Mrs. Creek was sitting beside me at the morning table and happened to flip open The Nation and read about the torture of Jose Padilla, not in Abhu Graib or Guantanamo, but in...Charleston, South Carolina. She was outraged and read me passages stating things like, "sensory deprivation was chosen as a method because it causes personality disintegration." His lawyers have complained that he cannot help with his defense because "He isn't there anymore." They destroyed his mind by torturing him.
Jose Padilla may or may not be a terrorist. He did hang around with some folks who have unsavory reputations, but then so have most of us. One of my childhood friends was the biggest juvenile delinquent in Laurens County, Georgia. He died recently after a career in law enforcement. I don't claim that Padilla is an innocent person, only that we have no idea whether he is or not. He has been held as an enemy combatant, for years without a lawyer or even contact with the outside world. He has been tortured into extreme mental illness. He is not charged with committing any illegal act. The government was foreced to bring charges against him by the Supreme Court. It brought three charges against him and has essentially dropped all but one. If found guilty, which may be unlikely at this point, his punishment will be viewed as an escape from Hell. He has probably endured the most horrible and most dastardly treatment ever, of a prisoner held in a United States prison. He is an American citizen.
The real lesson for us in the Padilla case is that it could happen to you and me. It could happen to our children. It could happen to anyone in America who challenges our government. and the reason it could happen is that the bush Administration has ignored its obligation to obey the law. The horrible treatment of Jose Padilla is bad but the destruction of the "Rule of Law" in America is far worse.
Mrs. Creek said she was upset that no one seems to know about all this. "Why isn't this on the news?" she said.
I said that it is the same reason that Republicans being funded by the same people that are funding Al Queda isn't in the news.
It is the same reason that no one knows that Bush is funding Al Queda in Iraq.
It is because it is more important to find out who fathered Anna Nicole Smith's baby, than to be informed about evidence of Vice Presidential treason popping up in the Scooter Libby trial.
Corporate media can serve America vitamins or crack. The choice seems to have been made.
Peace,
Steve
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Monday, February 26, 2007
Funny stuff
The Bush Doctrine
*****
Barack Obama has admitted smoking pot and doing cocaine. He’s admitted it! You’re gonna need a squeeky clean record to get elected. George W. Bush would never have been elected if he had ever done cocaine . . .Greg Fergusen
*****
Wonkette delivers the funniest line of the morning:
*****
Barack Obama has admitted smoking pot and doing cocaine. He’s admitted it! You’re gonna need a squeeky clean record to get elected. George W. Bush would never have been elected if he had ever done cocaine . . .Greg Fergusen
*****
Wonkette delivers the funniest line of the morning:
The Christian RightTM is having a hard time finding a Presidential
candidate that hates all the right things. [NYT]
Our Pet Goat
Your President has been funding Al Queda:
“We are simply in a situation where this president is really taking his notion of executive privilege to the absolute limit here, running covert operations, using money that was not authorized by Congress, supporting groups indirectly that are involved with the same people that did 9/11.”
"...these funds have ended up in the hands of “three Sunni jihadist groups” who are “connected to al Qaeda” but “want to take on Hezbollah.”
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/02/25/hersh-qaeda/
Well, I'll be danged! A Morgan County, Tennessee County Commissioner wants to save his own county from dvelopers:
Support Governor Bredesen's plan to protect Tennessee's Natural Heritage
Pat alerted me to this message of hope...Where do I sign up?
“We are simply in a situation where this president is really taking his notion of executive privilege to the absolute limit here, running covert operations, using money that was not authorized by Congress, supporting groups indirectly that are involved with the same people that did 9/11.”
"...these funds have ended up in the hands of “three Sunni jihadist groups” who are “connected to al Qaeda” but “want to take on Hezbollah.”
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/02/25/hersh-qaeda/
Well, I'll be danged! A Morgan County, Tennessee County Commissioner wants to save his own county from dvelopers:
Support Governor Bredesen's plan to protect Tennessee's Natural Heritage
Pat alerted me to this message of hope...Where do I sign up?
Friday, February 23, 2007
Fixed in Stone
By now, most of us understand that the Ten Commanments are not actually fixed in stone. They changed a couple of times even in the Old Testament, and are different among the larger protestant denominations even today. What is fixed in stone is the stupidity of the folks who want to beat others over the head with them. Try this next little gem from South Carolina:
Dr. Jordon is a surgeon who presumably, at some point in his mean spirited life, might have read the Hippocratic Oath even if he never actually read the ten commandments. You know that pretty much every single version of the big ten has "Thy Shalt Not Kill" as one of the big no-no's.
Conservatives pay about as much attention to that one as they do the one that suggests, "Thy shalt not bear false witness."
Dr. Jordon's buddies tried to cover for him by removing the outrageous statements from the published minutes but the Newspaper got a copy of the tape:
Donald Rumsfeld reacted to the digital pictures showing the outrages committed by Americans at Abhu Graib by banning digital cameras. I suppose the appropriate thing to do in this case would be to repeal the Freedom of Information Act. It does seem to cause a lot of trouble...Particularly for good christians like Dr. Jordon.
Peace,
Steve
COLUMBIA, S.C. (May 16, 1997 12:25 p.m. EDT) -- A state Board of Education
member, talking Tuesday about displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools,
had a ready suggestion for groups who might object to it.
"Screw the Buddhists and kill the Muslims," Dr. Henry Jordan said
during the board's finance and legislative committee meeting. "And put that in
the minutes," he added.
Dr. Jordon is a surgeon who presumably, at some point in his mean spirited life, might have read the Hippocratic Oath even if he never actually read the ten commandments. You know that pretty much every single version of the big ten has "Thy Shalt Not Kill" as one of the big no-no's.
Conservatives pay about as much attention to that one as they do the one that suggests, "Thy shalt not bear false witness."
