Natural Disasters

The devastating events of the past week have effected us all. We cannot but be saddened by this event. Take a few moments and grieve for those that have been lost. If oyu can help, do. Then you need to move on.

However, it also brings forth discussions. The normal irrational religious based comments ranging from the non-Christians are being punished for being non-believers and living in sin, to those that believe God is testing their faith on their way to nirvana. There is also at least one ignorant journalist somewhere that has attributed it to the wrath of Mother Nature.

The Earth has no wrath. It is just what it is. A living planet.

We are all creatures sharing this Earth. What appears to be forgotten by most, since we are so removed from daily intimate contact with the true nature of the Earth in our so called civilized cultures, is that the Earth itself is a 'living' entity that we share with all the other creatures that abound. The Earth has a molten core and a moving, ever changing crust. Large land masses move around constantly. We forget that it is a dangerous place we share and have but a short stay to experience it. We cannot control it. Just because you live in a concrete, steel, and glass jungle, far removed from a desert or a forest, does not protect you from the nature of a living Earth. In our sophistication we pretend we are safe, in control and the Earth can be manipulated. That is patently untrue. The events of this week have reminded us that we are just one of the many creators on this Earth that are trying to survive in a dangerous but mostly beautiful place.

Do not forget where you are. Do not forget why you are here. Do not ignore the Earth, it will not ignore you.

It isn't funny

I got the following list from a like minded friend recently. My note from yesterday proves this is not so funny after all:

Things To Do Before the Inauguration

1. Get that abortion you've always wanted.
2. Drink a nice clean glass of water.
3. Cash your social security check.
4. See a doctor of your own choosing.
5. Spend quality time with your draft age child/grandchild.
6. Visit Syria, or any foreign country for that matter.
7. Get that gas mask you've been putting off buying.
8. Hoard gasoline.
9. Invest in the Peso while you can.
10. Borrow books from library before they're banned - Constitutional law books, Catcher in the Rye, Harry Potter, Tropic of Cancer, etc.
11. If you have an idea for an art piece involving a crucifix - do it now.
12. Come out - then go back in - HURRY!
13. Jam in all the Alzheimer's stem cell research you can.
14. Stay out late before the curfews start.
15. Go see Bruce Springsteen before he has his "accident."
16. Go see Mount Rushmore before the Reagan addition.
17. Use the phrase -- "you can't do that -- this is America."
18. If you're white -- marry a black person, if you're black -- marry a white person.
19. Take a walk in Yosemite, without being hit by a snowmobile or a base-jumper.
20. Enroll your kid in an accelerated art or music class.
21. Start your school day without a prayer.
22. Pass on the secrets of evolution to future generations.
23. Learn French.
24. Attend a commitment ceremony with your gay friends.
25. Take a factory tour anywhere in the US.
26. Try to take photographs of animals on the endangered species list.
27. Visit Florida before the polar ice caps melt.
28. Visit Nevada before it becomes radioactive.
29. Visit Alaska before "The Big Spill."
30. Visit Massachusetts while it is still a State.

Bush fells the forests

Some extracts from:

From the New York Time: Administration Overhauls Rules for U.S. ForestsBy FELICITY BARRINGER Published: December 23, 2004

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 - The Bush administration issued broad new rules Wednesday overhauling the guidelines for managing the nation's 155 national forests and making it easier for regional forest managers to decide whether to allow logging, drilling or off-road vehicles.

The long-awaited rules relax longstanding provisions on environmental reviews and the protection of wildlife on 191 million acres of national forest and grasslands. They also cut back on requirements for public participation in forest planning decisions.

One of the ways the new rules give forest supervisors more power is that they are allowed to approve plans more quickly for any particular forest use - ranging from recreation to logging to grazing - and to adjust plans with less oversight.

For instance, an existing requirement to keep all fish and wildlife species from becoming threatened or endangered is jettisoned. In its place is a requirement that managers consider the best available science to protect all natural resources when they are making decisions.

Now the carnage will begin. The administration will now open the floodgates to let those who only care about their personal gain and corporate profits into these special areas we managed to protect thus far. Visit them soon. While you still can, while they are still tranquil and actually have trees, animal and bird life and you are not listening to chainsaws felling the last trees and dodging morons drag racing their ATV's across the remaining ruins of what was once a vestige of sanity and a safe haven for those who cannot speak for themselves; plants animals, birds amphibians, insects spiders and more.

Go quickly. Run and see it now. It will be gone soon!

