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May 16, 2009 at 12:52:10

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Promoted to Headline (H3) on 5/16/09:

Obama Picks a Clarence Thomas for the EPA

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By Rob Kall (about the author) Page 1 of 1 page(s)

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For OpEdNews: Rob Kall - Writer

When George Bush the dubya semen supplier (senior) chose Clarence Thomas for the supreme court, he hid the most conservative judge on the court under the cover of blackness. Now, Obama is hiring a female latina who just happens to be a lawyer for the nation's largest toxic polluters to take responsibility for enforcing our nation's evironmental laws. WTF?

Ya think there's a problem here?

Think progress reports that President Obama

"announced his intent to nominate" Ignacia S. Moreno to be Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division in the Department of Justice. Moreno, general counsel for that department during the Clinton administration, is now the corporate environmental counsel for General Electric, "America's #1 Superfund Polluter":

Number five in the Fortune 500 with revenues of $89.3 billion and earnings of $8.2 billion in 1997, General Electric has been a leader in the effort to roll back the Superfund law and stave off any requirements for full cleanup and restoration of sites they helped create.

This February, General Electric lost an eight-year battle to "prove that parts of the Superfund law are unconstitutional." One of the 600-person DOJ environmental division's "primary responsibilities is to enforce federal civil and criminal environmental laws such as" the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, and the Superfund.

Before General Electric, Moreno worked as a corporate attorney at Spriggs and Hollingsworth. Moreno's name is found in the Westlaw database as an attorney defending General Motors in another Superfund case, the GM Powertrain facility in Bedford, Indiana:

Historical uses and management of PCB containing hydraulic oils and PCB impacted materials has contaminated on-site areas as well as the sediment and floodplain soil within Bailey's Branch and the Pleasant Run Creek watershed.

But wait. There's more. This nominee, the NY Times reports, "worked for DOJ during the Clinton administration, serving as special assistant and principal counsel to the assistant attorney general for the environment division. According to Thinkprogress,

During the Clinton administration, Moreno was involved in another controversial case, unsuccessfully defending the Secretary of Commerce's decision to weaken the dolphin-safe tuna standard. In Brower v. Daley, Earth Island Institute, The Humane Society of the United States, and other individuals and organizations brought suit against the United States government for actions that were "arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, and contrary to law," winning their case in 2000.

We have to wonder how Obama is rationalizing this one, or, who has helped Obama to rationalize this. There is some defense of his decision, with one former Bush EPA director, Eric Schaeffer, director of the nonprofit Environmental Integrity Project, who quit because Bush's direction was going to anti-environment, who suggests that a corporate attorney will know how to play the game.

But this nascent appointee fought against dolphin-free tuna laws. That was under Clinton. The smell of Clinton always seems to show up with Obama's worse appointees. Or maybe it's Rahm. Same thing. I really thought that with Obama's election we'd seen the beginning of the end of the DLC. Boy, was I wrong. The only way Obama's going to start heading in the right direction is if he purges ALL of his Clinton appointees, and that's not likely to happen very soon.

Meanwhile, it does give one pause for concern about the SCOTUS appointment he will make soon. Maybe he's been reading too much of that that Team of Rivals Lincoln presidency stuff. Maybe it's time he remembers who elected him-- people who cared about the war, the environment, illegal spying, torture, corruption, health care for all-- because he seems to have forgotten every single one of them. He came talking about change but the change we've seen is HIM looking more like the do-nothings in congress on both sides of the aisle... except what they do for corporations and lobbyists.

Rob Kall is executive editor, publisher and site architect of OpEdNews.com, Host of the Rob Kall Bottom Up Radio Show (WNJC 1360 AM), President of Futurehealth, Inc, (more...)

The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.

