Methane pollution is so bad at the four corners it is showing up on satellite visualization.

That is free release of methane from natural gas extraction.

...The team at NASA (click here) was finally able to take a closer look, and have now concluded that there is in fact a 2,500-square-mile cloud of methane—roughly the size of Delaware—floating over the Four Corners region, where the borders of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah all intersect.

A report published by the NASA researchers in the journal Geophysical Research Letters concludes that “the source is likely from established gas, coal, and coalbed methane mining and processing.” Indeed, the hot spot happens to be above New Mexico's San Juan Basin, the most productive coalbed methane basin in North America.

Methane is 20-times more potent as a greenhouse gas than CO2, and has been the focus of an increasing amount of attention, especially in regards to methane leaks from fracking for oil and natural gas. Pockets of natural gas, which is 95-98% methane, are often found along with oil and simply burned off in a very visible process called “flaring.” But scientists are starting to realize that far more methane is being released by the fracking boom than previously thought....

These are not natural emissions. This speaks to the density of production in that region of the country and the fact established practices in this industry are emitting large amounts of methane. The industry is not self-regulating to emissions of any kind.

Methane in its gas form is an asphyxiant, (click here) which in high concentrations may displace the oxygen supply you need for breathing, especially in confined spaces. Decreased oxygen can cause suffocation and loss of consciousness. It can also cause headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, and loss of coordination. Skin contact with liquid methane can cause frostbite.

If you think your health has been affected by exposure to methane, contact your health care professional.

For poisoning emergencies or questions about possible poisons, please contact your local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222.

An asphyxiant is a chemical that displaces oxygen in the blood. OSHA needs to examine health records of the companies in this region of the country producing natural gas for any and all exposures of employees. Natural gas is heavier than air and can cause breathing problems and ultimately unconsciousness. If an employee were ever in an unconscious state for very long there would be death of that employee. This is not simply an issue of methane emissions. With emissions this dense that allow for satellite data to register it's prolonged presence that is a good chance the employees have been effected which would be reflected by personnel records in the health office, if one exists. Possibly even citizens in the area and those records would be at the local hospital.

This level of emission into the atmosphere cannot be tolerated. 

This is guidelines used by Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety (click here)

Dr. Spenser is an American with an American passport. He has a right to come home to his family.

I might add, a travel ban would not have prevented this case from coming into the country. It is still better to be aware and be prepared than to count on a travel ban.

October 23, 2014
Yamiche Alcindor

...Officials said a doctor (click here) who recently returned from West Africa was positive in preliminary tests for the Ebola virus Thursday night, Associated Press reported.

He was identified by the New York Times as Craig Spencer, 33, an emergency physician at New York Presbyterian Hospital.

He underwent tests for the Ebola virus at Bellevue Hospital after developing a fever and other symptoms earlier in the day. The organization Doctors Without Borders said the doctor had worked with it in treating patients in West Africa.

Health officials are re-tracing his steps to determine who he may have come in contact with before and after showing symptoms....

It is amazing how quickly an American can lose their constitutional rights when Republicans rather be isolated from reality.

Magnificent. The Latin American Community was included in the announcements and included in the reassurance by the Mayor. 

Loss of those employed by the Coal Industry has declined because of mechanization, not alternative energy.

The electorate is being lied to regarding the loss of coal industry jobs.

The link below is from the West Virginia office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training.

In the lists speaks for the facts regarding coal production. The production has increased while the employment has decreased. Coal production has basically leveled off since 1990 which was the highest production rate in West Virginia.

Production of Coal and Coke in West Virginia 1863 - 2012 (click here)

I am sure that holds true for Kentucky as well. So, if generations of coal miners can't keep their children and grandchildren in jobs don't blame the government. It is the wealthy wanting more wealth that destroyed coal jobs.

The highest number of coal industry jobs was in 1949 with over 125,000. Ever since the jobs have diminished. Employees in the industry are pretty much divided 50/50 between industry employees and outside contractors; about 20,000 in each category. Forty thousand from 125,000 is a loss of about 68% of jobs from the coal industry over a period of time sixty-five years. It is all natural attrition because of the mechanization of the industry. 

