Eminent Domain is becoming a vehicle to protect economies.

...The state Senate passed a bill (click title to entry - thank you) from Gov. Martin O'Malley 32-14 yesterday to purchase or exercise eminent domain to acquire the Maryland assets of Magna, which declared bankruptcy in March. Those properties include Laurel Park in west county, the Bowie Race Course Training Center, Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore and all rights and events associated with the Preakness Stakes....

Another Illegal Immigrant? A Portugese what? Water Dog and evidently the breed registry takes its name seriously.

The Washington Post scooped everyone with its article in the early morning hours. The Kennedy Family is presenting the Obama family with a house warming gift.

So, like ah, who told you Manuel? Easter Bunny?

The First Puppy Makes a Big Splash (click title of entry - thank you)
Bo, the Portuguese Water Dog, Is All Over the Web Before His Official Debut
By Manuel Roig-Franzia
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 12, 2009; Page A01
Who let the dog out?
That's the Washington mystery du jour
...The little guy is a 6-month-old Portuguese water dog given to the Obama girls as a gift by that Portuguese water dog-lovin' senator himself, Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts. The girls named it Bo -- and let it be noted that you learned that here first. Malia and Sasha chose the name, because their cousins have a cat named Bo and because first lady Michelle Obama's father was nicknamed Diddley, a source said. (Get it? Bo . . . Diddley?)...


Am/Intl CH Floodtide's Meet Me At Dockside CD AX AXJ RE CWD GROM CGC "Docker" (click here)

The breed association notable members (click here)

The breed is (click here):

-Is medium-sized, strong and durable, athletic and agile
-Has a curly or wavy coat
-Sheds less than many other breeds, because shed hairs are trapped in the tousled coat
-Thrives on vigorous exercise and athletic activities.
-Makes a fine watchdog, but is too polite to be a guardian
-Is usually fine with other pets

...it isn't JUST J.P. Morgan Chase though. Goldman Sachs is among the carpetbaggers, too.

Michael Moore Endorses Chase Boycott
By: emptywheel
Thursday April 9, 2009 9:36 am


REPORT: UAW backs Chrysler-Fiat partnership (click here)
by Jonathon Ramsey on Mar 20th 2009 at 12:27PM

Chrysler, Fiat and Tata possible partnerships – JEEP FOR SALE? (click here)
Posted on 08.1.2008 12:35 by Myles Kornblatt
Rumors and even some confirmed reports are going around tying together Chrysler, Fiat and Tata. Starting in the U.S., Chrysler may partner with Tata to sell Jeep Wrangler’s to the Indian market. What is alarming about this plan came from an investment banker watching the deal. "You could definitely see this evolve into something," the banker said. "It would make sense for Tata to buy Jeep if this partnership went through ... and Chrysler could really do with selling a brand and getting some cash." Jeep, America’s brand for sale! Say it ain’t so Chrysler....

You see, all the damage done to the USA economy that then rocked the entire global economy started when the banks were 'high rollers' with a hubris $14,000 DOW (click title to entry - thank you) after Paulson came into the government.

July 19, 2007
...The market has been spiraling upward in recent weeks. It climbed 1,000 points in less than 60 days of trading. The surge comes at a time when growth has slowed in the United States and many people are worried about problems in the mortgage market....

Eight days later, with some concern for 'a bubble' and the runaway DOW now completely out of control and making no sense to most investors, especially the bulls, banks that DID have a clue like Morgan started to look at their liabilities and began to strategize their positions.

They didn't care and they still don't care that these 'private' companies were American assets with the employ and tax base of a huge segment of the USA economy. All they know is money and plenty of it.

It was after the bailout legislation that Goldman Sachs changed their 'charter' to a bank rather than 'investment bank' so they could 'get in on' garanteed untraceable government money.

The American people have a right to have security in their country and it is time to look at manufacturers as 'assets' to our USA Treasury and its tax base before they continue to do something stupid.

As a government we have facilitated companies in their ability to locate, employ and exist. The USA assists private enterprise all the time at the local, state and federal level. There should be some understanding when there is trouble within companies and the banks that service their debt; the people providing tax cuts, credits and any other impetus to their success be given the right to save their jobs, tax base leading to a solvent treasury and national security, no matter what it takes (Hey, Secretary Geithner, it is called Eminent Domain. The government does it all the time. Why not for solvency of our treasury? Put that in your new rules.).

It always makes me laugh when CEOs get huge paychecks and bonuses that would not at all be possible without a compassionate government providing every opportunity to flourish and profit. It truly isn't a CEO that provides the 'bottom line' to a companies profit so much as the people providing the opportunity for them to even exist.

July 27, 2007, 4:59 PM ET
Another Setback for J.P. Morgan and Chrysler (click here)
...The bank and the buyout firm had hoped to salvage some of their pride from a dismal week by finding buyers today for $8 billion of loans backing the leveraged buyout of Chrysler. It wasn’t meant to be. With tumult in the high-yield market continuing,...

The 1955 Chrysler Falcon [Ghia] (click here) concept car was as close as Chrysler got to a production two-seat sports car until the 1991 Dodge Viper.

Saturday, April 11, 2009
...Large banks (click here), along with several dozen hedge funds, hold $7 billion in senior secured loans to Chrysler and are the first in line to Chrysler's assets should the company go into bankruptcy. The group includes Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan Chase and Goldman Sachs, and hedge fund Elliott Management....

