Scroll down for current posts and articles.
**********************************************

Be patient please. The blog takes a few minutes to load.
Your computer is not locked up. We don't have the speed of a website. Thanks for your indulgence.

************************************************

NAVIGATING THIS BLOG


Posts (dated articles with a feature that allows for comments from readers) are below the front page.

Same with links to other websites, videos and blog archives. They are on the right side of the blog where opposite posts in a narrow column.

SCROLL DOWN if you want to research or get sources. Use the "labels" feature and simply click on the topic or person that interests you. An idiosyncracy of this format is that whenever you click on a label or older post, you will again see the front page. Nothing we can do about that.

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR BLOG:
oteroresidentsforum@gmail.com



________________________________________

CONSTITUTIONAL COUNTY ORDINANCE WEBSITE

Website advocating for involvement in your county regulation process and suggestions for county ordinances responding to federal expansion of jurisdiction and authority and global governance.


http://sites.google.com/site/constitutionalcountyordinance/

**********************************************************


* * * * * * *
US Capitol switchboard
800-828-0498 or 202-224-3121

* * * * * * *





*******************************************************
ORF is now monetized. This means you will see ads on the blog. By clicking on the ads, you help generate revenue for ORF. What is ORF going to do with revenue generated from this blog? We want to buy a blender. A really nice blender with multiple speeds. We also would like to buy a lava lamp. In addition to the items mentioned aforely, we would also like to buy a stuffed Jack-a-lope head. Nothing extravagant.

Uncle Sam

Uncle Sam

The Oath of the President of the United States


US Constitution, Article II, Section 1


Before he enter on the execution of his office, he shall take the following oath or affirmation: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States."


The case could be made that Obama has violated the oath of the office of the Presidency of the United States in not closing the borders at the threat of a global pandemic of the Mexican flu, the violations of the U.S. Constitution in the CIFTA, and his refusal to clarify the circumstances of his birth. Think about it.


Link to the White House by Clicking on Photo

Link to the White House by Clicking on Photo
WHEN OBAMA TALKS ABOUT GUN CONTROL HE REALLY MEANS GUN CONFISCATION

KALH COMMUNITY RADIO

KALH COMMUNITY RADIO
Click on KALH logo for website and to listen to live stream

MEXICAN WOLF RECOVERY - COLLATERAL DAMAGE IDENTIFICATION

WARNING: GRAPHIC PICTURES MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR WOLF LOVERS & SMALL CHILDREN

Catron County Wolf Incident Investigator, Jess Carey, provide ORF with this document. This is what the ranchers in western New Mexico are living with.

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=12e740df9705f324&mt=application/pdf&url=https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui%3D2%26ik%3Db2e1154c85%26view%3Datt%26th%3D12e740df9705f324%26attid%3D0.1%26disp%3Dattd%26zw&sig=AHIEtbQTV_dgqwDweaJO_z9FKGvH0SJ6pw&pli=1


CONVENTION ON THE PROHIBITION OF MILITARY OR ANY OTHER HOSTILE USE OF ENVIRONMENTAL MODIFICATION TECHNIQUES (A TREATY SIGNED IN THE
UN).
http://www.fas.org/nuke/control/enmod/text/environ2.htm

NEW MEXICO WOLF RE-INTRODUCTION

Links to past ORF information on the Mexican Gray Wolf re-introduction program. Some of the links to newspaper articles no longer work.


http://oteroresidentsforum.blogspot.com/search/label/MEXICAN%20GRAY%20WOLF

WOLF CROSSING WEBSITE

http://wolfcrossing.org/








***********************************

ORF NEWS BLIMP

ORF NEWS BLIMP
They are watching. We're watching them watcing us watching you.

OTERO RESIDENTS FORUM COLLECTION OF PARODY CARTOONS

http://oteroresidentforumparodyblog.blogspot.com/

We've complied the best of the ORF cartoons all in one location.

Natural Climate Change - Real Science, Verifiable

Natural Climate Change - Real Science, Verifiable
Dr. Eric Karlstrom's excellent website on climate change, it's natural. The agenda is truth and the vindication of scientific method.

Title 17 U.S.C section 107

*NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any copyrighted material herein is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml

Posts and Comments from Readers

Please include yourself in the discussion. Post a comment.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

This has got to stop

Steve Watson
Infowars.net
Tuesday, July 29, 2008

You couldn’t make it up if you tried. Police in Ozark, Missouri repeatedly tased a critically injured sixteen year old boy after he “refused to comply with the officers”.

The cops were called to investigate reports of a boy walking along a busy overpass, but when they got there they found young Mace Hutchinson had fallen 30 ft to the ground below, breaking his back and and foot in the process.

When he did not co-operate with the cops they pulled out their stun guns and fired them into his body, shocking him up to nineteen times with 50,000 volts.

According to the boy’s father, the actions of the police caused an elevated white blood cell count leading Mace to develop a fever that delayed vital surgery by two days.

Ozark Police Capt. Thomas Rousset tried to condone the use of the taser in comments to the media:

“He refused to comply with the officers and so the officers had to deploy their Tasers in order to subdue him. He is making incoherent statements; he’s also making statements such as, ‘Shoot cops, kill cops,’ things like that. So there was cause for concern to the officers.”

Watch a local report from KY3 News:http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Missouri_Police_taser_injured_boy_19_0726.html

The idea that a boy with a broken back would need to be “subdued” by a team of cops is not only patently ludicrous, but also smacks of a desperate attempt to cover up the true events in this case.

This is a perfect example of how it has become the norm for cops to react with extreme physical force towards anyone who acts out of the ordinary in any way whatsoever.

We have previously carried reports of police tasing an already restrained disabled man, a 6-year-old boy who was wielding a piece of glass and a woman having diabetic seizure to name but a few, but this case trumps them all.

This behaviour is not limited to cops in the U.S. either, last November a man who slipped into a diabetic coma on the top deck of a bus in Leeds, England described how he was used for electric stun gun “target practice” after he “failed to respond to instructions” and police “mistook him for a suicide bomber”.

Tasers are supposed to be the last response before lethal action, yet police now use the taser as if it is a pair of handcuffs or pepper spray. The latest figures show that over 300 people died in one year in admitted cases in the US alone from being tased.

Prominent heart doctors have declared that there is no doubt that Tasers can cause heart problems and even induce sudden and lethal cardiac arrest.





The UN’s Committee Against Torture issued a statement on the TaserX26, in November of last year which read: “The use of TaserX26 weapons, provoking extreme pain, constituted a form of torture, and that in certain cases it could also cause death, as shown by several reliable studies and by certain cases that had happened after practical use.”

Despite these facts, we see stories every week of old women, children and disabled people being shot with tasers. The weapons are even being used in schools.

The police are now trained that “pain compliance,” a euphemism for torture, is acceptable in apprehending anyone even if that person poses no physical danger.

The heart of the issue is that this was another act of wanton police brutality and torture by means of tasing. it is possible to read almost daily now about tasers being overused, and over fired. it seems most officers using them, take their effect lightly yet many victims come away with serious consequences. not a weapon to be used so indiscriminately,and without more education and good judgement. kb

I am an American! And you?

Chuck Baldwin, the Constitution Party’s candidate for U.S. President declares it like it is. Your freedom and country are on the line. From chuckbaldwinlive.com dated 07/18/2008 entitled “I Am An American!“:

Free republics are not known to have long life expectancies. At the ripe old age of two hundred and thirty-two, America is definitely showing her age. She is long past her prime, and some are predicting her demise. No, some are PLANNING her demise.

Thomas Jefferson and the other founders of this once-great country believed there was a controlling cabal that was crafting America’s servitude. With the assistance of Heaven, they decided to fight those forces. Pastors fought with fiery sermons from the pulpit; newsmen fought with the power of the pen; statesmen fought in the halls of Congress; and merchants fought with the sacrifice of their material gain. Together, they lifted Lady Liberty to her feet and defeated the powers of darkness.

It took the global elite a long time to recover, but they have reemerged with a vengeance. They are now on the precipice of accomplishing what their great granddaddies failed to do: bring the “Liberty or Death” colonists under their power and control.

Sadly, we no longer have the will to resist servitude. Our pulpits are too busy preaching a prosperity gospel; newsmen are in bed with the forces they once disdained; statesmen have been replaced with opportunistic, self-serving politicians; and merchants know no god but money. Hence, it is left to a small–and I mean very small–remnant to sound the clarion call for freedom and independence. Unfortunately, few seem to be listening to their cries.

2010 seems to be a banner year for these designers of despotism. That is the target year for the implementation of the North American Community, which will commercially unite the United States with Canada and Mexico. The global elite suffered a minor setback when the U.S. Senate failed to pass the Bush/McCain/Kennedy/Graham amnesty-for-illegal-aliens bill. But if you think that John Mccain is going to let that bill lie on the floor of defeat, you don’t understand these people. Should McCain become President, He will do everything he can to implement some kind of amnesty law. Barack Obama will do the same. The reason? It is essential to the designers of despotism that our borders be eliminated.

Yes, I am saying it: George W. Bush, John McCain, and Barack Obama are part of the global elite that seeks America’s entrance into an international New World Order. In fact, neither Presidential candidate from the two major parties will offer any resistance to this obstinate and oppressive oligarchy.

Perhaps one day the American people will wake up and realize that they are being led as sheep to the slaughter. I’m just not sure that it will be soon enough, however. 2010 is just around the corner.

There seems to be only one obstacle standing in the way of the globalists: America’s citizens are the most heavily armed people in the world. That fact must surely stick in the throats of the globalists like a chicken bone.

Thank God that America’s founders put the Second Amendment in the Constitution. Without America’s deep-rooted commitment to the right of the people to keep and bear arms, we would have been sold into slavery decades ago.

