Wednesday, June 25, 2008
...but, I was still faced with; "How do you tell whether people are against Barak or his skin color?"
Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images. Michelle and Barack Obama at the Iowa State Fair on August 16, 2007.
So, I decided there were some 'sincere traits' of bigots when it came to an election within the USA that could be tainted by racism.
The OBVIOUS one is that they 'reason' about the Black Candidate rather than the issues.
Statements like, "I just don't like the man," "He is just a loud mouth," "I can't respect him."
Judgements rather than reasons. If anyone, regardless of their status in this election, makes judgements about him or any aspect of his life, then that is bigotry in its truest form.
This election. Any election is about the issues and what separates the standing of each candidate on any issue. The 'diverse' opinion of each of the Presidential candidates is enormous, so choices should not be that difficult at all. There are clear dividing lines.
I think that is an excellant way of measuring a voters ability to express their preference in voting. If they haven't got a good reason for their vote and they are simply judgemental of the candidate, then it is bigotry. Has to be. Skin color has no basis in dictating a President's performance and therefore is completely irrelevant to any decision making.
So, I decided there had to be some 'out of bounds' issues with racism and Barak.
Wright Says His Words Were Twisted (click here)
And I believe him when he states his words were twisted. I sincerely do. I do not consider Reverend Wright a 'bad man.' Not at all. Like bringing up the topic of the Reverand Wright especially after Barak, along with his family, has become so disgusted with Wright's grandstanding.
That to me is bigoted.
I find the entire mess bigoted, but, then I've already addressed that issue. I think every American, especially those disaffected by historical hardship has a right to be angry with the country where it is allowed in Freedom of Speech.
Historians seem to like him. Well, except for one of them and 'see' he is a white guy. You understanding my dilemma.
Thug Life on the Campaign Trail (click here)
November 27, 2007
Historians for Obama (click here)
Historians love Barack Obama. Some of them, anyway. Yesterday a group of 26 top-tier scholars in the field publicly endorsed the Illinois Democratic senator for president.
In a posting on the History News Network, the group, Historians for Obama, invoked Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy as examples of leaders who altered “the mood of the nation.” Mr. Obama, it continued, “has the potential to be that kind of president.”
The historians praised his “ambitious, yet sensible” platform and his “global citizen” background: “Not since John F. Kennedy has a Democrat candidate for president showed the same combination of charisma and thoughtfulness—or provided Americans with a symbolic opportunity to break with a tradition of bigotry older than the nation itself,” the group said in its statement.
Historians for Obama does not speak for the profession as a whole—the American Historical Association, for instance, has issued no endorsement, and none is expected. But the 26 scholars do include leading lights like Joyce Appleby, Michael Kazin, Ralph E. Luker, and James McPherson.
...and then there is this black guy running for President of the USA. The latest poll showed him with something like a 15 point lead over his rival.
I began to wonder, how do you tell if someone is voting against him or his skin color.
...and don't get me started about Anti-semitism. This is over 60 years from the Holocaust.
Battling anti-semitism in 2008 (click here)
By John Mann MP - Thursday 3rd 2008f January 2008
2008 holds great promise our Parliamentary campaign to fight the oldest hatred and support the Jewish community. There will be a German “Bundestag” Inquiry, a government year-on report to Parliament and a global offensive to ensure world leaders are acting at home and abroad.
Due to this years effort, pressure is also building for an agreement over the precise delivery of enhanced security costs in Jewish schools paid by local authorities, a successful prosecution in the UK of an individual spreading of race hate using foreign internet based sites, amd the expulsion of the Latvian People’s Party from all European political organisations following the publication of the third overtly antisemitic book by the Party’s co –founder....
Denominations and Double Standards (click here)
...I'm unsure, in general, of what the standards we're supposed to apply to the political views of politicians' favored clergy. I have no idea what the rabbis at Temple Rodef Shalom (where I've gone to synagogue the past few High Holy Days) or at The Village Temple (where I had my bar mitzvah) think about political issues, but I assume I don't agree with them about everything, and certainly it'd be odd to drag up old statements made by any of the relevant rabbis about this or that and then ask me to either endorse the statement or repudiate the entire congregation....
Pope prays for Middle East peace (click here)
6 days ago
VATICAN CITY (AFP) — Pope Benedict XVI called Thursday on leaders across the Middle East to work for peace, saying that he is praying "ardently" for the ability to visit the Holy Land in person.
In a clear reference to the fragile truce in the Gaza Strip, which began at 0300 GMT, the pope was speaking after meeting with international Roman and Eastern Catholic leaders, including representatives from the region.
"I am launching an appeal to national leaders so that the Middle East, and in particular the Land of Jesus, Lebanon and Iraq, can offer themselves peace and social stability, respecting fundamental human rights, including that of a genuine religious freedom," he said.
"I am praying ardently that I will be able to visit them in person, just as I am praying that certain signs of peace, which I welcome with great confidence, will come to full fruition," he added....
What happened to Tony Blair ?
Sarkozy offers himself as peace-broker for Middle East (click here)
By Francois Murphy
Tuesday June 24 2008
French President Nicolas Sarkozy stepped forward yesterday as a possible Middle East peace-broker, offering in a speech to Israel's parliament to help reach agreement and mobilise his troops if necessary.
"I ask you to trust us because we want to help you," said Mr Sarkozy, the first French president to address the Knesset since 1982.
Since taking office a year ago, Mr Sarkozy has broken rank with his predecessors by repeatedly describing himself as a "friend of Israel", fostering closer ties with the Jewish state and reiterating that there can be no compromise on its security.
"France is ready to provide its guarantee, ready to mobilise its diplomatic service, its resources, its soldiers," he said....
...and what is all this mess about adoptions? Sperm banks? Do heterosexuals have the corner on loving a child ?
Church loses opt-out fight over gay adoptions (click here)
By George Jones, Political Editor
Last Updated: 1:07AM GMT 31/01/2007
Roman Catholic adoptions agencies yesterday lost their battle to opt out of new laws banning discrimination against homosexual couples when Tony Blair announced that there would be "no exemptions" for faith-based groups.
The Prime Minister said in a statement that the new rules would not come into force until the end of 2008. Until then there would be a "statutory duty" for religious agencies to refer gay couples to other agencies....