Goldman sells $500 mln of Chrysler debt at very deep discount (click here)
Last update: 3:59 p.m. EDT April 9, 2008
By Cynthia Koons and Serena Ng Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Goldman Sachs (GS:
Goldman Sachs Group Inc
News , chart , profile , more
Last: 124.33+9.58+8.35%4:00pm 04/09/2009Delayed quote data
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GS 124.33, +9.58, +8.4%) placed $500 million of Chrysler Automotive's loans at a price of 63 cents Wednesday to an investor group that included hedge funds, a person familiar with the matter said.
Those loans are trading between 64 cents and 66 cents at the moment, another person familiar with the matter said, indicating some demand for the debt at this deeply discounted price. At such a price, the yield on the debt is more than 20%.
JP Morgan, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley and Bear Stearns are also underwriting the Chrysler Automotive deal, but Goldman Sachs sold part of its stake independently of the syndicate. It's a practice that's becoming more common in the leveraged loan markets as banks look to trim their exposure to risky leveraged buyout debt that they have been stuck holding onto since the credit crunch erupted last summer....


Chrysler debt plan still vague (click here)
Automaker, task force have 19 days to settle it
BY JUSTIN HYDE • FREE PRESS (I kinda like the way that sounds, FREE PRESS, nice.) WASHINGTON STAFF • April 11, 2009
WASHINGTON -- With 19 days to go, talks among Chrysler LLC, the Obama administration and Chrysler's creditors have yet to produce a firm proposal for how the company's debt should be reduced, people familiar with the process said Friday.
President Barack Obama's auto task force says it believes reducing the debts of Chrysler and General Motors Corp. is the key to making them viable, warning it could use bankruptcy to force whatever cuts it seeks. Chrysler has until April 30 to bring back a new viability plan; GM has until May 31....

Is Maliki shopping with American money?

Looking back at Washington, Baghdad wants to revive cooperation with Moscow (click title to entry - thank you)


...On April 10, he will meet President Dmitry Medvedev and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for talks on a broad range of issues. The Iraqi Government's official spokesman Ali ad-Dabbag reported that during this visit the prime minister will be accompanied by foreign, defense, and electric power industry ministers, as well as a delegation of the national oil ministry.
After the talks, on April 11, al-Maliki will hold a RIA Novosti-organized news conference in the President Hotel....

Does this mean we can go home now?

Gazprom Neft wants to develop 8 oil, gas deposits in Iraq (click here)
17:58
11/ 04/ 2009

MOSCOW, April 11 (RIA Novosti) - Russian energy giant Gazprom's oil arm Gazprom Neft is interested in developing six oil and two gas deposits in Iraq, the head of the company's Middle East projects said Saturday.
"We are participating in a tender with partners, there are six oil and two gas fields there," Alexander Kolomatsky told journalists.
Kolomatsky declined to name the partners citing commercial confidentiality. The tender's results are to be made public in the third quarter of 2009.
The announcement came after Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki met with Russian business heads to try and attract Russian investment in the oil-rich country....

Putting up with this is insane.

Somali pirates and mother ship.

I hope the Navy makes it clear that if approached by any of these ships they will sink it. The pirates will load these boats with explosives and try to sink the USA vessels.

Somalia was defeated by al Qaeda. It is where bin Laden first found out that chaotic violence was effective againt even USA helicopters and crews. Osama found out what the Romans knew for a long time, and that is if the mob decided to turn against their emperor there was dearly little a Roman legion could do to stop them.

That type of 'suicide mob strength' has been the back bone of revolutionaries for a long time. If 'an ideal' could fill a populous with fervor a government could be overthrown.

These pirates are a direct result of a government destabilized by al Qaeda. I can't believe the people of Somalia actually longed for this and if they did the international community is not appreciative. I would like to see all ships from all ports have a policy of 'protectionism' rather than 'vicitimization.' In other words, allow armed soldiers from recognized militaries board the ship as an escort to their destination and deprive these people of their country's income in this manner.

The Somalias might have to actually work at an economy rather than steal it from others.

The real danger that prevents the USA Navy from acting, is the other ships already hijacked and in port in Somalia. They have hostages no different than the Captain Phillips. If the USA becomes aggressive the concern is the hostages in port on hijacked ships will become victims rather than just hostages.

I don't believe that will happen, because the pirates want the money and if the international shipping community 'gets smart' and puts armed escort on their ships as they travel through the waters, the currently held ships and their crew will be the pirates only remaining income.

US ships block help for pirates holding US captain (click title to entry - thank you)
By MICHELLE FAUL and TOM MALITI – 3 hours ago
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — U.S. warships are trying to stop Somali pirates from sending reinforcements to a lifeboat where an American captain is being held hostage as the high-seas standoff off Africa's eastern coast entered a fourth day Saturday.
Underscoring the high stakes involved, France's navy on Friday freed a sailboat seized off Somalia last week by other pirates, but one of the hostages was killed, along with two bandits. Three pirates were captured.
A Nairobi-based diplomat, who spoke on condition on anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to reporters, said the pirates have summoned assistance but at least two American ships and an Orion surveillance aircraft are deterring pirate ships and skiffs from contact with the lifeboat.
The pirates have threatened to kill their American hostage, Capt. Richard Phillips, if the U.S. attacks them, according to a Somali who has been in contact with the pirates.
The vice president of the Philippines, the nation with the largest number of sailors held captive by Somali pirates, appealed Saturday for the safety of hostages to be ensured in the standoff.
"We hope that before launching any tactical action against the pirates, the welfare of every hostage is guaranteed and ensured," said Vice President Noli de Castro. "Moreover, any military action is best done in consultation with the United Nations to gain the support and cooperation of other countries."
U.S. rules of engagement prevent the Americans using their vastly superior fighting power to engage the pirates if there is any danger to civilians....

If escorts are the best strategy against boarding by pirates, they will have to be armed with more than assault rifles, they will have to carry shoulder mounted missiles to stop the boats, even the mother ships before they begin to board. It cannot be an attempt at intimidation by a simple presence of armed guards.

The escorts will have to be prepared to stop the attack.

That means the Somali Pirates could die in the process.