Without the intellectual understanding of the principles of freedom and the moral resolve to maintain those principles, however, guns, by themselves, will only protect us for so long. In the end, our strength and protection come from God, and not too many people these days seem to be interested in His opinion.

Lady Liberty is walking very gingerly these days, and the path she treads is laden with traps and quicksand. The globalists have their handpicked puppets positioned to take up where The Three Amigos (George Bush I, Bill Clinton, and George Bush II) have left off. The pieces of the puzzle are almost all in place. 2010 just might be the year that Lady Liberty lowers her torch, folds her arms, and falls fast asleep.

For what it is worth, however, I pledge no loyalty to this emerging New World Order. Neither will I let Lady Liberty die without a fight. I will say it again: the battle today is not between conservatives and liberals or Republicans and Democrats. It is a battle between Americans and globalists. And, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am an American!

MEXICO HIRES U.S. ATTORNEYS: DEATH DEFENSE

The Mexican government has hired U.S. attorneys to defend Mexican nationals in the U.S. who have been accused of murder, homicide or manslaughter.

Title click to read the article in the Denver Post.

Monday, July 28, 2008

LETTER FROM A CUBAN

Submitted by Cindy Morris from Farmington :


Letter from a Cuban
From Richmond Times-Dispatch, Monday, July 7, 2008 ~

Dear Editor, Times-Dispatch:

Each year I get to celebrate Independence Day twice.
On June 30 I celebrate my independence day, and on
July 4 I celebrate America 's. This year is special, because it marks the 40th anniversary of my independence.

On June 30, 1968 , I escaped Communist Cuba, and a few months later, I was in the United States to stay. That I happened to arrive in Richmond on Thanksgiving Day is just part of the story, but I digress.

I've thought a lot about the anniversary this
year. The election-year rhetoric has made me think a lot about Cuba and what transpired there. In the late 1950s, most Cubans thought Cuba needed a change, so when a young leader came along, every Cuban was at least receptive.

When the young leader spoke eloquently and
passionately and denounced the old system, the press fell in love with him. They never questioned who his friends were or what he really believed in. When he said he would help the farmers and the poor and bring free medical care and education to all, everyone followed. When he said he would bring justice and equality to all, everyone said,
'Praise the Lord.' And when the young leader
said, 'I will be for change and I'll bring you
change,' everyone yelled, 'Viva Fidel!'

But nobody asked about the change, so by the time the executioner's guns went silent, the people's guns had been taken away. By the time everyone was equal, they were equally poor, hungry, and oppressed. By the time everyone received their free education, it was worth nothing. By the time the press noticed, it was too late, because they were now working for him. By the time the change was finally implemented, Cuba had been knocked down a couple of notches to Third-World status. By the time the change was over, more than a million people had taken to boats, rafts, and inner tubes. You can call those who made it ashore anywhere else in the world the most fortunate Cubans. And now I'm back to the beginning of my story.

Luckily, we in America would never fall for a young
leader who promised change without asking, what change? How will you carry it out? What will it cost America ?

Would we?

Manuel Alvarez, Jr.

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Remembering a State’s Sovereignty

by J.D. Longstreet
Some of the state politicians in Oklahoma have taken a very good look at the US Constitution and they have seen, and apparently understand, the transformation the American people have allowed in the manner in which the 50 states of the “United States” are governed.

The US Government was created, by the states, to act as an agent of the states. It was to be controlled by the states. That is what the US Constitution dictates. The thirteen colonies were independent, sovereign, “states”, or countries, at the end of the War for Independence from Great Britain. Those thirteen countries created something called “The United States” as an agent, or an agency, of the states to exist and to work on behalf of, and under the control of, the states. But, that is NOT the way the US government operates today. Today the states are considered agents of the US government with the US government in control. It is unconstitutional, but that is the way things go in America today.

But, in Oklahoma, things may be about to change.

The Oklahoma House of Representatives passed House Joint Resolution (1089) reclaimimg their sovereignty. Here is a portion of the text of Oklahoma’s HJR 1089:

“Whereas, the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States reads as follows: ‘The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.’; and Whereas, the Tenth Amendment defines the total scope of federal power as being that specifically granted by the Constitution of the United States and no more; and whereas, the scope of power defined by the Tenth Amendment means that the federal government was created by the states specifically to be an agent of the states; and Whereas, today, in 2008, the states are demonstrably treated as agents of the federal government. … Now, therefore, be it resolved by the House of Representatives and the Senate of the 2nd session of the 51st Oklahoma Legislature: that the State of Oklahoma hereby claims sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States over all powers not otherwise enumerated and granted to the federal government by the Constitution of the United States. That this serve as Notice and Demand to the federal government, as our agent, to cease and desist, effective immediately, mandates that are beyond the scope of these constitutionally delegated powers.”

You may look it up for yourself at:

http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/Webapplication1/webform1.aspx

So… how did we get here? We got here through ignorance and apathy… not necessarily in that order.

It seems Southern Americans have always had an exceptional interest in, and a strong sense of the value of state’s rights. We have been aware of them since the first draft of the Constitution. We even fought a war in a valiant, yet hopeless, attempt to preserve them.

The US federal government is too big, too strong, and, in the opinion of many Americans, myself included, it has assumed powers it does not have, powers not granted it by the US Constitution. And WE let it happen. American citizens allowed their/our government to grow in size and strength until it is involved in practically every aspect of a US citizen’s life today. And guess what? We are begging it to grow even more and take over even more of what’s left of our lives. Why, we even have one candidate for President PROMISING to do just that and American citizens are flocking to his camp in droves!

The folks in Oklahoma may be about to raise America’s “awareness” of what we have squandered, of what we have given away, and of what we have lost as a result.

We have no way of knowing what the Oklahoma legislature will do when next they convene, but we HOPE they will look favorably upon this bill (House Joint Resolution 1089) and pass it. If we had our “druthers” we’d like to see a similar bill passed in all the legislatures of the 50 states. But, it won’t happen. Why? Because it means Americans would, once again, have to take responsibility for more of their/our own actions and inactions. We are absolutely NOT prepared to do that. Not any more. See, being invaded, conquered, occupied, and having your homes burned to the ground, your cities bombarded, burned, looted, and left in smoking ruins, and then suffering the indignity of being reconstructed, or as the modern phrase has it… “re-educated”… sort of gets your attention while, at the same time, serving as an example to any other states who may be considering doing something so foolish as thinking THEY have rights the federal government, in it’s questionable wisdom, did not grant them.

For the most part, modern Americans do not even understand state’s rights. They/we have no inkling of what state’s rights are … or rather… were… before we allowed the federal government to squash them. However, state’s rights are easily defined. Read the US Constitution. If the power is not explicitly stated to be that of the federal government by the constitution… it is a right of the states. If the states don’t particular care about the right in question, then it is the right of the people. Read it: “…The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” That is right out of the tenth amendment to the US Constitution. It is a part of our Bill of Rights. In fact, a number of states insisted that the 10th amendment had to be in there… or… they would not ratify, or “sign on to” the constitution in the first place. The state I call my home today was one of those hardheaded states.

Oklahoma has just remembered what all the states have forgotten… our sovereignty. Pray God we all remember… before it is too late.

Police director sues for critical bloggers' names

Site popular with citizens, officers

By Amos Maki (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal
Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Memphis Police Director Larry Godwin and the city of Memphis have filed a lawsuit to learn who operates a blog harshly critical of Godwin and his department.

The lawsuit asks AOL to produce all information related to the identity of an e-mail address linked to MPD Enforcer 2.0, a blog popular with police officers that has been extremely critical of police leadership at 201 Poplar.





"Some members of the Enforcer 2.0 have contacted their attorneys and we are in the process of filing a lawsuit against Larry and the City of Memphis. What's wrong Larry? The truth hurt?"

It wasn't clear if the lawsuit is aimed at shutting down the site or if it's part of an effort to stop leaks that might affect investigations.

Many of the documents in the case, filed in Chancery Court on July 10, have been sealed by Chancellor Kenny Armstrong. Police officials would not discuss the action, citing pending litigation.

Whatever the reason, Internet and free-speech advocates said they had serious problems with the city's actions.

"You can complain about the government, and you should be able to do that without fear of retaliation or threatening actions on the part of the people in these positions," said Lillie Coney, associate director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a Washington-based watchdog group. "I guess they've kind of annoyed them at some level, but you really don't want to see law enforcement or government resources spent in this way."

AOL has been ordered to turn over similar records in the past.

In 2001, Japanese company Nam Tai filed a complaint in California state court against unknown Web posters claiming they committed libel and violated the state's unfair business practices statute.

Nam Tai was able to obtain the e-mail address of one of the posters and then obtained a subpoena from a Virginia state court to AOL seeking the name behind the e-mail address.

AOL filed a motion to have the order quashed, but lost that bid in trial court and the Supreme Court of Virginia.

Officials with the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee said they will be watching the case closely and that anonymous speech is essential to the free flow of ideas in a democracy.

"We are quite interested in preserving the anonymity of the bloggers," said Hedy Weinberg, executive director of the ACLU of Tennessee. "Anonymous speech has long been protected speech under the First Amendment."

The bloggers, who operate under the name of Dirk Diggler -- the name of the porn star in "Boogie Nights" -- say their site provides an important service to officers and citizens.

"This is another attempt at disrupting an outlet for officers to gather and complain about the administration," they said on the site.

"Further, this allows us unrestricted communication with the citizens of Memphis. The citizens should be made aware of the scandals that rock the administration and shudder the rocky foundation in which they operate today."

The bloggers also said city attorneys earlier this year wrote a threatening letter on city letterhead to a company that produced T-shirts for the bloggers.