The people of West Virginia and Kentucky need someone to find new jobs for this generation going forward because the coal industry is basically unavailable to them for employment. Converting these states to alternative energy sources would provide more jobs in the energy sector, but, there has to be more than just alternative energy jobs to grow the jobs in these states. There has to be a vision of future to transition the people of West Virginia and Kentucky into a sustainable economy that would abandon good paying jobs to mechanization.

This may sound insensitive, but, I understand the value of a good paying job with benefits. If the USA is to bring down it's greenhouse gas emissions now is the time to do it. Coal doesn't really serve the economy of any state or the country, except, it's GDP. But, as for jobs, the industry is closed to that. The Coal Industry now causes more unemployment than employment. Why train for a job that will disappear?

When I state the other day about Kuwait investing in alternative energy companies in the USA, I meant it. Alternatives are the future and employment in the country will be enhanced by it's build up.

It is over for coal, everywhere. China recently stated they are not interested in coal for it's economy. Why would they want coal? It chokes the people of cities, causes all kinds of pollution and increases China's greenhouse gas emissions. The Chinese people and their government want their monies spent on infrastructure to be good investments. They don't want to admit they made huge investments in an energy source that poorly serves the country. China has many wealthy members of it's country that want to spend their monies wisely and coal is not among those on the list for their investment. This is not all about the control by the Chinese government, China is moving into a modern day strategy that has global status.

July 9, 2014

...China (click here) -- which consumes almost as much coal as the rest of the world combined -- is accelerating a planned switch to cleaner fuels, including a possible cap on carbon emissions and limits on new coal-fired plants.

Even if such changes don’t occur as fast as environmentalists might hope, Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to scrap the economic strategy that spawned coal-eating steel plants in every province. Mounting anti-coal sentiment in China and the U.S. imperils the ambitions of companies like Peabody Energy Corp. (BTU) andArch Coal Inc. (ACI) in the world’s fastest-growing region....

What are the demonstrations in Hong Kong all about? Food? Water? Heck no, it is representation of the people in their government. That is a sophisticated society, folks.

Jazz saxophonist, who is huge in China, tweeted a picture of himself making a victory sign in front of a protest banner. (click here)

"Occupy Wall Street" was never like this. It is impressive.

The article doesn't name names, but, at UNC their curriculum is signed off by the Office of the Provost.

The Provost has to sign off on the curriculum that the Registrar records as a university student proceeds through their degree. The Registrar has to review the academic record to issue a graduated diploma in the major and minor of the student's focus. Having African Americans registered under the major that has the same name also would fend off investigation by the Registrar's office in any trend by athletic students. The administration generally would not want to offend any student by being suspicious of their major, especially with minority students. The university's culture is highly suspect, too.

It is my understanding that every course registered for matriculation into a degree has to have a syllabus which lists instructor, instructor open hours to students, room, meeting time of day and days of the week, textbook/electronic alternative and course content. There are some online classes, but, they still have to have a qualified instructor, text and syllabus. The Provost in order to sign off on the course as part of the university's catalog leading to degree requirements would have to have reviewed the syllabus and it's content in relation to degree achievement.

This means the athletes at the university were targeted for fraud before they were even recruited. It is also racist. The classes were in the department of African American studies assuming those recruited were going to be young black men.

October 23, 2014

...The UNC case (click here) stands out among academic scandals at Harvard, Duke and the Naval Academy, said Howard Gardner, a professor at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education who studies cheating.

“I think the existence of fake classes and automatic grades — you might say an athlete track, where essentially you might as well not have the university at all — I think that’s pretty extreme. I hope it’s pretty extreme,” he said....

UNC's athletic department needs to be scrutinized and possibly suspended from it's conferences. They are a bunch of racists who decided to victimize young black men. They treated potentially recruits as if they were incapable of academic achievement as  a group. In other words, the recruits were considered 'a class of citizen' with merits as athletes but incapable of learning anything else. That is racism in a very big way. One could say it continues to be an extension of the slave culture of the south, capable of physical labor but unable to have cognitive ability.

