www.JackPitzer.com

States Set to Sue the U.S. Over Greenhouse Gases

2007-10-24T10:07:00.000-04:00

States Set to Sue the U.S. Over Greenhouse Gases
NY Times
By DANNY HAKIM
Published: October 24, 2007
ALBANY, Oct. 23 — New York is one of more than a dozen states, led by California, preparing to sue the Bush administration for holding up efforts to regulate emissions from cars and trucks, several people involved in the lawsuit said on Tuesday.
The move comes as New York and other Northeastern states are stepping up their push for tougher regulation of greenhouse gases as part of their continuing opposition to President Bush’s policies.
On Wednesday, Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s administration is to issue regulations requiring power plants to pay for their greenhouse gas emissions, part of a broader plan among 10 Northeastern states, known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, to move beyond federal regulators in Washington and regulate such emissions on their own.
“I believe that states have to step into a void created by a failure of federal action,” Mr. Spitzer said in an interview on Tuesday. “The global warming issue is one where the current administration has first denied the scientific evidence and only recently begun to discuss the matter in a serious way.”
Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo, in a statement on Tuesday, said, “New York State is moving forward on all cylinders to take aggressive action to curb global warming from both power plants and cars.”
“I stand with the governor to support these policies, and I will take vigorous action both to defend these important initiatives from any challenge and to sue the Bush administration if the federal government tries to block us,” he added.
The legal move by the states to sue the Environmental Protection Agency is aimed at prodding the Bush administration to remove obstacles to more than a dozen states seeking to regulate global warming emissions from cars and trucks. In 2005, California sought a waiver from the E.P.A. that would allow it to implement the first regulation in the United States requiring reductions of greenhouse gas emissions from cars. The E.P.A. has not yet granted the waiver, keeping the regulation from taking effect.
New York, Massachusetts and a number of other states have since moved to adopt California’s measure. They cannot proceed until the E.P.A. moves on the waiver.
If implemented, the measure would first affect 2009 models; automakers have said it would make it harder to sell the largest and least fuel-efficient sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks in states that adopt the rules.
The lawsuit against the E.P.A. was expected to be filed on Wednesday, but will be delayed until next week as California continues to deal with wildfires, aides to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California said Tuesday.
The states have won several key court challenges in recent months. In September, a federal court in Vermont rejected attempts by automakers to block the regulation. And in April, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to regulate heat-trapping gases like carbon dioxide.
After the April ruling, the agency’s administrator, Stephen L. Johnson, made a commitment to deciding on the waiver issue by the end of the year.
“We’re interested in a good decision, not a good headline,” said Jennifer Wood, a spokeswoman for the agency. “The agency moved expeditiously after the Supreme Court decision.”
States will argue in the forthcoming suit that the E.P.A. has violated legal requirements that federal agencies act on such requests within a reasonable time. But environmentalists said they were more concerned with what the decision would be.
“The administration has promised an answer by the end of the year,” said David Doniger, a top lawyer at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “This is an insurance policy to keep them honest.”
“The real issue is, will he block the states or let the states go forward?” he added.
By contrast, the move to regulate power plants in the Northeast is set to take effect next year.
The regulations will seek to cut global warming emissions from power plants 16 percent by 2015, but that reduction is based on 1990 emissions levels. The regulations will favor alternative energy approaches, like wind power, and will not be favorable for coal producers. The plan will both cap the amount of emissions permitted and force producers to purchase allowances for their carbon emissions, encouraging them to lower their emissions.
The multistate effort was begun during the Pataki administration and involves nine other states in principle, though Massachusetts is the only other state to have put forward a similar regulation.
“Of course, the renewable energy companies love this,” said Judith Enck, a top energy policy adviser to Governor Spitzer. “If you’re wind, you don’t have to pay anything. If you’re natural gas, you don’t have to pay a whole lot.”
“Anyone who operates coal plants is going to hate it,” she added.
National Grid, the largest investor-owned power generator in New York, supports the plan, and does not operate coal plants in the state.
“There’s not only a business case for it, but increasing public support for it,” said David Manning, an executive vice president at National Grid. “We’re certainly being fully consulted by the state as we go along, and that’s the only way it’s going to fly.”
But the Independent Power Producers of New York, a trade group whose members include coal plant operators, favors a national approach.
“We don’t want to put more burden on the rate payers of New York, and the last thing I would think this governor wants to do is send the message that investment should go in other states,” said Gavin J. Donohue, the group’s chief executive. “You can build plants in other states and send the electricity back into New York.”

