Asteroid wrote on Mar 17, 2008 9:06 PM:I think the NC Times should give Pulse, Parish, and the Crews boyz their own columns. Although they only represent a small minority of fringe left wing..., it's important that everyone know that they do in fact exist, they're organized and associate with others like themselves, i.e. the NC Forum. They'll support any and all efforts to bring anarchy, socialism and anything else that would destroy America as we know it.

Chris to Moderator wrote on Mar 17, 2008 10:14 PM:Are all the blogs that were posted for these letters gone?

Cluck wrote on Mar 17, 2008 10:34 PM:I think the NC Times should give Asteroid, Chuck, Esteban, wRONg, Reardon, Mike America, et al their own columns. Although they represent the majority of the way people in North County think, a small district in America, it's important that people know that they do exist. They'll support any and all efforts to bring conservatism, facism, fear and anything else that would destroy America as we know it. They need to be stopped. The survival of America depends on it.

Nick wrote on Mar 17, 2008 10:35 PM:The letters blogs have been screwed up for days and it's not getting any better. Maybe they should outsource it to India, everyone else is doing it........

Capt. America wrote on Mar 17, 2008 10:43 PM:Dude. Rocky? I've read your letters for years. You fought the good fight with conviction and never wavered. Thank you for your dedication to making sure all Americans were able to share in this dream. This American Dream. God Bless you and your family.

Floyd The Scientist wrote on Mar 18, 2008 12:25 AM:Although there have been calls (okay, "a" call) for me to edit the NCT's Science section in yesterday's postings, I think I should start as the full-time blog editor because there is so much to be done! As your benevolent and caring editor, I would make it a point to approve all the approvable postings quickly while exercising judicial restraint and a gentle touch in the editing process on those submissions that need lots and lots of help expressing themselves in an approvable way. Really, you won't even notice me and we will finally achieve a safe, sane, calm blog-oh-sphere!

jvc wrote on Mar 18, 2008 3:41 AM:The only solution for saving the jobs of those that are being considered for layoffs of instructors, in our school district, because of state funding shortfalls is to cut back on teacher hours and classes! All teachers would make less but provide the funding for
keeping others from being laid off!
Less classes would mean more study room hours for students and longer to graduate but we can save jobs! And
during this crisis, no unions dues would be paid until financial crisis
is stabilized!

Chuck wrote on Mar 18, 2008 5:46 AM:The N.Y. governor and his wife now admit they had affairs several years ago, so no wonder Spitzer passes out free condoms to the little kiddies and had education focus on diversity instead of english, math and sciences. I bet the kids in New York public schools with their union teaches are as stupid as the kids here, with their agenda education instead of a preparatory education

Where wrote on Mar 18, 2008 5:53 AM:did the comments that were posted yesterday morning to these letters go?

Focal Point wrote on Mar 18, 2008 6:50 AM:ASEROID AND CHUCK: They are both incorrect. It is rather assumptive to state that one group represents a minority while another the majority without evidence. It is is just your opinion and opinion is not fact. Besides, everyone knows that esteban is the sanest and most normal of us all.

Ron wrote on Mar 18, 2008 7:25 AM:>>>Well, they were living in peace until March 19, 2003, when they were in their beds and we started dropping bombs on them.>>>
Apparently, Chris Pulse must have missed all those reports about mass graves. "... living in peace" under Hussein?
Warriors are the last people I know who
glorify unnecessary death and destruction.

Ron wrote on Mar 18, 2008 7:39 AM:Obviously, Stacey Landfield has bought into the global warming hype.
So, I would like to express my astonishment at the level of unintelligence on her part to think we have the power to destroy this planet by running a few power lines.
The paradigm has always been adapt or die. By running the power lines from the already built solar, geothermal, and wind powered sources, we are adapting. This self-reliance, otherwise, when the next heat wave comes, seniors without the necessary power will be extinct. If we don't, again I will call on the younger & healthier to not use their air conditioning, so senior may live.

No-Spin Doctor wrote on Mar 18, 2008 8:08 AM:(Are we heading into a recession? Hah!) I couldn't help addressing this post. We are closing in fast on depression. I, for one, are not rich, not a property or buisness owner anymore. I fix severly broken cars.(8 time recertified ASE master technician== 25 years as an elite tech)I work on commission. I've seen my wages deteriate over the last 15 yrs. When I started working on auto's in 1980, I was paid $18.00 comission on a flate rate hour. Real decent money back then. Then here came the illegal-immigrant rush. As my schooling on cars grew , my wages were kept at bay by the "Backyard Jose". Heavy advertising couldn't bring in the work Jose would do for less than half the price. Then I would see Jose's work. Every system on these cars were Jerry-rigged. I was paid a book time to fix a car Jose didn't rig. So naturally, I would step up and fix several things for free,(Jose'd systems) and let the customer know that trying to retain his or her buisness.Yet that still didn't work because Jose brought his whole family of un-trained wanna-bee's and now every other shop in town was hiring them for $8.00 per hour. Today,mixing in cost of living and training, a good auto tech should be in the $75,000.00 a year bracket.Back in the last Great Depression, the feds rounded up 11 million illegals and sent them packing.There were only enough jobs for legal americans. So when you hear these CLINTON type-sell the U.S. down the river, GATT--Globalization---NAFTA politicians saying we can't round-up 50 million illegals and their anchor babies is straight bull. Our state budget is a DIRECT result of illegal-immigration and their Sacramento coddlers(Nunez, etc). After the schools close, after the hospitals go broke.after gasoline is $8.00 a gallon, Will We Still Wake-up in America?

