See Story at SoHum Paralance II
Time is of the essence. We have two weeks.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Ready For Reggae Rising
The first time I visited Humboldt County I drove past thousands of hippies camped out on the banks of the Eel river south of Garberville Ca. The view from highway 101 showed one serious party going on. I thought, that would be cool to go to.
The third time I came here was to move from the O.C. I was here for over 7 years before I finally decided to check out this colorful event. By the time I did, the name had changed from Reggae on the River, to Reggae Rising. Not knowing any difference, I got a camping pass at Cooks Valley and had a great 3 days of music camping and debauchery.
This year makes year 4 for me. I have already off loaded my camping gear with my friend Raquel, in Arcata. She has a truck and will be going down to get us a good camp site first thing this morning. I won't be able to leave until Friday afternoon. When I get there, my tent will already be set up and other friends, Starr and Andrew will be waiting for me.
After a couple of years camping with the radio crew in a back stage area, I decided to go back to Cooks Valley. The back stage press camping is limited to very few square feet of space and they enforce the limit. Too cramped to have my own tent and nobody at the radio station wants' to sleep with me.
Cooks Valley is a nice forested shady area south of the main event but within short walking distance of everything. There are cold showers, a temporary store that is well stocked, and a restaurant of sorts that has pretty good food.
A pond is at one end and the Eel River rolls by on two sides of the camp. People float down the river through the many camp sites in all manor of PFD's (personal floatation devices) including small rafts, sometimes like a parade. This year the water looks pretty low. The wine growers to the south take most of the water from the Eel before it ever gets to the Dimmick Ranch where the event is held. With that low of flow, I don't think I will be going into the water this year.
Reggae Rising is as much about the music as it is about the scene. People being excellent to each other and having a good time. The warm sunny weather usually brings out the scantly clad bodies that make people watching a lot of fun.
Jim Bernard, local meteorologist for our NBC affiliate says temps should be in the upper 80's to the lower 90's over the weekend. That should be about perfect for the ladies and the rest of us will have our sun glasses on to avoid getting caught looking.
I have a day and a half left at work and then it's off to the smell of patchouli, tanning butter and pot smoke. The sound of sweet rhythms in the air and camping with ear plugs. Have you ever tried to get to sleep in a tent surrounded by thousands of your friends? Ear plugs and beer can help.
Click for music, pictures and official info on Reggae Rising 2009.
The third time I came here was to move from the O.C. I was here for over 7 years before I finally decided to check out this colorful event. By the time I did, the name had changed from Reggae on the River, to Reggae Rising. Not knowing any difference, I got a camping pass at Cooks Valley and had a great 3 days of music camping and debauchery.
This year makes year 4 for me. I have already off loaded my camping gear with my friend Raquel, in Arcata. She has a truck and will be going down to get us a good camp site first thing this morning. I won't be able to leave until Friday afternoon. When I get there, my tent will already be set up and other friends, Starr and Andrew will be waiting for me.
After a couple of years camping with the radio crew in a back stage area, I decided to go back to Cooks Valley. The back stage press camping is limited to very few square feet of space and they enforce the limit. Too cramped to have my own tent and nobody at the radio station wants' to sleep with me.
Cooks Valley is a nice forested shady area south of the main event but within short walking distance of everything. There are cold showers, a temporary store that is well stocked, and a restaurant of sorts that has pretty good food.
A pond is at one end and the Eel River rolls by on two sides of the camp. People float down the river through the many camp sites in all manor of PFD's (personal floatation devices) including small rafts, sometimes like a parade. This year the water looks pretty low. The wine growers to the south take most of the water from the Eel before it ever gets to the Dimmick Ranch where the event is held. With that low of flow, I don't think I will be going into the water this year.
Reggae Rising is as much about the music as it is about the scene. People being excellent to each other and having a good time. The warm sunny weather usually brings out the scantly clad bodies that make people watching a lot of fun.
Jim Bernard, local meteorologist for our NBC affiliate says temps should be in the upper 80's to the lower 90's over the weekend. That should be about perfect for the ladies and the rest of us will have our sun glasses on to avoid getting caught looking.