2007-10-19T16:20:00.000-04:00

Farmers sue DEA for right to grow industrial hemp
By Eliott C. McLaughlin

(CNN) -- The feds call industrial hemp a controlled substance -- the same as pot, heroin, LSD -- but advocates say a sober analysis reveals a harmless, renewable cash crop with thousands of applications that are good for the environment

Two North Dakota farmers are taking that argument to federal court, where a November 14 hearing is scheduled in a lawsuit to determine if the Drug Enforcement Administration is stifling the farmers' efforts to grow industrial hemp. The DEA says it's merely enforcing the law.

Marijuana and industrial hemp are members of the Cannabis sativa L. species and have similar characteristics. One major difference: Hemp won't get you high. Hemp contains only traces of delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the compound that gets pot smokers stoned. However, the Controlled Substances Act makes little distinction, banning the species almost outright.

Marijuana, which has only recreational and limited medical uses, is the shiftless counterpart to the go-getter hemp, which has a centuries-old history of handiness.

The February 1938 issue of Popular Mechanics magazine heralded hemp as the "new billion-dollar crop," saying it had 25,000 uses. Today, it is a base element for textiles, paper, construction materials, car parts, food and body care products.

It's not a panacea for health and environmental problems, advocates concede, but it's not the menace the Controlled Substances Act makes it out to be. Watch why a North Dakota official thinks the U.S. should be in the hemp business »

"This is actually an anti-drug. It's a healthy food," explained Adam Eidinger of the Washington advocacy group Vote Hemp. "We're not using this as a statement to end the drug war."

Rather, Eidinger said, Vote Hemp wants to vindicate a plant that has been falsely accused because of its mischievous cousin.

North Dakota farmers Wayne Hauge and Dave Monson say comparing industrial hemp to marijuana is like comparing pop guns and M-16s. They've successfully petitioned the state Legislature -- of which Monson is a member -- to authorize the farming of industrial hemp.

They've applied for federal permits and submitted a collective $5,733 in nonrefundable fees, to no avail, so they're suing the DEA.

North Dakota is one of seven states to OK hemp production or research. California would have made eight until Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last week vetoed the California Industrial Hemp Farming Act, citing the burden on law enforcement which would have to inspect hemp fields to make sure they were marijuana-free.

Administration skeptical of initiatives

The DEA claims the farmers' lawsuit is misguided because the agency is obligated to enforce the Controlled Substances Act.

"Hemp comes from cannabis. It's kind of a Catch 22 there," said DEA spokesman Michael Sanders. "Until Congress does something, we have to enforce the laws." The difference between marijuana, industrial hemp »

Asked if the DEA opposes the stalled House Resolution 1009, which would nix industrial hemp from the definition of marijuana, Sanders said the Justice Department and President Bush would make that call.

"When it comes to laws, we don't have a dog in that fight," he said.

The Justice Department has no position yet on the resolution, said spokesman Erik Ablin. The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, however, is skeptical because of the burden hemp would place on law enforcement resources. Also, hemp advocates are regularly backed -- sometimes surreptitiously -- by the pro-marijuana movement, the office alleges.

"ONDCP cautions that, historically, the hemp movement has been almost entirely funded by the well-organized and well-funded marijuana legalization lobby," said spokesman Tom Riley. "All we do is ask people not to be naive about what's really going on here."