In regard to Monica...

To begin with I don't really read the Wall Street Journal anymore and I won't today. It has become a right wing propaganda rag.

But, that said, I didn't noticed Hillary was in bed with Monica and Bill, right? You know I would not be surprised if Hillary was upset and angry enough to say something off color about Monica and let's face it the walk across the White House lawn to a waiting helicopter with Chelsea between them was fairly obvious as to what Bill was getting behind closed doors. Some people do believe in marriage vows and they are married something like 38 years. Those thirty-eight years speaks to the strength of the marriage and Bill's need for attention is his problem.

Monica? The only reason Monica was badly abused was because it she chose the President of the USA. But, get real. Ambitious women line the halls of government. The other most popular affair in recent history was Garry Condit and that unfortunate fate of another beautiful woman.

Monica is a bright woman and if her life is burdened because of bad judgement while interning with the President of the United States then it is up to her to change the path of her future. She has been trying, but, the wolves continue to gnaw at her success. I think running a campaign against cyber-bullying is a good path, but, she also needs an endorsement by another woman who can elevate that ambition beyond the reputation of 23 years old. I am quite confident there is a woman concerned about this topic who can join her in turning the corner on this.

But, women that are ambitious have their own ideas about their romantic side. I suppose many people still carry a grudge about the then 23 year old woman, but, I don't. I felt badly her from the beginning. Linda Tripp is the scoundrel that insisted the USA be given information that Monica did not want to leak out. Monica had an affair and she sincerely loved the man she focused her attention. Why should a 23 year old be dragged through the mud and ruin her career for the sake of politics. If anyone is responsible for Monica's reputation, even today, it was Linda Tripp.

Monica made a horrible choice and she has been harassed by media and the political right wing ever since. She has talent. The country may be missing a vital link in it's political sphere due to it's vicious need for gossip and attacks that should aspire to reducing Hillary to being nobody. There is no way in the world Hillary Clinton is nobody. 

When the political right wing, such as this nonsense by the WSJ, comes out of the closet it is completely obvious there is a war on women . The political right wing has no room to speak, their history is very colorful for the affairs and sexual antics of their members. But, this men are always forgiven. In fact then, the attacks against Mrs. Clinton are political ambitions themselves.

That said, Hillary is an incredible person. She came from a political family and she hit the ground running. She has done her family proud and it is my guess that won't stop. She is a great mother and no doubt a superb grandmother. She loves children and some of her earliest ambitions was the Children's Defense League, yes? Her ambitions to change the course of children in the world has not wavered when looking at her time as Secretary of State. In nearly every country she visited she spoke the words that "Women's rights are human rights and human rights are women's rights." So, her profound dedication to elevating women and children spans her entire life and that has been the case from her earliest professional years. Given those facts, Hillary is quite honestly desperately needed in the White House because women still lack important status in the USA.

If the right wing continues these vicious personal attacks against Monica Lewinsky it will become more and more evident the DOUBLE STANDARD is a political party plank.

See, it isn't okay for Monica to have made a mistake and seek forgiveness for it publicly so she can find a purpose in her life. But. It is okay for David Vitter to pay for sex and get away with it. Or the last House member, I think he is called the Kissing Congressman. It is perfectly fine that Republican men can have their cake and eat it to, but, not Democratic men or a former 23 year old intern.

To Monica, I wish her well. I sincerely hope she finds a footing that will propel her career that was destroyed so long ago. Best to her always. I think Hillary is more than adept to take care of herself and doesn't need my permission to finish the career she started.

Canada was impressive today. If it weren't for the security guards the attack by one man had the potential to be devastating. 

It would seem Wednesday morning was the perfect time to catch all the MPs and the Prime Minister and his cabinet in one building. The assault was well thought out. 

Perhaps some car barriers at the war memorial where the soldiers stand guard. Wednesday mornings are a sensitive time for Canada's security. Good habits are hard to break, but, perhaps it might be rethought. At least this time it was only a single gunman with no other materials.

Canadians are absolutely wonderful people. It isn't right two of their own were estranged from being loyal to their government and loving the life Canada affords their citizens. 

