Both of these 'third world' leaders understand the importance of their alliance.

There are paradigm shifts when Chavez enters the picture.  They are masters at 'entanglements.' 

...Reports that Chávez (click title to entry - thank you) has proposed international mediation involving Latin America, Europe and the Middle East are short on detail, except that the initiative has been dubbed the "committee of peace" and is "under consideration" by the Arab League....

And don't leave Asia out of the picture, because Chevez has ties to China and Russia.  He is simply trying to paint a picture of near border wars with the USA to see what the other major global players will say regarding igniting WWIII.  That won't happen and there is no way the UN Security Council will be the venue for two minor powers to threaten global stability, but, they have to try their best.

So, the 'trials of Gadhafi' continues until all his well laid plans are revealed and he has failed at causing global chaos.

The dynamics in Libya need to cool down while evacuees are allowed to leave the country.

Chevez and Gadhafi are starting their rhetoric which has a grain of truth to it.  If The West intervenes there could be more casualities than less.  Chevez is stated to be talking about a peace mission.  I doubt if that means Gadhafi is to leave, however, there is indications they are worried about anarchy and the inability of the people to organize a government.

Sadly, Gadhafi is notching up the cost of his new ? war for peace.?  He has taken three Dutch airman prisoners as they were rescuing evacuees.

As far as I am concerned it is not unusal for Western media to 'miss' some of the 'facts' on the ground.  I think this article demonstrates that.

...Dutch soldiers taken prisoner  (click title to entry - thank you)
In other developments, three Dutch soldiers were taken prisoner at the weekend by armed men during an operation to evacuate civilians from Libya, the Dutch defence ministry said today.
"We confirm it," a navy official told AFP when asked about the capture of three marines reported by Dutch daily De Telegraaf.
The paper said the three marines were helping with the evacuation from Sirte of two civilians, one Dutch and another European, in a helicopter that crashed.
The marines were attacked by armed men loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi who captured them. The two civilians were handed over by the Libyans to the Dutch embassy and have since left Libya, according to De Telegraaf.

Thousands of Africans fear being mistaken for mercenaries
In the rush to get foreigners out of Libya, thousands of migrant Africans are being left behind, holed up at home terrified as insurgents mistake them for mercenaries fighting for Muammar Gaddafi's regime.
Rumours that Gaddafi has hired fighters from south of the Sahara to quash a popular revolt against him have made hordes of Africans targets of popular anger, many from poor countries unable to organise their evacuation.
Libyan border crossings were overwhelmed on Wednesday by tens of thousands of hungry, fearful people fleeing its burgeoning civil war.
Egypt and a handful of European nations launched emergency airlifts and sent ships to handle the chaotic exodus.
UN refugee agency spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said over 180,000 refugees have reached the border....

The USA military has an obligation to the service men and women and their familes.

The Supreme Court (click title to entry - thank you) has ruled 8-1 that laws restricting the rights of the Westboro Baptist Church to protest military funerals are unconstitutional. This is the cultish church, run by Fred Phelps and his family, that takes rainbow-colored "God Hates Fags" signs to every tragic event that's going to get media attention -- it was only really when they started adding the funerals of Iraq and Afghanistan soldiers to the agenda that states and Congress started banning their movement. From John Roberts's opinion:...

The Supreme Court ruling is a challenge to the USA military.  There needs to be an "Honor GUARD" available able to supply a 'peace barrier' to grieving families if they request it.  The USA military should make it known to all these families the option exists.

It can be diffilcult to hear 'Taps' being played when there is a lot of disruption. 

This should also provide an opportunity to funeral directors that want to carry out peaceful ceremony to the families of the dead. 

Let's put 'respect' back in the lives of grieving families.  These groups do it for the money.  That impetus to giving life meaning should be investigated as well including the SOURCES of their monies that faciliate these acts.  I've known some serious disrupters in my day when it comes to demonstrating against war and they would never pull anything like this.  There is a limit to any opposition.  Funerals are about families and respect for the life of the dead, not about the politicians that enter into illegal and immoral wars.

Please.

Thank you.

I hear there is a lot of underhanded maneuvers by Republicans regarding State unions. That is unfortunate.

The National Labor Relations Act of 1935, also known as The Wagner Act has been the law governing unions.

Directory of Unions and Associations with Exclusive Recognition in the Federal Service
January 2004 (click title to entry - thank you). 

I don't believe folks understand how the federal system works and why it doesn't translate well to State dynamics.

See, the federal system is not ONE governor.  The president is not involved with negotiations will ALL those unions the way perhaps a small body of government in a State can accommodate 'real negotiations' rather than 'trial negotiations.' 

I mean.  Hello?

The federal government provides service to Washington, DC and the entire fifty states and a variety of places like Puerto Rico and then there is the international service, so there is NO sincere comparison.

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING works at the State level.  It is impossible at the federal level.

The argument the Republican Governors are attempting to make is HIDEOUS. 

I told you they aren't aren't leaders.  They are mannequins for the plutocracy.  If the American people sincerely wanted to make a statement about spending, which is NOT the issue.  The wild and wooly ad campaigns to elect Republicans was the issue.  But, literally the electorate shot themselves in the foot and now their State governments are in disarray.

