If'n they could'a they ought'a should'a

The first of three links in this blog post is to an article, from a German source, that is part of a new thread that is emerging about the disaster in New Orleans being aided and abetted by the U.S. government, because Shrub supposedly cut $72 million away from flood control for the Big Easy and diverted it to waging war on Iraq. Hoo-boy, just some more idiotic "the state can spend us out of any dilemma" type of thinking that pervades modern Western society. The sooner the collapse the better. Or is it finally here?

In my last blog I pointed out how this whole mess could be traced to overarching federal government manipulation of the Mississippi River delta by the U.S. Corps of Engineers. Into these capable hands was entrusted one of the earth's most extensive and voluminous drainage basins, to become an elaborate Tinker Toy for un-elected central planning bureaucrats.

Dat old man river, it just keep rollin' along!

I think the people in the Middle and Far Eastern half of the world know way better than us, when it comes to putting much faith in the boasts and ambitions of a technocratic Big Brother, which is why THEY are now preparing to be our new masters. Once Shrub finally maxes out his Japachinese issued credit cards, to blow up Iraq, we'll all be facing a decidedly Asian tilted tomorrow. I say bring 'em on, as I shore loves their cuisine veddy mucho and will be glad to do business with 'em in the freer climate of commerce and exchange that people from the East bring to the table. Kung pao anyone?

http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,372455,00.html

The second article is a well written piece from the New Orleans Times-Picayune about how anarchy works in city neighborhoods where the citizens are lawfully armed. In this case the gun owning citizens have been able to do what the civil authorities have failed to accomplish in protecting their businesses and communities. An excellent argument for a fully armed society.

http://www.nola.com/hurricane/t-p/katrina.ssf?/hurricane/katrina/stories/html/people.html

Finally from Kuwait comes the story of "the terrorist Katrina, soldier of Allah", which I thoroughly enjoyed. Hope you do too.

http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/05/front2453615.183333333.html

Let things happen the way nature intended

Hurricane Katrina swept into the central gulf coast and devastated the city of New Orleans. Would you believe that the very existence of this town, The Big Easy, is really nothing more than the legacy of an intrusive, non-Constitutionally mandated federal government agency, who have been messing with Mother Nature for a century and a half in a way that she's never been messed with before?

The story starts after the defeat and conquest of Louisiana by the U.S. Army in 1864, which was preceded by a long occupation of Nar-lens by the same said army. This foreign military power ultimately never left as occupiers and reconstructers and improvers for the poor unenlightened crackers who needed to have "freedom" and "progress" spread their way. Sound familiar?

It has all been wonderfully documented in the WPA Guide to Louisiana (1941), which is still the very best book on the state ever written:

"For two centuries earthen embankments were the only means of flood control. Generally deficient in height and width and never adequately repaired, the levees frequently broke, and the countryside was in constant danger of inundation. After the War Between the States a series of disastrous floods aroused national interest in flood control. The Mississippi River commission was created in 1879, and the task of construction and maintenance of the levee system was assigned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers."

"With the aid of huge Federal appropriations, the State embarked upon a program ensuring protection against a flood stage in excess of that of 1927, when New Orleans was saved only after the levee had been dynamited at Caernavron, below the city."

"Cutoffs straightened the river and provided a more rapid run-off of high water, an outlet channel for Mississippi and Red River flood waters was built in the Atchafalaya Basin, and New Orleans was protected by the construction a short distance above the city of the Bonnet Carre' Spillway."

"Assurance that a great volume of Ohio River floodwater can be discharged safely by the Mississippi through Louisiana was given in 1937."

Yeah says who? Big Brother can control both the Ohio and the Mississippi? Yeah you and what deity?

The fact that people should not be placing sedentary habitations in this particular region in the first place never seems to enter into the discussion. The conquered people have never questioned why their conquerors have gone to such extraordinary lengths to defy one of Mother Nature's most powerful waterways, the Mississippi River, The Father of the Waters. Maybe the concept of control is too tempting for any of them to resist. It is their narcotic of righteous mission, regardless of the real damage they are actually doing to the natural order of things with their stolen funds. Sound familiar?

Simply put New Orleans is an artificial construct of the U.S. federal government, using money stolen in Connecticut, Utah and Iowa to keep the Crescent City of Louisiana from being bowled under by the Big Muddy. It, like Pompeii, should have been allowed to be a great city while it lasted but left to die a natural death. Both cities had placed themselves too near Mother Nature's capricious wrath and ultimately paid the price. It takes nothing away from either town to say that they had their day and then vanished with dignity.

Besides we can always go visit the clean and spotless New Orleans Square in Disneyland. Until, that is, Orange County is ground into dust by the San Andreas Fault.

What a nice republic it was

All day yesterday I couldn't help but feel strong elation at the success and achievement attained by my company as we conducted a group from Stanford University on a natural history tour for the past two days. I am extremely proud of my employees (and new trainees) for shining so brightly for a customer that closely scrutinizes the value and worth of your work every minute you work for them. It is a real triumph for me, as a professional, to be recognized for the excellence I can deliver in my chosen field. It is what I set out to do six years ago and feel that I have at last accomplished. I will endeavor to maintain it. Owning a business definitely has its rewards.

Meanwhile there is the background radiation of current events, like $70 a barrel oil---and the immediate implications for an already shaky economic picture. Then Shrub goes over the airwaves to say that the best way to honor our fallen and dead soldiers is to simply keep maiming and killing more of them, which sounded to me like the sinister utterings of an old world, castle cloistered, vampire. Is he feeble or evil---or both? And where exactly is Count Cheney's comfy & cozy mobile coffin (with a shovel full of his native Wyoming soil sewn into the lining) being hidden these days ?

I then noticed that the Department of Homeland Security are the mandarins calling the shots in "hurricane ravaged" New Orleans and giving out the official pronouncements. I think FEMA was absorbed into Homeland and so now disasters are yet another "official" duty for this large and ubiquitous bureaucracy.

Have you also noticed how every natural disaster is now a national thriller for a few days of headlines with which to feed the ever hungry 24-hour news mill? It is also becoming an opening for the feds to come and spend millions on reconstruction and aid administered by those wonderful saviors from the Department of Homeland Security. In this particular scenario the natural elements do the destructive work instead of American bombs, but all of the reconstruction and subsequent puppet master control is the same as is in Iraq, Afghanistan or anywhere else the imperial guard happen to cast their gloomy shadow down upon, be it a country, city, gulag or Yosemite. The same uniform attitudes of self-importance and sacred mission along with deep seated feelings of arrogant superiority over any and all local peoples is abundantly evident. The whole rotten structure is a reeking insular hell only tax dollars could fund. It is definitely EVIL. Not just the bombs but the bondage it holds over the liberties we need to function as complete beings. It MUST be destroyed. If Iraq is the crack that will break their back (good rap from Beamis) than so be it. Long live the insurgency!

Yesterday on my motorcoach tour all kinds of cops were pulling folks over everywhere along the road. Some of the people on the tour even commented on it, and I've been pulled over twice this past month, and heard similar stories from friends and associates. It seems that Homeland Security fever is gripping law enforcement nationwide and I happen to live near Interstate 15 which is a "drug and alien corridor" into the interior of the U.S., so the cops seem extra itchy to have any reason at all to pull you over for inspection and to show zem zee papers. Ja mein Herr!
The American West used to be way more laid back, but no more.

I'm finally coming to grips with the messy chaotic, and yes EVIL, country that I live in. It hurts my heart deeply because I love where I live very much, but totally despise the gangsters who have stolen the old republic away from us all. Yes folks it is bald thievery when about 50% of your productive capacity is stolen from you (if you are honest with all of the governing bodies seeking to put a levy on your output). Starting from this crime don't be surprised that we then proceed to create a population that is dependent, shallow, petty and selfishly venal. Why shouldn't they be? They are just following the example set by their rulers. After extracting so much from the living tissue of the community for mostly destructive purposes, how else could it ever be?

Wealth stealing parasites are subverting a once proud republic of self-interested and self-motivated individuals striving to achieve inner peace and independence through good works and the principles of respecting thy neighbor and prospering with your family and immediate clan. It was all about being a piece of a particular locale and contributing productively, whether it was making moonshine or tanning a hide. This was a great republic up until about 1840.

