mousemusings

Fukushima Dai-ichi

2011-03-16T23:36:00.001-06:00

Fukushima Dai-ichi, originally uploaded by Joseph j7uy5.

A little less than one year ago, the major environmental news pertained to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. From Wikipedia:

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill (also referred to as the BP oil spill, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the BP oil disaster or the Macondo blowout)[4][5][6] is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed for three months in 2010. The impact of the spill continues even after the well has been capped. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry.[7][8][9] The spill stemmed from a sea-floor oil gusher that resulted from the April 20, 2010 explosion of Deepwater Horizon, which drilled on the BP-operated Macondo Prospect.

Of course, the huge environmental news today is the nuclear crisis in Japan, stemming from damage to the Fukushima Dai-Ichi power plants.

It occurs to me that both of these disasters have a common cause: they were caused by desperate efforts to wring cheap energy from nature. The Macondo well was drilled in very deep water. This is difficult and hazardous. We would not do it if we were not desperate.

The Fukushima Dai-ichi power units were built in the late 1960s to late 70s. One could argue that the continued operation of the units reflected a desperate need for more cheap energy. The units were old; their designs, obsolete .

Both BP and TEPCO have histories of malfeasance and cover-ups.

Debt-based economies require a positive growth rate in order to keep functioning. That is, if the economy does not grow enough for all the accululate interest-on-debt to be paid, defaults inevitably occur. But economic growth requires either even-increasing energy expenditures, or ever-increasing improvements in efficiency. Therefore, there is a great need to constantly increase energy supply, given the political impracticality of getting people to become more efficient. We are trying to increase supply, despite a stread decline in energy return per unit of energy invested (EROEI). Hence, the desperation, hence the disasters. We have had two major disasters now in less than a year. This is not a good sign.

IMG_2602.JPG

2011-02-19T11:18:00.001-07:00

IMG_2602.JPG, originally uploaded by Joseph j7uy5.

There are several more photos on the Flickr page. This photo shows a detail of rammed-earth construction. It is a method of construction that strikes a compromise between using local materials, such as adobe (cheap, with minimal transportation needed, but very slow to build and very labor-intensive), and premade materials such as cinder block (cost more, takes a lot of energy to ship, but go up fast and with less labor.) The walls are 18 inches thick, so it has immense thermal mass. It is also very quiet inside. And bulletproof, literally.

Randy Carr's Weed Talk

2010-06-02T21:17:00.001-06:00

Randy Carr's Weed Talk, originally uploaded by mikeysklar.

Outline of the edible weed talk

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2010-04-17T17:35:00.001-06:00

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Hummingbirds

2010-04-17T17:18:00.000-06:00

IMG_2424.JPG, originally uploaded by Joseph j7uy5.

Cyndy's birthday present: these are hummingbird decorations that are mounted in a nicho on the adobe wall, on the way to the front door.

Early Spring

2010-03-07T17:47:00.001-07:00

IMG_2400
Originally uploaded by Joseph j7uy5

We had little squall clouds today, such that there was interesting light and shadow in the yard. This made for a nice opportunity to photograph the nectarine tree blossoms. Emotionally uplifting, I would say. The only problem is that we now have to watch for frost warnings, then run out and cover the tree if it might freeze.

In or Out?

2009-12-04T20:23:00.001-07:00

In or Out?, originally uploaded by Cyndy.

Yang in the doorway. Snow/ice makes strange noises and they are all a bit spooked.

One out, three to go

2009-12-04T20:15:00.001-07:00

One out, three to go, originally uploaded by Cyndy.

Yang was the first to come out as Yin looks on. Raisin and Smokie haven't peeked out yet.

Good Morning Chick Chicks!

2009-12-04T20:04:00.001-07:00

Good Morning Chick Chicks!, originally uploaded by Cyndy.

The chicks, almost 17 weeks old now, get their feet in snow.

Moringa oleifera seeds

2009-11-28T20:55:00.001-07:00

Moringa oleifera seeds
Originally uploaded by Joseph j7uy5

The exposed seed is on the lower right; the others are unopened seed pods. Moringa oleifera is also known as the "Miracle Tree" because it is very heat- and drought-tolerant, yet is a good source of nutritious edible seeds. They are not entirely tolerant of frost, but are said to grow back from the (very deep) tap root if the freeze kills them.

We are hopeful that the roots can stabilize arroyo banks.

These seeds came from Eden Organic Nursery Services, http://www.eonseed.com/

Sharon Astyk mentioned the moringa tree in "Gardening in a Changing Climate." She thinks that more people should grow them.

http://sharonastyk.com/2009/10/22/gardening-in-a-changing-climate/

More Growning Things

2009-11-14T15:07:00.001-07:00

IMG_2227
Originally uploaded by Joseph j7uy5

Two Fig trees from cuttings, from http://www.hybridpoplars.com/ covered with Blue-x tree shelters (http://www.growtube.com/products/treeshelter/). The stakes are old yucca stalks. We will see how they do.

Growing Things

2009-11-14T14:57:00.001-07:00

IMG_2236
Originally uploaded by Joseph j7uy5

Growing xeric landscape trees/plants in a miniature greenhouse. Grown from seed: Mimosa (Albizia julibrissin, front-big pot), Palo Verde (Cercidium - unknown species, rear -small pots), Apache plume (Fallugia paradoxa left,-small pot) in a miniature greenhouse on the deck.

Centrury Plant

2009-09-06T21:22:00.001-06:00

Centrury Plant
Originally uploaded by Joseph j7uy5

Blossom from the century plant , Agave americana. This specimen was spotted in Kingston, NM.

Green Chile Stew

2009-09-05T13:58:00.001-06:00

IMG_2179.JPG
Originally uploaded by Joseph j7uy5

This will produce about 30 pints of hearty stew. That is enough for two people to have dinner for a month.

Apple- Green Chile Pie Filling

2009-09-02T13:46:00.002-06:00

Yes, I'm still playing with the many pounds (60) of Hatch green chile I have and I still need to get another 30 lbs before the harvest starts turning to red chile.
Today I will can apples, from our local orchard CSA, mixed with green chiles from our local farm. I have Sandia hot, but really need to have Big Jim's on hand too.

The chickens loved the apple peelings I gave them, but I used most of the peelings to make apple juice with. Maybe I should get some more apples so the chickens can play keep-away with the peels. More photos later. Recipes too.

green-chiles

2009-08-17T00:36:00.001-06:00

green-chiles, originally uploaded by Cyndy.

We bought these from the farm down the road from us where we have bought our chile the last 3 years. These are Sandia hot. The farm roasts them and does a great job. No effort peeling them later because they are roasted to perfection. They are huge, meaty, and addictive. I only bought 25 lbs today, but needed it ASAP to finish more salsa and apple-green chile pie filling. I'll buy at least another 25 lbs, and hopefully 50 lbs, which should last until next harvest. This was the best harvest in years. These are the biggest chiles I've ever seen. Yum!

Doing What Chicks Do

2009-08-13T14:44:00.001-06:00

Doing What Chicks Do, originally uploaded by Cyndy.

I picked these little girls up at the post office this morning. They spent the first 3 days of their life in transit. No food or water. They are making up for it now. I have 6 Easter Eggers and 2 Dominiques. They are peeping in happy mode right now. They are all supposed to be girls. We'll see. Actually I wouldn't mind having a rooster by mistake, but had I ordered one, I may have ended up with more than one and that would be very bad. One rooster per flock, unless you have a much bigger flock.

This past April I got 6 Americaunas from the feed store. They were so precious, friendly and appreciative. They were so much fun. One was named Amelia. I didn't have the fencing right and a dog found them. He used them as a personal play toy. I think he had been attracted to Amelia's declaration that morning that she was instead an Emilio.

This time my fence is ready to zap any threats to my chickies, but I think I will still opt for more reinforcements. I have a few weeks before these girls are ready to go outside, but they grow extremely fast.

12 pints Salsa

2009-08-13T14:19:00.001-06:00

12 pints Salsa, originally uploaded by Cyndy.

I pressure canned this for many reasons.
The pressure canner is cooler and takes less water, and less energy, plus I don't have to lower the PH with vinegar or lemon juice like I would need to do per USDA guidelines if I water bath canned them. The texture between the two methods is the same. Not fresh, but it will be very welcome during the winter.

Harvested

2009-08-13T14:13:00.001-06:00

Harvested, originally uploaded by Cyndy.

Salsa fixins, plus a few extras.

Pickin' Time

2009-08-13T14:12:00.001-06:00

Pickin' Time, originally uploaded by Cyndy.

Time to make the salsa.

Food-backed Local Money

2009-03-05T23:47:00.000-07:00

Jason Bradford spins his yarn about Food-backed Local Money while feeding the campfire at The Oil Drum. He says, "This is perfectly legal and I want you to play copy cat."
Time's a wastin'.

Strangeness at Army Charity

2009-02-22T20:35:00.003-07:00

An Associated Press report reveals odd things at a charity operated in association with the US Army.

FORT BLISS, Texas – As soldiers stream home from Iraq and Afghanistan, the biggest charity inside the U.S. military has been stockpiling tens of millions of dollars meant to help put returning fighters back on their feet, an Associated Press investigation shows.