The assault crew would have to be prepared to stem the attack early enough to prevent any damage to ship, crew or cargo; otherwise; the shipping lines would go back to paying ransom. A well organized 'Escort Crew' would require a boarding crew as well as armed boat escort to keep the mother ships and speed boats away from the cargo ship. I don't see any other method that is viable. Negotiating with the Somali government is meaningless.

Hiring 'Escort Crews' would cost far, far less than paying ransom and insure the well being of the container crews returning home to their familes.

International laws would have to accommodate the need for these crews in International AND International Port Waters as a means of Peaceful Transport. Any Maritime Laws could allow such mechanisms to be employed at any time there are rebels that would harm safe transport of goods and crew.

These cargo ships are benevolent ships, they aren't militarized ships, this is an assault against humanity and its benevolent purpose. It should be highly illegal in an aggressive methodology that provides prevention as well as defense.

"This will be the last supplemental for Iraq and Afghanistan," he said.

What is occurring in Iraq is a 'tit for tat' civil war. It has been raging for years and will continue while the USA continues to back a central government the people do not want. The USA is viewed as another 'entity' in this civil war and will continue to be attacked for as long as the intervention of USA and coalition forces continues.

We don't belong in Iraq.

We never did.

These people have to solve their own problems, they are not a threat to the USA national security. If Iraq needs Peacekeepers than that is what needs to be addressed, but, in instances like this Peacekeepers are far from effective.

The USA is attempting to hold back a powder keg of civil anger against the central authority. It will inevitably explode until the ethnicities are divided into their own provinces with their own governments. That explosion will happen and the USA is simply trying to overcome any possibility of that occurring before the deadline to leave Iraq.

The violence will occur either now or sixteen months from now OR the killing fields of Iraq will go on forever so long as there are tons of munitions flowing into that country. We will continue to see these attacks and civilians will die along with our soldiers. This is insane to continue to occupy this country. There is no resolve except what the Iraqis find for themselves.


A crowd gathers at the site of a car bomb attack in the Sadr City neighbourhood of Baghdad. Photograph: Khalid Mohammed/AP

Many killed in Baghdad bomb attacks (click here)
At least 90 injured as series of explosions targets mostly Shia neighbourhoods in Iraqi capital

Associated Press
guardian.co.uk, Monday 6 April 2009 13.38 BST
At least 33 people have been killed in a string of bomb attacks on Shia neighbourhoods in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, today.
The attacks – including twin car bombings at a marketplace in western Baghdad – left 93 wounded, police and medical officials said.
It was the deadliest day in Iraq since bombings last month targeted tribal leaders at a market in Abu Ghraib, north of the capital, and a police academy in Baghdad.
The attacks came after Iraqi forces put down an uprising by the Sunni Awakening Council group in Baghdad, angry over the arrest of their commander on terrorism and criminal charges, last week.
Today's single deadliest attack was the double car bombing at the predominantly Shia al-Maalif market, which killed 12 people and injured 29 others, an Iraqi police official said....

A US army patrol stops to talk to an Iraqi family outside their home in Mosul

"According to unit reporting it appears to have been a target of opportunity as the ... convoy was passing the national police station, and not at the headquarters conducting training," spokesman Major Derrick Cheng told AFP.

Iraq truck bombing kills 5 U.S. soldiers (click here)
The attack outside national police headquarters in the northern city of Mosul also kills two Iraqi policemen and injures two U.S. soldiers and 20 Iraqi troops.
By Ned Parker 7:23 AM PDT, April 10, 2009
Reporting from Baghdad -- Five U.S. soldiers were killed today in a truck bombing in northern Iraq. It was the deadliest attack against American forces in Iraq in more than a year.

The bomber detonated 200 pounds of explosives outside the national police headquarters in southwest Mosul, according to a U.S. military statement. In addition to the American deaths, the blast also claimed the lives of two national policemen, the military said.

Two U.S. soldiers and 20 Iraqi troops were wounded in the attack, the statement added. Two people were arrested in the bombing, the military said.

Mosul, the capital of Nineveh province, and Diyala province to the east remain rife with tension and are still considered dangerous despite dramatic reductions in violence over the last year and a half. Four U.S. soldiers and their interpreter died in a suicide bombing attack in Mosul in February. The latest bombing raised to 4,271 the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq since 2003.

ned parker@latimes.com

Iraqi women run past an Iraqi soldier patrolling a street in Baghdad


Women mourn the death of Haidar Tareq Sami, 25, killed along with his wife and infant son in Baghdad, Tuesday, April 7, 2009.

The article below gives a full accounting of the activities in Iraq. The USA media isn't carrying this kind of information and it is important to paint a complete picture. Kindly note, the people of Iraq are hopping mad the USA is still occupying their country. We need to leave Iraq and we need to leave Iraq now. Cut the spending to Iraq and bring the troops home.

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:25:19 GMT (click here)
A truck bomb attack has rocked the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, leaving at least eight people killed and more than 20 others wounded.

The explosion, the latest in a new wave of bomb attacks to hit violence-wracked Iraq, took place on Friday when an explosives-laden truck rammed into a police station in the south of Mosul, Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed al-Juburi told AFP.

Informed sources in the interior ministry said at least eight people were killed in the incident and another 20 were injured in the second city of Iraq.

Initial reports by Iraqi officials did not specify the nationality of the victims, but the US military later confirmed five of the dead were American forces, adding they had detained two suspects in the bombing.

Medics at Mosul's main hospital said that around 60 people were wounded in the incident and that most of them were civilians living near the site of the explosion.

Local security officials reported two separate incidents earlier in the day where roadside bomb attacks near Baghdad killed three people and wounded seven others.

The first explosion hit a family Diyala province northeast of Baghdad, killing a woman and wounding her husband and two children.

Two other civilians were killed and another four were wounded in a similar attack in the town of Yusifiyah south of Baghdad.

The explosions followed attacks in Baghdad on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday which left at least 49 people dead and 182 others wounded. The incidents come amid growing public outrage against the US military presence in the country.

