Michelle Malkin » Cali’s man-caused drought: Senate rejects water restoration effort; Feinstein moans about “Pearl Harbor”

Cali’s man-caused drought: Senate rejects water restoration effort; Feinstein moans about “Pearl Harbor”

By Michelle Malkin • September 22, 2009 10:53 PM

Last week, FNC’s Sean Hannity traveled to the San Joaquin Valley to report on the man-made drought that’s wreaking havoc on farmers in the name of saving the Delta smelt:

Max Schulz has an excellent piece in this month’s issue of the American Spectator on the crisis — and the MSM’s unwillingness to confront it:

As California farmers lose their jobs by the tens of thousands to protect a tiny fish, the sad irony is that the delta smelt may not be faring much better. That’s not because of inadequate protections against humans offered by state and federal officials, but rather because those officials seem incapable of saving the delta smelt from nature’s predators. The smelt rarely grows much longer than three inches, and it is prey for any number of other creatures that inhabit the rivers of the San Joaquin Valley. As Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA), noted at a recent congressional hearing, the water diversions have not helped the delta smelt populations. There are quite a few officials who believe that the delta smelt is on Darwin’s fast track to extinction, despite the feel-good efforts of human environmentalists. McClintock’s congressional colleague, George Radanovich, is even rooting it on, calling the smelt “a worthless little worm that needs to go the way of the dinosaur.”

For their part, environmentalists who sue on behalf of the delta smelt consider the tiny fish to be an absolutely critical part of the food chain, feeding on plankton and in turn serving as food for larger fish and birds. If the delta smelt disappears, they warn ominously, the local food chain collapses. Whether that’s true or not, what the policies boil down to should be a matter of picking your calamity: should the fish (and others in the food chain) suffer, or should humans?

PERHAPS THE MOST MYSTIFYING ELEMENT of California’s farms-versus-fish imbroglio is the unwillingness of the media and the state’s political establishment (other than the elected representatives of the region) to confront the issue head-on. Sidestepping the tough questions involved, they refer instead to California’s lengthy drought as the cause of much of the state’s misfortune.

“California is in its third year of drought, and many farmers in the state’s crop-rich Central Valley are looking at dusty fields, or worse, are cutting down their orchards before the trees die,” according to National Public Radio in a report typical of the media coverage. “This year, farmers have been told they are getting only a small fraction of the water they need.” The alarm over California’s drought spread on both coasts. In Sacramento, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency, while in Washington Congress held hearings at which Democrats decried “California’s Katrina.”

Not surprisingly, global warming is being blamed for California’s drought. California’s drought was regularly invoked on Capitol Hill as Congress debated cap and trade legislation this summer. Energy Secretary Steven Chu gave this storyline a boost in February when he warned that drought will cause California’s vineyards and farms to vanish by the end of the 21st century if we fail to combat warming. “We’re looking at a scenario where there’s no more agriculture in California,” he told the Los Angeles Times.

The only problem with the idea of drought driving California’s misery is that it is largely a fiction.

Earlier tonight, GOP South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint tried to turn the water back on. The Senate voted down his amendment, 61-36. Here’s the roll call vote.

And here’s Sen. Feinstein’s bizarre statement in opposition to DeMint’s attempt to save farmers from eco-hysteria — in which she compares water restoration to, um, Pearl Harbor:

~ For the latest breaking news, be sure to join Michelle's e-mail list ~

Posted in: Enviro-nitwits

Printer Friendly

comments (116)

See what others have said

Note from Michelle: This section is for comments from michellemalkin.com's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that I agree with or endorse any particular comment just because I let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with my terms of use may lose his or her posting privilege.

Comments

« Older Comments

#101

On September 23rd, 2009 at 2:55 pm, Southpaw said:

Sucks to be you.

