President Obama made a mistake. He never sought to prosecute Cheney and the Bush White House...

...and now they feel as though they have to be vincidated of any statement that publicly indicts them of atrocities in engaging in and conducting a war in Iraq. They also believe their 'torture,' engaged in desperation for lacking the will to continue to conclusion the war in Afghanistan, is completely void of peril for our military. They put our military soldiers in harms way with their own methods and words and didn't give a damn !

Bush administration and torture (click title to entry - thank you)
Posted by Letters editor
Not about blame, but seeking justice
In response to Chris Fruitrich's letter of May 28 ["Blaming Bush: Don't waste time looking back," Opinion, Northwest Voices], I would like an explanation as to how pursuing justice for alleged crimes, whether they be by Dick Cheney or Adolph Eichmann, be considered "ill-conceived"?
The Bush administration authorized torture. It has even admitted to it -- a clear violation of international law and the Geneva Conventions. Not forgetting all the other crimes committed by this administration, too numerous to mention here, but please --torture? Am I missing something? How does a society of conscience put this behind us without seeking justice?
-- Chris Anderson, Seattle
Copyright © 2009 The Seattle Times Company

I could never understand how Colin Powell would make blatant lies to the United Nations. However, when his integrity and the power of that integrity was diluted by false information due to torture, it makes far more sense than it doesn't.

I believe him when he states he didn't know if the information in 'SLAM DUNK' was obtained by torture. At that time, he knew only of the reports being handed him. He was being held accountable by Cheney and Bush to explain away any of the words on the page in front of him.

He may have had 'druthers' otherwise, but, Cheney wanted Iraq Halliburton for the sake of saving himself from a lawsuit with stockholders, something Bush would empathize with due to his own experiences. Bush wanted Saddam in revenge for threats against his father.

Powell did not have the 'methods nor the clout' either through his current authority or his morality to raise questions of Rumsfeld for his actions within the Defense Department to obtain information otherwise. He was stuck. At this point, as before, it was a matter of 'processing' the information and moving to venues that would insure our national security, or so it would APPEAR.

Could he have 'pulled the plug' on Cheney, Bush and the CIA? No. When Former Secretary Powell states, "So." It is because penmanship doesn't count when decisions of national security are on the line and the subordinate hasn't commissioned proof of why the information would be tainted.

Do I believe Former Secretary Powell consciously made the decision to lie? No. Absolutely not. It was not an action of looking the other way as a convenience to carry out torture or invade Iraq. I don't believe that for a minute. He only served one term. I think that speaks for itself.

The truth of the matter is that "SLAM DUNK" was facilitated by Rumsfeld with a battery of lunatic lawyers that SOUGHT 'loopholes' in the law where it would 'AVOID' any illegalities.

Can 'loopholes' be prosecuted? I do believe they can be prosecuted if THE WILL to pursue 'justice' is important enough.

It is no different than the 911 Commission. They were 'allowed to exist' and publically prosecute the Bush Administration including the "Bin Laden DETERMINED to Strike the US" memo and the sequelae of denial by Rice, Cheney even though Senator Feinstein was 'on the job.' Rice and Cheney should have been held accountable, but, they abused power and demanded to be immune from prosecution for the sake of national security. The Fifth Amendment was waived for the sake of the country. Basically.

The same thing goes here. The lawyers involved in 'justifying' the actions of the Bush White House for false impetus; LOOKED for loopholes and justification. THAT is abuse of power. It is not only illegal, dangerous at that level, it is also unethical. They knew better. They should not be practicing.

The Cheney/Bush White House is being given 'a pass' and it is done consciously.

Like.

WOW.

Gerald Ford, I guess.

She is going to be great. Great. No one can say that about Roberts. Certainly not about Alito, either.

Scalia and Thomas are just a waste of time. They are chronically biased according to their personal beliefs.

Every Hispanic woman seeking to participate in the dynamics of the USA, including the pursuit of law, should be inspired and confident.

By the way, I did say I thought Same Sex Marriage is about GENDER Discrimination, didn't I ? It is. Completely. It is a matter of whether there is a man or woman standing next you when the vows are said. It is completely analogous of the bigotry when the law attempted to criminalize the marriage of Black and White. Same thing.