Often, the hemp movement -- like hemp legislation -- is inextricably tied to marijuana. Pot advocates like actor Woody Harrelson and activist Jack Herer have double or ulterior agendas when they expound the virtues of hemp.

Not so with Monson, 57. The assistant GOP leader in the state House, who returned to the family farm where he was reared in 1975, said he became interested in hemp in 1993 when scab, or Fusarium head blight, devastated his wheat and barley crops.

What Is It Good For?
Hemp's handiness can be traced back hundreds of years. Here are a few examples of its myriad applications:

• Paper -- The plant's long, strong fibers make it an alternative to timber for paper. The Declaration of Independence and first Gutenberg Bibles were drafted on hemp.
• Construction -- Hemp's woody core makes a good source of boards for construction materials.
• Auto parts -- The plant's fiber can be crafted into a composite that is used for interior automobile parts typically made of fiberglass or other materials.
• Textiles -- For centuries, hemp fibers have been used for fabrics, both fine and coarse.
• Body and health care products -- Oil from the seeds is used in lotions, balms and cosmetics.
• Food -- The seeds and oil are high in protein and essential fatty acids and are used in a variety of edibles.
• Ethanol -- Though the technology is embryonic at best, hemp's high cellulose content makes it a good candidate for biofuel production.

Source: Vote Hemp, Hemp Industries Association
Monson grows canola, too, but wants another crop in his rotation. Soybeans are too finicky for the weather and rocky soil. Monson also tried pinto beans, fava beans and buckwheat with no luck.

"None of them seemed to really be a surefire thing," he said. "We were looking for anything that was potentially able to make us some money."

Hemp, said the lifelong farmer, seemed an apt fit. It likes the climate, its deep roots irrigate soil, it doesn't need herbicides because it grows tall quickly and it breaks the disease cycles in other crops, Monson said.

States follow Canada's lead

About 20 miles north of Monson's Osnabrock farm lies the Canadian border, the hemp dividing line. Just over the border in Manitoba, farmers have been reaping the benefits of hemp since 1998, when Health Canada reversed a longtime ban.

In a Vote Hemp video, Shaun Crew, president of Hemp Oil Canada Inc., a processing company in Sainte-Agathe, praised Canada's foresight in differentiating between hemp and marijuana.

While marijuana THC levels can range between 3 and 20 percent, Canada demands its hemp contain no more than 0.3 percent. In some hemp, the THC levels can sink as low as one part per million, Crew said.

"There's probably more arsenic in your red wine, there's more mercury in your water and there's definitely more opiates in the poppy seed bagel you ate this morning," Crew said on the video.

The North Dakota Legislature is convinced, as are the general assemblies in Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Montana and West Virginia.

With his state's blessing, North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson is backing the farmers and has proposed modeling North Dakota's hemp laws after Canada's strict regulations.

"We weren't just going to tell the DEA to take a hike," Johnson said. "We're serious about this, and we want to do it in concert with the DEA."

In a March 27 letter to Johnson, Joseph Rannazzisi of the DEA's Office of Diversion Control, said the permits were denied because the state hadn't satisfied the agency's security and logistical requirements.

Security aspects require careful evaluation because "the substance at issue is marijuana -- the most widely abused controlled substance in the United States," Rannazzisi wrote.

"We've been terribly brainwashed"

Hemp wasn't always banned in the U.S. Jamestown Colony required farmers to grow it in 1619. Even after Congress cracked down on marijuana in 1937, farmers were encouraged to grow the crop for rope, sails and parachutes during World War II's "Hemp for Victory" campaign.

Jake Graves, 81, heeded the call. Graves, whose father grew hemp in both world wars and whose grandfather grew it during the Civil War, was a teen when his father died in 1942. At the time, Graves' family was growing hemp for the Army.

The Graveses continued growing hemp on their 500-acre Kentucky farm until 1945, when the market dried up after the advent of synthetic fabrics and the post-war reinvigoration of international trade.

