Sunday, December 31, 2006

There's certain to be violence, but.....

Saddam's gone, so how MUCH extra violence will there be??? That's all I really care about. This is also most likely what most Iraqi's care about. I'm sure they don't sit around remembering atrocities committed decades ago when they are trying to survive!

I can't believe it won't have some impact....

People in Denver who have lived in other snowy cities back East can't help it but notice how slow the city is in plowing streets after a major blizzard. Then again, I'm glad not to have all the rust issues to deal with as they do in New England. What disappoints me is the poor plowing of certain parking lots here. McDonald's lot was like craters on the moon; and I'm glad I don't own a small, low riding car!

I saw a few pickups with plows mounted on front, but not nearly enough! I realize that not everyone wants to adapt their truck to a plow, but it would be helpful to have more small vehicles with blades. Trash trucks? Well, whatever works! It will probably be any number of years before another major blizzard of this magnitude hits.

DIA? Well, that's what they get for locating it out on the wind-swept plains. It certainly was not a huge amount of snow on the first blast; 20 inches isn't that much... But when it drifts and piles up to five feet, that's a different story.

People back East are certainly laughing, at least those that don't understand the sunny high-plains climate. That's OUR little secret here. Back East, it is the rainy spells that melt the snow - here it is the sun.

I can't believe that Mayor Hickenlooper will sail to re-election next time. This storm and the botched election are bound to have an impact. Still, I haven't signed on to his enemies list just yet... I was able to vote early with no problems, and I always avoid driving when the roads are bad. It's not so much from natural conditions, but the other idiots who occupy the road. I don't think there is much the Mayor can do about them!

Thursday, December 28, 2006

Piling on....

The death of Gerald Ford and release of his opinions on Iraq could not come at a worse time. We don't need any more opinions piling on about mistakes made in the past. How to proceed is the question!!!

I was against this war, but now that we are bogged down, I believe we need to find a responsible way to end it. I believe that a quick exit will just leave a power vacuum, which will probably be filled by Iranian dominance. I say, give it another year. Surge the troops if necessary. Do what it takes, get the politicians out of the way and GIT-R-DONE... But at the end of 2007, I would hope they are looking at taking the troops out. This can NOT go on forever!!!

Yes. this probably puts a LOT of pressure on the troops and Generals. If I were Bush, I'd be in constant contact with Harry Ried and Nancy Pelosi. Explain that we need their support and be prepared to use your best negotiating skills to attain this tempory extension of the war. As I remember it, the withdraw of support from Congress caused the collapse of the Vietnam effort.

On the other hand, like I said, it can't go on forever. At the end of 2007, they should re-evaluate and then consider bringing forces home.

Friday, December 22, 2006

Kudos to Amy Goodman...

Gawd, am I becoming a real leftie. But Democracy Now (catchy title) has some great segments. Take the segment with Scot Ritter, former weapons inspector. He's been in intelligence and knows the drill.

Was a time, I'd take them all as disgruntled anti-Bush people. Now I'm beginning to listen to them occasionally. Them and PBS...

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Snow Doggie Laura




Nasty holiday spat!

My very unprofessional legal opinion on the insults being traded between Rosie and the Donald is that Neither one has any legal basis for a lawsuit. Sure, Rosie started it, but then the Donald countered with equally denigrating insults. Case closed!

He took the high road...

Minnesota Rep.-elect Keith Ellison, our first Muslim congressman, took the high road in responding to Rep Virgil Good's remarks regarding immigration and seeing more Muslim representatives if it is not slowed. Frankly, I was thrilled that Mr. Ellison was elected and the fact that he has socially tolerant views. If he is any indication of what we can expect from Muslim Americans, well all I can say is welcome. It is also important to note here that Mr. Ellison did not immigrate to the U.S., but rather converted to Islam at some point in his life. Another point is that the ceremony where he gets sworn in with his hand on the Quoran is unofficial. Even if it wasn't, it would be o.k. in my book... But I'm glad that we keep religion out of the halls of Congress.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" That's it. It did not say the free exercise of Christianity - and the last time I checked, Islam was a religion.

Monday, December 18, 2006

Hoping.... Ahmadinejad Opponents Make Early Gains in Iran Polls

Of course, I know nothing of the specifics, but Moderate Conservative beats Hardline all the time in my book. Could they be doing to Ahmadinejad what we did to Bush? With all the harsh rhetoric he spews, perhaps it is time for him to eat some humble pie... Well, after that "Holocaust Deniers Convention", perhaps the Iranian public are trying to send us a signal...

I simply can not get too involved with politics with my friend over there. We can read all about their politics in the news, but I'm more interested in Ariyan's everyday life (this is his screen name, but perhaps I'd better not publish the real name). Power to the people is all I say!!!

Sunday, December 17, 2006

Colorado Democrats lay out energy bills

Zim's Rants likes alternative energy... But whoa... What kind? OK, they're going to erect more windmills, which is fine ... it's really a drop in the bucket, but hey... every drop counts. My concern for bio fuels is that they should take a look at the cost-effectiveness of current corn ethanol production. I believe it uses too much water and consumes too much energy to produce on the drought-stricken great plains. Could some other methods of production be considered before going hell-bent on building expensive ethanol facilities?