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119 comments

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Sorry to say "I told you so," but we tried to warn you guys. by Richard Mynick on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 1:36:02 PM

Transparency by Colleen De Koning on Monday, May 18, 2009 at 12:10:42 PM

Obama isn't betraying anyone... by David Schwab on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 1:44:41 PM

Not a single regret from me for voting for McKinney by Nick van Nes on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 4:06:54 PM

I Support the libertarian/constitution party by Afi James on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 6:52:04 PM

Conflicts of Interest are rampant in the highest offices... by bucketslogg on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 2:07:38 PM

Wow... by William Whitten on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 2:11:48 PM

Oops by William Whitten on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 10:03:03 PM

Photogenics 101 by John Olsen on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 2:29:00 PM

We still act like we believe by Laudyms on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 2:32:03 PM

agree agree by richard on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 10:12:24 PM

Obama appointees questionable... by Frances Morey on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 2:43:46 PM

HRC by Jack Harrington on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 9:43:53 AM

General Electric - Monsanto connection by Rady Ananda on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 3:05:16 PM

pittsfield GE by jesse robinson on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 7:10:52 PM

Housatonic nka Housatoxic by Rady Ananda on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 9:02:54 PM

and the hits just keep on comin' by jersey girl on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 3:19:09 PM

shushed by Rob Kall on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 8:36:11 PM

The by richard on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 10:19:27 PM

nonsense by Rob Kall on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 9:29:22 AM

name calling by jersey girl on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 6:15:40 AM

I'm with jersey girl on this one! by Cinderfella on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 2:15:51 AM

Obama by Bill Cain on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 4:49:20 PM

Obama's choices by Lewis Caraganis on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 5:03:18 PM

Naive? Absolutely... by William Whitten on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 5:54:46 PM

well said, by richard on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 10:28:54 PM

Yes, Mr. William! by Cinderfella on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 2:21:30 AM

soon by William Whitten on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 7:57:32 AM

hahaha by jesse robinson on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 7:25:29 PM

Jesse Ventura by Cinderfella on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 3:26:43 PM

I just saw Ventura, by William Whitten on Monday, May 18, 2009 at 12:04:02 AM

team of porkers by robert braunstein on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 7:08:46 PM

simply put by shirley reese on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 8:53:20 PM

Stated Well, Shirley by Dennis Kaiser on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 8:22:51 AM

Puppet by Michael Lee on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 9:36:57 PM

coto shmoto by robert braunstein on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 11:48:16 PM

regarding COTO by jersey girl on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 6:45:08 AM

obviousity by robert braunstein on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 8:21:14 AM

Re: Obama appointee by Munich on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 12:29:27 AM

I'm not surpised but it's still aggravating by Michael Collins on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 3:21:08 AM

As a solid Obama backer... by John Sanchez Jr. on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 7:43:05 AM

Thanks John by Ginger Hastings Chapman on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 8:18:13 AM

ginger by jersey girl on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 8:35:06 AM

organization by jersey girl on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 8:30:32 AM

Start with choosing one. by John Sanchez Jr. on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 10:05:49 AM

options? by William Whitten on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 10:51:59 AM

If the system is so securely rigged, by John Sanchez Jr. on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 11:08:47 AM

Not answers--problems by William Whitten on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 11:19:00 AM

Point taken. by John Sanchez Jr. on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 11:33:18 AM

taken point by William Whitten on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 12:00:20 PM

This claim... by John Sanchez Jr. on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 5:36:36 PM

life is action in itself by William Whitten on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 7:47:09 PM

solid obamanation by robert braunstein on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 8:50:47 AM

Obama's corporate donations... by John Sanchez Jr. on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 10:29:40 AM

vocational maiming by robert braunstein on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 10:40:09 AM

Not by a damned sight. by John Sanchez Jr. on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 10:46:27 AM

And no office can be overlooked,... by John Sanchez Jr. on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 10:49:39 AM

Obama's campaign chest by William Whitten on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 11:09:09 AM

Try fec.gov, the Federal Election Commission website. by John Sanchez Jr. on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 5:03:19 PM

Thank you Mr. Sanchez by William Whitten on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 11:26:19 PM

Yeah,... by John Sanchez Jr. on Monday, May 18, 2009 at 1:07:15 AM

Sanchez v COTO by William Whitten on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 9:16:57 AM

I said,... by John Sanchez Jr. on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 10:57:35 AM

Shriek by William Whitten on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 11:12:20 AM

In addition, by richard on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 10:10:29 AM

I said nothing about endorsing those policies,... by John Sanchez Jr. on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 10:42:01 AM

Better if McCain had won? by Rob Kall on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 11:22:57 AM

funny rob by jersey girl on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 12:03:30 PM

