Mass. senators move to spare Georges Bank from drilling
Marking Earth Day, Senators John F. Kerry and Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts reintroduced a bill yesterday to permanently ban oil drilling in the Georges Bank fishing grounds.
The legislation would put off limits to oil exploration all coastal waters three miles off the Massachusetts coastline, including Georges Bank.
Offshore oil drilling emerged as a major issue during last year's presidential campaign as gasoline prices spiked at the pump. The House passed a bill last September allowing drilling as close as 50 miles to the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, but Massachusetts representatives included a provision sparing Georges Bank.
"Massachusetts families have depended on fishing as a way of life for hundreds of years, and we're not about to let anything change that," Kerry said in a statement. "Georges Bank is one of the most prolific fishing grounds in the world, and it would be a sin to risk it all for the slight possibility of extracting a minuscule amount of oil."
Captain Richard Phillips of the Maersk Alabama returned home Friday after a high-seas drama that ended when SEAL snipers killed three Somali pirates holding him captive and captured a fourth.
The resolution was introduced by Representative Jim Langevin, a Rhode Island Democrat, and Peter Welch, a Vermont Democrat, who said in a statement, "Captain Phillips acted bravely and selflessly in the face of extraordinary danger, putting his own life at risk to protect his crew members."
Representative Ike Skelton of Missouri also offered tribute to Phillips and the Navy and in his floor speech also called for stronger action against pirates.
"Establishing a working government in Somalia is the best solution, but this is the long-term solution. In the short term, it is imperative that the international coalition, already operating in the area, uses its superior force to continue to pursue these pirates into the safe havens where they are operating."
The image, posted on a Ron Paul supporter's website, depicted a bucket of money pouring through a funnel with a Star of David. The money transformed into a pool of blood in which a figure holding a Palestinian flag was drowning.
"Uncle Sam Reminds You: Keep Paying Taxes," the poster read in promoting an April 15 rally in San Mateo. "The ongoing extermination of Palestinian Children Can't be Done Without Your Help."
State GOP Chairman Ron Nehring condemned the poster, which he blamed on "fringe" elements. State Senator Leland Yee, a Democrat whose district includes San Mateo, criticized the image as an "obscene use of race-baiting." 