I'm posting this article from the U.S. News Weekly because I think as many folks as possible should read and know what the National Rifle Association is up to regarding the 2012 presidential election. They certainly have a right to their opinion but so do the rest of us! AlG
U.S.NEWS WEEKLY | June 24, 2011
Washington Whispers
By Paul Bedard
NRA Boss: Obama’s Gone
(The gun lobby plans to go after President Obama like it did in helping defeat then Vice President Al Gore)
The National Rifle Association has a rich history that goes back to shortly after the Civil War, when in 1871 Union veterans created it to train city-slicker troops who couldn’t hit the side of a barn with their musket shots. But as the 4 million-strong group readies its fight to oust President Obama in 2012, it has to go back only 11 years for a battle plan. That’s when the Second Amendment advocates mounted their biggest political effort ever to defeat then Vice President Al Gore by targeting key pro-gun Democratic states he needed to beat George W. Bush, like Arkansas.
“We actually knocked out a presidential candidate,” says new NRA President David Keene. He tells Whispers that 2012 might be an even more critical year for the NRA. That’s because the president, if re-elected, might have a chance to appoint more left-leaning Supreme Court justices who could undo Second Amendment protections and allow more gun control. “Our major goal is to defeat Obama because if he’s reelected, he’s going to attempt to change the Supreme Court. All he needs is one vote and he will rewrite the Second Amendment,” says Keene. “The threat,” he says, “in many ways is more severe than in 2000.” One reason: Obama, who slapped gun owners in his campaign, has gone quiet on gun issues as president, making it harder to rally NRA members. That was until gun foe Sarah Brady revealed in April that Obama told her he was working on the issue “under the radar.”
Keene reveals that the NRA plans to mobilize its troops with the hopes of taking away three to five states Obama won in 2008. Keene and Wayne LaPierre, the gun group’s executive vice president, plan a massive education campaign that he says will warn members about an Obama second term. He also says the NRA is seeking to register the up to 25 million gun owners not signed up to vote. He figures getting 5 million to 10 million to the polls would change the election’s outcome. “We know how they’ll vote,” he says. Keene also wants to add more women and younger shooters to the roster and to corral traditionally conservative home-school families. “I’m trying to make sure that there will be just as many people involved in the shooting sports next generation as this,” he says.
Formerly head of the American Conservative Union, Keene says he timed his NRA presidency to coincide with Obama’s re-election. He credits LaPierre for getting him involved, especially now to help with election messaging. “This is a moment of extreme danger,” he says. But, the longtime hunter adds, it’s still a fun job. “I love it.”
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Is ‘Made in America’ Making a Comeback? The global economic climate might be ripe for a manufacturing renaissance.
The United States is enjoying a resurgence in manufacturing not seen since the 1970s, when the country shifted to a primarily service-based economy. Strong growth in machinery exports and auto sales are leading the rally in the chronically weak manufacturing sector, a trend President Obama said must continue in order to buoy the country’s depressed job market and lackluster economic expansion.
The president has crafted an ambitious plan to double exports over the next five years to jump-start the economy and energize job growth. “We are in a tough fight to get past the crippling recession,” Obama told Northern Virginia Community College students last week. “Before this recession, manufacturing had weakened. The answer is not to turn back. That’s how we’re going to win the fight.”
Recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) show durable-goods manufacturing—which includes products such as automobiles and heavy-construction machinery—led the economic recovery in seven of the eight regions BEA tracks, with significant gains in Indiana, Oregon, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Tennessee.
Experts say a multitude of interrelated factors point to a longer-term “renaissance” in manufacturing — primarily increasing demand in rapidly growing emerging economies such as China and Brazil. “If you look at the industries that have been growing—machinery, for instance—they’re taking advantage of opportunities overseas,” says Chad Moutray, chief economist at the National Association of Manufacturers. “They see Brazil, China, India as major areas [in which] to grow.”
Multinational manufacturing companies based in the United States, such as Boeing and Caterpillar, have already seen the benefits of an uptick in demand abroad. Primarily thanks to increased demand and higher prices for commodities, Caterpillar’s exports surged to $13.4 billion in 2010, a 30 percent jump from the previous year. The company, which specializes in mining and construction equipment, also recorded its all-time best profits in the first quarter of 2011. “If the price of copper is above a certain threshold, those mining companies that are in the copper business are more likely to invest in increasing capacity to mine more, [which] creates demand for our products,” says Caterpillar spokesman Jim Dugan.
The rising middle class in developing nations also feeds into the relatively positive outlook for manufacturing. Aside from greater demand for the raw materials and components needed to produce consumer products like microwaves and cellphones, increased investment in roads and housing benefits companies like Caterpillar. “A big part of it is the commodity demand, but as this mass urbanization takes place and these developing countries see a rising tide in the standard of living, there’s also more investment in infrastructure and construction work,” Dugan says.
After decades of lagging the global manufacturing industry, the domestic sector will continue to bounce back, experts say, mainly because global economic shifts have increased the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing. Two decades of tough competition from export-based economies like China has forced domestic manufacturers to cut costs and improve productivity. These adaptations have allowed companies to cull more “profit per job,” effectively easing cost pressures.
A weaker U.S. dollar has also helped the manufacturing renaissance gain traction. A stronger currency generally makes U.S. exports more expensive abroad, which has historically crippled demand for American products. But that trend has reversed as the dollar has fallen against other major currencies.
The changing fortune of the industry will likely be gradual. For those keeping close tabs on sagging
employment numbers and weakening GDP gains, the outlook for manufacturing might be an unexpected source of salvation for the U.S. economy in the coming years.
By Meg Handley
Meg Handley is a reporter at U.S. News & World Report. Contact: http://www.usnews.com/
The president has crafted an ambitious plan to double exports over the next five years to jump-start the economy and energize job growth. “We are in a tough fight to get past the crippling recession,” Obama told Northern Virginia Community College students last week. “Before this recession, manufacturing had weakened. The answer is not to turn back. That’s how we’re going to win the fight.”
Recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) show durable-goods manufacturing—which includes products such as automobiles and heavy-construction machinery—led the economic recovery in seven of the eight regions BEA tracks, with significant gains in Indiana, Oregon, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Tennessee.
Experts say a multitude of interrelated factors point to a longer-term “renaissance” in manufacturing — primarily increasing demand in rapidly growing emerging economies such as China and Brazil. “If you look at the industries that have been growing—machinery, for instance—they’re taking advantage of opportunities overseas,” says Chad Moutray, chief economist at the National Association of Manufacturers. “They see Brazil, China, India as major areas [in which] to grow.”
Multinational manufacturing companies based in the United States, such as Boeing and Caterpillar, have already seen the benefits of an uptick in demand abroad. Primarily thanks to increased demand and higher prices for commodities, Caterpillar’s exports surged to $13.4 billion in 2010, a 30 percent jump from the previous year. The company, which specializes in mining and construction equipment, also recorded its all-time best profits in the first quarter of 2011. “If the price of copper is above a certain threshold, those mining companies that are in the copper business are more likely to invest in increasing capacity to mine more, [which] creates demand for our products,” says Caterpillar spokesman Jim Dugan.
The rising middle class in developing nations also feeds into the relatively positive outlook for manufacturing. Aside from greater demand for the raw materials and components needed to produce consumer products like microwaves and cellphones, increased investment in roads and housing benefits companies like Caterpillar. “A big part of it is the commodity demand, but as this mass urbanization takes place and these developing countries see a rising tide in the standard of living, there’s also more investment in infrastructure and construction work,” Dugan says.
After decades of lagging the global manufacturing industry, the domestic sector will continue to bounce back, experts say, mainly because global economic shifts have increased the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing. Two decades of tough competition from export-based economies like China has forced domestic manufacturers to cut costs and improve productivity. These adaptations have allowed companies to cull more “profit per job,” effectively easing cost pressures.
A weaker U.S. dollar has also helped the manufacturing renaissance gain traction. A stronger currency generally makes U.S. exports more expensive abroad, which has historically crippled demand for American products. But that trend has reversed as the dollar has fallen against other major currencies.
