Friday, June 25, 2004
Mean On Green
The Bush administration is approving only about one of every two acres that federal biologists propose setting aside to help vanishing species recover.
Between 2001 and 2003, the government cut 42 million acres from plans to create nearly 83 million acres of critical habitat for threatened and endangered species, a National Wildlife Federation study found.
The Good Samaritan Award
Goes to Linda Goold.
Goes to Linda Goold.
The 50 or so customers of the Trident Utilities water system near Rainier have Linda Goold to thank for the water running from their taps. Their taps went dry early Monday, even though they'd paid their individual bills.
Puget Sound Energy had shut off electricity to the entire water system shortly before 10 a.m. Monday because the water utility hadn't paid its electric bill.
Unable to reach utility officials, Goold took the matter into her own hands, paying the $221.39 delinquent bill, plus a $5 late fee, so she and her neighbors wouldn't go without water.
Death and Taxes
Between increased work hours and memorial services, haven't had much time to post.
Not family, but important people.
Between increased work hours and memorial services, haven't had much time to post.
Not family, but important people.
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
The Resident Demonstrates His 'Command' of the English Language
Georgie Get Your Gun
Q: You do have now the personal gun of Saddam Hussein. Are you willing to give it to President Al-Yawer as a symbolic gift or you're keeping it?
BUSH: What she is referring to is members of a Delta team came to see me in the Oval Office and brought with me - these were the people that Saddam Hussein, the dictator of Iraq, hiding in a hole.
And, by the way, let me remind everybody about Saddam Hussein, just in case we all forget: There were mass graves under his leadership. There were torture chambers.
Saddam Hussein, if you - we had seven people come to my office -perhaps the foreign press didn't receive this story.
Seven people came with a story, they had their hands cut off, because the Iraqi currency had devalued, and Saddam Hussein needed somebody to blame, so he blamed small merchants. And their hands were chopped off, their right hand.
Fortunately, a documentary filmmaker went to Baghdad and filmed these seven men. And their story was picked up around the nation, particularly in Houston, Texas, where a person named Marvin Zindler, who runs a foundation took great sympathy and flew them over and had new hands put on. The latest prosthesis were put on their hands - were put on their arms. And their hands worked.
I remember the guy signing "God bless America" with his new hand in the Oval Office.
So this is the person - so, needless to say, our people were thrilled to have captured him.
And in his lap were several weapons. One of them was a pistol, and they brought it to me. It's now the property of the U.S. government.
And I am grateful for their bravery. I'm also grateful that that part of the mission was accomplished for the good of the Iraqi people.
So, foreigners are allowed to travel into the United States carrying weapons?
Georgie Get Your Gun
Q: You do have now the personal gun of Saddam Hussein. Are you willing to give it to President Al-Yawer as a symbolic gift or you're keeping it?
BUSH: What she is referring to is members of a Delta team came to see me in the Oval Office and brought with me - these were the people that Saddam Hussein, the dictator of Iraq, hiding in a hole.
And, by the way, let me remind everybody about Saddam Hussein, just in case we all forget: There were mass graves under his leadership. There were torture chambers.
Saddam Hussein, if you - we had seven people come to my office -perhaps the foreign press didn't receive this story.
Seven people came with a story, they had their hands cut off, because the Iraqi currency had devalued, and Saddam Hussein needed somebody to blame, so he blamed small merchants. And their hands were chopped off, their right hand.
Fortunately, a documentary filmmaker went to Baghdad and filmed these seven men. And their story was picked up around the nation, particularly in Houston, Texas, where a person named Marvin Zindler, who runs a foundation took great sympathy and flew them over and had new hands put on. The latest prosthesis were put on their hands - were put on their arms. And their hands worked.
I remember the guy signing "God bless America" with his new hand in the Oval Office.
So this is the person - so, needless to say, our people were thrilled to have captured him.