Dr. Jordon's buddies tried to cover for him by removing the outrageous statements from the published minutes but the Newspaper got a copy of the tape:
The remarks made Tuesday were expunged from the written minutes, but were
recorded on tape. The (Columbia) State obtained the tape under the Freedom of
Information Act.
Donald Rumsfeld reacted to the digital pictures showing the outrages committed by Americans at Abhu Graib by banning digital cameras. I suppose the appropriate thing to do in this case would be to repeal the Freedom of Information Act. It does seem to cause a lot of trouble...Particularly for good christians like Dr. Jordon.
Peace,
Steve
"Taking Land out of Production"
Seems like every time somebody tries to do something good for the State of Tennessee, somebody else tries to stop them.
In this case Governor Phil Bredesen has stepped up to the plate and made the visionary and prudent decision to commit money to our future. No sooner is the decision made to protect some of the most beautiful and sensitive land in our state than here comes to political wing of the Developer's Union to oppose it.
Actually, this is opposed mostly by the short sighted developers who aren't satisfied with the tens of thousands, no, hundreds of thousands, of acres they already have access to. They apparently are just opposed to the rest of us having parks, preserves, and recreational land because...well, actually just "because"!
There are actually far sighted developers that see this as a very good thing for the state as a whole and also for the local communities adjacent to these proposed protected areas. Some of the rural communities that are booming in Tennessee are the gateway towns: Cleveland near the Ocoee river, Oneida near the Big South Fork, and Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Maryville and Townsend near the Smokies.
But If the State of Tennessee protects the land, they say, where are we going to build more of those gated communities that are springing up all over our Counties? You know, the ones that don't have many local people moving into them.
What Lt. Governor Ramsey is really saying is "Keeping my developer buddies from getting our hands on the most sensitive, beautiful, and yes, productive, land in our whole danged state!"
What he means by "out of production" is "A developer can't rape it".
Left in the hands of certain developers, the future of Tenessee is bleak. Frankly, folks, if we don't protect this land we will all lose. Tennessee's land heritage will go the way of all those beautiful farms and forests outside of Atlanta.
Governor Bredesen actually proposes, as part of his goal, to fix one of the biggest transgressions in Tennessee history, known as the Martha Sundquist State Forest. All the state got in that deal was the dirt under Martha's forest...The forest itself still belonged to the timber interests. Now, with the help of the Nature Conservancy and Lyme Timber Company (proving that a timber company actually can have long range vision) who are coming up with $62 million dollars in addition to the state money, Phil Bredesen proposes to buy the trees, too, so that we will get to keep the "product" of our own land.
Developing land is a one way street. There are good developers who live in the communities they work in and have a long range vision that serves everyone's future. Their projects have greenspaces, trails, common areas, and meaningful conservation easements. They should be encouraged and supported. The other guys should be hammered.
The Governor is trying to do the right thing for Tennessee's future generations. But it appears that there is an orchistrated public relations campaign aready trying to stop the good work he is doing for our State. You can tell that when Politicians like Ramsey and Wilder "Have a Problem" with Bredesen calling this a "One time deal"...Well it is, folks.
Unless we act together now, we will lose our chance to save Tennessee's most precious land for our children and grandchildren. Let's not be fooled by misleading rants from people who only see the short term money they can make at the expense of our children's heritage.
The Republican Governor of Florida has proposed $800 million, for the same kind of effort in his state, ten times the amount of money we are asking for.
Tennessee is at least a tenth as good as Florida, isn't it?
Steve
http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/state/article/0,1406,KNS_348_5371988,00.html
In this case Governor Phil Bredesen has stepped up to the plate and made the visionary and prudent decision to commit money to our future. No sooner is the decision made to protect some of the most beautiful and sensitive land in our state than here comes to political wing of the Developer's Union to oppose it.
Actually, this is opposed mostly by the short sighted developers who aren't satisfied with the tens of thousands, no, hundreds of thousands, of acres they already have access to. They apparently are just opposed to the rest of us having parks, preserves, and recreational land because...well, actually just "because"!
There are actually far sighted developers that see this as a very good thing for the state as a whole and also for the local communities adjacent to these proposed protected areas. Some of the rural communities that are booming in Tennessee are the gateway towns: Cleveland near the Ocoee river, Oneida near the Big South Fork, and Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Maryville and Townsend near the Smokies.
But If the State of Tennessee protects the land, they say, where are we going to build more of those gated communities that are springing up all over our Counties? You know, the ones that don't have many local people moving into them.
NASHVILLE - Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey said Thursday that Gov. Phil Bredesen may be
going too far in proposing an $82 million state bond issue to preserve 124,000
acres of forestlands on the Cumberland Plateau.
Ramsey said at a news conference that he is troubled both by "taking that much land out of production"
...
"Taking land out of production"
What Lt. Governor Ramsey is really saying is "Keeping my developer buddies from getting our hands on the most sensitive, beautiful, and yes, productive, land in our whole danged state!"
What he means by "out of production" is "A developer can't rape it".
Left in the hands of certain developers, the future of Tenessee is bleak. Frankly, folks, if we don't protect this land we will all lose. Tennessee's land heritage will go the way of all those beautiful farms and forests outside of Atlanta.
Governor Bredesen actually proposes, as part of his goal, to fix one of the biggest transgressions in Tennessee history, known as the Martha Sundquist State Forest. All the state got in that deal was the dirt under Martha's forest...The forest itself still belonged to the timber interests. Now, with the help of the Nature Conservancy and Lyme Timber Company (proving that a timber company actually can have long range vision) who are coming up with $62 million dollars in addition to the state money, Phil Bredesen proposes to buy the trees, too, so that we will get to keep the "product" of our own land.
Developing land is a one way street. There are good developers who live in the communities they work in and have a long range vision that serves everyone's future. Their projects have greenspaces, trails, common areas, and meaningful conservation easements. They should be encouraged and supported. The other guys should be hammered.