The changing fortune of the industry will likely be gradual. For those keeping close tabs on sagging
employment numbers and weakening GDP gains, the outlook for manufacturing might be an unexpected source of salvation for the U.S. economy in the coming years.
By Meg Handley
Meg Handley is a reporter at U.S. News & World Report. Contact: http://www.usnews.com/
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
The current state of MEDICINE in the world and US
Vaccine deal could save lives of 4 million children
For the first time ever in many of the world's poorest countries, the rotavirus vaccine, among others, will be made available to children under an agreement between several drug companies and the GAVI alliance -- which over the next five years aims to vaccinate 50 million children, potentially saving up to 4 million lives. "This tremendous milestone means that we'll be able to save the lives of millions of children regardless of how poor they are," writes Melinda Gates, of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a GAVI partner. The Huffington Post (6/6)
Tweak to malaria vaccine could boost effectiveness
New cancer treatments are unaffordable for many in U.S.
Cancer patients in the U.S. increasingly are unable to afford new advances in treatment, and are even abandoning medical care altogether as costs continue to spiral over the country's second-leading cause of death. "We're thrilled with what we consider to be breakthroughs and wonderful new therapies ... yet the barriers for some patients to get them is insurmountable. It is an indictment of how we take care of patients in the United States," says a pediatric oncologist. AlertNet/Reuters (6/6)
Monday, June 06, 2011
TAXES
You'd have to be a moron to suggest that people want to pay taxes - and that is what many politicians count on - "No new taxes!" I say "HOGWASH!"
We do have to pay for the services all of our various governments provide including our roads, highways, bridges, etc.; our safety, including police and military, our health such as the FDA, Medicare, Medicade, NIH, etc. It is government which provides our law and order, protects and/or provides for out disaster care, fights our wildfires, mitigates flooding and tornado disasters to say nothing of hurricanes. It is the government who provides the energy we need for our standard of living through its grid policies, pipeline permissions, mining controls (and safety) - and on, and on and on!
As a matter of fact, private industry is HIRED by the government to provide those services which would never EVER be provided by private industry on its own - simply because very little that government does for the people is profitable without being subsidized by government! Private industry operates exclusively on the profit principle -- if it isn't profitable it isn't worth doing!
And what is the government? The government is you and I. We do have to pay our way in this life.
We do have to pay for the services all of our various governments provide including our roads, highways, bridges, etc.; our safety, including police and military, our health such as the FDA, Medicare, Medicade, NIH, etc. It is government which provides our law and order, protects and/or provides for out disaster care, fights our wildfires, mitigates flooding and tornado disasters to say nothing of hurricanes. It is the government who provides the energy we need for our standard of living through its grid policies, pipeline permissions, mining controls (and safety) - and on, and on and on!
As a matter of fact, private industry is HIRED by the government to provide those services which would never EVER be provided by private industry on its own - simply because very little that government does for the people is profitable without being subsidized by government! Private industry operates exclusively on the profit principle -- if it isn't profitable it isn't worth doing!
And what is the government? The government is you and I. We do have to pay our way in this life.
Friday, May 06, 2011
Big Win for Bison! plus a bit about Brucellosis, etc.
Big Win for Bison!
John Motsinger | Posted on 15 April 2011 | Tags: Yellowstone [Defenders of Wildlife]
More great news from Montana . Montana officials have finalized a deal that will open 75,000 acres in southern Montana for bison to roam outside of Yellowstone National Park. The partners of the Interagency Bison Management Plan hosted an open house in Gardiner, Mont., last night to discuss the latest changes to the plan. The agreement between eight state, federal and tribal agencies has been in the making for several weeks, while more than 600 bison are still being kept at a capture facility until spring.
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.....so I did a little research of my own on Brucellosis carried by some wild bison and the primary reason local ranchers are afraid to have Yellowstone bison on "their" Federal lands.
Brucellosis, also known as: Rock fever; Cyprus fever; Undulant fever; Gibraltar fever; Malta fever; Mediterranean fever
Brucellosis is an infectious disease caused by contact with animals carrying bacteria called Brucella.
Prevention
Drinking and eating only pasteurized milk and cheeses is the most important preventative measure. People who handle meat should wear protective glasses and clothing and protect skin breaks from infection. Detecting infected animals controls the infection at its source.
Vaccination is available for cattle, but not humans. [PubMed Health] www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov So I would assume that it wouldn't be too difficult to vaccinate all of Yellowstone's bison to alleviate those fears.
Also, such fussing is not new. It seems that in the 1870's, ranchers in Kansas passed laws against Texas beef being herded to the rail-heads in Kansas for shipment to Chicago's markets because of a tick borne disease known as Texas fever. Seems that Texas longhorns were immune to the disease yet carried the ticks, but Kansas cattle were not and thus suffered from contact with the Texas cattle. Actually, the ticks and fever were first noted in Pennsylvania and after the Civil War in other southern states.
John Motsinger | Posted on 15 April 2011 | Tags: Yellowstone [Defenders of Wildlife]
More great news from Montana . Montana officials have finalized a deal that will open 75,000 acres in southern Montana for bison to roam outside of Yellowstone National Park. The partners of the Interagency Bison Management Plan hosted an open house in Gardiner, Mont., last night to discuss the latest changes to the plan. The agreement between eight state, federal and tribal agencies has been in the making for several weeks, while more than 600 bison are still being kept at a capture facility until spring.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.....so I did a little research of my own on Brucellosis carried by some wild bison and the primary reason local ranchers are afraid to have Yellowstone bison on "their" Federal lands.
Brucellosis, also known as: Rock fever; Cyprus fever; Undulant fever; Gibraltar fever; Malta fever; Mediterranean fever
Brucellosis is an infectious disease caused by contact with animals carrying bacteria called Brucella.
Prevention
Drinking and eating only pasteurized milk and cheeses is the most important preventative measure. People who handle meat should wear protective glasses and clothing and protect skin breaks from infection. Detecting infected animals controls the infection at its source.
Vaccination is available for cattle, but not humans. [PubMed Health] www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov So I would assume that it wouldn't be too difficult to vaccinate all of Yellowstone's bison to alleviate those fears.
Also, such fussing is not new. It seems that in the 1870's, ranchers in Kansas passed laws against Texas beef being herded to the rail-heads in Kansas for shipment to Chicago's markets because of a tick borne disease known as Texas fever. Seems that Texas longhorns were immune to the disease yet carried the ticks, but Kansas cattle were not and thus suffered from contact with the Texas cattle. Actually, the ticks and fever were first noted in Pennsylvania and after the Civil War in other southern states.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Items of Interest for April 18, 2011
Indian arrests reveal corruption in granting of pilot licenses
NEW DELHI — An Indian pilot made news here in January when she landed an Airbus 320 passenger plane on its nose wheel. Investigators soon discovered several alarming things: Parminder Kaur Gulati had not only made that dangerous mistake before, she also had earned her senior pilot’s license through fake grades.
(The Washington Post)
Humanitarian aid deal reached between UN, Gadhafi
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today that the world body has come to an agreement with the government of Moammar Gadhafi, the embattled leader of Libya, to provide humanitarian aid in the capital, Tripoli. A Libyan spokesman added that the deal also provides for a corridor of safe passage to city of Misrata, which is under siege by forces loyal to Gadhafi, to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid. Google/The Associated Press (4/18)
Sugar cane fields give Brazil double benefits
The cultivation of sugar cane in Brazil as a means to provide an alternative fuel source for vehicles is also helping to cool local air temperatures, researchers said in report published in the journal Nature Climate Change. The benefit, researchers said, occurs when sugar cane fields are introduced into existing agricultural efforts to replace crops like soy beans. AlertNet/Reuters (4/17)
NEW DELHI — An Indian pilot made news here in January when she landed an Airbus 320 passenger plane on its nose wheel. Investigators soon discovered several alarming things: Parminder Kaur Gulati had not only made that dangerous mistake before, she also had earned her senior pilot’s license through fake grades.