And in his lap were several weapons. One of them was a pistol, and they brought it to me. It's now the property of the U.S. government.
And I am grateful for their bravery. I'm also grateful that that part of the mission was accomplished for the good of the Iraqi people.
So, foreigners are allowed to travel into the United States carrying weapons?
CONSTITUTIONAL & INTERNATIONAL LAW 101--as interpreted by Resident Bush
"In order to respect the President's inherent constitutional authority to manage a military campaign, 18 U.S.C 2340A (the prohibition against torture) must be construed as -inapplicable to interrogations undertaken pursuant to his Commander-(underlined)-in-Chief authority. Congress lacks authority under Article I to set the terms and conditions under which the President may exercise his authority as Commander-in-Chief to control the conduct of operations during a war. The President's power to detain and interrogate enemy combatants arises out of his constitutional authority as Commander-in-Chief. A construction of Section 2340A that applied the provision to regulate the Presiden't authority as Commander-in-Chief to determine the interrogation and treatment of enemy combatants would raise serious constitutional questions. Congress may no more regulate the President's ability to detain and interrogate emeny combatants than it may regulate his ability to direct troop movements on the battlefield. Accordingly, we would construe Section 2340A to avoid this constitutional difficulty, and conclude that it does not apply to the President's detention and interrogation of enemy combatants pursuant to his Commander-in-Chief authority."
"I'm going to say it one more time. In fact, maybe I can be more clear. The instructions went out to our people to adhere to law. That ought to comfort you. We're a nation of law. We adhere to laws. We have laws on the books. You might look at those laws, and that might provide comfort for you. And those were the instructions from me to the government."
"In order to respect the President's inherent constitutional authority to manage a military campaign, 18 U.S.C 2340A (the prohibition against torture) must be construed as -inapplicable to interrogations undertaken pursuant to his Commander-(underlined)-in-Chief authority. Congress lacks authority under Article I to set the terms and conditions under which the President may exercise his authority as Commander-in-Chief to control the conduct of operations during a war. The President's power to detain and interrogate enemy combatants arises out of his constitutional authority as Commander-in-Chief. A construction of Section 2340A that applied the provision to regulate the Presiden't authority as Commander-in-Chief to determine the interrogation and treatment of enemy combatants would raise serious constitutional questions. Congress may no more regulate the President's ability to detain and interrogate emeny combatants than it may regulate his ability to direct troop movements on the battlefield. Accordingly, we would construe Section 2340A to avoid this constitutional difficulty, and conclude that it does not apply to the President's detention and interrogation of enemy combatants pursuant to his Commander-in-Chief authority."
"I'm going to say it one more time. In fact, maybe I can be more clear. The instructions went out to our people to adhere to law. That ought to comfort you. We're a nation of law. We adhere to laws. We have laws on the books. You might look at those laws, and that might provide comfort for you. And those were the instructions from me to the government."
Friday, June 11, 2004
Ray Charles
One of the houses we lived in as I was growing up was an old two-story with bay windows, wood floors, and ample room for our large family. It had once been an apartment building, with the remnants of an old kitchen upstairs, along with several bedrooms and a playroom that was equipped with a small record player and a sizeable stack of 45's. My father worked for a local radio station and often brought demo's home, so we were well stocked with all kinds of music.
'Personality' and the 'President's Song' were played frequently, but the record that was set to repeat most often was the Ray Charles 45, 'Hey, Hey'. (I know it's listed as 'What'd I Say' now, but I could swear that it read 'Hey' on the label...yet for the longest time I thought that old hymn we used to sing in church was 'Bringing in the Sheep', so I wouldn't stake my life on it.)
I had the good fortune to be able to hear Ray Charles in concert at Fenway Park when he appeared there for the Newport Jazz Festival. His music had been an integral part of my life growing up, so it was an experience to be treasured.
His family has set up a Memorial. If you are so inclined, you can go light a candle and pay tribute to one of the fathers of soul.