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING at the State level works and there is no reason to change that.

If Secretary Gates says "No." Then it is no.

Easy to assemble, quick delivery, comes with instructions and it works.  Much, much cheaper than a flatbed disrupting economies in the Mediterranean Sea. 

The concept of 'No Fly Zones' worked in Iraq, but, the geography is very different.  The Mediterranean Sea is not a good place to disrupt. 

Right now the evacuation of people out of Libya is going well.  I realize the refugee problem is a sincere problem, but, it is not as great a problem of logistics if there are problems in the Libyan waters.  There would be a lot of ship traffic disruption including relief efforts.  It is prudent to seek other methods of resolve.

There is also the issue of 'inviting' unwarranted jihadists to Libya when all the people are trying to do is liberate themselves from dictators.  The problem as it presents itself today is how to remove Gadhafi from Libya for war trials.  That is the problem in a nutshell.  A war is the last thing the people need.  And no matter how succesful the No Fly Zone over Iraq was, in the long view it is wrong to gave permission for more than should have occurred.  I don't think anyone needs to revisti the truth on that issue, the facts stand on their own in regard to Iraq.

The problem is Gadhafi.  It is that simple.  He is a criminal by every measure.  The proceedings to declare him a criminal and issue a warrant for his arrest needs to occur to justify the actions of the United Nations both in securing the Libyan people and providing relief efforts.  Issuing a warrant for him will send a clear message to his sons and others that would seek to follow his example.

There are many, many reasons to be prudent.  The leaders of these nations also have to be reassured this is not a methodology to further disrupt their governments and bring about imperialism in the face of radicals that will use propaganda to further their 'culture of violence.'  I sincerely believe the actions of the USA has to be measured in response to the potential for igniting the region rather than 'settling it' in peace, prosperity, freedom and democracy.

Libya will be settled.  The people never wanted a conflict.  They wanted freedom and peace for the first time in their lives.  That has to be kept at the center of any actions to assist them.

How many Wisconsin Public Employees and High School Football Teams are fans of The Green Bay Packers?

The Badger State's Governor Walker and the Republican majorities in the Wisconsin House and Senate place NO collective bargaining limits on the NFL !

By Elliot Hughes
Tuesday, March 1, 2011 4:46 p.m.
Updated Wednesday, March 2, 2011 2:04:28 a.m.

For the NFL, (click here) the country’s most popular and most lucrative sport, there’s only one thing certain right now.
There will be a draft on the days of April 28-30, collective bargaining agreement or no collective bargaining agreement.
The deadline for the NFL and its players to come to an agreement is just hours away (Thursday at 11:59 p.m.), and while the cynicism surrounding that actually happening rages on, there’s still no reason to panic just yet....

They might want to ask themselves the LAST TIME they could afford a ticket to a game and if they'll be able to in the future?

Wisconsin's J.J. Watt moving up draft boards  (click here)

PUBLISHED Monday, Feb 28, 2011 at 12:07 pm EST

There are plenty of fine defensive line prospects from the Big Ten working out the NFL Scouting Combine on Monday, including Purdue's Ryan Kerrigan and Iowa's Adrian Clayborn.
The one perhaps making the biggest impact, however, is Wisconsin's J.J. Watt. After watching Watt (6-5, 290) run the 40-yard dash in 4.78 seconds, NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock called him the "prototype" for a five-technique defensive end.

Longer season?  Massive wage cuts?  Will that bring back the 'affordable' ticket?  Do theNFL players and the Wisconsin public employees actually have anything in common? 

February 28, 2011

Wisconsin: Packers Back the Protesters

Posted by Dave Zirin

After a thirty-year erosion of power, influence, and numerical strength, a period of reckoning has arrived for organized labor, and the terms of the debate couldn’t be starker. It’s not wages or benefits that are being negotiated in the twenty-first century. It’s whether labor unions—and the basic protections they bring—will exist at all.

This can be seen dramatically in the two most high-profile labor disputes in the country, disputes that on their face couldn’t seem more different. There are the public-sector workers of Wisconsin—the teachers, ambulance drivers, and child-care workers—trying to fend off Governor Scott Walker’s efforts to legislate them out of existence. Then there are the N.F.L. players, facing an imminent lockout if they don’t accept massive wage cuts and a longer season.
It seems almost comical to compare the two: after all, in Wisconsin, public-sector workers are attempting to defend decent-paying jobs that they can keep for decades and then retire with a sense of security. In the N.F.L., the Players Association is attempting to defend lucrative careers that last on average three and a half years, have a hundred per cent injury rate, and will statistically result in death twenty years earlier than the typical American male....

The 'players' in the public employee sector are being asked to GIVE UP THEIR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING RIGHTS, the players in the NFL are being asked to take wage cuts and provide for a longer season? 

Is that the same?

No.

Would Walker expect the NFL players to give up their collective bargaining rights?  Heck no.  Then what heck is this?

It is easy for the Players Union to figure out if they will benefit by having more fans able to attend a game by accepting lower wages and extending their season.  That is a no brainer.  But, would they ever expect their sacrifice, if they need to deliver that, for their fans be met with a lower standard of income and therefore 'standard of living' resulting in poor attendence anyway?

