Boehner falsely claims there’s no ‘wildlife’ in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Boehner falsely claims there’s no ‘wildlife’ in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
In a press conference today previewing a House Republican trip to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge that’s meant to promote drilling, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) doubted the existence of actual wildlife in the refuge. “We’re going to look at this barren, Arctic desert where I’m hoping to see some wildlife,” said Boehner. “But I understand there’s none there.” Boehner repeated his skepticism during an interview on CNN, telling Wolf Blitzer, “I’ll be looking for all that wildlife.” Ironically, CNN paired Boehner’s interview with b-roll of actual wildlife moving around the refuge. Watch it:
Boehner would likely be less skeptical if he just visited the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s website for the the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which notes that it is “renowned for its wildlife” and is inhabited by 45 species of land and marine mammals, 36 species of fish and 180 species of birds. View photos of some of the wildlife here.
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Well, what do you expect from someone who spend’s all his time at a tanning salon or on the golf course…His brain is fried…Blessings
July 15th, 2008 at 7:03 pmBoehner falsely claims there’s no ‘wildlife’ in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
- - And there’s no intelligent life in Washington D.C.
July 15th, 2008 at 7:03 pmstill working on the tan.
*
July 15th, 2008 at 7:06 pmNo, no , no,,people….
Boehner’s talking about the Arctic National No-Wildlife Refuge, not the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Please, do keep up, children. There will be a test later.
July 15th, 2008 at 7:07 pmBoehner would likely be less skeptical if he just visited the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s website for the the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Um, I’m betting he wouldn’t.
He’d just ignore the information and cling to his treasured prejudice.
July 15th, 2008 at 7:10 pmWhat if he gets attacked by a not-Bear?
July 15th, 2008 at 7:12 pmYeah, Boner, don’t you remember the other day we were talking how the caribou like to gather around the warmth of the pipeline—kinda like a Starbucks?
July 15th, 2008 at 7:13 pmPointing out how ridiculous his statements are is just going to make him cry.
July 15th, 2008 at 7:13 pm5th Estate Says:
What if he gets attacked by a not-Bear?
Ha ha…That would be the height of irony. As ‘Boner’ denies there is any wildlife in the refuge, along comes a not-bear and eats him. Good stuff…
July 15th, 2008 at 7:15 pmThinkProgress June 20, 2008
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) attempted to argue that drilling for oil in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR) would be beneficial for Arctic wildlife. Bachmann claimed that drilling would cause not only an “enhancement of wildlife expansion,” but that the area around oil pipelines would also “become a meeting ground and ‘coffee klatch‘ for caribou”:
July 15th, 2008 at 7:16 pmFacts are the missing link in the republican’s evolution.
July 15th, 2008 at 7:17 pmNothing worse than a caribou before his morning cup of java.
July 15th, 2008 at 7:17 pmOkay I HAVE to hit these points…
So Boehner is going to a wildlife refuge where he says there isn’t any wildlife, to look for wildlife that he says isn;t there.
Alrighty, then!
July 15th, 2008 at 7:17 pmI think Boehner is talking about after the drilling….
July 15th, 2008 at 7:24 pmHe meant “Wild life” as in Big Republic Gay Parties.
A simple misunderstanding…..what an idiot.
July 15th, 2008 at 7:24 pmWildlife to Boehner is cruising a boys’ elementary school playground.
July 15th, 2008 at 7:24 pmBoner will be looking for the same thing he looks for where ever he goes. A Bear. (without the “e”)
July 15th, 2008 at 7:25 pm“snark/on”
Sure there’s no wildlife there.
All the cute little critters moved closer to the existing pipeline for the warmth. Ain’t they cute? “snark/off”
At least their warmth is free…not so much over here at my house…
July 15th, 2008 at 7:25 pmKeith, Strat…
I propose a Thunderdome-style death-match between Bachmann and Boehner to settle this question once and for all! Toss in some hot oil pipes, a couple of caribou and a not-bear to turn it up a notch and hav4e the fight to the death to settle who gets to be the Arbiter of Reality!
To morons enter…no-one leaves!
My money’s on the not-bear.