I have a day and a half left at work and then it's off to the smell of patchouli, tanning butter and pot smoke. The sound of sweet rhythms in the air and camping with ear plugs. Have you ever tried to get to sleep in a tent surrounded by thousands of your friends? Ear plugs and beer can help.
Click for music, pictures and official info on Reggae Rising 2009.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
‘What’s the point of having a 60 vote majority’ if you can’t pass health reform?
The question was asked last night by Dr. Howard Dean on MSMBC's Rachel Maddow Show.
From ThinkProgress.org It originated at the New York Times.
According to the New York Times, three Democrats and three Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee have crafted a bipartisan agreement around a health care bill that replaces the employer mandate with a free rider provision, establishes a cooperative in place of the public option, and partly funds reform by taxing “Cadillac” health care benefits. Last night, during an appearance on MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show, former Gov. Howard Dean (D-VT) criticized the “so-called compromise” for not going far enough to reform the health care system:
You know, this is going to be a hell of an issue in 2010 cause honestly, what’s the point of having a 60 vote majority in the United States Senate, if you can’t produce…health care reform. You can get health insurance reform. This bill is going to cost us a lot of money and it isn’t going to do anything, if this so-called compromise is true. This compromise does nothing, except it will reform insurance. That’s a good thing to do, but they ought to strip the money out of it cause we reformed insurance like this in Vermont 15 years ago. It’s a fine thing to do, but it doesn’t insure more people.
From ThinkProgress.org It originated at the New York Times.
According to the New York Times, three Democrats and three Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee have crafted a bipartisan agreement around a health care bill that replaces the employer mandate with a free rider provision, establishes a cooperative in place of the public option, and partly funds reform by taxing “Cadillac” health care benefits. Last night, during an appearance on MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show, former Gov. Howard Dean (D-VT) criticized the “so-called compromise” for not going far enough to reform the health care system:
You know, this is going to be a hell of an issue in 2010 cause honestly, what’s the point of having a 60 vote majority in the United States Senate, if you can’t produce…health care reform. You can get health insurance reform. This bill is going to cost us a lot of money and it isn’t going to do anything, if this so-called compromise is true. This compromise does nothing, except it will reform insurance. That’s a good thing to do, but they ought to strip the money out of it cause we reformed insurance like this in Vermont 15 years ago. It’s a fine thing to do, but it doesn’t insure more people.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Black Berries and Fun Today in Westhaven
Lots of sun and occasional drifts of fog greeted hundreds of people in Westhaven today.
The Wild Black Berry Festival goes till about 5pm today, or until everything runs out!
For more info see about 4 posts down.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Spitzer: Federal Reserve is ‘a Ponzi scheme, an inside job’
By Daniel Tencer Published: July 25, 2009
From the RawStory.com
The Federal Reserve — the quasi-autonomous body that controls the US’s money supply — is a “Ponzi scheme” that created “bubble after bubble” in the US economy and needs to be held accountable for its actions, says Eliot Spitzer, the former governor and attorney-general of New York.
In a wide-ranging discussion of the bank bailouts on MSNBC’s Morning Meeting, host Dylan Ratigan described the process by which the Federal Reserve exchanged $13.9 trillion of bad bank debt for cash that it gave to the struggling banks.
Spitzer — who built a reputation as “the Sheriff of Wall Street” for his zealous prosecutions of corporate crime as New York’s attorney-general and then resigned as the state’s governor over revelations he had paid for prostitutes — seemed to agree with Ratigan that the bank bailout amounts to “America’s greatest theft and cover-up ever.”
Read More
I have said and made the point in my former blog that Eliot Spitzer knew what Wall St. was doing and that is why they made such a big deal out of him paying for a high priced, good looking, female prostitute.
The Bush Justice Department... it's all in the story, click the link.
From the RawStory.com
The Federal Reserve — the quasi-autonomous body that controls the US’s money supply — is a “Ponzi scheme” that created “bubble after bubble” in the US economy and needs to be held accountable for its actions, says Eliot Spitzer, the former governor and attorney-general of New York.