We may see the Players come out with a compromise that will bring salaries down.  They may even extend the playing season.  But, what realistically are they expecting in return?  I would expect they will expect greater exposure for their fans and therefore make up any of their lost incomes with the sale of 'sport souveniers' and fan enrollment along with fan enjoyment.

Is that going to occur if they make these sacrifices?  Will their fans actually be able to buy tickets to their extended home games with lower ticket prices?  Will the fans actually have lower ticket prices after their Players accept these agreements or will their fans be no better off and this will only deliver higher revenues to the owners and investors?

It is understandable how the Players back the Protesters.  In many, many ways they have a lot in common.  But, if the protesters lose their fight and the players lose their fight, does that bring them any closer together?

NO !!!

Unions and their contracts are important and translates into huge dynamics.

THINK ABOUT IT !

There is NO bi-partisanship in the House of Representative EXCEPT on a 'temporary basis.'

Majority Speaker 'Boner' failed to bring a 'realistic' bill to the Senate to facilitate the smooth operation of the USA Government.  Now that they face a government shut-down due to their extremist agenda and inability to lead they have to generate a TEMPORARY SPENDING MEASURE. 

The U.S. House of Representatives (click title to entry - thank you) passed a resolution on Tuesday to fund the federal government for two more weeks to avoid a government shutdown...

Are we surprised the mannequins can't lead?

NO!

President Obama has had economic stability and measurable recovery without interruption.  UNTIL NOW!

Read the fine print below:

When elected representatives are placed in office based on lies and rhetoric and then demanded to vote on that basis to enforce 'their standard' with 'their base' bad things happen to REAL PARADIGMS.

Embargoes on Libyan oil have to come from outside the country.

THIS STATEMENT IS A LIE !

Libya Supply Disruption Could Push Oil to $130: Official (CLICK TITLE TO ENTRY - THANK YOU)

The 'idea' that Wesetern governments would actually succumb to weaknesses in oil availability is idiocy and fear mongering by the Plutocrats of Wall Street.  We will not compromise the principle of peace for 'the fear' of oil prices.  This is a method the plutocrats have used to oppress these people and we will not tolerate it!

The United Nations needs to institute and enforce an embargo on Libyan oil exports until the Gadhafi government stops their violence against peaceful citizens.

I call on OPEC and the peaceful leaders within it to see the value of their decisions in realizing Libya can no longer participate.

I ask Russia to rally to humanity and realize Western Plutocrats cannot dominate global peace and stable political states.  Russia should consider increasing their petroleum availability in alliance with OPEC.

Assist in the stability of global recovery and economic stability as the people of the Middle East choose peace over oppression.

Gadhafi has turned a peaceful resistance into a violent civil war. 'That tone' is giving permission to jihadists in Pakistan.

"The Call to Violence" is what the global community wants to stop in the Middle East. 

...The Taliban (click title to entry - thank you) claimed responsibility for the attack, and warned against changes to the blasphemy law....

Of course the Taliban take responsiblity, they RULE through violence and strong violence and control of women.  Why wouldn't they do this?

The 'power' of violence in the Middle East has to end.  It has brought the populations of their citizens down to far lower 'age majorities' than is witnessed anywhere else in the world.  Jihadists and violent regimes are NOT a choice any longer.

Libya needs a 'No Fly Zone' and UNFORTUNATELY the USA is among the nations that can enforce it.

The protests started in peaceful opposition.  Those are the people we want leading in the Middle East.  Not manacle leaders that kill THEIR OWN to achieve their comforts and status.  Does the global community want leaders that are lavished by violence or by their people?

The 'best' of the Middle East leads having consent by the global community and have been men such as The Kings of Jordan.  The reason President Mubarak 'abdicated' his power was because he was not a man of violence before justice.  If the people want to freeze assets and investigate corruption they have a right to do that, but, Mubarak could never be brought up on War Crimes.  The Saudi Princes and Kings cannot either.  But, Gadhafi has a long history of inspiring violence to attempt control even past his borders. 

There are clear choices to be made by the global community.  The people of the Middle East need sponsors.  Unfortunately, the United Nations has to be their sponsor as they are literally helpless to do it themselves as witnessed in Libya.  Gadhafi's son states, "We live in Libya and we will die in Libya."  That is extremism at its best.  The Gadhafis need to find out they will not be tolerated in their extremism, their injustice to their people and while they may die for their crimes, they may NOT die in Libya but in an excution chamber after standing judgement.

The global community, including citizens from around the world through social media have been having dialogue with their brothers and sisters of the Middle East, it is time to provide the peace and stability we all want for them.  The peace and stability they want for themselves.  The better stand of living they need and want to thrive.

The 'idea' is outrageous that a dedication to peace through university principles has been 'offered' in the past by global leaders to other nations' mind trusts only to have it destroyed by extremists and weapons.  If the global community is open to hosting 'methods of peace' to impoverished leaders, then the 'idea' it can be used against them and the people of those nations has to end.  At some time, the 'investment' the global community has made to bring peace, stability and prosperity to other nations has to take precedent to a 'world view.'  The 'idea' that democratic principles are only for the wealthy, the liberated and The West is outrageous.  The world can no longer be oppressed by fear of liberation.  This is the next venue of global peace and we have to reach for it.  The people of the Middle East long for it and we have to provide them with the chance they need to be guaranteed their dedication to those values.  Allowing violence to rule a people in oppression is completely disgusting. 