Apple picking time in Utah

The hints of fall are just now beginning to appear in Zion Canyon, with the desert skies a little less full of glare and the night time air refreshingly cooler. The schoolkids, who were formerly on vacation, are now being slowly replaced by higher spending "mature" folks who will come to enjoy Zion in droves as the full swing of autumn gets going next month. Back in my park ranger days we referred to it as the season of the "newly wed and the nearly dead."

Another good indicator are the heavily fruit laden branches of organically grown apple trees lining the lovely orchards of the Springdale Fruit Company. They are just starting to harvest the Galas, to be followed later by Fujis and many other great varieties of the best apples you've ever eaten.

So come visit Utah this fall and make sure to stop by their retail fruit market located on State Hwy. 9 just a little south of Springdale. You'll thank me later that you did.

(And if you're a guy, like me, it doesn't hurt that they have a bevy of very cute local girls working the counters there either.)

Sir Lancelot No More

You knew it had to happen sooner or later, but they've finally found a charge to lob at our newest golden boy, Lance Armstrong. The Tour de France claims it has evidence that a banned substance showed up in a blood test from 1999. It was probably a bad jinx for Lance to go bike riding with Herr Shrub in Texas last week, but in this newly emerging era of super invasive scrutiny, what with all the drug tests, retina scans, chip implants and surveillance cameras---we are all bound to fuck up, in THEIR EYES, sooner or later. Lance is just the latest victim in this tar and feather police state mentality, which feeds a 24-hour news cycle and helps sheild our warmongering Big Brother from serious observation by keeping us all conveniently distracted while the bombs keep a dropping and innocent people keep a dying. Bread and circuses indeed!

As I've stated previously I don't care if Lance Armstrong or Barry Bonds or anyone else have taken steroids or any other so called "illegal substance" at any time in their storied careers. It is none of my business or anyone else's. As to the assertion that it is harmful or detrimental to a given sport, I'll just say that both Mr. Bonds and Mr. Armstrong have carried their repsective sports on their shoulders for quite awhile now, and however they ultimately achieved success is their own damn bidness! An individual should be allowed to do what he or she wants to with their own body! That is a principle right of personal liberty-----self ownership.

Would you say that I am taking unfair advantage of my Mormon brethren because I can consume copious quantities of caffeine and stay up late at night working at the Bit & Spur, while they'd droop and yawn in their lethargic state of semi-coma at 2:15 AM? How about a face lift to land a part for a Hollywood movie? Lip injections? Lyposuction? Eye color surgery? Breast implants? Yikes!!

Why can't adult athletes take any drug they want to? Why is that bad? Who is it hurting? Willie Mays took uppers in the 50's and 60's to keep sharp during long grueling road trips, and Babe Ruth didn't. Does that besmirch the accomplishments of the Say Hey Kid?

Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire's "juiced homers" helped revive a game that had sunk so low in attendance that there was talk of contracting the league in the mid-90's. Who cares how they got it done? It is useful to remember that they are ultimately entertainers, and Lance and his "juiced" buddies, are merely selling Cokes, the Postal Service and the country of France for millions of thirsty onlookers. This ain't about the fate of nations. It's just something you peep at on the telly for crying out loud!

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050824/D8C6AQ400.html

Hooray for Christopher Marlowe

I attended a performance of Doctor Faustus this evening at the Utah Shakespearean Festival here in Cedar City. The play, written in 1589, is said to be one of the oldest in the English language, and deals with a Doctor John Faustus who sells his soul to the devil for 24 years of guaranteed life, while also being granted supernatural powers and supreme knowledge through the black arts of necromancy. His personal dealings with Lucifer are alternately funny, terrifying and philosophically profound. This play pricks a lot of raw nerves.

The production was wonderfully staged and the costumes, especially those of Lucifer and the Seven Deadly Sins, were stunningly rendered, while Ben Livingston was magnificently cast as Mephistopheles. It was great to see what a 21st century stage can do to enhance and embellish a 16th century play. The special effects and lighting was top notch!

I have been a big fan of Christopher Marlowe since I was 16, when I dropped out of high school (from acute boredom) and began devouring Elizabethan drama from the public library and second-hand bookstores. I instantly became enamored with the rich metaphorical language of this master of blank verse, along with the works of Shakespeare, Ben Jonson and Sir Francis Bacon.

To God?-He loves thee not.
The God thou serv'st is thine own appetite...

It's great to still be stirred by these timeless words as I creak on into middle age.

Latest on the missing Utah hiker

ST. GEORGE - Officials from the Washington County Sheriff's Office announced Monday morning that they have obtained a warrant for the arrest of a hiker who was originally believed to be missing.

Bryan Butas is being charged with one count of insurance fraud, a second-degree felony.

Thought you'd like an update on this story:

http://www.thespectrum.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050823/NEWS01/508230305/1002

It Can't Happen Here

KTVX, the ABC affiliate in Utah, is refusing to run an anti-war ad featuring Cindy Sheehan because it was deemed an "inappropriate commercial advertisement for Salt Lake City."

Since when are casino ads for Wendover and the nearby Indian reservations, plus the multiplicity of spots for skanky beer, unhealthy food and all kinds of pills to grow your hair, trim your fat, or enlarge your penis (you know that always smiling guy commercial for male "enhancement") any more "appropriate" than an anti-war ad? Peace versus belch?

In a statement Saturday evening explaining its decision, KTVX said that after viewing the ad, local managers found the content "could very well be offensive to our community in Utah, which has contributed more than its fair share of fighting soldiers and suffered significant loss of life in this Iraq war."

Oh conservative, oh so loyal Utah, you've been shown to be what ye are: a stupid witless cheering section for Empire, merrily sending your sons & daughters off to fight the Arabs, like good little obedient sheep in the unholy service of your false god Moloch. Now, it suddenly seems, you wish to shun the offensive stench from your nostrils that your God is now rebuking you with. It says in your book do not worship false idols like the gods of war. Your God is about to exact a terrible price for your unyielding fealty to Moloch. Prepare to be judged. So it has been said in YOUR book.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050821/ap_on_re_us/bush_ad_refused_4

Tough Love For Courtney

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A judge ordered a tearful Courtney Love into an in-patient substance abuse facility on Friday after the troubled rock singer admitted to violating the terms of her probation by using drugs.

Love broke down in quiet sobs as Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Rand Rubin warned that he was prepared to send her to jail because he felt she needed "to hit rock bottom" before she was ready to overcome her drug addiction.

But Rubin said the performer's lawyers persuaded him to give her one more chance to avoid incarceration by placing her immediately into a "chemical dependency center."

"I'm convinced that you need either a long-term (treatment) program or a long-term stay in the county jail," Rubin said.

I was struck by how matter of fact and straightforwardly this governmental poobah, Judge Rand Rubin, delivered his putrid brand of high handed psycho-babble to the crying and prostrate subject set before him, while threatening to use the full force of state incarceration at his disposal.

I'm sure most people, like myself, do not have a very high regard for Ms. Love to begin with and probably felt a slight tingling sensation of wry amusement to see the downcast and abject condition of yet another pathetically washed up celebrity. On the other hand, most folks seem very accepting of the state's role in determining what types of substances we are allowed to put into our own bodies, where and when we can be searched, groped and randomly pulled over by the "security apparatus" and the harsh penalties dished out for ignoring the dictates of these vital matters of "homeland security".

The whole notion of being captain of one's own ship or as they said on Seinfeld "master of your domain" has shrunk from view as an ascendant government increasingly intrudes upon the personal space the private individual has traditionally operated from. Most people have become very comfortable being slaves to a stated "greater good", regardless of the cost to personal freedom or individual accountability.

Can anyone imagine a judge wagging his nanny-state finger at Dean Martin back in the 1950's, imploring him, Oprah like, to hurry up and "hit rock bottom" so he could start the healing process at a Palm Springs sanitarium? And while you're at it Dino, how 'bout giving up the smokes? Naw, the state makes way too much money off the sale of cigs and booze, so go ahead Dean, bottoms up baby! Now that's amore.

In court papers, prosecutors said only that the singer had been under the influence of a "controlled substance." But Deputy District Attorney Gina Satriano has told reporters the allegation involved "some sort of narcotic."

Love's attorney, Howard Weitzman, acknowledged to reporters that his client has suffered a "relapse" but was determined to "move forward" in her recovery.