In a wide-ranging discussion of the bank bailouts on MSNBC’s Morning Meeting, host Dylan Ratigan described the process by which the Federal Reserve exchanged $13.9 trillion of bad bank debt for cash that it gave to the struggling banks.
Spitzer — who built a reputation as “the Sheriff of Wall Street” for his zealous prosecutions of corporate crime as New York’s attorney-general and then resigned as the state’s governor over revelations he had paid for prostitutes — seemed to agree with Ratigan that the bank bailout amounts to “America’s greatest theft and cover-up ever.”
Read More
I have said and made the point in my former blog that Eliot Spitzer knew what Wall St. was doing and that is why they made such a big deal out of him paying for a high priced, good looking, female prostitute.
The Bush Justice Department... it's all in the story, click the link.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Cheney pressed Bush to test Constitutional limits by using military force on US soil
By Muriel Kane
According to a story in Friday’s New York Times, Vice-President Cheney advocated in 2002 for the Bush administration to send military troops to Buffalo to arrest the so-called Lackawanna Six as enemy combatants.
This would have violated both Fourth Amendment guarantees against search and seizure without probable cause and the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which makes it illegal to use the military for law enforcement.
Read More
According to a story in Friday’s New York Times, Vice-President Cheney advocated in 2002 for the Bush administration to send military troops to Buffalo to arrest the so-called Lackawanna Six as enemy combatants.
This would have violated both Fourth Amendment guarantees against search and seizure without probable cause and the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which makes it illegal to use the military for law enforcement.
Read More
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
Westhaven Wild Blackberry Festival, the real post.
All right. Here's the scoop. This Sunday, 7-26-09 from 10am to 4pm. Exit Sixth Ave. in Westhaven, (2 miles south of Trinidad).
There will be Music, BBQ, Raffle, Crafts, Dunk Tank and Beer and Wine.
Nothing on the poster about pies, but I can assure you, there will be pies and even cobbler until it runs out.
Proceeds go to the Westhaven Volunteer Fire Department.
Poster can be viewed at Murphy's Market in Trinidad. I did say I would get the right info. I just hope the poster is correct.
Oh yeah, and just because they're black doesn't mean they are two words. I got that wrong, blackberry is just one word. I thought that blackberry was a hand held phone/email gadget.
I also had left out the word Wild! How tame of me.
Westhaven Black Berry Festival This Sunday
The annual Black Berry Festival is set for this Sunday in Westhaven.
That means no Artisan market in Trinidad on 7-26-09.
There will be entertainment, food and drink and of course Blackberry pies.
Exit highway 101 at 6th street and follow the crowd to the Westhaven Volunteer Fire Department. I couldn't find a start and end time on their web site but as I remember, it seems to start around 10 am and goes to 3 or 4pm. I will try to get a conformation from Penny Gunn who will be performing at the festival just south of Trinidad. She hasn't returned my phone call as of yet.
Friday, July 17, 2009
No Healthcare! Tea Party Patriots at it again!
A very colorful crowd was protesting against government run health care and spending. Dozens of patriotic looking people gathered outside Congressman Mike Thompson's office in Old Town Eureka.
For some reason, many of these people believe that a public option or single payer system will mean that doctors and hospitals will be owned by the taxpayers. They don't know the difference between socialized medicine like the V.A. and a system like Medicare that would be an alternative to other insurance companies. They seem to think option means required.
In all fairness, few people including the politicians have read the latest 11-hundred page proposal for health care. One thing to note, the the CBA estimates that the country spends about 100-billion dollars a year to pay for the uninsured. Obama says the plan he envisions would spend 1 trillion dollars over 10 years. That is exactly what we are spending now. The difference is that 37 million more people would have some sort of coverage and be able to go to preventive care instead of showing up at the hospital emergency room.
If everyone were covered by a single payer system, there would no need for workers comp. insurance unless the job by definition is hazardous or extremely dangerous.
This would take a lot off of the backs of small and medium size businesses.
Single Payer is unlikely to pass based on what Senator Bernie Sanders said today on the Thom Hartmann Program. He said a bill he sponsored for single payer had only 4 other signatures and not much response from most of those on Capital Hill that are finding it hard to fend off the powerful health care lobbyists.