Between 2003 and 2007 — as many military families dealt with long war deployments and increased numbers of home foreclosures — Army Emergency Relief grew into a $345 million behemoth. During those years, the charity packed away $117 million into its own reserves while spending just $64 million on direct aid, according to an AP analysis of its tax records.

They have invested heavily is the stock market. Their portfolio now is worth over $200 million. As a result, they have reserves that would last for 12 years, at their current rate of disbursement. A one- to three-year reserve is considered normal, among nonprofit charitable organizations.

What is even more disturbing is the fact that military officers have been pressuring soldiers to contribute, even though that practice is forbidden. It would seem to be conduct unbecoming to an officer.

Unemployed?

2009-02-21T19:12:00.002-07:00

I want chickens. I would be willing to get chickens and take the risk that one of my neighbors would balk. The covenants here prohibit poultry and livestock. I'd offer to share the eggs. That might be enough to quiet any noisemakers.
Still, I would need a coop. I found a great coop here.
Building something like this locally for people would be a great gig for an unemployed worker who happened to have the know how.
Food for thought.

Survival Mode

2009-02-17T17:56:00.002-07:00

Gardening in the desert, on the scale I aspire, has meant a lot of trial and error. Gardening IS trial and error regardless, but the desert possibly contributes more to the error side of the equation. Because I am pretty much stuck at home with my mother, I've been learning much of it on-the-fly. I can't go to workshops or spend hours asking questions at a garden center. My climate is not like Phoenix and not like Albuquerque, so learning resources are a bit scarce.

This is an agricultural area, but the research and support appears to be geared more toward industrial type monoculture, not toward the home gardener. Chiles, pecans, onion, cotton, alfalfa, melon and iceberg lettuce seem to be the major crops. Farmland here, like most places, was being swallowed up by subdivisions. Now much prime farmland lies fallow with for-sale signs decorating the perimeters, dotted with other signs marked 'zoned commercial' or 'residential'. If I had the money, equipment and knowledge, I would snap up one of those pieces of land, perhaps making it into a community garden. Instead, I have to work with the yard I have.

We get less than 10" of rain a year making rainbarrels a priority. I now have 6-60 gallon barrels set up. That won't really water much, but it's something in a pinch. Our community water unfortunately has high levels of uranium, which is ok to water plants with, but not so good for drinking. Plants apparently do not take up heavy metals, but humans do. Reverse osmosis is recommended for removing uranium, but it uses 3 gallons of water to yield 1 gallon of drinkable water. For now, we fill up water jugs at a 'water island' station, and then filter again at home through a Berkey. Ultimately, if the water island stations disappear due to the economy, the Berkey will have to do, filtering rain, or even river water, after being purified. I hope it doesn't ever come to that, but water security is first priority. Even with the scarcity of water most of the year, we do have to worry about flooding during the monsoon season. Who would have thought it would be a good idea to buy flood insurance in the desert?

My second priority was identifying native edible plants. Prickly pear cactus and mesquite pods are plentiful. From the cactus pads I can make nopales (think slimy green beans), and from the fruit of the cactus, the tuna, I can make jelly and syrup. Mesquite pods can be ground into a sweet flour. That's hardly enough to live on, but both grow without much intervention on my part.

The first year I was here I tried growing tomatoes, cantaloupe, watermelon, chile, potatoes and strawberries, just as an experiment. None of them produced much. The second year I tried all the above again and added garlic, green beans, bell peppers, basil, cucumbers, artichoke, lettuce, and assorted herbs. I had a much better yield and was even able to can tomatoes. We are still eating the garlic and green beans and salsa. Basil was especially prolific so I froze a lot of pesto. I won't be able to plant as many tomatoes this year because I have to rotate my beds, but since cherry tomatoes seem to do well here, I will grow a couple plants in containers. Flooding washed out our pomegranate bush, so we need to plant another, and I would like to plant a couple fruit trees.

One of my other projects has been flood prevention. We had several heavy rains last summer, and because a neighbor rerouted an arroyo (illegally) it has caused a lot of grief. I'm not sure what to do about the neighbor because I absolutely hate conflict, but I'm trying my best to work with the land, and attempting to harvest as much rainwater as possible. Doing that work requires a lot of heavy physical labor and I have to be mindful of neighbors downstream as well.

I have been setting up drip systems for watering, but I still have to devise a system for the garden area I plan to plant this year. One problem I have found with drip systems; critters like to chomp on them, and they put holes in the tubing where I did not want holes. They get thirsty too. Can't they just use the birdbath?

The intention of this post is to inspire you, the reader, to continue thinking about your own area, and what will sustain you as our economy continues to collapse. Your problems/priorities will be different than mine. Maybe your garden is so prolific you need to get a pressure canner and learn to use it. Maybe you get too much rain, or your growing season isn't very long. Maybe you don't want to garden or don't have any place to grow anything, but you're thinking about storing some food. The important thing is to think about it and act. Again I'll mention that pressure canner, whether you can grow food or not. They are not as scary as your mother made them out to be. Really. I was terrified the first time I tried, but I love it now.

My very best tip for anyone, no matter your climate, is to get a sproutmaster and seeds so you can always have something fresh and nutritious. It's easy and only takes water.

For a look at what others near my neck of woods (60+ miles away) are doing, albeit with far more energetic prowess than I, visit Holy Scrap Hot Springs. Their experiments are inspiration. Papercrete, solar, desert gardening, biodiesel and just.plain.fun.

Timely Decisions

2009-02-05T22:59:00.003-07:00

I lost my job two years ago even though I was able to successfully telecommute. Apparently the department I worked for couldn't see the advantage of allowing me to continue working. I'm still resentful.

They wanted me to place my mom in a nursing home, or move her to Michigan and use adult day care to enable me to keep my job, retirement benefits and insurance. I knew what our resources were and knew that $4000 a month was out of reach. Of course I could have spent down her savings and sold her passive solar adobe home, built by my parents own sweat labor and then let Medicare pick up the tab. 28 months, so far, it would have cost $108,000.00 just for the benefit of keeping myself employed. It would have been a horrid decision. Nope. I had 90 days to make the decision, and then I could take family leave followed by personal leave for one year, after which time they would rehire me, keeping my benefits intact. It didn't happen. My mom is the Energizer Bunny incarnate and I am still unemployed.

Having written many times about the housing bubble and peak oil and knowing the economy was teetering on the edge, it wasn't too tough for me to conclude that I would be better off taking care of her myself. Besides, it was a promise I had made to my father.

It hasn't been easy, and I still have no health insurance, but I have been busy making our lives as sustainable as possible. I'll write more about those preparations another time.

Things will never again be as they were two years ago for me, or for anyone else. The housing market is NOT going to pick up again anytime soon. Whose kids can afford a house? They are the future buyers. We can't waste money continuing to prop up a dead cat. Cats only bounce every now and then. Meanwhile, More families move in together during housing crisis.

I hope they are all planting their own food and learning how to preserve it.

Change

2009-01-27T22:55:00.002-07:00

I am working my way back to blogging more regularly, including updates of my two-year readjustment period since moving to care for my mother. She's doing fine, thanks.
It's possible that some of the things I've learned will be helpful as more and more people join me in the ranks of unemployed/uninsured. I have a few pressing chores to finish before I can get back to this blog, but I'm closer.
Meanwhile, I suggest everyone take off the rose-colored glasses and listen to The Automatic Earth. Our world is going to change. It will never be like it was. Accept it and start planning.

From today's post: "we need to see our houses as shelter, not as instruments for financial gain. If there are still people out there who don't understand that, I promise you, you will sometime during the process which will take prices down that 80% or 90%. There is no credit available. That is what a credit crisis means to us all. And our governments cannot create credit out of nothing. And even if they could, who would want to borrow? The millions of unemployed foreclosed upon 21st century Tom Joads?"

...The question is, or if you will should be: how do we keep people from freezing to death, from starving, from cholera epidemics once water systems fail. We won't do it by indebting our children and grandchildren in doomed efforts to keep a bankrupt society rolling, while we recite fairy tales of future profits from bets on horses that have long since left their stables..."

Demand This

2008-11-24T21:18:00.003-07:00

From James Kunstler's Zombie Economics:

I hate to keep harping on this -- but since nobody else is really talking about it, at least in the organs of public discussion, the job is left to me -- we have to get cracking on the revival of the railroad system in this country, if we expect to remain a united country. This is such a no-brainer that the absence of any talk about it is a prime symptom of the zombie disease that has eaten away our brains. Automobiles (the way we use them) and airplanes are utterly dependent on liquid hydrocarbon fuels, and you can be certain we'll have trouble getting them. You can run trains by other means -- electricity being state-of-the-art in those parts of the world that do it most successfully. I know that California just voted to create a high-speed rail link between Los Angeles and San Francisco. It's an optimistic sign, but it shows more than a little techno-grandiose over-reach. High speed rail would require a mega-expensive re-do of the tracks. We need to scale our ambitions for this more realistically. California (and every other region of America) would benefit much more from normal-speed trains running every hour on the hour on tracks that already exist than from a mega-expensive, grandiose sci-fi program that might not get built for ten years. The dregs of the Big Three automakers can and should be reorganized to produce the rolling stock for a revived railroad system.