The Governor is trying to do the right thing for Tennessee's future generations. But it appears that there is an orchistrated public relations campaign aready trying to stop the good work he is doing for our State. You can tell that when Politicians like Ramsey and Wilder "Have a Problem" with Bredesen calling this a "One time deal"...Well it is, folks.
Unless we act together now, we will lose our chance to save Tennessee's most precious land for our children and grandchildren. Let's not be fooled by misleading rants from people who only see the short term money they can make at the expense of our children's heritage.
The Republican Governor of Florida has proposed $800 million, for the same kind of effort in his state, ten times the amount of money we are asking for.
Tennessee is at least a tenth as good as Florida, isn't it?
Steve
http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/state/article/0,1406,KNS_348_5371988,00.html
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
"Winning is not an option"
...And yet, as the situation continues to deteriorate both for Iraqis
inside and outside of Iraq, and for Americans inside Iraq, Americans in America
are still debating on the state of the war and occupation- are they winning or
losing? Is it better or worse.
Let me clear it up for any moron with lingering doubts: It’s worse.
It’s over. You lost. You lost the day your tanks rolled into Baghdad to the
cheers of your imported, American-trained monkeys. You lost every single family
whose home your soldiers violated. You lost every sane, red-blooded Iraqi when
the Abu Ghraib pictures came out and verified your atrocities behind prison
walls as well as the ones we see in our streets. You lost when you brought
murderers, looters, gangsters and militia heads to power and hailed them as
Iraq’s first democratic government. You lost when a gruesome execution was
dubbed your biggest accomplishment. You lost the respect and reputation you once
had. You lost more than 3000 troops. That is what you lost America. I hope the
oil, at least, made it worthwhile.
http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/
Do Republicans want to start WW III?
The Bush Presidency is going down in flames. The problem is that Bush seems to be willing to take the United States of America down with him. Nothing could be more disasterous than for us to allow George w. Bush to start a war with Iran, but that seems to be his intentions.
Bush could do this with no input from Congress if he so chooses, and it seems as if this is exactly what he plans to do. This is from the BBC. i should point out that the BBC has been 100% correct on everything they've published regarding the misadventures of the Bush Andministration.
Iran is a serious military force. If George Bush can't win in Iraq, what the hell does he think is going to happen in Iran? If Bush bombs Iran without a UN mandate, which he will never get, the entire world will be on Iran's side. There is only one conclusion I can come to...
The entire Bush Administration is Institutionally Nuts!
But Bush says he has no plans to attack Iran. Let me refresh your memories on the trustworthiness of our "Worst President Ever":
Bush has now ordered three Carrier groups to the Middle East. I seriously think that he believes the only thing that can save him from eventual full blown disgrace is World War III. I also believe he is trying to start it.
We have to stop him.
Peace,
Steve
Bush could do this with no input from Congress if he so chooses, and it seems as if this is exactly what he plans to do. This is from the BBC. i should point out that the BBC has been 100% correct on everything they've published regarding the misadventures of the Bush Andministration.
Iran is a serious military force. If George Bush can't win in Iraq, what the hell does he think is going to happen in Iran? If Bush bombs Iran without a UN mandate, which he will never get, the entire world will be on Iran's side. There is only one conclusion I can come to...
The entire Bush Administration is Institutionally Nuts!
But Bush says he has no plans to attack Iran. Let me refresh your memories on the trustworthiness of our "Worst President Ever":
On 16 October 2002, President Bush told the American people that "I have
not ordered the use of force. I hope that the use of force will not become
necessary."
We know now that this statement was itself a lie, that the president,
by late August 2002, had, in fact, signed off on the 'execute' orders
authorising the US military to begin active military operations inside
Iraq...
Bush has now ordered three Carrier groups to the Middle East. I seriously think that he believes the only thing that can save him from eventual full blown disgrace is World War III. I also believe he is trying to start it.
We have to stop him.
Peace,
Steve
Monday, February 19, 2007
Here we go again...
The General depicts two quotes from John McCain.
Is there a better illustration of McCain as a political whore?
I have continually taken the position that the United States Supreme Court decision known as Roe v. Wade is an example of the highest order of judicial wisdom. Would that all the court's work be of that Solomonic caliber.
People who rant about abortion killing babies forget, or intentionally overlook, one important detail of the abortion debate. We do not agree upon the moment when a human life begins.
This is a really really big deal!
The answer tends to come from religious views rather than any scientific analysis. And yes, I do place a Scientific determination above religious dogma. Most sane people do.
To recap what I have said previously, there are two main viewpoints on the moment of humanity, conception and birth, but there are also many more perfectly valid concepts of that moment upon which a human sperm, egg, zygote, blastocyst, fetus, baby, becomes a human. varying all the way from Primitive tribes who refused to recognize arrival until adulthood, and what I think of as the "catholic" position, which holds the egg and sperm to be holy life, regardless of the millions of both that are wasted in the normal human reproductive lifespan.
Societies in which infant mortallity is high cannot invest the emotion into the loss of an infant that they would invest in the death of a young adult. Similarly, in modern societies, the loss of an early pregnancy is treated with far less emotion than the loss of a fetus at near full term. This was the sound basis for the Roe v Wade decision.
We simply do not know the instant in time when a fetus has progressed far enough through the biologocal processess to become a human. We do know that it is sometime after the instant of conception and before the instant of birth, Although, in fact, neither conception nor birth has a definable instant.
The Supreme Court owned up to this great division in American thought, though I personally believe that one side of this debate does not think very deeply, nor does it consider the other side's right to its contradictory position. Understanding that, ultimately, the Court has the duty to protect the life of a citizen, but must also protect the citizen from the unwarranted intrusion of other citizen's religious views.
Therefore the Supreme Court issued the decree that they would divide pregnancy into three trimesters and that during the first trimester, the government had no business intruding upon what must be a personal decision because the fetus is not viable outside of its mother's womb. With each passing day during the second trimester, the fetus approaches viabilty so there are some restrictions on abortion involving the decision of a doctor, and in the last three months, since the fetus becomes viable outside its mother at some point during this period, there will be stringent restrictions involving the health of the mother, who, as a citizen with acknowleged fulll rights dictated by the Constitution, would be awarded precedence in the decision as to whose life and health takes precedence in the case of a decision being required in a medical either or situation.