Ron at 7:25 is right wrote on Mar 18, 2008 8:14 AM:Warriors usually ARE the last ones to glorify death and destruction. Evidence: "Democracy Now" last night covered the Winter Soldiers panel, a talk by a number of vets from Afghanistan and Iraq, confessing to atrocities they'd seen or perpetrated. Their stories were horrific, most of all to they themselves. Now ARMCHAIR warriors are another story altogether. We hear daily, from Bush to esteban, how glorious and "romantic" the job of the folks fighting there must be. Bush even said he was envious of them and wished he could be there but for his other employment. Quite a contrast between the folks who go and the folks who send them. Thanks, Ron.

Ron wrote on Mar 18, 2008 8:18 AM:Wow! Does he sound excited to you? Kind of a "I told you so" kind of enjoyment coming through from Don Frate.
Aside from all his good news...
The question is not whether we are in a recession, but what people should do now, and what they should have done to prepare for one.
Of course, these clowns in Washington D.C. & Sacramento don't get it! They are in the business of government, the bigger.. the better.
And just a side note here, but Warren Buffett and other mutli-gazillionaires do their best work during times like these, they in fact, clean up. When all the shoes drop, they buy up failed business's on the cheap. But, that's a whole other story...
My first piece of advise to anyone now facing this recession is: Quit looking to Gummint for a bail out. They do not know what they are doing. Their only concern is maintaining the revenues they want to spend, which means higher taxes on top of all the price increases we are facing.
Do you know, how you know, they don't care? One fact, they never, never, never even thought about lowering any tax, of any kind. In fact, they are talking about eliminating tax "loopholes", like your mortgage interest deduction. Yeah... that's a loophole.
So, you see.. they ARE NOT your frined, your buddy, your pal. They are not there to help you, they are there to continue to life off you, even when the economy tanks.
But what to do? I mean... your the only one who will be able to weather this storm. And you will do it by practising a couple of things. First, if your employed, and scrapping by, you need to think about picking up a second job. This is so, you don't have to tap into your savings. If you don't have a savings, you now need a second job, to save. Third, cut back on all spending. Rethink your trips, reducing gas, rethink your meal planning, rethink your energy usage at home. Think about reading, and cutting off your TV, cable or internet, depending on your own situation.
No nanny is going to come and tell you how to do this. They will not come and set the thermostat in your bedroom, well.. at least, not yet. They will not do your shopping for you, they will not make sure you have enough to eat at night, or whether your showers are hot. Those are YOUR responsibility. The only thing you can count on from the politicians, is using your fear of the unknown against you, and perhaps your neighbor.
All the politicians will do is make sure all the programs they love, will stay funded with your tax dollars. And they will do it, regardless of whether eggs, gas, milk, home mortgage interest, electric, water, sewer, or anything else you rely on goes up.
And finally, regardless of what they might say, you are truly on your own. If they had cared, perhaps they would have reduced the taxes on gas, or power, or your phone, or your home. But, they did not. So, what's that tell you?

Ron wrote on Mar 18, 2008 8:28 AM:Most bottled water is tap water, Clay Northcote. It has been additionally filtered, and refined, but essentially.. it is the same.
There are only two reasons I can see for buying bottled water. One, is convenience. It's handy to have a bottle of water to carry around, to sip through your day, as the human body needs a minimum of (8) 8oz glasses a day to be properly hydrated.
Second, is germs. Disposable bottles help to keep your germs, as YOUR germs, when you are sick.
As to the level of contamination of drinking water by traces of pharmaceuticals, I'm not sure. But I thought I heard you had to drink a swimming pool amount of water to get one pharmaceutical dose.

Focal Point wrote on Mar 18, 2008 8:35 AM:Ron at 7:25 is right wrote on Mar 18, 2008 8:14 AM: Ron hit the nail right on the head. It is accurate.

To Wayne Harber wrote on Mar 18, 2008 8:35 AM:"Officer-involved shootings are time-consuming and must be thorough. Let's wait for the final results, then we'll know what happened." Nice theory but the problem is the secrecy and the police investigators unwillingness to be transparent. This like all other police related shootings will be found to justify the police officer and that is the way it is. We will be seeing alot more of this happening. Public beware.

Curious wrote on Mar 18, 2008 8:35 AM:I'd be curious to hear the opinions of folks here about how the feds are responding to the current financial and economic situation. Seems like they are finding money all over the place to throw at it. Tax rebates. Bailouts for the banks. Millions here, billions there. And there is a sense that we are at the edge of some cliff. Certainly if credit become very hard to get for any reason, the consequences for our economy would be huge. What do you all think?