One method of alternative energy I like is methane from landfill. Perhaps that could be used in local energy markets to generate clean electricity - used to supplement traditional supplies.

I'm kind of excited by news of thorium-based nuclear power plants that DO NOT produce enough plutonium to make N-bombs. This would end the controversy about nuclear weapons. How hard would it be to convert conventional plants to thorium??? I'm not sure, but I believe there will still be safety concerns. But our technology has come a long way since Three Mile Island and Chernobyl.

I also believe that another good technique is for the individual to cut costs. Prices of those fluorescent replacement lamps are going down... Any homeowner with a furnace should install the most efficient computerized thermostat and have an efficient furnace. And, frankly, I am puzzled why homeowners don't tap the solar market. Anyone who is building a new home should have these features incorporated into the dwelling from the start. I have the old trailer to use as a Guinea pig - gonna get some old car radiators, give 'em a coat of flat black paint and see how much it warms the water.

I'd rather see a bunch of small projects, instead of a few big projects. This way, if something turns out to be a albatross, it won't be a BIG albatross!

YOU - the person of the year!!!

I like it... considering the choices! Sorry, Mr. Ahmadinejad... The proletariat is getting their due. Frankly, I like the choice. Whom else???? Nancy Pelosi... nah! G.W. ... old news.... and as many sound bites as he makes, Time would really have pissed off those that don't like him by selecting Iran's controversial president.

I enjoy You Tube as it is a great way to send little video clips without someone having to download them. Maybe I'll have to buy a small handheld video cam???

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Kucinich will join '08 presidential race...

Obviously he is a bit too far to the left for Zim's Rants... However, I admire the guy's sincerity and tenacity. Heck, at this point, we couldn't do too much worse, could we? The thought scares me...

There are some parts of Kucinich's socialist and anti-war platform that I could even give luke warm support to. While I am against a Canada-style single payer healthcare system, I do feel that perhaps some basic elements of our healthcare system should be "socialized".... like basic preventative care and routine stuff. But let us keep it competitive enough to attract the best and brightest to the field.

As for the war, I think we all look forward to a return of our troops. However, his precipitous withdrawl truely is cut and run. While it is true that perhaps the "mess" can not be fixed, we at least owe them our efforts to stabilize the country and make an orderly withdrawl!

Monday, December 11, 2006

Holocost deniers convention?

Iran is hosting a convention for skeptics and others to discuss the Holocaust. I don't mind if they discuss it, however my mind is made up: IT HAPPENED, DAMMIT!!! I'll agree with those who say that it does not give the modern state of Israel an excuse to do anything they want. But that's about it...

Not only that, but MY people died in it too! Hitler did not just go after Jews - homosexuals and others were rounded up too... I'm sorry, but the archived pictures have been around a long time - long before Adobe Photoshop... When the camps were liberated, many shocking photos were taken. Sorry, but I'm not a big conspiracy theorist. Terrorists flew planes into the W.T.C. and millions perished in concentration camps!!!! Not only that, but I once worked with a Latvian guy named AL, who survived the camps.

What gets lesser mention in the Western world is the Holocaust perpetrated by Joseph Stalin. Stalin's regime is responsible for equally horrible atrocities. Hitler and Stalin had similar upbringings, which should tell you something.

Now comes the question: has Israel perpetrated a Holocaust upon the Palestinians and Lebanon? I'll have to say that sometimes their actions are way over the top in responding to terror attacks! Not only that, but wall-building and settlement activity have bred deep hatred among those who have been uprooted and degraded.

I think that the prime focus on this "War on Terror" should be aggressively pursuing a settlement in the region. I would support the "Arab Peace Plan" where Israel evacuates the land occupied since 1967, in exchange for diplomatic relations with the Saudis and other "moderate" Arab countries. I do not feel that Israel should do anything, anymore, on a unilateral basis. Their withdrawal from the Gaza did not result in any positive actions from the Palestinians.

To say that the Bush Administration has been proactive during the last six years is utterly false. Not only that, during those times where Israel has over-reacted, our leaders have stepped back and uttered the statement: "Israel has the right to defend herself... " ~ and then the world sees the mighty Israeli armed forces coming down on their foes with a heavy-handed bombardment, using American-made planes, tanks, guns and bombs. No, I don't believe Israel's actions yielded any positive results in the Lebanon conflict. Yeah, they kicked ass militarily... but they LOST the public relations battle and for every Hezbollah terrorist they killed, they probably produced five new recruits... And now Lebanon's fragile government is on the verge of collapse!


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_homosexuals_in_Nazi_Germany_and_the_Holocaust

Friday, December 08, 2006

The Cheney Family to grow!

Aha, I love it! Mary Cheney is pregnant! Of course she can afford the luxury of artificial insemination and of having all the legal support she wants raising her child with her partner. She's rich! Anyhow, she's a nice lady and I send my congrats.

This is another slap in the face to the Christian Conservatives of the Republican Party... I guess they are going to live in Virginia, which isn't exactly gay friendly territory. I'm sure they will have no problems, at least in the next two years. I believe she's afforded some secret service protection.

Oh, that it should be so easy for the rest of us... WE don't have any protection and have to rely on the mercy of good-hearted straights.