But Graves stands by the crop and its versatility and says that by lumping hemp in with marijuana, lawmakers "threw the baby out with the wash."

"We've been terribly brainwashed as a society," Graves said. "Man didn't use it for all those hundreds and hundreds of years without knowing what they were doing."

In the U.S., tapping hemp's versatility relies on imports. The DEA clamped down on most hemp imports in 1999 and 2001, but relented after a Canadian company sued, saying the ban violated its rights under the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Though advocates considered it a victory, Johnson said hemp won't be fully utilized until it can be grown and researched stateside.

"For us to grow it isn't enough. You have to build that infrastructure," Johnson said. "None of those uses is really going to develop to any great degree until we're able to grow this commodity."

Johnson said the farmers' Vote Hemp-funded lawsuit has no hidden agenda. It's aimed solely at allowing farmers to grow hemp -- without going to jail because federal law says hemp and marijuana are the same.

"I've got a state Legislature saying they aren't and the entire world saying they aren't. This is about a crop that is a legitimate crop every place else in the world," Johnson said. "It's not a crusade thing. It's a crop. Let farmers grow it. We don't want anyone to be growing drugs."

George Bush and Co. don't care about the future

2007-10-19T10:28:00.001-04:00

It really sickens me that GW Bush makes statements about how imposing stricter emission controls and pollution regulations will hurt our economy.
This clearly shows that he doens't have the intelligence to think far enough into the future to understand that pollution hurts our planet and will make things harder for the generation that come after us.
The economy can be retooled to adapt to stricter pollution and emission controls, just like the way other countries who actually give a shit about the future are already doing.

Donald Trump is a greedy asshole

2007-10-17T11:33:00.000-04:00

I saw a news story last week about Donald Trump. He's trying to build a golf
resort in Scotland, on an absolutely beautiful piece of land. I wish I could show you a
picture of the place because it's truly amazing. There's one thing holding him up...a farmer
who loves his farm, and wants to see the coastline and countryside remain in it's native
state. Trump offered him a ridiculously small amount of money for his farm, $700,000, and the
farmer said no. I believe other offers were made, and the farmer won't budge, for any
amount of money. Trump then began to publically attack the farmer, calling him names, and
claiming his farm was a dump because there were rusty tractors and rusty barrels.
IT"S A FRICKEN FARM TRUMP!!!!!
But Trump the bully doesn't give a shit. He wants his golf course, so he keeps
attacking, calling names, and vows to get his golf course.
I can't stand Trump anymore. He's ego personafied, he's mean, and he's drunk with power.
It makes me wonder, how much is enough?

Is "The News" ruining America?

2007-10-17T11:30:00.000-04:00

Is "The News" ruining America?
I'm really getting sick of the news. All of it.
This country is so dependent on talking heads for their thinking that it's like we're becoming a bunch of zombies.
The politicians use the news, the parties use the news, the fucking newscasters are lobbied by the right and left.
It's bullshit.
Also, crap like TMZ, Perez Hilton and all the other bullshit that glorifies the fucked up world of celebrities is also dragging us down.
What's the solution?
There is none.
TV and the Internets are here to stay.
2 of our most used innovations are destroying the fabric of our nation.
Of course, i'm using the internets to state an opinion, so I guess my thought is kinda BS.
I hope somebody gets my point and it makes them think just for a moment.
Ok, done

The lack of "Made in the USA" products annoys me

2007-10-17T11:25:00.000-04:00

It really annoys me that America, once a worldwide leader in manufacturing of
all types of goods, now sells so many things made overseas.
Today, I went to Old Navy to buy a sweatshirt, and to my dismay, everything I
looked at was made elsewhere, Bangledesh, Indonesia, China.
This has got to stop.
I know how it happened, but if we keep this up we lose big time.
I remember watching a report on TV not to long ago about how the USA was once
the worldwide leader in tee shirt manufacturing.
Now, we make virtually none of those common items here.
Sure, I can go to American Apparel and get American made products. I like the
stuff they make. But sadly, they are a brave face in a growing world of products made in
far away places, that pay their workers horrible wages etc.
How do we stop this?
Is it too late?