One of the houses we lived in as I was growing up was an old two-story with bay windows, wood floors, and ample room for our large family. It had once been an apartment building, with the remnants of an old kitchen upstairs, along with several bedrooms and a playroom that was equipped with a small record player and a sizeable stack of 45's. My father worked for a local radio station and often brought demo's home, so we were well stocked with all kinds of music.
'Personality' and the 'President's Song' were played frequently, but the record that was set to repeat most often was the Ray Charles 45, 'Hey, Hey'. (I know it's listed as 'What'd I Say' now, but I could swear that it read 'Hey' on the label...yet for the longest time I thought that old hymn we used to sing in church was 'Bringing in the Sheep', so I wouldn't stake my life on it.)
I had the good fortune to be able to hear Ray Charles in concert at Fenway Park when he appeared there for the Newport Jazz Festival. His music had been an integral part of my life growing up, so it was an experience to be treasured.
His family has set up a Memorial. If you are so inclined, you can go light a candle and pay tribute to one of the fathers of soul.
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
Give me that old time religion...
The Interfaith Alliance, denounced an initiative from the Bush-Cheney campaign seeking to enlist campaign support in 1600 "friendly congregations" in Pennsylvania.
"Whether or not this is legal, this is an astonishing abuse of religion," said the Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, President of the Interfaith Alliance. "It is the rawest form of manipulation of religion for partisan gain."
A member of The Interfaith Alliance (TIA) sent a copy of the e-mail she received from the Bush-Cheney campaign asking for volunteers to “serve as a coordinator in your place of worship.” A campaign spokesperson in Pennsylvania admitted to Rabbi Jack Moline, a TIA board member that the email was from the campaign but had only been intended for central Pennsylvania. The spokesperson said that the Bush national headquarters in Virginia had apparently sent it out to others on their list.
"If ever there were a question about the real intent of expanding faith-based initiatives and promoting a presence of religion in government, this tactic puts it to rest," Rabbi Moline said. "The Bush-Cheney campaign has dropped any pretense of honoring the separation of church and state mandated by the Constitution, and puts in jeopardy the non-profit status of 1600 houses of worship by asking them to engage in partisan politics. The President should repudiate this initiative immediately. 1600 Pennsylvania churches for 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. How clever. How reprehensible."
The Interfaith Alliance, denounced an initiative from the Bush-Cheney campaign seeking to enlist campaign support in 1600 "friendly congregations" in Pennsylvania.
"Whether or not this is legal, this is an astonishing abuse of religion," said the Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, President of the Interfaith Alliance. "It is the rawest form of manipulation of religion for partisan gain."
A member of The Interfaith Alliance (TIA) sent a copy of the e-mail she received from the Bush-Cheney campaign asking for volunteers to “serve as a coordinator in your place of worship.” A campaign spokesperson in Pennsylvania admitted to Rabbi Jack Moline, a TIA board member that the email was from the campaign but had only been intended for central Pennsylvania. The spokesperson said that the Bush national headquarters in Virginia had apparently sent it out to others on their list.
"If ever there were a question about the real intent of expanding faith-based initiatives and promoting a presence of religion in government, this tactic puts it to rest," Rabbi Moline said. "The Bush-Cheney campaign has dropped any pretense of honoring the separation of church and state mandated by the Constitution, and puts in jeopardy the non-profit status of 1600 houses of worship by asking them to engage in partisan politics. The President should repudiate this initiative immediately. 1600 Pennsylvania churches for 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. How clever. How reprehensible."
CONTRADICTIONS
Here is an interesting conundrumfor you and your people to chew on: The Pentagon is hastily moving US troops stationed in Europe and Asia either to Iraq or to nearby areas like Italy. They are moving two divisions from Germany, one from South Korea and others from different areas. Also, main headquarters is being shifted from England to Italy. Now couple this information with the extension of tours of duty of all American military units now on active service, Kerrey’s “backdoor draft” and we have an interesting situation. If Bush wants to withdraw from Iraq within a month, why all of these troop movements?
