There is a special edition of The Duck Stamp for support of the Gulf of Mexico Wetland Conservation

The Federal Duck Stamp Act was passed in 1934 by President Herbert Hoover.  It was help acquire and protect the nation's wetlands.  It was viewed as a vital support to "The Migratory Bird Conservation Act" of 1929.

Help Heal the Gulf Coast Wetlands  (click title to entry - thank you)
July 28, 2010
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar unveiled a special edition Federal Duck Stamp envelope known as a silk cachet, that hunters, stamp collectors and other conservationists can purchase for $25 -- or $10 more than the cost of a regular Duck Stamp -- to help conservation efforts in the Gulf of Mexico. The funds will be used to acquire wetlands for inclusion in the more than thirty-eight national wildlife refuges along the Gulf Coast.

All this started due to The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (click here) which is an international treaty.

At any rate, the Duck Stamp is an interesting activity of the Interior Department.  It costs $15.00 a year and the cost hasn't been raised for 20 years.  When one considers the increase to the Postal Service stamps and just cost of living in general, the Duck Stamp is a real bargain.

I personally believe it is time to raise the cost of the Duck Stamp.  The 'depreciation' of the effect of this stamp only speaks to the lack of commitment the citizens of the USA show toward their wetlands and wildlife.  I would think an increase of five to ten dollars annually would be appropriate.

I have no doubt people will ridicule the issue of this 'special silk cache' as BP is suppose to be paying for every detail of the Gulf restoration.  Well, reality in the long run will dictate otherwise.  When one considers that BP will be receiving a federal subsidy in the way of tax breaks due to the tune of about $10.5 billion this year alone due to loss of income, or better said increase in operating costs; the real payors to the $20 billion trust fund will be the American Taxpayer.

This special edition of The Duck Stamp will provide a good way to improve the funding to the Gulf Coast States as a permanent form of income.  I am sure there is no limit on the issue, so sales will go on for some time. 

As we have witnessed with the Gulf Coast disaster, the coastal wetlands are vital to the nation's national security as a food source and place of commerce such as tourism.  Not funding wetland preservation is a folly the nation should avoid.

I find the Special Edition unique and quite beautiful.  A real addition to Duck Stamp Collectors.  Thank you to the Department of the Interior.  Very nice.

I am having a little problem accepting the Right Wing's hatred of Rock 'n' Roll, so I thought I'd make a few comparisons.

Basically, I see this as an expression of The Middle Class Work Ethic and a relationship between TWO people.

A Hard Day's Night by the Beetles

It's been a hard day's night, and I've been working like a dog

It's been a hard day's night, I should be sleeping like a log
But when I get home to you I find the things that you do
Will make me feel alright


You know I work all day to get you money to buy you things
And it's worth it just to hear you say you're gonna give me everything
So why on earth should I moan, 'cause when I get you alone
You know I feel okay
When I'm home everything seems to be right
When I'm home feeling you holding me tight,tight,yeah
It's been a hard day's night, and I've been working like a dog
It's been a hard day's night, I should be sleeping like a log
But when I get home to you I find the things that you do
Will make me feel alright


Owwww


But when I get home to you I find the things that you do
Will make me feel alright
When I'm home everything seems to be right
When I'm home feeling you holding me tight,all through the night,yeah


It's been a hard day's night, and I've been working like a dog
It's been a hard day's night, I should be sleeping like a log
But when I get home to you I find the things that you do
Will make me feel alright
You know I feel alright
You know I feel alright...

There is even a cartoon about it.  How cute.


 

The song below is more or less a Plutocratic Work Theme.  The gal obviously is a worker and seems to think she works very hard for her money.  Then the song goes on to say she is a 'good timin' American daughter, that is a redneck, blue collar worker that parties down to her last dollar. 

Why is it that partying hard has to use the dollar of your paycheck?  I would think the better idea would be to 'save' those hard earned dollars and play hard at softball or basketball or some other method of 'social contact.'  I find it a little offensive to think that a Red Neck is also irresponsible and she doesn't know how to save her hard earned dollars. 

