Kirkpatrick Cancels

The (never) right-wing rent-a-mobs managed to shut down a local town hall meeting before it even started:

Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick of Arizona is the latest Democrat overrun by protesters at a local town hall event.

Sources say the protesters showed up after a robocall -- it's unclear from whom -- went out to Arizona voters encouraging them to show up at the event. The event was supposed to involve one on one chats with Kirkpatrick, a freshman member of Congress.

Kirkpatrick was unable to get the event started and canceled it.

"I am disappointed that the event was disrupted by a small but vocal group," Kirkpatrick said. "I grew up in Greater Arizona, and I remember the days when folks who disagreed would do so respectfully and were still able to work together on the important issues to find solutions."

Kirkpatrick is the latest Democrat to run into what Republicans have called "recess roastings," as congressional town halls from Utica, N.Y. to Austin, Texas, to Green Bay, Wis., have been disrupted this week by protesters. Debate continues over how genuine a grass roots movement this is, but POLITICO has reported that national conservative interest groups have helped organize some of the opposition.

"These 'chats' are meant to give people a chance to let me know what they need and what's important to them, and today's disruptions meant that a lot of folks did not get that chance," Kirkpatrick said. "I look forward to more public events, but more importantly I look forward to a return of civility and respectful dialogue where the focus is on the people and not scoring political points."

UPDATE: Turns out the anti-health reform group Conservatives for Patients Rights posted the Kirkpatrick event on its listing of town halls.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/0809/Another_Dem_overrun_by_protesters_at_town_hall.html?showall

Not a big surprise, as Ann Kirkpatrick isn't exactly a courageous fighter for her constituents. When I talked with her at a July 4th picnic, she didn't even have an articulate position on health care, except that she "supported reform." So I'm not a big fan of Kirkpatrick.
But I was ready and willing to stand up against these thugs, and help Ann talk with her constituents. It's all about real democracy, and also that I'm big enough (and ugly enough) to intimidate bullies. Dialogue is good; shouting and disruptions aren't. When an angry mob wants to shut down conversation, decent people need to stand up to them. Sure, you're free to protest. But you're not free to prevent others right to free speech. I realize that there's no guarantee of 'civil discourse' in the constitution, but if enough people stand up to the screamers perhaps we can actually talk about how best to reform health care.
Please, Ann, don't run away from these mobs. People like me are ready to get your back. Standing firm is the only way to make bullies back down.

A Masked Boobie

Friday's are for Boobies.

Don Your Robes, Justice Sotomayor

Congratulations to our newest Supreme Court Justice. The vote was 68-31 (Byrd was wheeled in; Kennedy still out), with no surprises.
I don't think she'll be all that liberal, perhaps more conservative than David Souter, and her seating won't change the balance of the court (still controlled by the five conservatives). But it's nice to see the court becoming more diverse.

Local Wind Power

Finally, a real plan for a wind power plant in our area. Anybody who lives around here knows that we have plenty of wind, especially east of town. I've hiked in the Grapevine Canyon area, and there's plenty of room for a wind farm. Here's the proposal:

Wind developers are proposing to build the first major wind farm near Flagstaff on a cattle ranch about 22 miles southeast of the city.

Foresight Wind Energy is proposing to install 130 to 330 large turbines on the Flying M Ranch east of Mormon Lake and tie into federally owned power lines. In all, the proposed project could cover 55 square miles, and if fully built-out, provide the equivalent of 500 megawatts of electricity. About 100 megawatts of electricity would power half of Flagstaff -- or 25,000 to 30,000 homes in the Southwest. A 500 megawatt project would power 125,000 homes.

http://www.azdailysun.com/articles/2009/08/05/news/20090805_front_201179.txt

I do have some concerns about the location. There are areas around that are far windier, but the Flying M ranch happens to be owned by the right people:

The Flying M Ranch is owned by the Metzger family, which runs cattle on a checkerboard of state and private land. Mandy Metzger is a Coconino County supervisor.

It kind of sucks that an otherwise good idea comes with a taint of cronyism. I know Mandy, and did some volunteer work on her campaign, so I'm really hoping that there's nothing corrupt behind the land choice. But it is a concern that I plan to discuss with her.

