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Wednesday, May 2, 2007
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The Cherry Creek News is running U.S. Representative Mark Udall's response to President Bush's veto yesterday.
President Bush: "Either we'll succeed, or we won't succeed. And the definition of success as I described is sectarian violence down. Success is not, no violence. There are parts of our own country that have got a certain level of violence to it. But success is a level of violence where the people feel comfortable about living their daily lives. And that's what we're trying to achieve."
TPM Cafe: "Today Congressional Dems had their first post-veto meeting with President Bush, and Harry Reid emerged sounding as if the current standoff is more or less where it was before the meeting. So what's next for Dems on Iraq? The two options being talked about most are: Sending Bush a short-term funding bill and forcing him to keep asking for more war funding -- the option favored by John Murtha; Sending him a full funding bill without withdrawal timetables but with benchmarks for the Iraqi government to meet and with troop readiness standards.
"2008 pres"
6:04:46 PM 
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Josh Marshall: "As I wrote a couple years ago, the really awful thing about the situation we've gotten ourselves into is that we're both the glue holding Iraq together and the solvent tearing it apart. And neither is this to say that there aren't all sorts of hatreds and social pathologies helping Iraq rip itself apart on its own. Iraq's Sunni minority had its heel on the neck of the Shi'a majority long before the US became the dominant power in the region -- for many centuries, by some measures. But like a wound that is not allowed to heal and thus becomes infected again and again it is folly to assume that Iraq can set itself right as long as the occupation lasts. Particularly because it is one that fundamentally lacks legitimacy, which has always been the heart of the matter."
"2008 pres"
7:05:03 AM
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Opponents of Powertech's plans to mine uranium up in Weld County are reaching out to each other to bolster their position, according to the Fort Collins Weekly. From the article, "After a community meeting among Northern Colorado landowners to discuss the possibility of in situ uranium mining in Weld County, opponents of the plan are more galvanized than ever to raise awareness of what they fear could be irreversible contamination of groundwater and other negative impacts. Weld County property owners learned last year that Powertech Inc., a Canadian mining company, had purchased more than 5,700 acres of mineral rights to capitalize on the skyrocketing price of uranium for use in nuclear reactors. New nuclear power plants under construction around the world have put the price of uranium as high as $113 per pound, up from a low price of about $7 per pound less than a decade ago.
"The process of extracting uranium involves injecting a solution of water and bicarbonate soda into uranium-heavy sandstone using groundwater from the Dakota-Cheyenne aquifer, and then pumping the uranium-laden solution to the surface for processing into yellowcake. Although Powertech representatives say the process is benign and safe, opponents fear groundwater contamination, as well as a risk of radiation and heavy metal poisoning for people and livestock. Landowners Robin and Jay Davis were among those who organized the meeting last weekend that drew about 50 people, including Fort Collins state representatives John Kefalas and Randy Fischer...
"Powertech representatives were not at the meeting because they weren't specifically invited, says Richard Blubaugh, the company's vice president of environmental health and safety resources. Had they been, he says he would have argued that the in situ leaching process 'is a safe and environmentally benign technology that's been used for 30 years.' The mining 'will provide jobs and a good boost to the economy and to the county,' Blubaugh continues. 'And it provides a source of fuel that doesn't contribute to greenhouse gases.' Blubaugh says Powertech plans to host its own public outreach meetings in the future, but says the company will attend future meetings organized by landowners if they're invited--and if it is for the purpose of discussing the technology and sharing information."
"2008 pres"
6:31:55 AM
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Bill Johnson was at the immigrant march yesterday. He writes about his feelings in his column in today's Rocky Mountain News. From the article, "Over the past year, federal agents have raided military bases, meatpacking plants and assorted other job sites, rounding up suspected illegal aliens, deporting the deportable, leaving their spouses and children to support and fend for themselves. One focus of Tuesday's march was to call an end to such raids, the point being that they are publicity stunts that fail to address the roots of illegal immigration and mainly serve to devastate families. If you are a 'what part of illegal don't you understand?' adherent, you might want to flip elsewhere about now. Life is never so black and white, and that mantra is not worthy of the problem it seeks to resolve. Illegal immigration is a serious problem, no question. Wouldn't it be nice if the federal government addressed it in a serious way?"
"2008 pres"
5:46:27 AM
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© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 3/15/09; 12:54:55 PM.
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