She is going to be great. Completely. We better not be deprived of her presence on the Supreme Court because of "POPULOUS POLITICAL BIGOTRY." We better not !

We are taking back the country.

End of Discussion.

I'll be honest, I don't know how I feel about her in her environmental decisions.

But, then she hasn't been confronted with many in the District she precided.

What I found interesting about the analysis at the link to the title to this entry, was this:

...Sotomayor is not a predictable vote for environmentalists, industry, states or the federal government in environmental cases. Instead, she seems to weigh each case on its own merits, while displaying considerable skill in grasping the often arcane science and administrative history that form the basis of much modern environmental litigation....

She sounds reasonable, open minded and intelligent. She weighs all the facts and looks at the application of the law. She does it consistently while not 'favoring' the government over that of the individual, etc. No one can say that of the four conservative judges currently sitting firmly on their rectum.

President Obama continues higher job rating than the past three Presidents at this point in their administration.

It would seem 'the gap' between Approval or Disapproval is closing a bit, simply because the 'undecideds' are starting to make up their minds. It will be a very sad state of affairs if they making up their minds based upon the extremist media's racism sounding as if it is legitimate.

Racist? Who? Newt Gingrich? Limbaugh? Yeah, sure they are.

“I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life.”

Man are they racist. They were waiting for this one weren't they? Amazing.

The statement is a 'quip.' A quip. It means the woman has a sense of humor. Dear God, forgive that a woman should have a sense of humor and very sharp elbows at the same time.

She obviously is concerned with the statements of peers. And she relies on those peers to understand the 'emphasis' that lies in those words. With any of these 'racist remarks' about Judge Sotomayor by ? members ? of the media it takes them completely out of context. You know the 15 second sound bite. Conservatives can't seem to move past that. Money, ya know?

But, at any rate, the statement was made in admiration and in support of the same kind of 'observation' by Former Supreme Court Judge Sandra Day O'Connor.

The larger context of the sentence is Sotomayor addressing former Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's famous quote that "a wise old man and wise old woman will reach the same conclusion in deciding cases."

Sandra was the first woman on the Supreme Court. All these folks, even when one reads interviews of people like Jackie Robinson, have faced horrible public scrutiny and ridicule. It becomes a huge burden in a person's life. Emotional scars result. She has every right to express in tones of humor the experiences of her life and her views as a result.

In any of those quotes, Judge Sotomayor is speaking primarily to peers. Sure we and the media are allowed to 'listen in,' but, in every instance she is speaking to people that are asking questions within the subject of 'the practice of judging the law.' Kindly get that right. "The Practice of Judging the Law." That is basically what any Judge does. They look at the facts presented in a 'sterile' environment in a court room, examine the application of the law to the circumstances and makes a judgement. Kindly get that right. The word is JUDGEMENT.

When the 'extremist' media finally speaks in words of 'analysis' rather than 'ridicule' I might even listen.

"...is where policy is made..." - Five words completely out of context.

Sotomayor graduated with an A.B., summa cum laude, from Princeton University in 1976, and received her J.D. from Yale Law School in 1979, where she was an editor at the Yale La Journal.

Besides being brighter and better educated than many legislators, she completely explains her comments. They are correct and well within the definition of THE TRUTH and 'Real Life.'

There is no such thing as 'activist' judges, otherwise, they would be impeached. Besides that Judges have ambition no different than anyone else. If a Judge in any capacity 'blows it' they lose their potential for advancing their career. So, to believe at any time she was not interested in becoming the first Hispanic American Woman on the Supreme Court is hideous. She never risked her career for a political directive.

Courts are very important. More important in many ways than legislators. It is where the laws of the USA are applied to the lives of its citizens. It is where lawyers seek to protect their clients at every turn. So, yes, the decisions by Judges are exceptionally important and in the case of 'ground breaking' decisions it is called Precedent. This mess is ridiculous.

Conservatives are ignorant while taking EVERYTHING out of context. Marxist? Nope. Not even close.

Marxism is the 'hallmark' of the Republican Party. Marxism is the power of the commercial sector of government to control and oppress the populous. I do believe stating the Obama Administartion is Marxist is like the pot calling the kettle black.

