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Thursday, February 14, 2008
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TalkLeft: "A new report by the Seton Hall Law Center for Policy and Research finds: More than 24,000 interrogations have been conducted at Guantánamo since 2002; All interrogations conducted at Guantánamo were videotaped. Thus, many videotapes documenting Guantánamo interrogations do or did exist; The Central Intelligence Agency is just one of many entities that interrogated detainees at Guantánamo."
Andrew Sullivan: "McCain's betrayal: I fear he has hurt himself very badly among those who were more than prepared to give him a chance...Maybe McCain is waiting to take on the forces of Rove and the electoral advantages of appealing to crude, fascistic templates of "torture-them-or-we-all-die" variety. But McCain should know that when dealing with unscrupulous thugs, appeasement is not the best policy. He's the nominee. He needs to remind people that conservatism can be - must be - a decent political philosophy, that upholds, rather than trashes, the deepest moral traditions of the United States."
"2008 pres"
6:12:16 PM 
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The Moderate Voice: "It was easy to overlook if you were thinking about baseball and mortgages and FISA yesterday, but Iraqi Parliament actually managed to get some good things done. They passed a budget, for one thing. They also defined the powers of the various states -- making Iraq a 'federal' government. They gave amnesty to thousands of prisoners. They declared that an upcoming election would be scheduled for October 1 (oh, if only the American election cycle were so short). Best of all, these bills were passed unanimously despite the fact that they are 'divisive'. Taken together, the new legislation should help even out the political power of the major ethnic, political, and religious groups in Iraq. And then the Parliament declared a 5 week holiday for themselves, insuring that no 'oil bill' would be passed anytime soon. Perhaps the best news of all is that 'representatives from Iraq's three main ethnic groups -- Shiite, Sunni and Kurd -- finally saw some benefit in compromise.'"
"2008 pres"
6:05:15 PM
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Via Colorado Pols: "Two polls today released by Rasmussen shows two interesting pictures regarding Colorado.
"The first is in regards to the Presidential race.
"This shows McCain beating Clinton 49%-35%, but Obama beating McCain 46%-39%. This seems to show a couple things-Clinton and McCain, the overwhelmingly defeated candidates in our straw polls have shallow support in our state. But no one tops Hillary unpopularity.
"The second poll is in regards to the Senate race, which again shows Schaffer ahead.
44%-43% for Schaffer. These numbers are unchanged since the last poll regarding our Senate race. This is good news for Schaffer-despite the less than amazing fund raising totals the race is still as close as all the commentators say it will be. Hopefully (as a Republican) this will help Schaffer's fund raising efforts-becaue Udall's money could make a huge difference in a close race.
"In any case, these two polls show that Colorado is truely a battleground state."
5:59:53 PM
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Political Wire: "The latest Rasmussen Reports tracking poll shows Sen. Barack Obama opening up a 12-point lead over Sen. Hillary Clinton, 49% to 37%. Over the past five days, Obama has gained 8 points while Clinton has dropped 12."
Political Wire: "The latest Gallup tracking poll shows Sen. Barack Obama edging Sen. Hillary Clinton nationally, 46% to 45%. A new American Research Group poll shows Obama leading Clinton, 47% to 45%."
Oliver Willis: "Obama Campaign On The Verge Of Stupid? Opting in to the public financing system? Are you whacked? Even if McCain gives a gentleman's agreement (for whatever that's worth with the GOP), to give up what is a newfound Democratic party strength is to hobble yourself."
Solutions and speeches. Ezra Klein: "This demonstrates not only a gross ruthlessness on the part of Clinton's campaign, but an astonishingly cavalier attitude towards the preservation of the progressive coalition. To be willing to blithely rip it to shreds in order to wrest a nomination that's not been fairly earned is not only low, but a demonstration of deeply pernicious priorities -- namely, it's an explicit statement that the campaign puts its own political success above the health of the party and the pursuit of progressive goals, and one can't but help assume that's exactly the attitude they would take towards governance, too."
Thanks to Andrew Sullivan for the link.
Political Wire: "A new Quinnipiac poll in Ohio shows Sen. Hillary Clinton leading Sen. Barack Obama, 55% to 34%, among likely voters. In Pennsylvania, Clinton is ahead of Obama, 52% to 36%."
"2008 pres"
5:55:28 PM
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KJCT8News: "When the snow melts away and the sun comes out its back to work for thousands of laborers on the Western Slope. The migrant worker population fills much of the void, and business owners say they work hard to hire only 'legal' help. The question is could the Western Slope survive the planting and harvesting season without migrant workers, even if some of them are here illegally?"
Thanks to Elevated Voices for the link.
"2008 pres"
5:47:47 PM
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From The Denver Post, "A Larimer County study of uranium mining refuses to say whether a proposed uranium operation in neighboring Weld County is dangerous, citing a lack of information about the project. The report, prepared by the Larimer County Environmental Advisory Board, lays out the potential risks of uranium extraction, including soil, water and air pollution. But without specific facts about proposed mining activity in Nunn in eastern rural Weld, the board could not make a judgment call, said board chairman Dale Lockwood. 'We just can't at the moment,' Lockwood said. 'We don't have a good way to quantify the risk.'"
More coverage from Fort Collins Now. They write:
A proposed uranium mine near Nunn poses no threat to Greeley's drinking water, but city officials say water from the mine could eventually find its way into Greeley's No. 3 Ditch if the mining isn't done correctly. And that water, depending on whom you ask, could be subject to potential contamination if the proposed mine is approved. The ditch water -- which is undrinkable anyway -- is used to water city parks and also provides water for agriculture on farms near Greeley. Greeley owns about 40 percent of the water in the ditch along with local farmers.
Powertech Uranium Corp. officials have previously said that they will be able to contain water at the mine site, preventing contamination, and that they will be able clean the groundwater after the uranium mining is completed. Jon Monson, Greeley's director of water and sewer, told the Greeley City Council at a work session Tuesday night that Greeley's drinking water supply originates upstream from the mine, is piped to the city and is in no danger of contamination. But, Monson said, if Powertech -- the Canadian company that wants to open the mine -- mines it correctly, there's no danger to the ditch water either...
Wells around Greeley are typically dug to less than 100 feet, Monson said, and the uranium will be mined from deposits 120 to 620 feet below ground. Greeley bought farms south of the proposed mine site near Pierce and Ault to augment water rights for the city, so Monson said declining property values will be a concern for the city -- as it is for nearby residents -- if the mine goes in. Monson said for people to be satisfied that the mine will be safe, Powertech should be required to have bonds assuring cleanup at the site, a fact Powertech already has conceded. Meanwhile, councilmembers Tuesday night split on whether to entertain a resolution against the mine. Fort Collins City Council has already passed a resolution against the proposed mine. "If we show our concerns now, it may prevent them from even applying," Councilman Carrol Martin said. "It scares me to death to put a uranium mine in our aquifer." As part of the permitting process, Powertech would have to convince the EPA that the water it will mine in will never be used for drinking water.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.
"2008 pres"
5:51:18 AM
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© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 3/15/09; 2:07:55 PM.
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