There is one more song and I want to see if I can find it.


"Work Hard, Play Harder" by Gretchen Wilson

I work a double shift on monday 

Tuesday i get up before dawn
Wednesday pouring coffee
Thursday night i'm tendin' the bar
Well, when friday finally rolls around
I call my rough and rowdy friends and we're honkytonk bound.


Chorus:
I work hard, i play harder
I'm a good timin' american daughter
Redneck, blue collar,
And i party down to my last dollar
I work hard, i work hard, i work hard,
I play harder


(Now) I don't waste my time on
Manicures and spray on tans
And i don't pay no never mind
To the callouses i've worn on my hands
You know that people just can't understand how
I'm the first to clock in but the last to pass out


I work hard, i play harder
I'm a good timin' american daughter
Redneck, blue collar,
And i party down to my last dollar
I work hard, i work hard, i work hard,
I play harder


yea yea yea yeah


I work hard, i play harder
I'm a good timin' american daughter
Redneck, blue collar,
And i party down to my last dollar


I work hard, i play harder
I'm a good timin' american daughter
Redneck, blue collar,
And i party down to my last dollar
I work hard, i work hard, i work hard,
I work hard, i work hard, i work hard,
I play harder

In the video the girl has a Corvette, so, maybe she gets good tips?



The other song is also a popular song, by a male vocalist.  You can tell I am not really a Country-Western fan as I can't pull this off the top of my head.  But, basically, he lets anyone listenting know that even though he is breaking up a marriage, or at very least contributing to adultry that 'a woman like that,' will be appreciated.

It openly attacks fidelity.  When I run across it I'll make more of a point of it.  I think there are issues with Country Western music and the 'personas' it portrays. 

There just seems to me to be a willingness in the USA to attack Rock artists without even scrutinizing their counterparts in other music 'types.'

Evently, the bodyguards surrounding Ahmadinejad have a dangerous job.

Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad flinches as smoke wafts near him.

These things happen from time to time.  Remember when Bush went to South America and they almost nabbed him.  And then there was that explosive in Georgia when he was making a speech. 

What ya gonna do?


...Whether it was a bomb meant to kill him or fireworks set off in his honor, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was unhurt in a motorcade incident Wednesday and will head to New York next month....

Ahmadinejad must be taking lessions from FOX News Commentators that spew that "infotainment" stuff.  Nearly everyone of the FOX News Commentators have a 'dedicated phone' for the President of the USA to call to correct any issue they discuss.

Well, it would seem as though Mahmoud is doing the same thing.  For three days now he is ranting about how he wants to have 'open dialogue' wtih President Obama.  I would think Mahmoud was more of a Stateman than that.  He needs to follow 'protocol' and it actually might happen.  Never know.  But, one thing is for sure, it won't happen in Iran.  Not with all those weapons and explosives a part of daily life over there.

Edward Yeranian

Cairo
02 August 2010
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is saying he is ready to meet with U.S. President Barack Obama during a visit to the United Nations next month....
 
http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/Iranian-President-Ready-for-Direct-Talks-With-Obama-99754864.html
 

 
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called on U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday to face him in a televised one-on-one debate to see who has the best solutions for the world's problems....

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6711EA20100802



AP Exclusive: Iran Defiant In Nuclear Documents



by The Associated Press
VIENNA
August 5, 2010, 04:06 pm ET
As Iran and world powers prepare for new nuclear talks, letters from Tehran's envoys to top international officials suggest little prospect of major progress, with Tehran combative and unlikely to offer any concessions.
Two letters, both written late last month and obtained by The Associated Press, reflect Iran's apparent determination to continue the nuclear activities that have led to new rounds of U.N., EU, and U.S. sanctions over fears that Tehran might be seeking to develop nuclear arms....


http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114310355

I have heard it over and over and over again. There is the addition of the 14th amendment to destructive and bigoted agenda of the Republican party.