Condolences to the people of Canada, I can only imagine the devastating news and it's effect on them. 

Can we please have a Middle East with young men dedicated to sports than war?

There is a lot wrong with the American suicide bomber. To begin he was complaining about feeling depressed. Not all young American men feel depressed. 

He was angry in the presence of his jihadist peers. I should have a nickel for very time someone points to the fact there are so many angry young men that become jihadists. 

What is it about the Muslim faith that brings about the idea a young man's masculinity lies in war? Is there no other definition of masculinity. I know there wasn't for George W. Bush. But, why is it that war has to be the testing ground for masculinity? 

The young men in the Middle East should be focusing in athletics, no different than most American young men do at some point in their growing years. That is how my sons and many, many others worked out their integration of masculinity. 

Mr. Abusalha doesn't scare me. He is unfortunately lost to his family and if there were monies provided then it explains all the more how a disenfranchised young man stated to be depressed easily made the choice to kill others along with himself.

I might ad his father was part Palestinian in his ancestry. Here we are again with Palestine at the center of anger turned loose in the Middle East.

Was this American ever paid large sums of money to carry out a suicide attack?

It has been the case that many times the suicide bomber's spouse, but in this case family, would have received large amounts of money before they died. He states when he arrived in Syria he had only $20 in his possession. He wouldn't need much more than that if he was going to die.

It is fairly obvious from this story he did not have the support of his family, but, why didn't the family turn him in before he left the USA for the last time?

July 20, 2014

By Michael S. Schmit

Washington — When Moner Mohammad Abusalha (click here) drove a truck packed with explosives into a restaurant in northern Syria in May, American authorities conceded that they knew little about how a young man who grew up a basketball-obsessed teenager in a Florida gated community had become a suicide bomber.

And they have never publicly acknowledged the startling discovery they made weeks into their investigation: that after receiving training by an extremist group in Syria, Mr. Abusalha had returned to the United States for several months before leaving the country for the last time....

...“From there I had no money; I didn’t have nobody to even help me get to Syria,” he said. He did not say how he had gotten from Turkey to Syria.

Before leaving the United States, he said, he walked five miles to the airport.

“I asked Allah the whole way to make it easy for me, and Allah made it easy for me,” he said, adding that he had tried to recruit other Americans to go to Syria....

A word of caution.

Crazy stuff have always happened in the USA, but, at one time it was just the military with Humvees and tanks. Now the local police department has all kinds of military equipment.

The country needs to secure their armaments so it isn't used on innocent citizens.

I would be surprised it this attacks is not connected to Malala Yousafzai ceremony today.

The person going into the ambulance was a soldier with a severe gun wound. Wound not life threatening according to hospital.

Authorities in Canada are worried there might be an exit from Ottawa by one of the perpetrators.

NORAD was stepped up.

...1 shooter dead, (click here) 1 still believed at large in downtown Ottawa.

• Police searching cars leaving Ottawa trying to go to Quebec.
• Report of additional shot fired near Chateau Laurier hotel, east of Parliament Hill.
• Police going door to door in downtown core; downtown schools in lockdown.
• All three main party leaders, Harper, Mulcair and Trudeau, reported safe....

One person is not dressed in black as has been reported.

"Suddenly I saw a small guy with long black hair... with a long rifle, and he ran away after the shots, across streets in the direction of ParliamentHill," he said.

Scott Walsh, who was working on Parliament Hill, said he saw a man running with a double-barrelled shotgun, wearing a scarf and blue jeans.

There is a figure at the far end of the halls that appears to be in control of the gun and then as the police come closer he turns and runs out of the building. I would enhance that person and see what can be discerned. It is easiest to see him in the doorway at about 0.57 seconds.


It is amazing to realize someone actually shot this footage. The police are incredibly brave as they walk right into the gun fire. And no one is dead. They did an excellent job. Obviously, the gun wanted to kill them all and make their way into a chamber of the building.


If this is about Malala, she wasn't there yet, but, was soon to be to receive an honorary citizenship awarded to her by the Canadian Prime Minister.