On Thursday, thousands of people took to streets in the capital to call for an immediate and complete withdrawal of all US military forces from Iraq on the six anniversary of the US-led invasion of the country in 2003.

Some 1.2 million protesters from different walks of life urged an end to the "occupation" of their country and demanded the release of innocent Iraqis held in US-run prisons.

The rally also called on the government to open investigations into all the crimes committed by US soldiers during their six-year-long stay in Iraq, and warned against the restoration of the former Ba'athist officials.

The anti-occupation march came on the heels of US President Barack Obama's unexpected visit to the war-torn country on his first trip to Baghdad as commander-in-chief of US forces. Obama has ordered the withdrawal of all US troops by 2011.

At home the bitter feud between Republicans and Democrats is still taking shape along partisan lines. Of course here again the Republicans are the first to demand Democrats to 'go along' with war funding while they do nothing to endorse domestic spending to improve the lives of Americans. That kind of partisanship is disgusting and loudly confirms how Republicans don't care about Americans and use their 'so called' patriotism for aggression against other countries while raking in monies for cronies. We don't belong in Iraq. We never did.

...House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) (click title to entry - thank you) said his party is "ready to work with the president to again ensure quick passage of a clean troop-funding bill. Micromanaging the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan from the U.S. Capitol is a recipe for disaster, and I hope my Democratic colleagues understand that."

But Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.), the co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said the proposal will "prolong our occupation of Iraq through at least the end of 2011, and it will deepen and expand our military presence in Afghanistan indefinitely. I cannot support either of these scenarios."

Nearly $76 billion of the request would go to the Defense Department, while about $7 billion would be sent to the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development, according to the White House Office of Management and Budget.


While most of the emergency funding is designated for military equipment and operations, the request also includes $1.6 billion for economic help and a "surge" of diplomatic and civilian personnel for Afghanistan, part of Obama's recently announced strategy for tackling the conflict there. The White House also asked for $1.4 billion for economic assistance and more diplomats and development experts for Pakistan....

I refrain from making comment as there is a life that hangs in the balance...

...however, I am very proud of the USA Navy as they are doing a great job they have longed wanted to intervene. The pirating off Iran that ends up in ports of Somalia has been a frustration for them for some time and they are finally showing how USA warships can help.

I am please there are more ships on the way to join the Brisbane. No doubt there are all kinds of plans being made 'on shore' including to attempt another 'USS Cole' maneuver, so the added Naval vessels are correct and prudent.

I am hoping all goes well and everything is ended peacefully without ransom paid or injury caused. It's about time, you know?

I also congratulate our Commander and Chief for risking the action with our Navy. The merchant ships have allowed this to go on because of the fear of reprisal. Perhaps we are, for the first time, showing them there are alternatives to piracy.

In making my observation about Iranian waters, there are many of these small attack boats that harbor themselves in Iranian waters although Iran does not allow pirated vessels into their ports. I am wondering if there is a specific ethnicity involved in the identities of these pirates that might lead to a better understanding of whom they are and whom they claim their allegence.


Somali pirates capture Captain Richard Phillips of US cargo ship Maersk Alabama carrying food to African refugees.

Navy sends more ships to fight pirates (click title to entry - thank you)
Michael Richards, Kenya
April 10, 2009 - 12:55PM

The US military says it is sending in more ships to the scene of a stand-off with Somalia pirates holding an American hostage on a lifeboat in the Indian Ocean.
A day after pirates hijacked the Maersk Alabama aid ship before being overpowered by the unarmed American crew, the high-seas drama remained unresolved on Thursday with both the pirates and the US Navy promising to move in reinforcements.
The four pirates were ousted from the 17,500-tonne Danish-operated container ship, but were still holding the captain hostage on a lifeboat.
More naval ships were to join the destroyer USS Bainbridge that arrived overnight to help secure the release of the American, US defence officials said.
"The safe return of the captain is the top priority," Defence Secretary Robert Gates told reporters in Washington....

The Hate Mongering coming out of Talk Radio these days is incredible and full of lies. FCC should shut them down already.

The 'buzz' word today was 'bowing. Evidently the Right Wing Extremists of the political spectrum of the USA seem to believe President Obama was bowing to the Saudi King at the G20 Summit. It is bigoted statement and it needs to stop.

I've been listening to Talk Radio in Wilmington, NC off and on today as I was traveling most of the day, so when driving the radio was on for the sheer purpose of listening to hate mongering and the depth the Right Wing Extremists will go to inspire hate in their constituency. All day long I have witnessed Freedom of Speech that has done nothing but espoused hatred and bigotry based on the pirating in the Gulf of Oman.

The hate was leveled at Muslims and it was continuous. There was one host that had to reach back into the history books to the late 1800's to find an event so he could say President Obama was repeating history. Sorry, but, the Arab Nations have come a long way since then and so has our Navy.

What was more astounding was the audience response. They literally were reiterating the same sentiment and nearly the same words at times. It is a shame literally and truly.

If I recall anyone bowing to any Arab leader, it was that time when Bush and the then Prince Abdullah went walking hand in hand in Crawford. Hm. If what they are hoping it to boost ratings and get attention. Well, they got attention but this is going to be the last of it.

NO Hollow Laws on Carbon Emissions.

There can't be any compromise. THAT has been the problem in the past, carbon dioxide emissions were never taken seriously because they don't cause cancer like other gases under The Clean Air Act. Compromise is how Climate Change caused by Human Induced Global Warming became the problem it is today.


Doesn't anyone, get it? I really believe there is this high level of DENIAL, even today, about the problem. It is huge. It is the most profound problem the USA faces. It is time to 'get over it.' No lobbiests on this one. Too late for negotiations about any plan to bring down CO2, the clock is running and the alarm has already sounded.