(3/27/2007)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: media@aclu.org
LITTLE ROCK, AR - The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas cheered the decision of the Arkansas House Judiciary Committee today to reject SB 959, a bill that would have banned gay people and most unmarried heterosexual couples who live together from adopting or serving as foster parents.
"Child welfare research and scientific evidence have shattered the myth that gay people are not suitable foster parents, and legislators hearing real stories from families who would have been hurt by this bill really brought it home," said Rita Sklar, Executive Director of the ACLU of Arkansas. "The Arkansas legislature realized this is bad policy as well as bad law."
Scores of people crowded into the House Judiciary Committee meeting at the Arkansas State Capitol to observe this morning's hearing. Among those who testified against the bill were:...
Can a Gay Couple ask for a genetically Pre-Deposed Gay Donor? Hm? Would heterosexual couples actually seek sperm donations from 'known' genetically proven heterosexual men? What does that say about them? Would they reject a naturally born gay child?
Artificial insemination: Donors in New South Wales could ban their sperm from going to lesbian couples under a new law expected to pass today (Reuters: Alessandro Bianchi)
The Greens have criticised moves to allow sperm and egg donors in New South Wales to nominate the type of people they want as potential recipients.
Under the new laws, expected to pass the Upper House today, donors can veto certain religious and ethnic groups, single women and lesbians.
The Bill is primarily aimed at allowing donor-conceived children to access information about their donor when they turn 18.
But Greens MP John Kaye says discrimination is not in the best interests of the child.
"By allowing sperm donors to choose the class of people they don't want their gametes to go to, this Bill institutionalises bigotry and prejudice," he said.
"It sends an appalling message that it's okay to discriminate on grounds that are completely irrelevant."...
Some folks want a National Rosa Parks Day. Maybe? If it would stop hatred, then definately !
Campus bigotry continues despite efforts (click here)
Sara Amato and Chelsea Merta IDS Date: 11/26/2007
Editor's Note: This is part one in a two-part series about continuing intolerance on campus. Tuesday’s story will examine Indiana’s unusual hate crime laws.Despite recent University efforts to prevent racially and religiously charged incidents on campus, the IU Office of Student Ethics and Anti-Harassment Programs received the same amount of complaints in the 2006-07 school year as in previous years, and officials claim many incidents go unreported.Within the last year, 45 complaints were reported on campus to IU Student Ethics. Although no increase in incidents is considered a step in the right direction, Pamela Freeman, director of the IU Office of Student Ethics and assistant dean of students, said incidents on campus are extremely under-reported....
...but racism is entrenched in USA jurisprudence. I can't imagine arguing a case emphasising 'I am a White Man.' Like? This is the USA? Really?
Thurgood Marshall (center) with George E.C. Hayes and James Nabri congratulate each other for winning an important case against segregation in 1954
7. United States v. Thind (1923)An Indian-American U.S. Army veteran named Bhagat Singh Thind attempted the same strategy as Takeo Ozawa, but his attempt at naturalization was rejected in a ruling establishing that Indians, too, are not white. Well, the ruling technically referred to "Hindus" (ironic considering that Thind was actually a Sikh, not a Hindu), but the terms were used interchangeably at the time. Three years later he was quietly granted citizenship in New York; he went on to earn a Ph.D. and teach at the University of California at Berkeley.
8. Lum v. Rice (1927)In 1924, Congress passed the Oriental Exclusion Act to dramatically reduce immigration from Asia--but Asian Americans born in the United States were still citizens, and one of these citizens, a nine-year-old girl named Martha Lum, faced a catch-22. Under compulsory attendance laws, she had to attend school--but she was Chinese and she lived in Mississippi, which had racially segregated schools and not enough Chinese students to warrant funding a separate Chinese school. Lum's family sued to try to allow her to attend the well-funded local white school, but the Court would have none of it.
Judge stresses legal responsibility (click here)
Katie Perry
Issue date: 1/25/06 Section: News
Lawyers and judges should be responsible for their work, William Pryor Jr., U.S. Circuit Judge of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, said in an address to the Federalist Society at the Notre Dame Law School Tuesday.Pryor spoke about specific historical instances of racial and religious bigotry and emphasized the dire need for lawyers to exert morality in their profession in the first of his two speeches delivered at the University Tuesday.To illustrate his argument, Pryor employed the 1921 Birmingham, Ala. court case of State vs. Stephenson. The trial followed the alleged murder of Catholic priest Father James Coyle by Methodist preacher and Ku Klux Klan member E.R. Stephenson.Pryor said Stephenson became so enraged when he discovered his daughter Ruth had converted to Catholicism - thus becoming a member of Coyle's St. Paul's Church - and wed a Puerto Rican that he shot the priest three times on the steps of his rectory. A fervent member of the Birmingham Ku Klux Klan, Stephenson had a deep-seated animosity for Catholics, as the Klan's discrimination extended beyond racial lines and into the religious realm, Pryor said...
Racism seen in Wal-Mart Web site lists (click here)
YLAN Q. MUI; The Washington PostPublished: January 6th, 2006 02:30 AM
WASHINGTON – Wal-Mart apologized Thursday after its retail Web site directed potential buyers of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “Planet of the Apes” DVDs to also consider purchasing items with African American themes.
The world’s largest retailer said in a statement that it was “heartsick” over the racially offensive grouping and that the site was linking “seemingly random combinations of titles.”
“It’s just simply not working correctly,” said Mona Williams, vice president of corporate communications for Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
The company said it was alerted to the problem early Thursday afternoon after word began spreading among bloggers.
When visitors to Walmart.com requested “Planet of the Apes: The Complete TV Series” on DVD, four other movies were recommended under the heading “Similar Items.” Those films included “Martin Luther King: I Have A Dream/Assassination of MLK” and “Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson.”
Williams said similar titles were called up when the DVD of the movie “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” was requested. There were three such combinations involving those two movies and African American films, she said.
Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart said it planned to shut down its entire cross-selling system overnight.
Like most other major retail sites, such as Amazon.com, Wal-Mart’s site directs users searching for movies to other titles that might interest them. Wal-Mart said Thursday that the system was malfunctioning but did not explain why or how.