This is exactly the problem with minorities coming in conflict with police. It escalates out of control.

October 22, 2014
By Justin Moyer and Lindsey Bever

...But a St. Louis Post-Dispatch (click here) analysis of Brown’s official county autopsy it has obtained suggests the teenager may not have had his hands raised after all. Experts told the newspaper Brown was shot Aug. 9., at close range — and may have been reaching for Wilson’s weapon. The autopsy found material “consistent with products that are discharged from the barrel of a firearm” in a wound on Brown’s thumb. Judy Melinek, a forensic pathologist in San Francisco, said this “supports the fact that this guy is reaching for the gun, if he has gunpowder particulate material in the wound.”...

I don't care what incident one points to regarding the ability of police to fire on a young, black man; the response is always the same. Sean Bell or Oscar Grant or many other such young black men; The first reason by police is kill when there was no valid reason to do such a horrid act at all.

Michael Brown, Jr. was jaywalking. It is a minor offense with a fine after citation. The circumstances escalated when Wilson tried to strong arm Brown into his police car. Michael knows what comes next. No one knows the intention even if Brown's DNA were on the gun. It was he that was shot not the office.

I guarantee you Michael Brown, Jr. didn't even understand the actions of the police officer. He didn't even think about jaywalking and the ASSAULT by Wilson was all Brown needed to be scared for his life. Young black men die for absolutely no sound reason at all.

Jay Walking and Brown ends up in a wrestling match to end his life. Well, it isn't Brown's problem, it is Wilson's problem. He took a minor offense and turned it into a funeral.

What was Wilson doing in the back of the police car at all? Whenever a police officer makes an arrest the perpetrator is suppose to be handcuffed and put into the back seat while the officer is outside the door of the car. This is completely hideous. Brown was never even handcuffed.

Wilson didn't see the escalation coming nor did he care. If Brown was protesting his arrest and believed he was innocent and Wilson could not handcuff him alone, Wilson should have called for back up while Brown was still alive and there wasn't a four foot stream of blood coming out of his head. Hideous and stupid mistakes cost Brown his life and this was his fault? No it wasn't.

A minor offense should never get out of control to ultimately kill anyone, either African American or Caucasian. The death should have never happened. The fact of the matter is Wilson is a lousy police officer. He received a citation because his records reflect someone who can get the job done. Well, hell, anyone can get the job done if someone like Wilson is killing people or using unnecessary force. 

Ferguson police buy into the fact young black men, armed or not, will kill them if they are not killed first. Wilson allowed himself to believe Michael Brown, Jr. was a dangerous black man because jaywalking turned into a death sentence. This is an officer who decided he was judge and jury for Michael Brown, Jr. Wilson wasn't in danger, Brown was walking away from him AFTER Brown was shot while struggling to get out of the police car. I'd get out of a police car too if someone shot me. Why let him finish the job?

The point is every circumstance where an unarmed African American young black man is confronted by police they die. 

On October 18, 2014 a young white man was arrested for playing his guitar in a subway. He didn't break any laws and was unarmed. How many people responded to the arrest or ejection of the talented singer and instrumentalist? I counted four police officers. Why four? Because the one officer could not conduct an ejection from the subway SAFELY by himself. Now. A young African American man is walking down the street and jaywalks. How much back up did Wilson ask for? None. He took out his gun and offered that as backup causing the death of an innocent young man.

Police across the USA have given themselves permission to identity African American men as dangerous criminals; therefore when confronted it is best to draw their gun rather than be killed themselves. 

A police officer only has the right to draw their gun if facing life threatening circumstances. Wilson was not even close to facing life threatening circumstances. Wilson pulled his gun out to issue CONTROL of an unarmed young man as Michael walked away from him. Michael Brown, Jr. was no eminent threat to anyone besides himself and sure enough he died for it because he wasn't fearful enough. Michael Brown, Jr. wasn't fearful enough of a Ferguson Police Officer and walked away. He died because he wasn't fearful enough of a Ferguson police officer with a weapon. Michael Brown, Jr. didn't realize he was on a battlefield on the city streets of his hometown.

