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Raise the curtain.

Bad Fish

By JGillman, Section News
Posted on Thu Jun 24, 2010 at 11:00:02 AM EST
Tags: Michigan, Asian Carp, Chicago, Economic impact, Cox, Obama (all tags)

Is it too late? Has the Obama administration done to Michigan what it has done to the Gulf Coast?

In its inability to offer rule exclusions necessary for the building of berms needed to prevent the oil from reaching sensitive areas, the Obama administration doomed those sensitive areas to an ugly death state for many years to come. And with its political connections and the Chicago interests willing to ignore the destruction of our natural resources here in the great lakes, the president has now earned yet another star for ignorance and incompetent leadership. The Free press reports the carp are here:

"Several members of Congress were notified today of the find. The creature, found by commercial fishermen looking for carp as part of wider carp hunting missions, was 34.6 inches long and weighed just under 20 pounds.
This is the first time anyone has found an Asian carp, live or dead, beyond an electric barrier on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal near Lockport. The nearest carp to the barrier was a dead one found last December after a massive poisoning of the shipping canal. "

And it was a small one.

But this issue is a big one, whether you are a conservative or not..

Even if you do not support his bid, please consider this following advice from Attorney General Mike Cox. This is OUR heritage at stake.

Dear Friends,
Today the worst fears of the Great Lakes states were realized after Illinois authorities announced that a Bighead Asian carp was found in Lake Calumet.
The invader was found past all electric barriers and locks and within striking distance of Lake Michigan. This carp is likely just one of many swimming dangerously close to the Great Lakes-- but we can still act to save the thousands of jobs that depend on the health of our fisheries.
Until now, critics have complained that Asian carp aren't a "real" threat until actual fish turn up past the barriers.
Well guess what?
They found one.
Responsibility for this potential economic and ecological disaster rests solely with President Obama. He must take action immediately to order the locks closed and produce an emergency plan to stop Asian carp from entering Lake Michigan.
The consequences of inaction are just too great.
HELP PROTECT THE GREAT LAKES: CALL NOW
You can take action. Call the White House. One person can order the Army Corps of Engineers to close the locks tomorrow and shut down the Asian Carp Superhighway.
That person is President Obama.
ACTION: Please call President Obama at 202-456-1414 and urge him to take immediate steps to close the locks and set a plan in motion to protect the Great Lakes today!
By closing the locks now, based on finding an actual Asian carp, we can close the front door to the Great Lakes and the Obama administration can take action against any carp that have passed the barriers.
They have all the evidence they need to act - your voice can help build the public outcry that compels them to do something about Asian carp.
Army Corps Inaction is Unacceptable
In early February, the federal government released its Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework as "proof" that the Obama Administration is addressing the threat of Asian Carp. To date, the Corps has implemented inadequate, half-hearted measures like poisoning canals in a few places.
They took months to even begin implementing the most basic precautions like installing mesh screens in front of the locks. It got worse in May, when the Corps issued a new Framework that completely takes lock closure off the table as a short-term solution.
At this point, closing the locks should be the first short-term response to the growing threat of Asian carp.
Today a Bighead carp was found dangerously close to Lake Michigan. That invader would not have even made it that far if the locks had been shut.
Our seven billion dollar Great Lakes fisheries deserve more than platitudes from Washington. The Great Lakes economy and countless jobs rely on the health of our lakes and rivers.
We must call on President Obama to act today by directing the Army Corps of Engineers to block the path of Asian carp between Illinois rivers and the Great Lakes basin.
ACTION: Call President Obama immediately at 202-456-1414 and urge him to take serious action to protect the Great Lakes today. The White House needs to understand how devastating Asian carp will be to the Great Lakes way of life.
Urge the President to uphold his pledge to defend the Great Lakes against destructive invasive species.
Renewed Efforts in the Courts
I want you all to be the first to know that my office is reviewing opportunities for new legal action to challenge the Army Corps' dereliction of duty in protecting our precious Great Lakes from Asian carp.
I've been working with Attorneys General from across the region to build a strong case that will keep our fight moving forward.
If the President and Congress won't act, we'll use every tool at our disposal, including our nation's legal system, to compel them to act to protect the vital interests of the Great Lakes region.
The thousands of job-makers who depend upon our bountiful resources deserve the best protection possible. Any marginal cost to Chicago barge companies pales in comparison to our $7 billion a year fisheries.
Keep Up the Fight!
Thank you for all you have done over the past several months to support our efforts to protect the Great Lakes from Asian carp. The fight is not yet over, and the more supporters we have on our side to build a public outcry, the better.
Please forward this email to your friends, family and neighbors and urge them to call the President to demand action right away. Be sure to forward this email to at least five friends today!
If you haven't joined the conversation on Facebook, please sign on to our page today. Every day citizens are driving the conversation about why they love the Great Lakes and what they've done to protect them.
Mike Cox
Attorney General