Economic paradigms be damned !

The RNC does not know how to elected leaders, only inelastic mannequins.

Democrats across the spectrum look at the people in relationship to their choices when antiquated thinking Republicans are elected and shake their heads in amazment.  That has not been truer in the year 2010.

Like what happened?

The election of the new RNC chair and the events in Wisconsin should be a real key for Democrats to 'get to know' the methodologies of the RNC.

If I may?

Imagine having the job of electing the plutocrats 'man in control.'  After all do plutocrats like to make investments in unknown outcomes?  Rarely.

What if there was a political party with guaranteed outcomes?  So much so that nearly every election has the same set of values regarding the reality of the country.  Wouldn't any plutocrat have the confidence in laying down monies on the outcome?  And not only that but invest in their own messages to the electorate that will guarantee a 'value system' that is electable every election?  What is better for a plutocrat with billions riding on the outcome of Wall Street everyday than guaranteed outcomes regardless of the apparent ricks, including bailouts guaranteed by fear in losing jobs and economic dynamics?

Not bad, huh? 

That is what the RNC brings to the USA and why they win elections REGARDLESS of the facts or reality of the country.  Quite literally, the 'mind think' of the USA revolves around them and why they have to master 'the message' and 'enforce it.

Today in Wisconsin is a State House and Governor unable to make concessions regardless of the demands of their electorate because of their allegience to the RNC outcomes they are suppose to guarantee.

The new RNC chair elected Republican majorities across the board in Wisconsin because his candidates were completely ineleastic in their 'belief systems' and would guarantee the outcomes of the election standard  'on election day.'  The same phenomena is noted in the obstructionists in the Senate and the current House majority.  They are UNABLE to lead because they simply don't know how to do anything except win elections and vote to guaranteed standards.

No, they didn't take a pledge or sign a commitment.  That would be poison to their elections.  What they did do was to 'commit' themselves to a value system that works to get them elected but not governor.  Scott Walker is known for his inelastic policies and his rigid value systems for public policies.  He is not a leader, he is a good poster boy.

The really scary part is that these people sincerely don't know how to lead, don't understand the dynamics of leadership and cause contraction in decision making when they are in majorities.  Those contractions in decision making in a public venue guarantee the plutocrats their revenues.  Go ahead and ask them if the country goes to hell in a handbasket so long as they have exactly what they bargained for in every election outcome.  Go ahead.  Ask them if they 'play to' a value system that is electable and consistent regardless the outcome to the country or a state or a constituency.  Some of them are fast talkers, but, most of the time they simply see such questions as an opportunity to 'stay on message.'

In the USA, when it comes to being a Republican Candidate all you have to do is 'stay on message' no matter how bizarre that message might be.

It is hysterical to watch conservative commentators criticize the President and wonder why he 'went off message' or 'missed an opportunity to connect with voters.'  They haven't got a clue as to what sincere leadership and critical decision making should look like.  Perhaps they should begin to learn what a real leader is all about and how critical decisions are made when they observe the President, his cabinet and staff. 

Scott Walker is no more Presidential material than the Man in the Moon, but, every Republican across the country is seeking to 'play the tune' he dictates.  One has to wonder if a Republican sincerely understands choice at all.  Their beloved market place is supposed to be mired in all kinds of choices, but, that usually comes along with intense ad campaigns.

The democracy in Wisconsin is in the hands of fourteen Democrats that love their state, their people and the values of freedom and fiscal responsibility.  Stand behind them, it is the only chance Wisconsin has for at least a year to achieve sincere freedom in the work place.

To the right is the 'basic' RNC mannequin, make your choice.

OR.

Should I say, "Paint your wagon."

''The only answer you can have any certainty of,'' he says, ''is that absolutely nobody knows.''

While BP insisted 'Corexit' was completely safe.  That might be true.  If the oil dispersant was tested in the lab by itself.  But, when it was joined by some of the most toxic 'crude oil' in the world, it increased the deadly toxins to the entire water column rather than simply floating on top.

Deepwater Horizon Oil Slick

I hate it that in the year 2010 and 2011 the people of the USA have to learn everything by 'trial and error' rather than through wisdom.  Whatever happened to 'reason?'  Does Bobby Jindle's politics mean more to human well being than caution and prudent reasoning?

... "The dispersant is widely considered more dangerous (click here) to human health than the oil itself," Plummer said, "and several clean-up workers exposed to the dispersant have been reported as coming down with health problems."  --  "Corexit is is four times more toxic than oil (oil is toxic at 11 ppm (parts per million),...

Citizens screaming at the top of their lungs that 'the show must go on' and damning every precaution by President Obama have doomed themselves to decades of loss and pain.  Was it worth it?  Were the parish Presidents politics so important that all caution was thrown to the wind?  Seriously?  Who is going to stop this mess now?  How many more lives are going to be destroyed while lies are spun for the sake of power to conceal the truth?  Where is the judge that stated the Executive Branch has no right for a moratorium?  Is he going to save lives or ruin them?

