Wednesday, February 6, 2008

War on terror Josh Marshall: "The White House insists: the Senate must confirm torture memo author as Deputy Attorney General." "2008 pres" 9:24:31 PM

? for President? Andrew Sullivan: "While actual voters in 22 states split their votes 50-50 between Clinton and Obama, Gallup's daily tracking now shows Clinton leaping into a 13 point lead. The polls have really been all over the place this year - but Gallup isn't usually this volatile. The poll of polls gives her a 4 point national lead." "2008 pres" 9:23:23 PM

Hellchild and Beaver's excellent Mexican adventure Hellchild sent email today. Let her tell the story: "[Beaver] called and left a message Monday. He was still in Austin but he said he was heading down to Mexico yesterday via San Antonio. "I've had some teary goodbyes already, its gonna be a week of goodbyes...Last night my friends in the town I live in threw me a goodbye party, and it just happend to coincide with the carnival celebrations. Here, all the young men, mostly, ride around on their bikes and throw flour, confetti, glitter and eggs on everyone. The gringa was an especially desired target. I showed up at the party completely drenched in flour. We then danced 'til midnight...fun, fun." 6:33:54 PM

Comcast update As it turns out we didn't have to go Mona Shaw on Comcast after all. Yesterday's reconfiguration of our network went seamlessly. After the Comcast technician arrived at Gulch Manor Mrs. Gulch phoned us and we flew home from work early to offer assistance and learn about the new gear they were installing. The tech was finished with his part when we arrived but we made him stick around while we reconfigured our router, entering the shiny new static IP number and other stuff we really don't understand. We then tested on the home network. Everything passed. It was now time to test access from the Internet. We reconfigured the iPhone to use the Edge network and we were able to hit Coyote Gulch by IP number. The last test was to hit the Radio server from the web so that we can post when we're on the road. That passed also. The tech was kind enough to leave his cell phone number on our paperwork. "Call me if you're not satisfied with tech support again," he said. As it turns out he was part of the old guard from the days of Mile High Cable. He knew about my static IP but claimed it was never static but was called "persistent" by AT&T. When we showed him our notes from January 25th, 2004, when a Comcast tech left me voicemail with my two static IPs he left the subject alone. 4 techs and 3 different stories as to why we had a static IP on the 24 network for four years. It really doesn't matter now. Performance seems to be fine. Everyone from Comcast, since we called the sales rep last Friday, was helpful and seemed to want to solve the problem. The rep even called us the same day, only a couple of hours after we left voicemail, and it was Super Bowl weekend. We especially want to thank the dude that called Saturday with young children you could overhear in the background. That was above and beyond. We're also happy with the credit they've allowed us. It'll pay for the first 20 months of charges for our static IP. A couple of hours later our DNS hosting service had changed our record and http://coyotegulch.net was resolving. Tonight will be one week since the outage. We're still going to test Qwest DSL and look into the Dish network. Things are not as urgent now however. 5:57:49 PM

Colorado Caucuses Here's a look at the Colorado caucus votes from The Rocky Mountain News. From the article: Colorado caucus-goers turned out in staggering numbers Tuesday, crowding elbow to elbow in schools, churches and libraries to deliver victories for Republican Mitt Romney and Democrat Barack Obama. Initial tallies showed Romney, who had a campaign presence in Colorado for months, winning Colorado by a ratio of 3-to-2 over national front-runner John McCain. Obama, who made a personal appearance in Denver last week, surged to a 2-1 victory against Hillary Clinton. But it was the turnout for the arcane and often-ignored caucus process, more than the results, that stunned even veteran politicos in the state. As Denver Democrat Jeff Bridges said, "It was a ton of new people, and probably some fire code violations."[...] Even from the earliest returns, Obama and Romney had appeared to be on their way to dominating victories. "It's Obama country," said Renee Rivera, a volunteer coordinator for the Democratic Party at East High School caucuses, where the early count was breaking hard for Obama. Former Denver mayor and national Obama campaign co-chairman Federico Pena, was jubilant about the results, here and across the nation, on Super Tuesday. "No one expected (Obama) to win 11 states tonight," Pena said. "We demonstrated here in Colorado that we can win if we have enough time. Even in a state that has a large Hispanic population that people thought we couldn't win, we've done very well." At a gathering of Clinton supporters, former Denver mayor Wellington Webb said they were outnumbered by the Obama campaign. "The last time I looked, we're still winning," he said of the national race. "2008 pres" 7:10:27 AM