Friday, July 25, 2008

HR3221 wiill allow IRS access to all credit card transactions

by Gary Shumway
Your House of Non-Representatives just voted to base our currency on near worthless FannieMae and FreddieMac mortgages. The vote was 272-152-11 with 227 Democrats and 45 Republicans voting ‘Aye’. The vote was on HR 3221 the ‘Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008′. The Federal Reserve can now print as much money as it wants to cover the bad loans. Why would a sane individual, let alone someone elected to preserve and protect the Constitution, vote to have our currency based on worthless and near worthless mortgages? We went off the gold standard in 1934 and now we are on the worthless paper standard.

Here is what the President and CEO of FannieMae, Daniel H. Mudd, had to say on the legislation:

The landmark housing legislation passed by the House today creates a strong regulator for the GSEs. Combined with the temporary ability of the U.S. Treasury, by mutual agreement, to invest in GSE securities, the legislation should reinforce confidence that the GSEs will be able to serve the housing finance system now and in the future. We look forward to Senate action on the legislation and President Bush’s signature. We also look forward to working with the newly created Federal Housing Finance Agency to implement the legislation in a manner that both ensures the GSEs’ safety and soundness and allows them to continue to attract the private capital that is the basis of the U.S. housing market.

That’s not enough? How about buried in the bill is increasing the nation debt by 800 billion dollars?! Obviously they are planning on cheapening the dollar even more and ‘investing’ huge sums of money into failed housing. Soon the government will own a good share of the housing in the United States. How does that sit with you?

Now enough yet? How about all mortgage brokers will be required to be fingerprinted. As is commonly known, “When they came for the pot smokers, I wasn’t a pot smoker so I didn’t say anything. When they came for the cigarette smokers, I didn’t smoke so I didn’t say anything. Now that they’ve come for me, there is no one left to say anything.” If you will but look at most, if not essentially, all government mandates/programs, they always expand. Fingerprinting the mortgage brokers is not going to solve the problem nor stop it. It is government using scare tactics to control we citizens.

But now for the pièce de résistance. How about, included in that same piece of egregious legislation, is the provision for the IRS to receive notice of all of your credit card transactions? Yes, even though the IRS was previously blocked via the courts from receiving this information they will now have access to it via this legislation. Now Ron Paul said all credit card transactions but I read from other sites, yes, we were warned months ago, that reportable transactions include any payment card transaction and any third party network transaction. Regardless, once again, the IRS gets their nose in the tent on this one and they will be wanting all financial transactions. Do we live in Nazi Germany or Stalin’s Soviet Union? Good Lord!

You must contact your Senators and get this legislation stopped or friends, we are truly screwed.

Storable foods getting harder to come by

From StanDeyo.com - It came to our attention today, that the world's largest producer of storable foods, Mountain House, is currently out of stock of ALL #10 cans of freeze dried foods.They will NOT have product now through ALL of 2009.

This information was learned by a Mountain House dealer who shared it with me this morning. In personally talking with the company immediately after, Mountain House verified the information is true. Customer service stated, "I'm surprised they don't have this posted on the website yet." She said they have such a backlog of orders, Mountain House will not be taking any #10 can food requests through the remainder of this year and all of the next.

Mountain House claims this situation is due to a backlog of orders, which may very well be true, but who is purchasing all of their food? This is a massive global corporation.

One idea: the military. Tensions are ramping up with Iran and news segments debate whether or not we will implement a preemptive strike in conjunction with Israel.

This guess is further underscored by our experience at the Internet Grocer. In early June we placed an order with them for Red Feather Real Canned Butter. We brought this same canned butter back with us from Australia – at about half the price. Now it's looking good at any price. It took 6 weeks for the order to arrive due to a major buyout from "the feds". Here is Internet Grocer's posted message:

We're told that the feds bought the entire container of canned butter when it hit the California docks. (Something's up!) Butter arrived first week of June. Get your Butter order in NOW to have yours set aside. We're working to fill back-orders now.


If you dig further on the Internet Grocer site, you find that the military did indeed purchase a large quantity of Mountain House foods, too. Internet Grocer however, is out of the loop on the extent of Mountain House's backlog saying the delay will be 20 weeks, when it is now extended to 76 weeks.

These companies are not alone. People are finally awakened that time is running out. In late May, Fox News aired a live preparedness seminar and they warned people NOT to expect emergency supplies to be provided by the government and that they need to be self-sufficient. Will you be prepared?

SOLUTIONS

1. Some Mountain House dealers may still have #10 cans available. You will need to locate them and contact them directly.... Search Online Dealers.

2. You might check with The Freeze Dry Guy at 866.404.3663 (FOOD) to see if he has supplies available.

3. Always a great option, buy your own bulk foods and pack them for long-term storage. It's easy and you'll have the knowledge at your fingertips whenever you want to set food aside. It eliminates having to depend on vendor, trucker and gouging grocers. You pack what you want to eat and in the quantity that works best for your family.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

A Quiet Coup: Cheney/Bush's Steps To Martial Law

by Ed Ciaccio

If U.S. corporate media were not complicit in the Quiet Coup staged by Neoconservatives of BOTH major political parties since December 2000, we would have been thoroughly informed about all of the following, with their implications and ramifications. But corporate media has so much to gain by its complicity, and so much to lose by fulfilling its responsibility in a supposed democracy, that it has gone along with the misinformation, neglect, and cover-ups.

The Democrats refused to contest either the 2000 or 2004 elections, despite glaring irregularities and violations of precedence. Democrats have continued to vote for most of the Cheney/Bush agenda, both foreign and domestic, over the last seven and a half years, with very few exceptions.

Democrats, except for Cynthia McKinney (now Green Party candidate for president), Dennis Kucinich, and Robert Wexler, have refused to support impeachment hearings for Cheney's and Bush's many, many gross violations of Constitutional and international law, let alone their war crimes. In fact, Democratic leaders themselves have been complicit in some of these war crimes, and most Democrats continue to vote funding for the illegal wars and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, refusing to question the sanity and legality of Bush's "Global War on Terror."

For an outline of the steps to fascism, gleaned from history, see "Fascist America in 10 easy steps" by Naomi Wolf (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/apr/24/usa.comment)

The following events and actions are actual and historical, not theoretical, and are by no means exhaustive:

Cheney/Bush's Steps To Martial Law (as of July 21, 2008):

1. Stealing the 2000 presidential election in Florida (with the help of Florida's Secretary of State Katherine Harris, who was also co-chair of the Florida Bush Election Campaign, and the five regressive Supreme Court Justices appointed by Nixon, Reagan, and Bush, Sr.)
2. 9/11/01 attacks (Bush had been warned numerous times since Jan. 2001)
3. Bush's GWOT - Global war on Terror ("You're either with us, or with the terrorists!")
4. Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists (only one member of Congress voted against it)
5. Patriot Act I (obviously prepared well in advance of the 9/11 attacks, it was rushed into law before most members of Congress had read it)
6. Bush's hundreds of "signing statements" basically negating laws passed by Congress with which he disagreed
7. Stealing the 2004 presidential election in Ohio (with the help of Ohio's Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell, also co-chair of the "Committee to re-elect George W. Bush")
8. Bush's multiple violations of the original FISA law (revealed Dec., 2005 and admitted by Bush himself)
9. Bush's Homeland Security contract to KBR for construction of "detention centers" across the U.S.
10. The Military Commissions Act of 2006
11. The John Warner Defense Authorization Act of 2007 (see, especially, Section 1076)
12. National Security Presidential Directive/NSPD 51 and Homeland Security Presidential Directive/HSPD-20
13. H.R. 1955: Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 (the "Thought Crime Act") passed the House 404 to 6, with 22 not voting; Democratic Representative Jane Harman, its prime sponsor, was one notable Democrat who was privy to Bush Administration torture information in 2002. Its Senate counterpart, S. 1959, is still in committee.
14. FISA "Reform" Act (not only granted retroactive AND FUTURE immunity to telecoms for their complicity in Bush's violations of the original FISA Law, but also, implicitly, to Bush, as well as gutting the Fourth Amendment guarantee of privacy).
15. Federal 4th Circuit Appeals Court gives the president sweeping power to deprive anyone -- citizens as well as noncitizens -- of their freedom. The designation "enemy combatant," which should apply only to people captured on a battlefield, can now be applied to ANY people detained inside the United States.

As a result of these steps, the president now has much more power than ever before in U.S. history, certainly more than our Constitution allows him, according to most Constitutional scholars such as Jonathan Turley, Glenn Greenwald, Bruce Fein, and John Dean.

The important question is, what, if anything, will the new president, Obama or McCain, do to reverse any of these steps (except for numbers 1, 2, and 7, obviously)?

The Voluntary Human Extinction Movement



"May we live long and die out"


Phasing out the human race by voluntarily ceasing to breed will allow Earth's biosphere to return to good health. Crowded conditions and resource shortages will improve as we become less dense.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Method in the Madness

Demonizing Iran is an old trick. It pumps up the jingo mindset. Military spending draws down domestic spending - a key right-wing agenda. More war provides more enemies and so more pretext to erode civil liberties. With another invasion the Halliburtons and Blackwaters get to lap up more contracts, notes Ed Kinane.


These days we’re on needles and pins. We keep our fingers crossed. We hope the US won’t attack Iran. There are good reasons to believe it won’t. Elsewhere I’ve argued the folly of doing so.

Cheney and Bush, no doubt, have heard such reasons and yet still itch to attack. They’ve got the aircraft carriers and Cruise missiles in place. They keep poking Iran hoping to get an overreaction. They keep saber-rattling.

Why, we all wonder, would they replay the same — or even greater — debacle as in Iraq? Many readers may be too humane to fathom what goes on in those men’s minds. Sociopaths are hard to understand. Nonetheless we must try.

Who knows? Part of Cheney and Bush’s crusade may be theological. Isn’t it god-like to unleash the Predators? Isn’t it god-like to threaten and surge, kill and explode? Islamic Iraq and Islamic Afghanistan may seem to those men like latter-day Sodoms and Gomorrahs. Having smote them, let Islamic Iran be next.

