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Monday, June 5, 2006
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Marriage amendment
TalkLeft: "For the second time in two years, the U.S. Senate is debating a constitutional ban on gay marriage. Today, Colorado Senator Wayne Allard argued in favor of the constitutional Amendment. A procedural vote may be held tomorrow. 'It's not about politics or discrimination,' Allard told colleagues on the floor of the U.S. Senate. 'It's about marriage and democracy.'
"I don't understand the connection between marriage and democracy. I thought in a democracy, all people are equal. If marriage is a democratic value, then shouldn't everyone be able to choose their spouse?
"The Democrats have their talking points in order. Instead of arguing against a prohibition of same-sex marriage, they are talking about all the critical issues the Senate should be debating instead of marriage."
Non-Prophet: "This issue infuriates me more than just about anything else. I think the argument that gay marriage would somehow 'weaken' traditional marriage is a load..."
Bull Moose: "Whatever one's view of gay marriage, it is hard to argue that the institution is primarily threatened by Jane marrying Joan or John tying the knot with Joe. How about a Constitutional Amendment banning no fault divorce?
"Now, that would be an interesting vote!"
"2008 pres"
6:36:22 PM 
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New weblog for Colorado House Democrats
DemNotes: "Colorado House Democrats continue to innovate and communicate. As I mentioned in an earlier post, there are a lot more Democrats running for the State House than Republicans this year statewide. While we were busy preparing for the State Assembly, the House Dems were busy putting up their new website and blog. If you get a chance, you should take a look: http://www.housemajorityproject.com/blog/."
We could not get the RSS feed to work in Radio Userland. The error, from feedvalidator.org is, "Sorry This feed does not validate. line 105, column 108: Missing channel element: description [help]"
"denver 2006"
6:08:18 PM
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Beauprez for governor?
Jim Spencer looks at Bob Beauprez's opposition to Referendum C and whether the single issue will sink his gubernatorial run. Spencer writes, "The trouble for the GOP is that Beauprez currently flirts with duplicating Holtzman's self-destruction. The retiring 7th District congressman backs a fiscally disastrous constitutional initiative that limits the amount of money spent on Referendum C. The initiative would limit revenue collections to the $3.7 billion projected before the Referendum C vote. An improving economy has boosted this projection to $4.25 billion over five years. 'Both Ways Bob,' as the often- visceral Holtzman campaign likes to call him, opposed Referendum C. But he did it so quietly that the loudest sound you heard was his sigh of relief when no one noticed. Not this time. As Holtzman's bones got picked clean over Ref. C last week, flesh began to separate from Beauprez's body politic. No less a butcher than a reluctant, but straight-shooting, Republican state treasurer wielded the knife. Treasurer Mike Coffman's numbers guy, Ben Stein, delivered the bad news: The constitutional amendment to limit Ref. C spending - the one Beauprez bragged about supporting, the one he proudly continues to support - is written so that it will ruin the state budget. Coffman, who also opposed Referendum C, calls the constitutional initiative 'technically flawed' because it is retroactive to the 2005-06 fiscal year. 'Technically flawed' in this case means financial disaster."
"denver 2006"
7:20:35 AM
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Fall ballot issues
Here's a roundup of ballot issues that voters may see on the fall ballot, from the Denver Post. They write, "Socials issues could easily overshadow candidates on the November ballot as more than three-dozen potential initiatives - including those on gay marriage, marijuana and nuclear weapons - battle for voters' attention this fall...
"Michael Kanner, a University of Colorado political science instructor, said the initiative process started as part of the progressive movement's push to get around the legislature, which at the turn of the century was controlled by mining and railroad interests. Since then, however, it has often become a way for special-interest groups to push an issue politicians won't touch...