It's nice to see that her lawyer knows the same psycho-babble. I guess it helps when you're dealing with a nannyacracy.

They're getting themselves heated up again

I love it when two news accounts appear on the same day that diametrically oppose each other. The first deals with those twin giants of American intellectualism, John McCain and Hillary Rodham Clinton, who have just confirmed the factual veracity of global warming with a recent visit to Alaska during its record breaking heat wave.

Fresh from a trip to Barrow, America's northernmost city, Senator McCain said anecdotes from Alaskans and residents of the Yukon Territory confirm scientific evidence of global warming. "We are convinced that the overwhelming scientific evidence indicated that climate change is taking place and human activities play a very large role," McCain said.

"I don't think there is any doubt left for anyone who actually looks at the science," Senator Clinton said. "There are still some holdouts, but they are fighting a losing battle. The science is overwhelming, but what is deeply concerning is that climate change is accelerating."

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050818/ap_on_go_co/climate_change_alaska_2

Meanwhile from the Guardian, in the U.K., we have this three paragraph story:

Two climate change skeptics, who believe the dangers of global warming are overstated, have put their money where their mouth is and bet $10,000 that the planet will cool over the next decade.

The Russian solar physicists Galina Mashnich and Vladimir Bashkirtsev have agreed the wager with a British climate expert, James Annan.

The pair, based in Irkutsk, at the Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics, believe that global temperatures are driven more by changes in the sun's activity than by the emission of greenhouse gases. They say the Earth warms and cools in response to changes in the number and size of sunspots. Most mainstream scientists dismiss the idea, but as the sun is expected to enter a less active phase over the next few decades the Russian duo are confident they will see a drop in global temperatures.

Only time will tell but I'd take that bet any day. Any takers?

I'm praying to the aliens

This post is dedicated to the large colony of leafcutter ants located directly in front of my house. They help to keep the grounds tidy and aerate the soil, facilitating plant growth.

Occasionally I'll feed them scraps of food just to watch how quickly they can re-arrange the size of their tunnel openings and get the material transported into the bowels of their colony within minutes. I have been closely observing this particular colony now for about 5 years and feel a deep kinship with them. They're way better than owning a dog or an ant farm you could buy in the store.

By the way, did you know that southern Utah is where practically all ant farm ants are collected? Around here that is a point of extreme civic pride.

Leafcutter ants cut leaves from plants and trees and grow fungus on these cut fragments. The ants use this fungus to feed their larvae (the ants themselves mostly imbibe plant sap from the cut leaf fragments). The true leafcutters are restricted to two genera of ants (Atta and Acromyrmex) comprising a total of about 38 species.

Leafcutter ants are limited to the arid, semi-tropical and tropical regions of South, Central, and North America, but they are one of the ecologically-dominant ants everywhere they are found. They are arguably the most well-known of the ants to the local people and foreign tourists in these regions, mainly because of their spectacular habit of carrying colored petals or green leaves in foraging lines that may stretch more than 250 meters from their nest!

These ants have one of the most sophisticated animal societies in the world. This is because of their unusual method of farming (they are the only animal besides humans who grow their own food from living matter), their extremely large colony sizes (up to 8 million individuals per colony in one species, Atta sexdens), and their fantastic caste system (with ants of different sizes and forms specialized for various tasks in the colony).

Did ya'll know that ants equal humans in biomass, and that without them and the termites there would probably be very little plant life due to the clogged and compacted soil profile resulting from the absence of their tunneling? Some entomologists have suggested that humans are a direct byproduct of ants.

A most excellent carving of one of these creatures stalks right above the main entrance of the Bit & Spur in Springdale, Utah and is well worth the effort to go and see. The food and drinks inside the joint ain't so bad either.

Pretty cool planet, ain't it?

Good for a million years

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced standards for maintaining public safety from the effects of radiation at the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository under construction in nearby Nevada. According to press accounts the bureaucrats have a plan and working document designed to protect public health for a million years or, in the words of an EPA administrator, "the next 25,000 generations of Americans".

I don't think you have to be expert to know that a million years is a whole lotta of future and these standards are nothing more than fantasy cooked up to be consumed as a public ritual of order and control. Only through the allocation of non-voluntarily gathered funds (your tax dollars) could such an absurd proposal be produced with a straight face. Could someone sell a million-year plan in the private sector? For what and to whom?

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2005/Aug-10-Wed-2005/news/27026244.html

And you think you've heard it all.

Next blog on ants.

Let's hope this doesn't happen tomorrow

My email inbox this morning contained this message from DD:

Don't know if you've followed stories about it, but there are those in the internet world that believe that 9/11 and 7/7 were staged events to foment war. On 9/11, a "terror drill" was(coincidentally) being staged in NYC. On 7/7, the Brits were going through a "terror drill"(coincidentally) as well. Tomorrow, there is a scheduled "terror drill" in Charleston, SC. Some believe that an actual nuclear device will be detonated and used as a pretense to attack Iran. Read the links below (from Monkey). Maybe I'll pick you up and we'll head to Lake Chapala.

From Monkey (in Prague):

I know I'm a paranoid conspiration fella, but I think it's time for you all to go.

http://www.globalnewsmatrix.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2159

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-08/02/content_3299361.htm

I don't like the fact that the Russians and Chinese are holding joint "exercises" (8.18-25) at the same time that America is on high alert and has a nuclear terror "drill" (8.17-?).

Why the hell are these warmongering idiots wanting to take on a country that is twice the size of Texas and home to some 68 million people? Vice President Cheney said recently that the next terror attack on the U.S. will result in a retaliation against Iran? Huh? Come again?

Their grandiose idea goes something like this (from the Global News Matrix) :

The conventional wisdom is that, even if diplomacy fails, the US is so bogged down in Iraq that it could not take on Iran. However, this misunderstands the capabilities and intentions of the Bush administration. America's devastating air power is not committed in Iraq. Just 120 B52, B1 and B2 bombers could hit 5,000 targets in a single mission. Thousands of other warplanes and missiles are available. The army and marines are heavily committed in Iraq, but enough forces could be found to secure coastal oilfields and to conduct raids into Iran.

A US attack is unlikely to be confined to the suspected WMD locations or to involve a ground invasion to occupy the country. The strikes would probably be intended to destroy military, political and (oil excepted) economic infrastructure. A disabled Iran could be further paralyzed by civil war. Tehran alleges US support for separatists in the large Azeri population of the north-west, and fighting is increasing in Iranian Kurdistan.

The possible negative consequences of an attack on Iran are well known: an increase in terrorism; a Shia rising in Iraq; Hezbollah and Iranian attacks on Israel; attacks on oil facilities along the Gulf and a recession caused by rising oil prices. Advocates of war argue that if Iran is allowed to go nuclear then each of these threats to US and Israeli interests becomes far greater. In this logic, any negative consequence becomes a further reason to attack now - with Iran disabled all these threats can, it is argued, be reduced.

Even more scary is another article outlining the actual diablolical plan set forth by Count Cheney himself on using nukes against Iran:

The Pentagon, acting under instructions from Vice President Dick Cheney's office, has tasked the United States Strategic Command (STRATCOM) with drawing up a contingency plan to be employed in response to another 9/11-type terrorist attack on the United States. The plan includes a large-scale air assault on Iran employing both conventional and tactical nuclear weapons. Within Iran there are more than 450 major strategic targets, including numerous suspected nuclear-weapons-program development sites. Many of the targets are hardened or are deep underground and could not be taken out by conventional weapons, hence the nuclear option. As in the case of Iraq, the response is not conditional on Iran actually being involved in the act of terrorism directed against the United States. Several senior Air Force officers involved in the planning are reportedly appalled at the implications of what they are doing that Iran is being set up for an unprovoked nuclear attack but no one is prepared to damage his career by posing any objections.

Let's hope that nothing like this happens tomorrow or at any other time in the future, but if it does I'll be emailing ya'll my new address in the province of Jalisco, Mexico---the home of tequila, white sand Pacific beaches and the largest lake in Mexico (Lake Chapala).

Hasta luego muchachos!

Can I leave the plantation if'n I wants to?

This past week here in southern Utah it was revealed that a supposedly missing hiker had in fact parked his car at a campground trail-head in the local mountains and gone straight to Australia. A simple enough story except that now the government wants to find this person and possibly charge him with a crime. His misdeed? That of not checking in with government authorities before deciding to legally obtain a plane ticket and leave the area of his own free will.

