Researchers at The University of Minnesota raise the ire of the soybean industry by claiming that growing biofuel crops may lead to unintended global warming as well as replacing valuable food production. The 'beaners threaten that they will pull soybean research funding from the university. The truth hurts.
One of the few Peak Oil advocates in Congress (and like Roscoe Bartlett, a Republican no less) Wayne Gilchrist loses his primary contest to a real right-winger (danger: a Rush Limbaugh link). Maryland's loss of someone with some brain cells gets balanced by the good possibility of a Democratic seat pickup. Gilchrist tried to appease the Rethugs, but that doesn't work against bullies if you don't completely toe the party line. Fortunately, losing a thoughtful Republican only serves to marginalize a completely irrelevant political cult.