Congress: Think Before You Act

2008-09-27T23:26:00.001-06:00

The President's fans

2007-08-28T00:23:00.001-06:00

The President's fans
Originally uploaded by Lynn.

The President's fans
Outside Mayor Larry Abraham's ranch, where George W. Bush attended a fund raiser today for Senator Pete Domenici, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The caption says these people are "fans" of Bush. But just looking at the picture, there is no way to tell if they really are fans. There are many reasons to pray for someone.

Lone Protester

2007-08-28T00:20:00.001-06:00

Lone protestor
Originally uploaded by Lynn.

Outside Mayor Larry Abraham's ranch, where George W. Bush attended a fund raiser today for Senator Pete Domenici, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Weathervane on Gazebo

2007-07-17T23:33:00.001-06:00

IMG_0008
Originally uploaded by Joseph j7uy5

One of the first pictures with the new camera. "You don't need a weatherman."

Casual?

2007-07-17T10:04:00.003-06:00

He calls it casual. Let's make it serious.
This should be a concern to all Americans and the future of our Constitution regardless of partisanship or petty politics.

Dear Ms. Roy:

Thank you for contacting me to express your support for
the impeachment of Vice President Richard Cheney. It is good to
hear from you, and I appreciate having the benefit of your views.

As you may know, H.Res 333 was introduced in the House
by Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) that would bring
impeachment proceedings against Vice President Cheney. There is
no cause at this time to consider impeachment proceedings against
the Vice-President. He has served this nation honorably and to the
best of his ability. Furthermore, the casualness with which
impeachment is thrown around simply for partisan purposes over
policy differences should be a concern to all American's and the
future of our politics.

Thank you for taking the time to contact me on this issue. I
am glad you have let me know this is an important issue for you.
Please continue to call, write, or email me with any other questions
or comments. Visit my website at http://pearce.house.gov to find
out what I am working on in Washington, or where you can find
me around in New Mexico.

Sincerely,

STEVAN PEARCE
Member of Congress

Another Act of Madness?

2007-06-14T22:22:00.000-06:00

The US didn't bother to listen to the IAEA before attacking Iraq. Has anything changed to make me think that we wouldn't continue the madness? When ElBaradei, the head of the IAEA says attacking Iran would be an act of madness, does the US stuff sand in everyone's ears again and attack like a bunch of cowards, or do they finally grow up and discuss events diplomatically? My money, or lack of, has to go with recent past history, the madmen still have the power. Until the people take the power away none of us are safe.

Datura

2007-06-13T11:25:00.000-06:00

Jimson Weed, growing in my yard
The Sacred Datura, A Grim Fairy Tale

No minimum wage or overtime for Home Care workers

2007-06-12T21:59:00.000-06:00

Businesses are not required to pay the federal minimum wage or overtime pay to workers who provide home care services for the elderly and the infirm, says the Supreme Court.

What does this say about the quality of care my mother receives if I hire a home care worker for respite care? I pay the business $16.95 an hour. 'Government lawyers told the Supreme Court in April that the goal is ensuring that the elderly who most need home care service receive it "at a reasonable cost."'The worker is lucky to get one third of that.(?) Of course the company has a CYA requiring me to sign a contract saying I won't negotiate private care with any worker they send out.

No More Blood For Oil

2007-06-11T22:11:00.000-06:00

Kucinich Presidential campaign unveils first TV spot, 'No more blood for oil'
produced by the campaign's in-house creative staff, headed by Chad Ely, National Media Director, and video editor Eric Blumrich.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRl4YLVW0b4

Just Read This

2007-06-07T21:00:00.000-06:00

I want you to just imagine this. Just imagine if the US were to do this.
To even think that it could happen, no, to even think that it might happen, almost shuts my brain down making me unable to imagine the aftermath.
Excerpt below, but read it all to understand the players and the game.

The neocons have changed US war doctrine, which now permits the US to preemptively strike with nuclear weapons a non-nuclear power. Neocons are forever heard saying, "what's the use of having nuclear weapons if you can't use them."

...) Many US military officers are horrified at what they think would be the worst ever orchestrated war crime. There are reports of threatened resignations. But Dick Cheney is resolute. He tells Bush that the plan will save him from the ignominy of losing the war and restore his popularity as the president who saved Americans from Iranian nuclear weapons. With the captive American media providing propaganda cover, the neoconservatives believe that their plan can pull their chestnuts out of the fire and rescue them from the failure that their delusion has wrought.

The American electorate decided last November that they must do something about the failed war and gave the Democrats control of both houses of Congress. However, the Democrats have decided that it is easier to be complicit in war crimes than to represent the wishes of the electorate and hold a rogue president accountable.

The prospect of nuking Iran doesn't seem to disturb the three frontrunners for the Republican nomination, who agreed in their June 5 debate that the US might use nuclear weapons to destroy Iran's uranium enrichment facilities.

What to Do?

2007-06-03T10:44:00.000-06:00

I am really not sure what I want to do about this, but I have a case. I'm certain of that.
From the EEOC: Unlawful Disparate Treatment of Workers with Caregiving Responsibilities Thank you Amy Joyce, who is Looking Out for the Caregivers

Shopping with Elizabeth Kucinich

2007-05-31T19:22:00.000-06:00

I like it when people walk the talk and that's what Dennis Kucinich has always been about. His wife Elizabeth went shopping with a reporter from Cleveland's Plain Dealer. She also walks the talk. There is no reason to be wasteful even if you are a potential first lady, or maybe I should say, especially if you are a potential first lady. In the spotlight, setting an example, and even tolerating a Plain Dealer reporter, a publication never kind to Kucinich, Elizabeth gave tips on buying gently used clothing.
I think it's about time the US had an interesting, resourceful first lady who has a kind heart, is beautiful, and chooses to share her vision.
Imagine. What exciting changes could be, if only the people in the US could get beyond their ridiculous obsession with her husband's height.
My father was even shorter than Dennis Kucinich, but he was huge in my eyes.

Senators Who Need to Be Booted

2007-05-25T10:05:00.000-06:00

NY Times has the list, Senate Roll Call on Iraq Spending.
Mine are on the list, are yours?

More About the National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directive- NSPD 51 and HSPD-20

2007-05-22T22:15:00.000-06:00

can be found here: New presidential directive gives Bush dictatorial power

and here: Bush To Be Dictator In A Catastrophic Emergency

There isn't 4 years to waste before Congress finally begins to take a stand against this. We wasted that much time and untold lives getting someone to begin taking a stand on Iraq. With this, there won't be a country to take back from a reactive, not a proactive, power hungry liar.

Think of this as PNAC 2.

Bush Appoints Himself Dictator

2007-05-21T17:34:00.000-06:00

In case of a catastrophic emergency as outlined in "National Security Presidential Directive/NSPD 51" and "Homeland Security Presidential Directive/HSPD-20."

It defines a "catastrophic emergency" as "any incident, regardless of location, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the U.S. population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government function."It defines a "catastrophic emergency" as "any incident, regardless of location, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the U.S. population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government function."

I suppose he could embrace global warming and instantly become dictator, or more likely, when the economy sputters due to his irresponsible policies he will be in complete charge of all branches of government.

Contrasts

2007-05-20T21:18:00.000-06:00

by Carol Warner Christen

...look what we have done. Look hard and closely because much cannot be undone without a serious reality check. I hear excuses for not listening, not changing. I hear people avoiding reality to wallow in whatever their favorite distraction may be. I see women degraded beyond belief. I see children shot as "collateral damage." I see piles of rubble. I see an occupation without honesty called a war. I see soldiers ignored for their injuries, denied healing funds and doctors. I see denial as if everyone were a practicing saint praying, preying. I see laws justified, such as "for every action, there is an opposite, but equal, reaction" as the center of our country is devastated again and again by storms and our rubble piles up, too, pitifully evening the score.

There is a story about the blind leading the blind. Where are the great ones of humanity? They are dead, many shot to silence them. Are you lost in the crowds? Lost for want of an audience? Lost for want of time, of life, of love? Life is a process of creation. Are we lost for want of imagination except for weapons and games and profit? Radical complexity has filled space and time; one man is testing its opposite.

More Comes Out In US Attorney Scandal

2007-05-20T19:41:00.000-06:00

I don't know if this is the real crux of the story, or just a sideline, but it sounds bad. The McClatchey Newspapers Washington Bureau is reporting that one attorney's efforts to curb voter fraud were so vigorous as to threaten voting rights.

Efforts to stop `voter fraud' may have curbed legitimate voting
By Greg Gordon
McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON - During four years as a Justice Department civil rights lawyer, Hans von Spakovsky went so far in a crusade against voter fraud as to warn of its dangers under a pseudonym in a law journal article.

Writing as "Publius," von Spakovsky contended that every voter should be required to produce a photo-identification card and that there was "no evidence" that such restrictions burden minority voters disproportionately.

Now, amid a scandal over politicization of the Justice Department, Congress is beginning to examine allegations that von Spakovsky was a key player in a Republican campaign to hang onto power in Washington by suppressing the votes of minority voters.

"Mr. von Spakovsky was central to the administration's pursuit of strategies that had the effect of suppressing the minority vote," charged Joseph Rich, a former Justice Department voting rights chief who worked under him.