I wish these people would have turned out when many of us were trying to stop the Iraq war and were protesting the Patriot Act that gave our president almost dictitorial powers. They are now against that power but were for it when congress handed it to George W. Bush.
It seems that they were just sure they would be able to steal another election.
On the bright side, at least the Tea Baggers are upset. That means they are starting to pay attention. Problem is, they get most of their news from organizations that lie to them.
I hope they keep protesting and asking questions. I just wish they would turn off Fox News and KINS. The local news on KINS is not bad, the talk shows however, are mostly bitter neocons with misleading information.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Bottoms Up at the Eureka Summer Concert Series
Fortuna Fabrics & Crafts, Bon Bonier ice cream, Xyerergy drinks powered by Xyience, Bottoms Up Diaper Service, Old Town Coffee and Chocolates (I hope I didn't forget someone),
and Rocky's Off Road were in Old Town Eureka tonight.
Rocky gave a trophy for the best bike. I forgot to get a picture but it was about 5 feet tall and didn't fit on the motorcycle that won the trophy for best bike. A locally designed and built motorcycle was Pete's pick (the legend, Pete Meyer) and took home the trophy. ( I lie, we took the trophy back to the station in the bus and they will pick it up on more suitable transportation.
I didn't get the winners name but I did get a picture of the custom motorcycle.
Lost Boys played for two hours and drew a large crowd. They have recently opened for All American Rejects and 3 Doors Down in Konacti on Clear Lake Ca.
It was a good show no thanks to the cool fog. Not that cool fog is a bad thing.
But an outside concert on the boardwalk at the bay is more fun when the sun shines.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
What To Do If The Check Engine Light Comes On In Your Car?
Nothing can be more unsettling than to have the check engine light suddenly blare at you from your dash board. In an older car, it is likely an oil problem and that means pull over and check the oil at the nearest safe pull out.
In a more modern car, say 2 or 3 years old, it can be anything. There are some places like the Oil Stop in Eureka, that will plug into your car for free to see what the code says to better identify the problem. Sometimes it can be as simple as a loose gas cap.
If you don't happen to be near a place with a code reader and have checked the oil and it seems fine and didn't notice any broken or missing belts or steaming hoses, there is a simple check you can do to help ease your mind.
Take the negative terminal off of your battery. Wait for about 10 minutes and re attach it.
This should clear the car's computer and when you re start the car, if the light doesn't come back on, you're probably ok.
A friend of mine is an ASE certified mechanic and Mazda tech. He says there are false codes that trigger a dash light, all the time.
He wasn't the one that turned me on to this information. That was my nephew that just got married. He used to work for one of the big auto rental companies and said they would do this on the lot when they had a check engine light.
My mechanic friend didn't think it was a bad idea as the same thing would happen if you had a dead battery and had to change it. He felt like it was a safe way to check for false check engine light codes.
Basically, if the light doesn't come back on, there is probably no problem.
It is still recommended to bring this up next time you take your car in for service.
I have a 2007 Kia and have had 3 different incidents that set off the check engine light. Only one of those turned out to be an actual problem.
In a more modern car, say 2 or 3 years old, it can be anything. There are some places like the Oil Stop in Eureka, that will plug into your car for free to see what the code says to better identify the problem. Sometimes it can be as simple as a loose gas cap.
If you don't happen to be near a place with a code reader and have checked the oil and it seems fine and didn't notice any broken or missing belts or steaming hoses, there is a simple check you can do to help ease your mind.
Take the negative terminal off of your battery. Wait for about 10 minutes and re attach it.
This should clear the car's computer and when you re start the car, if the light doesn't come back on, you're probably ok.
A friend of mine is an ASE certified mechanic and Mazda tech. He says there are false codes that trigger a dash light, all the time.
He wasn't the one that turned me on to this information. That was my nephew that just got married. He used to work for one of the big auto rental companies and said they would do this on the lot when they had a check engine light.
My mechanic friend didn't think it was a bad idea as the same thing would happen if you had a dead battery and had to change it. He felt like it was a safe way to check for false check engine light codes.