"...His (John Holdren) concern is that the United States and other nations won't slow global warming fast enough and that several "tipping points" could be fast approaching. Once such milestones are reached, such as complete loss of summer sea ice in the Arctic, it increases chances of "really intolerable consequences," he said...."

This isn't just about Polar Bears, boys and girls, this is about life on Earth. Pandering to those that moan and groan all the way to the bank is out of the question. They caused this problem, it is up to us to stop their influence and seek solutions.

I don't necessarily believe in an auction of carbon credits. Quite frankly, I don't believe in carbon CREDITS at all. It gives permission for polluters to pollute. I don't care if there are complaints that one polluter or another is going to have to raise consumer prices to counter balance their carbon emissions. That is NOT what I call 'Climate Responsiblity.'

There are NO credits for NOX or SOX. Why CO2? Regulation is what this is all about, it is what the Clean Air Act is all about and quite frankly Carbon Credits and a Carbon Tax is a horse and pony show to what really needs to happen here.

It is called REGULATING carbon dioxide emissions without a category called UNATTAINABLE.

No more coal fired plants. There is no such thing as Clean Coal Technology except on some highly paid engineer's dreamscape. There needs to be responsible energy policies and that does not necessarily mean tolerating carbon dioxide emissions for the 'sake' of some kind of ? economy ? when there are very viable alternatives otherwise.

It is time to 'get real.' Life or death. That is what Climate Change is. Either we travel the path to living with Earth and its inherent dynamics or we die. Compromising and stating 'we have years to change' isn't reality, it's playing politics with life.

The USA needs to 'get over it.' Maybe the citizens of the country don't understand that real consequences are all around them. They don't link massive storms, Cat 4 and 5 hurricanes and frequent tornado outbreaks caused by Human Induction by Carbon Dioxide. Those conversations were labed TABOO by Republican Administrations. It doesn't matter through, government is supposed to take care of citizens when the facts are presented.

This legislation has to take place and it has to take place now. I can't believe those in the legislature are even playing with this issue. The infrastructure dollars are already there, it is time to 'get over it.'

A lot of bizarre behavior in the USA today. At least a lot reported. I don't want to say it, but, maybe the reporting is a stimulus as well.

A woman kills herself and her son in a shooting gallery. Wow. That was not only premeditated, it was guaranteed. Who would have ever thought.

How do you tell an arms 'rental' agent he shouldn't be renting guns. Renting guns.

Did you catch the video? I could not believe my eyes. She killed her 20 year old son with one shot. She not only thought up a completely horrible scenario to carry out a demented act, but, she must have studied some anatomy.



The shooting deaths at Virginia Tech revealed a the shooter to be a young man with a history of mental illness. So, the gun laws were tightened up to prevent those with such a history from purchasing weapons. But, this isn't even purchasing them. This is renting them. She not only rented one gun, but, two. One to put in her son's hand to distract him while she killed him with the other. Wow. It was well thought out and no one knew?

I can understand gun ranges like this. People that own weapons need to use them correctly, so they should practice handling and firing them, aiming. But, how does a mentally disturbed woman enter a gun range with her son and rent two weapons and proceed to kill both of them. What law is going to prevent that? It can't. The 'rental' agent would have to run credentials as if she were purchasing a weapon in order to find out this information. I believe the rental agent is liable, big time liable. I can't believe people can actually rent guns. I don't believe in renting guns even when in a shooting range. At the very least, when renting a gun it should be done with an instructor. This is really a very poor practice.

Then there is the pilot that wanted to be shot down by F-16s. I wonder if he should have thought about renting an F-16 and a jet pilot for 'war games' in order to be shot down? What makes people tick these days?

Man who stole plane in Canada trying to commit suicide (click here)
April 7, 2009 11:18 AM EDT
Posted by Sarah Harlan
(NBC) - A man accused of stealing a plane in Canada and landing it seven hours later in Missouri told authorities he was trying to commit suicide.
Authorities said 31-year-old Adam Dylan Leon took off from a flight school in Thunder Bay and headed south.
American F-16 fighter jets intercepted him as he approached Wisconsin, and the state capital building was evacuated for a short time.
The pilot landed on a dirt road in rural Missouri and was arrested at a nearby grocery store.
Leon told a state trooper he hoped he would be shot down.

Another murder-suicide in Oklahoma. This is getting rough. It is people that primarily know each other and see violence as a friend in resolving personal issues.

Man dies; deadly Oklahoma City shooting becomes apparent murder-suicide (click here)
From Staff Reports
Published: April 8, 2009
A man suspected of fatally shooting a woman before turning the gun on himself in a suspected murder-suicide attempt has died.
Police say Darrin Smith , 48, died Monday from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound he received Sunday night, police said.
Officers went to 2219 N Quapah Ave. about 9:30 p.m. Sunday and found Jackie Lee Miller, 48, dead from a gunshot wound, according to Sgt. Jennifer Wardlow.
Police say Miller and Smith knew each other, but the nature of their relationship remains unclear.

And look at this. Four teens committed suicide because of bullying. The latest one was attempting to leave her school by seeking a private tutor at home.

Student bullied before suicide, aunt says (click here)
By LAUREN STANFORTH
Staff writer Last updated: 4:43 p.m.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
SCHENECTADY - One of the four female students who recently committed suicide was bullied so severely she was awaiting a tutor in order to leave Schenectady High School, according to the girl's aunt.
Shana Davis of Latham said her niece must have had other problems to see death as a reasonable way out. But the bullying she endured at the hands of other girls must have been a contributing factor, said Davis, who said her sister, the teen's mother, is too distraught to speak publicly.
"She didn't want to be there," Davis said about her niece. "It was very clear she struggled."
It has been rumored that bullies plagued some of the students who committed suicide. The first death occurred on Nov. 25. Others followed in late February and, most recently, April 2. All the students were black females, which is counter to typical suicide trends. More commonly for teens, white males commit suicide.
A Harvard University suicide and trauma expert is helping organize community response to the tragedies, bringing together school staff, public and mental health experts, clergy and police to devise an outreach plan....