...A report written by Anita George-Ares and James R. Clark (click here) for Exxon Biomedical Sciences, Inc. entitled “Acute Aquatic Toxicity of Three Corexit Products: An Overview” (click here) states that “Corexit 9500, Corexit 9527,  and Corexit 9580 have moderate toxicity to early life stages of fish, crustaceans and mollusks (LC50 or EC50 – 1.6 to 100 ppm*).  It goes on to say that decreasing water temperatures in lab tests showed decreased toxicity, a lowered uptake of the dispersant.  Unfortunately, we’re going to be seeing an increase in temperatures, not a decrease.  Amongst the other caveats is that the study is species-specific, that other animals may be more severely affected, silver-sided fish amongst them.
Oil is toxic at 11 ppm while Corexit 9500 is toxic at only 2.61 ppm; Corexit 9500 is four times as toxic as the oil itself.  Sure, a lot less of it is being introduced, but that’s still a flawed logical perspective, because it’s not a “lesser of two evils” scenario.  BOTH are going into the ocean water....


While the 'experts' were trying to stop the oil from doing decades of permanent damage to pristine beaches that attracted tourism as an intricate part of the Gulf Coast economy, they were actually dooming the ocean to toxins throughout the water column that may never be able to 'dissipate' and will pollute the fisheries forever until it is manually removed.

Ask me if I am surprised that today the nightmare is only beginning.  Short term 'feel good' feelings were an attempt to propagandize the liability for BP.


Oil spill dispersants don't disappear (click here)
By John Roach
When nearly 800,000 gallons of a chemical dispersant were injected into the oil gushing from the busted wellhead on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico during last year's Deepwater Horizon disaster, nobody knew for sure what would happen. Now, scientists are getting their first answers, and the results are mixed.
Tests for a key component of the chemical concoction reveal that the dispersant worked its way into the oil-laden plume in the deep ocean, and stayed in the deep ocean. But the chemical did not degrade as much as scientists thought it would....

Gulf Oil Spill: BP Trying To Hide Millions of Gallons of Toxic Oil?  (click here)

May 3, 2010

By John Taylor

...Ten months after BP's Deepwater Horizon rig (click title to entry - thank you) exploded and began spewing almost 800 million litres of oil into the gulf, and seven months after the well was capped, Elmers Island beach, like many, is still closed. Camardelle's Seafood, where President Barack Obama ate on his visit last June, has been closed since July. It has quietened down a lot since the height of the clean-up, ''when BP took over the world'', as Grand Isle ports commissioner Wayne Keller puts it, ''but we've still got oil in the sand and tarballs washing up on the beach''....

The damage to the USA, its citizens and the fisheries, including threatened and endangered species will far exceed $20 billion.

GULF SHORES, Alabama - For seven months, (click title to entry - thank you) Richard Roberts walked the beaches of Baldwin County helping to clean up BP's mess. "I started off picking up tar balls on the beach and clean up. I went to d-con using a chemical that made me sick cleaning the tractors, all the oil off that."

It's workers like Roberts that will be the focus of a health study by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences led by Dr. Dale Sandler. "My research team will reach out to 100 thousand people who took the clean up workers safety training and to others who were involved in some aspects of the oil spill clean up even if they were not part of the training program."

Sandler hopes to enroll at least 55 thousand people in the study from Mississippi, Florida, Louisiana and Alabama. "The Gulf Study will help us learn if oil spills and exposure to crude oil, dispersants and fumes affect physical and mental health."...
 
There is something really scary about finding the teragenesis of those infant dolphins.  If I may?  

To begin dolphins are mammals.  Granted they live in the water and their exposure is intense, but, at the same time they don't 'breath' through gills, they breath with lungs and air from the surface. 

Their diet is fish.  Dolphins are not vegetarians.  They don't live on seaweed. 

The dispersants BP insisted were safe did a really nasty thing, it placed the very toxic oil droplets and tar balls throughout the water column and for the first time ever in oil spills there is vats of oil settled to the bottom of the ocean. 

Fish do breath through gills and have been exposed to the oil particles suspended in the water column and on the bottom of the sea.  They in turn became a food source for gestating dolphins.  It is more than likely that the fish the adult females ate during gestation caused these problems with their fetus.

Now, oil no matter the chemical composition of its toxicity can be breathed in through vapor as it is exposed to sunlight, salt water and heat, but, it can also be absorbed through the skin.  Oil has a carbon structure and is highly reactive to any organic circumstance including that of living beings that come in contact with it.
Granted the dolphins were exposed to greater concentrations of these toxins from every aspect of their life, the 'idea' that Gulf of Mexico fisheries in the areas where these problems are being found with dolphins are safe for human consumption HAS TO BE strongly suspicious for toxins that will harm those that come in contact with them.

The teratogenesis being found in these dolphins are probably not the only manifestation of introduction of these toxins to the Gulf waters.  There are probably tumors and developing tumors with the adults.  I am confident all that will be discovered over time, but, the fact we might completely lose the dolphin population in the Gulf of  Mexico has to be a reality.  What also has to be a reality is that these are mammals no different than the people that have been exposed to those waters and the fish from the fisheries.