(August 9th) ST. GEORGE - During a late-afternoon press conference today, detectives from the Washington County Sheriff's Office said that the missing hiker, thought to be lost in the Oak Grove Campground area since July 30, has been found alive in Australia.

They said Bryan Butas, 35, used a credit card to purchase an airline ticket to Australia, departing from Los Angeles International Airport on Aug. 2 and arriving in Australia on Aug. 4.

"We're pleased he's alive, but we're not going to tolerate this if it was done intentionally," Washington County Sherifff Kirk Smith said. "The investigation is not complete."

I'm pretty sure it was done intentionally Sheriff Smith. Hoo-boy, but continue on with that investigation sir.

Butas was reported missing when he failed to show up for work Aug. 1. The Washington County Search and Rescue Team, along with numerous volunteers, searched for a week for the missing hiker.

The Washington County Sheriff's Office is working with the Washington County Attorney's Office on possible criminal charges against Butas for expenses accrued.

Is that really something they can stick someone with? Jennifer Wilbanks (the freakingly accursed Runaway Bride) was shown in recent news accounts to be submissively mowing the government's lawn in Duluth, Georgia for her sin of not telling local officials she was leaving town. Albuquerque, where she actually did tell authorities some fibs, leading to a short-lived search for a fictional abduction van, declined to press charges. Meanwhile back in Duluth she is being fined to the tune of $40,000 dollars in restitution for doing nothing illegal. Under what legal statute does leaving town without telling anyone fall under?

Finally back to Utah:

(August 10th) ST. GEORGE - The Washington County Sheriff's Office learned Wednesday morning that the airline ticket to Australia purchased by Bryan Butas, who was thought to be lost on Pine Valley Mountain for nearly a week, was one way.

"This pretty well confirms that he staged his death", Washington County Sheriff Kirk Smith said.

Not to me it doesn't. It simply means he parked his car and left it, for unknown reasons, at a campground in the mountains. As for the left behind vehicle there are laws and procedures that deal with them when they are abandoned, but he might also have called someone eventually to come pick it up. It's still just his business as far as I'm concerned.

Authorities are attempting to contact Australian law enforcement officials to help in the search for Butas who was thought to be missing after he told family and friends that he was going to go hiking July 30, the day after his 35th birthday to talk to "the Man".

In a related essay written last week called Going, going, gone author C.T. Rossi ends his piece with this paragraph:

There is a word for those who are not only restricted from traveling where they desire, but also must "check in" with an authority before absenting themselves. That word is slave.

http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig5/rossi5.html

Letter to Cindy Sheehan

I'm sharing a link to a letter written to Cindy Sheehan by Ralph Nader which I found to be poignantly on the mark. His words are infused with an informed and composed righteous indignation that has inspired me to feel that we may yet defeat this evil cabal in Washington, DC bent on bloody imperial conquest. I came across it on Aljazeera, which is an excellent un-filtered news source, offering an alternative perspective from that delivered by the subservient American media lap dogs.

http://www.aljazeera.com/me.asp?service_ID=9530

I really believe that Cindy Sheehan is going to be a galvanizing force in helping to bring the whole Bush/Cheney warmongering edifice in the Middle East tumbling down like the walls of Jericho.

God bless Cindy Sheehan! We all need to support her in every way we can. The woman is a true patriotic hero.

I quote from the Monkey oracle: "Out now, it's the only solution; that goes for the troops and the President."

Amen primate!

Raining Cats & Dogs in Utah

The monsoon has been vigorous and wet this year, which is in keeping with the overall pattern we've been under since last October, bringing us a record breaking snow pack followed by a very wet spring. This is a fairly strong El Nino at work in the deep currents of the Pacific.

California, which is due west of here, has also had a one-of-a-kind weather year with precipitation records falling from LA all the way up and down the southern and central coast. In the Bear Flag Republic it has been a mixed blessing, what with the associated deaths, injury and property loss caused by this weather, but which also has filled most of the reservoirs back up.

The past few days have seen pounding drenching downpours in Springdale, just when the maximum number of outside diners are sitting on the patio of the Bit & Spur. We then have to scramble to get them all re-settled inside of the mercifully empty interior of the restaurant. Most leave their new inside tables, with their drinks, and scoot back up to the front of the building to watch the storm rage outside.

Out here in Quichapa we have been hit hard on three successive days, with Friday night bringing forth two gigantic storms that really got the gullies full to gushing and hail damaged some of the hot chili pepper crop. Them's the breaks dude.

After seven straight years of severe drought, the only thing I can yell towards the sky is this: "Thank yee Jee-zus, thank yee Lard!"

Secessionist stirrings in western Canada

DD linked me to an article about secession in western Canada, and I wanted to add my full support to the people wishing to pursue such a course of action. I say if Canada can break apart so can the U.S.A., just like the U.S.S.R. and that vile and bloody British empire.

I highly recommend the now out-of-print The Nine Nations of North America by Joel Garreau published in 1981. (It can be easily obtained on Half.com.) The author outlines the geographic and cultural boundaries as they existed in North America in 1981 and identifies nine different sections that share enough common characteristics to form the nucleus of separate nations. With almost 25 years having passed since the book came out, it seems that most of the predictions are coming to fruition.

CALGARY (CP) - More than one-third of western Canadians surveyed this summer thought it was time to consider separation from Canada, a poll suggests.

In the survey, 35.6 per cent of respondents from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia agreed with the statement: Western Canadians should begin to explore the idea of forming their own country.

The article ends with:

Pollsters noted that surprisingly, separatist sentiment appeared to run highest among young people - 37 per cent of respondents between the ages of 18 and 29 were open to the notion of breaking away from Canada.

Support was lowest - 33.7 per cent - among the baby boom generation aged between 45 and 64.

That doesn't surprise me a bit.

The border is out of whack with geography

This picture of a lone border guard in San Diego simply watching all of the batos going along on their merry way across the boundary wall with Mexico prompts me to write, again, about the unnaturalness of the current U.S.-Mexico border.

The current border is the result of aggressive warfare and territorial conquest by military means and does not match up well with the overall north-south alignments of mountain ranges, valleys, river systems and land routes that characterize this part of North America. The cutting off of Mexico at the California line is an unsustainable proposition given the natural flows of people and commerce which regularly course through this territory.

The same is true of Texas where the Rio Grande might be grand for those who live in a desert region, but in fact is little more than a glorified creek for the purposes of erecting an international boundary. It was never geographically suited to be more than the southern boundary of Texas with Coahuila, Chihuaua and Nuevo Leon. The same goes for that irrational series of straight lines from the Pacific to El Paso through barren empty desert. Sitting astride the natural flow of things the border becomes vunerable to the force of a raging current.



If we look at this map of Mexico, from the time of the Mexican War, we can see that the country possessed more natural boundaries that were shaped by the contours of the continent. Very neatly the Sabine and Red Rivers formed the eastern frontier which then arcs to the west right along the edge of the prairies with the Arkansas River as the far northern boundary right on up to the Rockies. From there it continues on over to California along the line of 42 degrees N, which today is the border with Oregon.

Who ever thought that this artificial, militarily imposed, east-west boundary across the natural flow of geography would be able to withstand the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune forever? The disintegration has begun and it will not take much longer to see the righting of a historical wrong from the mid-19th century, much to the benefit of all.

The faces are brown, in every town, deep in the heart of Texas

Texas now joins three other states with a non-white majority, a demographic trend sweeping the nation. The integration of Latin speaking Mesoamerican people into the uppermost reaches of the U.S. and Canadian landmass has sparked an economic and social revolution. It has been a major cultural transformation achieved in less than 30 years time.

The thing to keep in mind is that 5 western states, where the majority of these Hispanic people currently live, was as recently as 157 years ago, the sovereign territory of Mexico. It was stolen in a war of naked aggression that was a prelude of more to come for the native peoples, the Mormons and then the South. The Mexican War was fought to prevent Texas, California, New Mexico and Utah from becoming independent republics. Under Leviathan there would no longer be any further need of the Comanche, Kiowa or a Republic of Texans. The conquest was completed with a massive pile of 600,000 corpses of Civil War dead along with God knows how many Indian mass graves and the monster has never looked back.