Enchanted Rock

Last Sunday we visited enchanted Rock in the Hill Country west of Austin. This is an amazing place. Unexpected and rich in texture. Rick in animal life. Rich in history. It is easy to see why various Native American tribes declared it sacred. These unusual outcrops of immense rock formations capture your imagination and draws you in. The day was beautiful. Temperatures in the mid sixties, the sun shining and a light breeze. A perfect day to be walking outside in such a spiritual place. Turkey Vultures circled overhead looking for their next meal. Rats and mice and other small critters scampered away as we approached. Just giving you a glimpse of fur as they scurried away. Silent birds scrubbed in the undergrowth for food. A red cardinal added a flash of color to the autumn background of browns and remaining greens.

This amazing place was there for us to savor and we did. Not many other people were there in the morning when we set off on our walk around the rock. By mid afternoon when we got back there were more people enjoying the enchantment of the place.

I will go back there soon. Spend more time there. This is a place where you can touch the earth and feel it touch you. Soothe you. Put you are peace with yourself. Remind you that it can be good. That we can live in a tranquil place, without war and mindless, pointless death.

Go out and seek your spot. Your spot where you can find tranquility and be at peace with the earth.

Turd Blossom

In a recent TV spot dubja's right hand man was being interviewed. During this interview we discovered why the US is in the crapper. Dubja is getting all his advice from a Turd Blossom!

Going to the zoo

Last weekend was a very conflicted one. We visited the San Antonio Zoo and then Hamilton Pool. Both should have been uplifting and fun experiences. Unfortunately they were not.

San Antonio Zoo is advertised as one of the better, if not one of the top 5 zoos in the country. Well all I can say I hope the ones that are better, are a lot better. SA Zoo has a reasonable collection of birds, reptiles and mammals. My issue is with the condition that many are kept. I though many of the birds were in cages that were too small for the bird in question. Similarly most of the mammals are in bare concrete and rock enclosures. No sign of soil or plant live anywhere near them. So I was not surprised to see that a significant number of the enclosures have signs up saying that the animals were currently under medical treatment in the enclosure or in a more confined area. I should declare here that I grew up in Africa and have had the privilege of seeing many of these animals in the wild and in some zoos that have more expansive and more realistic enclosures.

However, that does not make the state of the many of these poor animals any better. The elephant, grizzly, lion and other big cats generally appeared very lethargic, and as is to be expected, bored out of their skulls. The ones that were not, were generally pacing around almost with agitation. The larger of 2 white rhinos was continually chasing and attacking the younger and smaller rhino in the same enclosure. (At least they had some mud to wallow in).

I am sure the zoo keepers have the best intentions, and are doing what they can with limited resources. I am also sure that they are having some success with breeding programs. However, this looks like a clear case of having a smaller more focused population would allow them to offer the animals a truly better life and probably more success in a smaller number of focused breeding programs.

Now to the one that was fun. Hamilton pool is a small valley and waterfall with a medium sized pool near Austin. We have recently had exceptional amounts of rain with flooding and the like. So the waterfall at Hamilton pool was spectacular. The good news for us was we were the only people there. The bad news is that so few people are getting to see and experience the spectacle in their midst. It is amazing how few people even know it exists, and despite actually being on the local evening TV news recently, so few people care to see it. I presume watching football or playing a mindless computer game has become more interesting to most folks. Sad that is. Very sad.

Thank you

On this day of giving thanks I thank the earth and the natural universe.

Thank you for the sunrise, for the morning breeze, for the cry of the crows, for howl of the cyotes, for the rain, for the lightning and thunder, for the critters crawling in the fallen leaves, for the skeletons of the trees on winter horizon, for clear blue sky on cool winter days, for the sunset, for the moonlight, for the night sky with stars sparkling bringht. Thank you the few that care to protect and preserve what is so fragile. Thank you.

A well planned war.............

From the NT Times on 11/16/04


- QUOTATION OF THE DAY -
"I've done my time. I've got a brand new baby and a wife, and I haven't touched the controls of an aircraft in seven years. I'm 47 years old. How could they be calling me? How could they even want me?"
- RICK HOWELL, former Army helicopter pilot.

Well this sounds like a well planned war. We are running out of young soldiers to kill in a pointless, needless and unjustified war. Now more people will die for a cause that no one understands, except now they will be men and women in their mid forties that have families and often business dependent on them. So we will destroy not just the best of a young generation, but a mid generation that is building the future. I hope everybody who voted for Dubja is seeing the consequences of their actions. Thank you very much. Four more years of misery being inflicted on our nation. Just what we needed.