What also hits home with me is the overwhelming power plutocratic priorities played here that have increased the exposure of people to these toxins and the fish in those waters.  I find that outrageous.  It was "W"rong to do it at the time and it is even more "W"rong to do it now. 

The pressure by Governors such as Bobby Jindal to demand a 'return to normal' in the face of all these facts that 'existed at the time of the disaster' is more than worrisome.  What has begun to pervade the USA 'mind think' is that all tragedies are only temporary, superficial and should not impede economic gains and profits.  That somehow the only way this can be resolved is for the 'trouble maker,' in this case BP, to survive the day to provide the monies needed to 'go forward' with any kind of rehabiliation.

There was a time in the USA when 'being cautious' was a very high priority in such disasters.  That 'taking care' of people by 'preventing' more tragedy and hardship was prudent.  That has all but been eliminated and it NOT due to the current status of the economy.  It is directly due to 'mind think' institutued during the Bush/Cheney years when 'intelligence' was a hinderence to profits and the EPA was more toxic to the Plutocracy than could ever serve any citiznes best interest.

I remind.  The people along the Gulf Coast that were screaming the loudest were those on marginal incomes 'as contractors' to the petroleum industry.  Realizing they were never regarded as important enough to provide good standards of living to sustain such disasters only is rock solid proof of a management strategy to place pressures on governments to place profits before the well being of citizens.

BP and the plutocracy in the USA introduced a 'toxic mind think' that included 'death as an alternative' to their profitiabilty as life would not be good without a sustainable life style as DICTATED by the principles of profitibility and lack of morality in protecting the fisheries, resort economies and the citizens along the coasts of the USA.

The citizens of the USA have to come to terms with a sincere lack of esteem of their own well being before any of these dynamics can be resolved.  I am very worried about the citizens of this country and their complete disregard for their well being over 'fiscal topics' that pervade their lives.  The Gulf Coast is only one example.  There is a lot of danger in the way Americans are thinking about their government in relation to private enterprise.  Private enterprise should never have more power than the governments they operate under and the people they employ.

In Wisconsin, there is a dynamic at work that legislates power plants into a potential monopoly.  That is not good governance and is harmful to the citizens. 

There is a lot "W"rong here and citizens have to come to terms with that rather than being on 'fast forward' to profitability. 

I have a very strong suspicion all of the Deepwater Horizon Disaster could have been prevented and that is basically the findings of the President's Commission.  Not only that, but, greater harm to the citizens could have been prevented if there were no Governors that sold out to Wall Street.

I am very worried about the people of the USA and their chosen path to disaster at every turn.

Restoration Official: BP Reluctant to Fix Damage (click here)

Published: Mon, February 28, 2011 - 4:44 pm CST 

Last Updated: Mon, February 28, 2011 - 4:48 pm CST

The vice chairman of a task force set up by President Obama to restore the Gulf Coast criticized BP PLC. for what he described as an increasing reluctance to repair damage done by last year's massive oil spill....

Water Bills in the Thousands of Dollars (click title of entry - thank you)

There should be an investigation to find out if any flaws were known before they were marketed.  And if not, why not?

"The creek done rise."  I imagine that meter is going to have a heck of time counting all that as it passes over it.  Or imagine ice freezing it on a single 'open' setting.  Ice expands.  Hello?

All it takes is a minor drop of condensation freezing overnight and by the time the problem is discovered it is all thawed out and there is nothing wrong.  The electronic meters don't work so put the mechanical ones back and put PUBLIC EMPLOYEES back to work.  What a waste of money.

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I sincerely do not believe this is that much of a mystery.  The cities spent money on stupid electronic gadgets that 'GET WET.'  Not only that, but, it puts people out of a job.  The cities thought they would save on wages and pensions so they went electronic.

The other possibility is more simple than you know.  If these meters are 'sensitive' enough to be read by 'driving by' then they are sensitive enough to pick up signals as well.  The 'incorrect' readings are probably because of  'wave length' compatibility with devices that pass by or even 'machinery wave length' of construction crews or repair devices. 

It was simply a bad investment and before they know it they'll have to revert back to mechanical meters and meter readers all over again.  I mean electronics are sincerely not compatible with water meters that change temperature, are in the ground with condensation and all kinds of underground dynamics.  Heck, a mild earthquake could set them off to run over their capacity.  It is simply a really bad idea.

The residents most effected should have the option of having a mechanical reader installed with meter readers taking their readings every month.  It is a good way to start back on the right path.

There is probably going to be increasing systemic problems because all one needs is a mild flood to really reek havoc or the 'wavelength' mechanism will fall into disrepair over time.

Skyrocketing water bills mystify, anger residents

By Scott Zamost and Kyra Phillips, CNN Special Investigations Unit

March 1, 2011 10:23 a.m. EST

Atlanta (CNN) -- Imagine paying as much for water as you do for your mortgage.
Residents throughout Atlanta are outraged by hundreds, even thousands of dollars in monthly spikes in their water bills, and have questioned the legitimacy of the charges for years. Now, they're demanding answers.
"I thought we were sinking in a hole of water," said Debbi Scarborough. "It scared me to death. I thought we had a major leak when I got the bill."
Over two months last summer, her family's monthly water bill, shot up to $1,805 In July and then $1,084 in August, leaving a balance due of more than $3,000. She said in the past her bill has averaged $200 to $250.
"I'm not paying a $3,000 bill. And for those three months, we were pretty much out of town most of the time and there's no leaks," she said, showing CNN a copy of her plumber's report....