But I'm glad that we're about to harvest the wind. Now we need more solar plants to go along with it. Because, along with wind, sunshine is another thing we have in abundance here. Witness the mighty solar powered garbage can:

Happy Birthdays

A famous duo:

President Barack Obama, marking his 48th birthday, takes a break from his official duties to bring birthday greetings to veteran White House reporter Helen Thomas, left, who shares the same birthday and turns 89, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2009, in the White House Press Briefing Room in Washington. Helen Thomas has covered every president since John F. Kennedy. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/President-Barack-Obama/photo//090804/480/8841b1a7ac22491abf42182f222a1c15//s:/ap/20090804/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_birthday_surprise

Happy wishes to both, but I think I'd have more fun at Helen's party. I bet she can tell some great stories.

Clinton in North Korea

Former President Bill Clinton is in Pyongyang, meeting with Kim Jong-Il:

Former President Bill Clinton met Tuesday with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il on the first day of a surprise visit to Pyongyang, with the "exhaustive" talks covering a wide range of topics, state-run media said.

Kim engaged Clinton in a "wide-ranging exchange of views on matters of common concern," the report said.

Clinton was in communist North Korea on a mission to secure the release of Americans Euna Lee and Laura Ling, reporters for former Vice President Al Gore's Current TV media venture who were arrested along the Chinese-North Korean border in March and sentenced in June to 12 years of hard labor for illegal entry and
engaging in "hostile acts."

A senior U.S. official confirmed to reporters traveling to Africa with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton that the former president was in North Korea to secure their release, but said the White House would not comment until the mission was complete.

"While this solely private mission to secure the release of two Americans is on the ground, we will have no comment," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said in a statement. "We do not want to jeopardize the success of former President Clinton's mission."

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111528528

This could be quite interesting. Clinton isn't the first former President to go to North Korea; Jimmy Carter went in 1994. But this is a whole new dynamic in international diplomacy, with the former President's wife being the current Secretary of State. Because of this, anything Bill says will be seen as official U.S. policy; even though he doesn't hold any official position, he carries an international gravitas unlike any other individual. In some ways that makes this a brilliant move with regard to the diplomatic impasse with North Korea, as the Obama administration can maintain a plausible distance from any concessions toward formal diplomatic relations, while creating an open conduit for communications. But there are perils with this move, by both creating a new GOP attack talking point and allowing Kim Jong-Il a new propaganda campaign. Relations with North Korea have been an almost impossible dilemma, with no good options available, but this may be the most creative diplomatic move in recent history. Because of the international respect for both Clintons, the world will pay attention.

We'll see how this all plays out, but I'm betting that Bill will get the journalists released. And that's a good place to start.

(Added: Well, that didn't take long. The journalists have been "pardoned", and that they will be released during Clinton's visit. Nice work, Bill Clinton.)

Connected

Or, more precisely, re-connected. The 'bootleg' wireless that I had been using (for free) has faded to the point of being almost non-existent, leaving me off the internet. So I've finally broken down and agreed to pay (shudder) for real internet service. It was a difficult decision for me, as one of the keys to surviving in poverty is being a tightwad. I pinch every penny until it is concave. But I really want to be here, so I've re-arranged my budget priorities enough to afford the service (but any donations will be gratefully accepted). This means I might post something beyond Boobies, and with greater frequency. Actual quality of posts will still be debatable.

Tentative Boobies

I'm sort of back, but my wireless is rather flacky. Have some Boobies while I work on the stories.

And That's The Way It Was....

…forty years ago, when I was a wee lad of 4 and put to bed early by my folks. Of course, on that magic night, when Neil and Buzz were to gambol on the lunar dust for the first time, my parents did me the courtesy of waking my sorry, skinny ass up and plonking me in front of the tee-vee to watch what was happening on the screen.

Not that I had no idea; schools were running non-stop with programs and studies of nothing but the “Space Program” and had been for years. Children of my day grew up wanting to be a fireman, a policeman, or an astronaut; the latter a profession that was unbelievable to even the previous generation. Due to my ignorance of astronomy (not atypical for a 4-year-old) and the lucky alignment of some stars, I actually believed I could see Columbia and Eagle near the moon during that week. Like I said, I was ignorant of a lot of things; probably, at age four, the last time that was ever charming. And, of course, the magic was damn near everywhere; supermarket clerks gushed on and on about it; next-door neighbors called each other over for cocktails and BBQ; the talking heads didn’t just babble on about it – instead, the whole freakin’ newscast covered basically nothing but the progress of the lunar voyage.