(The Washington Post)
Humanitarian aid deal reached between UN, Gadhafi
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today that the world body has come to an agreement with the government of Moammar Gadhafi, the embattled leader of Libya, to provide humanitarian aid in the capital, Tripoli. A Libyan spokesman added that the deal also provides for a corridor of safe passage to city of Misrata, which is under siege by forces loyal to Gadhafi, to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid. Google/The Associated Press (4/18)
Sugar cane fields give Brazil double benefits
The cultivation of sugar cane in Brazil as a means to provide an alternative fuel source for vehicles is also helping to cool local air temperatures, researchers said in report published in the journal Nature Climate Change. The benefit, researchers said, occurs when sugar cane fields are introduced into existing agricultural efforts to replace crops like soy beans. AlertNet/Reuters (4/17)
Saturday, April 16, 2011
"Endangered Earth - online" newsletter
Among a number of other social and environmental groups, I receive a weekly email from the Center for Biological Diversity.
Of them all, I find their "Endangered Earth - online" email the most interesting! .......and diverse! They also have a similar homesite (below) and a site on FaceBook, but I find those sites too cluttered and distracting whereas the email is a very well done environmental interactive newsletter! I think you can sign up for the newslatter at: http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/
Center Wins Top Props in Green Choice Campaign
"After overwhelmingly positive reviews rolled in from our supporters, this month the Center for Biological Diversity took a top spot among 128 environmental groups competing in this year's Green Choice Campaign, a contest by GreatNonprofits to peg the best-reviewed green groups in the country. According to input from people like you, the Center is "unrivaled in its successful protection of imperiled species" and "gets more bang for the buck than any other environmental organization." Many called us the best eco-group they follow. We're so glad to hear that -- and your praise keeps us going. Thank you."
Of them all, I find their "Endangered Earth - online" email the most interesting! .......and diverse! They also have a similar homesite (below) and a site on FaceBook, but I find those sites too cluttered and distracting whereas the email is a very well done environmental interactive newsletter! I think you can sign up for the newslatter at: http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/
Center Wins Top Props in Green Choice Campaign
"After overwhelmingly positive reviews rolled in from our supporters, this month the Center for Biological Diversity took a top spot among 128 environmental groups competing in this year's Green Choice Campaign, a contest by GreatNonprofits to peg the best-reviewed green groups in the country. According to input from people like you, the Center is "unrivaled in its successful protection of imperiled species" and "gets more bang for the buck than any other environmental organization." Many called us the best eco-group they follow. We're so glad to hear that -- and your praise keeps us going. Thank you."
 |
| Kierán Suckling |
Sunday, April 10, 2011
I live in Northern Arizona where a large number of right-wing Republicans and Libertarians rule. However, there are some of us who are not in lockstep with the locals.
A response to a column in today's paper was, I think, so well expressed that I'd like to post it here:
Article comment by: mi[n]dless pap
What? You need to go read the preamble to the US Constitution. Concentrate on where it says, "provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare".
So now for all those ice tea bag partiers out there who think they know all about constitutional law, concentrate on this, Especially in Article 1, Section 8.: "Congress shall......provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States. ....To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts."
OK. So who decides what is a useful art? The ice tea bag party? Boehner? Give me a break.
Germany with one third the population we have and much higher wage and benefit costs is number 1 in per capita export manufacturing in the world. Why? It sounds to me like they read our constitution and applied what it says. Now of course some wise ice tea bag partier in Kingman is going to tell me that if I like Germany so much why don't I get out of Kingman so the ice tea bag party can take over. Sorry, but I'm here to stay. [...and I'm staying also!]
Obviously if we didn't have the convergence of GOD and politics in the republican party that the super-capitalists and their corporatist minions on Wall Street have used to de-industrialize our nation we wouldn't be in the predicament we are in. We would have something that Germany, Japan, and China have, called an industrial policy. We would be negotiating fair trade agreements instead of free trade agreements which don't promote the general welfare of the people. We wouldn't have a military-industrial complex that serves a few insider politicians and corporations and their lobbyists. It sounds to me like these other nations have read our constitution and applied what it says. How come we can't do that? Because the GOD squad says we have to apply Biblical law in the US. Here is what I have to say about that. .....Biblical, shmiblical.
......well said, I think! AG
A response to a column in today's paper was, I think, so well expressed that I'd like to post it here:
Article comment by: mi[n]dless pap
What? You need to go read the preamble to the US Constitution. Concentrate on where it says, "provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare".
So now for all those ice tea bag partiers out there who think they know all about constitutional law, concentrate on this, Especially in Article 1, Section 8.: "Congress shall......provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States. ....To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts."
OK. So who decides what is a useful art? The ice tea bag party? Boehner? Give me a break.
Germany with one third the population we have and much higher wage and benefit costs is number 1 in per capita export manufacturing in the world. Why? It sounds to me like they read our constitution and applied what it says. Now of course some wise ice tea bag partier in Kingman is going to tell me that if I like Germany so much why don't I get out of Kingman so the ice tea bag party can take over. Sorry, but I'm here to stay. [...and I'm staying also!]
Obviously if we didn't have the convergence of GOD and politics in the republican party that the super-capitalists and their corporatist minions on Wall Street have used to de-industrialize our nation we wouldn't be in the predicament we are in. We would have something that Germany, Japan, and China have, called an industrial policy. We would be negotiating fair trade agreements instead of free trade agreements which don't promote the general welfare of the people. We wouldn't have a military-industrial complex that serves a few insider politicians and corporations and their lobbyists. It sounds to me like these other nations have read our constitution and applied what it says. How come we can't do that? Because the GOD squad says we have to apply Biblical law in the US. Here is what I have to say about that. .....Biblical, shmiblical.
......well said, I think! AG
Tuesday, April 05, 2011
The extremes of Christianity and Muslim religion
We have a serious problem in our world of 7+ billion folks who are very different from one another and are generally intollerant of anyone not of their culture nor beliefs.
One of the primary problems, obviously, is religion which controlls the minds of a majority of peoples with supernatural beliefs and expectations. Unfortunately many become zealots for their own beliefs and therefore militant. Below is an example of the clash between extremists on both sides which end in the deaths of innocent people who were actually unaware of their peril until too late.
What I'm referring to is the Mazar-e-Sharif UN attack and massacre by radical Muslims as published in the Wall Street Journal (4/4).
"Thousands of worshippers, flogged into a rage by sermons denouncing a burning of the Quran by a fringe preacher in the United States, spilled out of the Blue Mosque in Mazar-e-Sharif and marched about a mile to the UN compound and attacked UN workers inside, easily overwhelming the 60 or so Afghan police who tried to protect the site. One safe room at the UN compound proved ineffective in sheltering those inside. The attack developed so quickly that U.S. forces were unable to mobilize in time to intervene." http://tinyurl.com/3oyr2y8
So what spark initiated this rampage?
"It was the Quran-burning, held March 20 at the Dove World Outreach Center by church leader Terry Jones in Gainesville, Fla., was "hateful, extremely disrespectful and enormously intolerant," Gen. Petraeus said.
Now Jones is an American and living in an American sub-culture of Free Speech/Religion advocates who wantonly does what he wants in a Constitutional America without regard to the rest of the world. He is certainly not alone, but the rest of us Americans have to live with the shame he has placed upon us.
There were innocent human lives sacrificed because of this jerk who should somehow be forced to face trial and imprisionment - not by an American "Constitutional" court, but by an international court of crimes against humanity.
It is sad that so many of us use the Constitutional Bill of Rights to enable violations against our fellow citizens and others in the world.
For example, the 1st Amendment says: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof......." The problem with this amendment is the phrase, "...or prohibiting the free exercise thereof....." because we see what certain religious zealots can behave over and above the wishes, desires or welfare of the American people or, indeed, the people of the world!