He and other former career department lawyers say that von Spakovsky steered the agency toward voting rights policies not seen before, pushing to curb minor instances of election fraud by imposing sweeping restrictions that would make it harder, not easier, for Democratic-leaning poor and minority voters to cast ballots.

The article goes on to say that research into the severity of any problem with voter fraud suggested it is not a big problem, but the final report suggested that to say that "a great deal of debate" surrounded the subject. In fact, the study said no such thing. The study also showed that voter ID laws suppress minority voter turnout, but that finding was rejected. Why even do the study?

Of course, true voting rights proponents know that the more serious issue is not with voter fraud, but with election fraud. Voter fraud occurs when individual voters cast illegitimate votes. It is hard to swing an election that way. Election fraud occurs when insiders deliberately alter the voting or tallying process. If someone is truly worried about the validity of our election process, it is the potential for election fraud that needs attention.

Wasting Time

2007-05-18T16:10:00.000-06:00

"I really did expect that the president would accept some accountability for what we're trying to accomplish here." Harry Reid

No, accountability has to be forced onto people like Bush. Impeach!

Hello! Somebody Help Me!

2007-05-18T09:53:00.000-06:00

"Hello, somebody help me!"
I used to hear those words often, over and over again when I was a kid while doing volunteer work in a nursing home. I would hear them when I was older as I visited every inpatient floor in the hospital while I added the lab reports that had been generated for the day into each patients chart.
It seemed there was always someone yelling those words. More often than not, the nurses ignored them. I wondered why, but I didn't question.

The answer is cruelly apparent to me now as I force myself to ignore the same pleas from my mother.

Over the past two weeks a new and mysterious sensation seems to have overtaken my mom's world, and subsequently my own. She seems to think that she needs to pee constantly. Constantly, means 30 minutes to an hour intervals, and, even on occasion, more frequently than that. Though she has been treated for two UTI's in the past 6 months, there is no infection now. Even when she had the UTI's she didn't have these symptoms and had been quite content to leak urine into her 'padded panties' during the 6 months I've been here, interspersed with normal requests to go to the bathroom.

With her immobility this means I have to take her to the bathroom each time she yells to go. That leaves virtually no time for me to go outside to water the plants, take a shower, or think about going to the store.

I decided I would test it one day and refused to take her, telling her, 'If you need to go that bad and can't pee in your depends, you'll have to find you own way to the bathroom'. She did! She hasn't done that in more than two years as a rule. It isn't safe, because even with all the railing in the bathroom that my dad installed, she is still a fall risk, but what that did tell me, pointedly, is that the sensation she's getting is very compelling. Most often when she gets to the bathroom, she really doesn't have to go. No surprise there, but try as I might, I just can't get her to make the connection.

It's one thing to her if the urine leaks into her pull-ups, but quite another thing for her to 'try' to pee into her pull-ups. I can understand that. I don't think I could make myself pee my pants either if there were any other option in my surroundings.

The biggest problem comes at nap time. She used to take 3-4 hour naps. Now she is waking in an hour having to go to the bathroom and yelling, 'Hello, somebody help me!'

I have tried everything. Yesterday I even made a sign to set by her clock that read 'Cyndy will be back at 3:30'. I silently refused to go in there until 3:30 while she yelled for and hour and a half. I had really hoped she would eventually give up and go back to sleep. Of course when I did get her up, she didn't produce any urine because it had already leaked out, yet that sensation was still there and she continues her bathroom trips hourly.

We have a prescription now to help deaden the sensation, but it doesn't appear to be working yet, after two days. I'll give it a few more days and hope.

I have set up my own little refuge in the garage where I can go to get away from the yelling, and I'm forcing her to undertake the risky habit of taking herself to the bathroom late in the day when my patience is spent in the hopes that she will wear herself out, give up, and try the depends.

I fully understand now why there is always that old person in the nursing home yelling, "Hello! Somebody help me!'. The nurses have tried. They can't help.
They probably dream those words at night, like I do.

A Fresher Democracy

2007-05-14T21:22:00.000-06:00

Click on the photo to send a handful to your congressmen. I did.

Happy Mother's Day

2007-05-13T09:00:00.000-06:00

Heh! Yeah right.
I won't bother. First, because it wouldn't be sincere, and second, because I'm her servant named 'somebody', not her daughter.

Extremist Lunatic

2007-05-11T16:24:00.000-06:00

Dick Cheney warns Iran from deck of aircraft carrier in Gulf
We are being led by a bunch of madmen, with this guy, (whom none of America wants) acting like we all stand behind him. Impeach.

Evil Bobby, Fighting Evil With Evil

2007-05-11T12:28:00.000-06:00

Evilish Eclectic.
He finds video clips that are completely off the wall and spreads his evil all over the world.

If I saw a skinny guy like the aleksey vaynerof this video benching 400+ pounds, I would never hire him. The way he lifted that weight, he was probably having a small stroke. Repeat that many times, and you have yourself a life long Republican.

Supporting What Troops?

2007-05-11T12:04:00.000-06:00

Long excerpt from William Rivers Pitt "Two Hearings, One Reality"

Another hearing took place on Capitol Hill yesterday that was truly chilling to observe. Representative John Murtha's (D-Pennsylvania) Subcommittee on Appropriations heard testimony from two investigators whose work has been focused on the phenomenon of private military contractors in Iraq. The first to give testimony was Jeremy Scahill, author of "Blackwater: Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army." The second witness was Robert Greenwald, a documentary filmmaker who recently released a new film titled "Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers."

Both men painted a stark picture of reality in Iraq. According to Scahill, there are tens of thousands of private military contractors - a kind euphemism for mercenaries - operating today in Iraq. They are paid with American tax revenues to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars, while operating with virtually no oversight and free from the strictures of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Dozens of acts of brutality and murder reportedly committed by these contractors have been alleged, but almost no contractor has been punished, sanctioned or even investigated for these acts. Because the Iraqi population does not make the distinction between American soldiers and these private contractors, the questionable activities of these contractors are blamed on US troops, further fanning the flames of outrage and vengeance.

Even more disturbing was the testimony offered by Greenwald. Some excerpts:

I remember clearly my interview with Stewart Scott, a former Halliburton employee. With pain and rage in his voice, he asked how dare Halliburton put its people up at five-star hotels while the soldiers, who he was there to help, were sleeping on the ground. I did not believe him at first, but then he began naming the hotels and the locations. It was all true.

I also spoke with Shane Ratliff, a truck driver from Ruby, South Carolina. He saw Halliburton advertising a job for truck drivers in Iraq and he signed up. When Shane started telling me that empty trucks were being driven across dangerous stretches of desert, I assumed he was mistaken. Why would they do that? Then he explained that Halliburton got paid for the number of trips they took, regardless of whether they were carrying anything. These unnecessary trips where putting the lives of truckers at risk, exposing drivers and co-workers to attack. This was the result of cost-plus, no-bid contracts.

Another young Halliburton worker named James Logsdon told me about the burn pits. Burn pits are large dumps near military stations where they would burn equipment, trucks, trash, etc. If they ordered the wrong item, they'd throw it in the burn pit. If a tire blew on a piece of equipment, they'd throw the whole thing into the burn pit. The burn pits had so much equipment they even gave them a nickname: "Home Depot."

The trucker said he would get us some photos. And I naively asked, how big are they, the size of a backyard swimming pool? He laughed and referred to one that he had seen that was 15 football fields large and burned around the clock! It infuriated him to have to burn stuff rather then give it to the Iraqis or to the military. Yet Halliburton was being rewarded each time they billed the government for a new truck or new piece of equipment. With a cost-plus contract, the contractors receive a percentage of the money they spend. As Shane told me, "It's a legal way of stealing from the government or the taxpayers' money." These costs eat up the money that could be used for other supplies.

Cost-plus, no-bid contracts are hopelessly undermining our efforts and costing the taxpayers billions. They do not operate within a free-market system and have no competition, but instead create a Stalinist system of rewarding cronies. In a letter from Sgt. Jon Lacore talking about the enormous amount of waste, he said, "I just can't believe that no one at all is going to jail for this or even being fired or forced to resign."

They're Not Benchmarks

2007-05-11T11:25:00.000-06:00

So, after destroying their country, occupying it for years, slaughtering perhaps a million citizens, driving millions more to flee the country, and generally ruining their society, while dumping hundreds of billions of US dollars into war profiteering corporations pretending to reconstruct Iraq, we're going to demand that the Iraqis shell out $10 billion to pay for the reconstruction themselves. Or else, you guessed it, we'll leave and allow them to begin ending their nightmare without our "help".

Why Have a Constitution?

2007-05-09T11:39:00.000-06:00

Jack Lessenberry says, "So Maybe I Was Wrong"

Quite possibly, I may have been thinking too much like a political insider, or a wimp, or both. The fact is that the simpering George W. and his sidekick Dick clearly deserve impeaching, if anyone ever did. Not only that, there seems to be more sentiment to throw the bums out than official Washington knows.

I'm glad to see Jack come around. Now, what can be done about the wimpy political insiders of 'official Washington'? How can they continue to have sand in their ears? Does the money lining their pockets render them deaf? Do they not try to keep feelers out for public sentiment?
It's quite easy to see the sentiment if one is looking for it. The interest in Ron Paul, Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel is escalating. They need to look at Technorati on occasion. MSNBC needs to pay attention to their polls. It's very clear the people want change and they want big change. It's also clear they see value in the Constitution.