John McCain knows he cannot win the presidency without the votes of the religious right. He is looking for a way to build a coalition of the corporatists, the war hawks, homophobes, the racially predjudiced, and those who would force their own personal religious beliefs on others.
I hope he fails miserably.
Peace,
Steve
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Cheers for a Clown
And also find out why this young man is performing a courageous act of defiance.
A tale of Two Als:
I am usually mortified those clowns in the Senate, but this time I'm for this one. He'll be running against Norm Coleman, the guy who replaced Paul Wellstone in a disgustingly evil election campaign. At least this one should be funny.
Now...I have been thinking about this for some time. Want to hear my choice for the Democratic president/VP nominations? I'm not predicting it will happen by any stretch, and frankly, odds would seem to be against it. Giving each side of the Democratic Party a place on the ticket would be incredibly powerful but these two people are not soulmates. They are, however, very astute politicians. One of them has bigger balls than the other, but maybe earned wisdom can be the great compensator.
This one for President
And this one for Vice President
Let the gasps begin!
Peace,
Steve
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
It's freezing and snowing...so fire up the grill!
Ok, it's Valentine's Day. I love all of you. But that was true yesterday, too, so V Day isn't really all that big a deal except for the commerce involved and the life disrupting chaos that will errupt if we forget it.
After a couple of decades of marriage, my wife and I make these things easy on each other. I asked her what she wanted a couple of days ago and suggested I cook us a good dinner and open a nice bottle of wine. When I asked for any special requests for a romantic meal, she said, "Grilled asparagus."
So there you go. I'm off to the grocery store for some shopping. Grilled asparagus it is. Anybody know what wine goes well with grilled asparagus?
Peace...And Love!
Steve
It has been a year since Vice President Cheney shot a guy while bird hunting without a license. he didn't get a ticket for it. Maybe that was because the birds were being released from a cage so he could shoot them. Anyway, Cheney's blood lust is either celebrated or reviled depending on which channel you watch. The one demographic in unanimous agreement are the comedians. While they pretty much all think Dick Cheney is a very scary person, they also view him as what the comedian would describe as "red meat"...A veritable feast for a comedy writer. The jokes were funny and debilitating.
For some reason, a comic can get away with saying the most outrageous things that rip the heart out of an issue without being shot. For instance, if anyone in America had stood 12 feet away from George W. Bush and said what Stephen Colbert did at the Whitehouse Press Corp dinner, well, who knows where they be now? A comic? Well all of those guys are still alive and doing well.
Here is a sample and a link to the best jokes from one year ago:
"Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot a man during a quail hunt ... making 78-year-old Harry Whittington the first person shot by a sitting veep since Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton, of course, (was) shot in a duel with Aaron Burr over issues of honor, integrity and political maneuvering. Whittington?
Mistaken for a bird." ...Jon Daily
http://www.caller.com/ccct/local_news/article/0,1641,CCCT_811_5346202,00.html
After a couple of decades of marriage, my wife and I make these things easy on each other. I asked her what she wanted a couple of days ago and suggested I cook us a good dinner and open a nice bottle of wine. When I asked for any special requests for a romantic meal, she said, "Grilled asparagus."
So there you go. I'm off to the grocery store for some shopping. Grilled asparagus it is. Anybody know what wine goes well with grilled asparagus?
Peace...And Love!
Steve
It has been a year since Vice President Cheney shot a guy while bird hunting without a license. he didn't get a ticket for it. Maybe that was because the birds were being released from a cage so he could shoot them. Anyway, Cheney's blood lust is either celebrated or reviled depending on which channel you watch. The one demographic in unanimous agreement are the comedians. While they pretty much all think Dick Cheney is a very scary person, they also view him as what the comedian would describe as "red meat"...A veritable feast for a comedy writer. The jokes were funny and debilitating.
For some reason, a comic can get away with saying the most outrageous things that rip the heart out of an issue without being shot. For instance, if anyone in America had stood 12 feet away from George W. Bush and said what Stephen Colbert did at the Whitehouse Press Corp dinner, well, who knows where they be now? A comic? Well all of those guys are still alive and doing well.
Here is a sample and a link to the best jokes from one year ago:
"Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot a man during a quail hunt ... making 78-year-old Harry Whittington the first person shot by a sitting veep since Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton, of course, (was) shot in a duel with Aaron Burr over issues of honor, integrity and political maneuvering. Whittington?
Mistaken for a bird." ...Jon Daily
http://www.caller.com/ccct/local_news/article/0,1641,CCCT_811_5346202,00.html
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Swamp Gas
More swamp pictures for you (just to make you guys totally jealous).
You may be wondering why these guys are looking at a map. The river only goes one way, after all. Turns out we weren't exactly lost, we were just in the wrong state.
And I don't mean an "altered" state...We just weren't in Florida like we thought. We were still in Georgia. The bad news was that we were two or three hours further from the takeout than we thought on Friday morning. The good news was that we were going to miss Atlanta traffic on the way home.
People have the wrong idea of swamps. As you can see, this one at least is pretty open. At other points in the Okefenokee, the trees close in around you but it never seems oppressive to me, just alive. If you ever want to see just how alive the world really is, tie up a canoe in one of these places and sit quietly for 20 minutes. If you are still enough you'll be right in the middle of a very happening place.
You may be wondering why these guys are looking at a map. The river only goes one way, after all. Turns out we weren't exactly lost, we were just in the wrong state.
And I don't mean an "altered" state...We just weren't in Florida like we thought. We were still in Georgia. The bad news was that we were two or three hours further from the takeout than we thought on Friday morning. The good news was that we were going to miss Atlanta traffic on the way home.