Bush Vows to Speed Up Aid for Gulf Coast

2007-03-01T15:47:00.000-05:00

BILOXI, Miss., March 1 — President Bush traveled today to the Gulf Coast, still trying to recover from the winds and floods of 2005, and vowed to do everything he could to speed up federal assistance.

He vows this a year and a half later.
Ridiculous.
Meanwhile, we probably spend more in Iraq in a week "building democracy" then we have in New Orleans since Katrina hit.

My plan to save the world

2007-02-26T18:04:00.000-05:00

1) Fake an alien landing.
2) All of the fake aliens look vaguely like Jesus, Mohammad and other religious icons.
3) Have the fake aliens explain that they came here for a visit about 2000 years ago, but people weren't advanced enough to understand the technology.
4) Steal some ancient artifacts from a museum to provide evidence of the prior visit.
5) Explain to the earthlings that "we are concerned with the destruction and violence that our visit brought to your planet. We unwittingly gave birth to the concept of religion, and from what we see, religion is the basis for nearly all of your wars"
Thus, religion is debunked, and we can get on with our fricken lives.

"I believe that we're going to win" says GW

2006-12-20T10:22:00.000-05:00

What a joke. Earlier today, he admitted we are "losing" now he says "I believe that we're going to win".
My question is, what exactly are we going to win? And how many more lives, both US soldiers and Iraqi civilians is this winning going to cost?
How does this idiot president define winning? There is no winning in this bullshit war.
Bottom line, we went in for a reason that was found out to be false. The administration underplays that. We are now covering our ass for the mess we've made of that country. Many Iraqi's claim that things were better under Saddam.
As hard as I try to think about this, I can't find anything that would define winning in Iraq. The damage is already done, and future generations the world over are going to have to live with the consequences of one man and his administrations horrible mistakes.

2006-12-06T15:18:00.000-05:00

The Bush Legacy

2006-10-26T11:48:00.001-04:00

So, today Bush signed the bill to create "The Fence" along the US/Mexico border.
Funny that he's touting it as a way to secure our borders. I wonder what he means by that...to secure the borders from illegal immigrants, or from the terrorists his war in Iraq has given birth to? Think about it, his war has made us more hated then ever before, so he thinks we need to build a fence to keep the bad guys out. And since they don't even know how much the fence is gonna cost, i'm sure we'll be paying for it long after he is out of office.

As for the immigration situation, as much as i'd love to just blame Bush for everything, you have to look at employers in our country for providing a pro-illegal worker environment. They're cutting their costs by providing low wages, so who's fault is it? Plus, aren't we creating a nation of lazy kids who are afraid to get their hands dirty? When I was a kid, I started working at 15 and a half yrs. old, and one of my first jobs was on a farm. I think we're breeding a nation of elitist kids who think they're better then the rest of the world due to this. Kids that don't know the value of hard work, plus it creates an underlying view of the immigrants that do the hard work, which I think gives rise to never ending racial stereotypes.

Personally, I think it's high time that our country starts to think about the Bush legacy and maybe even consider impeaching this loser before he does even more damage.
Don't let his fence give false security in the fear driven US that he's created. That's really what it comes down to. Everytime things seem calm, we get a new warning about some terrorism crap, which makes people fearful. If you look at his ratings, they always get a wee little bump everytime he makes some BS speech about a near miss we just avoided.

When the worlds got you down

2006-10-25T11:48:00.000-04:00

You can always cheer yourself up by looking at photos like this.

Nice one GW...