Dave Lindorff writes:

Suing Bush over a signing statement, given the number of Federalist judges that this administration has named to the federal district and appellate courts, and to the US Supreme Court, is not just an exercise in futility; it is a dangerous tactic which could backfire disastrously by leading to a ruling that it’s perfectly constitutional for a president to ignore laws passed by the Congress. Does Pelosi really want to risk such a catastrophe?

Yes, Pelosi would probably like to make it perfectly constitutional for future presidents to ignore laws passed by Congress. It would make the future newly elected Dem just that much more powerful, a tit for tat, if you will.
No need for Congress anymore, just a dictatorship as we apparently have now.

No, the blatant disregard for the Constitution must be dealt with in the manner provided for in the Constitution, by the Congress, assuming they want to keep the profession intact and viable. To do less assumes we don't care if the very Constitution remains intact and viable.

Special Convention Report by the Creative Youth News Team

2007-05-07T19:01:00.000-06:00

"This is America. People are supposed to pick the leaders of their choice and not settle for what the two parties gives them. If the Democratic leaders think the next election is about their choice for President, they may soon find their party without any voters. We are in charge. The days of top down leadership are over."

The DLC just doesn't get it. It's all right in front of them and they step on it. They not only step on it but they put the fire out like a tossed cigarette butt. Some of the sparks are persistent. Read the link to see who and what they stepped on and watch the sparks fly.

Bird of Paradise

2007-05-04T07:39:00.000-06:00

early morning flower photography

Prickly Pear

2007-05-04T07:35:00.000-06:00

early morning cactus photography

Sen. Mike Gravel at SC Debates 04/26/07

2007-05-03T22:34:00.001-06:00

Senior Statesman. Take a listen if you haven't done so already. I finally did and I am smiling.

You Don't See This Very Often

2007-05-03T00:09:00.000-06:00

LAS CRUCES — A tornado was seen early this afternoon in Anthony, Chaparral and at White Sands Missile Range, but there were no reports of damages or injuries.

The tornado touched down shortly before 1 p.m. about two miles south and east of the main post at White Sands Missile Range. It was one of three tornados reported in the area, according to the National Weather Service in Santa Teresa.

The other two twisters touched down in Otero County and in El Paso near Ft. Bliss. All three tornados were over open land and no damage has been reported.

WAPO- A Case Against Cheney

2007-05-01T20:23:00.000-06:00

Richard Cohen outlines the case against Cheney in this Op-Ed. While he's outlining the case against Cheney and Co. as master manipulators, he says in a quieter voice, "Kucinich doesn't stand a ghost of a chance of making it stick because Congress is not about to vote impeachment."
Note, it isn't the charges but the lack of outrage from 'we the people' and the willingness to allow ourselves to * continue to be manipulated which allows Congress to brush it all aside and attempt to discredit Kucinich in the process. Where is the outrage? Cohen's outrage is subtle but his case is persuasive. If a vice-president does the unforgiveable, it should also be impeachable. Let's not forget that lying to Congress is illegal. Lying to the people is not.

*There Has Been No Attempt To Try To Link Saddam To 9/11, Tony Snow April 30, 2007

Distinctions, Make Them.

2007-04-27T09:33:00.000-06:00

This is why it's vitally important that Kucinich is not ignored and why accountability is imperative. The war is, and always has been, WRONG. Until that simple fact is addressed, most Democrats are nothing but glorified Bush apologists and will bear the blame for failure.

...most Democrats seem to be calling for withdrawal or 'redeployment' not because the war is wrong, but merely because it is failing. By framing the war as lost because of mismanagement, poor planning, or being bogged down in a civil war, Democrats cede the argument that the war itself was a 'noble cause.' But if the war is right, if as Bush maintains it is necessary to prevent horrendous
consequences, then the public will predictably blame those consequences on the 'defeatists' who made America 'cut and run.'

What's necessary to evade this trap is to define the war itself - rather than just the fact that America is losing it - as wrong. It is wrong because we were lied into it by a rogue executive intent on launching an illegal war and occupation, in violation of national and international law, the U.S. Constitution, and the U.N Charter. And it is wrong because it has imposed an illegal occupation that has systematically violated the Geneva Conventions and the U.S. War Crimes Act.

...As long as the American people hear that the only thing wrong with the war is that we're losing it, Democrats and the peace movement will be vulnerable to the Rovian trap.
Read The “Stab in the Back” Trap

Tidbits from Moyers

2007-04-25T11:43:00.000-06:00

Bill Moyers on journalism and democracy from an interview in The Christian Century

Freedom dies of too many lies.

Many young reporters thought it inconceivable that a government would lie or manipulate intelligence to go to war.

Why is America forsaking its own revolution?

...we have seen the rise of an ideological partisan press that is contemptuous of reality, serves up right-wing propaganda as fact, and attempts to demonize anyone who says otherwise.

We are desperate today for cool thinking and clear analysis. What kind of country is it that wants its politicians to play tricks with faith?

What would I say now? Fire the ideologues and assign them to scrub the floors at Guantánamo for penitence. Stop confusing neocon pundits with Old Testament prophets. Read the Bible for humility's sake, but for policy's sake commit to memory the report of the Iraq Study Group. Don't sacrifice any more soldiers to prove you're in charge; get the soldiers out of the line of fire between Sunnis and Shi'ites. And remind your hirelings of Winston Churchill's definition of democracy as the occasional necessity of deferring to the opinions of other people.

Bill Moyers

Action Now!

2007-04-24T19:54:00.000-06:00

Made easy, here and here.
Transcript: Kucinich Introduces Impeachment Articles Against Cheney

KUCINICH: At this point, I believe that I stand with millions of Americans who have expressed concern through their state legislatures, through petitions to Congress, through contact with their members of Congress, that something has to be done to reclaim our country's goodness, to reclaim a government which the American people want to be honest, want to be just.

And so I do not stand alone. I have multitudes of people backing this.

He does not stand alone but he needs all of us to back him.

No TV?

2007-04-23T21:51:00.000-06:00

Next week is TV Turnoff Week. Since I don't watch TV the remainder of the year, I can be non-conformist and watch two Bill Moyers programs that week. Buying the War, which promises to make everyone who watches question, begins for me Wednesday night at 8pm, though for most other parts of the country, I understand it begins at 9pm. Check your own listings.
On Friday, I can watch Bill Moyers Journal, or I can sign up for his podcast!
His is a voice of leadership and not simply in the realm of journalistic leadership. He has been sorely missed!

Now, if anyone thinks I will turn off my mom's tv next week they can flat forget it. It's her pacifier. I will use anything I can to keep myself sane. That includes overhearing hour upon hour of HGTV which is a test of my sanity too, but it's much easier to tune out than listening to her yell. I just hope she leaves me alone while I watch Buying the War.

What I said Below

2007-04-23T21:34:00.000-06:00

but John Nichols says it better: Impeaching Cheney: Step One

Americans who understand that the threat of impeachment is the only tool of the Constitution strong enough to bring this administration back in line with the rule of law -- and, in so doing, to make possible the rapid end of the Iraq occupation and other worthy goals -- have their work cut out for them. House Democratic leaders remain resistant to the very mention of the "i" word.

Kucinich's decision to introduce articles of impeachment is an important first step. But to get the hearings and the votes that will be needed, the congressman and presidential candidate from Ohio will need cosponsors. What Kucinich has done is to give impeachment activists a place to focus their conversations with members of the House, but those conversations still must be held. And their message must be blunt: If you want to fix what's wrong in Washington, you must consponsor the articles of impeachment against Cheney.

Do It Yourself Impeachment

2007-04-22T08:56:00.000-06:00

Conyers said impeachment would have to come from the people.
Kucinich will be sponsoring an Impeach Cheney Bill. 'The people' then use that bill as a springboard, not just by spelling impeachment, but also by submitting a memorial. (.pdf)
There is something very wrong about a country 'of the people', if we can't succeed in removing from office a cadre of criminals. There is something very wrong with our system if congressional oversight over the executive branch is little more than empty theatre. If that is true, we have nothing short of a criminal dictatorship now and most of Congress is willing to let it stand.

ElderCare in America

2007-04-21T20:31:00.000-06:00

So, I suppose the post below did sound a bit selfish, as was alluded to in the comments.

Eldercare is one of those things I guess people have to muddle through on their own. If you happen to have an extra $4000 a month, you can opt for assisted living. That solves all your problems. If you don't have that kind of money sitting around, you look for resources. No one returns your calls. They would rather raise money for their organization than they would actually help people. I guess they have to pay their own salaries so they can plan more Memory Walks and raise more money. I'm not quite sure why they have a phone number if they don't bother to answer the phone or return calls.

Sure there are support groups around. How the hell does someone go there when they are stuck with the person they are caring for 24/7? I don't see that those support groups would be of much value anyway. I can envision bitch sessions. Lovely. I can have a bitch session of my own, on this blog, and no one has to hear it, or read it. It's isolation therapy at it's grandest, specifically tailored for the homebound.