The Plutocracies Best Friend, Tom DeLay "The Hammer."

U.S. Constitution: Fourteenth Amendment  (click here)

There is the 16th amendment and the 18th amendment.  The Republican montra is dangerous.  We witnessed its dangerous priorities with Bush and Cheney, now this.

The Republicans have no respect for citizens to begin with and now citizens born in the country with obviously no responsiblity in illegally immigrating here are to be considered the same as 'foreign dignitaries' and denied any rights to citizenship under the USA Constitution.

That is not only bizarre, it is bigoted.  It only goes to prove 'The USA Constitution' gets in 'the way' of the Plutocratic goals of the RNC.

Babies, they are picking on babies now.

Below is the PROCEDURE to add Amendments to the USA Constitution.  It would take an additional amendment to change the 14th Amendment.  The 14th Amendment would have to be repealed.  It is a lengthy process and won't happen overnight.  The Congress can pass Immigration Reform before a repeal of the 14th Amendment ever happened, if at all. 

It takes two-thirds of the both houses of the federal legislature to pass an amendment to repeal the 14th and then it takes three-quarters of the state legislatures for 'State Ratification.'  State Ratification requires two-thirds of the State legisatures to ratify an amendment to the USA Constitution. 

It would take ratification of a repeal amendment by 37 or 38 states before it would take effect. 

This is nothing but an ideological 'trick' for political fodder.  It will never happen.  Right Wing 'thunk it up' tanks like dreamscapes rather than reality.

Article V - Amendment



The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate.

...and Kagan makes three. 63 "YES" votes is NOT a small margin !!! Congratulations President Obama.

Elena Kagan will join Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Marie Sotomayor at the Supreme Court.  It is the first time in history that three women are sitting on 'the court' at the same time.








My, my.  It is almost becoming a girls club and as exciting as "The View."

U.S. President Barack Obama's nomination (click title to entry - thank you) of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court won Senate approval on Thursday, his second appointment to the court that decides abortion, death penalty and other contentious cases.The Democratic-led Senate voted largely along party lines, 63-37, to confirm the former Harvard Law School dean as the fourth female justice in U.S. history and the 112th high court member.,,,

Happy Birthday, President Obama. What a way to celebrate, with 13 wonderful Americans.

It is a matter of civl rights. Dehumanizing Gays is nothing more than bigotry

A bigot is a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices.

"I think it may be time for a paradigm shift on how we view the defense of the coast line"

Retired Admiral Thad Allen is the hero in all this.  He has performed the impossible. 

The words at the title to this entry are those spoken by the Retired Admiral.  Given the fact he was a pivotal person in all this, with the most insight to all aspects of the operation, I sincerely hope the government and military take him and his recommendations seriously.

Currently, the well is 'static,' which means, it is capped and filled.  It is filled with 'heavy mud' to help stabilize the oil well. 

Evidently, the relief well will be completed by Mid-August and a concrete fill will complete the closure of the Macondo well.

...BP pumped 2,000 barrels (84,000 gallons) of synthetic drilling mud (click title to entry - thank you) into the well, beginning Tuesday night. That column of mud – weighing 13 pounds a gallon – now sits atop the oil beneath it. The system is in a static state, meaning that the downward weight of the mud is counterbalancing the pressure of the oil pushing upward from the reservoir.
In other words, nothing is moving – the thing BP has been trying to achieve virtually from the moment in late April that it realized it had a mile-deep undersea oil geyser on its hands.
President Obama called it a "significant milestone."...

There is still a great deal of concern regarding the chemicals in the water column.  There is a remarkable assessment of the dispersants in "Nature."

