CBS News takes NOAA Fisheries Management to the woodshed

American Thinker ^ | February 17, 2011 | Mike Johnson

[jazusamo]

Wow!  What a nice job by CBS News, Armen Keteyian, and Katie Couric. 

On 16 February, CBS News devoted some four minutes to an investigative piece into the scandal that should have rocked NOAA and the Obama administration last fall.  Our government is driving the fishing industry into oblivion with "unduly complicated" regulations and with federal agents who are "overzealous" and prone to "abusive conduct."

The piece opened with Bill Lee, a fisherman from Rockport, MA, who has been forced out of business by the fines levied by NOAA.  Mr. Lee is articulate and the photogenic background of Motif No. 1 is emblematic of New England.  CBS got the sound bite but they are constrained by time.  A more in depth coverage of Mr. Lee's ordeal is given in Richard Gaines' article in the Gloucester Times.

Mr. Keteyian next spoke to Richard Burgess, another fisherman.  Mr. Burgess told of being fined $27,000 for a paperwork error and being told that if he contested the fine, it could go up to $125,000 or more.  You can view Mr. Burgess' testimony to Congress on that incident and others at the link.  Mr. Burgess said on camera to CBS, "[We are] hardworking people and we've been treated as common criminals."  Ouch!

The outrages were investigated by the Department of Congress Inspector General (IG), who confirmed the fishermen's complaints.  See my American Thinker essay on "NOAA's Law Enforcement Behaving Badly."  CBS addressed the NOAA Law Enforcement "Shredding Party" where the director of NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement shredded some 70-80% of his documents before the IG ever got to see them. 

The only NOAA representative on the piece was Eric Schwaab, the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, not the janitor but not the boss.  Dr. Jane Lubchenco, the boss of NOAA and a confirmed environmental zealot, did not appear; why not?  Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, Dr. Lubchenco's titular boss, did not appear; why not?

CBS showed a clip of Senator Grassley, who said, "I want to make sure that heads roll ... because in a bureaucracy, if heads don't roll, you don't change behavior."

Nicely said, Senator, but no heads have rolled and apparently none will.  Nobody has been punished at all.  There will be no change in behavior.  Dr. Lubchenco and her minions are looking forward, not backwards; bureaucratic doublespeak for doing nothing. 

Mr. Keteyian concludes with a nice shot of the Scotia Boat Too, Mr. Burgess' boat, pulling in to the pier.  The voice-over says, "Now a judge [sic, should be Special Master] is reviewing at least 31 cases of fishermen caught up in the government's net, to see if some of the fines should be returned."

Sounds good to me, Armen.  Unfortunately, since you put this piece in the can, the Secretary of Commerce has reneged on his pledge to review previous fines and has severely limited the Special Master's scope of remedies.

Congratulations, CBS.  You are the first national outlet to bring this issue before the American people.  A strong, hard-hitting piece.  The government of the United States, that is to say the American people, you and I, are driving our friends and neighbors out of business by raw power and strong arm tactics.  It needs to be stopped.  We need the help of the media.  This essay augments your excellent work and shows that if you were less constrained by time, you could have gone deeper. 

The fishermen, their families, the related dockside businesses, and the American people thank you.

[jazusamo]

Yet more corruption in the Obama administration. This has been on going but nothings been done.

Thread from last July:

Two Congressmen, Both Democrats, Ask Obama to Dismiss His NOAA Administrator

[Flycatcher]

Yes, this story does deserve front-page consideration.

I can't believe I'm saying this but: Way to go, CBS News...

[Red Badger]

When in the course of human events..............

[jazusamo]

Fully agree, CBS News did something right.

[silverleaf]

When Barney Frank demands that a “green” zealot bureaucrat be fired, she must be a real loon.

[jazusamo]

Isn’t that something?

Lubchenko is an enviro nazi that morphed thru Oregon State Univ and Harvard. She definitely shouldn’t be in any position in government.