Besides, having failed to force Iraq and Afghanistan to submit, they may well crave another chance. They certainly seek to shore up their faltered administration. They’ve seen how a new war distracts from scandals in high places. And how it distracts from policy disasters, both domestic and international. A new war puffs up otherwise plummeting presidential and vice presidential polls. Our cowed and co-opted Congress rolls over during war. War pumps up executive power.

But for much of the power structure backing Cheney and Bush, it’s economics that rule. The anti-Iran orchestra has all the might and momentum of the Imperium. The US — with its proxies and puppets, its air, land and sea forces, its Delta and Special forces — now occupies not only Iraq but much of the Middle East.

The threatened attack is bigger than Cheney and Bush. The US is engaged in a bi-partisan, multi-administration, region-wide resource war. The US oiligarchy covets the region’s (including Iran’s) vast energy reserves. [See Michael T. Klare’s, “Blood and Oil” (2004)]. Reinforcing that imperial thieving are other, subsidiary greeds, other hungers for power.

Demonizing Iran is an old trick. It does what demonizing the Soviet Union did decades ago: it pumps up the jingo mindset. It pumps up military budgets. Military spending draws down domestic spending — a key right-wing agenda.

Attacking Iran keeps the pot boiling. It perpetuates the phony war on terror. More war provides more enemies and so more pretext to erode civil liberties. Unscrupulous politicians and certain corporations thrive when fear keeps people dumb and dazed. With another invasion the Halliburtons and Blackwaters get to lap up more contracts.

Realpolitik demands we crush our rivals. Despite its intense resistance, militarily Iraq is broken — in the Middle East that just leaves Iran. Going after Iran would further align our power structure to Israel’s military machine and to its allies here in the US. Neutralizing Iran would further strangle those pesky Palestinians.

But note: It’s delusory to think that attacking Iran will just be a spasm of quick, “surgical” air strikes. Wars morph; violence bounces. Violating Iran will generate enormous blowback, both in the region and here in the US. This country will polarize. Widespread dissent or “terrorist” retaliation — contrived or otherwise — might lead to martial law.

Surely the think tankers have explored the martial law card and have worked out every last detail of implementation. The plans are right there on the shelf. Martial law could provide the pretext for postponing the November election. Far fetched? Does the gang in Washington act as if it’s ready to bow out? Can it really allow subpoena power and indictment power to fall into unfriendly hands?

Now, if elections do go forward and we’re bogged down with Iran, McCain — marketed as the tough, commander-in-chief type — will be more likely to win this otherwise uphill vote. But even if Obama wins, at least his White House years might be hamstrung cleaning up one vast mess. An Iran war begun before either the election or inauguration would, conveniently, derail any partisan domestic agenda he and a Democrat-controlled Congress may have.

Consider this back room scenario. Sometime late this summer Cheney and Bush’s people offer the Obama camp a deal: “Have your new attorney general drop any Iraq war crime charges and we won’t drop the bombs….”

Ed Kinane visited Iran in 2007. You can reach him at edkinane@verizon.net. This article appeared in CommonDreams.org.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

VIDEO: ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS

Kucinich to investigate police surveillance of protest groups

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), who has figured prominently in recent political news for his attempts to begin impeachment hearings against President George W. Bush, today announced that the congressional subcommittee he chairs will look into reports of peace groups being surveilled by police and private investigators.

“[M]ost people would be upset to know that police were spying on lawful citizens and infiltrating peaceful organizations, rather than chasing down real criminals,” said Kucinich in a press release delivered to RAW STORY. “At a minimum, such police spying is clearly a waste of taxpayer dollars and a diversion from the mission of protecting and serving the people.

“I want the subcommittee to determine how widespread these activities are and who ordered them,” the Ohio Democrat and former presidential candidate said.

Kucinich chairs the House Domestic Policy Subcommittee of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

The press release referred to reports that Maryland state police officers infiltrated peace and anti-death penalty groups and that private investigators working on behalf of “several large corporations” had surveilled environmental groups.

Such surveillance is apparently not limited to law enforcement and private investigators. In January 2007, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) released a report showing “widespread Pentagon surveillance of peace activists.” http://waronyou.com/2008/07/kucinich-to-investigate

our tax dollars go for this stuff!!.i think we all can come with better and higher priority uses, especially when it is being funded by loaned or newly printed dollars. please let your legislators know that this is not money well spent.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

amber light?

July 14th, 2008 by Michael Nystrom
From the Times UK:

Despite the opposition of his own generals and widespread skepticism that America is ready to risk the military, political and economic consequences of an airborne strike on Iran, the president has given an “amber light” to an Israeli plan to attack Iran’s main nuclear sites with long-range bombing sorties, the official told The Sunday Times.

“Amber means get on with your preparations, stand by for immediate attack and tell us when you’re ready,” said an anonymous, senior Pentagon official.


My first (and primary) thought is that like a magician’s trick of slight of hand, international war is the perfect distraction from domestic economic collapse.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Refresher Course for New Mexicans - Recipients of the Regenerative Goddess aka NM Spaceport



Long before Wikipedia there were books. Long before there were books there were humans. According to Marija Gimbutas' The Civilization of the Goddess:

There were four main groups of the Goddess (1) representing the generative forces of nature, (2) a Goddess representing the destructive forces of nature, (3) the Goddess of regeneration and (4) a category of "prehistoric male deities who make up only three to five percent" of the Neolithic sculpture. (Sorry, men, it just wasn't your time.)
Chapter 7, page 223.

It was not always necessary for the Goddess's entire figure to be carved, for it was typical in prehistoric periods to depict only those body parts that emitted her generative powers: vulva, pubic triangle, buttocks, and breasts. It was sufficient to carve her vulva into rock, to find a stone shaped like a triangle, or to make a bone amulet shaped like breasts or buttocks. Such symbols represented the potency of her generative powers.

Attempts to explain the representation of vulvas, breasts, and buttocks have resulted in fantastic hypotheses. For the most part, these images have been viewed through the lens of 20th century bias. One explanation of the "beginning of art" is that manual love play - the touching of vulvas, buttocks, and breasts - stimulated art creations some 30,000 years ago. To conclude that these Paleolithic symbols were objects created for the erotic stimulation of males completely ignores their religious and social context.

...The symbol of the vulva does not end with the Aurignacian period, but can be traced from the Upper Paleolithic, through the whole of the Neolithic, Copper, and Bronze ages, up to historical times. It is pictured as a supernatural triangle, lozenge, or oval, often together with aquatic signs - meanders, zigzags, wavy parallel lines - or as seeds depicted as a dot in the center of the enclosure. ...

In all prehistoric art, the vulva is never to be seen as a passive object but as a symbol of the source of life itself. It is the cosmic womb, analogous to the blossoming of a bud, from which all birth and new vitality unfolds. Figurines representing the generative forces of the Goddess are always depicted with large vulvas or public triangles....

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Heads Up Alamogordo City Commissioners: Stealth Move by U.N. to Control Water Using EPA, Forest Service, Nature Conservancy et al.

"A resolution was presented to the Municipal League last month supporting an OUTSTANDING NATIONAL RESOURCE WATERS (ONRW) designation for ALL waters that flow through U.S. Forest Service inventoried roadless and wilderness area boundaries.

This is a TERRIBLE thing. The ONRW designation disallows ANY degradation of current water quality… ANY use can cause degradation.

It goes without saying that EVERYONE wants healthy watersheds that produce high quality and high quantity water. However, an ONRW designation could seriously impact the ability to manage watersheds. A huge problem with watersheds right now is the lack of management that has created overgrown forests that are prone to catastrophic fires. After the fires water quality is devastated by the runoff from denuded lands."

ORF will send you a copy of the resolution. Just leave a message in Comments. Are you starting to get the picture on RS 2477 Roads (Travel Management Plans) in the Lincoln and all National Forests? The mosaic is taking shape right in front of our eyes.


National Guidance
Water Quality Standards for Wetlands

5.3 Protection of Outstanding Wetlands

Outstanding national resource waters (ONRW) designations offer special protection (i.e., no degradation) for designated waters, including wetlands. These are areas of exceptional water quality or recreational/ecological significance. State antidegradation policies should provide special protection to wetlands designated as outstanding national resource waters in the same manner as other surface waters; see Section 131.12(a)(3) of the WQS regulation and EPA guidance (Water Quality Standards Handbook (USEPA 1983b), and Questions and Answers on: Antidegradation (USEPA 1985a)). Activities that might trigger a State analysis of a wetland for possible designation as an ONRW are no different for wetlands than for other waters.

The following list provides general information on wetlands which are likely candidates for protection as ONRWs. It also may be used to identify specific wetlands for use designation under the State's wetland classification system; see Section 4.0. Some of these information sources are discussed in greater detail in EPA's guidance entitled Wetlands and Section 401 Certification: Opportunities and Guidelines for States and Eligible Indian Tribes (USEPA 1989f); see Section 6.1.

o Parks, wildlife management areas, refuges, wild and scenic rivers, and estuarine sanctuaries;

o Wetlands adjacent to ONRWs or other high quality waters (e.g., lakes, estuaries shellfish beds, etc.);

o Priority wetlands identified under the Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986 through Statewide Outdoor Recreation Plans (SORP) and Wetland Priority Conservation Plans;

o Sites within joint venture project areas under the North American Waterfowl Management Plan;

o Sites under the Ramsar (Iran) Treaty on Wetlands of International Importance;

o Biosphere reserve sites identified as part of the "Man and the Biosphere" Program sponsored by the United Nations;

o Natural heritage areas and other similar designations established by the State or private organizations (e.g., Nature Conservancy);

o Priority wetlands identified as part of comprehensive planning efforts conducted at the local, State, Regional or Federal levels of government; e.g., Advance Identification (ADID) program under Section 404 and Special Area Management Plans (SAMPs) under the 1980 Coastal Zone Management Act.