Basically, if the light doesn't come back on, there is probably no problem.
It is still recommended to bring this up next time you take your car in for service.
I have a 2007 Kia and have had 3 different incidents that set off the check engine light. Only one of those turned out to be an actual problem.
Monday, July 13, 2009
"Did Anyone Survive the War?"
By Richard Klass at the Huffington Post
A few weeks ago while showing the Vietnam War Memorial to some out of town visitors, a young man's voice startled me. This ten or twelve year old surveyed the more than 58,000 names on the wall, Including 16 of my Air Force Academy classmates, and asked his dad "did anyone survive the war?"
"Yes," I thought. "I did but barely."
But the question deserves a better answer, especially in light of the recent death of Robert S. McNamara, the architect of the Vietnam War and later its remorseful critic.
It is an axiom that no one who goes to war returns as the same person. The changes can be as trivial as the thrill of a first view of a new country thousands of miles from home. Or it can be as profound as holding a dying friend or staring into the eyes of someone you have killed. But in a very real sense, no one survives the war.
The changes wrought by war are often so small as to be undetectable except on close examination by those who knew the individual before the war. A certain ease to anger. A reluctance to discuss the experience. A frequent sense of being in another place. But too often the returning soldier is a far different person even if there are no visible wounds. This is especially true of those who have seen combat. Another axiom of war is that soldiers do not fight for King or country, nor for God or flag. Those in battle fight for themselves and their comrades, to achieve victory and bring the group home intact. Only this explains the heroism of those who risk and often lose their lives for others or to retrieve a dead comrade's body. The worst experience of war is not to be in danger or wounded, it is to see friends die while you still live. The second worst experience is to kill.
We see the changes wrought by war in the 200,000 homeless veterans sleeping on our streets each night, the bulk of them Vietnam era veterans. We see it in the hundreds of thousands of Vietnam era post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) cases and the estimated 300,000 cases we will soon see from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even deeper in the shadows are the suicides, divorces and family abuse that the war experience triggers. And, tragically, we see it clearly, if we will look, in the tens of thousands of severely wounded whose bodies and lives will not be whole again.
No, no soldier survived Vietnam and no one will survive the current wars, unscathed.
Nor did Robert S. McNamara survive. He lost his belief in the power of intellect and reason to control events in another culture and country. He lost his confidence in numbers - body counts, bomb tonnage - to accurately portray the course of a conflict. But at least at the end he had some comprehension of the scale and genesis of his failures. There is no indication as yet that the other contender for most arrogant Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, has or will reach a similar point.
My current concerns are not on the geo-strategic level. What neither Mr. McNamara nor Mr. Rumsfeld seemed to understand or appreciate was the effect of the war on the participants. By all means we should learn from the strategic mistakes made in Vietnam and Iraq. We must understand what motivates our opponents and the limits of what can be achieved with military power. But let us also understand what war does to the warriors. What stresses are caused by being attacked, by killing and by seeing others killed. Let us be prepared to deal with those consequences from the beginning, not as an afterthought. Let's make sure as many as possible survive the war with as few visible and invisible scars as possible.
###
"Yes," I thought. "I did but barely."
But the question deserves a better answer, especially in light of the recent death of Robert S. McNamara, the architect of the Vietnam War and later its remorseful critic.
It is an axiom that no one who goes to war returns as the same person. The changes can be as trivial as the thrill of a first view of a new country thousands of miles from home. Or it can be as profound as holding a dying friend or staring into the eyes of someone you have killed. But in a very real sense, no one survives the war.
The changes wrought by war are often so small as to be undetectable except on close examination by those who knew the individual before the war. A certain ease to anger. A reluctance to discuss the experience. A frequent sense of being in another place. But too often the returning soldier is a far different person even if there are no visible wounds. This is especially true of those who have seen combat. Another axiom of war is that soldiers do not fight for King or country, nor for God or flag. Those in battle fight for themselves and their comrades, to achieve victory and bring the group home intact. Only this explains the heroism of those who risk and often lose their lives for others or to retrieve a dead comrade's body. The worst experience of war is not to be in danger or wounded, it is to see friends die while you still live. The second worst experience is to kill.