Williams said “we have absolutely no evidence” that the problem was intentional. She said news of the problem was first posted on a blog. The company then learned about the offensive combinations when a reporter called to ask about it.
The blog Firedoglake, run by Jane Hamsher in Oregon, posted news of the combination Thursday afternoon under the heading “So Wrong.”
Retired Justice Ortique dies after suffering stroke (click here)
06:55 AM CDT on Monday, June 23, 2008
WWL-TV
Louisiana’s first African-American justice on the state’s Supreme Court died Sunday from complications of a stroke....
Bigotry has many faces and it would seem many solutions.
Fashion is being used to fight sectarianism among fans (click here)
12:00AM Sunday July 31, 2005
By Kerre Woodham (click title to entry)
During World War I, a chap called Howard Elliott toured the length and breadth of New Zealand, attempting to gather support for his fledgling group, the Protestant Political Association. The group had no policies as such. What its members sought to do was whip up the fear and uncertainty that existed during wartime into prejudice against Catholics which the group would then translate into political power. Elliott's speeches seldom varied. At each meeting the crowd was told Catholics were pro-German, the Pope was in league with the Kaiser, Catholic teaching clergy were getting preferential treatment while state-school teachers were being sent to the front, and that all Irish immigrants were Fenians and anti-British who simply couldn't be trusted. Spice up the speech with some near-pornographic tales of the goings-on in convents, and you can see why the Reverend Elliott drew a crowd....
But, Don Imus is an easy call ... and then there is that 'dividing line' of racism vs bigotry. Do anti-racists also condemn bigotry? Hm?
Alleged KKK member trying to overturn conviction (click here)
Associated Press - June 2, 2008 10:53 PM ET
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A lawyer for a reputed Ku Klux Klan member has argued that James Seale's conviction for his role in the abduction and deaths of 2 black Mississippi teenagers should be thrown out.
A public defender has told a New Orleans federal appeals court that there is a 5-year statute of limitations on kidnapping, under a 1972 congressional act that also abolished the death penalty for kidnapping. The two teenagers died in 1964, and Seale was convicted of kidnapping and conspiracy just a year ago.
The Justice Department is arguing that the statute of limitations was not changed retrospectively. A lawyer has told the court that a crime that is capital when committed, remains capital -- even if the death penalty can not be imposed.
The bodies of the two teenagers were pulled from the Mississippi River in July 1964.
Imus defends 'color' comment as sarcastic
...and some of the most heinous acts against another human being ever witnessed. These people are 'posing' for this picture, by the way.
The Gallows Pole by Led Zepplin as interpreted from Leadbelly
Hangman hangman hold it a little while
Think I see my friends coming
Riding a many mile.
Friends did you get some silver?
Did you get a little gold?
What did you bring me my dear friends
To keep me from the Gallows Pole?
What did you bring me to keep me from the Gallows Pole?
I couldn't get no silver I couldn't get no gold
You know that we're too damn poor
To keep you from the Gallows Pole.
Hangman, hangman, hold it a little while,
I think I see my brother coming,
Riding a many mile.
Brother, did you get me some silver?
Did you get a little gold?
What did you bring me, my brother,
To keep me from the Gallows Pole?
Brother, I brought you some silver,
I brought a little gold,
I brought a little of ev'ry thing
To keep you from the Gallows Pole.
Yes, I brought you to keep you from the Gallows Pole.
Hangman, hangman, turn your head awhile,
I think I see my sister coming,
Riding a many mile, mile, mile.
Sister, I implore you, take him by the hand,
Take him to some shady bower,
Save me from the wrath of this man,
Please take him,
Save me from the wrath of this man, man.
Hangman, hangman, upon your face a smile,
Pray tell me that I'm free to ride,
Ride for many mile, mile, mile.
Oh, yes, you got a fine sister,
She warmed my blood from cold,
Brought my blood to boiling hot
To keep you from the Gallows Pole,
Your brother brought me silver,
Your sister warmed my soul,
But now I laugh and pull so hard
And see you swinging on the Gallows Pole
Keep-a-swingin'!
Swingin' on the gallows pole
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
There is a "White Out" in Boston. Traffic at a stand still. I can't stay on line. Lightning, thunder, hail. Holy Smokes.
June 24, 2008
Newport, RI
June 24, 2008
Newport, RI
June 24, 2008
Newport, Rhode Island
June 24, 2008
Newport, RI
June 26, 2008
Newport, Rhode Island
June 24, 2008
Newport Rhode, Island
June 24, 2008
Newport, Rhode Island
June 24, 2008
Newport Rhode, Island
This is 'Day After Tomorrow' stuff folks. The high rise did a major 'creak' shift when the winds hit. Holy Shit !!
Later !
5:59 PM EST - It is a Meso-Tornadic storm that rolled through. Quite unexpected. The winds were substantial and came from the north. There was circulation in the cloud that was just above the building. Staniford Street, opposite the Court House. The view from the balcony went 'white.' I could not see anything and it wasn't a cloud. It was the rainfall/hail.
The traffic outside came to a standstill and only a few cars were 'on their horns.' It was primarily quite because drivers simply couldn't see. I could see the tail lights up and down the streets below. I am 19 floors up.
I have a breath taking view of Boston normally. I know I am fortunate while in Boston. I had an unobstructed veiw of the fireworks last night and with good weather same will be true for the Fouth of July.
Boston is a magnificent city. The mass transit primarily runs on time and the city does everything it can to keep things well maintained. I love it here. The 'Celtics' are a couple blocks away. The parade a couple days ago went right past my building. It was very exciting for everyone. Boston has become the City of Champions. The people are great here and the police, fire departments and emergency workers don't get any better.
That said, the storm was significant. It is only moving off the harbor completely now at 6:13 pm. It was heat induced. There was lightning from cloud to ground without thunder. Very unusal storm. The winds were significant. I have been here since December 18, 2007 and there have been some substantial storms that have rolled through and over the city, but, this time the winds were sudden and violent. I can't stay on line, even with the storm moving off the city there is significant ionization of the area and there has been a huge blast of lightning and thunder that followed this time.