The Wetland Evaluation Technique; Volume II: Methodology (Adamus et al. 1987) provides additional guidance on the identification of wetlands with high ecological and social value; see Section 3.2.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Oh No, a Desert Toad Jumped Into My Septic Tank, What am I to do?

From the diary of Janet White:

Today, just as the septic tank was placed into the ground for my new, very small, environmentally conscious house, a desert toad jumped from the bank of the hole directly onto the concrete septic tank (state approved system) and then hopped into the opening thus dooming itself to to certain death one way or another.

Should I sue the State of New Mexico, the United Nations (International Building Code), City of Alamogordo (ooops, they are in such turmoil right now, better not bother) or Wildlife Guardians for not foreseeing this obvious failure to protect this desert toad?

I won't be able to sleep tonight because this little critter committed hari-kari right in front of me and two other witnesses. They are probably not enjoying conjugal relations as a result of this.

Please, Gomment, come and save me. Where is Gilberto Romero when I need him?

BUSH ADMINSTRATION OBJECTS TO COMPENSATION TO RANCHERS FOR WOLF PREDATION

Title click. From the CASPER STAR-TRIBUNE

Small Towns Fight Trans Texas Corridor, Even Sierra Club is on Their Side

Aunt B sent this to us. It is lengthy but worth it. Note the parallels between NM Spaceport, UNESCO World Heritage Site Designation and Trans Texas Corridor.

Rocks for the Goliath Road
Small-town leaders in Central Texas think they’ve found cracks in the Trans-Texas Corridor’s armor.

By PETER GORMAN

BARTLETT — Sitting in Lois and Jerry’s Restaurant, surrounded by a blue-jean and overalls lunch crowd, Mae Smith and Ralph Snyder don’t look like giant-killers. In fact, the small-town mayor (5’ 2”) and the salvage shop owner (6’ 6”) look more like a Mutt and Jeff comedy team.

But along with mayors, business leaders, and farmers in Bell County, north of Austin, and their counterparts in several other parts of the state, Smith and Snyder are taking on a Texas Goliath — the Trans-Texas Corridor, the monster transportation project being pushed by Gov. Rick Perry and the Texas Department of Transportation.

Two years ago, the I-35 section of the project, planned to parallel the existing interstate, was seen as a done deal, and TxDOT was busy signing contracts with the Spanish-U.S. consortium called Cintra-Zachry to build a section of the corridor and operate it as a private toll road. Now, however, much of the political support for it has drained away in the face of widespread grass-roots opposition. Even the project’s backers say the small-towners’ group may have a chance of causing major holdups — and perhaps even fatal delays....

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

R L Submitted This Jim Beers Commentary. Right on Target.

Large Predators

Rottwolves & Pitlions

Am I the only one perplexed about the media and government officials
explaining attacks by mountain lions that kill rural New Mexico residents,
California bicyclists, Colorado joggers and children, British Columbia
mothers and daughters, and seriously maim and injure dozens of others in
recent years as somehow explicable and justifiable because "'they' (the
deceased and the maimed) were 'in the lion's habitat'"?

Is there no one else dumbfounded by the media and government officials
stating that the spreading destruction by wolves in America on livestock,
big game hunting, and rural dogs added to their stalking of western US
schoolchildren, their deadly attacks in Saskatchewan, their attacks in
British Columbia and Alaska, and their historic toll on thousands of humans
in Asia and Europe; is of no importance because wolves "belong" everywhere
they can exist because they are a "native species".

Other than those that "hate" hunters (and there are many such people) doesn't
anyone see the danger of increasing numbers of grizzly bears that are
killing stock, big game, rural dogs, and stalking rural homesteads while
beginning to stalk and attack bowhunters and other rural outdoors folks. To
say, as noted above that those and their property harmed by these massive
and dangerous animals are "in their habitat" or that they (the large
predators) "belong" here or that we "need" more of them should leave us all
in high dudgeon.

As a matter of fact, all of these animals ("red" wolf, "gray" wolf,
"Mexican" wolf, "timber" wolf [i.e. wolves], grizzly bears, cougars,
mountain lions, "Florida" panthers [i.e. cougars], and the laughably
"Listed" black bears of Louisiana and Florida) are merely the current tools
of those that would vacate rural America (but for themselves and the filthy
rich), eliminate hunting and fishing and trapping and ranching and the
concept of private property and animal ownership and use.

Wolves are eliminating the big game herds thereby reducing the number of
hunters (and coincidentally gun owners, a "two-fer" so to speak). Wolves
are eliminating ranching by making livestock losses, coupled with the
powerful hostility of government bureaucrats and the pressures of wealthy
environmental groups a powerful juggernaut to make the west a "corridor to
nowhere" devoid of rural community life, owned by government. and closed to
both use and management of natural and agricultural resources. Wolves are
making ranchers and other rural residents with families increasingly look to
sell out and move away to "safer" (more urban) places for children and the
elderly especially.

Lions are the excuse for closing more and more of Florida to hunting and
other human activities. Lions are the excuse being used by Midwestern
bureaucrats (dressed in state uniforms but in reality federal bureaucrat
wannabees) to argue for "protection" of "native species" as lions
mysteriously appear in Iowa and Wisconsin and Illinois. Lions increasingly
stalk and kill humans as their numbers increase and their food supply
dwindles and especially as they (like wolves and bears) experience no
adverse consequences as they move in and around human habitation.

Grizzly bears are very, very dangerous omnivores that, like wolves and
lions, are increasing in numbers and range. Their presence is used to
justify closing roads, eliminating grazing and logging, reducing hunting,
the easement and purchase of more and more private property by government
and their subsidized "partners" like the massively wealthy Nature
Conservancy.

All of these animals are making rural life more tenuous, more dangerous, and
less economically viable. Yhis is intentional. Add to this the urban
support for higher gas prices and the current crop of federal (give the
urban voters the rural countryside) politicians and you have a recipe for a
rerun of the Highland Clearances of rural Scotland (by British Lords) in the
years following our Revolution and the Founding of this country. Read John
Prebble's book The Highland Clearances sometime if you want to see how even
"civilized" and "educated" rulers can be every bit as callous as the worst
Third World or communist dictator. Ask yourself then, "How lucky am I to
have Constitutional rights and a limit on the power of government?" and "Can
I afford to allow others chip away at my rights?" But I digress.

The wolves, cougars, and bears are being protected and spread by federal and
state bureaucrats utilizing recent laws and regulations that are built on
the erroneous assumption that they belong everywhere (they definitely DO NOT
belong where they are a danger to humans or to human activities or property)
and that citizen protection of persons and property from these animals makes
the human guilty of a serious offense unless he can prove otherwise in a
court of law. Large predators near human habitation should be killed by
public employees or private citizens immediately. The numbers and ranges of
such animals should be controlled and strictly circumscribed. Public
hunting should be the preferred method of such control for a whole host of
reasons that would fill pages. Their adverse effects on livestock, big
game, and dogs should be minimized. Their danger to humans should be
strictly minimized and rural people should be given all freedom to carry
weapons and take deadly action in the few areas where such animals might be
expected to occur.

Let us ask what my liability would be if I released a vicious and deadly dog
("Rottwolf?") or large cat ("Pitlion?") in a town or suburb or rural area?
Let us further ask what my liability would be if the dog or large cat I
released killed a child or someone's dog or livestock or some wintering
deer? Could I protect myself from charges if I said, "the dog belonged
there" or "the child behaved improperly" or "the livestock and dogs didn't
belong there"? Could I take you into court and get you charged with a
felony (prison, fines, loss of gun rights, loss of voting rights, loss of
future employment, etc.) if you shot my dog and could not prove it was in
self-defense? Suppose I got some friendly veterinarian (better yet a
University veterinarian) to testify that my dog was really harmless and that
your dog was the culprit before it was killed based on forensic examination?
Suppose I got an archeologist to testify that dogs were roaming here
thousands of years ago and belonged here now because they were "native"?
Suppose I got some bureaucrat biologist to testify that dogs like mine were
"good" for the urban and rural environments because they kept down inferior
breeds and that there have not been any recorded and substantiated incidents
of my breed of dog ever attacking other dogs or children for hundreds of
years? Suppose that my dog or cat killed all the goats in the area and then
I got some vegan authority to testify why not having goats, and goatmeat,
and goat cheese was good for the health of children and adults? Suppose I
got a dog expert to testify that since my dog was purebred and was killing
mixed breeds that this was good for the canine gene pool? Who would buy any
of this?

All of the above and more is being perpetrated by bureaucrats using the same
false assumptions and claims every day. These are the same folks that
recently testified before Congress that guns should not be allowed on
federal properties no matter what state laws said. Just as they disregard
gun rights, the right of rural people to "Domestic Tranquility", the
provision of which appears in the Preamble of the US Constitution as the
PRIMARY reason for government, is not only ignored but purposely being
destroyed by those whose salaries we pay.

Federal and state bureaucrats, agencies, and laws can no more justify the
protection and spread of these deadly and destructive predators than I can
loose deadly dogs or large cats on my neighbors and beyond. Bureaucrats
that are responsible for these programs should be sued by relatives and
associates of persons killed by these animals. Similarly those injured by
these animals should also sue the bureaucrats responsible for establishing
and protecting these animals in places and numbers that could reasonably be
expected to have caused the attack. Charges up to and including
manslaughter should be sought. Per the OJ Simpson precedent, if the charges
don't stick; go after Civil Damages. Those who lose private animal property
like stock or dogs should likewise sue the responsible bureaucrats for the
damages and loss caused by these animals. Those that are losing their
public property opportunities to hunt game animals being extirpated by these
animals have begun the process of court actions against agencies and
regulators but have thus far avoided suing the individual bureaucrat
perpetrators of these disasters on four legs.