WOW.

Marx wrote against Capitalism. But, at the time he wrote those words, capitalism was oppressive of the populous. Everyone remembers the late 1800's. Trains and carbon spewing from their stacks. Child labor and sweat shops. Those were the times of Karl Marx. He wrote the Communist Manifesto in 1848.

Hello?

I have never heard such slander and character assassination in my life. I am a white woman. Irish. I look forward to her decisions...

...as she will have the most profound impact on the Supreme Court since Thurgood Marshall. Even if she is writing the Minority Opinion, it will be looked at more than the Majority Opinion.

Morning Papers - Its Origins

The Rooster

"Okeydoke"

Now that we know the USA government is turning the corner on Environmental Atrocity. Why?

I mean why bother, except, for the global morality of it all ?

Perhaps the most profound reason to reverse the deadly trend of the assault against nature of the last Republican 30 years, is the profound loss our children experience everyday.


The article at the title of this entry outlines a quickly growing concern of parents, teachers and their legislators. It is a movement called, "Leave No Child Left Inside."

While the picture Orion publication used to begin the discussion is of two boys, the impact of the loss of natural areas is DEEPLY effecting both boys and girls.

Richard Louv, the movement's author and researcher has complied information for those that interact with children, that reveals the 'sterile' world of computers and protective parenting, structured activities that have produced an incredible DEFICIT in these DESIGNER CHILDREN GENERATION. Richard Louv has unveiled the reality that the 'sterilizing' of the American landscape has removed, one of the most important venues of 'imagination' stimulation.

NATURE - God's Kitchen if you will.

Literally, the year 2000 examples parenting that has removed the 'daringness' of childhood and in turn has lulled their children's minds into lazy states of well being.

While these children achieve on intellectual exams, they profoundly lack the ability to be creative, inventive and daring. They are liiterally 'little cybots' of love and joy protected from every possible danger, but, they have no 'self-created' quality of life. They simply accept their world as it is handed to them. Hence, they literally have become passive learners willing to 'fill' the need of its society at the end of an educational process that caters to the 'Parental Protectorant' of the USA.

In a meeting of parents, administrators and children I listened to a five segmented DVD interlaced with discussion and the reality that occurred in the testimony of these people was astounding.

These are direct quotes:

A mother of three children, "I told my children to go to the backyard and play. No television, computers, or handheld anything, except, if they chose a 'Bug Jar. They didn't know what to do. After 30 minutes of hopeful watching that Richard Louv was wrong about my children, I went to the backyard with them and began to role model 'play' to them. I said, "You guys are the children. You are supposed to know how to play. Want some help?" With that I began to play tag, got an old Mason Jar from the cupboard and looked for ants, caterpillars and horrible spiders. I told them to climb a tree and showed them how, to listen to the birds and decide what kind of birds lived in their own yard. We prepared small scrapes from the refrigerator of squirrel snacks and eventually retired inside to await the arrival of the creatures that shared our home. The entire experience was startling to me and it is why I am here tonight."

A third grade teacher stated, "I had read the book as part of a peer discussion over the course of six months. One evening we decided it would be 'okay' to assign "Go out and play." as part of homework. So, the next day I wrote the usual homework assignment in the upper corner of the board and right in the middle wrote "Go outside and play." I received a phone call the next day from a girl's mother, she said, "My daughter took your assignment seriously. She recruited her sister to play in the backyard. They were out there for 30 minutes and didn't do much, but, they did start to appreciate the bird song. I wanted you to know that my daughter did her homework well."

Today across the spance of the USA, there are State Legislators considering law that mandates the protections of what is left of their 'Open Space.' The reason ? To keep tree huggers happy ? To satisfy the lobbiests from Sierra Club or the Nature Conservancy ? No. To add to the quality life of their State's children.

About Leave No Child Inside of Greater Cincinnati (click here)
Leave No Child Inside of Greater Cincinnati is a collaboration of organizations and individuals educating the community that time spent in nature is essential for the physical, mental and emotional health of all children....