Sunny Sunday morning

I walked Dakota this morning, like I do most days. It was beautiful outside. Cool with a light breeze occasionally. It was foggy and grey. It was wet. Very wet. It has been raining for days. The creek that runs through the golf course has aspirations of being a river. You can hear it from a distance. Talking loudly about it's new found vigor and size. Rushing over the rocks. It must enjoy itself because it will not last. Soon it will be a trickling creek again.

Texans amaze me. When it is outrageously hot in summer they are all outside, getting sun burnt and suffering in the heat. Then, at the first sign of cooler, wet weather they hide indoors by a fire. This is a great time to be outside and enjoying the cool soft fall day. There is one lonely golfer on the golf course. One guy enjoying being outside. Feeling the easy grey fog on his skin. His hair getting damp as he walks the course. No one to slow him down except himself. If this was somewhere in Europe, England specifically there would be masses of people about enjoying the day. Some would be having picnics. Others walking about in a garden somewhere. Many would be playing football or golf.

The squirrels are bounding around finding the last scraps of food to hide away for the winter that never really comes in Texas, but instinct will prevail.

It is a sunny day in my mind. Every day is to be enjoyed. It is in your mind that you choose to enjoy it or not. The earth is always beautiful, you just have to see it. Go out and look for it, you will find it.

A gay irony

In the recent weeks there have been several reports about the polar ice cap melting due to the greenhouse effect and the consequential global warming. Also reported was the sharp decrease in numbers of male species of fish in rivers and the increased presence of female hormones in the male fish as a consequence of the many different pollutants we dump into the rivers. Both these effects are a direct consequence of our incessant consumption and mindless dumping of pollutants into the air and the water. Man is truly a mindless beast when taken a group. Small pockets try to do the right thing, but they are but a small squeak in the roar of disregard and arrogant selfish action by the masses in search of riches and personal wealth.

The beautiful irony of this is that the some of the centers of pollution and heartland of resistance to anti-pollution action like Florida and Texas may suffer the most from the global warming. As the oceans rise 3 feet over the next 10 years many coastal cities in these states will find themselves under threat. They will no doubt demand that the government magically fix it. Probably still unwilling to accept or recognize the consequences of their own greed and mindless actions. One forecast has Austin Texas becoming a sea front city. That would mean that Houston, the center of oil greed will be under the ocean. What a wonderful consequence.

The second irony may be a little harder to fathom for the bible bashing heartland in these states. It would appear that the long term use of detergents and many other pollutants we are pumping into our rivers is effectively creating a massive population of hormone unbalanced animals, i.e. making a gay world. I know this is a stretch, but it is very amusing that the same people that demand we all be Christians and believe what they believe, and condemn people for being born gay, are also the same people that don't think pollution is a problem. Would it not be wonderful if we can prove that the increasing gay population is directly correlated to the increased pollution of the water and air and hence the entire food chain! It would be the ultimate comeuppance for these mindless morons.

Remember Remember

Remember Remember


“Remember Remember the 5th of November”. This is the opening line of a children’s rhyme in Great Britain. It recalls the occasion of thwarting an attempted assassination of the entire British Parliament by Guy Fawkes. Fortunately for all someone gave authorities a tip and he was caught red-handed and the attempt stopped. Guy Fawkes day is not commemorated by fireworks displays on November 5th each year.

This year I had my own fireworks. We finally managed to make a trip back to our beloved Colorado. More specifically, our ranch in southern Colorado in the foothills of Rockies, near Spanish Peaks. We were rewarded by a stunning sunset over Spanish Peaks on Friday evening. We watched for an hour as the sun slowly crept behind the horizon and the light played on the clouds. Each beam of light adding color to the clouds, constantly changing hues and intensity. Turning the clouds the richest pink as the hovered over the peaks. It looked like colored cotton wool stuck to the blue sky above the majestic mountain.

We followed this up in the morning on Saturday with a rich roar of color as the sun rose across the eastern plains of Colorado bringing fresh life to all around us. The eastern sky was warm and intense. The first light on Spanish Peaks was soft and warm, with hints of pink. A rich glow bathed the mountain peaks. The grey clouds offering a perfect backdrop to the pink light on the snow capped peaks. As we watched, the light played on the contours of the mountains. The shadows moving quietly as the morning light chased them around valleys and outcrops on the side of the mountains. The nooks and crannies of the mountain being exposed and hidden in a matter of minutes as the light changed with the rising sun.