2006-09-12T15:43:00.000-04:00

I'm disgusted, but not surprised that GW chose yesterday to once again tell us why the war in Iraq was the right thing to do.
He, GW and you Republicans that still support him...It's ok to admit you made a mistake.
If you did, you'd probably go down in history with a bit more honor then I suspect you will.
Here's another idea...why not address the following someday in the future, because I believe many of us are wondering;
1- Healthcare
2- Our failing school systems
3- The HUGE deficit that is going to kill future generations
4- The mess that has become Social Security. I, for one want to know if i'll get any of the money that I worked so hard to contribute.
5- Who do you think will win Rockstar Supernova?

9/11 overload by the media

2006-09-12T10:03:00.000-04:00

I'm fairly disgusted by the ridiculous amount of news reports that the 5th anniversary of 9/11 generated. I think it's very disrespectful of the families and loved ones of the victims to plaster news reports, photos and videos all over every type of media. It was non-stop yesterday.
I saw a report on 60 minutes on Sunday about the children of 9/11 victims, and a few mentioned how they wish the media would just stop. They don't need to be reminded of the horror of that day, they lived it.
So did the whole country, and much of the world.
I think it's a disgrace that the media doesn't seem to get it, nor do they respect the families and people affected.
Why not make 9/11 a more private rememberance, rather then having Matt Lauer standing at Ground Zero year after year reminding us of what we already know, and give the people that lost loved ones some privacy?

WTF?

2006-09-06T22:12:00.000-04:00

I'm sorry, but in a world full of wars based on religion, wars based on BS and the looming threat of things like Global warming, why the hell does anybody care what Tom Cruises baby look like. WHAT THE FUCK?

Interesting Google search results

2006-08-23T09:30:00.000-04:00

Hey now!
Go to google, and do a search on the word failure.
You'll find an interesting result at the top of the list, at least
until somebody tells google to fix it.

News from the Land of the Fat and the Home of the Lame

2006-08-22T15:01:00.000-04:00

The following are quotes from he 2006 Shape of the Nation -- jointly conducted by the American Heart Association and the National Association for Sport and Physical Education, a nonprofit organization dedicated.

"The percentage of students who attend a daily physical education class has dropped from 42 percent in 1991 to 28 percent in 2003, the report says."

"The number of kids considered overweight has more than tripled since 1980, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Among those between ages 6 to 19, over 9 million kids -- 16 percent -- are considered overweight."

"Modern life has also made Americans more sedentary. "Technology has created many time and labor saving products. Some examples include cars, elevators, computers, dishwashers, and televisions. Cars are used to run short distance errands instead of people walking or riding a bicycle," the CDC says."

Critics contend that the very legislation meant to bolster national academic standards -- the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 -- may be a culprit in the diminishing P.E. curriculum, unintentionally sapping schools of time and resources for exercise as educators focus more and more on test scores and rigorous academic coursework.

The NCLB Act is President Bush's centerpiece education law that, among other things, requires virtually all students to test at their grade level for math and reading. Schools that do not measure up to the standards two years in a row have to provide more tutoring or let students transfer to better schools.

A national study by the Center on Public Education published earlier this year on the implementation of the No Child Left Behind law found that 71 percent of the districts surveyed had elementary schools that cut back on instructional time for a subject (i.e Physical Education) to make room for more reading and math -- the primary focus of the law.

So what does this all mean? Kids are growing up with weight related health problems. Is the potential benefit of kids that read and do math more worth the health risk? In my opinion, no. It's ridiculous in our country that car manufactures are now making cars to accomodate fatter people, as well as airlines and other modes of transportation having to contend with this. Cars are becoming wheelchairs for the masses.