[556x45]

Too bad, so sad! No sympathy here. Consider the venue, New England home of a tard voting electorate. Hey, you morons, you got the govt you deserve and voted for. Now you’re whining b/c they treat you like a dirty rug? Well, hey, count it off as a learning lesson, suck it up and stop voting for the tards. My guess is they’re too flaming STUPID to ever figure it out.

[jazusamo]

Well, NOAA Lubchenko’s boss is Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke and his boss is Obama, I believe it’s all our faults.

[A. Morgan]

NOAA eyes $1M to fight lawsuits

http://www.gloucestertimes.com/fishing/x12354440/NOAA-eyes-1M-to-fight-lawsuits

[G Larry]

“fined $27,000 for a paperwork error and being told that if he contested the fine, it could go up to $125,000 or more.”

A nice facist tactic....

Hey Barack!
The reason business is sitting on cash, rather than expand, is due to the unknown risk of conducting business in culture full of unaccountable czars, writing new regulations, imposing taxes, fees, and fines, and the never ending fallout of Obamacare!

[556x45]

??? How is it all of us are to blame? Not everyone voted for Barry Soetoro but New England voted for him in spades. Some of us know a poseur when we see one and vote accordingly. I’m not following your logic...

[jazusamo]

I guess I didn’t follow your logic. We have no idea how the fisherman voted that are being put out of business by this enviro nazi flunkie of Obama’s. Just because they live in the NE and have businesses doesn’t mean they vote leftist.

[jazusamo]

Thanks for the link.

Lubchenko is a Commie as well as an enviro nazi, I guess not a surprise being she was Zer0’s pick. NOAA is not only a huge waste of taxpayer money but they’re putting businesses out of business, par for this administrations course.

[jazusamo]

You nailed it!

[556x45]

Got it...are you at all familiar w/ New England politics?

[jazusamo]

I’m sure not up on New England politics but am aware they’re solid Dem states. Here in Washington it’s pretty solid liberal, leftist, Commie but there are pockets of us thank goodness.

[556x45]

OK, yes, the vast majority of NE electorate is tard in a very big way as well as pro-union. So, while we cant say for certain the probability is well above 75% these guys voted for dems. In essence they just pulled the D levers never thinking those same people are working hard to make them serfs. I’m very familiar w/ New England politics and have seen first hand the whiners come into NH gun shops begging to buy prohibited guns (in MA). MA is mostly populated w/ a pack of losers as is VT, CT, RI and much of ME. NH is the only bright spot and it might be that ME is trying to make a conservative come back. One can only hope.

Im also fairly familiar w/ WA politics which is very similar to New England, its a bunch of tards after all. I was there for the emergency gas tax, the DOT threatening to stop road construction etc. WA is in that awkward state of transitioning from conservative to tard. You’re right, there are pockets true conservatives BUT thats all changing, diluted by xplants from KA, OR and where ever who know nothing else but to infest and destroy. In many ways WA is extremely regressive. Then there are the Seattle fags who want to parade around at the park in nothing. Whats up w/ that? Seattle could be a great place if not for the tards who are trying to destroy it. Frankly, when I was there I felt as though I was living in a foreign country. It was nice to move back E to a rural setting.

OK, your turn...

[jazusamo]

You know WA politics as good as I do, maybe better. lol

I believe that naked thing was a couple years ago. I live in the SW part of the state and didn’t pay much attention to it. They were having nudists, naturists, fags, whatever parading around in public parks naked as J-birds, surprisingly they put a stop to it. They’ll never get rid of leftists and Commies in the Seattle area though, they’re too well entrenched.

Portland has the same thing over there, they have their naked bike rides like San Fran does and Portland’s loaded with fags, the mayor is one.

Anyway, I understand what you were saying. It just really ticks me off when an enviro nazi like Lubchenko is running things and costing people jobs. In the NW here we’ve got enviro nazis coming out of the woodwork and they’re sickening.

Fregards

[A. Morgan]

Transformation hell this is nothing short of Tyranny!