Terry Jones is fully within his American rights, but is in reality an international criminal! Our only hope is that one of our Muslim-Americans might decide to "jehad (right word?)" our despised Reverend Jones. I certainly wouldn't weep a tear over that bastard or the congregation who encourages him!
http://tinyurl.com/3oyr2y8
One of the primary problems, obviously, is religion which controlls the minds of a majority of peoples with supernatural beliefs and expectations. Unfortunately many become zealots for their own beliefs and therefore militant. Below is an example of the clash between extremists on both sides which end in the deaths of innocent people who were actually unaware of their peril until too late.
What I'm referring to is the Mazar-e-Sharif UN attack and massacre by radical Muslims as published in the Wall Street Journal (4/4).
"Thousands of worshippers, flogged into a rage by sermons denouncing a burning of the Quran by a fringe preacher in the United States, spilled out of the Blue Mosque in Mazar-e-Sharif and marched about a mile to the UN compound and attacked UN workers inside, easily overwhelming the 60 or so Afghan police who tried to protect the site. One safe room at the UN compound proved ineffective in sheltering those inside. The attack developed so quickly that U.S. forces were unable to mobilize in time to intervene." http://tinyurl.com/3oyr2y8
So what spark initiated this rampage?
"It was the Quran-burning, held March 20 at the Dove World Outreach Center by church leader Terry Jones in Gainesville, Fla., was "hateful, extremely disrespectful and enormously intolerant," Gen. Petraeus said.
Now Jones is an American and living in an American sub-culture of Free Speech/Religion advocates who wantonly does what he wants in a Constitutional America without regard to the rest of the world. He is certainly not alone, but the rest of us Americans have to live with the shame he has placed upon us.
There were innocent human lives sacrificed because of this jerk who should somehow be forced to face trial and imprisionment - not by an American "Constitutional" court, but by an international court of crimes against humanity.
It is sad that so many of us use the Constitutional Bill of Rights to enable violations against our fellow citizens and others in the world.
For example, the 1st Amendment says: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof......." The problem with this amendment is the phrase, "...or prohibiting the free exercise thereof....." because we see what certain religious zealots can behave over and above the wishes, desires or welfare of the American people or, indeed, the people of the world!
Terry Jones is fully within his American rights, but is in reality an international criminal! Our only hope is that one of our Muslim-Americans might decide to "jehad (right word?)" our despised Reverend Jones. I certainly wouldn't weep a tear over that bastard or the congregation who encourages him!
http://tinyurl.com/3oyr2y8
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Japanese reactor problems as of 3-15-11
As a subscriber to "Friends of the Earth" website, what follows is their analysis of the problems. They are serious!
I have always been pro nuclear energy, but this does give me pause.... We may learn a lot by the Japanese experience in how to safely harness this great energy source which provides 20% of our energy needs. The reactors in Japan are for the most part very similar to those we have in this country also made by GE.
We should remember that when one deals with energy, there is always danger such as coal mine disasters, oil field blowouts as we've seen recently, etc. But without energy we don't have electricity, fuel for our cars, trains or airplanes.
We consume 25% of the world's energy to feed our perhaps over-abundant life styles, so we must live and learn - and rejecting any source of energy is not reasonable without serious consideration.
Dear Allan,
 |
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I wish I had better news for you on the tragic disaster in Japan. As its magnitude becomes more apparent, please join me once again in sending thoughts or prayers to the people of Japan.
As earthquake recovery is beginning in the city of Sendai and the surrounding Miyagi Prefecture, the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi site is growing grimmer by the hour. When we last wrote to you, our focus was on reactors #1 and #3 at the Fukushima Daiichi site, where there are six reactors total. At the time, hydrogen explosions had occurred at the buildings in which reactors #1 and #3 are housed, and the government and TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company) officials were fighting to regain control of the reactor cooling in order to prevent a total meltdown. We are fairly certain that fuel rods in both these reactors have at least partially melted.
Since then, significant problems have occurred at reactors #2 and #4. Reactor #2 experienced an explosion worse than the previous explosions -- it may have damaged the reactor casing itself. News reports, as well as information from our colleagues in Japan, indicate that the fuel rods at reactor #2 have been partially or fully exposed due to loss of coolant. Without circulating water to keep the fuel rods cool, they can heat to temperatures as high as 2000 degrees Celsius and melt into a molten pool of radioactive slag. This slag has the capacity to burn through containment vessels and then emit high amounts of radiation and radioactive materials into the environment. We are still seeking information that describes the true extent of the damage.
In addition, the pool containing used nuclear reactor fuel rods at reactor #4 caught on fire, leading to radioactive releases high enough to endanger the brave workers and first responders who remain on-site attempting to prevent full meltdowns. The spent fuel rods need to be kept cool for several years after they are removed from a reactor. Recent reports indicate that the spent fuel pool at reactor #4 is at its boiling point and could be unapproachable. We are beginning to hear reports that the spent fuel pools at reactors #5 and #6 are heating up as well. This situation is still fluid, but problems with spent fuel pools could limit workers' capacity to gain control of the reactors. If additional fires and explosions occur at the pools, they could lead to massive radioactive releases.
Following our first update, we heard from many members asking about the impact of the radiation from the reactors in Japan and what implications this has for the United States. We are talking to experts and compiling information and resources on our website. But I want to offer an important caveat: the Japanese government, as well as TEPCO, may not be providing accurate information about radiation readings and our understanding of the situation depends on their reports.
I wish I had better news. I hope from the bottom of my heart that the Japanese government and the utility and its brave workers are successful at gaining control of the reactors and spent fuel pools. Unfortunately, if the situation gets worse, we are likely facing a human and environmental catastrophe.
Regards,
Erich
Erich Pica
President, Friends of the Earth
Monday, March 07, 2011
Moore's speech in Madison...
America Is NOT Broke ...the Madison speech by Michael Moore
Delivered in Madison, Wisconsin on Saturday, March 5th, 2011. Video available here.
America is not broke.
Contrary to what those in power would like you to believe so that you'll give up your pension, cut your wages, and settle for the life your great-grandparents had, America is not broke. Not by a long shot. The country is awash in wealth and cash. It's just that it's not in your hands. It has been transferred, in the greatest heist in history, from the workers and consumers to the banks and the portfolios of the uber-rich.
Today just 400 Americans have the same wealth as half of all Americans combined.
Let me say that again. 400 obscenely rich people, most of whom benefited in some way from the multi-trillion dollar taxpayer "bailout" of 2008, now have as much loot, stock and property as the assets of 155 million Americans combined. If you can't bring yourself to call that a financial coup d'état, then you are simply not being honest about what you know in your heart to be true.
And I can see why. For us to admit that we have let a small group of men abscond with and hoard the bulk of the wealth that runs our economy, would mean that we'd have to accept the humiliating acknowledgment that we have indeed surrendered our precious Democracy to the moneyed elite. Wall Street, the banks and the Fortune 500 now run this Republic -- and, until this past month, the rest of us have felt completely helpless, unable to find a way to do anything about it.
I have nothing more than a high school degree. But back when I was in school, every student had to take one semester of economics in order to graduate. And here's what I learned: Money doesn't grow on trees. It grows when we make things. It grows when we have good jobs with good wages that we use to buy the things we need and thus create more jobs. It grows when we provide an outstanding educational system that then grows a new generation of inventors, entrepreneurs, artists, scientists and thinkers who come up with the next great idea for the planet. And that new idea creates new jobs and that creates revenue for the state. But if those who have the most money don't pay their fair share of taxes, the state can't function. The schools can't produce the best and the brightest who will go on to create those jobs. If the wealthy get to keep most of their money, we have seen what they will do with it: recklessly gamble it on crazy Wall Street schemes and crash our economy. The crash they created cost us millions of jobs. That too caused a reduction in tax revenue. Everyone ended up suffering because of what the rich did.
The nation is not broke, my friends. Wisconsin is not broke. Saying that the country is broke is repeating a Big Lie. It's one of the three biggest lies of the decade: 1) America is broke, 2) Iraq has WMD, and 3) The Packers can't win the Super Bowl without Brett Favre.