July 15th, 2008 at 7:25 pm5th Estate Says:
Okay I HAVE to hit these points…
So Boehner is going to a wildlife refuge where he says there isn’t any wildlife, to look for wildlife that he says isn;t there.
Alrighty, then!
Well, what’s he gonna say?
“I came here to see what I didn’t want to see”
July 15th, 2008 at 7:26 pm“I didn’t want to come here to see what I saw”
“If I knew that what I didn’t want to see was already here, I wouldn’t have gone there in the first place”
“Where the hell did all these animals come from?”
“Did I just sit in caribou poop?”
He needs to first put down the golf clubs and the cigarettes, set down his big tobacco lobbying money, and pick up a book and read about the Arctic Wildlife species.
July 15th, 2008 at 7:26 pmThis is the same guy that handed out tobacco lobbyist money on the House floor to his buddies. I live in Ohio, and he’s just another corrupt Republican Tom Noe/Bob Taft/Ken Blackwell.
He needs to go.
Check this out. Maybe since there is no “wild-life” for the females to feed on. Maybe when he lands with his entourage, they will be eaten alive! LOL
July 15th, 2008 at 7:27 pmMy money’s on the not-bear.
Mine too. Those not-bears are some pretty crafty predators. The only ones more ferocious would maybe the not-birds, or the not-seals. LOL…
July 15th, 2008 at 7:29 pmIf Boehner’d been with Lewis and Clark, they’d have sold him to the Sioux for beaver pelts and some boiled dog meat.
July 15th, 2008 at 7:33 pmstrat…
“If I knew that what I didn’t want to see was already here, I wouldn’t have gone there in the first place”
“Where the hell did all these animals come from?”
too funny! I almost spit by beer!
July 15th, 2008 at 7:36 pmbogtrotters Says:
If Boehner’d been with Lewis and Clark, they’d have sold him to the Sioux for beaver pelts and some boiled dog meat.
They probably would have just ditched him. “Hey ‘boner’, why don’t you walk down that path and we’ll all look over here. If we’re not back in a little bit, just sit tight and we’ll find you. NOT!”
July 15th, 2008 at 7:38 pmNah, Lewis and Clark would have staked him out for non-bear bait.
July 15th, 2008 at 7:39 pmtoo funny! I almost spit by beer!
Thanks very much…Sorry about your beer.
July 15th, 2008 at 7:40 pmSit here with the bag open and we will chase all the snarks to you.
July 15th, 2008 at 7:40 pmDoes he know something we don’t?
July 15th, 2008 at 7:42 pmLike, oh, a little biowarfare bombing test-run?
Good stuff folks…I think we made up an entirely new species of bear. I do love advancing civilization.
July 15th, 2008 at 7:43 pmBoehner: “Well it’s great to be up here in the great state of Alasks on this important fact-finding mission.
Hey did you know what the Alaskan State bird is? There isn’t one! Also no State fish, insect, flower, land-mammal or tree.
There is however a a State Fossil! Do you know what it is?
What A Msmmoth? You just made that up!
Nope, the State Fossil is of course…..OIL!”
July 15th, 2008 at 7:49 pmWell, that and compassion.
Oh and empathy.
Come to think of it, there’s a lot missing links in that evolution.
July 15th, 2008 at 7:50 pmCould he be more ignorant? And by ignorant, I mean stupid.
July 15th, 2008 at 8:02 pmLet’s hope that a few of the non-existent elk, caribou, bear, etc. think John Boehner and the other congressional types are cute and desirable, then boink the hell out of them.
July 15th, 2008 at 8:11 pmThere is no gray matter in Boehner’s head. We would be less dependent on imported oil if we stopped shipping our oil to other countries and sold it here instead. Repubublics… all they know how to do is lie and steal.
July 15th, 2008 at 8:21 pmOne could only hope.
July 15th, 2008 at 8:23 pmOne thing that could restore my hope in America is to have Colbert and his writers do something with this story–what a gold mine for satire!
July 15th, 2008 at 9:06 pmAnd it would have to include not-bears.
