Now that Republicans have quietly drawn a path to give away much of Americans’ public land, US representative Jason Chaffetz of Utah has introduced what the Wilderness Society is calling “step two” in the GOP’s plan to offload federal lands.

The new piece of legislation would direct the interior secretary to immediately sell off an area of public land the size of Connecticut. In a press release for House Bill 621, Chaffetz, a Tea Party Republican, claimed that the 3.3m acres of national land, maintained by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), served “no purpose for taxpayers”.

But many in the 10 states that would lose federal land in the bill disagree, and public land rallies in opposition are bringing together environmentalists and sportsmen across the west.

Set aside for mixed use, BLM land is leased for oil, gas and timber, but is also open to campers, cyclists and other outdoor enthusiasts. As well as providing corridors for gray wolves and grizzly bears, low-lying BLM land often makes up the winter pasture for big game species, such as elk, oryx and big-horned sheep.

more
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jan/31/public-lands-sell-congress-bureau-management-chaffetz

Congressman Dave Brat (R-VA) is a big opponent of the Affordable Care Act, which is why he’s proposed one of the many substandard replacements for what can replace Obamacare when Congress repeals it, as he hopes it does. In the meantime, however, his constituents are rather concerned about losing their coverage, and he’s doing his best to ignore them.

“Since Obamacare and these issues have come up, the women are in my grill no matter where I go,” Brat told a meeting of conservative groups on Saturday. He explained that they’re always pestering him about when his next town hall will be — “and believe me, it’s not to give positive input.”

Video of that meeting was shared by a new Facebook group called 7th District Town Hall Meeting, which is dedicated solely to asking the question of when Brat will ever hold another town hall meeting. A post from last week notes, for example, “Funny how he has time for fundraisers and Facebook but cannot answer one simple question — when is the next Town Hall meeting?”

more
https://thinkprogress.org/anti-obamacare-congressman-wont-hold-town-halls-because-the-women-are-in-my-grill-3db80644e8e8#.50dvxzion

Poor little snowflake. So Delicate.

by Asawin Suebsaeng

01.31.17 12:00 AM ET

Stephen K. Bannon, President Trump’s White House chief strategist, was already set to become one of the most powerful people on the planet—even before Trump appointed him to the National Security Council last weekend.

Those who have known Bannon for years, and before he ascended to executive power, describe a man almost obsessed with military history, guerilla warfare, and the general art of war and nationalist foreign policy.

In his Hollywood days, Bannon could easily play war, writing vast landscapes of warfare and conflict into his scripts, sometimes set in outer space.

Thanks to Donald J. Trump, Bannon now could get to do it for real.

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http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2017/01/31/steve-bannon-s-long-love-affair-with-war.html

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Facts and Bannon

Maine on Monday becomes the eighth state in the nation to allow adults over the age of 21 to possess and consume marijuana for recreational purposes.

Maine joins six Western states and neighboring Massachusetts in allowing recreational pot, after voters narrowly passed a ballot measure in November. Adults will be allowed to possess up to two and a half ounces of marijuana, and to grow up to 18 plants at home.

“Responsible adult marijuana consumers will no longer be harassed and treated like criminals,” said David Boyer, who ran the campaign to legalize pot last year. “Police will be able to spend more time addressing serious crimes rather than punishing adults for using a substance that is safer than alcohol.”

more
http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/316829-marijuana-becomes-legal-in-maine