Depending on where one is in the USA, March may or may not be "In like a lamb." (click title to entry - thank you)

Severe Weather Reports...Over the past two days, the NWS Storm Prediction Center has logged more than 350 reports of severe weather across the nation, including 10 reports of tornadoes. Some of the worst reports are from Franklin County, Tennessee, were preliminary reports indicated substantial structural damage to residences early Monday afternoon, as well as one fatality. An NWS team will be deployed on Tuesday to survey the damage across this area. More reports and outlooks for severe weather are available from the Storm Prediction Center.

Temperature Map (click here)

The Wisconsin Governor is a partner in usurping democratic principles.

Charter Street Power Plant

Before the rights and profits of any Wisconsin power plant are sold by the state, the areas receiving the electricity should have the opportunity to run a referendum and bond to manage their own plants and workers.  It would save the taxpayers money if the plants were run at cost. 

That is just to begin with.

More Pieces in the Wisconsin Power Plant Puzzle (click here)

...The catch is that privately owned plants do not operate under the job classification standards set forth by OSHA and can therefore create any job title they choose. Catch number two for those attempting to link the job listing to Scott Walker corporate cronyism is that the Charter Street plant has been trying to fill its “Plant Manager” position, according to a separate job listing on Wisc.Jobs, since November when Scott Walker took office. That job listing had a deadline of January 13th, but has yet to be filled, according to sources....

This article by Koch in The Wall Street Journal is a prime example of 'corrupt speech' which seeks to deceive the reader by evading the 'real reason' for the current deficits faced around the country.

Most of the 'corrupt speech' of the Right Wing is based in removing 'dynamics' from facts that relate to 'blame.'  They live conveniently in the 'hear and now' as if the only reason the deficits exist is because Democrats were in majorities.  Thank God, Democrats were in majority, otherwise, the nation and states would be the proud guardians of vast numbers of poor, homeless and jobless.

"Corrupt Speech" such as guaranteed to Koch under the USA Constitution exists and is used chronically to justify corrupt practices and power plays.

It is MORE than interesting that the Murdoch rag, The Wall Street Journal encourage it.  Koch and Murdoch together in propaganda.  No surprise here.

By CHARLES G. KOCH  (click title to entry - thank you)

Years of tremendous overspending by federal, state and local governments have brought us face-to-face with an economic crisis. Federal spending will total at least $3.8 trillion this year—double what it was 10 years ago. And unlike in 2001, when there was a small federal surplus, this year's projected budget deficit is more than $1.6 trillion....

Here is something that will never appear in the Wall Street Journal.  The actual reasons for the deficits.


Former State Budget Directors Say Causes of Shortfall Debatable (click here)
By LaToya Dennis
March 1, 2011 | WUWM | Milwaukee, WI

...To get a perspective of how Wisconsin got into financial trouble, WUWM’s LaToya Dennis called two people who’ve held the position of state budget director. David Riemer served for a short period under Democrat Jim Doyle, while Mark Bugher held the job under Republican Tommy Thompson. Bugher says structural deficits can begin accumulating, based on what the public demands at a particular time.

Why buy power plansts if they can't be run 'on the cheap.'  Cities and Counties should be 'faciliated' by the State to move into management and ownership of their own utilities.

Labor Fight Contains a Power Plant Grab in Wisconsin  (click here)

...This might explain why Koch Industries is so interested.
"The bill would empower the secretary of the state Department of Administration to sell the plants, which primarily serve University of Wisconsin campuses, including those in Madison and Milwaukee, as well as state prisons and other facilities.
"In a change from a similar proposal that Republican lawmakers sought six years ago, the bill stripped a requirement that the Public Service Commission review whether the sale is in the public interest.
"The provision primarily affects small coal-fired plants that generate steam or chilled water for heating and cooling buildings. It's hard to get an accurate assessment of their worth because they're so intertwined with the buildings they serve, said Darin Renner, an analyst with the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.
"The Fiscal Bureau analyzed the facilities in 2005, the last time the proposal was before the Legislature, and estimated the total value of all the plants at $235.9 million, offset by $83.9 million in debt," it stated.
The paper reported that Koch Industries denied interest in the power plants. However, it hasn't ruled out bidding on them. Koch Industries is a fossil fuel conglomerate and the two brothers are supporters of Walker. Even so, if Koch Industries didn't bid on them, someone would, and it could amount to a windfall for the lucky company....

I am a little bit surprised the supporters of workers rights can't seem to understand it just ain't that easy to pull off.