The truth is, there's lots of money to go around. LOTS. It's just that those in charge have diverted that wealth into a deep well that sits on their well-guarded estates. They know they have committed crimes to make this happen and they know that someday you may want to see some of that money that used to be yours. So they have bought and paid for hundreds of politicians across the country to do their bidding for them. But just in case that doesn't work, they've got their gated communities, and the luxury jet is always fully fueled, the engines running, waiting for that day they hope never comes. To help prevent that day when the people demand their country back, the wealthy have done two very smart things:
1. They control the message. By owning most of the media they have expertly convinced many Americans of few means to buy their version of the American Dream and to vote for their politicians. Their version of the Dream says that you, too, might be rich some day -- this is America, where anything can happen if you just apply yourself! They have conveniently provided you with believable examples to show you how a poor boy can become a rich man, how the child of a single mother in Hawaii can become president, how a guy with a high school education can become a successful filmmaker. They will play these stories for you over and over again all day long so that the last thing you will want to do is upset the apple cart -- because you -- yes, you, too! -- might be rich/president/an Oscar-winner some day! The message is clear: keep you head down, your nose to the grindstone, don't rock the boat and be sure to vote for the party that protects the rich man that you might be some day.
2. They have created a poison pill that they know you will never want to take. It is their version of mutually assured destruction. And when they threatened to release this weapon of mass economic annihilation in September of 2008, we blinked. As the economy and the stock market went into a tailspin, and the banks were caught conducting a worldwide Ponzi scheme, Wall Street issued this threat: Either hand over trillions of dollars from the American taxpayers or we will crash this economy straight into the ground. Fork it over or it's Goodbye savings accounts. Goodbye pensions. Goodbye United States Treasury. Goodbye jobs and homes and future. It was friggin' awesome and it scared the shit out of everyone. "Here! Take our money! We don't care. We'll even print more for you! Just take it! But, please, leave our lives alone, PLEASE!"
The executives in the board rooms and hedge funds could not contain their laughter, their glee, and within three months they were writing each other huge bonus checks and marveling at how perfectly they had played a nation full of suckers. Millions lost their jobs anyway, and millions lost their homes. But there was no revolt (see #1).
Until now. On Wisconsin! Never has a Michigander been more happy to share a big, great lake with you! You have aroused the sleeping giant known as the working people of the United States of America. Right now the earth is shaking and the ground is shifting under the feet of those who are in charge. Your message has inspired people in all 50 states and that message is: WE HAVE HAD IT! We reject anyone who tells us America is broke and broken. It's just the opposite! We are rich with talent and ideas and hard work and, yes, love. Love and compassion toward those who have, through no fault of their own, ended up as the least among us. But they still crave what we all crave: Our country back! Our democracy back! Our good name back! The United States of America. NOT the Corporate States of America. The United States of America!
So how do we make this happen? Well, we do it with a little bit of Egypt here, a little bit of Madison there. And let us pause for a moment and remember that it was a poor man with a fruit stand in Tunisia who gave his life so that the world might focus its attention on how a government run by billionaires for billionaires is an affront to freedom and morality and humanity.
Thank you, Wisconsin. You have made people realize this was our last best chance to grab the final thread of what was left of who we are as Americans. For three weeks you have stood in the cold, slept on the floor, skipped out of town to Illinois -- whatever it took, you have done it, and one thing is for certain: Madison is only the beginning. The smug rich have overplayed their hand. They couldn't have just been content with the money they raided from the treasury. They couldn't be satiated by simply removing millions of jobs and shipping them overseas to exploit the poor elsewhere. No, they had to have more -- something more than all the riches in the world. They had to have our soul. They had to strip us of our dignity. They had to shut us up and shut us down so that we could not even sit at a table with them and bargain about simple things like classroom size or bulletproof vests for everyone on the police force or letting a pilot just get a few extra hours sleep so he or she can do their job -- their $19,000 a year job. That's how much some rookie pilots on commuter airlines make, maybe even the rookie pilot who flew me here to Madison today. He told me he's stopped hoping for a pay increase. All he's asking for now is enough down time so that he doesn't have to sleep in his car between shifts at O'Hare airport. That's how despicably low we have sunk! The wealthy couldn't be content with just paying this man $19,000 a year. They had to take away his sleep. They had to demean him and dehumanize him and rub his face in it. After all, he's just another slob, isn't he?
And that, my friends, is Corporate America's fatal mistake. But trying to destroy us they have given birth to a movement -- a movement that is becoming a massive, nonviolent revolt across the country. We all knew there had to be a breaking point some day, and that point is upon us. Many people in the media don't understand this. They say they were caught off guard about Egypt, never saw it coming. Now they act surprised and flummoxed about why so many hundreds of thousands have come to Madison over the last three weeks during brutal winter weather. "Why are they all standing out there in the cold?" I mean, there was that election in November and that was supposed to be that!
"There's something happening here, and you don't know what it is, do you ...?"
America ain't broke! The only thing that's broke is the moral compass of the rulers. And we aim to fix that compass and steer the ship ourselves from now on. Never forget, as long as that Constitution of ours still stands, it's one person, one vote, and it's the thing the rich hate most about America -- because even though they seem to hold all the money and all the cards, they begrudgingly know this one unshakeable basic fact: There are more of us than there are of them!
Madison, do not retreat. We are with you. We will win together.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Male aggression caused by hormones, or something?
Wild and Weird: Male Squids Go Berserk
Interestingly, the pheromone in question is similar to a protein found in other animals . . . including at high levels in human males. The bar-brawl molecule, perhaps?
Read more in The Christian Science Monitor.
Condoms..... huh?
I was reading my daily 'Center for biological diversity' email and it provide this interesting - even titilating - point of view regarding endangered species and overpopulation -- yeah, I know.... huh?
Endangered Species Condoms Win Ad Award; Take Action Against Overpopulation
But some members of Congress are making that very hard. In fact, the House has just passed a bill to cut government funding for critical programs like women's health clinics -- which for millions of people provide the only available access to reproductive services, family planning and birth control. With this February marking Global Population Speak Out month, it's time to tell our elected representatives they should be expanding those programs, not cutting them -- for the sake of our planet and the public.
Check out our Endangered Species Condoms Project and sign the GPSO pledge. Then learn more about the legislative attack on family-planning services from politico.com and contact your senators asking them to counter it.
Wind energy in Kingman, Arizona
Two or three years ago it was announced by our local newspaper, 'The Kingman Daily Miner' (KDM) that Western Wind Energy had purchased desert land to install windmills for renewable energy.
Having seen quite often when living in northern California the spectacular windmills at Altamont Pass and also the windmills in Tehachapi and those just north of Palm Springs, I became excited by the idea because we certainly have as much if not more wind here in Kingman, Arizona.
It is not always windy here, but I live on a ridge south of town and the wind here is more prevalent than absent. I have a heavy ceramic tile roof and the wind can be strong enough to dislodge some tiles and last year my non-tiled south porch roof was peeled back onto the house with a loud boom! Fortunately insurance took care of it. Many mobile homes down in town have old used tires to weigh down their roofs. This is not tornado country, and the winds are called "straight winds" but they can happen as "micro-bursts" and quite unexpectedly.
I looked into the company, Canadian, which has interests in the California windfarms so primarily to be "Green" I bought a thousand shares which were and still are cheap but my primary interest in them was that they've been around for a number of years and they do good things. I certainly don't, at my age, expect to make any money but rather to do the right thing - isn't that what "Greenies" do?
The following is a piece in today's KDM indicating that the project is finally coming to fruition, since I can see forever to the south, I hope next spring to see windmills on my horizon! I should mention that small private windmills are cropping up all over town.
KINGMAN - Western Wind Energy has started work on the first renewable energy project under construction in Mohave County.
"We will be erecting five 270-foot towers with blades that are about 175 feet," Western Wind Energy Vice-President of Development Mike Boyd said. "This is a unique project. The pads are almost completed. This is the first utility-scale, integrated wind and solar energy project in the United States."