This grand old tupelo tree stood watch over the pool next to our campsite. There were thousands of them, including the one we call the "kid tree", which is actually thre trees grown together and is big enough that it is an island we stopped to let the kids climb around and play in on a previous trip. That time we only paddled three miles of the river but it was so beautiful that we vowed to come back sometime, and so we did.
People have the wrong idea of swamps. As you can see, this one at least is pretty open. At other points in the Okefenokee, the trees close in around you but it never seems oppressive to me, just alive. If you ever want to see just how alive the world really is, tie up a canoe in one of these places and sit quietly for 20 minutes. If you are still enough you'll be right in the middle of a very happening place.
There were tracks were all around us on the sandy beaches. Several times we saw the large kitty prints of bobcats, four toes and round. I took this shot because it had five toes. Looking in my references I figure that this one is an otter. In deep sand, there is a hint of the claws but not much.
I'm ready to go back.
Peace,
Steve
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Swamp Lion
The Ballad of Old Swamper Steve is playing in the background, and just in case you guys were wondering why I haven't been pestering you with outrage and rant, here ya go:
First paddling day was inside the Okefenokee Refuge. We had to get a permit to go over/under the Sill, which is a long levee built to fix the damage to the swamp done by repeated efforts to drain it. We were the first people this season to paddle through the "narrows" from Stephen Foster State Park to the headwaters of the Suwanee River. Two weeks earlier we could have walked most of our first day without getting our feet wet. The dry season is fire season in the southern swamps but that ended with one storm just before we got there. The lower Suwanee had been at near record low water but not anymore.
Charlie and I paddled together with me in the stern mostly. Once we got through the long winding narrows, an old ditch barely wider than the boats, we hit a stretch of open tall grass freshwater marsh where this old Cypress is home to an osprey or eagle nest in the very top.
First paddling day was inside the Okefenokee Refuge. We had to get a permit to go over/under the Sill, which is a long levee built to fix the damage to the swamp done by repeated efforts to drain it. We were the first people this season to paddle through the "narrows" from Stephen Foster State Park to the headwaters of the Suwanee River. Two weeks earlier we could have walked most of our first day without getting our feet wet. The dry season is fire season in the southern swamps but that ended with one storm just before we got there. The lower Suwanee had been at near record low water but not anymore.
Charlie and I paddled together with me in the stern mostly. Once we got through the long winding narrows, an old ditch barely wider than the boats, we hit a stretch of open tall grass freshwater marsh where this old Cypress is home to an osprey or eagle nest in the very top.
This Live Oak graced our second night on the white sand beaches below Fargo, Georgia, just before we paddled into Florida.
Morning and the fish were tearing up this pool surronded by grandaddy Tupelo trees. We had nothing to fish with but have made a note for next time.
Morning and the fish were tearing up this pool surronded by grandaddy Tupelo trees. We had nothing to fish with but have made a note for next time.
Ok, This was the last thing I remember that night. Gordon and his magic hand crank blender and the new margarita recipe involving Gran Marnier, Cuervo Gold, lemonade, lemon and lime juice, and beer.
I swear! Beer!
What I don't have pictures of are the herd of otters that barked at us a we passed, or the gators that slid into the water as soon as they saw us, or the wild hogs, or the great horned owl, but most of all...I don't have a picture of the Puma that ran across the road in front of us while we were running shuttle. Big, grey, long tail curled up at the end...But no picture.
You'll have to do with Gordon mixing Margaritas.
Peace,
Steve
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Songbirds?
We are hearing the President and his lackeys vilify people who want to bring our troops home as soon as possible. Cowards, surrender monkeys, traitors, French, you name it, the Pro war faction has used it. Chief among those supporting the current debacle are Joe Lieberman and John McCain. Here is a quote for you:
John McCain in a speech directed at a Democratic President, October 19, 1993 (Via Kos)
There was no oil to be had in Somalia but it was a moral war. Clinton listened, decided he did not have the support he needed to cure the ills of Somalia by force and we withdrew. Today, John McCain has flipped to the other side. McCain wants more war. He no longer cares about our troops...If he ever did.
Peace,
Steve
A Dixie Chick song?
"Nothing is as scary as Election Day,
But the day after is darker / And darker and darker it goes /
Who knows maybe the plans will change /
Who knows maybe he's not deranged."
No...It's Norah Jones from her new album.
Must read Post...The Tao of the kOOk
"...Our continued military presence in (this war) allows another
situation to arise which could then lead to the wounding, killing or capture of
American fighting men and women. We should do all in our power to avoid
that.
I listened carefully to the President's remarks ... I heard nothing in
his discussion of the issue that would persuade me that further U.S. military
involvement in the area is necessary. In fact, his remarks have persuaded me
more profoundly that we should leave and leave soon.
Dates certain, Mr. President, are not the criteria here. What is the criteria and what should be the criteria is our immediate, orderly withdrawal ...And if we do not do that and other Americans die, other Americans are wounded, other Americans are
captured because we stay too long--longer than necessary--then I would say that
the responsibilities for that lie with the Congress of the United States who did
not exercise their authority under the Constitution of the United States and
mandate that they be brought home quickly and safely as possible [...]
John McCain in a speech directed at a Democratic President, October 19, 1993 (Via Kos)
There was no oil to be had in Somalia but it was a moral war. Clinton listened, decided he did not have the support he needed to cure the ills of Somalia by force and we withdrew. Today, John McCain has flipped to the other side. McCain wants more war. He no longer cares about our troops...If he ever did.
Peace,
Steve
A Dixie Chick song?
"Nothing is as scary as Election Day,
But the day after is darker / And darker and darker it goes /
Who knows maybe the plans will change /
Who knows maybe he's not deranged."
No...It's Norah Jones from her new album.
Must read Post...The Tao of the kOOk
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Ceasar Must Go
George W. Bush is marching America's Warriors over a cliff. Every day, more American Troops fall to die or be maimed. But "We cannot let the Cliff win!" says our President, who also told us that the Cliff was waiting for the right moment to attack us "Over Here."