"Many of us recall the pledge made by candidate Barack Obama in on November 3, 2007 when he declared: 'Understand this. If American workers are being denied their right to organize and collectively bargain, when I'm in the White House, I'll put on a comfortable pair of shoes myself. I'll walk on that picket line with you ...'" – Rose Ann DeMoro, executive director of National Nurses United

I am sure something is in the works, but, it would be easier from him to show up in Illinois at 'the hideout' than actually march in protests in Madison.  Then there is the Middle East which is not condusive to to 'time away.'  Maybe the Vice President could be a good stand in for now.

Justice Clarence Thomas admits he is an activist judge.

...he and his tea party activist wife Virginia “believe in the same things”...

It is nice his marriage vows worked out, but, to state he is bringing personal preferences to his practice as a judge is not about constitutional law.

At all.

A Wisconsin county official, Tom Ament resigned before his recall ballot was successful. (click title to entry - thank you)

...The group gave the commission no advance warning before they arrived at the Milwaukee County Courthouse with seven boxes of petitions.

Sheriff's deputies stood by as the recall group sealed the boxes and received a receipt for turning them in. The deputies then took the boxes across the street to the graphics department where workers will make copies and begin validating the signatures.

WISN 12 News was told that Ament's attorneys will examine the first 4,000 signatures and then decide whether to continue with the rest....

100,000 Wisconsin Protesters can't be wrong !

Tom Ament Announces Retirement (click here)

Ament: I Realized I Can't Lead County Government Effectively

POSTED: 9:32 am CST February 21, 2002
UPDATED: 7:09 pm CST February 21, 2002

MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee County Executive Tom Ament announced his retirement Thursday morning at the Milwaukee County Board meeting.

"I have sadly come to the conclusion that I cannot lead this government at this time. Therefore I'm announcing my retirement effective at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2002," Ament said.

He said that he accepts responsibility for the lump-sum pension payout controversy.

Ament, 64, said that he asked his staff and department heads to remain.

He ended his speech by saying "God bless all the people of this community."...

I guess enough time went by and he thought he'd try again.

Ament Considers Running for County Executive  (click here)

By The Journal Sentinel

Story Created: Nov 12, 2010
Story Updated: Nov 12, 2010

MILWAUKEE - There are a few things Tom Ament wants you to know.
He never took or even wanted a "backdrop" pension payment. He's still stung by the chain of events that led to his resignation in disgrace nearly nine years ago.
And he's got an itch to run again for county executive....

The next Van Jones. Meet Vail Nasr, the target of Right Wing Hatred rather than admired for his qualifications.

All the Right Wing knows is hate.  In an interview John Bolton stated the United Nations is an illegitimate organization.  Let me see, there was a global concensus that such an organization is beneficial, but, since Bolton states it is illegitimate it must be.  When is the Right Wing going to DO SOMETHING that is LEGITMATE in any opposition. 

Jerks.

Does every statement from the Right Wing have to be a commercial for the NRA?

...For example, (click title to entry - thank you) the Tehran-born Dr. Vali Nasr was appointed to co-direct Obama foreign policy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan.  Former Saudi Arabian supplicant Charles Freeman was appointed by Obama to chair the Administration's National Intelligence Council, but withdrew his name when it was revealed he issued a 2-page screed in which he postulated a conspiracy theory claiming he had been 'victimized' by American supporters of Israel.  In addition, John Limbert was appointed to direct U.S. policy toward the Islamist regime in Iran.  Limbert, who was taken hostage during the Iranian upheaval of the late 70s-early 80s, is an Iranian sympathizer who advocates negotiation with one of the most brutal dictatorships in the world....


February 12, 2011 2:12 PM

John Bolton: Egyptian Democracy May be Bad News  (click here)

...It is the "responsibility of our government to protect our interests and our values and our friends and our allies," Bolton said. Referencing former President Theodore Roosevelt, he added  that "first and foremost we must make the world safe for ourselves."...

Governor of Wisconsin Salary without including benefit costs $137,092 (click title to entry - thank you)

"I don't want to be paid," Schwarzenegger said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press, adding that "the people have my full devotion."  (click here)


Wisconsin - Governor's Mansion (click here)
Associated Press ... direct feed | November 27, 2002
Posted on Wednesday, November 27, 2002 12:15:25 PM by NYer
KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) _ State Sen. Robert Wirch is asking Governor-elect Jim Doyle to sell the governor's mansion as a way to address the state's projected $2.6 billion budget deficit.
Wirch said selling the $1.3 million mansion would be more of a symbolic gesture than a way to save a significant amount of money. ``Considering the budget deficit and talk about borrowing money against the pension fund, we need to cut all extravagances, and the governor's mansion is more an extravagance than a necessity,'' said Wirch, D-Pleasant Prairie. Doyle spokesman Thad Nation said he would not comment until he had seen Wirch's letter.
The governor's mansion sits on the shores of Lake Mendota and is worth about $1.3 million, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. But Wirch said that the value of the land the mansion sits on and the costs of running the house amount to around $4 million.
Wirch said he got the idea from other candidates in the governor's race and that he would have suggested it regardless of who won the office. In his letter to Doyle, Wirch notes that at least six states have either sold their executive residences or have never offered an executive residence. Wirch also mentioned that Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura refused to live in the governor's mansion in St. Paul.



“I’ve said all along the protesters have every right to be there,..." Scott Walke stated on February 21, 2011 (click here)