According to the Western Wind website, construction on the company's "wholly owned 10.5-megawatt combined wind and solar project" began in "December 2010, and commercial operations are estimated to commence in the third quarter of 2011 ... The project is fully zoned for wind energy ... The company has signed a power purchase agreement with UNS Electric, Inc., a subsidiary of UniSource Energy Corporation of Arizona."
The project is east of Interstate 40 and the railroad tracks, south of Kingman, "approximately one section of land east of the Nucor Steel plant," Boyd said. "It's at the end of Old Trails Road. The project is on 808 acres. The area is currently being graded. We expect the turbines to arrive and start going up on April 15. This project will be completed in the middle of July."
A 10-acre area is currently being prepared for photovoltaic solar panels, he said. Power from the wind turbines and solar panels will go to the substation and, from there, go on a line "across BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land to the interconnect utility" to feed the power to UniSource. The total of 10.5-megawatts is enough to power approximately 4,000 homes.
"Western Wind is an energy development company," Boyd said. "RMT, our environmental procurement contracting company, is a huge international construction company. We have a number of local contractors, as well. Whenever it is not a totally specialized service, we hire local contractors."
RMT, Inc. Project Manager Bob Tepp is overseeing construction.
"We broke ground on December 28," Tepp said. The roads and pads are currently being graded. "The road will be widened to 32 feet across" to allow a crane to be brought up and assembled "on the site and be able to walk from pad to pad" to construct the towers and turbines along a ridge that is between 3,400 and 3,600 feet above sea level.
"I commend Western Wind Energy and UniSource for locating this sustainable energy project in Mohave County," County Economic Development Department Director Travis Lingenfelter said. "According to Western Wind Energy's corporate office, this project represents a total investment of approximately $28 million, which demonstrates their confidence in the future of the renewable energy sector here in northwest Arizona."
Western Wind "has been very easy to work with," Mohave County Planning and Zoning Manager Christine Ballard said. "They have always kept a good line of communication open. If we needed anything, they got it to us. Once they got the green light to go, they have been very responsive in getting information back to us."
"Their initial contact with us was back in 2005," County Planner John Montgomery said. "In the beginning, they were looking at more turbines of a smaller size. But that changed. First they got their zoning approved and then things were on hold for a while. We went through a series of extensions of time for them and then, in the last few months, they've had big activity."
"RMT is currently cutting in roads and doing the pads for the wind generators and the solar field," County Chief Building Official Ronald Durgin said. "They will be picking up the permits for the foundations for the five wind generators. They just submitted the final plans for the wind generators yesterday (Wednesday, Feb. 16). This is pretty much a six-month time frame from start to finish."
As well as a $28 million investment in the area, which includes many construction jobs, Mohave County will potentially garner between $80,000 and $100,000 in permitting fees to pay for the review and inspection processes, Ballard said.
"I'm dealing with the RMT project manager on the field operations," Durgin said. "My (Building) division is involved in the review of construction plan documents and getting materials ready for permits to be issued. We also do all the field inspections and follow through on construction. Our job goes through the whole process until the project is completed. They (RMT) are very well organized and efficient in what they do. Their schedule has been pretty aggressive."
Mohave County has two types of renewable energy projects on the books, Ballard said. "We have the large-scale types that are going to tie into the WAPA (Western Area Power Administration) grid. Then we have the smaller plants that will tie into another merchant or local utility, like UniSource."
UniSource has its own proposed photovoltaic project, Durgin said.
"The next one (wind energy project) that seems to be moving forward is the BP (British Petroleum) project up in White Hills," Montgomery said. "Right now they are in the process with BLM on the environmental impact statement."
Having seen quite often when living in northern California the spectacular windmills at Altamont Pass and also the windmills in Tehachapi and those just north of Palm Springs, I became excited by the idea because we certainly have as much if not more wind here in Kingman, Arizona.
It is not always windy here, but I live on a ridge south of town and the wind here is more prevalent than absent. I have a heavy ceramic tile roof and the wind can be strong enough to dislodge some tiles and last year my non-tiled south porch roof was peeled back onto the house with a loud boom! Fortunately insurance took care of it. Many mobile homes down in town have old used tires to weigh down their roofs. This is not tornado country, and the winds are called "straight winds" but they can happen as "micro-bursts" and quite unexpectedly.
I looked into the company, Canadian, which has interests in the California windfarms so primarily to be "Green" I bought a thousand shares which were and still are cheap but my primary interest in them was that they've been around for a number of years and they do good things. I certainly don't, at my age, expect to make any money but rather to do the right thing - isn't that what "Greenies" do?
The following is a piece in today's KDM indicating that the project is finally coming to fruition, since I can see forever to the south, I hope next spring to see windmills on my horizon! I should mention that small private windmills are cropping up all over town.
KINGMAN - Western Wind Energy has started work on the first renewable energy project under construction in Mohave County.
"We will be erecting five 270-foot towers with blades that are about 175 feet," Western Wind Energy Vice-President of Development Mike Boyd said. "This is a unique project. The pads are almost completed. This is the first utility-scale, integrated wind and solar energy project in the United States."
According to the Western Wind website, construction on the company's "wholly owned 10.5-megawatt combined wind and solar project" began in "December 2010, and commercial operations are estimated to commence in the third quarter of 2011 ... The project is fully zoned for wind energy ... The company has signed a power purchase agreement with UNS Electric, Inc., a subsidiary of UniSource Energy Corporation of Arizona."
The project is east of Interstate 40 and the railroad tracks, south of Kingman, "approximately one section of land east of the Nucor Steel plant," Boyd said. "It's at the end of Old Trails Road. The project is on 808 acres. The area is currently being graded. We expect the turbines to arrive and start going up on April 15. This project will be completed in the middle of July."
A 10-acre area is currently being prepared for photovoltaic solar panels, he said. Power from the wind turbines and solar panels will go to the substation and, from there, go on a line "across BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land to the interconnect utility" to feed the power to UniSource. The total of 10.5-megawatts is enough to power approximately 4,000 homes.
"Western Wind is an energy development company," Boyd said. "RMT, our environmental procurement contracting company, is a huge international construction company. We have a number of local contractors, as well. Whenever it is not a totally specialized service, we hire local contractors."
RMT, Inc. Project Manager Bob Tepp is overseeing construction.
"We broke ground on December 28," Tepp said. The roads and pads are currently being graded. "The road will be widened to 32 feet across" to allow a crane to be brought up and assembled "on the site and be able to walk from pad to pad" to construct the towers and turbines along a ridge that is between 3,400 and 3,600 feet above sea level.
"I commend Western Wind Energy and UniSource for locating this sustainable energy project in Mohave County," County Economic Development Department Director Travis Lingenfelter said. "According to Western Wind Energy's corporate office, this project represents a total investment of approximately $28 million, which demonstrates their confidence in the future of the renewable energy sector here in northwest Arizona."
Western Wind "has been very easy to work with," Mohave County Planning and Zoning Manager Christine Ballard said. "They have always kept a good line of communication open. If we needed anything, they got it to us. Once they got the green light to go, they have been very responsive in getting information back to us."
"Their initial contact with us was back in 2005," County Planner John Montgomery said. "In the beginning, they were looking at more turbines of a smaller size. But that changed. First they got their zoning approved and then things were on hold for a while. We went through a series of extensions of time for them and then, in the last few months, they've had big activity."
"RMT is currently cutting in roads and doing the pads for the wind generators and the solar field," County Chief Building Official Ronald Durgin said. "They will be picking up the permits for the foundations for the five wind generators. They just submitted the final plans for the wind generators yesterday (Wednesday, Feb. 16). This is pretty much a six-month time frame from start to finish."
As well as a $28 million investment in the area, which includes many construction jobs, Mohave County will potentially garner between $80,000 and $100,000 in permitting fees to pay for the review and inspection processes, Ballard said.