Asteroid to OBAMACAN wrote on Mar 18, 2008 8:44 AM:Yesterday you made this remark; "When you make a statement in which race is the key issue, it is racist." Would that now apply to your guy Obama? He after all just concluded a speach on "race".

Ron wrote on Mar 18, 2008 8:45 AM:Your entitled to your own opinion, but when you quote me, quote what I said, please. I said: "Warriors "are" the last people I know who glorify "unnecessary" death and destruction."
Apparently, "Ron at 7:25 is right"
@8:14 AM, does not understand the Warrior mind. The policy is set by civilians, and the military are the mechanism of the policy. A Warrior does not seek death, or destruction. Our Warriors abhor unnecessary death, and destruction. But they will do what is necessary to win the peace. Inevitably, because war itself is prone to human error, many innocents do unfairly die. Warriors do not want it, they don't seek it, they do everything within their power to prevent it.
As to the re-play of John Kerry's Winter Soldiers, and the supposed confessing to atrocities they'd seen or perpetrated. I am not impressed by a group of men who would trash their comrades. And here's the test. If, in fact, they had any... ANY evidence to "crimes" perpetrated by fellow soldiers, why didn't they file reports? Or make the charges while the "crimes" were still fresh in their minds?
We've seen to many stories about "these kind of soldiers" who make up stories, facts, and conspiracies. And as my memory reminds me, so was the panel John Kerry sat on. Where many had claimed to have "seen" these crimes, and yet.. it was later proved they had not. More recently, we have seen the very same thing, reported by people who have an anti-war bent, and absolutely failed to properly source, fact find, or follow-up.

Asteroid to offal point wrote on Mar 18, 2008 8:46 AM:You're boring on the level of a Chris, but thanks for sharing.

No-spin is a good pavlov dog wrote on Mar 18, 2008 8:51 AM:I understand no-spin's frustration and have no argument with his exasperation. But when, as a punch-line, he finds a way to make this a Clinton issue...well, you have to wonder if thought is involved in this process at all. I'm sorry, but did I miss Bush's policies being different with regard to the border, NAFTA, and the rest from Clinton's? Didn't think so. Sad to see an intelligent person reduced to being trained to say "Clinton" in response to anything that is "bad". He'll now vote for McCain, who equally supports all these policies, and continue to blame Clinton. Sad.

Oh, Ron wrote on Mar 18, 2008 9:03 AM:I am pretty sure the Marines on the panel had a sense of the warrior mind. Because of Ron's ideology, & hearing testimony that clashes with it, Ron has only one choice: insist that these guys are lying. What if they aren't, Ron? What if, instead, you might be wrong? These men were following orders, plain and simple. There was nothing to report because every person in their platoons was doing the same thing, as ordered. But you are right in one respect: the atrocities they reported were not of the spectacular criminal kind, such as My Lai. No, these were ordinary. Shooting civilians who didn't answer a command to stop in time. Crashing into people's homes in the middle of the night. Ordinary stuff. It never occurs to Ron that people who deny these things might have a pro-military bias...never! Only those who wake at night feeling awful about what they've done are the liars. These people helped civilians unfairly die, as you say. The difference is that unlike you and many others, when these guys repeat to themselves the little propagandistic slogans designed to make them feel innocent, they don't work. They aren't like the Nazis at Nuremburg who calmly pleaded (as Ron does) that they were only following orders. Nope, these men couldn't escape their sense of personal responsibility for their own actions. Tragic for them. But for Ron, when facts and ideology clash (let alone Ron's famous ego), toss the facts out, no-brainer. I'd love to see Ron discussing the experiences of these folks mano a mano with them. I'd love to see Ron tell these guys to their faces that they are liars. I'd pay to see that one.

FOCAL POINT wrote on Mar 18, 2008 9:04 AM:Asteroid to offal point wrote on Mar 18, 2008 8:46 AM: Your comment is taken as a complement. If you think that I am boring, then I know that my efforts are successful.

OBAMACAN wrote on Mar 18, 2008 9:08 AM:-
Asteroid at 8:44 quotes me as saying: "When you make a statement in which race is the key issue, it is racist." From my comment yesterday at 11:13 a.m.
I further clarified it (in response to you) at 8:54 p.m. noting that racism is:
"making a statement about race that made race the defining character in a situation where it clearly was not."
Race is inherently irrelevant. It is an artificial social construct. That does not mean it is not real, but it is artificial and contrived.
When racists construct this artificial issue and make it real, responding to it is not racism, it is the antithesis of racism.
Just wondering why Asteroid is so obsessed with this?