It was 31 degrees outside as we took photographs. We did not feel the cold. We were warmed by the show nature was putting on for us. We were alone on a hilltop in the foothills. No one else stirred. We could hear deer breaking branches of trees as the moved around nearby. We had watched them for a while on Friday evening. Curious guys, they were. They slowly moved toward us coming with 30 feet or so, before deciding that was close enough. They moved away again, disappearing into the trees and shrub. A rabbit ran across the road ahead of us, disappearing as quickly as he had appeared in the first place. He did not hang around for friendly chat.

As we hiked around the hills and creeks we could see the tracks of the many animals that we share our land with. Deer and Elk. We also saw the tracks of a medium sized cat. We did not see the cat, but his tracks were clear in the snow and mud. He was tracking the deer. Maybe he caught his quarry. We did not see if he did. He is welcome to share of piece of serenity. Our serenity in Colorado. In the foothills of the majestic Rockies.

We drove back to Texas later on Saturday. We briefly passed through the north eastern tip of New Mexico. The colors of the grasslands and rock outcrops, while muted, showed a wide variety of color from a soft yellow to deep reddish brown. Unfortunately we were back in Texas before we knew what hit us. It is amazing how drab Texas looks compared to Colorado and New Mexico. It is truly flat and featureless, both in terrain and color. The only relief is spotting a red tailed hawk swooping in for a snack. Texas has been said to belong to the devil. Well if anybody actually wants it, he is welcome to it, should he exist. I suspect however, that our imagined nemesis does not want it either. What would he do there with all those Bible toting zealots? They do belong here. They once again made sure that our dear friend Dubja got re-elected and since they live in this barren wasteland I now understand why. What is there to protect. It is covered in oil wells and rigs where ever you go. They do not understand what he is doing to our earth. Causing irreparable harm that may never be repaired. At least not in my lifetime.

Well we are home again now. We yearn for Colorado and the mountains. At least we have our memories and photographs to look back on in moments of quiet desperation. This is what we dream of and live for.

Remember Remember the 5th of November. Yes I will, everyday, walking on the clays of Colorado, skirting through the brush on the hills, breathing the cool brisk clean air. Watching the light play hide and seek with the mountains. Happy and serene.

Jesus is the answer?

I saw a bumper sticker yesterday that got me thinking, on what was my day of mourning for my country. It said "Jesus is the answer". My immediate thought "was "what is the question?". Since it is stated so boldly, that Jesus is the answer, one must presume that Jesus is the answer to all questions, regardless of subject.

Well this is really cool, a single amswer to all possible questions in the world. That is rather simplistic and naive to say the least. All I can say that folks who go through the world with such a simplistic and brainless attitude are in trouble. I will state categorically that Jesus is not the answer. He is not fixing world hunger, creating world peace (which is an idle dream of course), he is not stopping our bible punching president from destroying out environment, he is not stopping people from robbing, raping, killing and generally behaving in unsocial ways.

The issues are much greater than such a simple minded view. The more I see what many people view as their philosophy and world view, the more I understand why we are in so much trouble around the world. So many people now have this religious based simplistic answer to all their issues, so that do not actually give real thought to the issues, they just slap a slogan on the question and ignore it.

Yes, my friends, Jesus is not the answer to all question, not by a long shot.

Split winter

I am visiting my second home at present, Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is quite a change from Texas, especially as we creep into Winter. After dinner I went for a walk as I usually do every evening. I suspect most of the locals thought me crazy. Seeing a person going for a walk, when they are all wrapped up in their wollies and coats, snug in the cars and homes. Well I like the cold. It is invigorating, refreshing and gets the blood cursing through your body. As winter ramps into full swing the difference will become extreme, but the ability to live in both the mild so called winter of Texas, and the real winter of Minnesota will be a great experience.
The other great part of traveling to another state in the US is hearing another point of view. Minneapolis is split down the middle when it comes to felling a Bush or voting for Kerry (of sorry that is not a choice, but you know what I mean), so you actually hear a lot of people talking about the issues, instead of spouting the fear and rhetoric of the extreme right. This is refreshing, just like the weather, a burst of cool air, it clears the cobwebs and brings in a fresh point of view.

Election, art and sunsets

We voted yesterday. I was amazed how many people were voting. I truly hope that all the early votes are for Kerry and not for Bush. I am also hoping against hope that people are voting Democrats for the Senate and House, so that if Bush does stay he is hamstrung by a Democratic House and Senate. That will at least minimize the damage. It can't prevent the stupidity,that is built in, but it can stop major legislation that further destroys the economy and the environment.