...we are not going to get out of Iraq. Loud proclamations that we are going to leave will be made but at the very last moment, the new puppet régime there, bought and paid for by the US, will make an “impassioned appeal” to Bush to allow American troops to remain “for just a little while” until the fledgling new and democratic Iraqi government can get safely off the ground. This request, as I understand it, was written in the White House, sent to the Pentagon and forwarded to Iraq. The scenario has been carefully scripted, down to the last “sad but resolute” GI interview from a soldier that really wants to go home but realizes now that our beloved President has the vision and compassion to assist the growth of democracy in an area where it has never been before... TBRNews
Here is an interesting conundrumfor you and your people to chew on: The Pentagon is hastily moving US troops stationed in Europe and Asia either to Iraq or to nearby areas like Italy. They are moving two divisions from Germany, one from South Korea and others from different areas. Also, main headquarters is being shifted from England to Italy. Now couple this information with the extension of tours of duty of all American military units now on active service, Kerrey’s “backdoor draft” and we have an interesting situation. If Bush wants to withdraw from Iraq within a month, why all of these troop movements?
...we are not going to get out of Iraq. Loud proclamations that we are going to leave will be made but at the very last moment, the new puppet régime there, bought and paid for by the US, will make an “impassioned appeal” to Bush to allow American troops to remain “for just a little while” until the fledgling new and democratic Iraqi government can get safely off the ground. This request, as I understand it, was written in the White House, sent to the Pentagon and forwarded to Iraq. The scenario has been carefully scripted, down to the last “sad but resolute” GI interview from a soldier that really wants to go home but realizes now that our beloved President has the vision and compassion to assist the growth of democracy in an area where it has never been before... TBRNews
HEARING VOICES?
Look, I'm not griping because life in a bubble is pretty comfortable. But there's obviously a lot of pressure, and lot of background noise, and there's a lot of small voices constantly hammering away...
...I said I am sorry for those people who were humiliated. That's all I said...But I never apologized to the Arab world.
Resident Bush via Slacktivist
Look, I'm not griping because life in a bubble is pretty comfortable. But there's obviously a lot of pressure, and lot of background noise, and there's a lot of small voices constantly hammering away...
...I said I am sorry for those people who were humiliated. That's all I said...But I never apologized to the Arab world.
Resident Bush via Slacktivist
ENRON
I was outraged when I heard Enron energy traders joking about how they had schemed to defraud consumers, businesses, and public utilities on audiotapes that were made public last week. Yet incredibly, Enron is suing a number of utilities throughout the West for more than half a billion dollars. This includes a case against the Snohomish Public Utility District, which Enron is suing for $122 million, claiming that the utility acted illegally when it ended a 2001 contract resulting from manipulative practicesin western energy markets.
Today I met with Snohomish County PUD GM Ed Hansen to plan a joint strategy to gain relief for Washington state ratepayers. I have written a letter to Attorney General John Ashcroft, calling on the Department of Justice to make public all previously unreleased Enron audiotapes that remain in DOJ's possession. The criminals at Enron who stole from us should be locked up – not the audiotapes that provide evidence of their crimes. Clearly the public has a right to hear the full and complete story. Releasing every single audiotape can only strengthen our case before FERC and the courts that consumers deserve relief from the damage that Enron's misbehavior continues to cause. Maria Cantwell
I was outraged when I heard Enron energy traders joking about how they had schemed to defraud consumers, businesses, and public utilities on audiotapes that were made public last week. Yet incredibly, Enron is suing a number of utilities throughout the West for more than half a billion dollars. This includes a case against the Snohomish Public Utility District, which Enron is suing for $122 million, claiming that the utility acted illegally when it ended a 2001 contract resulting from manipulative practicesin western energy markets.
