...it is an anti-Supreme Court post...

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court issued a 5-4 decision that reverses a lower court ruling that ordered the Navy to apply certain safety measures when conducting tests with sonar frequencies that have been implicated in destroying Whales and other marine mammals. The particular sonar levels are pinged at a volume louder than 2000 jet engines. Voicing the majority opinion was Bush appointee Chief Justice John Roberts:

"The most serious possible injury would be harm to an unknown number of the marine mammals. In contrast, forcing the navy to deploy an inadequately trained anti-submarine force jeopardizes the safety of the fleet."

He also said that these kind of sonar tests have been conducted by the Navy for 40 years without a single documented incident of harm to a marine mammal...uh, what a dipshit. Whale strandings linked to sonar have been documented world wide. The Navy itself acknowledges that sonar is deadly to Whales, and that the exercises at issue would “take” an estimated 170,000 marine mammals.[Source]

Voicing the minority opinion Justice Ginsburg noted:

"Sonar is linked to mass strandings of marine mammals, hemorrhaging around the brain and ears, acute spongiotic changes in the central nervous system and lesions in vital organs."

Carol Channing is probably better informed about the issue of Naval Sonar and marine mammals than Chief Justice Roberts.

The big issue here is that the court is setting a precedent allowing the military do virtually do whatever the hell they want without a proper environmental risk assessment. The lower court ruling that was overturned this week did not ban Naval sonar outright, it just mandated safety measures that would limit harm to Whales and other marine mammals. Justice Roberts in effect has said that there is no need for common ground between environmental interests and military interests. We should all go home and fuck ourselves.

Just because Obama was elected and will soon be taking hold of the reigns, does not mean that the world is all tofu and rainbows. Bush and co. were able to load up the Supreme Court with plenty of hateful, jingoistic, warmongering, evolution-denying, Seal Clubbers. And supreme court justices hold on to their power until it is pried from their cold dead claws. President Bush is the gift that keeps on giving and giving and giving, and our grandchildren will thank us too. Aren't we lucky?

--El Tiburon

technorati tags: Whales, California, Supreme Court, John Roberts, Carol Channing, Navy, Obama, Presiedent Bush