Going for a walk last right at sunset once again amazed me. The sunset last night was spectacular to say the least. The color and scope of the light in the sky was indescribable. A constantly changing range of pinks and yellows. Mainly pinks. The intensity and depth of color was breathtaking. Nature again trumps any invention of the human mind. In contrast we went to a rather unknown art gallery in New Braunfels earlier in the day. Firstly finding a real art gallery in New Braunfels was amazing to begin with. Finding one that has original art from Monet, Manet, Pizarro, Van Gogh, Rodin, Pollock and many others from the early 1900's was even more amazing. However, no art, no matter how great in the eyes of the art community could touch the images mother nature presented last night.

A state of cowboy

I recently got to see Bowling for Columbine. It was interesting to say the least. It is clearly one sided, but that said the message is still valid.

A key question that Michael Moore asks is why is there such a high incidence of gun violence in the USA and not in other countries with just as high a gun availability as the US. His answer seems to be that the US culture is one based on fear. While that seems to have a solid basis, I will offer another cause. It is the cowboy culture that is prevalent in the US. Starting with the current President, we have a underlying shoot first, ask questions later mind set in the US. This explains many key differences between the US an most European cultures and the one in Canada. They are all much more consultative and pondering. The underlying mind set is to gather the information, discuss and consider it, and then act. While this often slows down the process, the results may be more stability and better long term decision making.

The Cowboy mind set has also lead to the get it done as quickly as possible,clean up the mess later approach often seen in the US, especially in business. While this works for a short while, eventually it will come back to haunt you and bite you in the proverbial butt. The US constantly has a thirst for a quick fix, e.g. tax cuts to boost the economy, instead of long term investment in education, international trade development and the environment. As long as we act like cowboys we will get shot!

The Bush legacy that must never happen

Quote from the NY Times September 14, 2004:

"THE BUSH RECORD
New Priorities in Environment

By FELICITY BARRINGERPublished: September 14, 2004

Every fall, after raising their young near Teshekpuk Lake and the Colville River, tens of thousands of geese and tundra swans leave the North Slope of Alaska for more southerly shores. Some end their journey at the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in the flatlands of North Carolina.

Both habitats could be transformed if current Bush administration initiatives come to pass. The birds would have oil rigs as neighbors in Alaska and be greeted by Navy jets simulating carrier takeoffs and landings in North Carolina.
That such projects could bracket the birds' path is not surprising in light of the priorities of the administration. Over the last three and a half years, federal officials have accelerated resource development on public lands. They have also pushed to eliminate regulatory hurdles for military and industrial projects.

In a recent interview, Michael O. Leavitt, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, summed up the Bush administration's philosophy. "There is no environmental progress without economic prosperity," Mr. Leavitt said. "Once our competitiveness erodes, our capacity to make environmental gains is gone. There is nothing that promotes pollution like poverty."
The administration's approach has provoked a passionate response. Asked about his expectations in the event of President Bush's re-election, Senator James M. Jeffords, the Vermont independent who is the ranking minority member on the Environment and Public Works Committee, wrote in an e-mail message: "I expect the Bush administration to continue their assault on regulations designed to protect public health and the environment. I expect the Bush administration to continue underfunding compliance and enforcement activities."
Mr. Jeffords concluded, "I expect the Bush administration will go down in history as the greatest disaster for public health and the environment in the history of the United States." "

There is little to add to this clear disaster that the Bush regime has created. This onslaught against our precious and fragile natural resources and environment must be stopped. It must happen now, in November we all have the power to stop the lunacy and the destruction. Take action and vote against this destruction of our future.

Texas sun

The one thing I can say about Texas is that we sure have spectacular sunsets. Texas does not have the spectacular landscapes and scenes that can be found in many other place, but the light at sunrise and sunset frequently is stunning. On ozone action days the sunrises and sunsets are often particularly rich and extensive. What an irony that the dirty air helps to make the sunrise or sunset look so good. Nature and physics at play to reward us despite our careless attitude and disregard for the earth we live on. Texas must have more trucks and SUV's than anywhere else. Together with the don't care attitude form the state government about pollution the air quality is constantly degrading. When will we wake up? Clearly not as long as we have the current government (both state and federal). It is up to us to take care and take the initiative. Politicians living of the fat of their corporate sponsors sure as heck will not.

Whither the grey wolf

It is all gone. The color that is. The stunning array of color I saw this morning when I stepped out of the house to walk the dog. The reds, purples and the pinks on the horizon, reflecting of the clouds as the sun approached, warning of its imminent arrival in a spectacular display of intense color. Only nature can provide such a display. The subtle nuances and the constantly changing tones and mixtures of hues and intensity are unique to nature. Man simply cannot match it.
 