"If we withdraw, the Cliff will win...We must Surge!" said the President.
Should we let the Cliff win? Shouldn't we continue to march our children over the edge, new casualties piled upon old. Won't the already dead have died in vain if we stop sending more to their deaths?
It is time to stop.
Ceasar must be Go!
"If we withdraw, the Cliff will win...We must Surge!" said the President.
Should we let the Cliff win? Shouldn't we continue to march our children over the edge, new casualties piled upon old. Won't the already dead have died in vain if we stop sending more to their deaths?
It is time to stop.
Ceasar must be Go!
Hey, Children, Whats that sound?
My hearing is not what it used to be but it is still pretty good. Nowadays, I have trouble picking a certain sound out of the noise of everyday goings on in this house, but, here was something extra happening.
I though it was a fan running at first, or a motor, so I wandered around the house and decided it was outside, and it was...only it was inside, too. Stepping out the back door I looked down at the "freeze proof" faucet that we use to water the dogs and saw that they were being well watered unintentionally. A plumber had replaced a bad faucet for me and had apparently not replaced the insulation that protected the pipe from a mere 12 degree night. As I looked at the water spewing out, I had that sinking in the gut feeling one gets when one realizes that things are probably worse than it seems at first glance...Down in the basement a disaster in progress was waiting to make my day.
I opened the door to the utility room and it was like one of those hilarious commercials where the door has the water backed up waiting for the unsuspecting, underinsured victim to bear the full force of the wall of water that pours out upon release from its confines. The sight of me dancing around trying not to get my shoes totally wet as the water chased me around the basement now seems funny but not right then. I made stepping stones in the crystal clear pool out of the iron weights from the workout bench (see, I do use it) and made my way to the cutoff valve which didn't cut anything off, as it turns out. The plumber had saved himself some work by stubbing in the outside faucet from a convenient spot that totally screwed me up.
Ok, stop and think...I had originally put several valves in the house and it was just a matter of figuring out which one...sploshing over to it...and then it was quiet except for some dripping...Ok, a lot of dripping.
Anyway, I shoveled water into buckets and hauled it outside while I tried to remember which neighbor had my wet or dry shop-vac, hoping my old brain could come up with the answer before my kees and back gave out from stooping over and bailing water with a dust pan. From my years as a whitewater canoer I am an excellent bailer and I could see progress after ten or fifteen buckets and went careening off down the mountain side after the shop vac.
This morning some of the carpets are drying out and the house is nice and toasty because of the extra heat applied downstairs. Some of the old cardboard boxes in the basement corners have been investigated, sorted, and tossed out...Things that should have been done long ago, even before the great flood. I've installed a brand new cut off valve in a place that should thwart the evil designs of my ex plumber... (Who turns out not to be a plumber in the first place, but a registered electrician who bought a used truck that had "Plumbing AND Electric" painted on the door so, hey , why not? This is rural Tennessee, after all, plumbing can't be that hard, and a new sign would cost money, right?)
So, today...It's a clear day, the sun is beaming across the gorge and highlighting the eagles as they fly by on their way to look for dead fish on the lake. The sun is beaming in and highlighting the crows, too, but they don't have as fancy a paint job so think "eagles" with me and let's enjoy the morning before we go down into the bowels of the house and start digging back into the soggy memories stacked up against the back wall. Old treasures and tragedies, slightly soggy, both waiting to be dealt with one more time.
Peace,
Steve
I though it was a fan running at first, or a motor, so I wandered around the house and decided it was outside, and it was...only it was inside, too. Stepping out the back door I looked down at the "freeze proof" faucet that we use to water the dogs and saw that they were being well watered unintentionally. A plumber had replaced a bad faucet for me and had apparently not replaced the insulation that protected the pipe from a mere 12 degree night. As I looked at the water spewing out, I had that sinking in the gut feeling one gets when one realizes that things are probably worse than it seems at first glance...Down in the basement a disaster in progress was waiting to make my day.
I opened the door to the utility room and it was like one of those hilarious commercials where the door has the water backed up waiting for the unsuspecting, underinsured victim to bear the full force of the wall of water that pours out upon release from its confines. The sight of me dancing around trying not to get my shoes totally wet as the water chased me around the basement now seems funny but not right then. I made stepping stones in the crystal clear pool out of the iron weights from the workout bench (see, I do use it) and made my way to the cutoff valve which didn't cut anything off, as it turns out. The plumber had saved himself some work by stubbing in the outside faucet from a convenient spot that totally screwed me up.
Ok, stop and think...I had originally put several valves in the house and it was just a matter of figuring out which one...sploshing over to it...and then it was quiet except for some dripping...Ok, a lot of dripping.
Anyway, I shoveled water into buckets and hauled it outside while I tried to remember which neighbor had my wet or dry shop-vac, hoping my old brain could come up with the answer before my kees and back gave out from stooping over and bailing water with a dust pan. From my years as a whitewater canoer I am an excellent bailer and I could see progress after ten or fifteen buckets and went careening off down the mountain side after the shop vac.
This morning some of the carpets are drying out and the house is nice and toasty because of the extra heat applied downstairs. Some of the old cardboard boxes in the basement corners have been investigated, sorted, and tossed out...Things that should have been done long ago, even before the great flood. I've installed a brand new cut off valve in a place that should thwart the evil designs of my ex plumber... (Who turns out not to be a plumber in the first place, but a registered electrician who bought a used truck that had "Plumbing AND Electric" painted on the door so, hey , why not? This is rural Tennessee, after all, plumbing can't be that hard, and a new sign would cost money, right?)
So, today...It's a clear day, the sun is beaming across the gorge and highlighting the eagles as they fly by on their way to look for dead fish on the lake. The sun is beaming in and highlighting the crows, too, but they don't have as fancy a paint job so think "eagles" with me and let's enjoy the morning before we go down into the bowels of the house and start digging back into the soggy memories stacked up against the back wall. Old treasures and tragedies, slightly soggy, both waiting to be dealt with one more time.