...For most of the day, the monitors showed little of interest. But towards the afternoon, when the instruments were passing through water about 1,000 metres deep, the fluorometer and transmissometer readings spiked. The team went on to track remnants of that signal for some 45 kilometres southwest of the wellhead, in a layer between about 1,000 metres and 1,400 metres deep. It took some time for researchers to make sense of the data, but all the signs suggested that a deep, hidden plume of oily water was spreading away from the gusher....

http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100804/full/466680a.html


Senator Bill Nelson is one of the folks that are not happy with all the chemicals dumped into the Gulf of Mexico.  I tend to agree that he has a reason to be worried about his state and we all have a reason to still be concerned regarding the Loop Current.  I believe Senator Lautenberg is seeking new regulations regarding the oil dispersants.


BP's use of chemicals used to disperse some of the oil gushing from the floor of the Gulf of Mexico might have been a cure worse than the disease, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson said Monday.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/03/1758437/nelson-blasts-use-of-chemicals.html


We are almost there.

Is it over yet? It could be said that Retired Admiral Thad Allen runs a tight ship and is bringing this in ahead of schedule.

Vessels assisting in the capping of the Deepwater Horizon oil well are seen on the Gulf of Mexico off of the Louisiana coast. Photo: AP  (click title to entry - thank you)


By Rupert Cornwell in Washington
Wednesday, 4 August 2010


BP yesterday began pumping mud into its blown-out Gulf well, under the "static kill" procedure that is the penultimate step before putting a final end to what is now believed to be the worst accidental oil spill in history.
BP crews began the long-awaited effort yesterday afternoon, hours after engineers had dealt with yet another 11th-hour hitch - this time a leak in the valve on the well's temporary cap installed on 15 July....

I knew it would leak.  Oh, well.  The pressure within the capped well is increasing as the 'static fill' begins.  The mass of methane ice, oil and whatever else is in the top part of the well has no place to go, except, to increase the pressure on the existing cap.  It will be okay if the pressures under the cap remain stable, but, I believe the pressures need to be monitored closely to understand what is occurring under that cap.  I would anticipate the ship with the relief well filling the capped well need to be monitored for 'safety' issues and any difficulty in securing the goal of closing the well.


...Barack Obama has ordered a moratorium on deep-sea drilling, and with BP also due to start exploring for oil and gas in the Mediterranean Sea off Libya within weeks, clamour is growing within the EU for a temporary ban on deep-sea drilling. The EU's energy commissioner, Günther Oettinger, describes a moratorium as the "right approach for potentially dangerous drilling... in light of the risk exposed by the Deepwater Horizon spill", and the Italian Environment minister, Stefania Prestigiacomo, said the plans in the Med "give rise to serious concern"....

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/government-to-buck-global-trend-for-ban-on-deepsea-oil-drilling-2042590.html

I know there is a lot going on around the world that could be discussed, like Israel cooperating with an investigation into the Floatilla incident, but this is a truly significant issue.  The Gulf Coast is still seeing oil washing up on its shores and I really feel there can't be enough attention given to this problem.

Briefly, I think Israel is confident about its position as there were arms on the Floatilla boats.  Sorry, but, that does not classify as a peaceful mission or one with a completely humanitarian purpose.  I know there was an exchange of gunfire at the Lebanese border, but, that is not a matter of escalation of tensions.  It was a minimal exchange.  Yes, there were deaths on both sides, including a journalist, but, the reason the exchange of gunfire occurred was hideous.  The Lebanese army officer admitted they began the exchange because there were IDF forces removing a tree from the Lebanese side of the border.

Sorry, but, removing a tree is not suppose to be met with deadly force.  That is the problem with the Middle East, there is no 'answering' to authority before acting.  The Lebanese army was wrong to meet the removal of a tree with deadly force.  If that was an issue, it should have been told to their commanders and dialogue between Lebanon and Israel should have taken place.

It could be said the Israeli forces felt the tree was a threat to their security and decided to remove it.  That is still not a good excuse for crossing the border, but, there is always the possiblity they were unaware of where the border was exactly.