6:47 PM EST The long and short of it all, is that Human Induced Global Warming is more than real and is a danger to people. If there were any fatalities that occurred during this storm then it was related to Human Induced Global Warming. Don't know if the Logan Airport slowed during the event, but, I would not be surprised if it did. These storms are intense, but, there duration is short. So, although they seem insignificant except for 'short lived' inconvenience, these are strong, power storms resulting from a very dry, hot troposphere.
June 24, 2008
2031z
UNISYS Enhanced Infrared Satellite of New England and MidAtlantic States of the USA
New Age Bigotry...
Retired Army Colonel Ann Wright - "...We must ensure that members of the US military are not put in the position of being ordered to carry out crimes against humanity and illegal war. "
...the topic of tomorrow night's "It's Wednesday Night" is New Age Bigotry, a completely different discussion than entered here.
And for your 'casual' reading in the meantime, June 15, 2008 / Volume 42 / Issue 12 (click title to entry).
Thank you.
This JOURNAL is by the editors of Chemical Abstracts. It is the same JOURNAL that foretold the potential lack of Biologicals in Iraq in the year 2002. Nearly an entire year before the illegal and immoral invasion into Iraq. You might ask how Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld 'missed' that one? They didn't. The monies for the research were garnered from the USA Defense Department.
The article is immediately below. It looks fairly benign to any criticism of the Iraq invasion actually. It speaks to the issue of 'good news' in regard to the quick degradation of VX Gas/Liquid.
The 'other' message within the context of that scientific article is that 'Chemical/Biological Warfare Agents' EASILY degrade when in contact with concrete. Concrete is a carbon based mixture. Humans are carbon based. How does this 'relate' to the reality of Iraq and its possession of Chemical and Biological Weapons before the invasion?
Put on your 'critical thinking' hat/cap, whichever is your pleasure.
Ready?
This is a tribute to the USA "Brain Trust" and its future among young Americans.
The ludicrous nature of the Iraq Invasion is probably obvious to most anyone reading this right now, but, for those Ultra Conservatives that only see the world through Republican Colored Glasses, it has to be spelled out. So here we go.
A is for Apple, I suppose.
B is for Bargain Basement Government.
C is for Chemical Weapon Syndrome.
D is for Down Right Stupid.
The article came out in the November 15, 2002 edition of the American Chemical Society's journal, Environmental Science and Technology. That is just to begin with. It also appeared in December 2002 in the journal Nature, which reviews significant research and publishes it according to topic and subscriber interest.
The 'topic' is about detecting the traces 'on concrete' of the very toxic chemical agent called VX. The researchers utilized 'VX Liquid' and not VX Gas as they wanted to be able to place VX in a controlled situation and find the residual as it degraded to test their Ion Mass Spectometer.
The spectrometer worked without a hitch, what the researchers didn't expect was for the VX to degrade within hours of exposure to concrete. They were anticipating far longer degradation timelines, more like days and perhaps a week and why their 'recordings' were to take place every 12 hours rather than every hour, every minute or every second.
The slow degradation of VX Liquid didn't occur. What did occur was a complete breakdown of this chemical agent as soon as it was exposed to concrete. Concrete is a carbon based substance. Concrete is made of sand. Sand is found EVERYWHERE in Iraq. Sand and concrete are especially found in the area where the United Nations had authorized 'seals' to store all the weapons agents of the Saddam Hussein government.
At this point in the reasoning is where it is difficult for Republicans to move past their own political prejudices as they have so many. Those political prejudices are more like a religion than the actual Christianity they claim to cling to, but, for a Republican to actually 'critically think,' is like sacrilege.
Republicans like to ridicule Democrats by stating when people actually critique Republican reasoning it is simply "Magical Thinking (click here)." Magical thinking has its place, but, mostly in novels like J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit (click here) or the policies that lead the USA into war in Iraq by screaming about WMD (click here), hence this response. Most if not ALL of the Bush/Cheney policies are indeed Magical Thinking empowered by enforced Propaganda of the FCC. The Bush/Cheney/Rove FCC isn't interested in 'Quality Control' so much as 'Control' over the media. But to contextualize the Republican Magical Thinking, the Neocon War Chant is similar to that of the Captain of the Star Ship Enterprise, "Make it so."
But, to move past that as it is another discussion, and back to the article below, at the time of the publication of this article there was hot debate at the United Nations regarding Bush's assertion about WMD and the Iraq Inventories and Saddam's inability to produce accurate records.
To begin, Iraq is a third world nation. It was in March of 2003 and it continues to be. There is going to be inaccurate record keeping and the 'idea' that any WMD inventories were accurate at all by the government there was indeed Magical Thinking.
The United Nations had been involved in Iraq for more than a decade then and it was they that had the correct inventories and NOT Saddam's dictatorial government. Sending UN Inspectors back to Iraq was a huge step for the United Nations and it was for the purpose to dispel Bush's Magical Thinking and provide complete inventories of any violation of UN Resolutions. Well, that in Republican mandates, was never supposed to 'end the discussion' regarding an invasion into Iraq, is was supposed to be a catalyst to it when the Republican Spin Machine went to work on it, hence the Rove Dynasty of Nasty Image Making. Political Gossip if you will.
The article below evidenced the 'doubt' that most people opposing the invasion believed. It wasn't Magical Thinking that lead to the making of Fahrenheit 911, it was sound and solid speculation based in facts that manifested from evidence like this.
The article clearly indicates a 'surprise' finding by the scientists involved. It occurred long before the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld invasion into Iraq and the results of scientific investigation like this was known to the USA Defense Department long before its publication and in excess of this one article. If this article was published there is much more in the 'classified' section of the military that was never published and still yet to be known to the public.
The article clearly indicates as soon as VX Liquid was exposed to a 'carbon surface' such as concrete it literally disintegrated in a matter of hours. Realizing that brings to the surface of any argument regarding WMD, the viability of it as a weapon at all, as well the 'stability' of these substances outside the laboratory to even exist. We know these biologicals are stable enough for the time needed in any attack evidenced by use during WW I and II and returning GIs with issues such as noted with Mustard Gas exposure and domestic terrorist attacks such as the Subway Sarin Incident (click here), but, to actually claim a war should be started on 'doubtful' inventories of a third world nation is hideous and down right stupid.
