe more spending is the best solution to the problem, Yoho says many have no idea what they’re talking about when it comes to Zika.

“I’ve heard congressmen say we’ve got to eliminate that type of mosquito.  The family it belongs to is called Aedes.  They want to eliminate it.  It’s impossible.  You’re never going to eliminate that,” said Yoho.

But beyond a lack of understanding, Yoho says Democrats are actively undermining the most logical approach to Zika as a result of political loyalties.

“One of the things is to use the insecticides that we know  are safe.  They’ve been out there, but the Democrats up here don’t want to use that because of the environmental concerns.  These are mosquito repellents and pesticides that have been used and approved by our EPA as safe and environmentally friendly,” said Yoho.

He says Democrats have concerns about the chemicals hurting the environment, but reiterates our own government disagrees with them.

“They’re claiming there’s toxic environmental effects from that but again the EPA has signed off on this.  The USDA has signed off on this.  These are chemicals that have been used for years,” said Yoho.

He says the public need to realize there will not be a vaccine available anytime this summer and that common sense provisions like spraying, wearing insect repellent and removing standing water are all ways every American can help reduce the threat.

Yoho says we should also be aware that the vast majority of American Zika cases have something in common.

“The majority of those have been to another country.  I think only a handful of people have been infected in this country,” he said.  “Do people need to be screened before they come into this country?  Or if they go to another country, do they need to go into a quarantine?”

Yoho also explained what we are likely to see in terms of Zika cases as weather gets warmer.

“Everybody in America’s virtually susceptible.  In the beginning of an exposure like we’re seeing now, you’ll see numbers shoot up.  Then they’ll taper off rather quickly.  The majority of the people who will be bitten and exposed to this virus, will never have a reaction,” said Yoho.

Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review feel like they’re back in the ’90’s as Terry McAuliffe is being investigated over questionable Chinese campaign donations and it’s linked to the Clintons.  They also sigh as even Lindsey Graham reluctantly gets on board with Trump.  And they slam VA Sec. Bob McDonald both for comparing veteran wait times with lines at Disneyland but for doing a terrible job of fixing the VA.