We see the changes wrought by war in the 200,000 homeless veterans sleeping on our streets each night, the bulk of them Vietnam era veterans. We see it in the hundreds of thousands of Vietnam era post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) cases and the estimated 300,000 cases we will soon see from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even deeper in the shadows are the suicides, divorces and family abuse that the war experience triggers. And, tragically, we see it clearly, if we will look, in the tens of thousands of severely wounded whose bodies and lives will not be whole again.
No, no soldier survived Vietnam and no one will survive the current wars, unscathed.
Nor did Robert S. McNamara survive. He lost his belief in the power of intellect and reason to control events in another culture and country. He lost his confidence in numbers - body counts, bomb tonnage - to accurately portray the course of a conflict. But at least at the end he had some comprehension of the scale and genesis of his failures. There is no indication as yet that the other contender for most arrogant Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, has or will reach a similar point.
My current concerns are not on the geo-strategic level. What neither Mr. McNamara nor Mr. Rumsfeld seemed to understand or appreciate was the effect of the war on the participants. By all means we should learn from the strategic mistakes made in Vietnam and Iraq. We must understand what motivates our opponents and the limits of what can be achieved with military power. But let us also understand what war does to the warriors. What stresses are caused by being attacked, by killing and by seeing others killed. Let us be prepared to deal with those consequences from the beginning, not as an afterthought. Let's make sure as many as possible survive the war with as few visible and invisible scars as possible.
###
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Despite Dick Cheney, the sun came out in Trinidad today.
I saw 5 surfers sitting on 5 surf boards near Camel Rock. There was a kayaker hanging out right there with them as if to defy a wave to come.
Surf was definitely not up.
The Artisans Market was in full swing as it will be through the summer.
11 am to 3 pm next to Murphy's Market.
The picture can be used by anyone for non commercial reasons if you just give credit to
Commercial inquries can contact me at thomassebourn@gmail.com
Feinstein: CIA program was ‘outside the law’
By David Edwards Published: July 12, 2009 Updated 6 hours ago
U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA), during an interview with Fox News host Chris Wallace, expressed her displeasure with the prior administration for reportedly hiding one of its counter-terror programs “outside the law” and away from congressional oversight.
“I think you weaken your case when you go outside the law,” she said on Sunday morning, speaking opposite of Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX).
“I think you weaken your case when you go outside the law,” she said on Sunday morning, speaking opposite of Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX).
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Times: Cheney gave order to conceal secret CIA program
By Muriel Kane Published: July 11, 2009 Updated 2 hours ago
In an exclusive report, the New York Times revealed on Saturday that the order to conceal a secret counterterrorism program from Congress for eight years came directly from former Vice President Dick Cheney.
Even current CIA Director Leon Panetta did not learn of the program until June 23, more than four months after he took over running the agency. He informed both Congressional intelligence committees the next day.
The Times report came on the same day that former CIA Director Michael Hayden was insisting, in an interview with the Associated Press, that Congressional leaders had been kept consistently informed of the Bush administration’s surveillance programs.
“”One of the points I had in every one of the briefings was to make sure they understood the scope of our activity,” Hayden told the AP. “At the political level this had support.”
See RawStory.com for more.
In an exclusive report, the New York Times revealed on Saturday that the order to conceal a secret counterterrorism program from Congress for eight years came directly from former Vice President Dick Cheney.
Even current CIA Director Leon Panetta did not learn of the program until June 23, more than four months after he took over running the agency. He informed both Congressional intelligence committees the next day.
The Times report came on the same day that former CIA Director Michael Hayden was insisting, in an interview with the Associated Press, that Congressional leaders had been kept consistently informed of the Bush administration’s surveillance programs.
“”One of the points I had in every one of the briefings was to make sure they understood the scope of our activity,” Hayden told the AP. “At the political level this had support.”
See RawStory.com for more.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Person that axed original blog no longer a player
The person that took down my radio station blog is no longer in service. I can't say much more other than I am still there and he is not.
The last few weeks have been a challenge. I hope to be able to devote more attention to the blog and my job as I now have fewer distractions.