Perhaps you assume that anyone not for Obama... by bucketslogg on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 1:51:56 PM

Actually Rob, by richard on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 2:53:01 PM

Obama a republican implant? by crispy on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 1:12:41 PM

Perhaps by Jack Harrington on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 10:19:00 AM

The Greens are the most organized opposition... by John Sanchez Jr. on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 11:28:42 AM

Hi John by Jack Harrington on Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at 5:24:56 PM

Possibly by John Sanchez Jr. on Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at 6:37:41 PM

Mr Sanchez - you are naive! by Cinderfella on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 3:39:19 PM

Yeah, I've heard that,... by John Sanchez Jr. on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 5:11:38 PM

OK... so NOW WHAT? by waldopaper on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 9:31:34 AM

strike! by robert braunstein on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 9:44:32 AM

Call for Srike: anyone listening? by crispy on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 1:05:37 PM

To Roberts' comment I would add by Jack Harrington on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 10:48:27 AM

I'd be willing to bet... by bucketslogg on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 8:56:39 PM

Yep by Jack Harrington on Monday, May 18, 2009 at 9:12:10 PM

Action begets Action by boomerang on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 11:46:40 AM

general strike legal? by crispy on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 1:17:55 PM

general strike legal? by William Whitten on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 10:30:29 PM

BLACK'S LAW DICTIONARY, Revised 4th Edition (1968), p. 1032. by William Whitten on Monday, May 18, 2009 at 12:16:04 AM

But the elites by richard on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 1:25:39 PM

Too late... we are in a new phase of America... by bucketslogg on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 2:10:34 PM

Yes Bucket by William Whitten on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 7:57:02 PM

Too late... we are in a new phase of America... by bucketslogg on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 2:11:06 PM

Sorry for the double post... A strike will only hurt us now. by bucketslogg on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 2:25:39 PM

Good point(s)... by waldopaper on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 3:08:45 PM

We Need Revolutionary Change, Not Another Rebranding by boomerang on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 11:35:40 AM

Absolutely right Boom by William Whitten on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 10:44:25 PM

I commend your mastery of the metaphor.... by bucketslogg on Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at 3:49:50 PM

OBAMA DECEPTION? by crispy on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 12:45:28 PM

BS? Maybe... maybe not... by waldopaper on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 5:44:00 PM

Obama, where are you? by Caronome on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 6:34:36 PM

This is very, very disturbing by Munich on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 9:08:37 PM

yes Munich very disturbing and equally or even more so... by jersey girl on Monday, May 18, 2009 at 5:36:41 AM

Re: Very disturbing and equally or even more so... by Munich on Monday, May 18, 2009 at 1:27:02 PM

Obama is not the problem by Jere Hough on Monday, May 18, 2009 at 5:13:43 PM

spot on by William Whitten on Monday, May 18, 2009 at 5:59:14 PM

I agree by jersey girl on Monday, May 18, 2009 at 8:26:15 PM

Jersey Girl... Look behind the curtain... by Jere Hough on Monday, May 18, 2009 at 9:09:21 PM

PS. Here is a gold mine of information. by Jere Hough on Monday, May 18, 2009 at 9:17:52 PM

jere by jersey girl on Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at 6:49:16 AM

Jersey Girl by Jere Hough on Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at 4:17:54 PM

the system needs to self destruct by jersey girl on Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at 6:57:14 PM

I repeat... by Jere Hough on Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at 10:58:37 PM

the dollhouse is fubar by jersey girl on Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 5:19:19 AM

That's really funny, JG... by Jere Hough on Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 9:36:24 PM

An interesting philosophy. by Jack Harrington on Thursday, May 21, 2009 at 10:37:55 AM

So, Jack, what is a "true believer"? by Jere Hough on Thursday, May 21, 2009 at 6:09:53 PM

Actually, not withstanding your snide commentary by Jack Harrington on Tuesday, May 26, 2009 at 1:18:02 AM

Justice Department is not part of EPA by Bill Samuel on Friday, May 22, 2009 at 7:06:20 PM

Hmmm, Bill Samuel apparently can't read. by Jere Hough on Friday, May 22, 2009 at 11:48:22 PM

uh-huh. by PeterJ on Wednesday, May 27, 2009 at 3:24:03 PM

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