Recession wrote on Mar 18, 2008 9:16 AM:What caused this recession? High oil prices, high commodity prices and speculation in real estate. The liberals and global warming pukes have effectively cut off oil exploration in this country, as they cheer out petro dollars going to Putin, Chavez, Arabia, Mexico, Nigeria and Indonesia. The speculation on ethanol has cause corn prices to explode and has caused shortages in the other grains as farmers adjust plantings to prices. And then, naturally liberals sign mortgages in a real estate speculation and run to the hills when the overbloated values dropped below the amount of the mortgage. So not only have liberal policies been highly successful in getting Marines killed in Iraq, they've done a great job riuning the economy

Reardon wrote on Mar 18, 2008 9:21 AM:To Asteroid: I heard Obama this morning, and I think he would have been miles ahead to have taken the Dick Morris' advice, which was in general: "I have a barber, and I don't listen to his political views: I have a Doctor, but I do not take his political advice; I have a Dentist, but I don't have a clue what his political views are, nor do I care." Instead, he kept race in the political game as an issue...bad idea. My objection to Obama is the same as my objection to Mike Huckabee -- both would use the power of government to ENFORCE the concepts of GOODNESS, as defined by their churches. Churches preach you SHOULD be your brother's keeper; government orders, you MUST be your brothers keeper.

OBAMACAN wrote on Mar 18, 2008 9:31 AM:-
Harold Weber's letter notes that Obama was not in the Senate when Hillary voted for the war, and compares it to the lopsided 533 to 2 vote in 1964 passing the Tonkin Gulf resolution authorizing military combat action in Vietnam.
There is no comparison.
Unlike the Tonkin Gulf resolution, in which legislators really had no basis for understanding that the proposal was entirely predicated on a lie, many in this country and worldwide did understand that all the stated reasons for invading Iraq were lies.
In 1964, only two votes in both the House and Senate combined opposed Tonkin Gulf.
In 2002, 23 Democratic Senators and 126 Democratic Congressman (with 7 crossovers) opposed the war. In the Senate, Bob Graham D-FL, then chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and preparing for a 2004 presidential run, voted NO and recommended a NO vote, based on the 2002 National Intelligence Estimate, which Hillary Clinton did not even read.
Because Obama spoke out so forcefully against the war, there is no reason to believe he would not have been among the 149 Democrats who did vote against it.

Reardon wrote on Mar 18, 2008 9:43 AM:Recession is absolutely accurate! We are a nation absolutely AWASH in energy resources, fearful of using it, and preparing to shiver in the cold and dark by our own hand. INSANITY!

Ron wrote on Mar 18, 2008 9:49 AM:Well, that's the paradigm isn't it, Paul Cavanaugh?
Raise taxes or cut services. And between Democrats & Republicans we've had both. But I think something is missing from this discussion, the Constitution. Why do we have such a morass of financial problems? We violated the Constitution, simple.
I just find this so fascinating, every time yout talk to a liberal they never.. never think that social services provided by the Federal Government, or any level of Government, ever is paid for by borrow & spend.
They truly want to believe that we pay no interest on any amount borrowed for social programs. I just find this kind of thinking stunning.
They always love to point to the military, or a particular war as "THE" cause of debt. This simply does not correlate to the facts. The fact of the matter is, that since 1960 the amount of money being spent on social welfare programs has completely flipped from what we used to spend on the military. During JFK, we spent almost 60% of our entire budget on the military. Presently, we spend 60% on social welfare programs. We spend less than 20% on the military, and only about 5% between both Afganistan & Iraq. The combination of Social Security, Medi-Care, and other programs consumes more than half of our entire budget, by the end of the next President's term, it will be 70%. And we are not borrowing to keep up the social spending? Not one dime? You have got to be kidding me.
And here's another goodie, we are leaveraging Social Security onto our own children, and grandkid's at a rate that is unsustainable. Talk about taxation without representation, these kid's are born with a debt on their heads, that will surely sink them.
They conveinently, by ideology, refuse to see the world as it is, instead, within the liberal mind, it is only the military and military spending is THE cause for our national indebtedness. It is a complete abjection of the facts, and one that has dominated our budgets.
For a very long time, the thinking on this was to simply raise the taxes, and maintain the amount of spending. We are way beyond further tax increases folks. There comes a point in time when you "hit the wall" on taxes. There is a tipping point, at which, the taxation becomes regressive and destroys the essential capitalism you hope to maintain, in order to reap revenues to run the government. After the tipping point, the revenues in both the market system and government will be reduced, thus defeating the desired effect.
What has changed is the market, while government thinking has not. It was one thing when we were the only game in town. Everyone wanted to buy American, the sky was the limit, unions thrived, government taxed steeply, and government social welfare program expanded exponentially. Today, the paradigm has changed. Today we live in a capitalist world where America, and buying American is not all there is, in fact, doing business in America has become overly expensive. Case in point, the Big Three automakers. Supposedly, $1200 a car is soley for retiree healthcare benefits alone. This automatically makes an American car more expensive. Now you can question how smart they were for making such a contract, but isn't that exactly what we are doing as a Nation? The burden of all these social welfare programs on each and every citizen is becoming unbearable. At first, Social Security taxes were 2%, now they are 12.4%. How can you draw more out simple working folk? You can't! So, you've hit "that" wall. What's next? The next step in this failing chain, is to raise the cap on the total amount of money you can tax. So, what happens when the growing continues, and the cap you raised then doesn't pay for it all? What does the politician care? He's just kicked that can down the road for another generation to deal with an ever increasing indebtedness. Nobody want's to feel the pain, certainly not my own generation. So, instead of dealing with this problem head on, taking the heat, and fixing this problem, we'll kick it down to our kid's, trapping them. All because we are selfish. The first rule in solving any problem, is to know your digging the hole, and to stop digging.

