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

The Pickens Plan

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.”

The real reason for high oil prices is speculation by oil co. traders, (the enron loophole), continued filling of the strategic reserve, and the wasteful driving habits of gas guzzling road hogs. The RW tries to demonize the dems as obstructing progress of supplying our own oil. Why? because big oil contributes billions to their campaign. McCain has received 1.5 million in contributions this year. And they want those leases now to sell the oil on the world market and get top dollar.

Any Floridian who cares about our economy and environment knows that the few barrels of Florida oil, sold on the world market, will not make a penny difference in the price of gasoline, but 1 spill in 1 hurricane could devastate our economy and pristine beaches. so why drill Florida when theres 64 million acres of already approved drilling sites nationally waiting for permits? Big oil doesn’t seek those permits, they like the price where its at now . But they want to own the mineral rights, which should belong to the people of THIS country, not British petroleum or Kuwait owned Exxon Mobil.

The stakes are high. The RW spins the blame to the dems for holding up production, with the help all of the media, and the general public swallows it in big gulps. That’s the effect of the right wing media. and ALL of the outlets deliver that message. Its on all the channels, with a senate or house republican interview, parroting the same drilling mantra. Talking heads from corporate media on MSN, CBS, ABC, FOX, CNN, clear channel, PBS, AM radio, on every newscast on every station. DRILL DRILL DRILL. None give the opposing angle, or the effects of drilling spills. (google beach pollution of Galveston Tx and Mobile Ala.)

So its liberal for Fl own Mel Martinez (R) Miami, to oppose drilling along with Bill Nelson? No its smart and logical. That’s conservative. Those senators say lets conserve this beautiful state. But none of the media, NOT ANY OF THE MEDIA, makes that point. BC the media is RW! An agenda, by all of the corporate media, with contributions from big oil advertising in the billions, is to convince the American public that we should give up protecting the beaches and those states’ economy in the interest of cheap oil. And it’s working. Obama has agreed, from public pressure, to back some offshore drilling. And when the Florida economy goes flat, so will our businesses. And that little treatise is not loony brother, nor left wing, its fact!

Because in Florida there is NO media informing Floridians of the dangers and results of offshore drilling.
There has been a black-out to educate the public. NO NEWS SOURCE EVER EXPLAINS THIS FACT!
Here we have all right wing talk radio 24/7. The corporate news channels, NBC,CBS,FOX,CNN all refuse to inform the public of anything except the “need” of offshore drilling to reduce gas prices. And most
ill-informed Floridians get there infotainment from some big-oil supporting corporate news source. Now they believe it’s true, and also think it won’t foul our environment We need a balance in news reaching
the masses here, but there is no support from the anti drilling lobby or Democratic party except bumper stickers and (rarely) a story on PBS viewed by .05% of the TV watchers. Most Floridians have bought into the
glen beck, Rush Limbaugh rhetoric drill mania and cannot be enlightened.

- C Gome

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.

Fix the problem, not the blame. “Getting it done” is a good goal to strive for. I don’t think you will find many people who disagree on the goals outlined by the candidates - fixing the economy, ending US dependence on foreign energy resources, or mending relationships abroad. The question is not “what is the goal” the question that no one is answering is “how do we get it done?” Hopefully the campaign will get off the blame game and get onto some real solutions before long.
More on John McCain
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

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

(Thanks for all your kind comments. Here is the latest from Maria who is up around Ukiah…)

Dear Maude and All,

Thank you for your notes! It is scary at times - BUT we all can do much good here because so much is what they call “hand work”. Also they want us to get each of our homesteads fire safe. The fire so far has been slow moving. Coming closer but not that fast. I just inspected the new fire break that was cut today by CalFire and two convict crews - can you imagine that, “con-crews”. It is right below and slightly to the east of our house which is disappointing, was hoping they would take a stand closer to the fire and further away from our houses. We ended up just outside the border where they are hoping to take yet another stand if the fire breaches the fire break again.

Also, amazingly, we had “resources” here for the first time today. It was just like in Artaud during rush hour - three helicopters passing over us at the rate of one every two minutes, dipping their buckets into private ponds around us and dropping it on the fire. We can see the helicopter flying toward the ridge getting into position, hovering and then those beautiful small waterfalls come crashing down from the bucket. Tomorrow they are hoping to set a series of back fires in Redwood Canyon to cut off the approach of the Jack Smith fire from that direction.

As far as your question is concerned, yes. With the help of a neighbor and his mowing truck I actually created a helicopter landing place very close to Jeff’s and my place. We have one of the few flat spots without trees right outside out houses and just needed to cut the knee deep grass. We will be able to cal in the medical evacuation helicopter to pick up injured people. The mowed area is large enough to be a fire safe zone and if things all of a sudden change, the wind kicks up or lightning strikes again, as predicted for tomorrow, we can take shelter there and the fire will burn around us.

Are Ken and Laurie back? They were over here for a fire dinner when the sheriff arrived and gave all of us the evacuation orders. So we refilled our wine glasses for a toast - and later found out that only the west part of the ranch was supposed to go. Everything here is so convoluted - no wonder that they got lost.

Hoping to come back soon to do badly needed work for TUC Radio. Am just afraid that the CHP won’t let me back in if things take a turn for the worse - as they did yesterday for an afternoon.

- Maria

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