The last few weeks have been a challenge. I hope to be able to devote more attention to the blog and my job as I now have fewer distractions.
Cynthia McKinney Free and Talking To The Press
From NBC affilliate 11 Alive's Brenda Wood in Atlanta.
WASHINGTON -- 11Alive's Brenda Wood sat down Friday afternoon with former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, who recently returned to the United States after being detained by the Israeli military. McKinney was on a boat that attempted to breach an Israeli blockade on what the former DeKalb County Congresswoman said was a humanitarian mission. Israeli officials said McKinney's actions were both irresponsible and a publicity stunt. McKinney says her actions were "pure" and to advance the cause of human rights by delivering aid to Gaza, particularly in the form of art supplies for children in the embattled region. "They've dismissed it as a publicity stunt," said Wood. "How do you respond?" "I wouldn't spend anytime responding to that. The subject ought to be that Israel's actions violate international law," McKinney replied. "And the subject ought to be, how can US policy change that particular fact. One thing that Congress and the president can do, is to not give -- not one dollar, not one more weapon to the Israeli military machine."
House Passes Boost in Veterans’ Spending
CQ TODAY MIDDAY UPDATE July 10, 2009 – 1:56 p.m.
The House on Friday passed a $133.7 billion spending bill that boosts funding for veterans benefits in fiscal 2010 and includes some advance funding for fiscal 2011.
The measure, which passed 415-3, also contains funding for military construction projects and other activities of the Veterans Affairs Department. About $77.9 billion of the funding is discretionary spending appropriated by Congress; the rest is mandatory funding for veterans’ disability benefits and other entitlements.
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“With passage of this fiscal year 2010 bill, the Congress will have increased veterans health care and benefits funding by 58 percent in the past two and a half years. This is an unprecedented increase in Congress’ commitment to veterans, and in my book, our veterans have earned every dime of this funding,” said Chet Edwards , D-Texas, the chairman of the Military Construction-Veterans’ Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee.
The House on Friday passed a $133.7 billion spending bill that boosts funding for veterans benefits in fiscal 2010 and includes some advance funding for fiscal 2011.
The measure, which passed 415-3, also contains funding for military construction projects and other activities of the Veterans Affairs Department. About $77.9 billion of the funding is discretionary spending appropriated by Congress; the rest is mandatory funding for veterans’ disability benefits and other entitlements.
document.write('');
“With passage of this fiscal year 2010 bill, the Congress will have increased veterans health care and benefits funding by 58 percent in the past two and a half years. This is an unprecedented increase in Congress’ commitment to veterans, and in my book, our veterans have earned every dime of this funding,” said Chet Edwards , D-Texas, the chairman of the Military Construction-Veterans’ Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee.
Censorship in California: Marijuana Ad Campaign Rejected by TV Stations
By Phillip S. Smith, Drug War Chronicle. Posted July 10, 2009
The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) kicked off a TV ad campaign aimed at gaining support for a California marijuana legalization bill in the legislature on Wednesday, but ran into problems with several TV stations around the state, which either rejected the ad outright or just ignored MPP efforts to place it. Still, the spots are up and running on other Golden State stations.
T.V. stations can be so up tight about stuff like this.
Maybe they should try radio in the markets where the t.v. stations won't run their ads.
I know of at least one local station that will take their money.
See the rest of the story at alternet.org
Also, if you are into the whole legalization thing, check out the link on my favorite sites for Highboltage blog.
The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) kicked off a TV ad campaign aimed at gaining support for a California marijuana legalization bill in the legislature on Wednesday, but ran into problems with several TV stations around the state, which either rejected the ad outright or just ignored MPP efforts to place it. Still, the spots are up and running on other Golden State stations.
T.V. stations can be so up tight about stuff like this.
Maybe they should try radio in the markets where the t.v. stations won't run their ads.
I know of at least one local station that will take their money.
See the rest of the story at alternet.org
Also, if you are into the whole legalization thing, check out the link on my favorite sites for Highboltage blog.