But, the Republican Political Gossip Machine to support vast government spending to favor cronies that support these 'enablers' of Magical Thinking, was working and exerting irrational fears about a country already disarmed.
The attacks of September 11, 2001 allowed a lot of irrational fears among the American people. Included in those fears were that of WMD as a weapon to kill those that were least able to defend themselves.
Where this mess began was the spread of anthrax in the daily delivaries of the US Mail Service and successful contamination of Postal Workers (click here). I might point out the investigation into those 'exposures' never provided any results to 'solve the crime' so much as to prevent it from happening again. The perpetrators, even today, are in question, while quite possibly 'classified,' considering the last of the anthrax samples resulted to be a very sophisticated form of 'weapon grade' anthrax. That reality leads to a lot of questions regarding 'protection' of research stocks of the USA government and whom indeed might have access under this administration. But, that is still another discussion.
Where the Republican Political Gossip Machine is successful is in a 'Cult-ure of Fear' where people seek to do silly things, like wrapping their homes in plastic to prevent attacks of WMD by unknown terrorists. To illustrate the use of Magical Thinking by the Bush/Cheney administration, their Homeland Security Secretary, Tom Ridge, was RECOMMENDING to the American Public to 'Duct Tape' their homes.
Talk about stupid and the chance these same people could be back in the same capacity under a 'repeat' Republican administration is out of the question.
The 'real' potentials of Homeland Security, by the way, has yet to be realized. The only Secretaries that have existed are Republican cronies to spending, ather than people actually able to make a difference in the nation's internal defense structures. THE EXAMPLE illustrating same is the denial of monies to major cities of budget funds, instead, 'spreading the wealth' among cronies in distant and small cities where most of the recruits for the Iraq War are obtained. By spending Homeland Security monies in these towns it bolstered the reason to send more recruits regardless of the lack of reason to do so. It continued to validate the reasons for people of those towns to remain patriotic in the face of evidence elsewhere. Nationalism at its worse. When it comes to spending Homeland Security monies for the purpose of National Defense it is best done through a 'legislated formula' based in sound LOGIC so those funds can no longer be politically spent.
But, this article was touted by me at the time of its publication as a reason to cause 'pause' to the irrational language and provisions of the Bush/Cheney/Powell rants to war. It provided a solid reason for Saddam to say there were no more inventories of chemical or biological weapons even if his 'administrative' records didn't indicate it. This article provided PROOF that indeed in a third world country, where storage of such weapons would be primiative, there was plenty of reason for the United Nations Security Council to reject Bush's demands for invasion. And indeed the UN Security Council never got a chance to make their votes in rejection of Bush's War. George Walker Bush moved his military against the established Saddam government a full day before the final vote of the UN Security Council which would have recommended the UN Inspectors continue their work. There was approximately three more weeks needed by the WMD weapons inspectors at that time and about six more months needed by the nuclear weapons experts. Bush and Cheney had their own 'timeline for cronies' and the UN wasn't cooperating so they decided to autonomously and against 'US Rule of Law' to launch the destabilizing, illegal and immoral event of The Iraq Invasion.
So, to simply end this venture into 'rationality' and why this article is recognized for evidence to dispute the Bush/Cheney/Rove Culture of Fear to the lead up of the invasion, there is a lot remaining to be 'known' to the American people within the disasterous administration of the past eight years. That is still another prime reason to stop the Republican domination of the USA government which has existed now for over three decades. We need a change in DC and one with enough 'guts' to take on the task of revealing the unthinkable, re-establishing trust in government without the fear of believing we are safe as a nation and among friends again internationally.
Environ. Sci. Technol., 36 (22), 4790 -4794, 2002. 10.1021/es025754n S0013-936X(02)05754-1 Web Release Date: September 27, 2002 Copyright © 2002 American Chemical Society
Hydrolysis of VX on Concrete: Rate of Degradation by Direct Surface Interrogation Using an Ion Trap Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer (click here)
Gary S. Groenewold,* John M. Williams, Anthony D. Appelhans, Garold L. Gresham, John E. Olson, Mark T. Jeffery, and Brad Rowland
Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, Idaho Falls, Idaho 83415-2208, Battelle Dugway Operations, West Desert Test Center, Dugway Proving Ground, Dugway, Utah 84022, and West Desert Test Center, Dugway Proving Ground, Dugway, Utah 84022
Received for review April 26, 2002
Revised manuscript received July 29, 2002
Accepted August 28, 2002
Abstract:
The nerve agent VX (O-ethyl S-2-diisopropylaminoethyl methylphosphonothiolate) is lethal at very low levels of exposure, which can occur by dermal contact with contaminated surfaces. Hence, behavior of VX in contact with common urban or industrial surfaces is a subject of acute interest. In the present study, VX was found to undergo complete degradation when in contact with concrete surfaces. The degradation was directly interrogated at submonolayer concentrations by periodically performing secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) analyses after exposure of the concrete to VX. The abundance of the [VX + H]+ ion in the SIMS spectra was observed to decrease in an exponential fashion, consistent with first-order or pseudo-first-order behavior. This phenomenon enabled the rate constant to be determined at 0.005 min-1 at 25 C, which corresponds to a half-life of about 3 h on the concrete surface. The decrease in [VX + H]+ was accompanied by an increase in the abundance of the principal degradation product diisopropylaminoethanethiol (DESH), which arises by cleavage of the P-S bond. Degradation to form DESH is accompanied by the formation of ethyl methylphosphonic acid, which is observable only in the negative ion spectrum. A second degradation product was also implicated, which corresponded to a diisopropylvinylamine isomer (perhaps N,N-diisopropyl aziridinium) that arose via cleavage of the S-C bond. No evidence was observed for the formation of the toxic S-2-diisopropylaminoethyl methylphosphonothioic acid. The degradation rate constants were measured at four different temperatures (24-50 C), which resulted in a linear Arrhenius relationship and an activation energy of 52 kJ mol-1. This value agrees with previous values observed for VX hydrolysis in alkaline solutions, which suggests that the degradation of submonolayer VX is dominated by alkaline hydrolysis within the adventitious water film on the concrete surface.
Hello?