A-and, guess what?! We did it! When I say we, of course, I don’t mean that I, a dinky kid, had anything to do with it, nor am I so sure that it was all America’s doing, as there was a race that captivated the entire world at the time. It could have been just the zeitgeist of humanity during that decade, but there was a lot of forward-looking, progressive ideals shared worldwide, of which the space program was easily the most impressive.

Through it all, however, there needed to be a narrative, a tale told that would entice everyone to believe and to participate in the story, so that there would be, in today’s terms “buy-in” towards the idea. Luckily, the space program, was able to capture the world with the unimpeachable voice of a great and singular man: Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr.

Although Cronkite himself admitted to “much glee” during the lunar flights and could often be seen on camera smiling broadly and rubbing his hands together in anticipation, he was pretty much the voice of the networks when it came to following the Apollo program and especially Apollo 11, not to slight Shorty Powers, who was commonly known as the 8th Astronaut during the Mercury program. But by the time of Apollo, it was Cronkite who ruled the airwaves and mesmerized the audience with his commentary on the moon missions. His complete amazement and exuberant exclamation of “A man on the moon!” as Neil Armstrong walked down the LEM ladder on that day is one of the best monuments to that program.

His death today, coincident with the 40th anniversary remembrance of Apollo 11, is one of those serendipitous moments that life throws at us; Cronkite is probably best remembered not for Apollo 11, but for his outstanding coverage of the Cuabn missile crisis, JFKs assassination, his coverage of Vietnam and Watergate, and the fact that his persona embodied the concept of “news anchor”; a position that will likely never be equaled again given the fragmentation of news channels and organizations in our time. And this, after serving as one of the top American reporters during World War II, earning accolades in reporting bombing raids over Germany and later covering the Nuremberg trials.

In comparison, today’s “journalists” are, unfortunately, not cut from the same cloth. Quite possibly, because today’s journalists, much like today’s citizens haven’t really had to face too many crises; 9/11 notwithstanding, America has been a pretty safe place since the 70s. Because of this, they’ve never been “forged under fire” or “tested their mettle” or any other b.s. journalistic phrase. And if they have, they only had to once, before they got out, got a book contract, and retired to the lecture circuit. Versus, of course, the lifetime career of Cronkite.

In more recent years, he championed the idea of a freer political press, such that the press should provide free airtime to candidates as they pursue office; indeed, he argued for a provision to the Feingold-McCain Act to provide exactly that, although it was never attached.

We all knew he had been ill lately. But people have an illogical (but understandable) reason not to dwell on death, as we will all make friends eventually. He is survived not just by family, but by his mark on the world: a Cronkite school of Journalism (at ASU) and the leading journalistic award, the Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism. And, I am sure that his voluminous collected papers will continue to show his outstanding ability for years to come.

RIP, Walter Cronkite. May the hereafter stand your observation and commentary. May any celestial tapes be preserved so that if the rest of us ever get there, we can follow your reporting on the items beyond our ken. In the meantime, we’ll be content ourselves to remember and admire your work here and aspire to follow in your steadfast footsteps of curiosity, honesty and integrity.

The Friday Booby

And this time it's a baby! Pictured alone at the nest because Mom and Dad are probably out getting some food....

Another Road Trip

I'll be leaving in the morning, going to Colorado for some river running and some music (and some micro brews, of course). A dear friend is going with me, so I shouldn't get into too much trouble. Back in about 10 days (sweaterman promised to handle the Boobie duties while I'm away), give or take.

Fresh Friday Boobies

(Picture by DbacksSkins, a friend from AZ Snakepit; don't ask me how our comments during a baseball game led to his sending me his Boobie pics. Thanks, 'Skins!)

Dear Baseball Fans

Please go read this :http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/delving-into-the-dalkowski-depths/. You'll be glad you did.

Only 1,500 Nukes Left

Obama's new proposed nuclear weapons reduction treaty with Russia will reduce our arsenal by roughly 30%:

Washington - President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev committed Monday to reaching a new nuclear-arms reduction agreement that would set both strategic warheads and warhead delivery vehicles, such as missiles, at post-cold-war lows.