The continued influx of Mexicans back into the area stolen from them is not surprising and generally makes good economic and geographic sense. Look at the place names in California for example: San Diego, San Jose, Sierra Nevada, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, San Juan Bautista, Santa Monica, Los Banos, Palo Alto, San Fernando and on and on it goes. Does this sound like a place originally settled by Anglos? How many of you knew that LA was a provincial capital in the territory of Alta California when it was a part of Mexican territory in the 19th century? Who are the true illegal aliens?

The browning of Utah has meant a better variety of food being available (Mexican & Central American goodies) and a highly motivated labor force which has benefited all of us with their work ethic and desire to gainfully interact with and prosper the local economy. Unfortunately it only takes one generation of social welfare to turn many into the dependent hinds they are now displacing.

America, America
Step out into the light
You're the best dream man has ever dreamed
And may all your Christmases be white

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050811/D8BTJN0O0.html

Don't Tread On Me flag

I'm buying one of these flags to fly from my home and thought ya'll might find the story of its origin interesting:

The Don't Tread on Me flag was first flown aboard a colonial troop ship on January 4th, 1776. This was the flag of the American colonies at the time of the American Revolution against England.

The rattlesnake had become a traditional symbol of the American colonies. The most obvious reason being that the rattlesnake is found nowhere else in the world. The origin of the slogan (Don't Tread On Me) pertains to the snake's deadly strike and the idea that it is best to leave them alone.

The snake on the flag is also roughly arranged in the shape of the American colonies with the tip of the tail being the Florida peninsula and the head being New England.

I'm proposing we all begin flying these as a symbol of the newly emerging struggle against a warmongering Leviathan that is about to start falling hard just like the U.S.S.R. did. The break-up is coming way sooner than any of ya'll might think. I wanna have a standard to fly when the revolution comes.

The U.S. government with it's cheesy space ships splintering apart on live television and its military adventures in Afghanistan and Mesopotamia is stumbling headlong down the same dangerous and steep slope of decline that the Soviets abruptly plummeted from, never to return. We're all just hoping that they won't drag us down with them, but we know them all too well. Don't we?

The judge, he holds a grudge,
He's gonna call on you.
But he's badly built
And he walks on stilts,
Watch out he don't fall on you.

I can't wait to get this cool looking flag in my hands and hoist it proudly into the clear blue skies of Utah.

Sic semper tyrannis!

American corpses still piling up fast in Iraq

As the corpses and shattered bodies of American young men continue piling up in the fetid dusty mess that is guerilla war in Mesopotamia in August, I want to keep reminding every American reading this that your payroll tax deduction is directly producing this carnage. There is blood on all of our hands. On Monday one Marine in Ramadi was shot dead and Tuesday brought us 5 more corpses, all from Pennsylvania this time, who were ambushed in the northern Iraqi city of Beiji.

We get so numb to it, the perpetual carnage, the lies and cover-ups and our own complicity in making the whole thing materially possible by dutifully paying the federal government the money they need to fund bloody savage war. When will it reach into our consciousness more fully that WE are the source of war through the non-voluntary confiscation of our assets?

While it is true that the United States, with its superior high tech, is being soundly defeated by a decidedly low-tech insurgency this thing could still drag on for quite a while, due to the personal vanity of people like Dick Cheney, Doctuh Rice and Paul Wolfowitz refusing to be wrong about going to war. Not to mention Shrub.

All you need nowadays to defeat an invading superpower infidel are a few cellphones, some explosives and a spare human with a backpack and viola you can blow up the devils in a fuel convoy in Mosul or on the subway in New York, London or Madrid. Believe me when I tell you that they will continue to kill and maim as many as possible, up until the final moment when the infidel shamefully departs from their holy land in total defeat and disgrace. But like I said it could take a while to sink in that they're losing and we could all go under with them if it continues for too much longer. From Charley Reese yesterday:

Last week, a bunch of insurgents probably none of whom had any formal training killed 14 of the "best-trained, best-equipped soldiers in the world" with one homemade bomb. The insurgents know one thing the hotshots in Washington overlooked: The way to fight a high-tech army is with low-tech tactics and weapons.

As long as we keep troops in Iraq, some of them will die, because in that part of the world, when you kill a man, you automatically incur the mortal enmity of his family. In other words, we are manufacturing new insurgents every time we kill one. Like the Viet Cong, the insurgents know they can't beat us on the battlefield, but they know that in the long run, they will be there and we won't.

Amen brother.

Taking a page from Devastatin' Dave---Album Poll

It's a leisurely August afternoon in blogger world and I thought I'd try a Devastatin' Dave type post and ask what would be the 10 desert island albums you'd choose if asked by the Department of Homeland Security at gun point.

My list just shows how hopelessly mired I am in the past. It was revealing to me really-----hell I'm listening to Blonde On Blonde as I write, "inside the museum infinity goes up on trial", sheesh what a walking anachronism I've finally become.

More recently I bought a great new album by the Black Eyed Peas called Elephunk as well as a newly released collection of George Jones recordings from 1955-62, his golden era in my opinion.

Dylan drones on "and these visions of Johanna are now all that remain" through the speakers and I realize that I'm just as enchanted with this album today as when I first heard it as a young suckling.

"and wouldn't it be my luck
to be caught without a ticket
and to be discovered
beneath the truck?

ohhh mama
can this really be the end,
to be stuck inside of mobile
with the memphis blues again?"

My list at this very moment:

1. Straight, No Chaser - Thelonious Monk 1966
2. Thelonious Monk With John Coltrane - 1957
3. Trouble In Mind - George Jones 1965
4. Thelonious Alone in San Francisco - T. Monk 1959
5. Sleep Dirt - Frank Zappa 1979
6. Solo Monk - T. Monk 1964
7. Bringing It All Back Home - Bob Dylan 1965
8. Population Override - Buckethead 2004
9. War Heroes - Jimi Hendrix 1970
10. Mozart String Quartets K. 387 & 421 - Emerson String Quartet 1991

I'm interested in what ya'll think----especially you Skeeter.

Hooray for the cops on this one

Late last night, as I was heading home to Quichapa Ranch, a real jerk was tail-gating a van full of tourists for a good 5 miles right in front of me on State Route 9. I mean he was literally riding their butt and constantly braking to keep from rear-ending them. I was half expecting an accident to occur as we made the steep and winding descent down the highway grade at LaVerkin, before it was finally noticed by a patrolman who pulled the dangerous driver over.

As it turns out the cop was two cars behind me and had witnessed the whole thing. He raced past me with lights and siren to stop jerkface as I pulled over behind the patrol car and waited for the officer to get out. When he emerged from his sedan I rolled down my window to tell him I was glad he had pulled this person over and that I hated all tail-gaters. I told him that I thought they were some of the most dangerous types of people around, because of the terrible consequences their behavior can cause to other innocent and safely driving people. He thanked me for stopping and I told him to have a nice night. Leaving the scene I hoped that he really stuck it to this aggressive driving idiot who had endangered many innocent lives for nothing.

Sometimes even a dyed-in-the-wool libertarian (like me) will dispense some well deserved praises for the police, especially when it comes to traffic rules designed to keep us safe at high speeds. In this case it was a dream come true to have this happen in the dead of the Utah night under a million sparkling stars.

Best candidate for Springdale mayor

It's been two years now since Kirby the dog ran for a council seat in the town of Springdale, Utah. The campaign slogan "make no bones about it---he's the best doggone candidate" captured the hearts and minds of a not a few voters in this isolated valley on the fringe of nowhere. It was said that voter turn-out was higher because people wanted to write him in on their ballot. The town claimed he got four votes, but I believe there was a deliberate under count, so as not to expose the larger disaffection voters felt towards their selection of homo sapien candidates. Alma Young explained it to me this way, when she told me why she had removed the Kirby campaign poster from her store's bulletin board, "if you vote for a dog, what are you saying about our human candidates?" What indeed?

Springdale is primarily a tourist town and increasingly the address of self-important second home millionaires, and I think Kirby's libertarian tendencies (his only platform is to install more fire hydrants), canine decency, loyalty and sense of honor are attractive qualities to have in a small town mayor. He's not gonna stir up a lot of dust but be the very essence of laissez-faire government. There'll be no barking up the wrong tree on his watch, he'll just preside over a political process that has gone to the dogs.