The home care nurse discharged my mom. They don't come out at all anymore. Not that they helped much. They took her blood pressure and tested her oxygen saturation and listened to her yell a little.

I try to look at this as my job. Sometimes that helps, but even with a job, you get to go home at night.

I haven't been this stifled since I was a kid. I figure if my mom follows the same course her sisters did, I have 7 more years of this. For those who feel compelled to judge me as insensitive, perhaps reading what I wrote 4 years ago, Mother's Day in America, will give you pause for thought. This time I can't remove myself from either situation. I have to remind myself that I'm doing this because I told my father I would.

Not Having Fun

2007-04-20T10:46:00.000-06:00

I am so tired of being yelled at!
I called the Alzheimers association in town on the one day a week they take phone calls, left a message, and no one ever returns my calls. Some help they are.
It costs $12.50 an hour for someone to sit with my mom and they won't change 'Depends' because that's deemed a medical procedure. I can't be gone very long then can I?
I can't imagine what it would cost to have someone wash her feet which is what she just yelled at me about.
She's sitting in the other room right now with her feet half washed, refusing to drink her glass of water even though I have reminded her twice that the medicine she is taking for a UTI requires that she drink a full glass of water with it.
She has no clue I lost my job to take care of her.
Nothing registers except her own damn importance. Of course, washing a diabetic's fungi infested feet isn't what she deems important. Important to her is muting the sound on the television when she can't stand the commercial or making sure her coffee temperature is just so.
She is probably wondering right now why her feet are cold.
When I am yelled at, it becomes a 'fight or flight' for me. That's why I left home at age 14. Now I can't do anything except cry. Fighting is useless and I can't fly.
This is not fun. It's been almost 6 months now. I can't imagine how my dad did it for so long.

Voices

2007-04-18T21:28:00.000-06:00

When Kurt Vonnegut died one of my first thoughts was 'all the good voices are gone'.
They aren't all gone. Patti Smith still has her voice, though she's very clear in this podcast, that it will take millions of voices: "I don't think the new generations are going to be like Nero and fiddle while Rome burns. I think that people are going to step up. It's just that people are finding each other, finding their voice and figuring out how to process all the information around them."
Note: The transcript has been edited so I recommend listening to the podcast.

Addendum

2007-04-18T17:26:00.000-06:00

This is an addendum to yesterday's post about Iraqi displaced persons and refugees. Not only is there a problem with refugees, but every day about 100 women are widowed, and 400 children are orphaned. It is estimated that there are 900,000 orphans in Iraqi. Link

Plus:

Baghdad Bombings Kill at Least 131

By Karin Brulliard and Bill Brubaker
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, April 18, 2007; 6:04 PM

BAGHDAD, April 18 -- Four car bombs killed 131 people and wounded 164 others across Baghdad Wednesday, the U.S. military said, as bloodshed spiked two months into a U.S.-led crackdown meant to pacify the Iraqi capital.

It was one of the deadliest days of the four-year-old Iraq war, and some news agencies suggested the death toll may be higher. Reuters, quoting local officials, said almost 200 people were killed Wednesday. The Associated Press put the number at 183.

Anyone still think the surge is a good idea?

Quote Of The Day

2007-04-17T20:41:00.000-06:00

The Iraq war was supposed to spread democracy throughout the Middle East, but to date its most palpable result has been to spread Iraqis throughout the world.

From The Independent. They note that 2 million Iraqis have fled the country, and another 1.9 million have been displaced within their own country.

Articles of Impeachment To Be Filed On Cheney

2007-04-17T20:28:00.000-06:00

It's about time.
Treason would be a good charge to begin with.

Impeachment is off the Table

2007-04-13T17:33:00.000-06:00

From Mother Jones: Rove and Co. Broke Federal Law With Email Scam

"Federal law requires the preservation of electronic communications sent or received by White House staff... The official EOP e-mail system is designed to automatically comply with records management requirements."

"Personnel working on behalf of the EOP [Executive Office of the President] are expected to only use government-provided e-mail services for all official communication."

Oh yes, here's another little lie about Tour Extensions.
I agree, we don't need to waste time or money with impeachment at this point. They need to go to prison now. Just get them out.

Had Enough

2007-04-12T12:19:00.000-06:00

Democrats Silence Kucinich
Like Lee Iacocca, I've Had Enough.
Read Iacocca's 9 C's.
Tell the Democratic 'leadership' to read it. If they were leaders, they would not try to shut Kucinich up, they would be onboard with him.

In My Yard

2007-04-11T21:50:00.001-06:00

In_My_Yard-3, originally uploaded by Cyndy.

While half the country is under snow or facing ice warnings, this is blooming in my yard. There are photos of more bloomimg flowers on my flickr page.

Follow the Money

2007-04-10T18:35:00.000-06:00

Since this war on terror was declared following 9/11, the pay levels for the CEOs of the top 34 defense contractors have doubled. The average compensation rose from $3.6 million during the period of 1998-2001 to $7.2 million during the period of 2002-2005, according to an August 2006 report entitled, "Executive Excess 2006," by the Washington-based Institute for Policy Studies and the Boston-based United for a Fair Economy.

This study found that since 9/11, the 34 defense CEOs have pocketed a combined total of $984 million, or enough, the report says, to cover the wages for more than a million Iraqis for a year. In 2005, the average total compensation for the CEOs of large U.S. corporations was only 6% above 2001 figures, while defense CEOs pay was 108% higher.

But the last name of one family, which is literally amassing a fortune over the backs of our dead heroes, matches that of the man holding the purse strings in the White House. [ much more ]

Visual DNA

2007-04-09T17:57:00.000-06:00

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Found at Corpus Callosum

Native Newcomer

2007-04-09T15:49:00.000-06:00

Even though I grew up here, I feel very much like a newcomer. My old stomping grounds are what one could call the 'inner city'. It isn't rundown or full of crime, but the city has greatly expanded and businesses are far removed from the downtown area now. Roughly 50,000 new people and the rapid development they bring have etched neoteric furrows in the landscape since I moved away. It's difficult for me to explore since I'm stuck at home with my mom. Web presence is scattered and often not very sophisticated. Twice in two months I have been without an internet connection for more than two days. In fact, I just got back online after being down since Friday. The person who came to fix it happened to be a kid I grew up with. He said he recognized me, but I'll bet he recognized the name on the account first. I still have the account in my dad's name and the name is a bit unusual. When he told me his name, I remembered him immediately. Yep, it looked like him, he was just taller and his face wasn't a rounded childish face anymore.

He fixed the old splitter outside and now I have my line to the vast outside world back. Now I can explore some of the local sites I've been running across in local publications.

This town has always had a very strange mixture of people. It is probably the most diverse community I have ever lived in and that has not changed. Because of that diversity, news is also diverse, and if one isn't 'in the know', like me, they miss out. Not that I could have been there because of 'mom duty', I still wish I would have known beforehand about the Local Solutions Conference.

I do know now about the SWEA Energy Fair on May 12, and now I also know there is a Southwest Environmental Center.

The Pawns of Propaganda

2007-04-06T09:09:00.000-06:00

This article from Electronic Iraq is making my head spin. It's very interesting.
Bush's Bluster on Iran Was Cover for Direct Talks

"By ratcheting up the confrontational rhetoric in recent weeks," the official was reported to have argued, "the United States appears to be more in control."

As applied to Iranian leaders, that argument makes little sense. It is difficult to imagine that Bush administration policymakers believed that its new tough line, even with the arrival of a second aircraft carrier, would suddenly cause Iran's leaders to see the United States as "in control" of the U.S.-Iran relationship.

If "Bush" is substituted for "the United States", however, the explanation does make sense. By adopting the confrontational stance of January and February, Bush apparently hoped to create the appearance at home that he was more in control of the issue of Iraq.

It makes me wonder if Pelosi is a pawn in their twisted game of diplomacy, which, of course, has to include bashing democrats. I tend to think yes. The contrived controversy about her 'headscarf' along with all the other misinformation we are getting, especially from CNN, certainly points to it.

The reason all of this is making my head spin is completely related to the amount of propaganda Americans are fed and how much we eat it up.
No wonder we long for honesty and transparency in government!

Spaceport a Go

2007-04-05T21:48:00.000-06:00

I guess it passed.

...the referendum is sufficiently far ahead in the counting of provisional ballots to declare victory, although an official count has not yet been announced.
"New Mexico is prepared to launch a whole new era of discovery, exploration and commercial activity in space, on the moon and beyond. We have nothing but beautiful black sky ahead of us."

I have mixed emotion. A proposed commuter rail didn't make it, yet a spaceport did. It will be exciting, but I can't help but think that practicality needed to come first.
The vote was extremely tight, with a turnout of 18%, higher than expected, and came down to provisional ballots.

Can Slime be Underhanded?

2007-04-04T19:54:00.000-06:00

Bush Bypasses Senate to Name Ambassador

Recognizing Fox did not have the votes to obtain Senate confirmation, Bush withdrew the nomination last month. On Wednesday, with Congress out of town for a spring break, the president used his power to make recess appointments to put Fox in the job without Senate confirmation.

This means Fox can remain ambassador until the end of the next session of Congress, effectively through the end of the Bush presidency.

Can slime be impeached?