Peace,
Steve
Monday, January 29, 2007
The Cliff
When I discuss, or rather attempt to discuss, political things with some folks, I am often surprised at the level of ignorance that otherwise reasonable people seem to be supporting. There is a belief in the nonexistant that is being purposefully fostered by some of the folks who own the American media. For example, George Bush was pinned down and forced to admit that he did in fact know that Saddam Hussein had absolutely nothing to do with 9-11. (The majority of the attackers were Saudis, as is Osama Bin Laden.) And yet a majority of Americans recently said they believed Saddam was involved.( Polls of FOX News watchers prove they are overwhelmingly ignorant of anything except Right Wing talking points. )
This brings me to ask several questions:
1. Is it good for America that a news organization is allowed to mislead us on purpose?
2. Was this what was intended by the Constitution?
3. Why are we allowing this to continue?
4. Is it going to get better?
The answers are 1,no; 2,no; 3,since we are being fed misinformation we cannot make a good decision, and finally; 4, Not anytime soon.
Currently the FCC is controlled by Republicans. This will be the case until Republicans no longer control the Whitehouse. The FCC is about to decide if the Internet has had such a terrible effect on the traditional media that ownership rules, the few that are still in place, should be abolished.
Think about it. Only five corporations control most of the media outlets now. You information is fed to you by a corporation in most cases. Corporations have no morals. The bigger they are the more they are driven by profit... and also by profit. Well profit and the personal motives of those that control them. history has shown that this is not good for the vast majority of citizens. If the Citizens are mislead by a corporation intent on serving its profit margin, they may not ever hear that essentially all of the reasons for going to war in, say Iraq, have no basis in fact until years later, say after the next election cycle.
And the corporation may look at its revenue fron other corporations, like say Exxon/Mobile, and not tell you that your government's spokesman is lying to you about global warming until years later, say after the next epection cycle.
And the owners of the corporate media, who always want to control more and more so that no one can disagree with them when they lie, may look at the last remaining free news outlets and want to control them too, so that is why they bought the satellite system, and that is why the Canadian news Corporation is gone from the satellite, and so is the BBC, and some others.
And that is why we have people, prominent people, who can go before this nation and make the most incredibly stupid and transparently wrong statements without anyone pointing out how incredibly stupid and transparently wrong these statements are.
Here is one of those statements:
"The Iraq War is not about oil."
and another:
"We cannot let the Insurgents win!"
People, we are not fighting a government or a country...We are fighting a people who are fighting themselves. The Iraq war should be thought of as a cliff.
"We cannot let the Cliff win," said the President. "We must send more troops over the edge of the Cliff. The only way the Cliff can win is if we stop sending more troops over the Cliff."
"To stop sending troops over the edge of the cliff now is to surrender."
"If we retreat from sending troops over the edge of the cliff, it will mean defeat. Those troops we have already sent over the edge of the cliff will have died in vain. More troops must therefore be sent over the Edge of the CLIFF."
We are stupid as a Nation and you know why. The current leadership must be removed from power as soon as possible. Every day that the Bush Administration is in power makes our National Cliff higher and more people are thorwn off of it.
Peace Now,
Steve
This brings me to ask several questions:
1. Is it good for America that a news organization is allowed to mislead us on purpose?
2. Was this what was intended by the Constitution?
3. Why are we allowing this to continue?
4. Is it going to get better?
The answers are 1,no; 2,no; 3,since we are being fed misinformation we cannot make a good decision, and finally; 4, Not anytime soon.
Currently the FCC is controlled by Republicans. This will be the case until Republicans no longer control the Whitehouse. The FCC is about to decide if the Internet has had such a terrible effect on the traditional media that ownership rules, the few that are still in place, should be abolished.
Think about it. Only five corporations control most of the media outlets now. You information is fed to you by a corporation in most cases. Corporations have no morals. The bigger they are the more they are driven by profit... and also by profit. Well profit and the personal motives of those that control them. history has shown that this is not good for the vast majority of citizens. If the Citizens are mislead by a corporation intent on serving its profit margin, they may not ever hear that essentially all of the reasons for going to war in, say Iraq, have no basis in fact until years later, say after the next election cycle.
And the corporation may look at its revenue fron other corporations, like say Exxon/Mobile, and not tell you that your government's spokesman is lying to you about global warming until years later, say after the next epection cycle.
And the owners of the corporate media, who always want to control more and more so that no one can disagree with them when they lie, may look at the last remaining free news outlets and want to control them too, so that is why they bought the satellite system, and that is why the Canadian news Corporation is gone from the satellite, and so is the BBC, and some others.
And that is why we have people, prominent people, who can go before this nation and make the most incredibly stupid and transparently wrong statements without anyone pointing out how incredibly stupid and transparently wrong these statements are.
Here is one of those statements:
"The Iraq War is not about oil."
and another:
"We cannot let the Insurgents win!"
People, we are not fighting a government or a country...We are fighting a people who are fighting themselves. The Iraq war should be thought of as a cliff.
"We cannot let the Cliff win," said the President. "We must send more troops over the edge of the Cliff. The only way the Cliff can win is if we stop sending more troops over the Cliff."
"To stop sending troops over the edge of the cliff now is to surrender."
"If we retreat from sending troops over the edge of the cliff, it will mean defeat. Those troops we have already sent over the edge of the cliff will have died in vain. More troops must therefore be sent over the Edge of the CLIFF."
We are stupid as a Nation and you know why. The current leadership must be removed from power as soon as possible. Every day that the Bush Administration is in power makes our National Cliff higher and more people are thorwn off of it.
Peace Now,
Steve
Sunday, January 28, 2007
American Hero
Molly Ivins may be on the home stretch, but she defines the American ideal of Truth, Justice, and the American Way:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070126/ap_on_re_us/ivins_cancer
I'm pulling for Molly in a huge way...America needs its heros!