Today I met with Snohomish County PUD GM Ed Hansen to plan a joint strategy to gain relief for Washington state ratepayers. I have written a letter to Attorney General John Ashcroft, calling on the Department of Justice to make public all previously unreleased Enron audiotapes that remain in DOJ's possession. The criminals at Enron who stole from us should be locked up – not the audiotapes that provide evidence of their crimes. Clearly the public has a right to hear the full and complete story. Releasing every single audiotape can only strengthen our case before FERC and the courts that consumers deserve relief from the damage that Enron's misbehavior continues to cause. Maria Cantwell
I attended a First Aid & CPR class over the weekend. There have been a few changes as there always are, with the instructor informing us that the American Heart Association no longer requires breathing for the victim. He cited a study that was conducted on dogs with a 33% survival rate for those that only had chest compressions performed compared to a 30% survival rate for the dogs that had full CPR. The change was made based upon a minor difference. I couldn’t help feeling saddened by the 67% and 70% that hadn’t survived these experiments.
Another point of interest was in discussing how to deal with chemical accidents. Our instructor told us that new chemicals are being developed at a rate of 5,000 per day. That’s 1,825,000 per year. We can’t deal with the toxins we already have, people are sick from them, but are going gangbusters in developing more.
What a waste.
Another point of interest was in discussing how to deal with chemical accidents. Our instructor told us that new chemicals are being developed at a rate of 5,000 per day. That’s 1,825,000 per year. We can’t deal with the toxins we already have, people are sick from them, but are going gangbusters in developing more.
What a waste.
Friday, June 04, 2004
ANOTHER UPROAR IN OLYMPIA
This time over the Arm-waving, Chauvinistic, Flag-waving, Partisan Jingoist Act.
Backers of President Bush hoped to have a press conference Thursday morning to trumpet the importance of the federal Patriot Act in the fight against terrorism in Washington.
But opponents of the measure, which Congress drafted to give police more power after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, outnumbered the GOP sympathizers who crowded into the news conference at the Best Western Aladdin Motor Inn on Capitol Way.
The Bush-Cheney campaign had police remove a college professor from their news conference because "...he carried a sign the Bush-Cheney aides didn't like....The City Council also is one of more than 15 governments in Washington that have adopted resolutions seeking changes in the Patriot Act, according to the American Civil Liberties Union."
This time over the Arm-waving, Chauvinistic, Flag-waving, Partisan Jingoist Act.
Backers of President Bush hoped to have a press conference Thursday morning to trumpet the importance of the federal Patriot Act in the fight against terrorism in Washington.
But opponents of the measure, which Congress drafted to give police more power after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, outnumbered the GOP sympathizers who crowded into the news conference at the Best Western Aladdin Motor Inn on Capitol Way.
The Bush-Cheney campaign had police remove a college professor from their news conference because "...he carried a sign the Bush-Cheney aides didn't like....The City Council also is one of more than 15 governments in Washington that have adopted resolutions seeking changes in the Patriot Act, according to the American Civil Liberties Union."
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
THE SPOILS OF WAR
Does the Resident have a permit forhis Saddam's gun?
Did he pay the $3000. to register the import? If so, whose money did he use? If not, why not?
Or did he designate it as a 'defense article? If so, does he keep it loaded as he's 'showing it off' in the White House?
Servicemen are prohibited from bring home war trophies. Isn't the Resident setting a poor example? As 'commander in chief', shouldn't he be following the rules?
Oh, wait...that's right...he's 'above' the law.
Does the Resident have a permit for
Did he pay the $3000. to register the import? If so, whose money did he use? If not, why not?
Or did he designate it as a 'defense article? If so, does he keep it loaded as he's 'showing it off' in the White House?
Servicemen are prohibited from bring home war trophies. Isn't the Resident setting a poor example? As 'commander in chief', shouldn't he be following the rules?
Oh, wait...that's right...he's 'above' the law.