I'm looking for campaign slogans and such from you my blogger friends out in the ether of space. What can we come up with that will blow the socks off the electorate? I want to get a decent dog heard among the din of political discourse sure to fire up soon, as off year elections come again to rural Utah this fall. (The filing deadline is next week, so share what you got wiff me soon because the primaries loom.)

I thank ya'll in advance as does Kirby the wonder dog of Zion Canyon.

As it turns out WE are Big Brother

Wanted to share this very short piece written by a controller for an investment advisory firm in Pennsylvania. He chillingly describes his newly vested powers, through the Patriot Act, to become an informant for the government on the minutest of matters concerning clients personal information.

Big Brother is now us.

http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig6/fischer3.html

Kirby's doing all right

To Bill and Janel :

Kirby is having a fun time while you're on vacation. Today the redhead gave him a shampoo and he dried up all fluffy in the August heat. See you Sunday--kiss a bear for me.

21 Dead Marines----so far this week

Just wanted to take note that 21 U.S. Marines were slaughtered this week in Iraq.

"All 21 dead Marines were assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines based in Brook Park, Ohio, a Cleveland suburb, according to Gunnery Sgt. Brad R. Lauer, public affairs chief with the unit. A civilian translator was killed and one Marine wounded.

The battalion has been fighting in the volatile Euphrates Valley in western Iraq to seal a major Syrian border infiltration route for foreign fighters. The Marines launched a series of operations in the region in May and June in hopes of pacifying the area so Iraqi military and civilian forces could assume effective control.

U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Carter Ham, in a news conference Wednesday, said American forces were mounting simultaneous assaults on a string of towns along the river to root out insurgents and cut off their freedom of movement. As insurgents resist, the area has become increasingly dangerous.

'This is a very lethal and unfortunately very adaptable enemy we are faced with,' Ham said, though he noted that insurgents were not targeting American forces any more than usual."

Another very deadly week for our boys in Iraq, and it's still only Friday. When are we going to stop footing the bill for all of this death and destruction? How 'bout it sheeple? Are you comfortable having your wealth confiscated and used in this manner and for these ends?

"Wednesday’s explosion happened just outside the town of Haditha, 140 miles northwest of Baghdad. The Marines were riding in an armored amphibious vehicle, or AAV, designed to carry troops from ship to shore and on land. It has a road speed of about 45 mph and can carry up to 25 Marines.

Marines often criticize the protection provided by the AAVs. Since the vehicle is also designed to be dropped from ships for coastal assaults, the armor plating is not as heavy as that of the Bradley fighting vehicles the Army uses.

The new losses follow the deaths of seven U.S. Marines in combat two days ago in the same operation. One died in a suicide car bombing in Hit, another Euphrates River town. The other six, from the same battalion, were killed Monday in Haditha while on sniper duty."

A link to an article about the horrific effect losing 21 men in a single small town can have: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8812439/

The U.S. military is losing this war and losing it badly. It's time to say UNCLE and come home soon or this carnage on the Euphrates will continue unabated until there will be no more body bags left to fill. Slowly but surely Allah is cleansing His land of the Infidel. The Pentagon already knows this to be the case, but can't admit it openly, so it's time the whole country really starts to talk seriously about impeachment and trails for the criminals in DC who are pulling the levers of the war-machine. Bush and Cheney are war criminals in every sense of the word!

Tonight let's all pray for Brook Park, Ohio.

Backyard Travelogue

Most people are familiar with Utah's famous scenic wonders like Zion, Arches and the Great Salt Lake, but there are many lesser known places that have an allure and charm all their own. One such locale is the wild and mostly roadless Harmony Mountains which rise directly above my home to the south and west. The highest peak is a little under 9,000 feet and this range is the primary cougar habitat for the state, plus it is the source of some of the purest, most tasty groundwater you ever drank. My fountain of youth. Just ask my friends about the miraculous effects of the well water here. DD can testify.

I had a visitor from Michigan to show around, and a four-wheel-drive truck, so away we went to explore this hidden gem of our scenery rich Beehive State.

The first stop was the old abandoned Page Ranch which was a working cattle ranch, stagecoach stop and overnight inn which began operations in 1858. It is located on the old stage line from Salt Lake City to Californy. Notice the sign says Highway 91, which has been Interstate 15 now for nearly 40 years (nice antique).



Inside the old ranch house I stumbled upon a very cute metal cow which immediately beseeched me to let him out so he could relieve himself. You see, it was a very polite cow and didn't want to mess up the nice clean house.



From the ranch it is 11 rugged miles over the crest of the mountains to the little village of New Harmony. This is a very rough road which winds over the middle part of the range through beautiful ranch country set high among bare rock balds and domes of sheet lava laid down some 30 million years ago. This terrain reminds me of the southern Sierra foothill country and Tehachapi Mountains in Kern and Tulare counties in California. The monsoonal moisture this particular afternoon was creating quite an artful sky.



The final reward for ascending the heights of these mountains are the views of the west facing red rock cliffs of the Kolob Canyons section of Zion National Park. Kolob is a word from the Book of Mormon which refers to the star nearest the throne of God. It is no wonder that pioneer settlers perceived a heavenly cast to these imposing temples of vertical stone. They continue to inspire such thoughts even to this day.



I don't recommend this trek without high clearance and four-wheel capability, the road was washed out in many spots after what looked like torrential flash flooding in the preceding days.

On behalf of the Utah tourism industry------visit Utah often. We like your business.

Kind Thoughts for Sheriff Wright

I've been told that our beloved local police chief, Kurt Wright, remains in intensive care at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City. His liver function is back to normal and he's been up and walking around again which is surely a good sign and hopefully is in response to our prayers and kind thoughts over these past few weeks.

Kurt is the last of a breed, a true "peace" officer. He has the unique ability to be a bridge between a wide spectrum of the community and is accountable in ways that transcend citations and arrests. He's an old-fashioned deputy who is always available to talk and consult with, and is often the first to give solace and advice to both victims of crime as well as to those who've foolishly broken the law by doing something stupid. He's always there to help pick up one of life's lonely losers and attempt to get them set straight back on the right path.

His style of police work is more like Andy Griffith than Dirty Harry. You have to look for him, instead of the other way around, which is quite refreshing in the age of the Patriot Act. At heart he is a kind and decent man who favors peace and personal privacy and would never brandish his badge in your face. He's someone who is always there when the call for help comes in, inspiring us all by his example.

Kurt we sure miss you and pray for God's speed in your recovery.

The 12th Article of Faith

KD sent a most interesting reply to my blog questioning why the Mormon faithful seem so slavishly subservient to U.S. military ambitions and central government control in general.

"as one who long ago stopped attending church (yes, the mormon one), i read your post with interest. i may be able to provide some insight to the blind way in which many church members follow their leaders...the 12th article of faith reads:"We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law." the 'being subject' to the rulers and laws is what separates the fundamentalists from the 'legal' mormons - a distinction anyone in cedar city (and other former polygamist hotseats) will be sure to point out...following the whole polygamy thing, church members were VERY careful to follow all laws of the land, as they'd had so many run-ins with the authorities over who they were marrying. in effect, most church members have become ultra-law abiding - which i find curious in a religion that promotes higher education among its members......my mormon relatives and acquaintances are very proud to have a long history of military service and sacrifice...and simply following their leaders in what's right."

I now know that the 12th Article of Faith in Mormon scripture is what separates the fundamentalist church from the mainstream branch. Polygamy is always cited as the main difference, in much the same way that slavery is used to distinguish the Union from the Confederacy, but it is much more deep rooted and fundamental than the simplistic sensationalism of popular history that is routinely taught in the government schools.

The 12th Article is nothing more than a blood pact with Big Brudda to do his bidding and thus keep the peace. Sorta like what a candy store owner has to do for the local gang in his inner-city neighborhood. Lawless hoodlums always prevail in this manner after a forceful demonstration of their ruthless power. Any conflicts this alliance with Moloch may put you in with your own God must be chalked up as the price to be paid for keeping the candy store open at all as a going concern.

Let the shakedown proceed.

Goodbye old friend: the Frigidaire

Goodbye old friend it has been a grand time together these past 15 years and I'm sad to see you go. It says on the back of you that you were delivered in June 1959. Speaking on behalf of the others served so faithfully, in the 31 years prior to our relationship, you were one helluva an air compressing workhorse. When I think of all the cold beer that you so selflessly chilled for me along with my girl friend's yogurt, leftover hummus and out of date slide film, why it almost makes me weepy.