Environ. Sci. Technol., 36 (10), 2122 -2129, 2002. 10.1021/es010963d S0013-936X(01)00963-4 Web Release Date: April 9, 2002 Copyright © 2002 American Chemical Society
High-Value Renewable Energy from Prairie Grasses (click here)
S. B. McLaughlin,* D. G. de la Torre Ugarte, C. T. Garten, Jr., L. R. Lynd, M. A. Sanderson, V. R. Tolbert, and D. D. Wolf
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, P.O. Box 2008, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, Agricultural Policy Analysis Center, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755, USDA-ARS, Curtin Road, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061
Received for review May 9, 2001
Revised manuscript received February 18, 2002
Accepted February 26, 2002
Abstract:
Projected economic benefits of renewable energy derived from a native prairie grass, switchgrass, include nonmarket values that can reduce net fuel costs to near zero. At a farm gate price of $44.00/dry Mg, an agricultural sector model predicts higher profits for switchgrass than conventional crops on 16.9 million hectares (ha). Benefits would include an annual increase of $6 billion in net farm returns, a $1.86 billion reduction in government subsidies, and displacement of 44-159 Tg/year (1 Tg = 1012 g) of greenhouse gas emissions. Incorporating these values into the pricing structure for switchgrass bioenergy could accelerate commercialization and provide net benefits to the U.S. economy.
Environ. Sci. Technol., 36 (10), 2130 -2137, 2002. 10.1021/es011272k S0013-936X(01)01272-X Web Release Date: April 5, 2002 Copyright © 2002 American Chemical Society
Promoting Pollution Prevention through Community-Industry Dialogues: The Good Neighbor Model in Minnesota (click here)
Barbara Scott Murdock and Ken Sexton*
Center for Environment and Health Policy, Division of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, MMC 807 UMHC, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
Received for review September 10, 2001
Revised manuscript received February 19, 2002
Accepted February 21, 2002
Abstract:
This article examines five attempts by communities to promote pollution prevention through direct negotiations with local manufacturing plants. These projects were Good Neighbor Dialogues spearheaded by Citizens for a Better Environment-Minnesota, an environmental advocacy organization. Three community-company partnerships (a container plant, a foundry, and a cabinet manufacturer) were successful and two (a munitions plant and a petroleum refinery) were not. Successful dialogues all shared certain characteristics: the company was open to negotiating with the community; there was an effective "champion" within the company; a skilled, independent facilitator served as moderator; community participants received independent technical assistance; and both the company and community understood the value of cooperative environmental decision making. Results suggest that Good Neighbor Dialogues can, under the right settings and circumstances, be an effective mechanism for building social capital by fostering greater understanding and trust between companies and communities. They offer the prospect of community-company partnerships that promote pollution prevention and other environmental improvements, while at the same time reinforcing and amplifying traditional pollution control strategies.
The article below shows a comprehensive look at the impacts of oil extraction of Alaska North Shore crude. Extraction, run off and spills don't occur in a vacuum, they occur in full appreciation of sunlight and UV exposure. This article exposes the lethal effects on the ocean environments where fisheries exist, of the combination of sunlight (UV) and oil. Each element ALONE shows little impact, however, together they are fatal to the very bottom of the food chain in Alaskan waters.
It is easy for the oil industry to 'hide their tracks' in relation to oil extraction and the environmental contamination and degradation that occurs, especially with high deterioration rates in 'extreme climates' of oil infrastructure, IF allowed to only provide proof of oil contamination in a 'vacuum' rather than the 'reality' of its impacts in the presence of sunlight. No one can stop the sun from rising and setting, nor would that be a good idea.
Environ. Sci. Technol., 36 (18), 3953 -3959, 2002. 10.1021/es020685y S0013-936X(02)00685-5 Web Release Date: August 17, 2002 Copyright © 2002 American Chemical Society
Photoenhanced Toxicity of Weathered Alaska North Slope Crude Oil to the Calanoid Copepods Calanus marshallae and Metridia okhotensis (click here)
Switgard Duesterloh
Juneau Center, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 11120 Glacier Highway, Juneau, Alaska 99801
Jeffrey W. Short*
National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Auke Bay Laboratory, 11305 Glacier Highway, Juneau, Alaska 99801-8626
Mace G. Barron
P.E.A.K. Research, 1134 Avon Lane, Longmont, Colorado 80501
Received for review April 10, 2002
Revised manuscript received July 10, 2002
Accepted July 11, 2002
Abstract:
This study investigated the synergistic toxicity of aqueous polyaromatic compounds (PAC) dissolved from crude oil and ultraviolet radiation (UV) in natural sunlight to the calanoid copepods Calanus marshallae and Metridia okhotensis. These copepods were first exposed to low doses (~2 g of total PAC/L) of the water-soluble fraction of weathered Alaska North Slope crude oil for 24 h and subsequently to low or high levels of natural sunlight. Responses included mortality, impairment of swimming ability, and discoloration of lipid sacs. There was 80-100% mortality and morbidity of C. marshallae exposed to UV and oil as compared to less than 10% effect in oil-only or UV-only treatments. In M. okhotensis, 100% mortality occurred in the UV and oil treatment, 43% mortality and 27% morbidity in the UV-only treatment, and less than 5% effect in the oil-only treatment. Bioaccumulation factors were ~8000 for C. marshallae and ~2000 for M. okhotensis. The interaction of the effect of PAC and UV radiation was highly significant (P <>.
The Presidential Bush Twins - One attempted to placate the American Voter with the Hydrogen Car and Now McCain wants to do what?
The electric car isn't the issue...
...THE INFRASTRUCTURE IS !!!!!!!!!!!
DEMS: $300 MILLION OFFER A 'GIMMICK' (click here)
Multimillion-dollar prizes have been offered to send a rover to the moon, speed up human genome sequencing, cure childhood diseases. Now, John McCain wants to offer $300 million in taxpayer money to the inventor of a more efficient car battery to power hybrid and electric vehicles....
Bush's Hydrogen Car is Fossil Fuel Dependant ! (click here for article from 2003)
...According to the administration's National Hydrogen Energy Roadmap, drafted last year in concert with the energy industry, up to 90 percent of all hydrogen will be refined from oil, natural gas, and other fossil fuels -- in a process using energy generated by burning oil, coal, and natural gas. The remaining 10 percent will be cracked from water using nuclear energy....