July 15th, 2008 at 9:07 pmWho the “F” is paying for this clown to go to the refuge? Will he bring back videos of all the non-wildlife? Gawd, I’m sick of this “f”-wad. Ohio is a joke because of him, well, and the Browns.
July 15th, 2008 at 9:27 pmbogtrotters Says:
And it would have to include not-bears.
I love not-bears.
July 15th, 2008 at 9:29 pmAre they getting so content that they don’t even bother making up good lies ? Lies that can’t be disproved in 5 minutes on the internet (who is the Fish and Wildlife Service anyway ? What do they know ? Can McCain find their web page ?)
July 15th, 2008 at 9:29 pmMapleStreet Says:
Are they getting so content that they don’t even bother making up good lies ?
My wife doesn’t blog, and she doesn’t ‘do’ politics. I just walked out to the front room and told her about the topic of this post, and she said:
“Are they so satisfied that they don’t even bother making up good lies?”.
Seems my wife and you think alike….Hmmmmm
July 15th, 2008 at 9:38 pmStratRat,
July 15th, 2008 at 9:52 pmNo bears in ANWR? Maybe that’s why it has such a low crime rate:
Are there any tanning salons in ANWR?
July 15th, 2008 at 10:50 pmArctic National Wildlife Refuge has no wildlife. Sort of like the Party of Family Values has no family values, except that one is actually true
July 15th, 2008 at 11:05 pmCorrection: there are no white men with fake tans in ANWR–until the Boner goes there. But there are bears, hungry bears.
July 15th, 2008 at 11:34 pm42. StratRat - I’ve never even met your wife ! Honest !
Seriously, I don’t even know what country you are in, so I suppose it is theorectically possible that I may have met her and not know it.
July 15th, 2008 at 11:49 pm.
Did anyone read the reports about the levels of pharmaceuticals that are in the country’s water supplies? Do you think D.C. has a concentrated dose due to Congress’ lack of sound judgment concerning their om behavior?
.
July 16th, 2008 at 1:33 amWow, Minority Leader John Boehner was actually sober and not crying in his stupor.
I see no reason for him to go to Alaska. There are Republican Representatives and repub Senators in Alaska for him to consult. Just spending the taxpayeres money and trying to look like he is doing something when doing nothing at all.
The GOP really think this is a winner to put McCain in office. Watch how far this goes on……………
July 16th, 2008 at 2:06 amUh, Jim Wilke, a wildlife preserve is not a zoo.
Of course some species have what could be considered low population density by hacks and ignorant halfwits (like you): These animals need enough space to find, you know, food.
Are you really quoting an article by another hack who calls the Smithsonian a “fraud”. Wow. Your credibility and expertise vs the Smithsonian’s? Funny how you don’t realise this is not even a contest.
July 16th, 2008 at 2:47 amI just sent Mr. Boehner a letter:
Dear Mr. Boehner,
I just wanted to say congratulations on a great press conference today in preperation for your trip to Alaska, so that we can start drilling up there and relieve the pressure on our oil-strapped population. Oh boy! I can’t wait until that oil starts down the pipeline soon after you get back and we can have $1.00/gallon gas again! I bet you can’t wait too! Anyway, when you said, “We’re going to look at this barren, Arctic desert where I’m hoping to see some wild life, but I understand there’s none there.” I know you were speaking the truth. I’ve seen pictures of that place, and it doesn’t look like there’s anywhere to find a good party for as far as you could see. I didn’t even see any people in any of those photos to even get a good wild time started, there’s just a bunch of animals! Do you think the Eskimos live around there? I once read that they shared their wives with visitors. Now, that’s pretty wild! I really didn’t think you were the kind of guy to go enjoy a wild time like that, but my buddy Edwin says that you never said anything about participating, you were just looking for it. I wasn’t sure why you needed to find wild life up there, but Edwin says those guys that work on the oil rigs are pretty rowdy and need some wild entertainment on their days off.
I know it’s kind of presumptuous to ask since you don’t know me very well, but can you please send me one of your tears in a small bottle? I’d be happy to send you a couple of dollars to cover the cost of the bottle.