Close the locks. A simple solution.

< SOS and AG races? | 79th State Rep District: Paul Peterson endorsed by AgriPAC and approved by MI Right-to-Life! >

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Bad Fish | 6 comments (6 topical, 0 hidden)

Does this really surprise anyone? (none / 0) (#1)
by KG One on Thu Jun 24, 2010 at 12:26:50 PM EST

Rahmbo himself said it the best:

Looking at what Pres. B.O. has said and done in the past is an indicator of what he will do in the future.

Health care = Universal Single Payer System.

"Stimulus" plans = continued dependence on government.

Gulf Oil Screw-ups:

Not exempting the Jones Act,

impeding Louisiana's efforts to clean up the spill,

and protect itself.

All part of his plan to push Cap & Trade.

No Action on Asian Carp = Keeping his supporters in Chicago happy?

Or just keeping consistent with his policy on illegal aliens?

Stay tuned on this one...

Solution (none / 0) (#2)
by grannynanny on Thu Jun 24, 2010 at 04:45:46 PM EST

Stab-a-cow wants to poison them. I say to her: You first!!!

Zero is not going to do a damn thing and neither are any other of our politicians from Michigan.

Asian carp threat? (none / 0) (#3)
by Sway21 on Mon Jul 05, 2010 at 02:49:59 AM EST

Since there is some scientific evidence that the carp cannot survive the winter in Lake Michigan deciding to close the ship canal seems premature; reactionary perhaps. Absent better science I cannot see the justification for the economic devastation such a closure would cause for a region already on the ropes.

I'm surprised that no one has thought the government should alternatively offer a bounty for the capture of such fish. With the economy the way it is a one dollar per fish bounty would offer a tidy return for a day's fishing on the Illinois waterways. As their numbers dwindle the bounty could be increased. If the history books are to be believed, we almost hunted the buffalo into extinction. We could certainly do the same for this fish. Just a thought. There are worse things being done with the stimulus monies.

Demanding the president do something seems to be a dubious proposition, if not for the obvious reasons. The states of the Great Lakes region have expended great efforts to keep the management of the lakes within the regional states and Canada. They've done a fairly good job of this and for good reason. Lake water is coveted by many states, many far from the region. There is a serious effort afoot to consider them a national resource versus a state or regional one. If that happens, there is nothing to prevent the federal government from deciding that the replenishment of Lake Lanier in Georgia or providing water to Texas or Arizona is a greater priority than the regional state's interest in protection and preservation. It seems to me that encouraging the Obama administration to intervene opens the door to further possible intrusions, not all of them good.

If it's found that the threat is real we have as much leverage with Illinois as it has with us, perhaps even more. The threat of cottage and boat taxes on Illinois residents vacationing in Michigan would rattle cages all the way to Springfield.

Lastly, there is a certain amount of hubris in even the term "invasive species". Nature is continuously invasive all on her own. The idea that things remain the same, or that it is desirable that they do, is strictly a human construct that nature largely ignores. People who built cottages behind seventy five year old oak trees along Lake Michigan discovered the changeability of nature when century high lake levels eroded the dunes those cottages perched upon back in the seventies. The only constant in nature is change. Our two hundred year-old perspective can hardly be considered the long view in that regard.