From the US Department of Energy (click here)
... Coal Gasification (with and without carbon sequestration - click here) ...
REPUBLICANS don't care about 'Energy Independence' that eliminates carbon dioxide pollution which is why the laws of the USA need to 'target' Carbon Dioxide under the provisions of The Clean Air Act and treat it as a toxic gas when it 'defines' an induced Global Warming of Earth.
The Republican 'definition' of ALTERNATIVE FUELS does not lead to independence from 'FOSSIL FUELs (click here).' Quite the contrary, the Republicans 'define' alternatives as ANYTHING but imported oil. That INCLUDES fossil fuels manipulated from SHALE. Shale is just a synonym for COAL.
Shale Coal Technology has been tried before and failed. It continues to be an excuse for NOT changing the infrastruture of Big Oil in the USA.
Why?
Because once the USA changes direction and begins down a path of 'Vast Alternative Energies' like Wind, Solar and driving freedom again like The Electric Car there is NO GOING BACK.
The 'wealth managers' of the Republican Elite are heavily invested in 'existing' infrastruture. They stand to loss BIG TIME when the USA converts its 'consumer economy' away from OIL DEPENDENCE. It's all about money where the Republicans hold the monopoly.
And that's all its about.
Once the USA is 'free' from its old and dilapidated' Fossil Fuel Infrastruture there will be no more assault on the environment either and the Polar Bear will return to its 'sea ice' without any further threat.
We can do this. "Oh, yes we can." We can save the future for our children IN OUR LIFETIMES. "OH, YES WE CAN !"
Stop this hideous and desperate use of BLM (Bureau of Land Management) lands. Democrats MUST win in 2008. If we are to protect the future there is only one clear choice and that is to keep RESPONSIBLE Democrats in the majority and in the White House to take back our country. There is no choice, the Republicans are far too corrupt and corrupted ! This is a moral issue. We are the stewards of the future. A future that belongs to us and the rest of the populous of Earth. We cannot fail. Not this time !
...Even so, BLM is still considering leasing about 1.9 million acres for shale-oil development—an action that would displace activities such as recreation, mining, oil and gas drilling, and livestock grazing and that would also result in the loss of thousands of existing jobs. In addition, the new industry would consume unknown quantities of water (water? what water? - click here - the only places without drought conditions are places like Iowa where floods have destroyed farmland); degrade wildlife habitats, streams, and air quality; and catalyze a huge expansion of infrastructure to support industrial operations and services for thousands of new workers....
..."Despite all the attempts to develop a shale-oil industry in the U.S. over the past 100 years, the fact remains that no proven method exists for efficiently removing the oil from the rock," says Bob Loucks, a former shale-oil project manager. Efforts to jump-start western shale-oil production during the 1970s propelled the region through a boom-and-bust economy that ended when Congress abolished the $8 billion Synthetic Liquid Fuels Program in 1985....
Monday, June 23, 2008
USA 2008 Wheat Harvest - Reports began June 22, 2008
(Photo by David Silverman/Getty Images Europe)
WICHITA, Kan. — Untimely rainfall has led to an epidemic of a toxic fungal disease in some fields of winter wheat, reducing yields and quality just as harvest gets under way in the nation's breadbasket, industry experts say.
Low levels of Fusarium head blight, also known as "head scab," are not uncommon in grain crops. But this season the disease appears to be widespread, particularly in Kansas where rain fell this spring when winter wheat was flowering.
Some scab also has been reported in Missouri and north-central Oklahoma. The extent of infestation in northern wheat-producing states may not be known until those crops reach maturity.
"Based on past yield loss estimates, this is going to represent a total loss to Kansas wheat production of 1 or 2 percent," said Erick DeWolf, a plant pathologist at Kansas State University. "It is not trivial, but it is not the end of the world, either."
That represents a potential yield loss worth $50 million for Kansas farmers, based on a forecast of production and current wheat prices, said Mike Woolverton, a grain marketing economist at Kansas State.
The 'idea' of USA Farmers becoming the next OPEC has everyone in a panic.
It would seem as though the USA harvest according to early reports are seeing returns in the high 50s and low 60s, with protein content 'averaging' about 10%.
Wheat fields are finally beginning to dry out in much of the southern half of Kansas, allowing many farmers to begin wheat harvest over the weekend. Harvest has reached as far north as Salina in central Kansas, yet progress has languished in the eastern and western portions of the state.
In Pratt County, harvest is in full swing, according to Lisa, at the Kanza Co-op Association Pratt location. Test weights have been as high as 63 pounds, although the average is about 59 pounds. Yields are hard to gauge, as cutting is still spotty. Wheat is being taken at all the cooperative’s locations.
At the Fowler Equity Exchange, Fowler, harvest has swung into high gear, reports Jason. Before rain showers suspended harvest last week, test weights averaged about 61 pounds per bushel. Now, they average about 58 pounds; yields are averaging between 30 and 50 bushels per acre. As of Sunday, harvest is about 15% complete.
Chris at Farmers Co-op Grain Association, Conway Springs, says harvest has just started, with farmers dodging mudholes to cut wheat on hillsides and sandy soils. Test weights are averaging about 57 pounds per bushel, with yields averaging between 30- and 50-bushels per acre. Some farmers are having 60-plus bushel per acre yields. In the Conway Springs area, harvest is about 10% complete.
At the Right Co-op, Wright, Brenda says about 250,000 bushels has been taken in thus far, with harvest beginning in earnest on Saturday. Test weights are consistently around 60 pounds per bushel, with protein ranging from 8.3-14.5%.
Bart George at Cargill AgHorizons, Salina, reports about 150,000 bushels of wheat were taken in over the weekend. Harvesting is spotty due to last week’s rain showers, but George says farmers north of Salina are cutting. Test weights are in the upper 50s and low 60s, with protein ranging from 9-10%.
Kansas Wheat Commissioner Ron Suppes, Dighton, says he will begin harvesting in Finney County on Monday. There is no harvest going on in Scott and Lane counties, Suppes says, although sporadic harvest is occurring near Garden City.