AND THEN THERE IS THIS ! "FOX" consented to 'the idea' that suicide is a remedy when one of their stars decided to leave the show for a career in politics.

'House' Shockeroo: Kutner Suicide (click here)
...Out of the blue - a death on one of TV's biggest shows. A shot to the head. Never saw it coming. Neither did House. Nor did anyone else.
Now the valid question: Did Fox, or "House," set up this departure responsibly, or was it so shocking, so unexpected, that even viewers need help to deal with it right now? Hard do say, but Fox has actually set up a "mourning" site that viewers can access this morning. I've never seen anything quite like this - it lets viewers mourn the dearly departed while perpetuating the curious myth that Kal Penn's character is "real," and MUST be mourned....

Here is the funeral site, video and all. (click here)

It is a known fact that when suicide is reported on television, especially television, it causes mimics. I believe FOX has issues with giving permission to suicide. This occurred without any history of the character having a mental illness or life stress that would drive him to such an act. I believe they are completely irresponsible to the public and the episode needs to be reviewed for inappropriate and violent content. There is no rating system for television. The FCC needs to seriously examine the 'content' not only of this FOX program, but, of the current reporting content to the extent there is an escalation of violence in the country and any correlation.

There are absolutely too many guns on the street.

The Old Codger is still kickin' - What a difference a President makes. Wow !

Let's see...what will the Neocons say?...Oh, yeah, in the last days for Fidel Castro, the USA surrenders.

The Justice Department needs to drop any remaining charges against Michael Moore !

I congratulate the members of the delegation. Obama in Europe and our House members in Cuba. The world is on a path to peace. Nice, very nice.


Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., front, reacts during a news conference in Havana, Tuesday, April 7, 2009. Cuba's President Raul Castro met Monday with six visiting members of the Congressional Black Caucus for more than four hours, his first face-to-face discussions with U.S. leaders since he became Cuba's president last year. Back from left to right; Rep. Laura Richardson, D-Calif., Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D- MO., Rep. Bobby Rush, D- IL. (AP Photo/Javier Galeano)

...Greg Adams, a spokesman at the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, said Rep. Barbara Lee, a California Democrat, and two other lawmakers met with the ailing, 82-year-old Castro. He did not have further details, nor could he provide the names of the other Americans who attended the meeting.
The meeting appears to underscore the Cuban government's desire for improved relations with the United States under new President Barack Obama....

St. Croix among most endangered rivers

Signing ceremony for Wild & Scenic Rivers Act expansion, March 30, 2009.
Image credit: Rebecca Wodder

...The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (click here) designates 86 new Wild and Scenic Rivers, totaling over 1,100 miles in Oregon, Idaho, Arizona, Wyoming, Utah, California, and Massachusetts. The legislation includes important protections for 350,000 acres of land along the rivers and also contains new Wilderness designations for over two million acres of public land.
Rebecca Wodder, President of American Rivers, the nation’s leading river conservation organization, attended the signing ceremony at the White House....

The PDF Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009 (1.9 MBs) (click here)

American Rivers (click here)


Bob Nasby is a fly fishing guide. He says he has fished the St. Croix for 40 years, and every year sees it get more crowded and weed filled. (MPR Photo/Sea Stachura)

..."What a magnificent piece of water this is," he said. "I've fished a lot of rivers in my lifetime. But it never ceases to amaze me what it looks like when you're coming up through that valley."
The entire St. Croix River, more than 150 miles in length, is part of the National Wild and Scenic River System. Its headwaters are in Solon Springs, in northwestern Wisconsin. More than 8,000 square miles feed this river....

The America’s Most Endangered Rivers™ report (click here) is one of the best-known and longest-lived annual reports in the environmental movement. Each year since 1986, grassroots conservationists have teamed up with American Rivers to use the report to save their local rivers. The report is a call to action and emphasizes solutions for the rivers and their communities. By shining the spotlight on key decisions that will impact the rivers’ futures, and by providing clear actions for the public, the report has spurred scores of successes on rivers nationwide.
Coming on April 7, 2009: America's Most Endangered Rivers™ Report: 2009 Edition

The DE-ESCALATION of Militarized Governments, also known as No More Cold War

Lockheed F-35 will go into full production as a multirole combat aircraft. The F-35 has had its problems. Different from the air superiority fighter F-22, which will end the production at 187 aircraft, it will perform air and ground attack. It is lighter and less powerful but may prove to use less fuel. The one issue that still besets the F-35 is noise and there are communities suing the Air Force for that reason alone.

Air Force, Fla. city do battle over F-35 (click here)
By Travis Griggs - Pensacola News-Journal via Gannett News ServicePosted : Monday Apr 6, 2009 13:23:27 EDT
All is not quiet in when it comes to putting the F-35 Lightning II fighter at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
The nearby city of Valparaiso has filed its second lawsuit trying to stop Eglin from becoming the home of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter training program for Air Force, Navy and Marine Lightning II pilots and maintainers.
Air Force officials broke ground March 20 on a $250 million training complex, expected to bring 113 aircraft and more than 10,000 military members and dependents to the region when fully operational in 2016....


Secretary Robert Gates' new Defense Budget shows 'good will' in demonstrating the de-escalation of the USA's military might. How much military does the USA need in a world that is now framing itself on non-proliferation and peace? It might sound naive to the Neocons of the USA, but, having an effective military is all a nation needs if 'aggression' is taken out of the formula.

The new Defense budget demonstrates a better approach to Homeland Security in commissioning Littoral Combat Ships more capable of 'near shore' maneuvers. In other words, these smaller ships can patrol the region of 'near shore' for issues of security than any aspect of Navy Operations today. It has the capacity to deploy small craft as well as helicopters.