 A couple of things. He is out of touch with the Working Poor. The cost of college has turned full time students into part time students working full time at the minimum wage. Governor Christi needs to have a plan for the Working Poor and for the college bound high school graduates that is real and practical. Simply being tired of hearing about the minimum wage because he wants to dismiss it isn't real. There are many people who are struggling and they should not be.

The minimum wage is no longer about 'kids,' it is about families. American laborers are no longer paid their worth.

Mark Schauer has an ad out that is short and to the point, "Hi, I am Melissa Gilbert and I am a registered voter in the State of Michigan. Women if you care about your rights, if you care about children, if you care about the elderly you'll vote for Mark Schauer. That is what I am going to do."

Completely painless. It addresses the candidate and the fact he cares about the issues most important to Michiganders and he'll bring those issues to Washington, DC.

No fancy doctrine of constitutional rights or impending doom. Just plain and simple, he cares about the issues that you care about. What is so difficult about this?

It is called validating and empowering the electorate to make the vote most important to them. "I'm voting because Mark cares and you should vote too."

A candidate has to ask the electorate to vote and to vote for him or her. People have to be asked. They need to take a small part of their day to go to the polls to vote. They need to be important enough to ask. And let's hope it is only a small part of anyone's day and not a 24 camp out at the polling station to exercise their right to vote.

Republican and Voting for Obama, "If the Affordable Care Act were repealed there is no way we could afford ..."

This is the reality of Republican politics. There are Americans afraid of the Republicans. There is plenty of testimony in the country whereby the President is their hero.

There is no reason to fear President Obama. He is "The People's President." When Republicans play their obstruction-avoidance game to put fear in the hearts of Americans, it is a chess match of fear. 

President Obama is not about rhetoric, he has been a President about action. He has never backed away from a challenge facing this country or one creating danger for Americans in the way of lacking health care coverage. 

President Obama is a great president. He is not a war President, he is not an oil president, he is a president focused on the lives of Americans in insuring their lives are secure with opportunity. He wants the American Dream for everyone. That is good thing and that is what every person regardless of party can be proud of.

I imagined for a minute to be President Obama and having to run on the record and the poisonous venom of the obstructionists. Then I realized if he had to bring forward examples of where he has improved the lives of all Americans and rescued them from a basically destroyed economy. The elections in the USA since 2008 should be a point of pride for the people running, especially if they are incumbents and have facilitated great legislation that turned the corner for MOST Americans. Even Wall Street should be talking up the pride in the president. Perhaps the candidates haven't noticed the historic highs in the financial markets.

My sincerest sympathy to the profession that lost a prince.

October 21, 2014
By Marshall Cohen

Ben Bradlee interviews Martin Luther King, Jr. on Face the Nation. (click here)

May the family find peace at their time of loss. It was a wonderful life and admired by all.

Before Bennifer, before Brangelina, (click here) they took one look at each other and it was Kismet. He was barrel-chested and gravelyvoiced, always dashing in English shirts and a loosened tie. She was blonde and witty, a military brat in oversized sunglasses and mini skirts. Her admirers were legion: Warren Beatty, Warren Hoge. His female admirers included Jackie Kennedy and Lauren Bacall, who calls him “Benji.”

And so, Ben landed Sally, soon followed by his divorce from then-wife Toni. Although perhaps apocryphal, the story goes like this: she was looking for a job and walked into the Washington Post one day to apply for a party reporter position. He was smitten. She told him one salient detail; she had never written a story before.

“Nobody’s perfect,” he barked. Sally went on to fame as a seriously edgy Style writer who was nicknamed “Salty” Quinn. No one was more deft in getting well-known subjects to reveal their foibles. Who was it? Henry Kissinger, who said that being interviewed by gossip columnist Maxine Cheshire made you want to kill her. Being interviewed by Sally Quinn made you want to kill yourself....

I thought the NSA and FBI were suppose to be finding this before it happens.

October 23, 2014
By Sadie Gurman

DENVER (AP) — The FBI in Denver (click here) says it is investigating the possibility that three girls from the Denver area were trying to travel to Syria to join Islamic State extremists.

