Thursday, September 20, 2007

Gay rights Andrew Sullivan: "The Republican mayor of San Diego just reversed himself on marriage equality and agreed to sign a a City Council resolution supporting a challenge to California's gay marriage ban (also opposed by the state legislature). Moving video moment here. He'd previously vowed to veto it. He has a lesbian daughter, it turns out, and like many other parents of gay children, simply didn't believe it was a positive step to keep her segregated from her own family and community and stigmatized as inferior." "2008 pres" 7:04:16 PM

Middle East Policy Captain's Quarters: "Infidels come from the strangest places! Osama bin Laden found a lot of them very close to home. In his latest video, OBL declares a holy war on Pervez Musharraf and the military clique ruling Pakistan, after his siege of the Red Mosque produced plenty of martyrs." "2008 pres" 6:53:38 PM

Energy policy: Nuclear Wash Park Prophet: "Colorado has a long history of uranium mining and was the source of the uranium used in the first atomic bombs, but that mining in and around Nucla and Naturita for the most part, in Western Slope canyons, was far from major population centers. Most of the mining area near Nucla and Naturita has been reclaimed as a golf course, after a long clean up effort was completed. Surprisingly, golf courses are desirable reclamation uses." 6:48:00 PM

Healthcare Denver Business Journal: "Slightly more than a third of Coloradans younger than 65 were without health insurance in 2006-2007, according to a study released Thursday. The Families USA study found Colorado was almost in line with the U.S. figure. Families USA, a Washington-based advocacy group for affordable health care, said 1.44 million Coloradans were uninsured during the study period, or 34.2 percent of the state's non-elderly population." "2008 pres" 6:42:34 PM

Iraq NYT: "Gen. George Casey, the top American commander in Iraq, said today that the additional troops being sent to Iraq could begin to be withdrawn by late summer if security conditions improve in Baghdad. 'I believe the projections are late summer,' General Casey said, adding, 'I think it's probably going to be late summer before you get to the point where people in Baghdad feel safe in their neighborhoods.'" Thanks to the Daily Kos for the link. Washington Post: "The U.S. military has introduced 'religious enlightenment' and other education programs for Iraqi detainees, some of whom are as young as 11, Marine Maj. Gen. Douglas M. Stone, the commander of U.S. detention facilities in Iraq, said yesterday. Stone said such efforts, aimed mainly at Iraqis who have been held for more than a year, are intended to 'bend them back to our will' and are part of waging war in what he called 'the battlefield of the mind.' Most of the younger detainees are held in a facility that the military calls the 'House of Wisdom.' The religious courses are led by Muslim clerics who 'teach out of a moderate doctrine,' Stone said, according to the transcript of a conference call he held from Baghdad with a group of defense bloggers. Such schooling 'tears apart' the arguments of al-Qaeda, such as 'Let's kill innocents,' and helps to 'bring some of the edge off' the detainees, he said." Thanks to Andrew Sullivan for the link. Ocala.com: "Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney wants to add 100,000 full-time troops to America's armed forces around the world and eliminate certain taxes...'We're under attack from jihadists,' Romndy [Sic] said, calling it one of the great issues of our time. While Romney did not mention the war in Iraq by name, he cited the report by Gen. David Petraeus that Americans are making progress helping the Sunnis reject al-Qaida. 'Thank heavens Barack Obama wasn't president,' Romney said. 'We'd have been out of there, and al-Qaida would be dancing in the streets.'" Thanks to The Right's Field for the link. "2008 pres" 6:16:00 PM

? for President? From a reader of Talking Points Memo, "Politics is the art of the possible. And when nothing concrete is possible, that leaves theater." Pollster.com: "A new Pew Research Center national survey of 1,501 adults (conducted 9/12 through 9/16) finds: Among 568 registered Democrats and those who lean Democratic, Sen. Hillary Clinton leads Sen. Barack Obama (42% to 25%) in a national primary; former Sen. John Edwards trails at 14%; Among 467 registered Republicans and those who lean Republican, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani leads former Sen. Fred Thompson (32% to 21%) in a national primary; Sen. John McCain trails at 15%, former Gov. Mitt Romney at 9%, former Speaker Newt Gingrich at 6%." "2008 pres" 6:11:36 PM