The new Presidential Helicopter has been cancelled.

It isn't as though the Defense budget is puny, it is still a whooping $654.1 billion for the fiscal year 2009, however, it shows a clear path that downsizes elaborate programs that only cause 'escalation' in the international venues of weapon development.

If we are to be 'at peace,' it can be defined with a strong defense, HOWEVER, it does not mean the USA has to have a daughting military compared to none that only escalates concerns and mistrust between countries.

When military spending is trimmed in any country, the funding can be used for domestic purposes and improving the quality of life. If the USA is ALWAYS pushing the envelope for the simple reason of 'pushing the envelope' is causes other nations to do the same. If we are to believe in Non-Proliferation, we need to walk the walk as well as talk the talk. Cutting the USA military budget is a beginning to demonstrate our intent on de-escalating nation's military estates.

The 'lobbyists' are hard at work to scare Congressional members to demand the re-instatement of military spending. Write your Congressional Representatives to back Secretary Gates new budget.

Transformational Communications Satellite System (click here) removed from any budget allotment.


The TSAT program is 'reviewed' as being feasible, but, at what point do we stop being hideous about the ability of our military as compared to the abilities of the rest of the world?

I really think we'll be fine, especially in a project such as this that is still 'in concept' and not 'in use.'

I really don't want to hear how this is going to cost jobs. The decrease in military spending will enhance our national debt and allow for domestic spending on issues such as high speed magnetic rail. I am not going to argue the beleagured idea of sacrificing 'sane' transportation for the USA public that doesn't emit CO2. It's over. We need to go there. Perhaps we need to thank the military for finding ways to enhance the CIVILIAN life they protect.

"Taking Back Non-Proliferation"

Russia may not answer missile defense with Iskanders - Medvedev (click title to entry - thank you)
22:27
02/ 04/ 2009
..."We had a talk on this issue with the U.S. president. At a minimum I can say that today the U.S. has a desire to listen to our argument. They are not trying to cut off [talks] and say that the decision has already been made," Medvedev said in a speech at the London School of Economics....

Mr Obama 'did not make any promises concerning the anti-missile shield', a spokesman for the Polish president said Photo: AP

Barack Obama throws US missile shield into doubt (click here)
The construction of a US missile shield in Europe has been thrown into doubt after Poland said that President-Elect Barack Obama had failed to commit himself to the project.

By Matthew Day in Warsaw and Alex Spillius in Washington

Last Updated: 9:54AM GMT 11 Nov 2008

Officials in Warsaw said that after a conversation between President Lech Kaczynski and Mr Obama, they believe that the chances of the controversial project going ahead now stood at no more than "over 50 per cent"....

President Medvedev 'gets it.' He is well spoken in his understanding of the global fiscal crisis. Nice. I believe he and President Obama will prove to be good partners in seeking to secure the future of generations. I have a great deal of hope for the relations between the USA and Russia.

Planned Obsolescence...of government

Let's get this straight, shall we?

When a Neocon takes an office in the USA it is to SABOTAGE 'the purpose' of any government role or authority, even if that means being incompetent. Incompetence or the explicit legislating of law to be meaningless in 'real practice' is a form of treason.

The purpose of any Neocon is to undermine the authority of government to the point where the electorate is so disgusted they will opt to be WITHOUT government and its cost. Hence, tax decreases and downsizing of government and the increased wealth of the 'upper crust' and the unavoidable demoralizing of the middle class and exploitation of the poor.

In regard to The Stevens Case:

...The most important question that remains largely unanswered, said officials and veteran lawyers, is whether the corner cutting, especially the serial concealment of information damaging to the government, was a result of flawed judgments and heavy workloads or an intentional step by prosecutors to increase their chances of a high-profile conviction....

"Corner cutting" RESULTING IN "flawed judgements and heavy workloads" IS an intentional step.

"...In an example of the disarray of the government team, one F.B.I. agent said in an affidavit that as many as 30 boxes of unsorted evidence sat outside a prosecutor’s office as the trial was to begin...."

When executing the 'Rule of Law' becomes impossible due to lack of 'infrastructure/qualified personnel' it is treason. When a country's budget is 'toyed' with to attempt to undermine Social Security while compromising the legal infrastructure that is to uphold the law, that is treason. What the Bush/Cheney/Gonzalez ? Justice ? department did was to continually cause upheaval and disarray in 'the authority' of law while 'displaying' attempts to secure 'political favors' for its electorate.

Stevens is guilty and the testimony of those in the trial may or may not be PERJURY. But, the inability of The Justice Department to carry out a COMPETENT trial of Stevens due to lack of sufficient infrastructure IS a violation of the integrity of the USA Constitution and an impeachable offense of the Bush Executive Branch.

Questions? No? End of Discussion !

When privatizing any 'aspect' of government, it is SUPPOSED to be an improvement to the process, NEVER a breach of National Security and a way of keeping taxes down to stop the increasing size of government.


There is no excuse for the high incompetency of the Bush/Cheney/Gonzalez ? Justice ? Department.


NONE !


The Justice Department of the USA IS NECESSARY to carry out our laws and protect National Security. There is NO outsourcing The Justice Department because Gonzalez was a brilliant strategist to the appearance of incompetency. There was no incompetency, there was PLANNED Obsolescence of government REGARDLESS of its importance to National Security.

If Holder is worth his salt, he'll assign a Special Prosecutor while realizing there may be nothing to prosecute as THE APPEARANCE of incompetency will only prove the next step might be to remove licenses to practice. Holder's Special Prosecutor would have to PROVE there was a CONTINUED and steady trend that compromised the integrity of Prosecution. It is bigger than the Steven's Case and should be attempted for the sake of 'ending' the possibility of any repeat attempt by future administrations and/or Justices.