The grey wolf will also soon be gone if the current administration continues with its plan to take the grey wolf off the endangered species list.  Of course I expect no less from an administration that clearly does not care two hoots about the environment and the creatures that live in it, including us. Once the grey wolf is no longer protected it will again be at the mercy of the millions of mindless morons with hunting rifles that take pleasure in killing wolves for the simple pleasure of killing.  There is no value in killing a wolf. There is no need to kill a wolf. It is pure unadulterated and mindless pleasure seeking. (Who gets pleasure form killing a majestic animal that is simply trying to survive I don't know, but history has shown there are thousands, if not millions that do).
 
Let's keep the color in the sky, let's keep the grey wolf protected.  It does not stand a chance without us helping. Let's get an administration that cares about us and our environment again.
 

A little rough, but the message is right.....

I heard this on the radio today. Eric Schwartz Someone else that is tired of the religious extreme trying to tell us all how to live and dictate outrageous new laws that fly in the face of the Constitution trying to force us all the live their way. This is America. We all have the right to live the way we choose as long as that does not harm others and infringe on their rights to do what they want.

We really do need a change..............

I had dinner with some folks in Minneapolis one night last week. It was rather refreshing to talk to people who have not all been dragged into the broken world of the reigning White House. People who do not believe all the nonsense, and some that have been shown to be outright lies. Who agree that we should never have attached Iraq. That we are now less safe than we were before. That Iraq has now been turned into a terrorist breading ground. The exact opposite of what we supposedly set out to prevent. What seems to be forgotten is that Iraq was a sovereign country. Right now it is an occupied country dancing to the puppet masters music. But, step back, if we attached Iraq because the leadership was so horrific and we needed to 'free' the people, are we going to do the same for every other suppressed nation in the world. Free all the oppressed and topple every regime in the world. I think not. We would have to invade over half the nations in the world, by the way that would include our beloved Israel. Here is country that is oppressing thousands, torturing and killing daily, yet we send money, weapons, technology and who knows what else to help them. We speak with forked tongue.

I am not a religious person, so I cannot say that I pray for a change in the White House this year, but may all the powers of rational thought prevail to bring about the change we need, just about anybody else could do a better job that the current bunch.

Finally the truth is out

In today's edition of USA Today there was an interesting article that finally published what some of knew to be true, but nobody was saying. In this debate about jobs, especially those that are going offshore, the argument has been that sending jobs offshore will create new jobs back home. The insinuation has been that they will also be better jobs. Well the data says it is not so! The data says, yes we are creating jobs alright, but on average they are lower paying jobs, and often part time or barely permanents jobs since they are heavily in the service sector, such as food services. So this is really going to help us in the long term. As our skilled, high paying jobs go offshore to other counties to lift their economies and standard of living, we are lowering ours and creating a larger and larger very low paid underclass. The divide between the haves and havenots will keep growing. The social consequences of that are not trivial. The economic impact on the US is also significant. There may be more jobs, but since they are low paying the taxes being paid to run the country are decreasing and the overall spending power of the average American is dropping. This is not what we expect and is not the plan we want. So be careful when you are told things are getting better, do not be blinded by statistics. They may not be painting the true picture!

Now the Kurds are coming...........

So this is getting to be interesting. Before we invaded Iraq we had little problems with either Iraq or terrorists per se. The worst terrorist atrocity on US soil had been perpetrated by a white American citizen, born and bred in the heartland. Then we invaded Iraq, which was falsely justified as being a strike against. Terrorism. Instead of really attacking the terrorist links in Saudi and Pakistan, no we attacked a tin pot dictator that was himself a target of the Taliban and others. We go ahead and help the fundamentalist terrorist movement by getting rid of someone that was in their way and open up Iraq to become a hot bed of terror. Now we run around and blame the deaths of Americans on the 'terrorists' we unleashed. I have yet to hear the government point a finger at Saudi. No that would be a problem since that is where the OIL comes from,and the personal friends of the Bush's would be offended. Money would be lost by a few exclusive folks. How sad. Instead hundreds of innocent Americans must die for no reason, and thousands of middle eastern folks must die for no reason other than they are in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Now the Kurds are wreaking havoc in the northern regions of Iraq. What have we unfurled on the world. Definitely not peace, freedom and prosperity.

It is so, because we say so............

