zRants

Excerpt from a letter to the Lufkin Daily News:

“Recently, a Congressional subcommittee (Home Energy Commerce) chaired by Bart Stupak held hearings. Those giving testimony were four of the leading experts on oil and gas energy — Michael Masters of Masters Capital Management, Edward Krapels, managing director of Energy Security Analyst, Fadel Gheit of Oppenheimers and Company and Roger Diwan of P.F.C. Energy Consulting firm. All four of these experts stated “more drilling will not lower the price of gasoline.

They pointed to Congress and said, “You have the power to lower the price of gasoline by 30 to 50 percent in 30 to 50 days maximum.” This is not Republican spin, I watched the hearing on CSPAN. They pointed out the oil companies are buying back their stock and investing billions in oil futures, raising oil on Wall Street to $140 per barrel. Oil at the pump is $60 per barrel, $80 a barrel less than Wall Street, and it’s all on paper.

The solution? Re-regulate Wall Street that George Bush de-regulated in 2001. The Republicans on the committee broke out in a cold sweat. The Democrats appeared to have sat down in a fire ant bed. I have never in my life witnessed so many uncomfortable leaders scrambling for excuses not to take their advice.“

*This article can also be accessed if you copy and paste the entire address below into your web browser.
http://www.lufkindailynews.com/opin/content/news/opinion/stories/2008/08/10/letter_gardner.html

zrants

Indymedia released the following story by Brenda Norrell, August 17, 2008
LUKEVILLE, Ariz. - The risk to the lives of Tohono O’odham and other residents living on the Arizona and Sonora border due to monsoon flash floods has increased because of a newly constructed border wall.
Homeland Security flaunted federal laws and the laws of nature to build the border wall in 2008. In a report made public this week, the National Park Service details the ecological and infrastructure damage in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument caused by flood obstruction and debris accumulation along recently constructed portions of the border wall.

Read the article on indymedia

From the Beaux Artists blog: by Florida Native, C Gomez

“We designate liberal vs right wing, news and commentary by editorializing. If the spin is liberal, it tends to attack the right wing agenda. When the spin is conservative, the RW media will lie to sell their agenda.
Consider the lies that took us into Iraq with the spin of the corporate RW media.

Look at the drilling debate. The dems want to conserve our ecology and pristine beaches for the fisheries and tourism. Makes economic sense huh. I love to swim, surf, dive and sail there, as well as beach weddings feed my family.”

(more…)

McCain’s first wife, Carol, is being almost ignored by the Press. The UK Times scored the first interview with her in June 2008, which was closely followed by Huffingtonpost. Send this to all your religious friends and let them judge McCain’s family values for themselves.

Why has the media not bothered to look into McCain’s family life history. The Arizona press is full of details on how the Viet Vet hero, whose primary military experience was spent holed up in a Cong Prison, divorced his injured wife and left his three children to marry the daughter of one of the richest men in Arizona. I don’t claim to know the facts, but there are too many juicy stories for the press to ignore about his father-in-law’s ties to crime, and his own prison experience. Seems spending time in jail is a family trait.
More on John McCain
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Dear All,

Here is why I have been out of touch. I’m currently in Mendocino County in the middle of four of the most serious wild land fires in our region. The Orr Springs fire has almost reached the Orr Hot Springs immediately west of here, the Running Springs fire across the road has reached the first dwellings, the Jack Smith and Singley fires have just combined and entered our 5,000 acre association on the Northern border. I see that fire out of the window of my hand made straw bale house.

We are in a world of drifting smoke, sun and moon have been orange for five days. My neighbors and I are in an amazing effort to prevent the fire from coming down the box canyon above us and crossing Redwood Creek and fully entering our land. I have worked on the fire line and on property of my neighbors nearer the fire than I am until Cal Fire sent us away because the fire had breached - again - one of the fire breaks they had bulldozed. They ordered us to go home for our own safety and clear around our houses.

Living so close to a fire is an extraordinary event. The local battalion chief for the Ukiah region compared it to a sleeping dragon on the hill. each fire has its own character. This one is moving slowly, sometimes turning back onto itself, sometimes consuming 60 foot fir trees in 3 seconds and then falling quiet again. Wind, moisture and sun affect it’s movement and direction. We can hear it groan or bristle or crack like a whip or explode things.

For two days now Jeff and I have been limbing trees, clearing roofs and gutters. Yesterday - out of the blue - a crew of eight young men showed with their own equipment and after three hours our place is unrecognizable. One neighbor even brought a large bulldozer and cut a fire break around our houses. Then they all left and went on to another neighbor’s house.

Everybody here is packed up to leave on short notice. This morning the local battalion chief came to meet with us at our community center, the old ranch house. He told us that we would be receiving an evacuation warning that may be followed by an enforceable order. He confirmed that, given the 130 fires in Mendocino County alone, there were no resources to actually fight the fire. The only thing they can do at this time is try and direct the fires with fire breaks and “box” it in between those lines, and to protect dwellings. He also told us if the line that is  currently held below our house is breached that they would regroup three miles behind us. In that case my house would end up inside the “box” with the dragon.
Love,

Maria (TUCradio)

I had to share this one. You will either laugh or cry or …

the blues and then some: McCain’s Youtube Problem Just Became A Nightmare

zRants

Looks like San Jose has the same ideas I do for dealing with violence. Maybe the city of San Francisco can try a similar tactic. The objective should be NOT kill the business, but protect the public from crime. Keeping more people later on the streets by encouraging longer non-drinking hours, food and calming music may do the trick. To encourage businesses to participate, San Francisco should temporarily suspend some of the extra fees and licenses currently required in order to fulfill these objectives. No point in listing them here, as all the pertinent parties are very familiar with them.

For the full story on ABCnews.com: Turning downtown SJ into a vibrant area

CLUB OWNERS: Maybe it’s the music. Clubs that experience violence problems after closing should instruct DJs to start winding the music down at least a half hour before closing, right before last call, to calm people down before pushing them out the door onto the streets at closing time. See POV of club patron below.

The type of music they play there has much to do with the behavior. There is something about booze (and drugs) mixed with certain types of gangsta music that creates a violent/reckless behavior”. Clubs that do not play that type of music experience less of violence and more toned down behavior.

You should know about McCain but probably don’t.

From the Green 960AM web site.