Yet despite the upbeat tone at the first of two days of summit talks in Moscow, the two leaders offered few specifics on how the looming stumbling blocks to a new era of cooperation will be overcome. Those issues include American plans for a missile-defense system in Eastern Europe and US-supported expansion of NATO to Ukraine and Georgia. The two presidents issued a "joint understanding" that commits the two countries to reducing strategic warheads to a range of 1,500 to 1,675 – down from the current ceiling of 2,200 – and to a maximum of 1,600 launch vehicles. The goal is to
reach an agreement in time to replace the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), which expires on Dec. 5.

Although the Obama-Medvedev statement speaks only of reaching an agreement "at the earliest possible date," Mr. Obama affirmed at a joint appearance of the two leaders Monday that the treaty "will be completed this year."

http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0706/p02s01-usfp.html

Which means we'll only have the capacity to destroy the planet nine times over, rather than the prior twelve times over. I suppose this is good progress, but I doubt that these numbers will convince the rest of the world to abandon their nukes. 1,500 is still a hell of a lot.
I'm just waiting for the right-wing attacks on Obama for "weakening America." I guarantee they're coming.

McNamara

Robert McNamara...for people my age, his name evokes anger and pain. Before Rumsfeld brought us Iraq, McNamara's Vietnam was the greatest example of military wrongheadedness in American history. In later years he expressed regret and remorse for his actions, but it was much too little too late to wash the blood of some 58,000 American, and countless Vietnamese, souls from his hands. The simple fact that he lied and escalated the war, even after he "knew" it was lost, is enough to condemn him to a legacy of shame.
I suppose I shouldn't speak ill of the dead, but that's one bastard I won't miss.

(Added: Read Attytood for a much deeper analysis)

Happy Independence Day

What a great holiday! Barbeques, beer, and blowing up stuff! It doesn't get much better.

Actually, as much as I love explosives, I avoid fireworks up here in the mountains. Too high a risk of fire.

Oh yeah, there's another thing to celebrate. This little document:

Still well worth reading.

Should a 'Socialist' go to a 'Tea Bag' Party?

We have a local wingnut who I thoroughly enjoy debating politics over a beer with. It's so much more entertaining than debating with people who agree with you. Anyway, he's one of the organizers of the local 4th of July "tea party", and last evening he invited me to attend (maybe they're really desperate). "Free food" was his main selling point; "I know you Socialists like free food." (most of our debates involve him calling me a 'socialist', and me trying to get him to define 'socialist'. As best I can tell, anything that involves government, society, or civilization is socialist, and Obama is the most evil socialist ever. Like I say, it's entertaining.) Actually, the food isn't a compelling offer, as the local Democratic party is also having a barbeque to celebrate the 4th and the opening of the new headquarters. But since the two groups will be on opposite sides of a local park, I may go to both. There is something delightfully ironic in the thought of me, a well known "flaming liberal" on the local political scene, walking up and having a burger with the local wingnuts. Could be fun.
Afterwards I'll be going to a sane friends party.

Palin Resigning

OK, that's a shocker. Was it because of this picture?

(snarky pic stolen somewhere on the net)

I just hope she doesn't start campaigning for 2012 right away. That would be way too long to maintain an appropriate level of satire.

Or (pure speculation) is there an Argentinian hiking type story about to break?

At least it's not another Michael Jackson story.

Independence Boobies

"It's Friday"

"Is today a holiday?"

"Sort of."

"How should we celebrate?"

"We're Boobies. We just hang out."

"Oh. OK."

More Truth, Too Late

As the Iraqi people celebrate our withdrawal from their cities (but not their country), we are starting to get more of the facts about the lead up to this horribly unethical war:

Saddam Hussein told an FBI interviewer before he was hanged that he allowed the world to believe he had weapons of mass destruction because he was worried about appearing weak to Iran, according to declassified accounts of the interviews released yesterday. The former Iraqi president also denounced Osama bin Laden as "a zealot" and said he had no dealings with al-Qaeda.

Hussein, in fact, said he felt so vulnerable to the perceived threat from "fanatic" leaders in Tehran that he would have been prepared to seek a "security agreement with the United States to protect [Iraq] from threats in the region."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/01/AR2009070104217.html

I knew most of these things already, but in the media's war lust they got buried. Shrub wanted a war, and no facts were going to stop him. Smart analysis showed that there were no WMD's, and even if there were a few they weren't really a threat.
As we've seen, getting into a war in Iraq was a whole lot easier than getting out will be. But I wish for one big first step: Can we put shrub and the cheney on trial for war crimes yet? That would be the best first move toward healing the damage they've caused.