Apollo wrote on Mar 18, 2008 9:52 AM: Re: Ron (7:39 a.m.)
Referring to science as "the global warming hype" without providing a scintilla of justification for why you know more than the virtually unanimous consensus of real experts, makes your use of the phrase "level of unintelligence" extremely humorous.
Thanks for this morning's belly laugh!

jvc wrote on Mar 18, 2008 9:53 AM:Solution to our energy problem, use the same energy that nature uses as a source of its energy on our planet:
the unlimited energy of the nuclear fission of our Sun!

Chris to Ron wrote on Mar 18, 2008 9:55 AM:An Iraqi was asked what he thought about the Americans. The Iraqi said that they didn't have to worry about car bombs, the safety of their children walking to school or being shot by an American soldier for driving down their streets before the invasion. But I know you just blog and don't know much about what you blog.

Editor's Note wrote on Mar 18, 2008 10:02 AM:Tuesday's letters were erroneously posted Monday. The following comments were posted to those letters.

FOCAL POINT[-] wrote on Mar 16, 2008 8:12 PM:Marilyn Werkema You are wrong. The Iraqi war never had anything to do with terrorism or has anything to do with our national security. it is billions of dollars flushed down the toilet. What is worse, the grand children and great grand children will be paying for it.


SDRAOUL[-] wrote on Mar 16, 2008 9:22 PM:Foca point doesn't know whereof he speaks. Battling terrorism takes many forms in different countries. Blowing up Hamas leaders with cell phones in the West Bank, hanging Saddam Hussein in Iraq, missile dropping Predators in Afghanistan and Marines in Djibouti are all ways and means of running down and disposing of terrorists.

As for Mr. Limpus of Fallbrook's: "Those of us defending our nation from local radical Latino activists are routinely ridiculed, tromped on and besieged by the too-regular writers who browbeat those of us demanding enforcement of federal immigration laws."

Defending the nation from "local radical Latino activists?"

Dear Sir, have you never heard of free speech? Why would you have to defend the nation or yourself from words and opinions expressed freely by "local radical Latinos?"

I can see you defending the nation and yourself from armed white supremacist gangsters like from WAR, but not from words of Latino activists. I can see you defending yourself and the nation from Arab Muslin terrorists but not from local Latino activists. I can even see you defending yourself from the North County Times and how you perceive their treatment of you, but not from local Latino activists and their words.

Oy ve! What a country when local radicals who hide behind words such as �enforce federal immigration laws� do more to destroy community peace, logic, reason and good immigration law preparation by reasonable minds are afraid of words from a local minority which has little or no political power.

Count the number of County Supervisors, city council people or congressmen radical local Latino activists elect, sir, then determine who needs defending here, from people like you.


REARDON[-] wrote on Mar 16, 2008 10:30 PM:To Focal Point: Horse Puckey! The Democrats and Republicans have a cozy little arrangement � you don�t open my files, I don�t open yours. (Each administration determines the alacrity with which each page is made public.) Once in a while something leaks, like the Clintons stealing everything in the White House except the painting of Washington, which was promptly denied by Bush in return for half the booty back, but in general, �You don�t tell on me, and I don�t tell on you.� The Head of the National Archives is part of the deal, and that is why the Clinton papers, which should have been released years ago are still bottled up, and for which Hillary is eternally grateful. The Old Boy (and now Girl) Network, still works in Washington, and it will not change regardless of who wins in November. Both political parties have too much to lose.

JVC[-] wrote on Mar 17, 2008 12:01 AM:Great! Reardon, your info is great!
Now if you could only offer solutions to your commentary about our countries ills!

BETHAROO[-] wrote on Mar 17, 2008 12:17 AM:To Chris Pulse regarding hundreds of thousands Iraqi's killed because of the war. Get Real Buddy, Surely you are exaggerating. But Hey, you know what they say, if you tell a lie long enough some will believe it. you seem to embelish everything dude.

SNOWBIRD-2 to Chuck[-] wrote on Mar 17, 2008 12:28 AM:Chuck wrote on Mar 15, 2008 2:38 PM: "Bush has totally lost it. Here is a quote of a new report from AP 'A Russian rocket launched a communications satellite produced by US defence company Lockheed Martin into space on Saturday but failed to take it into the planned orbit, Russian space officials said.' Why the hell is our defense department hiring Russia to launch our military communications rockets into space???."
Chuck! You jumped to two wrong conclusions this time. You correctly quoted the article heading but you wrongly concluded it was a military satellite. The article goes on to state it was a COMMERCIAL communications satellite, AMC-14, built for a COMMERCIAL telecommunications company for North and south America, SES Americom. The satellite was designed and built by Lockheed Martin COMMERCIAL Space Systems. Lockheed is a leading manufacturer of military satellites, but also has a totally separate building and staff for making commercial satellites. Both facilities are in Sunnyvale CA.
The launching company, ILS, is a joint venture between a U.S. Company and a Russian Company and is incorporated in Delaware with headquarters in Virginia. Dozens of successful launches are made each year from the launch site in Kazakhstan that is leased by Russia.