Do not be deterred from what I am saying by being told about how "protected"
from liability bureaucrats are by law. As observed by Charles Dickens, if
that is true "the law is an ass". Only by launching such suits nationwide
and challenging the preposterous assumptions and precedents that have been
built up by our apathy and failure to heed warnings of where this was
headed, can there be any hope of stopping this rule of the urban elites
through highly paid and amoral bureaucrats. The current crop of politicians
offer little hope, so it is up to us.

Just like it was done, so it must be undone. We need to WORK TOGETHER from
the gamefowl breeder and trapper to the dog owner and fisherman. We need to
rearrange our representative groups from the ineffective bureaucracies they
have become to focused advocacy groups full of fight, enthusiasm, and ideas.
We need to assert the local government controls outlined in the Constitution
and once again run our local communities as we want and not as urban elites
or animal rights groups demand. Expecting and demanding an environment free
of these damaging and deadly predators is just, proper, and the rightful
purpose of government. It is truly up to us. Reasserting the once
revolutionary notion of everyone, bureaucrats included, being responsible
for their actions is a first step in reasserting our individual rights and
the limited role of government that made this nation the envy of people in
every other nation of the globe for over 200 years.

Jim Beers
8 July 2008

- If you found this worthwhile, please share it with others. Thanks.

- This article and other recent articles by Jim Beers can be found at
http://jimbeers.blogster.com (Jim Beers Common Sense)

- Jim Beers is available for consulting or to speak. Contact:
jimbeers7@verizon.net

- Jim Beers is a retired US Fish & Wildlife Service Wildlife Biologist,
Special Agent, Refuge Manager, Wetlands Biologist, and Congressional Fellow.
He was stationed in North Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York City, and
Washington DC. He also served as a US Navy Line Officer in the western
Pacific and on Adak, Alaska in the Aleutian Islands. He has worked for the
Utah Fish & Game, Minneapolis Police Department, and as a Security
Supervisor in Washington, DC. He testified three times before Congress;
twice regarding the theft by the US Fish & Wildlife Service of $45 to 60
Million from State fish and wildlife funds and once in opposition to
expanding Federal Invasive Species authority. He resides in Centreville,
Virginia with his wife of many decades.

VIDEO OF U.S. FOREST SERVICE ARRESTING RAINBOWS


Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Outcry as world leaders feast at food crisis summit‏

By Robert Winnett in Hokkaido


Tuesday July 08 2008

WORLD leaders provoked an outcry after they had a six-course lunch followed by an eight-course dinner at the G8 summit where the global food crisis tops the agenda.

Hours earlier British prime minister Gordon Brown was urging the world to reduce the "unnecessary demand'' for food and calling on British families to stop wasting food.

Mr Brown and his wife Sarah were among 15 guests at the "blessings of the earth and the sea social dinner'', which consisted of 18 dishes in eight courses including caviar, smoked salmon, Kyoto beef and a 'G8 fantasy dessert'.

The banquet was accompanied by five different wines including champagne, a burgundy and sake.

African leaders, including the heads of Ethiopia, Tanzania and Senegal, who had taken part in talks during the day, were not invited to the function.

The dinner came just hours after a "working lunch'' consisting of six courses including white asparagus and truffle soup, crab and a supreme of chicken.

The lavish dining arrangements -- disclosed by the Japanese government which is hosting the summit in Hokkaido -- came at a time of concern over rising food prices triggered by a shortage of many basic necessities.

Extravagant

Opposition politicians and charities condemned the meals served as extravagant.

Dominic Nutt of Save the Children said: "It is deeply hypocritical that they should be lavishing course after course on world leaders when there is a food crisis and millions cannot afford a decent meal to eat.

"If the G8 wants to betray the hopes of a generation of children, it is going the right way about it.''

Talks at the summit will focus on dealing with soaring food and oil prices. A breakthrough is also being sought on talks to secure a new global trade deal. (© Daily Telegraph, London)

- Robert Winnett in Hokkaido

CENSORSHIP: FREEDOM OF SPEECH TRAMPLED ON AS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION NEARS

60 year-old woman ejected from building by McCain security chief and then escorted and cited by four Denver cops!


US GOVERNMENT CENSORSHIP OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

Arrest leads to Rainbow riot

By TOM MORTON
Star-Tribune staff writer

Saturday, July 5, 2008 2:05 AM MDT

U.S. Forest Service officers pointed weapons at children and fired rubber bullets and pepper spray balls at Rainbow Family members while making arrests Thursday evening, according to witnesses.

"They were so violent, like dogs," Robert Parker told reporter Deborah Stevens of the libertarian-oriented, Round Rock, Texas-based We the People Radio Network [www.wtprn.com] after the incident.

"People yelled at them, 'You're shooting children,'" Parker said during an interview on the network's "Rule of Law Show."

About 7,000 people have arrived at the gathering near Big Sandy in the Wind River Mountains for the annual Gathering of the Tribes, a seven-day event of fellowship, partying including illicit drug use, praying, and living on the land.

They camp on Forest Service land around the country every year, but the Rainbow family's nonhierarchical methods -- no one can speak for the Rainbows, much less sign a land use permit -- often have stymied their relationships.

But rarely do the tensions escalate into violence.

The Forest Service's Incident Command Team in Rock Springs issued a press release Friday morning, saying officers were patrolling the main meadow of the gathering Thursday evening when they contacted a man who fled and was later caught. Another Rainbow was detained for physically interfering.

Officers began to leave the area with the subjects and were circled by Rainbow participants, according to the news release from Rita Vollmer of the Incident Command Team.

Ten officers were escorting the detained subjects when about 400 Rainbows surrounded the squad, and more officers were requested, according to the news release.

"The mob began to advance, throwing sticks and rocks at the officers. Crowd control tactics were used to keep moving through the group of Rainbows," the news release said.

Other law enforcement agencies were called to the scene, the news release said.

Officers made five arrests; one officer suffered minor injuries and was cleared by a local hospital; and a government vehicle sustained damage, the news release said.

"This lawless behavior is unacceptable and we will not tolerate it," said John Twiss, Forest Service director of law enforcement. "The safety of our employees, public and Rainbow participants is our number one priority, and we will continue to protect everyone on the national forest."

Vollmer of the Forest Service Incident Management Team did not return calls requesting comment Friday.

Rainbow Family members' accounts told a different story.

One member who identified himself only as "Ryan" told Stevens he was with his two children in his tent at the Rainbows' Kid Village north of the main meadow where the major prayer circles and dinners are held.

One of the 10 officers pointed a pepper spray gun at him and his children, he said. His girlfriend was using the latrine outside when four officers came to her and asked if she was smoking marijuana.

The officers then ran through the Kid Village and through its kitchen, and chaos erupted, he said.

Other witnesses recounted seeing about 10 officers of the Forest Service's incident command team drag an older man from the woods near the Kid Village, according to interviews by Stevens.

A woman in the village told the officers to take their guns out of the Kid Village. An officer threw that woman to the ground and pulled her head back by her hair while she was being handcuffed, one Rainbow named Rick told Stevens.

"I got out and yelled, 'what the f--- are you doing?'" Rick said. "That got it started."

The officers backed up in a defensive position, and some used their Tasers on Rainbows, he said.

Rainbows called for their crisis management team, and Rainbow family elders urged the crowd to remain calm, he said. However, the crowd kept moving, and the Forest Service officers began randomly spraying the crowd with pepper spray bullets.

The officers, with their two suspects in custody, found an exit trail from the main meadow, and the peacekeepers urged the crowd to let them go, he said.

"These people deliberately, for hours, were aggressively working the camp over and working the people over," Ryan said. "They chose the kiddie village -- the one place, the kids, to take their stand and create a riot, and I bought into it. ... They were looking for an excuse to do some damage to us."

Ryan's partner, Feather, told Stevens she was pepper-sprayed, and saw another Rainbow with welts all over his body.

Feather also recounted seeing a couple with a young child and an infant who had just emerged from the woods and didn't know what was happening.

The couple asked the officers what was going on, and the officers pointed their guns at the children. The officers walked away, but one turned around and pointed his rifle at the baby, she told Stevens.

Robert Kinn of Afton told the Casper Star-Tribune in an interview Friday that he and his family had been camping and drove to Big Sandy because they'd never been to a gathering.

Forest Service officers gave Kinn a citation and a $175 ticket for allowing someone to ride on his vehicle's trailer, and said the officers weren't polite. "I was scared, was harassed."

Kinn and his family went to the main circle for dinner, when they heard people yelling about needing help to put out a fire in the Kid Village.

About 10 minutes later, people came back to tell the main circle the fire was over, and the crowd resumed eating, he said.

One of the senior Rainbows gathered the crowd and explained the clash with the Forest Service, and another man showed where rubber bullets hit him in the stomach, Kinn said.

Kinn and his family drove home that night, he said.

Reach Tom Morton at (307) 266-0616, or at Tom.Morton@trib.com.

Monday, July 7, 2008

GOV WANTS TO EXPAND EXPO NM

Title click to read article in BIZJOURNALS. This is going to be another county and state tax funded project like the Rail Runner and the Space Port. How will this benefit Otero County?

G-8 SUMMIT: WE CUT BACK/THEY CONSUME MORE/WE PAY THE BILL

Title click. Article in FORBES MAGAZINE.

DNC IN DENVER: YOU HAVE GOT TO READ THIS ARTICLE IN THE NY TIMES

Title click. From the NY TIMES.

The Democratic administration of Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper has botched the gala Democratic National Convention. Now Obama's people are coming in to take charge. Major contracts to build the convention center floor in the Pepsi Center are still undecided. This thing blasts off on August 24th. The whole things upside down. Is this a glimpse of things to come if we see four years of Obama?

Otero County Commission Work Session Agenda for 7/9/08

NEW BUSINESS:

Presentation: Bert Hanneman to present safety awards to Otero County Sheriff’s Office, Detention Center, and Pinon Road Shop for their outstanding achievement in safety. (Regular Meeting Only)

CONSENT AGENDA

All items marked “CA” will be approved by a single motion, these items on the “Consent Agenda” are considered routine and should not require further discussion. Items can be removed at the request of a Commissioner, County staff, or a member of the public, removed items will be heard in the order of the numbered sequence.