"And there are a lot of - sometimes conflicting - issues that people and groups want to frame this year. Perhaps the biggest issue is gay marriage and domestic partnerships, which erupted after the legislature referred to the ballot an initiative that would give same-sex couples domestic partnership rights. Bishop Phillip Porter is gathering signatures to define marriage as a legal union between one man and one woman, and state Rep. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud, is proposing a measure that would ban legal rights similar to that of marriage. There's a chance that all three measures could pass, leaving Colorado in a legal quagmire...
"Other potential issues that could draw heated debate are initiatives to limit government services for illegal immigrants, require students who do not test well in English to take special classes and eliminate contributions limits in political campaigns in favor of more disclosure. There could also be proposals to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, prohibit abortion of viable fetuses and allow family members to make end-of- life decisions for terminally ill people. Jon Caldara alone is contemplating four issues for the November ballot. Two would cap the money the government can retain under Referendum C at $3.7 billion and refund the rest in different ways. The third would sunset tax increases after 10 years. The fourth would prohibit companies that give more than $500 to tax-increase campaigns from receiving any contracts from the government that passed the increase...
"Less-known or unusual proposals include an attempt to make it a felony for any lawmaker to approve locating nuclear weapons in Colorado, allow utilities to pass the costs of conservation to consumers as long as it saves them money and repeal the statewide smoking ban that takes effect July 1. No matter how controversial or quirky the proposed ballot issues, it is the right of Colorado residents to change the constitution if they believe in an issue, said Dana Williams, spokeswoman for the secretary of state."
"denver 2006"
7:16:39 AM
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Gore or Clinton for president?
Oval Office 2008: "He continues to insist that he has no plans to run for president - he said as much on ABC yesterday morning. But, to some, former Vice President Al Gore is not just the only Democrat who can beat Hillary Clinton, but possibly the only Democrat who can beat John McCain as well."
"2008 pres"
7:02:06 AM
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Increased stem cell research?
Here's an article from today's Denver Post about Diana DeGette's efforts to open up increased stem cell research. From the article, "Rep. Diana DeGette's quest to vastly increase embryonic stem-cell research appears headed for a vote in the Senate - and a potential showdown with President Bush. Supporters are confident that DeGette's bill, HR 810, will pass the Senate after winning approval in the House last year, but Bush has repeatedly threatened to veto it. DeGette, D-Denver, wants a chance to talk Bush out of his first-ever veto, arguing that the research offers the opportunity to find ways to ease suffering for people with Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Type 1 diabetes and other illnesses. 'All I request is that he sit down face to face with me and let me try to explain the impact this bill will have on the millions of people who suffer from these diseases,' DeGette said in a phone call last week from London, where she traveled to learn about the United Kingdom's stem-cell research."
"2008 pres"
6:52:34 AM
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Deserts to increase?
Are deserts going to increase planet wide? That's the subject of this article from the Independent Online. They write, "Few places on Earth are less hospitable, less suited to human life than the Sahara desert. Yet as global warming accelerates and the prospect of profound climate change looms large, we must face the fact that vast areas of our planet will be rendered equally barren. In his powerful new book, Fred Pearce explains how nature can turn paradise into wilderness...
"The difference is that back then the Sahara had assured rains. The whole of North Africa was watered by a monsoon system rather like the one that keeps much of Asia wet today. Rain-bearing winds penetrated deep into the interior. From Senegal on the shores of the Atlantic to the Horn of Africa in the east, and from the shores of the Mediterranean in the north to the threshold of the central African rainforest, vast rivers flowed for thousands of kilometres. Along their banks were swamps and forests. Beneath the Algerian desert, archaeologists have found the remains of wadis that once drained 1,000 kilometres from the Ahaggar Mountains into the Mediterranean. And in waterless southern Libya, archaeologists are finding the bones of crocodiles and hippos, elephants and antelope. If there was a vestige of true desert at the heart of North Africa, it was very much smaller than the desert is today."
It's a long article - but well worth your time.