The problem in pursuing 'the perfectionING' of the USA Constitution and its practice, is the cost and whether the people of the country will 'frown' at the implimentation of still another investigation of the Bush Executive Branch while calling it 'political horseplay' at the public's expense.

To me it is not horseplay so much as defending our Constitution.

...The case, against the former U.S. attorney general, Alberto R. Gonzales (click here), and others, was sent to the prosecutor's office for review by Baltasar Garzon, the crusading investigative judge who ordered the arrest of Augusto Pinochet, the former Chilean dictator. The official said that it was "highly probable" that the case would go forward and that it could lead to arrest warrants.
The move represents a step toward ascertaining the legal accountability of top officials in the former administration of President George W. Bush for allegations of torture and the mistreatment of prisoners in the campaign against terrorism....

The Eurasian Plate

Italy quake prediction makes waves in California seismology circles (click here)
3:29 PM
April 6, 2009
...A little over a week ago, a scientist little known in earthquake circles made a bold prediction of a destructive earthquake around the small town of Sulmona, Italy, based on readings of radon gas. Giampaolo Guiliani went so far as to tell the mayor of Sulmona that it would strike within the next 24 hours. The deadline passed, and nothing happened.
Then, early Tuesday, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck about 35 miles away, near the town of L’aquila, sparking a controversy in Italy and around the world about whether Guiliani actually predicted the temblor. That prediction is the latest twist in the maddening scientific quest to predict earthquakes....


On Tuesday, January 17th 1995, at 5.46 a.m. (local time), an earthquake of magnitude 7.2 on the Richter Scale struck the Kobe region of south-central Japan. (click here)


If one examines closely the Eurasian Plate it will be noted there is a 'double fold' if you will very near Italy. As a matter of fact, it is due to this region that Italy moved away from the continent and forms a 'peninsula' in the shape of a boot.

The Eurasian Plate is also responsible for some of Japan's earthquakes which are very frequent.



When I consider this earthquake along with others on the Pacfic Rim, it is easy to say they are all related as the Pacific Plate and Eurasian plate contact each other and when the Pacific Plate moves Japan gets a bolt. It is not a far stretch to realize as the Pacific Plate moves, so the Eurasian Plate does as well impacting Japan with a double dose of a dynamic Earth.

It makes sense that as the Eurasian Plate 'accepts' friction and strain from the Pacific Plate, the first major 'slip' would occur at its weakest spot, Italy where the plate is weaker than in other areas.

According to The Religious Right, "Marley and Me" is unfit for children's viewing.

The author of "Marley and Me" is John Grogan (click here). They don't come more wholesome than this !



Why does the 'Dobson Folks' (click here) find this adorable film offensive to children? Ready for this? BECAUSE, Jennifer Anston in ONE scene in the film 'winks' suggestively at her husband. GOD FORBID, a wife would flirt with her spouse. I mean to tell you, The Religious Right according to Dobson has to live a sterile life in view of their children.

WOW. What a contrast to Wasilla, Alaska.

A wink. They are a strange bunch. Strange.

A reasonable and sane review of the delightful movie is below. A wink. Weird people. Weird. A wink. Wow.

The latest Neocon Political Buzz word is "Arrogant."

Dennis Miller is holding President Obama hostage because he is offended for being called 'An Arrogant American.'

Hm.

Let's just examine ONE fact. Not a lot of facts, but, just ONE fact. And see if Americans qualify as arrogant.

This ONE fact isn't anything to boast about and it is the most passively deadly act the USA has ever committed to its own people and that of any other country on the plant. The ONE act by the USA that qualifies it as the MOST, not just 'an arrogant' nation, but, the MOST arrogant nation on the face of the Earth.

Carbon Dioxide Emissions (click here):

The United States of America emits 19.66 tonnes of carbon dioxide per capita per year.

The United States of America emits 1000 tonnes of CO2 every 5.3 SECONDS.

China emits 3.7 tonnes of CO2 per capita per year.

China (A THIRD World Country) emits 1000 tones of CO2 every 6.4 seconds.

Great Britian emits 9.23 tonnes of CO2 per capita per year.

Great Britian emits 1000 tonnes of CO2 every 56.1 seconds.

Need I go on? Well, maybe just one more. Let's 'pick on' India.

India emits 1.17 tonnes of CO2 per capita per year.

India emits 1000 tonnes of CO2 every 23.5 seconds.

Considering the United States of America had NO excuses to 'look the other way' except for the 30 years of Republican ? leadership ? which stated it wasn't economically feasible (You know the folks. The folks like Bush and Paulson that brought the world the fiscal collapse of the world in 2008.) to convert to any other form of energy than fossil fuels.

When considering the criticisms of President Obama CONSIDER the source. It might be that is more revealing than the criticism itself.

New York State Governor Mansion going Green

Low Cost Greening Tips (click here)

...“If our buildings are unhealthy, it increases the chances that we will be unhealthy and that our children will be unhealthy,” said First Lady Michelle Paige Paterson. “Inefficient buildings are the largest contributors to global warming — in fact, nearly 40 percent of greenhouse emissions come from buildings. This level of pollution contributes to poor air quality and poor health.”
“Greening the Mansion” is a model for all homeowners. It demonstrates ways people can change their homes to make them environmentally friendly. Through simple steps such as upgrading to energy-efficient light bulbs, using natural fiber doormats to reduce the need for vacuuming and toxic floor cleaners, and installing energy-saving appliances, homeowners can significantly reduce pollution and their energy bills....

Sea-Based X-Band Radar

There is skepticism as to why the USA didn't use its Sea-Based X-Band Radar on the North Korean rocket launch.

It wasn't necessary.

Why expose USA technology to observation if it isn't called for? Tracking North Korean space junk doesn't dictate much sophistication and it doesn't take much to destroy it.

Russia and China should offer to carry the North Korean payload aloft otherwise the country will never be able to tap into cable TV.

Go get 'em, Barak !