I grew up in a country other than the US. It was a police state and despite have 'elections', it was effectively a dictatorship, albeit well disguised at times. On of the key capabilities of the then government was to invent facts to suite their needs. Have 'security' personnel testify in court to events that did not occur using fabricated evidence. Events this week with the current incumbents of the White House grimly remind me of those days. The 9/11 Commission provides physical evidence that an someone is physically in the US, when the White Claims that he was meeting with terrorists in Europe on the same day and time. When confronted with this Dick Cheney simply dismisses the physical evidence as 'wrong' since it does not match his version of the truth. I hope Americans realize what a scary path we are on. Where the powers that be chose to believe their own lies and rhetoric in spite of overwhelming hard evidence that they plain screwed up. What happened to honor, integrity and truth. Oh, well, I forgot, these are politicians were are dealing with, and in this case money hungry, profit driven politicians.

Thinking about religion

In yesterday's Wall Street Journal there was a letter in which the author said "America is a very religious country and primarily a Christian one". While I am not affiliated with any organized religion I do not care that other people choose to do so. That is their personal choice. What I am bothered by is that statements like the one above imply that because many people are Christians, gives them the right to assume that everybody agrees with them and if someone does not agree with them, they should. This creates an intrinsic conflict and a mindset that skews all thought. It also places anybody who does not conform to this religious mindset in a position where they need to constantly consider the Christian view of everything to get things done and to not unduly offend those around them.

The founders of this great country very deliberately created a constitution that separated church and state for a very good reason. They had suffered under the rule of governments driven and directed by religious ideology instead of rational thought. This current wave of religious fervor that is constantly intruding into the daily running of our country is both troubling and very dangerous. The country must be run based on facts, rationale thought and the principles of fairness and equality, not preference for those that are part of the faith. Remember the Spanish inquisition, it was driven by irrational and blind belief, not driven by rational values that would improve the life of the citizens.

So we have been hearing a lot of different statements being made about the legacy of Ronald Reagan this week. I heard one pundit claim that he was responsible for rebuilding the US economy. I statement I find rather strange considering we had the largest deficit in history by the time he left office to be almost immediately followed by a crushing recession. What he should has said was that apparent economic prosperity was bought by mortgaging the future. What is more relevant to our current time, is the our current President is following the Reagan model. He has taken a cash surplus and created what is now the largest deficit in history (of the US at least) to buy what looks like economic strength. The question is whether it is real and if history is being repeated. We have all seen that Dubja has ignored just about every lesson of history and keeps repeating the same mistakes as many before him. Will his legacy also be that the facade of economic prosperity is immediately followed by a very real and devastating recession as we once again pay off our debts and pay for the uncontrolled ego of a man that should never have been given the change to cause this chaos in the first place.

Summer came early to Texas this year and with a vengeance. May started fairly mildly and then bang at the end of May and now into June all hell breaks loose. 106 degrees in June! What happened to easing us into the heat. Someone should tell the boys running this show that summer starts around June 20th.

Well we have had some very active weather this year, lots of tornadoes and heavy rain, droughts, you name it. It would appear that things are getting more severe all the time. Maybe that global warming thing is true after all. (Note the sarcasm!).

Hopefully more and more people in the US will notice how ignoring the environment comes back to haunt us later. The current pain unfortunately cannot be directly blamed on George DubYa, but much future pain can and should be. His record on air pollution, helping the oil companies ravage our country and environment and allowing just about any large corporation that wishes to run roughshod over us and our fragile earth is both pathetic and alarming. Lets make sure this poor excuse for man does not get to do this to us again in assigned term. He has to go. One term is too much! Just about any alternative candidate will be better. They surely no one else cause as much damage as he has in his 4 short years.

If you ever get to drive in Texas you need to be aware of a great threat to you while on the road. It come in several forms, but is very easy to recognize. The first form is slow moving, erratic and appears to move aimlessly invariably in a manner to maximize your frustration and often putting you at risk with unexpected moves. The second form, while physically looking identical to the first moves at maximum speed, will go over just about anything to get to it's destination and could not care about anybody else on the road. Yes I speak of the white pick-up truck. You have been warned! No excuses. (The speed demon white pick-up truck has a close cousin, just as easy to spot, namely the black pick-up truck. While there are much fewer of them, they are just as deadly).

Once again our freedoms are under attach. This time from stealth censorship. Not so stealth actually. Pretty blatant censorship in the form of penalties from the FCC on radio shows. This is yet again the ultra Christian right forcing their views on us. The time has come for us to say enough is enough. We do not want others telling us what to think and say.

Wow three posts in one day, must be that long absence that has bottled up a lot to say.

I attended a conference in CA this week and had 2 similar and interesting experiences that reminded me how important it is to treat people well and respectfully and not to burn bridges as you move forward in your life.