So, here we are with an international incident that could have been avoided, but, instead it will be exploited to hold Israel in a poor light.  That kind of 'reactionary' process has to stop.  Those men could be alive today, if the circumstances were handled properly with higher level authority being called in to handle it.  That isn't what happened and now Israel is suppose to have a discredited reputation due to this.  I don't think so.

Let's hope by tomorrow the Gulf Well will be permanently closed.  It will be a good beginning to recover the Gulf Coast.

Oh, you mean the Taliban haven't been helpful in relieving the suffering of the flood victims.

Pakistani woman carries a small bicycle outside her shack submerged by heavy flood, on Monday in Dera Ghazi Khan in Punjab province, Pakistan. Photo: AP.   (click title to entry - thank you)

...The government has deployed thousands of soldiers and civilian rescue workers to save an estimated 28,000 people trapped by the floodwaters, distribute food and collect the bodies of the up to 1,100 killed so far.
But the scale of the disaster is so vast that many residents say it seems like officials are doing nothing. That anger poses a danger to the already struggling government, now competing with Islamist movements to deliver aid in a region with strong Taliban influence....


I sincerely hope any aid actually makes it to the people and not into the hands of extremists that will use it against the people.  Whomever is sending aid, don't send guns, okay?

And there is no reason to complain about the government of Pakistan either.  If community after community allows extremists to dominate their safety, what is a government suppose to do?  It is difficult enough to fight a flood, but, to try to 'safely' provide aid is a hideous concept to a 'war zone.'

Don't blame the Pakistani government, I don't want to hear it.

Terrorists taking pause as Pakistan braces for more floods, monsoon rains
English.news.cn 2010-08-03 00:51:55
By Syed Moazzam Hashmi
ISLAMABAD, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Terrorists seem to have been taking a pause halting their frequent suicide bombings and sabotage in Pakistan as the second string of monsoon rains unleashed Monday afternoon a little earlier than predicted hampering the badly needed relief and rescue work.
No act of terrorism has so far been reported across the country as the floods misery enters the seven day on Monday in the troubled northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where epidemic outbreak is imminent. Heavy rains have halted relief operation in heavily flooded Dera Ghazi Khan area of eastern Punjab province and in the worst affected Swat and Malakand areas in the northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province....

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-08/03/c_13426934.htm


Having to deal with militants and terrorists while trying to deliver aid.  This is about the most hideous mess any government has to deal with.  This has to rank right up there with the Tamil Tigers and the Christmas Tsunami.


Fears militants will capitalise on Pakistan flood chaos
MATT WADE
HERALD CORRESPONDENT



August 3, 2010
 
SECURITY analysts have warned that militant groups in Pakistan could capitalise on the misery caused by flooding that has devastated the unstable north-west of the country.
The disaster, which is believed to have killed at least 1100 people and displaced 2.5 million, comes as the government struggles to contain Islamic insurgents operating in flood-hit areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly North-West Frontier Province) and Pakistani Kashmir. The Swat Valley, where more than 1 million people were displaced by fighting between the Pakistani army and Taliban rebels in May last year, has been badly affected.
There are reports of diarrhoea and cholera among those left homeless, and aid groups warn that basics like food and water are in short supply. Flood waters have receded in some areas but more monsoon rains are forecast....

http://www.smh.com.au/world/fears-militants-will-capitalise-on-pakistan-flood-chaos-20100802-113g6.html

Record rainfall in New Zealand.

Authorities warn of Tasman Glacier tsunami  (click title to entry - thank you)

1:03 PM Tuesday Aug 3, 2010 Twitter


Visitors to Mt Cook's Tasman Glacier are warned to stick to vantage points on high ground.
Authorities say there'll be a tsunami in the lake as the iceberg has risen another 20m out of the water and will break off at some point.
The unique event's been triggered by 250 mm of rain falling in 72 hours.
Aoraki Tourism general manager Denis Callesen says signs are going up to warn people to stay away from the water's edge.
"By my calculations if nearly 30 million tonnes carve off together - one can only imagine what sort of a surge event would occur with that."
He says last time this happened a three meter surge of water was recorded.
- NEWSTALK ZB

The weather at Glacier Bay National Park (crystal ice chime) is sunbathing warm.