"I'm dealing with the RMT project manager on the field operations," Durgin said. "My (Building) division is involved in the review of construction plan documents and getting materials ready for permits to be issued. We also do all the field inspections and follow through on construction. Our job goes through the whole process until the project is completed. They (RMT) are very well organized and efficient in what they do. Their schedule has been pretty aggressive."
Mohave County has two types of renewable energy projects on the books, Ballard said. "We have the large-scale types that are going to tie into the WAPA (Western Area Power Administration) grid. Then we have the smaller plants that will tie into another merchant or local utility, like UniSource."
UniSource has its own proposed photovoltaic project, Durgin said.
"The next one (wind energy project) that seems to be moving forward is the BP (British Petroleum) project up in White Hills," Montgomery said. "Right now they are in the process with BLM on the environmental impact statement."
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Brace for a showdown as Tea Party sponsored government shutdown looms
If enacted as is, the GOP plan would eliminate numerous programs, including the Corporation for National and Community Service, which runs the AmeriCorps program, and it would terminate federal funding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It would cut $600 million from border security and immigration programs. It would eliminate nearly $80 million for the District and slash funding for the cleanup of the Chesapeake Bay.
On Friday and Saturday, Republicans approved measures that would provide narrow savings but impose sharp policy prescriptions, including the abolition of any federal funding going to Planned Parenthood and the restriction of any funds going toward the implementation of Obama's health-care law.
The cuts to government would amount to 61 billion dollars which is a drop in the bucket for the deficit which amounts to 1.7 trillion dollars or about 3.4%. So we would reduce the amount we add to the national debt by that much, but what each and every one of us would have to pay to eliminate the national debt would be $44,900! Now, most of us have mortgages on our homes which amount to more than that and at the rate of inflation, we'd probably never feel the pinch if we actually had to pay it off.
On the other hand, the aforementioned programs involve some very talented employees who would necessarily lose their jobs just when employment is at its lowest. Do those of you in the workforce want to compete with these newly unemployed?
I'm sure that those of us in the southwest would hate to have the government reduce spending on border security and immigration, but that will be the case under the new rules if enacted. I'd suspect that we'd revert to open borders like we used to have with Canada.
After all, we're all good trading partners and open borders are much cheaper to maintain. Mexicans are willing to do work most Americans won't. As to the drug trade, if we were to legalize drugs and tax their sale, just as we have (even here in Arizona) with marijuana, we'd quickly eliminate our national debt. ...and, of course, if we were to drastically cut Pentagon spending and bring our boys home, we'd quickly eliminate our deficit!!!
It is highly time for us to reconsider our priorities. What is it that we want government to do? Should we police the world or should we care about our citizens and make their lives better through health care, education and the elimination of poverty?
If enacted as is, the GOP plan would eliminate numerous programs, including the Corporation for National and Community Service, which runs the AmeriCorps program, and it would terminate federal funding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It would cut $600 million from border security and immigration programs. It would eliminate nearly $80 million for the District and slash funding for the cleanup of the Chesapeake Bay.
On Friday and Saturday, Republicans approved measures that would provide narrow savings but impose sharp policy prescriptions, including the abolition of any federal funding going to Planned Parenthood and the restriction of any funds going toward the implementation of Obama's health-care law.
The cuts to government would amount to 61 billion dollars which is a drop in the bucket for the deficit which amounts to 1.7 trillion dollars or about 3.4%. So we would reduce the amount we add to the national debt by that much, but what each and every one of us would have to pay to eliminate the national debt would be $44,900! Now, most of us have mortgages on our homes which amount to more than that and at the rate of inflation, we'd probably never feel the pinch if we actually had to pay it off.
On the other hand, the aforementioned programs involve some very talented employees who would necessarily lose their jobs just when employment is at its lowest. Do those of you in the workforce want to compete with these newly unemployed?
I'm sure that those of us in the southwest would hate to have the government reduce spending on border security and immigration, but that will be the case under the new rules if enacted. I'd suspect that we'd revert to open borders like we used to have with Canada.
After all, we're all good trading partners and open borders are much cheaper to maintain. Mexicans are willing to do work most Americans won't. As to the drug trade, if we were to legalize drugs and tax their sale, just as we have (even here in Arizona) with marijuana, we'd quickly eliminate our national debt. ...and, of course, if we were to drastically cut Pentagon spending and bring our boys home, we'd quickly eliminate our deficit!!!
It is highly time for us to reconsider our priorities. What is it that we want government to do? Should we police the world or should we care about our citizens and make their lives better through health care, education and the elimination of poverty?
Thursday, February 03, 2011
ARIZONA -- what else
I found this an interesting approach to the belligerency of Arizona politicians who are making sounds similar to those made by the politicians in South Carolina just before the Civil War.
The following was just published in the Kingman Daily Miner newspaper as an e-comment to a letter to the editor:
Posted: Thursday, February 03, 2011
Article comment by: Robert E. Lee
Please, Get rid of everything the Federal Government ever did for Arizona. Dismantle Hoover Dam, pull up I-40, I-10, I-8, and I-17.
Get rid of the CAP canal. Get rid of Roosevelt Dam. Get rid of the Wellton Mohawk Irrigation District. Pull down Davis Dam, and especially for Ron Gould, get rid of Parker Dam.
Move Luke Air Force Base out, move the Yuma Proving Ground and MCAS Yuma out. Get rid of Davis-Monthan Airbase, close Fort Huachuca. Close Grand Canyon National Park, and all other National Parks and Mounuments, and give them to Jim Rhodes, Ned Warren, and Fife Symington. Close all mines on Federal Land. Stop all grazing on BLM land. Not one more tree to be cut on Federal Forest Lands. When the forest fires hit do not call the Smoke jumpers, they are Federal employees. All Indian tribes should put fences around their properties and keep everyone else out, since they were federal establishements.
And by gosh, make sure no one in this State gets any social security, Medicare, or VA benefits [hmmm...well....?], Get rid of the those Veterans' Cemeteries, and VA Hospitals. Bring back slavery. Open the border, since the Border Patrol is Federal, and no more Customs Enforcement or INS at the border. Leave the border security to Arizona's Sheriff's offices.
But make sure you don't raise any taxes to support those Sheriff's [like Arpaio], we are all against any tax increases. Please do not give any pay to any Federal judge nor Jon Kyl, or Senator Senile, and especially not to Trent Franks. Please Federal Government, do absolutely nothing for Arizona. That is what they want, give it to them.
The following was just published in the Kingman Daily Miner newspaper as an e-comment to a letter to the editor:
Posted: Thursday, February 03, 2011
Article comment by: Robert E. Lee
Please, Get rid of everything the Federal Government ever did for Arizona. Dismantle Hoover Dam, pull up I-40, I-10, I-8, and I-17.
Get rid of the CAP canal. Get rid of Roosevelt Dam. Get rid of the Wellton Mohawk Irrigation District. Pull down Davis Dam, and especially for Ron Gould, get rid of Parker Dam.
Move Luke Air Force Base out, move the Yuma Proving Ground and MCAS Yuma out. Get rid of Davis-Monthan Airbase, close Fort Huachuca. Close Grand Canyon National Park, and all other National Parks and Mounuments, and give them to Jim Rhodes, Ned Warren, and Fife Symington. Close all mines on Federal Land. Stop all grazing on BLM land. Not one more tree to be cut on Federal Forest Lands. When the forest fires hit do not call the Smoke jumpers, they are Federal employees. All Indian tribes should put fences around their properties and keep everyone else out, since they were federal establishements.
And by gosh, make sure no one in this State gets any social security, Medicare, or VA benefits [hmmm...well....?], Get rid of the those Veterans' Cemeteries, and VA Hospitals. Bring back slavery. Open the border, since the Border Patrol is Federal, and no more Customs Enforcement or INS at the border. Leave the border security to Arizona's Sheriff's offices.