You may be right about that, since California only gets back 75% of the taxes it pays to the federal government, I’m probably subsidizing your state.
But you’re not going to like:
THIS FACT
#102

On September 23rd, 2009 at 3:10 pm, Southpaw said:

I hear what you’re saying happyscrapper.
I have a pretty thick skin and I’ve fought the Internet Troll Wars, so I can be pretty tenacious when I’m in a bad mood.
#103

On September 23rd, 2009 at 3:49 pm, SpeakEasy said:

Happyscrapper, Southpaw, point taken.
#104

On September 23rd, 2009 at 4:05 pm, happyscrapper said:

On September 23rd, 2009 at 3:49 pm, SpeakEasy said:
Happyscrapper, Southpaw, point taken.
#105

On September 23rd, 2009 at 5:19 pm, cabrerski said:

This just in…Happyscrapper to replace UN conflict resolution councils.
#106

On September 23rd, 2009 at 6:38 pm, ITookTheRedPill said:

A nation must provide its citizens freedom and security. To accomplish this, a nation must be able to defend itself and feed itself. We have learned how disastrous it is to be dependent on other countries for our energy needs – we must never be dependent for our food needs. Being able to feed ourselves is not just sound economic and agricultural policy, it is wise national security policy.
#107

On September 23rd, 2009 at 7:00 pm, MacEamonn said:

On September 23rd, 2009 at 8:29 am, beachmom said:
……I asked Snowe where her head is at…..

The medical term for her condition is called “Cranial Rectumitist”.
#108

On September 23rd, 2009 at 7:03 pm, SpeakEasy said:

Happyscrapper,

I am reminded of Bill Murray in Grounghog Day: “Don’t blog angry.”

Sorry Conservative Californians. Bad day.
#109

On September 23rd, 2009 at 7:45 pm, Southpaw said:

Sorry Conservative Californians. Bad day.

Don’t worry about it. I think everybody is getting testy these days. So much for Obama, The Great Uniter.
#110

On September 23rd, 2009 at 9:25 pm, cyberbo2004 said:

A lot of the people on the show voted for Obama and probably a lot of the other pols that are now screwing them. They probably worried about the spotted owl up north when all the loggers lost their jobs.

I say let’m suffer. Maybe (I doubt it) they will vote better next time around.
#111

On September 24th, 2009 at 12:21 am, Right By-The-Sea said:

As a Conservative in CA, I have a lot of those “bad days,” SpeakEasy. It’s angering and frustrating to see all the wrongdoing by the Lefties, both here in the state, and in D.C.

Fwiw, I am of the opinion that, if it weren’t for ACORN, et al, there wouldn’t be as many demoncrap politicians in office. Voter fraud is a big factor, since we don’t have to show ID to vote here in CA. And, there are a lot of illegal aliens voting democrat, although I would hope that the Latino community is paying attention to how the dems are screwing their people in the Central Valley. A lot of those farmers and farmworkers are Mexicans, and they’re being driven into poverty with their water supply being shut off.
#112

On September 24th, 2009 at 9:50 am, Mainah said:

and yet my RHINO senators both got on board the “ecological disaster” that passed in maine yesterday? Plum Creek will develop land in maine that the environmentalists are going apesh!t over, and our two lovely ladies think that is just a grand idea. Even our Dimmy Gov is against a lynx protection ground. No moral base, just swaying in the wind.
#113

On September 24th, 2009 at 3:23 pm, rightwingrocker said:

Here’s the roll call vote.

Straight up party line. Here are the ones who ESPECIALLY need to be voted out:

Boxer (D-CA)
Feinstein (D-CA)

Take note Californians. Anyone who would vote in favor of putting their own constituents’ food supply in jeopardy is complete and total scum.

You want to clean up Washington, DC? This is where it starts.

For my part, Sens. Lautenberg and Menendez should start packing.

RWR
http://www.rightwingrocker.com
#114

On September 24th, 2009 at 7:55 pm, PKAmmoTroop said:

Just turn on the pumps and shoot who ever tries to stop you. How hard is that? Do I got to think of everything around here? (Guess so, after all the governor of Cal-e-Fornya is a Kennedy.
#115

On September 25th, 2009 at 12:02 am, iamgman said:

What PK said. It’s clear that the only way the farmers will get any relief is by taking it by force. I would love to see the public’s response to a crack down on them for fighting for their survival.
#116

On September 25th, 2009 at 11:00 am, NormalAmericanInLA said:

No one is saying HOW letting farmers have water is going to kill or endanger this stupid fish anyway…

So it could get caught in the pumps? Im.. then put in some sort of mesh filter.. I mean, really, WTF?