Lat/Lon: 58.8° N 137.0° W

Elevation :: 33 feet


Local Time :: 5:17 PM AKDT


Temperature :: 64 Fahrenheit


Conditions :: Overcast


Dew Point :: 54 Fahrenheit


Wind :: 10 mph from the Southwest


Pressure :: 30.26 inches (steady)


Visibility :: 10 miles


UV :: 1 out of 16


Clouds :: 2400 feet (Above ground level)
 
 
 
Arctic, South Pacific landscapes added to World Heritage List  (click title to entry - thank you)
Committee considered addition of 32 new sites, six of which are natural landscapes

OurAmazingPlanet
updated 8/2/2010 5:45:39 PM ET
 
...Last week, the WHC announced that the Rainforests of Atsinanana and Florida's Everglades National Park were being added to another list – the World Heritage Sites in Danger. This "danger list" focuses international attention and sometimes funding on particularly vulnerable areas. Also last week, the group removed the Galapagos Islands from the danger list, against the recommendations of conservation groups.
France's Reunion Island contains the most significant remaining natural habitats, including a rare forest type, for the conservation of terrestrial biodiversity in the Mascarene Island Archipelago, a group of islands in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar. Towering volcanoes, including steep rock walls and natural amphitheatres, as well as deep forested gorges and escarpments form dramatic scenery of striking beauty.
"La Reunion contains an impressive mosaic of dramatic landscapes and very valuable ecosystems and also serves as a last refuge for the many threatened and endangered species on the entire Mascarene Archipelago," said Tim Badman, Head of IUCN's World Heritage Programme. "Controlling alien invasive species will be an ongoing challenge in the management of this property."...



2002

President George W. Bush and Florida Governor Jeb Bush signed an agreement on January 9 providing a total of $7.8 billion for the Everglades restoration project. The federal and state governments will share the cost.

http://fcelter.fiu.edu/about_us/everglades/history_and_culture/



Neverglades? - Updates - Florida Governor Jeb Bush delays cleanup of the Everglades - Brief Article

Sierra, Sept-Oct, 2003
 
The 1994 Everglades Forever Act, a cleanup agreement passed by the state legislature, promised to revitalize the nation's most famous wetlands by 2006. That promise was broken in May when Governor Jeb Bush signed a bill delaying the deadline by ten years and relaxing water-quality standards.



The bill was backed by the sugar industry, whose plantation operations contribute much of the phosphorus-laden runoff that threatens the Everglades' health. (See "Lay of the Land," January/February, page 10.)

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1525/is_5_88/ai_109027772/Humidity :: 68%

"Morning Papers" - Its Origins

The Rooster

"Okeydoke"

That ends my review.

I was only there for a short time.  Loved every minute of it.  Decided to sleep on two occassions so I skipped the midnight show of "Zonad" and the Sunday show of "Reel Injun."  I plan to see both in the near future.

The Traverse City Film Festival is an amazing event.  It was sparked by the genius that is Michael Moore and was expanded by a dedicated Governor over the years to include a 'film industry' in Michigan.

I believe The State Theater is a return to Main Street.  It is wholesome.  It will provide economic stability and every town should have a "Movie House" where everyone sits in ONE theater to watch ONE movie as a community.  I think that is important.  It is way I grew up and loved the matinee on Saturdays.  It was a weekly event we all looked forward to.  It added excitement and entertainment to our lives and it was valued.

Michael is embarking on a campaign to return movie houses to local economies to spark economic growth and community cohesiveness.  I wish him the best.  If anyone can make it happen, Michael can.

"Restrepo"

George Walker Bush and Richard Cheney need to be impeached.  This is NOT a strategy, this is a highway project.

Our soldiers lived and died.  Our commanders ran war tactics at the demands of the Commander and Chief and for what?