SB 08-119, SB 08-136, SB 08-053, HB 08-1030 State legislators can't help themselves when it comes to trying to work around prior-appropriation and other issues if they see a benefit to constituents. Here's a report on this week's activities from The Sterling Journal Advocate. They write: The House on Monday debated two bills sponsored by Rep. Mary Hodge, D-Brighton, in her attempt to get some relief to mostly hay and vegetable growers in Weld, Adams and Morgan counties whose wells have been shut down for lack of augmentation plans. One bill passed; the other didn't. Opponents had the same arguments on both -- they upset Colorado's 130-year-old doctrine of prior appropriation. The forbidden practice of "water speculation" even was mentioned a couple of times. Hodge's [HB 08-1030, Concerning the Exemption of Depletions from Pumping that Occurred Prior to 1974 (pdf)], which forgives irrigators of depletions made before 1974 when the augmentation rules were put into place, won preliminary approval on a stand-up vote with more than the 33 votes required for final passage. Her HB [08-]1044, however, was declared lost in another stand-up vote, called a division. It would have allowed ditch companies and others to loan excess augmentation credits to other users on the same stream and in the same year without going to water court. "The second one was harder to explain so it could not be as easily understood," Hodge said. "The first was an issue of fairness. There was no requirement for augmentation prior to 1974, and it only takes away about 700 acre feet of water per year." Hodge said both measures grew out of last summer's South Platte River task force, which Gov. Bill Ritter appointed after about 400 wells were curtailed. Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Yuma, supported both bills, but Rep. Jerry Sonnenberg, R-Sterling, was among those who split their votes on the two bills. "The first one was a small minnow in the pond and was consistent with what we have done when we exempted the gravel pits," Sonnenberg said. "But with the other bill, I worry about the transparency of what people are doing with their water," he explained. "If we can trade those (excess augmentation credits), the people don't know if they have been damaged until the damage is already done." Boulder Democratic Reps. Alice Madden and Jack Pommer, and Rep. Frank McNulty, R-Highlands Ranch, led the charge against both measures. Sterling, Boulder and Highlands Ranch were among the objectors in allowing the wells to continue pumping. "Every ounce of water in the South Platte ought to be accounted for," McNulty said. "Depletions that are caused by pumping ought to be augmented so that senior rights are not hurt." Similar arguments are expected on pending Senate bills from District 1 Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Wray, and Sen. Brandon Shaffer, D-Longmont. Brophy's [SB 08-053, Concerning Expansion of the Definition of Designated Ground Water, and, in Connection Therewith, Defining Designated Ground Water to Include Ground Water the Depletion of Which Takes More Than One Hundred Years to Affect the Neares Surface Water (pdf)], scheduled for its first committee hearing on Thursday, would change the definition of "designated ground water," which does not require augmentation, to include water that takes more than 100 years for depletions to affect the nearest surface water. Shaffer's [SB 08-136, Concerning Authorization of Delayed Replacement of Well Depletions Pursuant to a Plan of Augmentation During the Nonirrigation Season (pdf)], which has yet to be scheduled for a hearing, would give the state engineer's office the ability to allow well users to pump out of priority during the non-irrigation season without required augmentation, if they could prove the water would be available to downstream users when needed. Sen. Chris Romer, D-Denver, also has introduced a bill [SB 08-119, Concerning a Limited Exemption for Water Collected From Residential Rooftops (pdf)], that would allow the use of cisterns or other catchment systems to collect and store rainwater from residential homes of up to 3,000 square feet of roof space. The captured water then could be used for household purposes, fire protection, watering livestock and irrigating up to one acre of lawns and gardens. "This is my first water bill, so wish me luck," Romer said. "Many in the rural community already are doing it, but need to do it legally. This is a good bill that will be friendly to the environment, and in the long term create appropriate water storage without building a lot of new projects." More Coyote Gulch coverage here. "colorado water" 6:48:40 AM