Denver: School Board election Here's an update on November's school board elections from The Denver Post. They write: Denver's teachers union endorsed three candidates in November's school-board election but not the board's incumbent president and vice president. The move is the latest in the growing conflict between the Denver Classroom Teachers Association and the district, which are embroiled in a contract dispute. Union president Kim Ursetta said Wednesday that the three candidates who have earned the union nod "best matched what our values, are and that includes listening to teachers."[...] Ten candidates are running for three seats on the seven-member board, which is the policymaking body for Denver Public Schools. The two incumbents are board president Theresa Peña and vice president Bruce Hoyt. In the at-large position, the union supports challenger John McBride over Peña and Rita Montero. In the District 1 seat, which covers southeast Denver, the union has endorsed challenger Larry Botnick over Hoyt and Frank Deserino. And in the District 5 seat, which covers northwest Denver and is the only open position, the union endorsed Ray Gutierrez over Tony Curcio, Arturo Jimenez and José Silva. The seat is being vacated by Lucia Guzman... Ursetta said all candidates were questioned and interviewed about their stances, and the leadership chose the three based on their answers. "We are excited about their fresh ideas and their willingness to listen to teachers," she said. "We can't allow the status quo in this distinct. There needs to be radical change." "denver n2007" 6:53:41 AM

? for President? From The Rocky Mountain News, "James Dobson, one of the nation's most politically influential evangelical Christians, made it clear in a message to friends this week that he will not support Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson. In a private e-mail obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, Dobson accuses the former Tennessee senator and actor of being weak on the campaign trail and wrong on issues dear to social conservatives. 'Isn't Thompson the candidate who is opposed to a constitutional amendment to protect marriage, believes there should be 50 different definitions of marriage in the U.S. ... won't talk at all about what he believes, and can't speak his way out of a paper bag on the campaign trail?' Dobson wrote." Here's a look at presidential campaign stickers and what they reveal about the candidates from Good Magazine. "2008 pres" 6:44:29 AM

La Plata Archuleta Water District? Here's an update on the proposed La Plata Archuleta Water District from The Durango Herald. From the article: The public packed a hearing Tuesday on a plan that would pipe drinkable water to a 400-square-mile area where many residents rely on wells or trucked-in water. The proposal, which voters would have to approve, is to create the La Plata Archuleta Water District. Residents of the district would pay a special tax to fund the construction of water-treatment facilities and pipelines that would supply dependable water to rural southeast La Plata County. The project, at an estimated cost of $85 million, also would cover a corner of southwest Archuleta County. Inclusion in the district would be voluntary; so far, almost 670 residents have asked to be excluded... The plan's pay-as-you-go approach, which would mostly rely on revenue to cover costs rather than taking on large amounts of debt, has some people worried that pipelines might never reach them...Water for the project could come from various sources, including the basins of the Animas, Piedra and Pine rivers, as well as the Pine River Irrigation District. Commissioners' role is to decide whether the plan passes statutory muster. Another public hearing to decide the matter will be held Oct. 15 at the SunUte Community Center. Requests for an exclusion from the district must be received by the county by Oct. 5. If commissioners approve the proposal, it still has various steps to go through, including review by a district court judge, who must sign off on it and set a date for an election. Two years ago, proponents withdrew a similar proposal after negotiations with oil and gas companies failed. The new plan adjusts some cost estimates and alters some boundaries but does not make substantive changes from the previous proposal, [Dick Lunceford, spokesman for the proposed district] said. Public hearing: Another public hearing on the creation of a new La Plata Archuleta Water District will be held at 7 p.m. Oct. 15 at the SunUte Community Center. La Plata County has extended the deadline for residents to request an exclusion from the district until Oct. 5. A copy of the district plan is available at www.laplawd.org. "colorado water" 6:34:00 AM

Fountain Creek lawsuit Here's an update on the Fountain Creek lawsuit from The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article: Colorado Springs and the Sierra Club are arguing in court over a key point for the future of the club's Fountain Creek pollution lawsuit against the city. The city, in a new written argument in U.S. District Court, contends Judge Walker Miller should throw out much of the lawsuit. But Sierra, in a response, disputes the city's contention. The club also wants the judge to strike Colorado Springs' argument on grounds that it is based on improper considerations. The city contends the judge should limit the lawsuit to six of the 51 instances that the club alleges the city violated the federal Clean Water Act. The instances are occasions in which Colorado Springs in 2004, 2005 and 2006 allegedly discharged raw sewage, nonpotable water and excessive chlorine from its sewage system into the creek. The city argues the environmental group is not entitled to pursue its lawsuit for 45 of those instances because Sierra allegedly did not comply with a requirement of the act. The act requires notice of intent to sue be given at least 60 days before a lawsuit is filed to enforce the act... Colorado Springs, in its new filing, asks the judge to expedite his ruling on whether he will throw out the 45 instances. An expedited ruling "has the potential to streamline trial preparation and (the) trial," the city said. A 10-day trial is set to begin Jan. 28. Colorado Springs contends the instances are barred because the court does not have jurisdiction when the required notice to sue is not given. The city contends the instances are barred also because the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment already had taken action on the discharges before Sierra notified the city of the club's intent to sue. Sierra wants Miller to strike, that is, ignore, the city's filing because it purportedly argues issues that do not respond to what the judge asked for. The group cited, for example, Colorado Springs' argument that instances on which the state agency had taken action are barred from the lawsuit. Sierra contends that argument is improper, on grounds that Miller on Aug. 29 ruled against the city on that issue. The club asserts the Supreme Court, in a 1998 case, concluded that failure to meet the notice requirement does not deprive courts of jurisdiction in lawsuits. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. "colorado water" 6:21:56 AM