SNOWBIRD-2 to Chuck[-] wrote on Mar 17, 2008 12:33 AM:Chuck! You may be happy to hear that secret stuff is still being done in the USA. a successful publicly announced launch of a National Reconnaissance Office (its mission is secret-spy) satellite was made from Vandenberg AFB Thursday morning, 3-13-08. It was the first launch from Vandenberg on the relatively new more powerful Atlas V. The launch site equipment was recently expanded to be able to handle it. The Atlas V had 12 prior launches from Cape Canaveral. The launch team organization, "United Launch Alliance", was formed in 2006 to combine the teams from Boeing Delta and Lockheed Martin Atlas rocket launching programs to reduce costs to the Air Force with savings on engineering, manufacturing and launching.

SNOWBIRD-2 to Chuck[-] wrote on Mar 17, 2008 12:58 AM:Well Chuck! About your recent post where you heard incorrectly the USA military was having Russia launch our military satellites. You can be relieved to hear the launch of a real Lockheed Martin military satellite is not being outsourced to Russia. A new Satellite, DMSP-Flight 18 left the Lockheed Martin facility in Sunnyvale a few days ago aboard an Air Force C-17 for a flight to Vandenberg AFB, This is part of the "Defense Meteorological Satellite Program" It has completed months of retrofitting several newer designed sensors, and undergoing mechanical, electrical, and environmental testing in Lockheed's very secure military satellite facilities. It will have several more items added at Vandenberg AFB, then it will be put on an Atlas V booster and be launched by Americans from there this summer. It is to replace the DMSP F-16 launched in 2003.

Snowbird to DD Wiz[-] wrote on Mar 17, 2008 2:10 AM:This is about warming in the USA.
I remember a while back you asked about someone�s post that said the temperature data posted by NASA was found to have some errors and the most of the list of ten warmest years in the USA had changed, and you wanted a reference for that. Someone may have answered, I do not get a chance to look at the comments every day. Anyhow the NASA web site posted the revised data several months ago when a critic pointed the error out to them. Most of the changes were very small, but it made a lot of differences in the years that belong in the top ten.
The new top 10 warmest years for the USA are with the warmest first: 1934, 1998, 1921, 2006, 1931, 1999, 1953, 1990, 1938, 1939.
You will notice that now only one year since 2000 is in the top ten warmest years.
Looking at decades, the 1930�s had 4 of the warmest years of the century. The 1990�s had three and the 2000�s had only one year in the top ten warmest as of late 2007 when the revised list was published. There were adjustments to the raw data to correct for various factors but some years had an error to the adjustments.
This correction is for the US data posted by NASA. There are still other sites that still claim that worldwide there have been more hot years recently, but there are weaknesses in worldwide temperatures records, and there is a lack of accurate records for vast areas.


SOLON ...[-] wrote on Mar 17, 2008 2:20 AM:� The cost of the Bush War is not $12 billion per month, as stated by Marilyn Werkema (letter today). The projected cost of the Bush war is aleady $3 trillion for six years, making the cost $50 billion per months, not just $12. The Bush propaganda machine keep promoting this preposterously low figure, which does not even include over $850 billion just in interest for all the money this administration has borrowed from China and other foreign nations. It does not include the hundreds of billions in medical care for our wounded vets. Perhaps the Republican party does not intend to provide for veterans medical care???


WORSE THAN SPITZER [-] wrote on Mar 17, 2008 2:27 AM:- - While New York Governor Eliot Spitzer was paying an �escort� $4,300 in a hotel room in Washington, just down the road, George Bush�s new Federal Reserve Board Chairman, Ben Bernanke, was secretly handing over $200 billion in a tryst with mortgage bank industry speculators. Both acts were wanton, wicked and lewd. But there�s a BIG difference. The Governor was using his own checkbook. Bush�s man Bernanke was using ours to bail out banks that had made wild and foolish speculations.


Chuck[-] wrote on Mar 17, 2008 4:58 AM:I can see all the Christian bashers will be removing their rainbow ties today, replacing them with St Pattys green, but will still have sushi and chardonnay instead of green beer.


RON [-] wrote on Mar 17, 2008 5:05 AM:You know, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but they are not entitled to "their own facts." Case in point today, Chris Pulse. In his letter responding to William Ficere, he makes this comment: "Ficere says the Iraqis want to live in peace. Well, they were living in peace until March 19, 2003, when they were in their beds and we started dropping bombs on them."
That's a real head scratcher... living in peace? If Mr. Pulse truly believes that, then he convinently has over looked the history of Iraq, prior to our invasion. The numbers of mass graves should be only one indication as to how Iraq's were "living in peace" under Hussein. But the left is becoming desparate folks, and they are now defending the indefensible. And it is really too bad, because we need a balance between left & right thinkers to move this country forward, but with the left going bonkers, as seen by Chris Pulse, it's obvious we will not be able to have a coherent, and cogent conversation.

