Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Boom?

What's scarier - explosive sounds (BOOM!) or long microphones (boom)? 

Well it appears (to me) the latter is definitely scarier for Republican members on the House Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment. According to the Huffington Post, an ABC news team as well as a documentary film crew were trying to cover a public hearing today on EPA Hydraulic Fracturing (AKA fracking gas) Research when Republican members refused entrance to the crews. The news team acquiesced, but the documentary team didn't and were soon arrested by Capitol Hill police for "unlawful entry" to a PUBLIC HEARING. What's so menacing about this documentary crew or crews in general? Crews tend to include a cameraman, a soundman, and a producer plus a reporter. Not much more... Was it the bespectacled documentary producer who's most recent work was Gasland? Was it one of those big cameras? Or was it that long black microphone with the big fluffy head called a "boom with rabbit"? That microphone captures every utterance, outburst, swallow and audible tone of its surroundings. Or all of the above?

Well, considering Hydraulic Fracturing is a very controversial method that could either increase local production of energy and fuel job growth and/or/might contaminate local water supplies and cause serious illnesses, much is at stake for the public and private sectors...

So, let's see who these Republican Subcommittee members are (but please note that just because they are members does not mean they attended the hearing):

Republican Members
Andy Harris, M.D., MD, Chairman
* The Chairman and Ranking Minority Member serve as ex-officio Members of all Subcommittees

Dana Rohrabacher, CA 
Roscoe G. Bartlett, MD
Frank D. Lucas, OK
Judy Biggert, IL
W. Todd Akin, MO
Randy Neugebauer, TX
Paul Broun, GA
Chuck Fleischmann, TN


Here is an article from the trade paper Environment and Energy Publishing (E&E Publishing, LLC) about how members reacted during a May 2011 hearing...


FYI: During that hearing, Representative Rohrabache made a scene according to an Earth Justice blog and Politico, which noted that he left in the middle of the hearing to grab a burger and returned saying something along the lines of no energy, no burger... There is a webcast of the hearing here.


Later on I'll have a post about my findings (if any) about these members as well as any relationships they may have had with pro-fracking companies and lobbyists. There may be something or nothing, but might as well look into it...

The GOP and the Latinos of Florida

One of the rising stars of the Republican party is US Senator Marco Rubio from South Florida, and many think his growing fame within the GOP will lead him to the White House. Some assume that he is a big draw for Latin American voters... But does he represent the Hispanic voting bloc of Florida? According to Broward County's Democratic chairman, Mitch Ceasar, the answer is no. Florida's Latino population is very diverse, and their political views are just as varied as their backgrounds - Puerto Rican, Columbian, Cuban, Mexican, Argentinian, Brazilian and more.

However, for those Hispanic Republicans voting in Florida's primary, what do they think about the candidates and do their positions on immigration influence how they will vote? Ceasar says many in the Hispanic community are for the Dream Act, and any politician opposed to it will not win the hearts and ballots of Latino voters. Well, Mitt Romney opposes the DREAM Act, while Newt Gingrich is for some some aspects of it. So will Florida's Republican Latino voters go for Gingrich? Will Romney's Mexican roots rein in votes from Florida's Hispanic community? Hard to tell, but the DREAM Act will become a big issue during the presidential election. There's a political movement within Hispanic communities to become more politically active and organized with hopes of getting the DREAM Act enacted. Though historically Hispanics have not been extremely influential in politics, perhaps they will this season, or maybe they never will. But, this is definitely something to think about. Check out these articles about Hispanic voters:


Washington Post: Freshman Florida senator would be a big get if was endorsing

San Francisco Chronicle: Republican National Committee to Woo Latinos

Huffington Post: Florida Latino Vote Pits Cuban-American Republicans against Puerto Rican Democrats

ABC News: Newt Gingrich Looks for Latino Support in Bid for Florida Success

KPCC Southern California Public Radio: As Florida's 'Latino Primary" Looms, a Few Things to Note

Fox News: Romney's Stance of DREAM Act Is Magnified in Florida