The Leave No Child INSIDE Central Ohio Collaborative (click here)
Metro Parks Summer Courses for Educators
May 29, 2009 – 11:42 am
Metro Parks will offer 4, 2-day teacher trainingworkshops in June and July. Workshops targetacademic content standards and process skills forseveral age groups. Workshops are conducted byvarious state and local agencies and school districtrepresentatives, and are presented at a Metro Park orother Central Ohio agency site. Teachers workmostly in an outdoor setting to find ways to developmeaningful field trips and classroom and hands-onactivities with little or no classroom funding....

Regional Campaigns and Initiatives (click here)
C&NN is mapping the children and nature movement to make it easier for you to connect with efforts underway in your region or neighborhood. The C&NN movement map lists Grassroots campaigns and initiatives, Family Nature Clubs, and hands on outdoor programs and events for children and families. Search the movement map listings below by region, name, state or type. We encourage you to contact regional leaders, program directors, and event organizers, join efforts underway in your region, and invite your friends, neighbors and colleagues to join as well....


Vote “Yes” on the No Child Left Inside Act (click here)
(H.R. 3036, H.Rpt. 110-754)
Purpose: The purpose of H.R. 3036, the No Child Left Inside (NCLI) Act of 2008, is to support local and
statewide efforts to expand and enhance environmental education and to provide enhanced professionaldevelopment opportunities in environmental education.
Sponsors: Congressman John Sarbanes (Md.) and 64 co-sponsors (see reverse).
Committee Action: On 6/18/08, the House Committee on Education and Labor favorably reported H.R.3036by a 37-8 vote, supported by Chairman George Miller (D-CA) and Ranking Member Buck McKeon (R-CA).

New edition of a national bestseller: Last Child in the Woods (click here)
The recipient of the 2008 Audubon Medal, Richard Louv identified a phenomenon we all knew existed but couldn't quite articulate: nature-deficit disorder. Since its initial publication, his book Last Child in the Woods has created a national conversation about the disconnection between children and nature, and his message has galvanized an international movement. Now, three years later, we have reached a tipping point, with the book inspiring Leave No Child Inside initiatives throughout the country....

Since the inception of the USA our founding fathers and for Presidents after them, valued the land and its asthetics to life. Join them and bring the kids.

For the entire Bush/Cheney Adminisration we heard how our lands were preserved for the day when we needed the lumber or the oil or the methane. Well, they were "W"rong. The 'land' and 'open spaces' of the USA were preserved for its beauty and the quality of life it contained for all of us.

Support The Endangered Species Act, The Marine Mammal Protection Act. The Migratory Bird Act, The Clean Water Act, The Clean Air Act and the list goes on. As American Parents we need to appreciate the natural world that is our country and reclaim it where we can.


America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass – Access Pass - Free. (click here)

America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass – Access Pass
This is a lifetime pass for U.S. citizens or permanent residents with permanent disabilities. Documentation is required to obtain the pass. Acceptable documentation includes: statement by a licensed physician; document issued by a Federal agency such as the Veteran’s Administration, Social Security Disability Income or Supplemental Security Income; or document issued by a State agency such as a vocational rehabilitation agency. The pass provides access to, and use of, Federal recreation sites that charge an Entrance or Standard Amenity. The pass admits the pass holder and passengers in a non-commercial vehicle at per vehicle fee areas and pass holder + 3 adults, not to exceed 4 adults, at per person fee areas (children under 16 are admitted free). The pass can only be obtained in person at the park. The Access Pass provides a 50 percent discount on some Expanded Amenity Fees charged for facilities and services such as camping, swimming, boat launching, and specialized interpretive services. In some cases where Expanded Amenity Fees are charged, only the pass holder will be given the 50 percent price reduction. The pass is non-transferable and generally does NOT cover or reduce special recreation permit fees or fees charged by concessionaires....


America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass – Volunteer Pass - Free.

America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass – Volunteer Pass
This pass is for volunteers acquiring 500 service hours on a cumulative basis. It provides access to, and use of, Federal recreation sites that charge an Entrance or Standard Amenity Fee for a year, beginning from the date of award. The pass admits the pass holder and passengers in a non-commercial vehicle at per vehicle fee areas and pass holder + 3 adults, not to exceed 4 adults, at per person fee areas (children under 16 are admitted free). Click here to learn about volunteer opportunities in the National Park Service....