RON[-] wrote on Mar 17, 2008 5:34 AM:Yeah, I couldn't believe it either, Marilyn Werkema. When I saw the letter writer who had calculated the cost of the Iraq war as $500 trillion, I knew right there, right then.. that in their desperation.. they would do anything, and say anything, even lie to other Americans to get their point across. I can't help but see the irony of those who claim that GWB has lied to us, and then using the same tactic, they also claim to detest?
I have done the math, and it is as you say Marilyn: $12 billion per month times 12 months times five years is $720 billion. Split between the so-called "illegal War" and the "Correct War". The writer has so obviously thrown in everything, but the kitchen sink.
But you do bring up a great point, of speaking to well-spent taxes for insurance on our own security.
I believe those on the left, have truly lost all proportionality in respect to how much we are spending, or will spend in Iraq, Afganistan, or other places to ensure our way of life.
They have completely exaggerated how much is being spent in the War on Terror, in relation to the other Nation's needs. A correct assessment of the nation's needs, i.e. education,
health, poverty, shows that we spend almost the entire budget on these social needs, and only about 5% between both Iraq & Afganistan.
Yes, it is a pity that there are citizens who don't know the difference between trillion and billion, but I will blame "the government."
Afterall, it is the government run schools who choose to focus on everything but.. teaching civics, math, and critical thinking. I'm no conspiracy buff, but.. I can think of no other reason as to why a government run school would not focus on how the government is supposed to work in a Constitutional Republic, other than to say.. They want you stupid. Again, I'm no conspiracy guy, but I gotta say, I think my theory has some merit. It does seem to line up.


ALF[-] wrote on Mar 17, 2008 6:04 AM:Yesterday, "sdraoul" 3:52PM wrote "Alf, one federal district judge's opinion doesn't mean a congressional act is unconstitutional, it only means one judge thinks so. The Oregon judges decision might make it through the 9th Circuit but as it is the msot over-ruled circuit in the country it will likely be over-ruled by the Supremes, as it should be." One more case "(11-06) 17:38 PST State College, Pa. (AP) -- FBI Director Robert Mueller on Tuesday described as "misguided" a recent court decision that would prevent the government from obtaining personal, e-mail and financial records without a judge's approval. The federal government this week appealed a ruling by U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero in New York that struck down a key provision of the USA Patriot Act." It appears that you are a moral and legal relativist. Un-Constitutional is un-Constitutional, PERIOD. 70 percent of Californians voted for Prop. 83 (Jessica's Law) and, even though legislators wrote it, aspects such as the minimum 2000 foot limit and GPS ankle bracelets for offenders who had already completed their sentence were thrown out because they violated the Constitutional ban of "punitive ex post facto laws". Face facts, each and every violation of the Constitutional rights of any or all of the American People is, indeed, a violation of the highest law of the land, the United States Constitution, without which we are nothing better than the worst of our "enemies". People must beware the enemies within, GWB and people of your thinking. Regards, Alf.

FOCAL POINT[-] wrote on Mar 17, 2008 6:05 AM:sdraoul wrote on Mar 16, 2008 9:22 PM:F Saddam Husein had nothing to do with Al Queda or 9/11. It has cost us nearly 4,000 dead to hang him. I am not referring to many countr8ies. I am referring specifically to Iraq.


RON[-] wrote on Mar 17, 2008 6:05 AM:No, Bob Limpus. We are talking about a very small, but very vocal group of
radical activists who are routinely given more time, and more print than those of us who simply want the laws of this country enforced.
For me, personally, I find it stunning to have people who will defend this illegality. I know, I know.. it's a traffic ticket per the White House, but that's known as a deflection, or a misdirection for politic purposes.
Being generous, it's a half truth.
Cause here's the reality. If your an illegal in the United States, you need to work to survive. Now, how do you do that without documentation? I guess you could stand on a street corner, and pick up a few odd jobs here and there, when the economy's good. But in the long run, you almost always need American work documents to work. Now, how do you get them, when your here illegally? Well, if your coyote doesn't know a guy, you find a guy. Maybe he's selling them in a park, or out of his apartment, but he's selling them. The act of buying a faked, stolen, or false identification is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. If your selling, up to 30 years.
You see, here's the thing no activist wants to talk about, the multipilcity of the law breaking. It might be a "traffic ticket" to get here, but to stay here and work here, becomes a felony.
And really, how difficult can it be? To properly apply, get in line, and wait your turn? To those who say this is a complicated issue, I say bull. People who have come here have made it complicated, by having children here, establishing a life here. But, really.
How different is that than an American who 20 years ago commited a felony, and is just now being caught? Will they not go to jail, and leave their children behind? And is that not the right thing to do?
Again, no fault of the children, but the parent will be punished for breaking the law.
And one last thing...
This constant chatter of "how good" these hard working people are for the United States. Most people I know, judge people on their Moral character.
Martin Luther King asked the question:
Will we judge a people on the color of their skin, or the content of their character? I'm a content of their character kind of guy. To insist that because I require other's to obey the laws, that I'm a racist, is another deflection and misdirection. They do not want to talk about this folks, cause they know they are on the losing side. So they must lie about you, and your motivations in order to win the argument unfairly. It shows a complete lack of moral character on their part, that they must lie in order to win. And someone needs to call them on it.