Tremors may indicate risk of big California quake: journal
From AFP as seen at the RawStory.com
An increase in tremors deep under California's San Andreas fault may be the harbinger of a major earthquake, according to a study out Friday in the journal Science.
Seismologist Robert Nadeau of the University of California at Berkeley reached this conclusion after analyzing tremors along a segment of the San Andreas Fault near Parkfield, California.
Seismologist Robert Nadeau of the University of California at Berkeley reached this conclusion after analyzing tremors along a segment of the San Andreas Fault near Parkfield, California.
Nadeau found that after the 2003 6.5-magnitude San Simeon quake and the 2004 6.0-magnitude Parkfield quake -- both located mid-way between San Francisco and Los Angeles -- tremors became more frequent and underground stress increased at the end of a "locked segment" of the San Andreas fault.
Friday, July 3, 2009
‘The Israelis hijacked us,’ McKinney says in call from prison
This is from Rawstory.com
Cynthia McKinney has been held captive since Wednesday by the Israeli Military.
She was on a boat with humanitarian aid for Palestinians.
Cynthia McKinney has been held captive since Wednesday by the Israeli Military.
She was on a boat with humanitarian aid for Palestinians.
Happy Independence Day!
There will be a lot of Tea Parties going on this 4th of July. I suggest to those caught up in the movement that don't know a lot of U.S. history to check out a small book by Thom Hartmann.
I think most of you will like it. It's called "We The People, A Call To Take Back America.
To everyone, have a great weekend. Be safe and don't blow anything up that isn't supposed to be blown up. Don't burn down the forest and thank a veteran for carrying on the tradition that started this country. The tradition of not being afraid to fight for what we believe in.
I'm going to have a beer and check the smoker. Got some chicken in there. It smells great!
Happy Independence Day!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
US remains silent over McKinney arrest by Israel
I saw this at Prisonplanet.com today.
Press TVWednesday, July 1, 2009
Nearly a day after the detention of former US lawmaker Cynthia McKinney by Israeli forces, Washington has yet to make a reaction.
Israeli Navy detained former US congresswoman and Nobel Prize laureate Cynthia McKinney and twenty other human rights activists on board a relief boat outside Israel’s territorial waters on Tuesday as they were heading to Gaza on a humanitarian mission.
Tel Aviv claims the boat was trying to break Israel’s two-year siege on Gaza.
Ms McKinney — the 2008 Green Party nominee for President of the United States– has accused Tel Aviv of violating the international law by seizing an aid vessel in international waters.
“This is an outrageous violation of international law against us. Our boat was not in Israeli waters, and we were on a human rights mission to the Gaza Strip,” McKinney said in a statement.
Green Party leaders have called on the White House and the US State Department to intervene and demand the immediate release of all the activists.
On Monday, the International Committee of the Red Cross warned of dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, saying 1.5 million Palestinians living in the coastal sliver are ‘trapped in despair’ because of the continuing Israeli blockade on the territory.
Full story here.
I voted Cynthia McKinney in the last election.
Nearly a day after the detention of former US lawmaker Cynthia McKinney by Israeli forces, Washington has yet to make a reaction.
Israeli Navy detained former US congresswoman and Nobel Prize laureate Cynthia McKinney and twenty other human rights activists on board a relief boat outside Israel’s territorial waters on Tuesday as they were heading to Gaza on a humanitarian mission.
Tel Aviv claims the boat was trying to break Israel’s two-year siege on Gaza.
Ms McKinney — the 2008 Green Party nominee for President of the United States– has accused Tel Aviv of violating the international law by seizing an aid vessel in international waters.
“This is an outrageous violation of international law against us. Our boat was not in Israeli waters, and we were on a human rights mission to the Gaza Strip,” McKinney said in a statement.
Green Party leaders have called on the White House and the US State Department to intervene and demand the immediate release of all the activists.
On Monday, the International Committee of the Red Cross warned of dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, saying 1.5 million Palestinians living in the coastal sliver are ‘trapped in despair’ because of the continuing Israeli blockade on the territory.
Full story here.
I voted Cynthia McKinney in the last election.
She has been involved in humanitarian efforts to Palestine in the past and run into resistance.
I hope she will prevail.
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