So long old friend, the power company is paying $40 for your carcass and the replacement will never ever possess your 50's charm and urbane solidity. May your passage to scrap be peaceful and done with dignity.

I didn't think it would be this tough.

Kindred words

The following prose is from the liner notes of David Byrne's most recent CD Grown Backwards and seemed to match my mood perfectly:

Sometimes it seems as if things , like writing a group of songs or getting groceries, are dealt with more or less on a day-to-day basis, as they come up, each reacted to only at the time as they demand to be, and that there is no plan or direction or overall consideration of where things are leading.

But of course that's not true---there are little decisions made every minute, and the cumulative effect is to define what later appears to be a conscious plan, with an emotional center and compass.

During all this time there was love, anger, sadness and frustration. There were two wars, one out of revenge and the second to consolidate oil interests. Along with many others, I did my best to stop the second one, but it seemed inevitable and the misdirected legacy of a nation still reeling.

During all this time, I dreamt.

Happy August 1st------I just had to take a break from COPS.

The Crater Lake shooting and more scary cop stuff

In a cap she looked much older
And the bag across her shoulder
Made her look a little like a military man

------Lovely Rita (Lennon/McCartney)

I respect the response of DD, a formerly armed U.S. Park Ranger, concerning the recent shooting to death of an unruly camper at Crater Lake N.P., as possibly being warranted under the circumstances.

Upon further reflection I began to reconsider whether firing shots from a powerful hand gun, in a densely filled campground, was such a good idea in the first place.? Why were there no tasers available? And I ask again, would a wild and wooly bear have been shot as quickly, without "the work team" at least contemplating other options? Why are only high caliber hand guns the principal weapons available for the relatively peaceful clientele the rangers would normally host in their campground?

When NPS rangers are required to qualify or re-certify for their law enforcement "commissions" they shoot at a silhouette of a man and aim for his heart, not the shoulder or leg. You won't pass the test if you're only hitting those. These are COPS not rangers. It seems that COPS are now everywhere, getting in our faces, hands on their over-sized weapons as they inch their way towards my car window looking for any provocation to search the entire vehicle or maybe ending up having to shoot me.

The, supposedly, undercover "drug task force" has been operating in the resort town I work in, for the past few weeks. They've been pulling everyone over and then acting overbearing and arrogant. Their haul so far? A poor penniless hippie caught with a pot pipe and a small piece of paper with traces of cocaine on it. Thanks be to God you've saved us from this scourge Big Brutha! Meantime the driver of the car the hippie was arrested in had no vehicle registration or insurance but was not cited! Who is the bigger threat to society: the hippie with a pipe and some paper with coca powder on it or an unregistered, uninspected, un-insured truck recklessly barreling down the road with a brain dead idiot behind the wheel? The COPS, it seems, aren't even doing their real job protecting the community, but are using traffic laws to open the door for finding illegal drugs and contraband. This is their "higher calling" on our behalf. The sheeple of the village mostly went along with this bullying as something that would be unwise to oppose out loud.

Did you know that illegal drug users are the new Jews in Herr Bush's Amerika?

More about that and the police state that is the U.S.A. in my next blog.

What will you do if we let you go home,
And the plastics all melted,
And so is the chrome?
WHO ARE THE BRAIN POLICE?

-------Who Are The Brain Police? (FZ & The Mothers)

We're Living in the O.K. Corral

National Park rangers shot and killed a camper involved a domestic dispute at Crater Lake, Oregon on Weds. night. Read the account and decide for yourself if they really needed to shoot him to death at nearly point blank range. They could've run.

http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2005/07/29/news/oregon/fri06.txt

Switching to the Big Apple-----a tour bus was raided by police in riot gear on Sunday because a group of passengers were reported to be brown skinned with bulging backpacks. The resulting incident left all involved terrified and in shock at what police power is doing to our country.

http://www.lewrockwell.com/akers/akers10.html

The occupation has begun and they'll be taking no prisoners, so ya'll had better get used to it, whether you reside in Fallujah or Cedar City.

The shootout is about to git started boys. Are yer guns loaded?

The Death of Sgt. Wood

My letter to the local newspaper concerning the death of Utah National Guardsman Ronald Wood of Cedar City (adapted from my last blog post) was received, and I wish to share their reply:

Thank you for sending your opinion to The Spectrum. While it is valid to point out that people here wanted this war and are now having to pay a terrible price for it, the way in which you make it is so inflammatory that I think people will not address the issue because they will be too incensed for other reasons. If you would like to rewrite it we can consider running it. I would suggest taking out the references to Mormonism. Also we are not going to print that Sgt. Wood "is dead for nothing." You have good points to make that should be heard, but there are better ways to make them.

My response:

I agree with many of your points about my letter and have re-written it. I was pretty upset about this guardsman's death and adapted the first letter from a post I wrote on my blogsite. In the re-write I have not taken out the references to Mormonism because I believe that they are valid and relevant to the point at hand.

Here is the re-written letter, I hope you will find it less full of bile and anger at what I perceive to be the blindly loyal support given to the U.S. government from folks who have suffered greatly at its hands in the past.

"Dear Spectrum,

The first national guardsman from here in southern Utah was killed last Saturday in Kirkuk, Iraq, when a bomb struck the Humvee he was riding in. Folks around here are reciting the same patriotic platitudes about how this poor young man died protecting our freedom.

What I'd really like to ask these same people is this: what do you think would have happened to your precious freedom if the U.S. government had refrained from invading Iraq? Do you really believe that the occupation of this Arab country, by the U.S. military, is in your best long-term interests and is something that is tangibly preserving your liberty? Is the tragic death of an honorable young man in the Utah home guard something you are proud to hold up as a meaningful sacrifice to the enduring battle for what is morally right?

In this Mormon-dominated community I am shocked at the un-questioning support shown to a government that openly participated in the persecution of their church in the 19th century and then in the 1950's and 60's, knowingly rained down the vilest forms of radioactive fallout from 126 above ground nuclear tests on the entire population of the church's home region of Utah. I’ve read that the federal government often delayed these nuclear tests when the prevailing winds were blowing towards California and would simply wait for them to start steering again towards Utah before detonation, with the net result that the state's southernmost counties of Iron and Washington possess some of the highest rates of birth defects, rare cancers and mental retardation in the entire country. One would hope that the people of Utah might find some empathy in their hearts for others in the world that now suffer under the same tyrannous aggression that was inflicted upon them by the exact same government in the past.

I feel that they really should know better but am beginning to see what several generations of government schooling has done to the entire country. Here, in the once proud Beehive State, it has nurtured to fruition a brand of fear based, government dependent, march-in-lock-step thinking that has debased a once strong and vigorous sub-culture based on piety and self-determination.

As for the Son of Man, whom the Church of "Jesus Christ" of Latter Day Saints is named, I would like to briefly quote His views on armed conflict: "You have heard it said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, do not resist him who is evil, but whoever slaps you on the right cheek turn to him the other also." Matthew 5:38

"You have heard it said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy'. But I say unto you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others?" Matthew 5:43-48

Meanwhile I am truly sad that a young man in my valley is dead for nothing more than the vain and unholy ambitions of imperial world empire."

Spectrum please let me know what you what you think. This letter springs from the deepest parts of my intellectual and spiritual convictions.

Thanks for your editorial feedback. It was valid and on the mark, but I won't compromise my stance to spare the feelings of people who should know better.

I'm grateful for your frank and helpful response.

Cedar Valley has first Iraq war casualty

The first national guardsman from here in Cedar Valley was killed Saturday in Kirkuk, Iraq, when a bomb struck the Humvee he was riding in. Folks 'round here are saying the usual inanities about how this poor young hireling died protecting our freedom. It is actually getting me close to the boiling point, what with the heat wave and all, to keep hearing this idiotic propaganda spouted by a populace that hasn't a clue about the real truth of the matter.

I'd really like to ask these same people what they think would have happened to their precious freedom if the U.S. government had refrained from invading Iraq? Do they really believe that the destruction of Mesopotamia is in their best long term interests and is what is preserving their liberty? Is the senseless death of a young man in the Utah home guard something they are proud to bear up as a meaningful sacrifice to the enduring battle for what is morally right? How stupid and blind can these sheep be?