FOCAL POINT[-] wrote on Mar 17, 2008 6:08 AM:Reardon wrote on Mar 16, 2008 10:30 PM: Not this time. We are going to find out when the rights of the American people, the Constitution and moral laws were abridged. Nice try. But, I don't care
about Clinton.

ALF[-] wrote on Mar 17, 2008 6:17 AM:Benjamin Franklin said it best, "sdraoul" and all who believe in trashing the Constitution at your whim, "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." I noticed, "sdraoul" at 9:22PM, that you are selective about which Constitutional Rights you defend and when you use them to your "advantage" such as your "Dear Sir, have you never heard of free speech?". Your right to free speech is guaranteed by the Constitution. Tell me and everyone else, do you believe that the Constitutional Rights of EVERYONE exist at whim of the president? Or are they inviolate until or unless a court of law has convicted someone and handed down a sentence? Your answer should most illuminating. Regards, Alf.

RON[-] wrote on Mar 17, 2008 6:41 AM:Responding to Jan Narrin's letter published 3/16, says:
"Where is the concern for the environment?" I think we have our answer from Jan's own letter in the first few sentences: "My concerns regarding the Sunrise Powerlink: I live in Santa Ysabel..."
Can you say, NIMBY? Not on my Backyard. And there you have it. Ever notice the double talk from these environmentalists? Of course, they want to reduce greenhouse gases, and of course, they want alternative energy solutions, and of course they want to ween our nation off fossil fuels.. Until that is, until it directly affects them. Where is the self sacrifice they are always telling us WE need to do?
Where is the compromise they are always telling us WE need to adopt?
The Sunrise Powerlink will provide electric power from alternative sources, Solar, geothermal, and wind power. I can understand the concern about the recent wildfires, surely I can. But that is the first time in my memory that "A" power line has caused a fire such as this.
Even Jan says: "The Witch Creek fire [may have been] caused...
May have... and that's your reason? Sounds unreasonable to me. All projects have risks, all have trade-off's. For the good of the whole, I don't think it's unreasonable to ask Jan to allow these power lines to be built, in order to enrich the lives of millions of fellow Southern Californians. Especially if those lines will cut down on pollution, while at the same time providing necessary electric power to 650,000 additional residents.

RON[-] wrote on Mar 17, 2008 7:31 AM:I'm no fan of "Robber barons", but I must agree with Dan Shapiro, they are perferable than busybodies.
I too have read the quote by C. S. Lewis: "Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience."
You know, we all go through many types of relationships during our lifetime. Probably the most relavent is the parent-child relationship. Now nominally, it is a passing developmental relationship whereby, slowly, over time, more and more responsibility is given over to the child, in order that they will develop into a fully functioning adult. Generally, by the time the child leaves home, they are able to function in society because the proper relationship goal is to establish them as functional adults, able to deal with lives problems, set backs, and difficulties.
Those who "fail to launch" are beset with problems the rest of us have learned to deal with, either through our relationship with our parent's, or in the adult world. I was watching a movie the other night, "The Wedding Crashers", and at one point, there is a scene where a 40 year old guy, stills lives at home, screams at his 70 year old Mother: "Hey Ma!.. Where's the meatloaf!", from the couch.
This is exactly what has happened to so many Americans, they are literally sitting on the couch, and screaming: "Hey Gummint! Where's My meatloaf!". Do you know, how I know, were already there? On the couch?
Couple of things...
We have a whole population of fellow Americans who want to know "the government cares." That, they will get you a job, get you some healthcare, get you some meatloaf. And we have Presidential candidates who are perfectly willing to subscribe to this kind of parent-child relationship. Just like Mommy used to tuck you in at night, nowadays our gummint wants to make sure your warm at night, by adjusting the thermostat in your bedroom. Meanwhile Daddy is making sure the neighbor anit smoking in the condo next door, and the food police are removing snack & soda pop machines.
The dam broke back in the 1930's under FDR, and his Second Bill of Rights. Slowly, over time, the government has taken up the slack which used to be the responsibility of individual citizens.
In the process, we have produced an increasing amount of adult-children, and we are reversing the process of turning child into adults, into turning adults into children. Where every need, want, or desire will be at the behest of Mommy/Daddy gummint. After Mommy gets you a job, will you then require her to set your alarm too?

HEY CHRIS[-] wrote on Mar 17, 2008 7:57 AM:Just tell'm.....liar liar pants on fire.

OBSERVATION[-] wrote on Mar 17, 2008 8:02 AM:"Wherever the real power in a Government lies, there is the danger of oppression."
JAMES MADISON

NICK[-] wrote on Mar 17, 2008 8:17 AM:Did anyone catch the "John Adam" movie on HBO last night?

NICK[-] wrote on Mar 17, 2008 8:18 AM:"Alf", what are your thoughts on the Supreme Court waying in on The 2nd Amendment and D.C.'s ha