Afghanistan's Korengal Valley was abandoned after President Obama took office.  The USA military was engaged in combat with militants over a ROAD PROJECT.

In the film, I have never witnessed such bravery and commitment by the officers and soldiers of the USA.  They are damn good at what they do.  They love their country and commit 100% to their missions.  The ludicrous nature of the battles that killed Americans and allies in the Korengal Valley was not their fault, it was the orders of a desperate President that had already lost the war and the respect of the USA people while dodging impeachment.

COIN is not a legitmiate strategy for any war.  It is a 'think tank' battle field and it is a dreamscape.  Billions upon billions of the USA treasury was spent on a campaign of shame in the Korengal Valley.  If this is a PR problem for Secretary Gates and he loses officers due to it, then it is meant to be.  This entire military campaign was the 'worst' of the USA military.  The absolute worst.  A road?  A road was a strategy?  I don't think so.

I reget the loss of life of any of the soldiers in this film.  They are magnificent men and soldiers and the pride of our country, it is damn unfortunate they didn't have a Commander and Chief that valued them and their commitment enough to never use them as political pawns.  I wish the USA military would find a way of exposing this kind of idiocy before it costs lives and allies.  Do you the kind of permission this type of 'war movement' gives to corruption?  No wonder things are as they were found to be when we returned to Afghanistan.

"Mike's Surprise"

Every year at the festival, Michael Moore has a program he calls, "Mike's Surprise."  In years past he has previewed his other films or brought programs from the past that were directed by him to the theater. 

This year he showed a film that has been around since 2006.  It was the revenge of the Mormon Establishment and Right Wing Conspiracy against the First Amendment in a film called, "The Divided State."

To make a long story short, Utah Valley State University is a public institution.  It has the OBLIGATION to open its doors to views that are not necessarily those of the average student body.  Michael Moore in his 'Slacker Uprising Tour' was the focus of hate and bias.

What occurred before the assembly that Michael was featured in, was a lot of demonstrations and strong arm tactics to stop the assembly.  The auditorium was packed with people of all ages and not just students.

The students were completely correct in having Michael speak.  They allowed Hannity to speak a few days before.  Besides showing the events surrounding these two events, the film also displays the 'different styles' of these political figures, both pundits to their own belief about what is best for the USA.

What was completely obvious from this film is the victimizing nature of the Right Wing Republican.  They are vindictive, controlling, regimented, closed minded, have 'understood' credos with anticipated outcomes and completely inhibit 'the emotional growth' of any student body.

Kay Anderson was the real 'lightning rod' in this film.  He tried to bribe the State University and its student body into cancelling Michael's appearance and when that didn't work he sought to sue the school for the event.  His hatred is so profound of any 'difference in thought' that he insisted on scapegoating the Vice President through pressures still undisclosed to the American people.  The lousy, power hungry, sob that Anderson is was 'satiated' when the Veep of the Student body resigned in order to protect his scholarships and funding for school. 

The film notes a loss to this PUBLIC school of $200,000 in donations after Michael's assembly was held.  Well, too bad.  Freedom of Speech has a price.  And if equity 'costs' then it costs and I don't feel sorry for anyone here with the exception of the Veep and his ridicule and scapegoating by a lousy Republican that wanted to 'save face' at the expense of a student.  It doesn't get much lower than that !

"Collapse" by Michael Ruppert

"Yep."

I have thought everything he said.  It could have been me in the chair.  In the lines outside the theater waiting for the event buses I heard words like, 'paranoid,' 'feel sorry for that guy,' and 'well of it seems real.' 

There is one aspect to this film though, it leaves out the 'resourcefulness' of people in this country when confronted with profound reality.  I believe the intellect of the American people will bring them out of their 'denial funk' and into a reality that is pertinent. 

The Plutocracy has to go.  That is a reality we are already grappling with and this film gives that more credence than any other reality 'out there.' 

I have faith in the people of the USA.  I too am awaiting the 'hundreth monkey.'  It is coming if not already hear, but, a bit lethargic.