Steve
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070126/ap_on_re_us/ivins_cancer
I'm pulling for Molly in a huge way...America needs its heros!
Steve
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Milestone for America
The big sports story in the mainstream media has faded away from David Beckham's $250 million dollar soccer contract and has shifted to the fact that both coaches of the Superbowl teams are black. It is the first time in history that one black person has coached a team in the Superbowl, let alone two.
I notice something else about these coaches that I find even more amazing. Neither Tony Dungee nor Lovie Smith raise their voices at their players. They are positive, instructive, and encouraging in their manner and their teams have defeated all sorts of "In your face" coaches on the way to the big game.
I have been told by coach after coach that "You have to get 'em fired up. You gotta make 'em mad." I had always been told that this is what it takes in football because after all..."Football is the controlled application of violence."
I had always thought that was the definition of WAR, not a game for kids...silly me.
When my wife told me that our oldest son was going to start playing soccer, my reaction was, "Huh?" Today, 16 teams and two wonderful soccer careers later, I am a huge fan of the game... And mostly of the coaches who never seem to yell at their players. When they do raise their voices, it is on the order of an instruction or tactic and never ever the old football standby of, "What's the matter with you?" The one question to which no child ever has an answer, except for, "I am a failure, coach."
I would love to see that question banned from this planet.
Every sport has its culture. It is rewarding for me to see American Football catching up to the rest of the world.
Go Colts!
Peace,
Steve
I notice something else about these coaches that I find even more amazing. Neither Tony Dungee nor Lovie Smith raise their voices at their players. They are positive, instructive, and encouraging in their manner and their teams have defeated all sorts of "In your face" coaches on the way to the big game.
I have been told by coach after coach that "You have to get 'em fired up. You gotta make 'em mad." I had always been told that this is what it takes in football because after all..."Football is the controlled application of violence."
I had always thought that was the definition of WAR, not a game for kids...silly me.
When my wife told me that our oldest son was going to start playing soccer, my reaction was, "Huh?" Today, 16 teams and two wonderful soccer careers later, I am a huge fan of the game... And mostly of the coaches who never seem to yell at their players. When they do raise their voices, it is on the order of an instruction or tactic and never ever the old football standby of, "What's the matter with you?" The one question to which no child ever has an answer, except for, "I am a failure, coach."
I would love to see that question banned from this planet.
Every sport has its culture. It is rewarding for me to see American Football catching up to the rest of the world.
Go Colts!
Peace,
Steve
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Other Views
One of the funniest things on TV is watching the various spinners discuss the same event. A couple of republican senators I watched this morning said thingsT "The President gave a good performance," and "the President came across as sincere."
A couple of Republican Senators said, "The President asked for patience...The American people are out of patience with the Iraq War," and "We will support the President if he lays out a plan for winning...So far we have not seen such a plan."
That was the Republican side. The Democratic side was mostly uncontrolled laughter.
Just to let everybody know that this Republican President is still on the side of Mega Corporations, Bush introduced his plan to reduce the cost of Health Care by eliminating Health Care for poor people. I'm serious. he proposes to TAX your health insurance thereby encouraging corporations to stop providing your health care so you'll have to buy your own, but you'll get a tax deduction for a part of it which will save rich people a bunch of money, but basically screw everybody who makes less than $80,000 a year.
And in other news, Dick Cheney was identified as evil personified by two different Attorneys in the Scooter Libbey obstruction of justice trial yeasterday...The two attorneys were the Federal Prosecutor and the Attorney for the Defense. After listening to a list of Federal crimes (like obstruction of justice, lying to investigators, destruction of evidence) committed by Vice President Dick Cheney, I figure Cheney has one defense left open to him...
Die as soon as possible!
Peace,
Steve
And then there's this.
An excerpt from live blogging the speech, Washington insider gossip version:
State of the Union, The blogospere version. (parental discretion)
A couple of Republican Senators said, "The President asked for patience...The American people are out of patience with the Iraq War," and "We will support the President if he lays out a plan for winning...So far we have not seen such a plan."
That was the Republican side. The Democratic side was mostly uncontrolled laughter.
Just to let everybody know that this Republican President is still on the side of Mega Corporations, Bush introduced his plan to reduce the cost of Health Care by eliminating Health Care for poor people. I'm serious. he proposes to TAX your health insurance thereby encouraging corporations to stop providing your health care so you'll have to buy your own, but you'll get a tax deduction for a part of it which will save rich people a bunch of money, but basically screw everybody who makes less than $80,000 a year.
And in other news, Dick Cheney was identified as evil personified by two different Attorneys in the Scooter Libbey obstruction of justice trial yeasterday...The two attorneys were the Federal Prosecutor and the Attorney for the Defense. After listening to a list of Federal crimes (like obstruction of justice, lying to investigators, destruction of evidence) committed by Vice President Dick Cheney, I figure Cheney has one defense left open to him...
Die as soon as possible!
Peace,
Steve
And then there's this.
An excerpt from live blogging the speech, Washington insider gossip version:
9:13 — A rare bit of class from Bush’s speechwriters, noting the first
“Madame Speaker.” Cheney doesn’t look quite so pleased. Of course, if Tim
Johnson doesn’t have a “speedy recovery,” Cheney will be very pleased,
indeed.
9:17 — Actually, wages for the vast majority of Americans have been
stagnant for the entire six years Bush has been president.
9:18 — Ohhhh, now he wants to balance the budget.
9:18 — “Without raising taxes” … what about the taxes on health care?
9:19 — Well, five years ago we didn’t even have a federal deficit.
9:20 — Time to refill the three glasses on this editor’s desk.
9:21 — WALNUTS just hopped up like the red-faced comb-over psychotic weirdo
he is … Ted Kennedy is either suffering a helluva headache or is listening to a
really sad Kate Bush song on his iPod.
9:25 — Hey, that’s what Hillary said about health care in 1993!
State of the Union, The blogospere version. (parental discretion)
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