Snowpack news Here's an update on Colorado's snowpack from The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article: It's surprising to professional weather observers, whose forecast for area winter moisture was bleak in November. A La Nina condition, cooling temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, continues and usually means drier, hotter weather for the Southwestern United States. The National Atmospheric and Oceanographic Administration still says March, April and May will bring above average heat and below average moisture to Colorado... Statewide, snowpack is at 134 percent of average, and in Southern Colorado, it is above 150 percent of average. Snowpack is the greatest determinant for spring runoff, which is expected to be 130 percent of average or greater for the Arkansas River Basin this year, and equally high in the Roaring Fork Basin, which supplies the water which is imported to the valley each year... December moisture in the Arkansas River and Rio Grande valleys turned out to be 300 percent above average, and January brought another round of storms. February also has started with a big, wet system moving across the state and leaving piles of snow behind. Cold temperatures have helped the snow to linger in the high country. While it has compacted, the snowpack has not evaporated from warm temperatures or been subject to sublimation by winds. In the southwest corner of the state, accumulations at lower elevations remain at 6-8 feet, with more than 10 feet at the highest measured sites. Along the Continental Divide, snow is piled 2-4 feet deep at lower sites, with 4-6 feet at most higher elevations. The snow is also loaded with moisture, with a foot or more of moisture, called snow water equivalent, at most area Snotel sites, and a whopping 23.4 inches - from more than 7 feet of snow - at South Colony near Westcliffe. At Leadville, the headwaters of the Arkansas River, observers say there are about 3-4 feet of snow even on flat, open stretches near town, said Pete Juba, water resources manager for the Pueblo Board of Water Works. "Even at Clear Creek Reservoir (in northern Chaffee County) we measured 36 inches, after it's compacted," Juba said. "There's a lot of snow up there." More snowpack news from The Fort Collins Coloradoan. They write: "Statewide, the snowpack was 134 percent of average on Monday, ranging from a low of 100 per-cent of the 30-year average in the South Platte Basin to a high of 178 percent in the Rio Grande Basin. The North Platte Basin was at 103 percent, the Yampa and White River 110 percent, Colorado River 127 percent, Gunnison 152 percent, Arkansas 165 percent and San Miguel, Dolores, Animas and San Juan 167 percent." Here's an update on Southwestern Colorado from The Cortez Journal. From the article: In terms of liquid precipitation, or what the snow amounts to once it's turned into liquid, Cortez is at 179 percent of normal year to date, [Jim Andrus] said. Temperatures are also about 10 degrees below average, Andrus said. Normal daytime highs are in the 40s with lows in the 20s for this time of year. "The jet stream has carved out a persistent trough over the western United States, and so that's brought a lot of cold, wet air into the Southwest," Andrus said. "And so that pattern of having this persistent low pressure trough in the upper atmosphere of the southwestern U.S. - that's made for a cold, wet winter for us."According to Snotel data from Scotch Creek, Lizard Head, El Diente, and Lone Cone stations, the snowpack as of Monday is 168 percent of average, said Mike Preston, general manager of the Dolores Water Conservancy District...Preston said he is positive that McPhee reservoir will fill this year and meet all its calls for water." "colorado water" 6:17:00 AM

Super Tuesday Here's a recap of the Super Tuesday vote from The Sarasota Herald Tribune. From the article: John McCain seized command of the race for the Republican presidential nomination early Wednesday, winning delegate-rich primaries from the East Coast to California. Democratic rivals Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama traded victories in an epic struggle with no end in sight. Clinton won Super Tuesday's biggest state, California, in the Democratic campaign, capitalizing on backing from Hispanic voters. Obama fashioned victories in Alabama and Georgia on the strength of black support. McCain's own victory in the Republican race in the Golden State dealt a crushing blow to his closest pursuer, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney... In the competition that counted the most, the Arizona senator had 570 delegates, nearly half of the 1,191 needed for the nomination -- and far ahead of his rivals. Even so, Romney and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said they were staying in the race. Neither Clinton nor Obama proclaimed overall victory on a Super Tuesday that sprawled across 22 states, and with good reason. Obama won 13 states and Clinton eight plus American Samoa. But with victories in New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts, the former first lady led narrowly in the early tabulation of delegates for the night. Missouri was so close that although Obama won the vote count it was likely to be hours before it became clear whether he or his rival had captured a majority of the state's 72 delegates... Clinton's continued strong appeal among Hispanics -- she was winning nearly six in 10 of their votes -- was a big factor in her California triumph, and in her victory in Arizona, too. McCain, the early Republican front-runner whose campaign nearly unraveled six months ago, won in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Missouri, Delaware and his home state of Arizona -- each of them winner-take-all primaries. He also pocketed victories in Oklahoma and Illinois. Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, won a series of Bible Belt victories, in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee as well as his own home state. He also triumphed at the Republican West Virginia convention, and told The Associated Press in an interview he would campaign on. "The one way you can't win a race is to quit it, and until somebody beats me, I'm going to answer the bell for every round of this fight," he said. Romney won a home state victory in Massachusetts. He also took Utah, where fellow Mormons supported his candidacy. His superior organization produced caucus victories in North Dakota, Montana, Minnesota, Alaska and Colorado, and he, too, breathed defiance. "We're going to go all the way to the convention. We're going to win this thing," he told supporters in Boston... Clinton won at home in New York as well as in California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arizona and Arkansas, where she was first lady for more than a decade. She also won the caucuses in American Samoa. Obama won Connecticut, Georgia, Alabama, Delaware, Utah and his home state of Illinois. He prevailed in caucuses in North Dakota, Minnesota, Kansas, Idaho, Alaska and Colorado... The Arizona senator had 570 delegates, to 251 for Romney and 175 for Huckabee. It takes 1,191 to clinch the presidential nomination at next summer's convention in St. Paul, Minn. Overall, Clinton had 760 delegates to 693 for Obama, out of the 2,025 needed to secure victory at the party convention in Denver. Clinton's advantage is partly due to her lead among so-called superdelegates, members of Congress and other party leaders who are not selected in primaries and caucuses -- and who are also free to change their minds. Alabama and Georgia gave Obama three straight Southern triumphs. Like last month's win in South Carolina, they were powered by black votes. "2008 pres" 6:08:30 AM

© Copyright 2009 John Orr. Last update: 3/14/09; 10:07:31 PM.