If one doesn't see the movie, then buy the book.

DVD (click here)

Book (click here)

"Waiting for Superman"

I have never been more appalled at the insane cruelty of the American School System.  Pitting child against child.  Tracking children for appropriate 'placement' so they can achieve into the 'best' category of worker for the USA's work force.  Is this like something we used to hear from Iron Curtain countries, or what?

When I was a student in the public school system in primary and secondary school I was never 'categorized,' never told I should follow a 'certain career track,' had any kind of record other than my academic record with the school and never was a disciplinary problem.  Very few of my classmates were disciplinary problems.  We were middle class kids with parents who gave a damn and we turned out 'just fine.'

I cannot believe how 'controlled' this issue has become.  Every aspect, other than focusing on improving the socio-economic educational status of 'ghettos' was completely bizarre to me.  Completely bizarre.

I don't believe for one minute there are teachers that don't care about their students and do nothing in a classroom all day long simply because tenure allows them to do that.  No tenured teacher is allowed to do that.  None.  There are consequences for unprofessional demeanor and poor ethical standards when a teacher doesn't do a good job.  I know the film and the 'scenes' of students misbehaving, but, that wasn't uncommon when I was a student either.  Students misbehaved and sometimes they got away with it and sometimes they didn't, but, it was never such a problem that they didn't learn.

I hope Arne Duncan sees this film and realizes how correct he is to 'standardize' learning in the USA while seeking out 'trouble spots.'  There is no way there should be one school in the USA teaching a different cirriculum to their students from another school.  When did it happen that all of a sudden school districts are 'designer schools' whereby 'standard educational goals' are not part of a student's cirriculum.

Sorry, folks, but an A is an A and the number 1 is still the number 1.  There isn't much that can be done with that.  Either be a parent that sincerely cares about your child and do some parenting and involvement with them, or do them a favor and let them know they need to seek out a support system for themselves that will remove 'disadvantage' from their lives so they can compete.

The parent I most admired was the one that did not bring her youngster to a 'lottery,' and the parents whom's child said a lottery was a game of chance.  I mean cruel.  Those children don't understand what is going on with this lottery mess and they should be sheltered from its reality.  I was simply astounded at the level of cruelty American children are subjected to on a regular basis in order to COMPETE.

When I was a student I never competed unless I was hitting a softball or riding to fences at a 4-H horse show.  In school?  What are you joking?  My best friend was the valedictorian of our class, but, we didn't talk about grades or tests or aceing the Bio Lab Exam.  We talked about boys and birth control and the class trip and the car we were going to get with the part time job we each had.  Compete?  For grades?  What are people daffed? 

Secretary Duncan has his work cut out for him.  To begin, he needs to STOP THE STRESS of learning in the USA.  One young boy stated (He was eight years old.), when I grow up I want things to be better for my children than I had them.  Like what kind of mess is that from an eight year old?  It is called 'a parenteralized child.'  I dont' think so !  We all ought to be ashamed.

"Czech Peace" (Cesky mir)

Excellant film.  These were the makers of "Czech Dream." 

Perhaps a better title would have been, "CHECK Peace," as the Bush White House proposed an occupation of the Czech Republic for the purpose of spying on Russia.  There was no other reason.

Years ago Bernard Shaw of CNN stated he wished America didn't have an ocean between it and Europe.  Only then, he felt, could Americans understand the reality of having 'the balance of power' in their own backyards.

Europe is being used by Republian Commander and Chiefs as a war front.  There is no doubt in my mind that George W. Bush does not understand the meaning of peace.  He defined every international relationship by exploitation to wealth no matter the facade it took.  The blasted MDS didn't even work for God sake.

All I can say is the Czechs did a great job in forestalling the lousy missle system until a sane President was once again delivered to the Oval Office.

We are outta there !

Thank you Czech Republic.  Well done.  Loved the film.  Every American should see this film and walk a mile in European shoes.