At college I studied Chemistry and did a Masters in Theoretical Chemistry. When I started working it was as a software engineering virtually from day one. So what? Well this conference was the bi-annual American Chemical Society attended mainly by Chemists. I was there selling software that helps them do computation work more effectively.

So what happened?

I met a fellow during one session and we started talking. Turns out he was a member of the team at the University of Arkansas that provided one of the key programs I used to complete my masters and we had corresponded 25 years earlier. Moreover he was still in contact with my advisor from those days! Well thought it was interesting. Second event is even more unlikely. I was scheduled to have lunch with a Prof. Of Chemistry form Oxford on Monday and during our conversation I discovered he had been the best man at the wedding at one of my professors in South Africa where I grew up and studied. Bizarre to say the least. What are the odds of that. (Bear in mind the guy in South Africa had a class of 4 the year he taught me)!

So, lesson re-enforced, treat people with respect and dignity, you never know when or where they will cross your path again in the future.

It has been a while. No I did not fall off the face of the earth, just been too busy.

Flying back from LA last night the person next to me was reading a book called the Sovereignty of God. I could not help but to notice some of the writing this book. By now it must be clear that I am not religious in the traditional sense. That does not mean I m not spiritual. One comment in particular I found irrational is the "wrath of God will come down on the wicked". Well if God is supposed to be all loving and forgiving why must we fear the wrath? More fundamentally I see that most religions in the world (that I am aware of at least) are based on fear of the unknown, and that they are a shameless exploitation of this fear. What is really frightening is that many really intelligent people have fallen for this trap. Blind belief in something all powerful (and wrathful apparently) that there is absolutely no proof of other than a centuries old belief that it exists and is controlling us and all that surrounds us.

Believing in an all powerful controlling being is one thing, but to go out and start killing people who do not believe what you believe is another. That appears to now be a growing issue in the current state of the world. At least 2 fundamental groups who both have a God they believe in, but have drastically different beliefs about that God and appear to be totally willing to kill other who disagree. So this is the rational outcome of irrational thought, based on an irrational belief. Pretty scary that the future stability of the world as we know it is based on such a flimsy and unstable thought.

By the way do not get me started on the mixing of state and religion as is currently practiced by Dubja (George W Bush for those who do not know him by his real name). That leads to even more irrational behavior than you can imagine. This guy is making Victoria (Queen of England that is, not the one with the secret), look liberal and free spirited. (Sorry, but I can't leave Dubja out of the picture, he is always inviting this kind of comment).

Sunday morning there was a wonderful sunrise. It was missed by most people since it was early and lasted only for a few minutes. The deep pink edge of the sky was a color and richness only nature can produce. Sunday was also depressing with the news that over a hundred dolphins had beached themselves of the coast of Mexico. Most died. We have no idea why dolphins and whales do this. Many reasons have been suggested, maybe we need to consider the thought that they are staging a protest. The ultimate protest of dying to make a point. Dolphins are very intelligent creatures, maybe they are getting tired of man using their home, the sea, as a garbage dump. We dump raw sewage, oil from tankers, waste and who knows what else into the sea every hour of the day. At some point this mindless action has to trigger a reaction. Maybe the dolphins and whales are trying to warn us of the impending issues from our actions. It may be time to pay attention to their warning.

Finally we had some fresh cold weather to clean out the cobwebs. Cold weather wakes me up and gets me going. Everything is crisp and bright in the winter sunlight. The trees are bare skeletons, beautiful structures that appear now that the leafy clothing has been blown away. The blue sky is deep and fresh. Inviting. Walking outside is refreshing with a cool wind in your face or at your back. The dog charges around while we walk. The cool of winter has put a bounce in his step as well. He does not like the heat of summer either.

This year is starting well. Lots of good things are happening. It is good to be alive.

2004 has started hot and muggy. I hope this is not a bad omen. They say the economy will be a lot better this year. I suspect that will be true for the very rich. The average worker will probably be no better of than in 2003 with work still hard to find and cost of living gradually increasing. Hopefully the economy will not help Bush keep the Presidency. I am not sure we can handle another 4 years of his divisive and destructive policy making. The environment has suffered and will keep suffering for a very long time as a consequence of his approach. Take whatever you want, not what you need, and make as much money while you are at it. Rape the earth for your personal gain. No problem there.

Well I hope we will make the right choices going forward, choosing leaders that care for more than their personal wellbeing and that we can start to turn the tide of destruction back to one of caring and balance with the earth we so desperately depend on.