Your Fan,
July 16th, 2008 at 3:07 am“…previewing a House Republican trip to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge that’s meant to promote drilling, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) doubted the existence of actual wildlife in the refuge.”
Jeebus, didn’t McCant JUST get through telling the press that you generally go on the fact-finding mission FIRST and THEN make assessments of what’s going on on the ground?
I think the Republican trip is a smoke screen. Since many of them will be “retiring” this year there has been renewed interest in the ANWR region. Not for oil but as a possible site for the new GOP owned and operated…wait for it…Gay Ice Palace Night Club and Casino. Of course it will be owned “on the books” by a local eskimo tribe so Boehner can get tax breaks and cheap smokes. The GOP “brat pack” of Boehner, Larry Craig, John Ashcroft, Trent Lott and James Jeffords will be performing weekly but partying daily!
July 16th, 2008 at 8:23 amStratRat Says:
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5th Estate Says:
What if he gets attacked by a not-Bear?
Ha ha…That would be the height of irony. As ‘Boner’ denies there is any wildlife in the refuge, along comes a not-bear and eats him. Good stuff…
July 15th
July 16th, 2008 at 9:10 amIsn’t the polarrear population having enough problems without dining on bone heads toxic rightwing hide.
tony and guidedog Lido
When Boner says wild life he means poker and hookers.
July 16th, 2008 at 10:19 amI think he should have been more clear. Obviously there is abundant wildlife in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge. BUT, the actual area where the exploration and drilling is to be performed is in a remote northern coastal area that is microscopic relative to ANWR, which is a MASSIVE area of land. The area of interest is a barren artic desert, practically a wasteland. Nothing lives there and it’s an extremely harsh artic environment in the winter.
This is the problem. When people speak of drilling in ANWR the media and others show pictures of caribou and grassland and speak of all the animals that live within the boundaries of the refuge (whether they are lying & intentionally misleading or simply ignorant is up for debate). It’s equivalent to a company wanting to build a power plant in Wyoming, then everyone bursting into uproar when they are shown pictures of Yellowstone National Park.
Please read this for a little more information on why we should at least explore the option:
http://drwidespank.blogspot.com/ 2008/ 07/ opec-anwr-and-gas-prices.html
July 16th, 2008 at 2:59 pmDrilling will drop prices by 75 percent on the gallon as early as 2025. We need to break our addiction to oil, period.
Boehner has his big oil interests in mind, next I bet he’ll invest rare coins(Tom Noe) or voting machines(Ken Blackwell) here in Ohio.
July 16th, 2008 at 7:41 pm“Not that many of you want to worry about silly things like facts.”
Me thinks thou doth protest too much …
July 16th, 2008 at 9:40 pm“There are no mountains, no forests, not much of anything in the 1002 lands ….”
Very impressive Jim, sounds like you have first hand experience …. careful now …
say, Jim, have you ever actually see the place? In person?
July 16th, 2008 at 9:57 pmWell then, I can see you’ve decide to avail us of your true voice as opposed to reciting from the handbook … I applaud you.
This is in no way intended to offend, but rather to enlighten, to educate. The National Geographic topo series would be an excellent resource from which you could learn to read topo maps … and learn to differentiate varying degrees of elevation.
One “fact” you should be aware of is that the delineation of the 1002 region is based upon topography, to an elevation of approx. 1500 ft. One cannot possibly begin at sea level and arrive at 1500 ft in elevation over terrain that is dead flat.
Anyway, what’s your beef with “flat”. I have friends that farm the most fertile land in the country, it is dead flat. You want to tell them what you think of their land? Good luck. Just look real hungry when you show up.
Hey this is fun. Should have gotten into this long before now.
July 17th, 2008 at 12:23 amPerhaps his understanding of “wildlife” was formed when he first read “The Tawny Scrawny Lion” at age ten or so and he figured, well, if it ain’t a talking lion, it don’t count. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
July 17th, 2008 at 2:03 pmThe overall lack of intelligent life in the whitehouse is truely mind-boggelling. But the greater danger to the world this dearth of knowledge effects makes me lose sleep.
July 19th, 2008 at 11:08 am