Kansas Association of Wheat Growers vice president Paul Penner began cutting for a neighbor Saturday. He reports 60-plus bushel yields, with test weights averaging more than 61 pounds per bushel. A hail storm last week has reduced yield potential somewhat. With harvest just getting underway, Penner believes yields in Marion County could be above average.
The 2008 Harvest Salute to Producers is brought to you by Kansas Wheat in conjunction with sponsors Kansas City Board of Trade, DeBruce Grain and the Kansas Grain and Feed Association.
Conventional crops should NOT compete for biofuel production, they are NOT the best source ! The very best source of biofuel is from Prairie Grass in the USA. Its production will compete for acreage of 'investment' in relation to 'food and feed crop' production, but, shouldn't.
HOWEVER and especially.
The 'type' of land needed for Prairie Grass Production doesn't even have to compete with the lands needed for conventional crop production. There is absolutely NO REASON for biofuels to disaffect food production or food prices ! These are NOT genetically altered or 'designer crops' either !
Back to the future: Prairie grasses emerge as rich energy source (click here)
Mixtures of grasses make best source of biofuel
...The beauty of mixed prairie grasses, say the researchers, is that, unlike corn, they can grow in old farmland or in marginal, degraded lands with little or no application of water or fertilizers. The challenge is finding enough such land....
THESE GRASSES are able to thrive in drought conditions.
Biofuels from Switchgrass: Greener Energy Pastures (click here)
-Test plots of switchgrass at Auburn University have produced up to 15 tons of dry biomass per acre, and five- year yields average 11.5 tons—enough to make 1,150 gallons of ethanol per acre each year.
-Many farmers are already experienced at raising switchgrass for forage or to protect soil from erosion. Besides showing great promise for energy production, switchgrass also restores vital organic nutrients to farmed-out soils.
-Switchgrass can be cut and baled with standard farming equipment.
-Switchgrass offers excellent habitat for a wide variety of birds and small mammals.
Erosion control can be realized by INVESTING in Priarie Grass as a harvestable crop along with regular crops. Grasses protect from erosion far better than simple farmland. A change in the way farmers view 'land use' has to be realized. This is not a new concept, simply an under-utalized one. Harvesting 'protective' grass embankments can be an applied technology which would allow for reducing sediment in these areas as well.
Cross breeding, not genetic engineering, some of these grasses will allow a 'high yield 'Prairie/Switchgrass' production in areas now underutilized or even 'thought about' as crop production or as a NEW farm income. Research needs to be conducted and monies need to be appropriated by a newly elected President that BELIEVES change in the way America applies knowledge can lead our nation back to greatness.
Flood recovery turns to erosion; Some farmers' grass waterways crucial in saving their crops (click here)
By Lyn Jerde, Daily Register
No one has to sell Cambria-area farmer Carl Stiemsma on the benefits of grass waterways in crop fields.
"I've got a lot of them," he said, "and I think I might get some more."
The recent Columbia County deluges were a textbook example of what some people colloquially call a "gully-washer."
But, if Stiemsma had planted his waterways in crops, instead of in soil-saving grasses, those crops and the soil in which they were planted would have been swept away onto roadways or neighboring fields. And, the yield in his fields — corn, soybeans, green beans, wheat and other crops — would have been drastically reduced.
Stiemsma has utilized grass waterways since the 1970s, but he's considering placing a call to the Columbia County Land and Water Conservation Department to help build news ones and replace old ones that, encrusted with several years' accumulation of sediment, have become less effective.
Kurt Calkins, director of the land and water conservation department, said landowners are now being strongly encouraged to get in touch with his department, which is offering help for farmers wishing to implement erosion-control practices....
2007 Kansas wheat harvest shattered
August 9, 2007
Shelby, Montana
Photographer states :: Montana wheat harvest
By Roxana Hegeman, Associated Press Writer
WICHITA, Kan. — Sodden wheat lies flat in fields across southern Kansas. Insurance companies are writing off acreage as total losses. Test weights for the few truckloads of grain straggling into area elevators are awful. And it is still sprinkling.
The start of the 2007 Kansas wheat harvest will long be remembered for its shattered prospects. After seven years of drought, the wet winter and even wetter spring had nourished a crop that once promised a bin-busting harvest.
But that was before the Easter weekend freeze, before the disease pressure, before the insect infestations and the heavy rains. Before the floods.
"Everything combined has really challenged this year's crop -- especially in southern Kansas," said Dusti Fritz, chief executive officer for Kansas Wheat, a venture of the Kansas Wheat Commission and the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers.
The government's outlook is equally grim. Kansas Agricultural Statistics Service reported Monday that 37 percent of the wheat crop was in poor to very poor condition. About 29 percent was rated in fair condition, 25 percent was in good condition and only 9 percent rated as excellent.
At the Anthony Farmers Co-op, manager Dan Cashier said most wheat around Anthony has been abandoned, and custom cutters have moved on in search of other work. "I wish I could give you a happier scenario, but it is not there," Cashier said.
He blamed disease and freeze for the crop's problems in his area this year. Wheat samples brought in to the Anthony elevator have been averaging about 50 pounds per bushel -- far below the 60 pounds per bushel needed for No. 1 graded wheat. And yields have been running anywhere from zero to 20 bushels per acre.
He expected harvest to resume in a couple of days, if it ever stops raining.
"We probably got in 5 percent of the crop, but it might be all we get in if it keeps raining," Cashier said.
On Monday, the Statistics Service reported just 2 percent of wheat fields in Kansas have been harvested. By this time last year, about 48 percent had been cut, while the average for this late into harvest is about 19 percent.
Kansas is not alone in its late harvest start.
In Oklahoma, about 41 percent of the crop has been harvested -- far short of the 92 percent that would have been normal for this date. In Texas, about 31 percent has been harvested, compared with the 63 percent that was in the bin by this time last season, the National Agricultural Statistics Service said Monday.
But there is a bright side for farmers.
While the untimely rains at harvest time have wreaked havoc on the Kansas wheat crop, the moisture has helped spring-planted crops like corn, soybeans and sorghum thrive.
July 4, 2007
Buhler, Kansas
Photographer states :: Thunderstorm arrives.