In this Mormon dominated community I am shocked at the un-questioning support shown to a government that openly participated in the persecution of their church in the 19th century and then later, in the 1950's and 60's, knowingly rained down the vilest forms of radioactive fallout from 126 above ground nuclear tests on the entire population of the church's home region of Utah. These nuclear tests were often delayed by the federal government when the prevailing winds were blowing towards California. The military would simply wait for them to start blowing towards Utah before detonation; with the net result that the state's southernmost counties of Iron and Washington possess some of the highest rates of birth defects, rare cancers and mental retardation in the entire country. For this sordid legacy a local boy has needlessly died in the torrid sands of Iraq, to preserve the imperial power of a U.S. government that has commited many harmful acts of tyranny against people of Mormon faith in the past.

I feel that they really should know better, but am beginning to see what several generations of government schooling has done to the entire country. Here, in the once proud Beehive State, it has nurtured to fruition a breed of scared, dependent, march-in-lock-step dummies molded out of a once strong and vigorous sub-culture based on piety and self-determination.

As for the Son of Man, whom the Church of "Jesus Christ" of Latter Day Saints is named, I would like to quote His views on armed conflict: "You have heard it said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, do not resist him who is evil, but whoever slaps you on the right cheek turn to him the other also." Matthew 5:38

"You have heard it said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy'. But I say unto you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you , what reward have you? And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others?" Matthew 5:43-48

Meanwhile I am truly sad that a young man in my valley is dead for nothing.

http://www.thespectrum.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050719/NEWS01/507190310/1002

China calls the bully's bluff

The enclosed link, from today's world headlines, is China's joyful take down of a global bully, the U.S. government. The Chinese military has now publicly placed the prospect of nuclear war on the table over interference in the matter of Taiwan.

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/28cfe55a-f4a7-11d9-9dd1-00000e2511c8.html

I think this is a positive announcement aimed at preserving peace. The U.S., in effect, is finished as a military power in the Far East and good riddance indeed! Our presence has meant nothing more than a legacy of death, destruction and dislocation to the people of East Asia ever since we sailed into Manila Harbor and began building bases in the Philippine archipelago in the early 20th century. It was called, even way back then, gun boat diplomacy.

The following rogues gallery of disasters this policy proceeded to inflict on the region includes: two urban nuclear bombings over Japan (after massive civilian targeted firebombing which incinerated nearly a half-million innocent people); the Korean War; the Vietnam War; plus U.S. inspired political fiascos resulting in massive bloodletting in the Philippines, Indonesia and Cambodia to name but a few.

This new message from China is a clear concise warning: "Yankee go home!", and I hope he does.

Gun boat diplomacy has finally run it's course in Asia. Hip-hip-hooray!

It's only a matter of time before we are tossed from Southwestern Asia too. Tra-rah-rah-boom-dee-ay!

Secession!

Blogger ag in Prague responded to my views concerning secession with much disdain for the potential territorial ambitions of a place like the Republic of Texas. She harbored a lingering suspicion that they might attack their neighbors to gain power. I can understand her views, to a certain extent, what with the Bushes and Lyndon Johnson being some of the biggest warmongers of the last 50 years.

The truth is I seriously doubt Texas would be interested in invading any nearby states. I don't think any Oklahoman or Louisianan would stand for it one itty-bitty second. I can hear it now on the news "a suicide cell from Baton Rouge has just blown themselves up in a tony Dallas hotel lobby filled with the wives of rich cattlemen meeting for their annual conference. " The suicide bomb vest designed by the Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka will truly change how things are to be decided concerning the ambitions of Empire for a long time into the future.

From state secession we can go to regional break-ups. West Texas is more akin to New Mexico and Chihuahua, while East Texas is akin to Louisiana and Arkansas. I say let the regions evolve and adapt to what works best socially and economically for each individual entity. Physical geography and the attendant culture regions they create should dictate the boundaries of human organization just as it does for all the other animals.

San Francisco could be a principality like Monaco, while New York City evolves into a grand and marvelous city-state like Singapore. The coastal strip of Oregon, Washington and British Columbia are already talking about forming the free and independent nation Cascadia, gourmet marijuana exporter to the world.

Los Angeles is, in geographic fact, the major regional metropolis of northwestern Mexico (more specifically the area of California known as the Southland). Why shouldn't it become more fully integrated with the actual function it serves as an urban core to a real hinterland? An international boudary is meaningless in the face of actual geographic imperatives. The fact that the border line was created by stealing territory through war makes it even more compelling to abolish the scar that it truly represents between our peoples. LA could eventually become an independent territory of Mexico or maybe the capitol of a new state carved from Sonora, Baja, Arizona and California. Or maybe it becomes an independent city-suburb all it’s own.

Africa should have a big conference and abolish the ridiculous colonial boundaries of past invading empires and re-write the map of their continent based on actual geography and the natural affinities of culture and commerce. Switzerland is an excellent example of this process done to perfection.

The day of the super state is over and it is time we start thinking about how we want to re-order this mess. A new day is dawning and Empire is being soundly defeated everywhere it ventures to control. We are going to need a new paradigm or a multiplicity of paradigm(s).

Suicide bombers were never mentioned in Orwell's "1984". A good thing too, because it would've ended the book on page ten. Good-bye Big Brother hello local tribesmen.

The Logic of Suicide Terrorism

Enclosed is a fascinating link to an interview with a University of Chicago associate professor who has collected a complete database on every suicide bombing in the world from 1980-2004. His research has produced a very different set of conclusions about the nature of this threat than what Big Media and the gov-mint is currently handing out to the public. It conclusively shows that it is non-Islamic in nature and simply derives from foreign occupation by an invader. The U.S.A. is now experiencing suicide attacks for the first time because their federal government began stationing troops on the Arabian peninsula, then Afghanistan and eventually all of Mesopotamia. Simple as dat! Same goes for the U.K. The research shows that attacks decrease as soon as the invaders go home and mind their own business-----which is why Switzerland has never had a terrorist attack. There is an interesting dialogue about the IRA and why their attacks are down to nothing. They got what they wanted.

This is a vitally important piece of scholarship we can all use to counter the claims made by the U.S. government. We then need to point out that it is specifically their actions alone that are the sole cause of these bombers on our shores.

The exercise of aggresive empire, in fact, is the only thing that can produce a suicide terrorist----read on.

http://amconmag.com/2005_07_18/article.html

Land of the Dead

It has been 20 years since Pittsburgh based film maker George Romero has added a new installment to his ongoing series of "Dead" films. The very first was the cult classic "Night of the Living Dead" (1968), followed by "Dawn of the Dead" (1978); "Day of the Dead" (1985) and now "Land of the Dead". All four films pack a powerful punch, not only in terms of the excellent special effects rendered in depicting the gore and violence that these flesh eating zombies can inflict on tame flabby middle-class Americans, but also the keen and savage underlying social commentary that these films can refract to the attentive viewer. I highly recommend this latest effort and think it is as good or better than the previous three.

If you're a long time aficionado of these flicks, you'll get all of the inside jokes, references to past films and the recycling of familiar plot constructions. This particular film has a lot to say about the current state of affairs in our society and most especially about a militaristic outlook in a world where the Empire is outnumbered and out maneuvered. Even weapons of mass destruction cannot protect them from the eventual collapse of an evil & corrupt system. In this case the system is literally devoured.

The main difference from the first three movies is that it takes place mostly out in the world where the zombies exist rather than fortified away from the monsters in, first, a farm house, then a shopping mall and in the third film an underground government complex located in a former salt mine. There is also a central villain of the plot, who is played splendidly by Dennis Hopper. The ending is especially gratifying as swarms of well-heeled yuppies are grotesquely slaughtered by the ever hungry zombies who break into their exclusive galleria type mall. One of my favorite munching scenes is of a zombie plucking out a teenage girls silver belly button piercing with his teeth, leaving a nice bloody hole in her navel from which he could tear her open from. The scenes of yuppie carnage got the best that special effects could offer to graphically portray them being eaten messily for my viewing pleasure. A great flick if you wanna avoid the cliches of Hollywood and the blather of Big Media and take in a couple hours of great images, metaphors, horrific gore and well written dialogue.

I'm glad George Romero had one more epic left in him. As most of you know I despise Hollywood and this feature is most definitely not from there. It is honest good intelligent fun from the streets of Pittsburgh. As my grandmother would say "enjoy it in good health".