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Monday, March 13, 2006
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Federalism and abortion
Andrew Sullivan: "The safety valve is federalism, the constitutional system that allows different states to have different laws. And so in Massachusetts gay couples enjoy real equality under law - better than the British civil partnership compromise - while in Virginia they have reduced rights even to enter into private contracts. And President Bush can prevent federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research, while California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger can kick-start a massive programme designed to do exactly what the president abhors.
"This is the way it is supposed to work, and in a country that includes both San Francisco and Salt Lake City, Greenwich Village and Colorado Springs, it makes a lot of sense. In the 1960s and early 1970s abortion laws were similarly diverse, with most states moving towards a European-style compromise - allowing for legal first-trimester abortions with an array of restrictions on others."
Category: 2008 Presidential Election
7:57:29 PM 
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Dave Winer: Why I will stop blogging
Dave Winer: "I wanted decentralized news. We can do for ourselves what the pros haven't been doing. And politics -- I don't doubt that the House of Representatives will be filled with bloggers, if not in 2006, then surely in 2008. There's no turning back on any of it. The 20th Century is fading and the new century is going strong. There really was a big shift as the calendar rolled over, and I'm totally glad to be a part of it."
7:49:43 PM
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Unregulated hunting of wolves?
Wolf News: "The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considers wolves in the three states to be biologically recovered, with an estimated 600 wolves in Idaho alone. But before the wolves can be removed from the list, each state has to have an approved management plan in place. Idaho and Montana have plans, but the federal government has refused to approve Wyoming's plan that allows unregulated hunting of wolves outside national parks and wilderness areas."
Coyote Gulch is elated that there is a Wolf News. Here's the link for the RSS feed.
Category: 2008 Presidential Election
5:50:46 PM
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Gun dealers
New West: "But some stats can make you wonder: today we find out that the Northern Rockies territories of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming are among the five states that have more gun dealers than gas stations. (Oregon and Alaska are the other two)"
Category: 2008 Presidential Election
7:09:16 AM
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Ritter for governor?
As expected, former governor, Roy Romer, endorsed Bill Ritter yesterday, according to the Rocky Mountain News. From the article, "Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter happily accepted former Gov. Roy Romer's endorsement Sunday afternoon, calling it 'nothing but an eastern Plains blessing.' Appearing in a blue fleece vest, green button-down shirt and jeans, Ritter acknowledged the upbringing he and Romer share - both men grew up in large families in eastern Colorado - as snow fell on the 50 or so people gathered at his Platte Park home in Denver. Romer, who was Democratic governor of Colorado for 12 years, said he chose to endorse Ritter for the same reasons he appointed him as Denver's district attorney in 1993. 'He's a good man,' said the 77-year-old Romer, who plans to step down as superintendent of Los Angeles schools this fall."
Category: Denver November 2006 Election
6:53:37 AM
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Cloud seeding
Here's an update on cloud-seeding efforts by the Colorado River Basin states from the Arizona Daily Star. They write, "Needing more water to keep up with growth, Arizona and the six other Colorado River Basin states are looking to the sky. The states plan to hire a consultant this spring to evaluate cloud-seeding and make recommendations for whether, where and how to pursue it. The purpose is to create more snowfall in the Upper Rockies to feed the Colorado and its tributaries.
"In three years, officials hope to launch the first phase of a regional cloud-seeding program. Most likely, the seeding would be done in Utah, Wyoming and Colorado, where it snows more.
"Today, cloud-seeding is a popular but still-controversial practice. Four Western states have major programs - Utah, Wyoming, Colorado and Nevada - but many experts are divided about its effectiveness, 60 years since seeding experiments began. If seeding worked, it could nourish an over-allocated Colorado River. The states and Mexico have the rights to far more water than runs down the river in a typical year."
Category: Colorado Water
6:36:09 AM
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Conservation
Here's a short opinion piece written by Gary Wockner, from the Fort Collins Coloradoan, touting conservation over dam building. He writes, "Our elected leaders are proposing to spend around $500 million of our tax money on three huge water development projects. These projects - the NISP/Glade Reservoir, the Halligan Reservoir and the Seaman Reservoir - will wage a war on our natural areas and the Cache la Poudre River. The projects, and the need for them, are firmly rooted in a mindset and in water technology that is 50 years old. All three are short-sighted, will get us absolutely nowhere toward a 'sustainable water policy' and will only dig us deeper into our 'addiction to water.'
"These new dams and reservoirs have three important problems:
"First: Fiscal responsibility. Economic analyses clearly show that using water efficiently and enacting comprehensive water conservation measures can provide drought protection and not impact 'quality of life,' and do both at a much lower cost than building new dams and reservoirs. In other words, you can get more water, cheaper, with conservation rather than with dams.
"Second: Environmental impacts. Fort Collins and Larimer County rivers, natural areas and ecosystems would be severely impacted by the proposed new dams and reservoirs, including the major open-space initiatives in the Laramie Foothills north of Fort Collins, as well as the Poudre River corridor running through Fort Collins. As a citizenry, we have invested hundreds of millions of dollars preserving these natural areas.
"Third: Economic sustainability. Tens of thousands of citizens and tourists including whitewater enthusiasts, fisherman, bicyclists, hikers and recreating families use the river and our natural areas every year. These people provide a large economic stimulus to Northern Colorado's increasingly tourist-based economy. People come here because the area is beautiful; if it's not beautiful, they won't come."
There is a Cache la Poudre National Heritage Area.
Category: Colorado Water
6:25:06 AM
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© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 3/14/09; 8:04:30 PM.
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