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Monday, June 5, 2006
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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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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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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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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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Some people think it's high time to reform the Electoral College. Here's a link to National Popular Vote an advocacy group for reform. They have a nice FAQ to help with your education.
"2008 pres"
6:15:48 AM
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© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 3/15/09; 11:36:43 AM.
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