But make sure you don't raise any taxes to support those Sheriff's [like Arpaio], we are all against any tax increases. Please do not give any pay to any Federal judge nor Jon Kyl, or Senator Senile, and especially not to Trent Franks. Please Federal Government, do absolutely nothing for Arizona. That is what they want, give it to them.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
As We Approach Martin Luther King's birthday...
Considering the recent politically motivated killings in Tucson I think the following words by Dr. King are appropriate. This is a distinction between good and evil, not necessarily aimed at one politica party or another. There are evil people everywhere. However, I'm certain that there are many more good people on each side of a dispute than those who may be deemed evil by society.
"When evil men (and women) plot,
good men (and women) plan.
When evil men (and women) burn and bomb,
good men (and women) must build and bind.
When evil men (and women) shout ugly words of hatred,
good men (and women) commit themselves to the glories of love.
Where evil men (and women) would seek to perpetuate an unjust status quo,
good men (and women) must seek to bring into being a real order of justice."
- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Life is NOT tough all over!
So, my sweet young 'friends' you think life is tough, consider.....
Homemade incubator saves Kenyan infant lives
An incubator designed by a traditional birth attendant and herbalist in a slum in Nairobi, Kenya, has been saving the lives of infants for some 20 years. Alice Sibour uses pillows, blankets, hot water containers and a mosquito net to reduce premature deaths in a country where some 55 out of 1,000 newborns do not survive. CNN (1/11)
Squatter slums around Baghdad subsist on garbage economy
In the Iraqi capital, men are turning to nocturnal scavenging in light of the flagging economy. They are collecting and selling cans, scrap metal and garbage to support their families. "People here are living on garbage and animals," said a middleman in the midsize Naser City, a squatter settlement that subsists largely on the underground refuse economy. The New York Times (free registration) (1/11)
Homemade incubator saves Kenyan infant lives
An incubator designed by a traditional birth attendant and herbalist in a slum in Nairobi, Kenya, has been saving the lives of infants for some 20 years. Alice Sibour uses pillows, blankets, hot water containers and a mosquito net to reduce premature deaths in a country where some 55 out of 1,000 newborns do not survive. CNN (1/11)
Squatter slums around Baghdad subsist on garbage economy
In the Iraqi capital, men are turning to nocturnal scavenging in light of the flagging economy. They are collecting and selling cans, scrap metal and garbage to support their families. "People here are living on garbage and animals," said a middleman in the midsize Naser City, a squatter settlement that subsists largely on the underground refuse economy. The New York Times (free registration) (1/11)
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Here I am pushing a cause. This time it is not for the welfare of the world, but my own personal welfare! This cause, is a worthy one for anyone who wants good information on almost any subject instantly! It is, of course, WIKIPEDIA! If you use a computer and you really want to know about something or somebody living or dead, where do you go? . . .of course, WIKIPEDIA!
In my own little world, I didn't realize how the service was funded, I was only interested in the fact that I could learn all sorts of things I needed to know reliably and instantly. It turns out that it is entirely donor funded. I learned this a few weeks ago and just received the following email which I hope you'll read and consider joining the list of supporters to help pay for such a wonderful FREE service.
Thank you for your donation to this year's fundraiser. We're a little more than half-way toward our 2010 goal, so I hope you won't mind if I ask you to help again.
Most people don't know this, but I'm a volunteer.
I don't get paid a cent for my work at Wikipedia, and neither do our thousands of other volunteer authors and editors. When I founded Wikipedia, I could have made it into a for-profit company with advertising, but I decided to do something different.
Commerce is fine. Advertising is not evil. But it doesn't belong here. Not in Wikipedia.
To keep Wikipedia ad-free, we ask for donations every year on the site. We're sending you this email because we are scaling up our infrastructure this year, and we're simply not able to raise the whole budget from the banners alone.
We have an easy way to make an automatic monthly donation to Wikipedia, and we're looking for people who would like to become sustainers. (Of course you can make a one-time donation as well.)
Please make a monthly recurring gift of $2, $5, $7 -- or whatever you can:
http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/WMFRE021/en
Wikipedia is something special. It is like a library or a public park. It is like a temple for the mind. It is a place we can all go to think, to learn, to share our knowledge with others. It is a unique human project, the first of its kind in history. It is a humanitarian project to bring a free encyclopedia to every single person on the planet.
Every single person.
If all of Wikipedia's 400 million users would donate $1 each, we would have 20 times the amount of money we need. We're a small organization, and I've worked hard over the years to keep us lean and tight. We fulfill our mission, and leave waste to others.
To do this without resorting to advertising, we need you. It is you who keep this dream alive. It is you who have created Wikipedia. It is you who believe that a place of calm reflection and learning is worth having.
Thanks,
Jimmy Wales
Wikipedia Founder
P.S. -- If you can't commit to a recurring monthly donation, I hope you'll consider making another one time gift to help us reach our goal before the end of the year. Please make your donation today.
Wikimedia Foundation
P.O. Box 894879
Los Angeles, California 90189-4879
United States
P.O. Box 894879
Los Angeles, California 90189-4879
United States
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Thanksgiving letter from Defenders of Wildlife
I'm posting this Thanksgiving letter because it has been an eventful year on behalf of our wildlife and I think it important for you to know that good things do happen (once in a while)!
Dear Allan,
Thanksgiving is Thursday, and we here at Defenders have a lot to be thankful for.
Allan, thanks to your efforts and support, here are just a few things we've accomplished this year:
Instead of facing another deadly hunting season this fall, wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies once again enjoyed protections under the Endangered Species Act.
Polar bears, bowhead whales and other Arctic wildlife won a reprieve from Big Oil's drills in the Chukchi Sea.
And since Monday, more than 38,000 supporters have urged President Obama to continue to protect this special place and the wildlife that depends on it to survive.
Hundreds of prairie dogs were moved to a new home on the Great Plains -- and away from the threat of poisoning.
In the wake of the worst offshore oil disaster in U.S. history, tens of thousands of Defenders supporters mobilized to pass the CLEAR Act in the House of Representatives -- critical legislation to help reform offshore drilling and restore habitat in the Gulf -- and nearly 30,000 supporters have urged the Senate to do the same.
But we’re most thankful for the people who made these and many other wins for wildlife -- and all our work -- possible: you and the hundreds of thousands of caring Defenders of Wildlife supporters.
Our wildlife still faces some enormous challenges. But with the ongoing support of dedicated supporters like you, we can face these challenges head on.
From all of us at Defenders, thank you for all you do to protect our wildlife and wild places.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Rodger Schlickeisen
President
Defenders of Wildlife
© Copyright 2010, Defenders of Wildlife
This message was sent to algleason@frontiernet.net.
Dear Allan,
Thanksgiving is Thursday, and we here at Defenders have a lot to be thankful for.
Allan, thanks to your efforts and support, here are just a few things we've accomplished this year:
Instead of facing another deadly hunting season this fall, wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies once again enjoyed protections under the Endangered Species Act.
Polar bears, bowhead whales and other Arctic wildlife won a reprieve from Big Oil's drills in the Chukchi Sea.
And since Monday, more than 38,000 supporters have urged President Obama to continue to protect this special place and the wildlife that depends on it to survive.
Hundreds of prairie dogs were moved to a new home on the Great Plains -- and away from the threat of poisoning.
In the wake of the worst offshore oil disaster in U.S. history, tens of thousands of Defenders supporters mobilized to pass the CLEAR Act in the House of Representatives -- critical legislation to help reform offshore drilling and restore habitat in the Gulf -- and nearly 30,000 supporters have urged the Senate to do the same.
But we’re most thankful for the people who made these and many other wins for wildlife -- and all our work -- possible: you and the hundreds of thousands of caring Defenders of Wildlife supporters.
Our wildlife still faces some enormous challenges. But with the ongoing support of dedicated supporters like you, we can face these challenges head on.
From all of us at Defenders, thank you for all you do to protect our wildlife and wild places.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Rodger Schlickeisen
President
Defenders of Wildlife
© Copyright 2010, Defenders of Wildlife
This message was sent to algleason@frontiernet.net.
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