Legalectric

The threat?

Yes, eleven (11) “U.S. Representatives” sent a threatening letter to CEOs of telecom companies after the U.S. House January 6th Investigation Committee sent missives to these companies to “preserve records.” What drives me nuts about these articles is they don’t come out and name the eleven, they name a few, and they don’t link to the letter. So here it is, the letter is below (click for separate window/larger view), and here are the eleven.

Call the eleven who signed on, here they are in alphabetical order:

• Jim Banks (IN) (202) 225-4436
• Andy Biggs (AZ) (202) 225-2635
• Lauren Bobert (CO) (202) 225-4761
• Mo Brooks (AL) (202) 225-4801
• Madison Cawthorn (202) 225-3236
• Matt Gaetz (FL) (202) 225-4136
• Louis Gohmert (TX) (202) 225-3035
• Paul Gosar (AZ) (202) 225-2315
• Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA) (202) 225-5211
• Jody Hice (GA) (202) 225-4101
• Scott Perry (PA) (202) 225-5836

Billboards sure ugly, and they’re particularly noticeable heading up to Lake Superior. Each time to and fro, I wonder whatever happened to Lady Bird Johnson’s billboard effort. Yesterday, down Hwy. 61, they were as visible as ever.

And it wasn’t just an effort, there was the “Highway Beautification Act.” It wasn’t just law, billboards disappeared, blue “Gas,” “Food,” and “Lodging,” and “REST AREA” signs appeared, brown park signs, and no more Burma Shave signs… does Burma Shave even exist now?

Yes, KEEP WISCONSIN GREEN OR WE’LL ALL GO BUST! I digress…

There were many attempts to gut it, and many attempts to strengthen it, with linkage to the Scenic Byways program, and the HBA was enacted and debated and amended in tandem with the build-out of the interstate highway system which bypassed many towns with businesses dependent on signs. See this linked Wiki. What a mess. But I don’t see how, given the existing laws, how there can be so many signs out there today… makes no sense.

The interwebs are exploding with comments and takes on Texas SB8, essentially outlawing abortion and authorizing vigilante actions… but what does it really say? Have you read it? Here it is:

Texas-2021-SB8-Enrolled.html

Recall City Hall must file Campaign Finance Reports. It’s taken a while to get to this, but… the numbers don’t add up, but maybe they do if there’s an inherent presumption regarding dollars not listed. Here’s the most recent report, covering from March 10, 2021 to May 31, 2021:

Note that in this report, they must “Give the total for all contributions received during the period of time covered by this report.” Here’s what they report:

But they report $3,455 in donations over $100 and cash contributions of $2,916 “on different days as an aggregate.” $3,455 + 2,916 = $6,371.

On the following page, they report in-kind donations of $358.50. $6,371 + $358.50 = $6,729.50.

My calculator says:

$9,518.50 – $6,729.50 = $2,789.

Where did the $2,789 come from? No explanation. I’d guess that the inference is that the rest of the donations were not cash and were not “over $100” but amounts should be added and included in the total.

I don’t see dates listed for those donations over $100, and there’s no separate sheet to itemize all, ALL, contributions from a single source that exceeded $100 during the calendar year. It’s not up to snuff.

Postage for $360, May 27, 2021 — I wonder if this was to mail the postcards that were handed out at the fair at the Republican booth — though there’s no expenditure listed for postcards. Were they an in-kind donation? And if over $100 (4 color glossy) ID the amount and contributor.

Is Recall City Hall having a fundraiser on Friday at Colvill? Their website says so, but I’ve also heard it’s been cancelled. We shall see. Anyway, if so, what’s their fundraiser for? Maybe someone should call and find out!

Some other posts on Legalectric about Recall:

• UPDATE – Just WOW! Recall ex parte missives!
• D-I-S–M-I-S-S-E-D and City of RW Letter
• RED WING RECALL CITY HALL LAWSUIT DISMISSED
• Red Wing VOTERS Intervention Filed in Recall City Hall lawsuit
• RW Council Meeting, and Recall lawsuit in Roch PB
• Overland Comment on Recall Petition to City Council today
• Frivolous Recall Lawsuit Filed

Yeah, let’s trot this guy out again:

Why did it take so long for this to arrive here in the U.S., it took many years, and a release of a study pointing out the siting and efficiency advantages. Parking this here for future reference!

Why India’s Canals Could Help Fast-Forward Its Solar-Energy Plans

“Not only do they perform more efficiently, but because we can assume that the generated electricity is utilised in nearby areas, the transmission losses of (normally) 4% and distribution losses of 3% are avoided,” said Sagarkumar Agravat, head of GERMI’s solar research and development.

Apart from this, since the panels are placed on top of water, they are cooled from below, which also increases their efficiency and enhances output by 2.5-5%.

Renewable future: Gujarat govt to set up 100 MW solar power project atop Narmada canal

The ‘solar canals’ making smart use of India’s space

Overall, Gujarat has more than 80,000km of canals meandering through the state. According to Gujarat State Electricity Corporation, if 30% of this were converted to solar, 18,000MW of power could be produced, saving 90,000 acres of land.

This is not a new idea, a demonstration canal project was built in India in 2012:

Gujarat’s solar panels over canals project is a great idea for sustainable energy production

And almost a decade later, in California:

Study looks at covering California’s canals with solar panels

And the study:

Energy and water co-benefits from covering canals with solar panels

And in Popular Science:

Solar panels and water canals could form a real power couple in California