Environment: Scientists show direct link between mercury emissions and mercury in fish Here's a look at a new study on the spread of mercury in waterways from The Environment News Service. From the article: Mercury atmospheric emissions will end up in fish in as little as three years, according to new research by a multidisciplinary team of about 50 researchers from the United States and Canada. The study concludes that if mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants and other industrial activities were to be reduced immediately, the amount of mercury showing up in fish would begin to go down within a decade. Called METAALICUS - Mercury Experiment to Assess Atmospheric Loading in Canada and the United States - the research involved government agencies and universities on both sides of the border. "Before this study, no one had directly linked atmospheric deposition of mercury emissions and mercury in fish," says study co-author Vincent St. Louis of the University of Alberta. But this research provides "undeniable proof of a direct link," said St. Louis. The study was conducted at the Experimental Lakes Area, near Dryden, Ontario, a freshwater research station with a long history of limnological research, including studies based on the manipulation of lakes. Scientists from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center's Microbial Ecology Lab participated in the study and explained how it was conducted.. The mercury load to the study ecosystem is being increased by a factor of about five over current local atmospheric ambient deposition, using highly-enriched stable mercury, Hg, isotopes, they said. "Three separate isotopes are being used to dose the upland, wetland and lake," they explained. "This unique approach is allowing us to track the fate of newly deposited Hg separately from the larger existing pools, through time, and across various habitats." The experiment filled a major gap in scientists' understanding of how mercury moves from the atmosphere through forests, soils, lakes and into the fish that people eat. "2008 pres" 6:15:19 AM

Grand Valley Lake? Proponents of Grand Valley Lake haven't given up hope that it will be built, according to The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. From the article: The backers of Grand Valley Lake are hoping to float a deal in which the state will pay for a feasibility study for the proposed 2,000-acre lake on East Orchard Mesa. Lake promoters put out a feeler Tuesday to the Colorado Water Conservation Board, acquainting the statewide panel with the project, which would divert water from the Gunnison River, and promising to submit a formal application for funding of the study... The project needs the state's help to determine whether it actually could fulfill its promise as a supplier of municipal and industrial needs and electricity. It's also billed as a provider of water for endangered fish in a stretch of the Colorado River through the Grand Valley. Grand Valley Lake backers hope to divert Gunnison River water near Austin to a natural depression south of Mount Garfield, on the opposite side of the valley. It's estimated the project would cost between $200 million and $500 million, with the biggest variable being the cost of digging a 60-mile canal, beginning near Austin, to the 19,000-acre-foot reservoir, backers said. The lake then would provide gravity feeds of water to Orchard Mesa for irrigation and to Redlands Water and Power for electricity generation. Backers have sought the support of the Colorado and Gunnison river basin roundtables, but have yet to get definitive reactions from either board. Steve Glazer of the Gunnison roundtable said that panel still had many questions, among them the environmental consequences of the proposal and the intent of the backers themselves... The state has a real stake in Grand Valley Lake, [Grand Junction attorney Rick Wagner, a member of the nonprofit council.] said, because it could resolve issues upstream, including giving comfort to junior rights holders now vulnerable to calls from Redlands Water and Power in the Grand Valley. If Redlands got its water from Grand Valley Lake, it would no longer threaten those upstream water users, he said. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. "colorado water" 6:01:51 AM

Great Colorado Rivers Cleanup Here's a recap of last Saturday's Great Colorado Rivers Cleanup along Bear Creek from The Canyon Courier. From the article: Officially, last Saturday marked Colorado Trout Unlimited's fourth annual Great Colorado Rivers Cleanup, and at least 15 chapters from Granby to Salida assembled in force to tidy up their favorite fishing holes. As it happens, the mountain area's reel-and-creel set has been scouring local waterways twice a year for decades... Since Colorado Trout Unlimited officially exists to conserve, protect and restore the state's coldwater fisheries, it seems only natural that its 10,000 card-carrying members would gladly spend the odd sunny morning straightening up their aquatic playpen. But, to hear Ledyard tell it, their mission goes far beyond ensuring a plentiful supply of savory pan-fried rainbows. "We all fish, but Trout Unlimited is first, last, and always an environmental organization," Ledyard said. "Clean fish in a clean river is one indicator of a clean planet, and that[base ']s everybody's responsibility." "colorado water" 5:51:36 AM

© Copyright 2009 John Orr. Last update: 3/14/09; 9:36:30 PM.