An FBI spokeswoman says agents helped bring the girls back to Denver after FBI agents stopped them in Germany. Spokeswoman Suzie Payne says they are safe and reunited with their families.

She didn’t give the identity of the girls or any other details.

The announcement comes one month after 19-year-old Shannon Conley of Denver pleaded guilty to charges that she conspired to help militants in Syria.

The US Attorney’s Office in Denver declined to comment on the latest cases....

This is unbelievable. The NSA is suppose to be spying on people receiving and sending transmissions from overseas and here teenagers are communicating with Syria and nothing is known about it.

How is it the FBI is only beginning the investigation about this after having a young woman prosecuted for aiding militants in Syria? How did this simply slip through their dragnet without picking up three girls with passports and $2000 cash on their way to Syria? 

The NSA wants unquestionable access to every American in the country to DETER any criminal activity that might be terrorism and low and behold juvenile delinquents can't be found before they leave the country. And to put the frosting on the cake, it was their parents that figured it out. 

This is ridiculous. The NSA is completely worthless. If they want to spy on Americans they'll have to have good cause. A conviction already existed and three more American girls were on their way to the worst thing that could happen to their lives and no one in any authority picked up on it. Wow.

Candidate recruitment.

It is what surprised me about the Ferguson, Missouri reality. The population was bi-racial, but, there was no discerning that by the degree of representation in their police or local government.

The people that need to be in their government the most, as with Ferguson, are the least involved or represented. In the case of Ferguson, the majority of the minority population were lower Middle Class. They owned homes, were building a future for their children, but, more than likely worked two to three or even four jobs per household. So, the idea a lower Middle Class voter has the time to participate yet alone campaign is not realistic. If it isn't realistic to the voters that struggle to make it to the polls (Ferguson has low voter turn out.) they aren't going to be able to make it to local party meetings to become involved and eventually run for office.

That entirely isn't the problem though. Let's say there is a retired Grandmother that has time to attend local meetings and campaign what might hold her back? Certainly not her age because most Seniors are respected and admired for their accomplishments in life. So, what then would prevent someone within a minority community from participating as a candidate in elections.

The Tone. I remind the tone of the country today is very hateful. As a result the people involved in politics are coarse, raw and crude in their approach to authority. Not only that, but, there is fear among the electorate that polarizes voters. 

Scott Brown is talking about border security and the first thing New Hampshire voters will think about is Canada. Now, when did anyone ever witness widespread border crossings by undocumented workers from Canada? Never. So, in fact the idea the Canadian border comes into play regarding border insecurity is hideous. Yet, Brown will continue to rant and rave about a border issue because, of course, every member of the Islamic State will find their way through 2000 miles of alien roads and terrain to attack the people of New Hampshire. It isn't going to happen, but, because the culture of fear paints these issues starkly, many in New Hampshire are worried about their own security.

The same is true with Ebola. A strange idea that a virus from West Africa could find it's way into the USA compliments of an American's fiancee is a hideous thought, yet, the panic spread quickly and it becomes an issue of who has the best idea to protect citizens, when in fact there was never a sincere threat in the first place.

Now, take citizens of Ferguson who have never voted. Why? They are disenfranchised because of their financial struggles and personal goals for their families and children and keeping their house, they are completely disconnected  from the reality their vote is vital to changing their circumstances. Then this hideous and outrageous ideas from the political right wing manifest and how is that brave and proud Grandmother looking now to win an election? Not so promising.

The political tone of the country it not only hideously out of sync with reality and the best interest of the people, it also disqualifies those that vote and those that would be qualified or even interested in running for local office.

While there are gatekeepers that oppress diversity of people in government there is also this incredibly horrid political tone that tells many they are scared and incompetent to handle their own lives effectively. If I don't believe I am confident in handling my own life will I want to run for office?

While gatekeepers oppress, there is a larger evil and it works.

I've heard it all now.

I was laughing so hard I forgot to write down the name of the book, but, it was something like "Drone Warfare National Security" or something that implies that.

Ready for this? 

Sure?

Social Media and Selfies dismiss privacy so why can't the government secure the country?