Why my heart is breaking in Asbury Park

2006-08-18T12:07:00.001-04:00

The following is text from a post I made this morning on an Asbury Park message board;
"You know, we spend so much time here talking about preservation and
real estate, but I think that there are bigger fish to fry in the
fabric of Asbury.
I'm going to describe to you why my heart is breaking in Asbury.
When I got home from work last night,I was approached yet again by
the same prostitute that thinks I was pulling over for her, but I was
merely parking in front of my home. About 15 feet away, her menacing
pimp who follows her everywhere was leaning against a telephone pole,
watching with an agitated look on his face. This women was clearly
drugged out, with traces of a black eye marring her face.
I am really getting sick of dealing with this. I've tried contacting
the police, but they have stated that the police dept is understaffed,
there are many other problems plaguing our city, and that prostitution
is a misdemenor, so the jail is basically like a revolving door, and
each time one of them gets busted, they learn a little more about how
they can keep doing what they do. I've also heard that the Asbury
Court is big on giving people a second chance, but does that mean a
second, and third and so on? What really bugs me about this is that
it's a vicious cycle...the prostitutes are probably funding their drug
habits with their work, and the drug dealers partially stay in
business because of this.
Later last night, I was working at the Baronet, which I take great
pride in. After we were finished, I had a nice conversation with Jen
at Asbury Lanes, and when I walked out to my car, there was a black
Range Rover parked next to it. Inside this SUV was that same
prostitute, giving a guy a blow job, right in front of the Baronet.
What a wonderful sight to end my evening with.
This morning, I went for a dog walk in Library Square Park, which
would be a lovely place to be, but it's not. During our walk, I was
approached by an agitated man who was clearly "playing with himself",
and he asked me if I could spare any money, and when I said no he
muttered "fuck you" under his breath. I then observed him going to the
center of the park. On the benches were a number of people who
appeared to be making drug deals, so he walked over, sat down, made
his deal and off he went. If I had my cell phone with me, I would've
called the police, and by the time I was out of the park those people
were already on their way. I've seen this behavior over and over.
What a nice way to start my day.
I have a life. I don't need to spend my spare time calling the police.
I have a job to get to, and a life to live. But I can't look the other
way. I moved to Asbury in hopes of a life with a shorter commute, and
I love living near the ocean.
As I drive to work each morning, I pass thru town after town that
isn't plagued with these problems, and as time goes on, I begin to
wonder how much longer I want to stay here. I lived in Allenhurst for
10 years, and the only bad thing that ever happened to me there was 2
of my bicycles were stolen, only to be later seen in Asbury by my
friends, but never retrieved.
This is why my heart is breaking.
I truly believe we are facing a crisis here in Asbury. How will the
potential new residents of all the new condos deal with this problem?
Will they want to deal with it at all? If I was a potential condo
buyer driving into Asbury at the moment, and got waved down by a
prostitute, or observed some obvious drug dealing, I'd have some
serious second thoughts.
Nowhere have I seen any plans to truly combat these problems, just
excuses for why they exist.
Thanks for listening.

Latest news from my bad hair life

2006-08-16T11:51:00.000-04:00

Greetings.
I just returned home from an interesting trip to Pittsburgh. I chose to drive (6 hrs) rather then fly due to all the recent terrorism bullshit troubling our world. The purpose of my trip was a video shoot for a project i'm working on, and we shot at WQED, which is the oldest PBS facility in the US.
As I walked thru the lobby, I noticed a display case featuring a few of my favorite documentaries, including "A Hot Dog Story" and "Sandwiches You'll Like", which were made by Rick Sebak. If you've never seen any of these, I highly recommend them as well as the other's he's done.
Anyhow, it turns out that not only is this the place where Rick does all his work, but he's also in the building and loves to meet his fans. The person I was working with offered to take me to meet Rick. Now, i'm not usually the star struck type, but I must admit that I felt a bit that way as we wandered thru the halls in search of him.
It was great to meet him, and he's exactly the same person who's voice you hear on the air...enthusiastic about the things he loves and excited to tell you about them. We had a nice talk, and he sent me on my way with his Ice Cream documentary, and a handshake and advice as to where to get one of his favorite hot dogs, so off I went to "The O".
All I can say is yum!
Another interesting fact about WQED is that it was the home of Mr. Rogers, and I got to see and touch the tree and castle used on his program. There was a little spot on the floor that they preserved. It was part of the original set...a painted roadway left there in his honor.
During my drive home, I got to experience how great it is to have Sirius Satellite radio in my car. Nice to be able to hear what you want no matter where you are. I listened in part to an interesting report on NPR about Walmart and it's effect on our economy. Walmart is killing the mom and pop's of our country, as well as many independent retailers. Even American manufacturers are at their will, giving preferential treatment to Walmart over the independents. Quite sad indeed. Earlier today, I read a news report that has Walmart lashing out at Democrats that are critical of them. You know what I say?
Fuck you Walmart. You are really in the biz of making your stockholders happy, not improving our country. You get most of your goods from other countries, who pay their workers incredibly low wages. Most of your employees don't get any form of health care, and you are slowly destroying the fabric of our nation.
It's not just Walmarts fault though, it's the shoppers too. Every time we take a trip to Walmart, we are giving them a little money for a small discount on an item that we could probably buy closer to home for a few cents more, and put that money into the pocket of an independent retailer, the kind that knows your name and knows what you like.
Not to be hypocritical, I don't shop at Walmart anymore, but I do go to Target sometimes...but that is an increasing rare event for me. I want to completely eliminate mega retailers from my shopping.
Ok, i'm done ranting now. Bye for now.