Meanwhile the world's deserts are in peril, according to a new U.N. report. Here's a article from CBS News. They write, "The world's deserts are under threat as never before, with global warming making lack of water an even bigger problem for the parched regions, a U.N. report released Monday said. The first comprehensive look at deserts around the world said these areas, their wildlife and, most of all, their scarce water supplies are facing dramatic changes. 'Deserts are the last great wildernesses and the Cinderellas of the conservation world _ out of sight, out of mind,' said Nick Nuttall, a spokesman for the United Nations Environment Program. 'Everybody cares about the mountains. Everybody is worried about the oceans. ... But nobody has really thought about the deserts before. They need help.' Desert areas make up almost one quarter of the Earth's surface, or 13 million square miles, and are home to some 500 million people, more than previously thought. Most of the 12 desert regions whose future climate was studied face a drier future, the report said. Experts predicted that rainfall would fall by as much as 20 percent by the end of the century due to human-induced climate change. Compounding the threat is the melting of glaciers. A large fraction of water used for agricultural and domestic purposes in deserts in the southwestern United States, Central Asia and South America come from rivers that originate in glaciers and snow-covered mountains, the report said. The glaciers on the Tibetan plateau, for example, may decline by as much as 80 percent by the end of the century, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a group of scientists advising the United Nations."
"2008 pres"
6:39:29 AM
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Global warming or hoax?
While causes for and strategies for dealing with global warming are under intense scrutiny with little aggreement, almost no one is disputing that the planet is warming. There are a few however, according to the Seattle Times. From the article, "It should be glorious to be Bill Gray, professor emeritus. He's the guy who predicts the number of hurricanes that will form during the coming tropical-storm season. He works in the atmospheric-science department of Colorado State University. He's mentored dozens of scientists. But he's also outraged. Much of his government funding has dried up. He has had to put his own money, more than $100,000, into keeping his research going. If none of his colleagues comes to his funeral, he says, that'll be evidence that he had the courage to say what they were afraid to admit. Which is this: Global warming is a hoax. He has testified about this to the U.S. Senate. He has written magazine articles, given speeches, done everything he could to get the message out...
"Gray believes in observations. Direct measurements. Numerical models can't be trusted. Equation pushers with fancy computers aren't the equals of scientists who fly into hurricanes...
"In just three, five, maybe eight years, he says, the world will begin to cool again. He is almost desperate to be heard. His time is short. He is 76 years old...
"When you step into the realm of the skeptics, you find yourself on a parallel Earth. It is a planet where global warming isn't happening - or, if it is happening, isn't happening because of human beings. Or, if it is happening because of human beings, isn't going to be a big problem. And, even if it is a big problem, we can't realistically do anything about it other than adapt. There is no consensus on global warming, they say. There is only abundant uncertainty. The IPCC process is a sham, a mechanism for turning vague scientific statements into headline-grabbing alarmism. Drastic actions such as mandated cuts in carbon emissions would be imprudent. Alternative sources of energy are fine, they say, but let's not be naive. We are an energy-intensive civilization. To obtain the kind of energy we need, we must burn fossil fuels. We must emit carbon. That's the real world...
"The skeptics don't have to win the argument. They just have to stay in the game, keep things stirred up and make sure the politicians don't pass any laws that have dangerous climate change as a premise. They're winning that battle. The Senate held hearings this spring but has put off action for now. The Bush administration is hoping for some kind of technological solution and won't commit itself to cuts in emissions. The skeptics have a final trump in the argument: Climate change is actually good. Growing seasons will be longer. Plants like carbon dioxide. Trees devour it. This demonized molecule isn't some kind of toxin or contaminant or pollutant - it's fertilizer...
"Gray's crusade against global warming 'hysteria' began in the early 1990s, when he saw enormous sums of federal research money going toward computer modeling rather than his kind of science, the old-fashioned stuff based on direct observation. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) stopped giving him research grants. So did NASA. All the money was going to computer models. The modelers are equation pushers."
"colorado water"
6:27:31 AM
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© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 3/14/09; 8:16:26 PM.
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