Amazing the idiocy out in the twilight zone lately.

A selfie on the internet gives permission for the government to spy on the entire country.

I don't think so. Where have critical thinkers gone? Seriously.

There can't be anything else the government can do to privacy, is there? Justify the NSA's invasion of privacy because some Americans like to have selfies of all varieties and for all variety of reasons on the internet on social media. That is an amazing violation of public trust. 

I've got a girlfriend about 600 miles from me who married and now has given birth. She absolutely loves that child and puts her pictures on social media all the time. She is joyful. It is wonderful to see her and the baby and how the child is growing. If I told her the government has a right to spy on the entire country because she is posting pictures of her baby to family and friends she would be devastated. That is sick. That is simply sick that anyone believes the government has a right to spy on an entire country because my friend loves sharing pictures of her daughter with me. The same could take place using USPS, but, this is quick, spontaneous and candid. 

GET OUT OF LIFE !!!!!!!!!!!!

GET OUT OF MY LIFE YOU CONTROL FREAKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DON'T THINK ABOUT IT, JUST DO IT, THAT IS AN ORDER. CAN YOU COPE WITH THAT BEING AN ORDER? SOMETHING TOLD TO YOU THAT YOU HAVE NO CONTROL OVER BUT ACCEPT AS YOUR REALITY. THEN I AM GIVING AN ORDER, GET OUT OF MY LIFE!

Nagl should go to FOX. They will give him his own show and $2 million to do it. Maybe he can even get "W" re-elected for a third term. Oh, excuse, that would be his brother.

Nagle the Nutcase is overwhelmed with control issues. His personal baggage doesn't bring my military into a forever war.

October 19, 2014
By Rachel Martin

A decade (click here) after the U.S. took control of Fallujah, America is at war again. NPR's Rachel Martin talks with former Lt. Col. John Nagl, whose counter-insurgency manual helped shape U.S. strategy in Iraq....

That was FORMER Lt. Col, right? I wish him the best of luck selling his book especially a good read for war mongers frustrated by the dynamics of peace.

Evidently the former colonel believes the USA needs a base of operations, similar to that of the Islamic State needing a base of operations. He doesn't get it. The USA is not going to have soldiers as convenient targets for militants and extremists in the Middle East. The USA Navy is stationed in Italy and there is a base in Qatar. Not every country in the Middle East is going to have a convenient base for their pleasure? Is that it? Every country in the Middle East is going to be a territory of the USA because I'll tell you something, it hasn't done a darn thing for Turkish autonomy.

Oh, by the way, perhaps the former Colonel doesn't remember there is a huge air base in Turkey which has no plans of being decommissioned. The only reason a military base should be in Iraq is for war and we aren't fighting one there anymore.

There are two bases in Turkey as a matter of fact, Incirlink (clear here) and Izmer Air Base (click here).
To the right is the location of the USA military base in Al Udeid Air Base, Abū Nakẖlah, Qatar.

The military authorities that come out to state the USA has to have a permanent base in Iraq does not understand nor cares to understand the people of that region. They defame them by stating the leaders of the governing bodies are not capable of governance, yet they play this game of putting all the ethnicities and religions into one room and states they will be functional now.

The people of Iraq are capable of voting and whether or not the USA likes it they are capable of governance. When the USA was in Iraq it was Maliki's private militia killing whoever the Prime Minister believed to be the problem. Now, today, the people of the USA finally see the folly in all that. American soldiers are not going back to the Middle East to some government's private militia terrifying populous of people nearly as much as the Islamic State.

The country of Iraq may or may not succeed in their ability to organize around the concept of a 'melting pot' as the USA did for so long. If they don't than the USA is going to have to accept their government for what it is. The USA is providing air support along with a coalition of countries. Does Mr. Nagl actually believe those countries are not capable of their own governance in joining a coalition to organize their own military prowess to destroy the evil that resides in Syria in the Islamic State? I happen to believe they can and should and succeed in protecting their countries and it's borders.

Nagl wants 15,000 troops in Iraq FOREVER.

I don't think so.

We don't belong in Iraq.

We never did.