A. Approval of Bills Lists:

CA (1) #59, #60, #61, #62, #63, #64

B. Approval of Minutes:

CA (2) Special Joint Meeting, May 28, 2008

Special Meeting, June 6, 2008

Regular Meeting, June 12, 2008

Special Meeting, June 19, 2008

C. Health Care Services:

CA (3) Consider approving or denying claims for other providers closing out 2007/2008 fiscal year:

Ø Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center

· 84 claims recommended for approval totaling $131,939.91

· 1 claim recommended for denial totaling $3,132.90 (claimants failed to complete paper work)

Ø Memorial Medical Center, Las Cruces, NM

· 6 claims recommended for approval totaling $8,755.22

Ø Otero County Detention Center

· 2 claims recommended for approval totaling $2,227.61

Submitted by: Gloria Sainz

D. Personnel:

CA (4) Request approval to promote Jacqueline Jaramillo from Receptionist/Secretary to Administrative Assistant. This action is in concert with the restructuring of the office of the County Manager under the new administration. The salary increase is from $17,570.96 to $28,011.40. Submitted by: Tim Smith

E. Purchasing:

CA (5) Request approval of Seal Bid #08-029 for the Petroleum Products for Otero County Road Shop to Ritchie Dist, Alamogordo and C & R Distributing Inc. This is a four (4) year Indefinite Quantity Contract, for miscellaneous amounts. Submitted by: Ginger Herndon

CA (6) Request approval of Seal Bid #08-043 for a 2009 Peterbilt 4 x 4 Tanker, for Sun Spot VFD, to Freedom Fire Equipment, Marietta, GA., in the amount of $195,445.00. Submitted by: Ginger Herndon

CA (7) Request approval of Seal Bid #08-044 for a 2009 Rosenbauer Top Mount Pumper, for Jack Rabbit Flats VFD, to Artesia Fire Equipment, Artesia, NM, in the amount of $199,410.00. Grant fund amount $181,942.91, department will pay $17,467.09. Submitted by: Ginger Herndon

CA (8) Request approval of Seal Bid #08-045 for a 2009 Peterbilt 340 4 x 4 Tanker, for Burro Flats VFD, to Freedom Fire Equipment, Marietta, GA., for the amount of $194,872.00. Grant funded amount ($151,000.00) balance ($43,872.00) paid by Burro Flats. Submitted by: Ginger Herndon

CA (9) Request approval of Seal Bid #08-046 for Repair of a Swimming Pool to Advanced Pools, El Paso, Texas in the amount of $55,980.00. This is a grant funded project for the Timberon Water and Sanitation Dept. Submitted by: Ginger Herndon

CA (10) Request approval for the yearly renewal to lease a building located at 211 10th Street from Adlea Wallace, she has submitted an increase from $800.00 a month to $1,100.00 per month. The premises are used by the Juvenile Probation Offices. Submitted by: Ginger Herndon

F. Resolutions, Contracts & Agreements:

CA (11) Request approval of Resolution #07-17-08/97-01 adopting Otero County’s Final Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2008/2009. Submitted by: Donna Brandon

CA (12) Request approval of Resolution #07-17-08/97-02 appointing Timothy Smith, County Manger and Ray Backstrom, Asstant County Manager as Otero County’s representative for dealing with U.S. Bank as trustees. Submitted by: Tim Smith

CA (13) Request approval of a Memorandum of Understanding between Otero County and the City of Alamogordo concerning Ambulance Dispatch Services. This MOU replaces the previous agreement. Submitted by: Ray Backstrom


G. Elected Officials, Department Heads, Committee Reports:

CA (14) Ray Backstrom – Request approval to advertise and schedule a public hearing to review and consider a resolution and ordinance relating to a County Regional Spaceport Gross Receipts Tax.

CA (15) Bill Lee Parker – Hueco Bolson Realty, Inc. requesting Otero County Road maintenance on roads in State Line Subdivision and Look Estates Subdivision.

(16) Tim Smith – Consider appointing an applicant as a member of the Alamogordo Public Library Board.

(17) Donna Brandon – Final Review of operating budget for fiscal year 2008/2009.

(Worksession Only)

(18) Tim Smith – L.D. Garrett, M3 Research Contracts with Otero County

H. Public Hearing(s):

6:30 p.m.

(19) Diane Romo, Planning Coordinator – Hear public comments and consider the
vacation of Colquitt Block G, lots 1 and 2. The subdivider is proposing to subdivide two lots in a previously approved subdivision into a new subdivision containing four lots.

CITIZEN COMMUNICATIONS:

(20) Dr. Mark Turnbough – Discuss the status of relocation of the High Desert
Landfill (previously known as the Rhino Facility) to the north side of Chaparral.

COMMISSION DISCUSSIONS/CORRESPONDENCE:

A. Doug Moore - (District 1)

B. Clarissa McGinn - (District 2)

C. Michael Nivison - (District 3)


UNSCHEDULED CITIZEN COMMUNICATIONS: (Limited to 3 minutes)

The issues raised during "Unscheduled Citizen Communications” are not action items and shall not be entitled to decision making by the Otero County Commission at the meeting where they are first raised.

EXECUTIVE SESSION:

A. Collective Bargaining

B. Pending/Threatened Litigation

· Border Network for Human Rights v. Otero County

· Agnew v. Otero County

· Wolf reintroduction

· Perk-Grindstone 60 day notice

C. Personnel

D. Land

E. Roads

F. Detention Center

G. Contracts

ADJOURNMENT

For Information Only:

The next regularly scheduled Otero County

Commission meeting is Thursday,

July 17, 2008 at 6:00 p.m.

From "Letters from the Hive, an Intimate History of Beens, Honey, and Humankind"

Author Stephen Buchmann is an amateur beekeeper, associate professor of entomology at the University of Arizona, coauthor of The forgotten Pollinators, and founder of The Bee Works, an environmental company.

Trading Honey Today: The Bitter Consequences of Globalization

...Governments of the major industrialized nations promote globalization and reward participating developing countries with subsidies and favored status as trading partners.

These liberalized trade policies have had a profound impact on the way we do business and how economies are measured. In ways that may not always be apparent, globalization affects the quality of our daily lives. The deteriorating quality and taste of many of our foods reflect recent changes in the stewardship of the earth due to the growth of modern industrial agriculture.

The honey trade is one of the many victims of a worldwide economy that has grown too large and too fast, without adequate monitoriong and controls. The politics of globalization are rarely alighed with the needs of small beekeepers, small honey producers, and individual honey lovers such as you and me. Today we have far fewer choices when we go to the supermarket to buy our favorite sweetener, for the homogenizing aspect of global commerce has resulted in a less diverse product, still sweet but somehow not as flavorful and appealing as the thick, golden liquid we knew before.

...Large-scaled exporters, including China, Argentina, Australia, Russia, and the United States dominate the world honey market. Among these countires, China ranks first...From April 2003 to April 2004, the United States imported 22 million pounds of honey from China, 9 million pounds from Canada, and 2 million pounds from Mexico, with another 26 million pounds coming from other countires. Beekeepers and their advocacy groups, the American Honey Producers Association and the American Beekeeping Federation, have lobbied against the importation of inferior, less expensive honeys for decades, so far without success.

One danger of globalization is that when something goes awry in one part of the world, its effects are felt everywhere. A good example is what happened in 2002 in the global honey trade. An antibiotic, chloramphenicol, was detected in Chinese honey exported to the United States and other counties. This antibiotic is used to control diseases in shrimp, crayfish, and honey bees. In humans, chloramphenicol is used to treat life-threatening infections when little else works. It is administered sparingly, however, since a small percentage of the population can be affected by a rare by potentially lethal side effect, idiosyncratic aplastic anemia. Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States immediately banned all Chinese honey products, obliging merchant to pull the honey from their shelves. Though these bans were later lifted when consignments of honey tested free of chloramphenicol, the risk to consumers was a very real one.


The next chapter is entitled "Trouble for the Honey Bee and for Us All: The Globalization of Pesticides" and we will submit parts of it. The elitests and bureaucrats would have you believe that only the uneducated are opposed to globalization. NOT SO.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

EYE-WITNESS ACCOUNT OF RIOT AT RAINBOW GATHERING

Title click. Article in the CASPER STAR-TRIBUNE. The new federal policy for issuing a citation includes tazing and use of pepper balls.

ACLU COMES TO RESCUE OF RAINBOW FAMILY

Title click. Article in the DENVER POST. The ACLU will investigate the arrests of Rainbow Family members in Wyoming. Forest Service officers allegedly asked Rainbows if they were using drugs. Forest Service officers probably didn't ask them if they were baiting wolves. Compare the ACLU's response to the Rainbow Family being busted for drugs to federal law enforcement accusing ranchers in New Mexico of baiting wolves using cattle grazing near wolf dens. Duplicitous American juris prudence at work.

Saturday, July 5, 2008

EXPANSION OF FEDERAL JURISDICTION AND AUTHORITY PROPOSED IN NEW AGENCY

Title Click. From CBS NEWS. Thanks to R L for submitting this to ORF.

Article about combining NOAA, the National Science Foundation, NASA, the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy and National Institutes of Health into one agency.

TEMPORARY COURT CREATED TO PROSECUTE RAINBOW FAMILY MEMBERS

Title click. From the CASPER STAR-TRIBUNE. A temporary court was set up near the Rainbow gahtering in Wyoming to allow the state to generate revenue from visiting Rainbow Family members.