Funding a Spaceport

2007-04-02T21:48:00.000-06:00

When I grew up in Las Cruces there was a 4% sales tax. That has been replaced by a 7.125% gross receipts tax. It seems very strange to me to pay a tax on services. The statewide rate is 5%, but county and municipal governments can impose local gross receipts taxes over the state rate of 5% to pay for police and fire protection and other services that benefit the business. Groceries and prescription drugs are exempt, yet, for instance, the labor for replacing the roof on your house is taxed, in addition to the tax on the materials. That's hefty.
Tomorrow there is a countywide vote. The issue is whether to raise the gross receipt tax a quarter of a percent (7.375%)to help fund the spaceport.

Clyde Tombaugh, discoverer of the planet, yes, the planet Pluto, taught here, and many young people including myself were excited about space discovery and exploration as a direct result.

I mailed my voter registration out on the final day to register for this vote. I think that means I didn't get it to them in time to vote. I haven't received my card yet, so it's a pretty safe assumption. I'm glad I can't vote. I would feel obligated to do so otherwise, but I'm having a tough time deciding how I would have voted. It's a regressive tax and I'm certainly in no position to pay it. Almost 25% of the population in this county live below the poverty line. They are in no position to pay it. There are a lot of unanswered questions as there always is with any space launch. I got no answers from a local blogger, but he does a great job of spelling out the issue. I wonder if he's made a decision?

On another note, still related, because it's news from New Mexico, if I were diagnosed with cancer, I would be a medical marijuana patient, legally. New Mexico Becomes 12th State with Medical Marijuana Law. I couldn't afford any other treatment without insurance, but at least some of my fight would be eased. Like Richardson said, 'It's the right thing'.

We Are Not Buying It

2007-03-31T19:27:00.000-06:00

National Boycott To Impeach
for Peace and Justice
Tax Day (April 15) 'til Earth Day (April 22)

More Telecommuting

2007-03-31T10:02:00.000-06:00

Perhaps a minor issue in terms of national priorities: the Senate is considering a bill that would make nearly ll federal employees eligible for telecommuting.

Senators Push for More Telecommuting
By Stephen Barr
Washington Post
Friday, March 30, 2007; Page D04

Two senators think it's time for more federal employees to be telecommuting.

Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Mary Landrieu (D-La.) have introduced a bill that would make nearly all government employees eligible to telecommute. The bill covers employees in the executive, legislative and judicial branches.

Under current practice, employees are assumed to be ineligible for telecommuting unless their agencies select them for work-at-home programs, the senators said in a statement.

Stevens and Landrieu said the bill would reduce fuel consumption, ease traffic congestion and help government workers better balance career and family obligations...

No, it only seems like a minor issue, because it is not getting any attention from the media.

In fact, if we are to get over our addiction to foreign oil (not that it matters much whether the oil is foreign), we need to take a look at these things. If we are to address serious problems with fragmentation of families, inadequate provision of childcare, losing talented people from the workforce, job loss due to family crises, then we need to take a look at this.

Furthermore, the energy and cost savings would not be restricted to the reduction in automobile fuel costs. The costs of operating the office, providing parking, hiring replacements for people who can't make it to the office temporarily, would all go down.

I suspect that some managers are accustomed to feeling a need to keep an eye on the employees. But with telecommuting, not only is it possible to keep track of employees, it is possible to log their productivity and availability in an automated fashion. Plus, people get paid to get the job done. In managers are unable to tell whether or not the job is getting done, they need to re-evaluate their performance measures.

With any luck, this measure will pass, the practices of the federal government will have an influence on other employers, and this will become standard practice.

If the feds do this right, they will be able to demonstrate that they get lower costs and higher productivity. That might convince a few others to follow along.

I Wish I Hadn't

2007-03-27T20:57:00.000-06:00

Don't go here if you like hiding your head in the sand.

What About COBRA?

2007-03-26T10:43:00.000-06:00

Someone asked a good question. It would have been one of the first questions I would have asked someone faced with a situation similar to mine. What about COBRA?

I'm eligible for COBRA, yes. At the moment I am taking FMLA. No pay, but I had 8 weeks of vacation saved up, so 8 of the 12 FMLA weeks will be like regular pay with normal deductions taken out to cover my benefits, with my workplace continuing to pay their share. For the final 4 weeks (with vacation coverage exhausted), I will have to pay my portion of the benefits and my workplace will pay their portion. After FMLA is exhausted, which for me will be May 19th, I become eligible for COBRA.

COBRA allows a single person to continue their coverage for up to 18 months (longer for families) after a qualifying event. COBRA does not require the (former) employer to pay their portion any longer, and in fact, allows that the employer may charge the ex-employee 2% on top of the total cost of benefits for administrative fees.

For the lowest cost plan at my workplace, which I changed to when I had to move out of the managed care area, the cost would be 368.68 a month + 2 %. $376.05. The plan, quite frankly, sucks. I have to meet a $500 deductible before any benefits are paid.

How does a person who no longer has an income pay $376.05 a month for insurance coverage? Apparently only one in five people eligible for COBRA (.pdf) take advantage of it. I have to guess that the one in five are CEOs who just received a huge severence package. CEO I'm not. Severence package? Nope. It is however, possible that I will be eligible for unemployment because it was clear (and documented) that I was able to continue working via telecommuting. It was departmental policy that prevented me from continuing, not performance. Regardless, umemployment, if I can get it, will be used for necessities, of which I can no longer consider insurance to be.
Contract work is also a possibility.

I have to take into account that hiring care for my mom when I'm away costs $12.50 an hour. Imagine what a 3 hour visit to the dentist actually costs now! I'm doing it though because I intend to use every penny of my dental coverage while I still have it! I'm also hedging bets that I will stay healthy. It's a gamble, but $4500+ a year for insurance coverage is simply more than an unemployed person can pay.

Two timely and related articles, Universal Care: Getting The Right Mix and Aged, Frail and Denied Care by Their Insurers make me happy we opted not to pay for long-term care insurance and give me some hope that soon, our system may work better.

Dennis Speaks at SEIU Presidential Forum

2007-03-24T20:11:00.001-06:00

Speaking 20+ minutes on his and Conyers health care plan. Bill H.R.676.
I should add that no one should lose their job, and in turn, their health care, to take care of a loved one. If it happened to me, it can happen to you. His bill addresses long term care.
After viewing the video I'd like you to read this ABC News article. Deliberate shut out? We are really an informed population (rolls eyes) or that is one rare reporter who paid absolutely no attention. How often can shoddy reporting possibly happen in the United States of America?

Decide Already!

2007-03-22T08:52:00.000-06:00

Have you heard of HR1234? I don't hear it nearly often enough. Read it. Read the findings, read the statement of policy, read the disengagement.

This is what will ultimately happen. Why aren't we just doing it now?

Patience is a virtue? Not when people are dying. Not when we are spending $2.2 TRILLION dollars. If instead, we had invested that $2.2 trillion in wind turbines, we would now have enough electricity to provide roughly 150 percent of total U.S. energy needs.

Run government as a business? It isn't working, with the exception that the CEO and his buddies are getting rich.

I often found myself losing patience at work when I would sit in a meeting and had to watch the slow tedious process of decision making. Often it was to someone's benefit to prolong the decision, sometimes it was the employees who would benefit, more often not, but it was usually clear what the decision would be far in advance. Yet, even knowing the decision far in advance, it was the culture of obedience that made us sit by allowing the decision to stall repeatedly.

Prolonging the decision to get out of Iraq is to no ones benefit. Not making a decision is a decision for more of the same. A stagnant business ultimately fails. A business who is despised world-wide fails sooner and falls harder.

"How Many Crimes Do We Have to Have?"

2007-03-21T12:53:00.000-06:00

Former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark DC Peace Rally Mar.17, 2007

2007-03-20T17:23:00.000-06:00

Blackwater: Shadow Army

Headed by Erik Prince. Betsy DeVos' brother. Read more here after viewing the video.

2007-03-19T21:10:00.000-06:00

Kucinich Urges Conversation about Impeachment

It is time.

What next?

2007-03-02T21:50:00.000-07:00

It wasn't because I didn't do the work. I was actually twice as productive. It wasn't because they didn't like me either. It was because there is a sentence in our policy that says, 'Telecommuting will not be a substitute for day care or elder care'. I fought it as hard as I could fight.

So that's that. Last Friday was my final day on the job I've had for 11 years. Poof, 11 years gone. February 24th was my official 'Last Day'. It was also the anniversary of my brother's death 11 years ago.

I have 11 more weeks of FMLA and then my benefits also go poof!

What did I spend my time doing this week? I ordered seeds. I guess I need to put some new roots down.

I'm Glad Someone Noticed

2007-02-02T20:44:00.000-07:00

I just caught this reference on the website for Project for the Old American Century. It's a link to an article on DefenceTech.org, which in turn leads to a Congressional Budget Office report (pdf), which is an analysis of the likely costs of the troop surge that Bush has proposed.

But what is intersting is not so much the cost, but the finding that the cited figure (21,000 troops) is likely to be misleading. Misleading as in...a lie.

Breaking: Double the Troops in "Surge" (Updated)

February 1, 2007 12:22 PM

President Bush and his new military chiefs have been saying for nearly a month that they would "surge" an additional 21,500 troops to Iraq, in a last, grand push to quell the violence in Baghdad and in Anbar Province. But a new study by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office says the real troop increase could be as high as 48,000 -- more than double the number the President initially said.