China Kills 50,000 dogs. Disgusting

2006-08-02T14:00:00.000-04:00

It was just reported that China killed 50,000 dogs in an attempt to curb rabies, which they claim is rampant in their country. Officials actually grabbed dogs off the street as they were being walked, and beat them to death right in front of their owners. People were also offered about 50 cents if they killed them themselves. All because 3 people died of rabies. You can read more about this atrocity here, but please be aware that the pictures that accompany the article are pretty graphic.

Current US deaths in Iraq

2006-06-29T10:58:00.000-04:00

The number of US deaths at the time I originally posted this was 2363.
The above counter updates on a daily basis.
And lets not forget about the 34,030 Iraq civilians who've also been killed.
That's quite a bit of death instigated by GW. Imagine having that on your conscience?
I wonder, what's the difference between what we call terrorists and the Bush White House?
Hmmm....

Fun with video

2006-06-15T16:19:00.000-04:00

Here's a couple of video clips to brighten your day.
1 - I believe this one gives further proof
that there is no god - Watch
2 - This next one shows a jackass making
a bigger jackass of herself - Watch

The United States of Disgrace

2006-06-14T15:11:00.000-04:00

Here's a few interesting facts about the way the world views the USA...
• Overall support for the U.S.-led war on terrorism has declined even among close allies. Support for the war on terror has dropped in Britain from 63% in 2004 to 49% now.

• Favorable opinions of the United States continue to fall, with sharp declines in Spain, Turkey and India.

• People in the United States and European countries are far more likely than those in Muslim countries to view the victory of Hamas in the Palestinian elections as a negative development.

• Western European nations and predominantly Muslim nations have sharply different views on Iran, which the United States claims is developing nuclear weapons.

• Majorities in 10 of 14 foreign countries -- including Britain -- say the Iraq war has made the world more dangerous.

• Concern about global warming is low in China and the United States, the two largest producers of greenhouse gases, and high elsewhere.

Associated Press

Isn't that all great! Wonderful news!!
Interestingly, the results of the Pew Poll listed above were released on the same day that Congress voted themselves a pay raise. Shouldn't we be the ones voting on that? They are calling it a cost of living increase, but I don't understand why I can't vote myself one of those. As far as I can tell, Congress has been doing a rather shitty job. I can't remember a time in my life that I got rewarded for being marginal, which is exactly what Congress is doing. Assholes...

I swear, our country is going to hell in a handbasket.

A bird in the hand is worth...

2006-06-08T15:12:00.000-04:00

I wonder, now that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has been killed, will GW declare "Mission Accomplished" once again, and somehow use this event to improve what should now be called his "disapproval rating". Of course, this announcement will be followed with a 2 week vacation to his Texas BS ranch.

What was I thinking? Featuring Lakota!

2006-06-06T12:02:00.000-04:00