Friday, July 4, 2008

FEDERAL AUTHORITIES BLAMED FOR VIOLENCE AT RAINBOW GATHERING

Title click. From the DENVER POST.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE CAMPOUT WITH SHEEP TO SCARE OFF WOLVES

Title click. From the CASPER STAR-TRIBUNE. The DW will be sleeping with sheep as part of a program to protect wolves. Remember the old joke about the world's biggest lie? "I was just helping the sheep over the fence" is the punchline.

DRUG BUST NETS ILLEGALS WITH PRIORS IN COLORADO

Title click. From the ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Only Clowns or Fools BELIEVE Green is Green

..."How can building departments reconcile the laudable practice of recycling building materials while maintaining modern safety and energy-efficiency standards? It would be neither practical nor prudent to forbid the reuse of salvaged doors, windows, plumbing fixtures and lighting -- many of a quality superior to new ones -- simply because they don't comply with modern building codes. These are, after all, the very same materials that are still in daily use in millions of American homes...."

Since Alamogordo building codes and inspections have continued to be a hot topic, we take this opportunity to introduce you to some thoughtful professionals in El Paso. Title click. Notice that this is the second of a two-part series. Click on the links to the right under labels for LEED TECHNOLOGY to see who really benefits from green building.

VIDEO OF BLACK NATIONAL ANTHEM SANG UNANNOUNCED IN PLACE OF THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER

Title click to watch this video on the DENVER POST'S website. Jazz singer, Rene Marie, was hired to sing the STAR SPANGLED BANNER at the Denver State of the City speech and gathering of almost 700. She is introduced to sing the National Anthem. She sang the 'Black National Anthem' instead. According to Rene Marie, she made the switch on her own. No one in the crowd attempted to stop her or sing the National Anthem after she finished. I think Rene Marie was paid to sing the Black National anthem by political operatives attempting to create a scene at the State of City gala. The desired reaction, that did not happen, was for a white-liberal city bigwig to attempt to shut off her mike or to censor her. Imagine the racial incident and controversy that would arise out of such a confrontation.

Bruce

WESTERN GOVERNORS PLAN FOR WATER CONSERVATION IN AMERICAN WEST

Title click. From the CASPER STAR-TRIBUNE. Western Governors worry the West doesn't have enough water for the future.

WATER IN COLORADO TO BE PIPED AND SOLD

Title click. From MOUNTAIN MAIL: Salida, Colorado. Submitted to ORF by Melodee in Colorado. Melodee has a radio show you can link to on the right-hand side of the blog. Go to GIVE ME SOME TRUTH/WEBSITE AND STREAMING.


6/30/2008 9:24:00 AM Email this article • Print this article

Nestle water details outlined

Guest Opinion

by Bruce Lauerman

Many of you are aware of a proposal by Nestle Waters to develop a water supply near Nathrop and it might be helpful to outline our project and report its status.

A Web site will be available within a few weeks, updated routinely with project details. In the meantime, I'd like to share some information.

To meet consumer demand for bottled water in Colorado and neighboring states, Nestle Waters trucks bottled water to this region from Southern California. We have been exploring options allowing us to transport water to Denver from Chaffee County or other in-state locations, to reduce truck miles, fuel consumption and carbon emissions.

Nestle Waters is entering the second year of evaluation of a potential spring-water development project near Nathrop. In May 2007, Nestle Waters purchased and optioned 130 acres along the Arkansas River below Fisherman's Bridge.

The land contains a number of natural springs and includes nearly a mile of frontage on either side of the river within Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area, and significant bighorn sheep habitat on Sugarloaf Mountain.

Before our involvement, most of the land was listed for sale, and was recently under contract by a residential developer. If our project continues, Nestle Waters will keep the land essentially undeveloped, preserved as open space, to protect the watershed of the springs.

The project contemplates sustainable, safe pumping of as much as 200 acre-feet of groundwater annually, or approximately 0.3 cubic feet per second (three-tenths of a cfs). Compared to the average measured spring flow of about 4 cfs, proposed withdrawal is relatively small.

Impact on the Arkansas River wouldn't be measurable, even during low flow. No neighboring wells would be affected. During operation, hydrologic and environmental conditions would be continually monitored. The data will be available to the public.

To protect other water-right owners on the Arkansas River, Colorado Water Court and the State Engineer must approve a 100-percent augmentation plan for the project.

We have been working to develop partnerships within Chaffee County to solicit input on the proposed project. The Colorado Division of Wildlife has indicated it would have no adverse impact on wildlife or the environment. Colorado Trout Unlimited indicated to us they don't anticipate harm to fish population or habitat.

Water would be conveyed by buried pipeline to U.S. 285. A small, well-screened load station would transfer water to tanker trucks for delivery to Denver. The trucks are similar to those seen daily in Chaffee County which haul milk, fuel and a variety of other liquids commonly used by Coloradans.

The proposal is for as many as 25 trucks per day. A traffic impact study will be conducted and we expect it will show the increase in truck traffic and associated emissions would be negligible.

Bottled water is a packaged beverage in great demand in the United States. Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region are no exception. People are increasingly choosing bottled water as a healthful alternative to soda pop and other sugary or carbonated beverages.

Considering the epidemic proportions of human obesity and diabetes, Nestle Waters believes people drinking more water is a good trend. Bottled water is a necessary product during natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes or disease outbreaks. Nestle Waters has a long history of supporting disaster relief.

Nestle Waters has a strong and demonstrated commitment to minimizing our environmental footprint. We are a highly efficient user of water compared to any other beverage producer. During the past 15 years, Nestle Waters reduced plastic use by 40 percent. Our Arrowhead eco-shape bottle is the lightest weight plastic bottle of any beverage, using 30 percent less plastic than the average half-liter bottle. The bottle and dye-free cap are 100 percent recyclable.

We expect to submit permit applications to Chaffee County soon, and look forward to the process to demonstrate Nestle Waters' commitment to "doing the project right," by identifying and mitigating potential adverse impacts. Our preliminary scientific research indicates this will be a low impact project.

We will continue working with stakeholders, including neighbors, regulators and local leaders, to determine how our project can be improved to best meet needs of the community. Compared to the real development pressures the area is experiencing, we believe our project could be one sustainable alternative for preserving and protecting Chaffee County.

Bruce Lauerman is Natural Resources Manager for Nestle Waters North America.

BLACK NATIONAL ANTHEM SUBSTITUTED FOR NATIONAL ANTHEM

Title click: From this morning's ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

REBECCA POWELL IN NEW WEST: New Mexico Wilderness Alliance Catches Blame

Title click. Rebecca Powell has another article in NEW WEST E-mag.

New Mexico Wilderness Alliance Catches Blame

RAINBOW FAMILY VIDEOS DOWNLOADED FROM YOUTUBE

Title click to read article from RIVERTONRADIO.COM about this Wyoming community's experience with the RAINBOW FAMILY. Again, I have to make the analogy: what would happen if 15,000 - 30,000 ranchers or ATV riders occupied Lincoln National Forest under the banner of Constitutional Rights expression without a permit?





WYOMING SENATOR UPSET WITH FEDERAL POLICY ALLOWING RAINBOW FAMILY TO STAY ON FOREST LAND

Title click. From the Jackson Hole STAR-TRIBUNE.

""The Rainbow Family Gathering displaced the Boy Scouts of America who had planned to do an ecological project," wrote Barrasso, R-Wyo. "In addition, livestock permittees, recreationists, cabin owners and lodge visitors are impacted by this gathering. All of these users have completed the appropriate permit process and worked with the agency to properly plan their activities."

The Rainbow Family, on the other hand, was not required to complete these steps, Barrasso wrote, and "has been allowed to displace all other users."

Straight Talk from Ron Paul

Personal Freedoms and the Internet

The most basic principle to being a free American is the notion that we as individuals are responsible for our own lives and decisions. We do not have the right to rob our neighbors to make up for our mistakes, neither does our neighbor have any right to tell us how to live, so long as we aren’t infringing on their rights. Freedom to make bad decisions is inherent in the freedom to make good ones. If we are only free to make good decisions, we are not really free.



Socialist ideologies blur this line between self reliance and government control because the mistakes of the individual are spread to everyone else. Thus the government becomes very interested in your decisions and way of life, with the justification that you could make a mistake others will have to pay for. The end result is, of course, that everyone loses privacy and control over their own lives. Whether they realize it or not, they are no longer truly free.



This week in Congress brought some examples from both sides of the aisle on these issues of freedom and personal responsibility. We talked about online gambling quite a bit with the markup of some legislation dealing with the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. Now, I am not someone who enjoys throwing money away, but I am someone who understands issues of freedom and self-ownership. As such, I strongly support the right of free people to do with their hard-earned money as they please. Gambling is ultimately a matter of personal choice, and some people find it entertaining. As long as I am not forced to underwrite their losses, it is none of my business what gamblers do with their time and money.



There are those that feel online gambling is morally wrong and financially irresponsible, which I do not argue with, but they also feel that because of this, the government should step in and prevent or punish people for taking part in these activities. This attitude is anathema to the ideas of liberty.



However, most of the same anti-gambling crowd sang an entirely different tune when we discussed giving away free birth control in schools. All of a sudden, they did not want others making decisions about their lifestyles and families, while the other side felt the need to interfere. It is interesting that the same group that feels parents have the absolute right and ability to control how and when their kids get birth control, are powerless to monitor their internet activity and must enlist government regulatory assistance to protect against gambling or predators. Which is it? Are parents the ones to parent, or not? Both sides switch their positions based on the subject at hand, but the philosophy of liberty is elegantly simple and consistent.



I can assure you of this – once the government gains a foothold into regulating the internet, even for benevolent reasons, the wonders of the free internet will soon be a thing of the past. Parents, with modern day technology, are quite capable of monitoring their children’s internet activity. The internet must remain a government-free zone to maintain its integrity and usefulness to modern society, and that is something for which I will continue to fight.



Posted by Ron Paul (06-30-2008, 01:44 PM) Submitted to ORF by Karan Berry