That's because the combat units that President Bush wants to send into hostile areas need to be backed up by support troops, "including personnel to staff headquarters, serve as military police, and provide communications, contracting, engineering, intelligence, medical, and other services," the CBO notes...

Click on the link to the CBO report for the gory details. They admit that they have no way of knowing exactly how many extra troops will be required, or how much it will cost. Instead, they come up with too scenarios, each with some degree of justification. One scenario anticipates that the support troops required to support the 21,000 combat troops would bring the total closer to 35,000; the other, 48,000.

They acknowledge also that they cannot predict how long the deployment would be. So they come up with four costs, based on a 2x2 table, with either 35,000 troops or 48,000 troops, and either

	35,000	45,000
4 months	9 bln	13 bln
12 months	20 bln	27 bln

Oh, and as a courtesy, DefenceTech.org points out that the White House does not agree with the CBO analysis. Details are at Think Progress. We'll just have to wait and see how this plays out, but I should think that this gives Congress additional ammunition in their battle against the surge.

Scott Ritter on the Iran Problem

2007-01-25T21:08:00.000-07:00

What Iran problem? The problem we'll have if the USA launches an attack on Iran, that problem. Scott Ritter is among those who believe that the current Administration is laying the groundwork for such an attack.

Part of the groundwork involves a public-relations campaign, otherwise known as propaganda. It was abundantly evident in last year's State of the Union Address; it was less direct, but still present, in this year's.

Others have noted that the Administration is planing troop buildups in both Iraq and Afghanistan (both nations flanking Iran), and is sending a carrier battle group and Patriot missile batteries to the area. The explain that the hardware is needed in the fight against the insurgency in Iraq, but observers wonder what good that kind of hardware is against that kind of opponent.

Now, writing in The Nation, Mr. Ritter proposes action that could be taken by Congress, under the leadership of the Democratic Party, to demand accountability for all of this.

Stop the Iran War Before It Starts
posted January 24, 2007 (web only)
Scott Ritter

...I would strongly urge Congress, both the House of Representatives and the Senate, to hold real hearings on Iran. Not the mealy-mouthed Joe Biden-led hearings we witnessed on Iraq in July-August 2002, where he and his colleagues rubber-stamped the President's case for war, but genuine hearings that draw on all the lessons of Congressional failures when it came to Iraq. Summon all the President's men (and women), and grill them on every phrase and word uttered about the Iranian "threat," especially as it has been linked to nuclear weapons. Demand facts to back up the rhetoric.

Summon the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), or any other lobby promoting confrontation with Iran, to the forefront, so that the warnings they offer in whispers from a back room can be articulated before the American public. Hold these conjurers of doom accountable for their positions by demanding they back them up with hard fact. See if the US intelligence community concurs with the dire warnings put forward by these pro-war lobbyists, and if it doesn't, ask who, then, is driving US policy toward Iran? Those mandated by public law and subjected to the oversight of Congress? Or others, operating outside any framework representative of the will of the American people?

If a real case, based on facts as they pertain to the genuine national security interests of the United States, can be made for a confrontation with Iran that leads to military conflict, so be it. America should never shy away from defending that which legitimately needs defending. The sacrifice expected of our military forces, while tragic, will be defensible. But if the case for war with Iran is revealed to be as illusory as was the case for war with Iraq, then Congress must take action to stop this conflict from occurring. This is the Democrats' issue now, the one that will make or break them in 2008 and beyond...

He goes on to urge Congress to pass legislation, analogous to the Boland Amendment, that would prevent any funds from being used for covert or overt military action against Iran without express approval by Congress.

Peeling Away the Veneer

2007-01-20T19:42:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been here a little over two months now. I haven't had a chance to go back to Michigan yet and have had very little chance to get out to explore the many changes over the years since I left New Mexico. My wonderful neighbor still comes on Saturday mornings to give me two hours of respite care a week. Maybe with that help and the hope that my job will continue to allow me to telecommute, I can have a small sense of "having a life."

Today while I was buying a few items at the local co-op, Mountain View, which doesn't appear to have a website, I picked up a copy of Desert Exposure, one of my favorite local publications. In it was an article about The Greenhouse Project. Of course I read it a week after a weekend long Peak Oil/Climate Change Conference had been held, not that I could have gone, but I could have blogged about it had I known. The Greenhouse Project is encouraging, maybe even inspiring, if I had more knowledge. I need to research rainwater harvesting further.
From the references at this logo I found the following links to explore:
Gila Conservation Coalition
Gila Resources Information Project/Green Building
and the
Southwest Desert Sustainability Project
I've also found a local blog, Alternative Comment, that keeps me informed of energy policy and what the local government is, or, is not doing to help foster good energy policy, especially with regard to renewable alternatives.
I think the area's conservative veneer is beginning to peel away and I see a solid progressive foundation.
Joe will be here this week! I'll be making green chile stew for him whether my mom likes it or not. In fact, I may begin to do a lot more of what I like whether my mom likes it or not. She forgets about it 5 minutes later.

Democrats Sworn In; What Happens Next?

2007-01-07T01:14:00.000-07:00

Perhaps it is a mere coincidence, but I could not help but notice this. As soon as Democrats take control of the House and Senate, we see these headlines:

Return trip for electric vehicles: automakers unveil plans for electric cars; no need to put pressure on the auto industry!

Medicare Drug Program Costing Less Than Estimates, U.S. Says: no need to pressure the pharmaceutical industry!

Employers increase hiring, wages in Dec.: no need to worry about jobs and wages, or to put pressure on big business!

Falling crude oil prices should translate soon to lower prices at the pump: leave the oil companies alone!

Does anyone think these headlines reflect what is really going on in the world?

Shut-in?

2006-12-28T22:02:00.000-07:00

I hadn't really thought of myself as a shut-in until a neighbor couple brought over a fruit basket saying their church does this for shut-ins. Suddenly the walls closed in on me just a little more.
There is another lovely neighbor who is 86 years old, completely there in all aspects, though slower than she used to be, she tells me. She has offered to sit with my mom on Saturdays while I go get groceries. There is nothing that could be more helpful to me. Nothing.
My dad had home care assistance coming out three days a week for two hours a day. They stopped coming. They said my mom refused a bath and that they couldn't come if she refused care. I think perhaps my mom was a bit abusive and they didn't want to return. I don't feel like calling them and arguing with them over details, but I think you have to work around refusals and abuse if you're caring for an Alzheimers patient. If they can't do that then they are of no help to me. Good riddance.
I want to venture out. For hours. For now, I look forward to Saturday.

Merry Christmas

2006-12-25T08:14:00.000-07:00

And what could be better than this?

End of the neo-con dream
By Paul Reynolds
World Affairs correspondent

The neo-conservative dream faded in 2006.

The ambitions proclaimed when the neo-cons' mission statement "The Project for the New American Century" was declared in 1997 have turned into disappointment and recriminations as the crisis in Iraq has grown.

"The Project for the New American Century" has been reduced to a voice-mail box and a ghostly website. A single employee has been left to wrap things up... [emphasis added]

They saw the war in Iraq as their big chance of showing how the "New American Century" might work.

They predicted the development of democratic values in a region lacking in them and, in that way, the removal of any threat to the United States just as the democratisation of Germany and Japan after World War II had transformed Europe and the Pacific...

"Neo-conservatism has gone for a generation, if in fact it ever returns," says one of the movement's critics, David Rothkopf, currently at the Carnegie Endowment in Washington, and a former official in the Clinton administration...

"The US use of force has been seen as doing wrong and as inflaming a region that has been less than susceptible to democracy.

"Their plan has fallen on hard times. There were flaws in the conception and horrendously bad execution. The neo-cons have been undone by their own ideas and the incompetence of the Bush administration...

Good riddance. The whole project was a menance to civilization.

Here's A Photo We Both Like

2006-12-23T14:24:00.000-07:00

It's at Ron Beasley's photoblog, Just Pictures.

It obviously took a lot of time and care to get the lighting and composition exactly right.

He doesn't say what kind of cactus bloom this is, so if anyone knows, I'd appreciate hearing about it.

One Day

2006-12-19T07:10:00.000-07:00

Sometimes people work for years building something

Only to have it washed away in one day

If we're lucky they leave behind archives.

BlogNetNews

2006-12-18T14:17:00.000-07:00

I received notice of a new aggregator yesterday, specific to state news. They say the site is new and the programming is still being tweaked and tested, but my initial reaction is positive. They aren't beholden to any political views and will give a broad instant look at all the active news in a given state whether you care to see it or not. That can only be a good thing. No more hiding from viewpoints we don't agree with. Other views will be there, in your face, to deal with. That can provide for quick, informed response or no response at all.

Instant overview of local blog activity. I like it, because lately for me I've been looking for instant quality. I haven't had time to dig around but I don't like scrambling in the dark either

Right now, with my transition to New Mexico from Michigan, I don't know where I fit. Since there isn't a New Mexico BlogNetNews aggregator yet. Because there are others who post to this blog who are in Michigan, I suppose mousemusings still fits on the Michigan BlogNetNews.