Friday, December 16, 2005
Today's News
The News Report
Warm Enough For Ya?
The BBC has reported ”Ocean temperatures recorded in the Northern Hemisphere Atlantic Ocean have also been the hottest on record.
British scientists also report that this was the second warmest year globally since such records were first reliably made, starting in the 1860s. The report clearly links this truth to global climate change caused by human activity.
A graph of world temperatures from 1960 to 2005.
The Bush administration has put the demands of science into a cost-benefit analysis system, and guess what? Turns out, the environment costs more than it’s worth. The future, free of all this clean air and excess solar radiation, will be a much warmer place, and who’s against warmth? Kittens are warm. Are you anti-kitten? Well, are you punk?
You stole my land, at least give me a chance to win it back!
The Catawba Indians of South Carolina had reached an agreement with the US government near the end of the Clinton administration. That agreement gave the Catawba $50 million dollars and the right to run both video poker and high stakes bingo at two locations in the state.
Video Poker was outlawed state wide a year or so after the agreement, and since then the Catawba bingo hall has seen a 50% drop in profits after the state established a state run lottery. Now the Catawba want to bring video poker back. A Master-in-equity court, pretty much the lowest court possible, has ruled that the Catawba have a right to video poker on their reservation, because the state changed the agreement with the Catawba by bringing in a state run lottery, cutting the Catawba profits by half.
On a personal aside, as a compulsive gambler who lost a business, house, myself and almost my family and life to my compulsion to gamble, video poker being my “drug of choice”, I am hopeful that video poker will not come back to the area. If it does, I look to see the entire state opened up to all forms of gambling, including casino and sports betting, in every city and berg, and soon.
As an advocate for justice, I am torn. I know that the Catawba, like all “New World Natives”, were decimated at the hands of Europeans..and the Catawba were one of the “Good Tribes” the white folks got along with by and large. I know their land was stolen from them. I don’t know if letting them win it back, mainly from the paychecks of the poor and working class like me, is the best way to see justice done.
Bring The Troops Home
In a Press Release, the Wisconsin Green Party has announced that they continue to push city-by-city votes on ending the US participation in the war on Iraq. Madison, Milwaukee, and at least a dozen other communities in Wisconsin will be able to vote on this issue, and the Wisconsin Green Party is a big part of that reality. Congratulations to them, and perhaps we can persuade someone to generate a report on where else Greens might be able to use this strategy. Any takers?
From Green Commons
Lou Novak points out the shenanigans that are leaving the Great Lakes at risk. Large scale diversions of water are curtailed, but smaller diversions can have an acute impact, as Lou calls it, a “death of a thousand cuts”. Links to the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News are included, so ya doesn’t haft ta trust jes us.
Labor Website of the Year
Labour Start, the British Labour website (not Labour Party, independent, like us. :->) has announced their 2005 “Labor Site of the Year” competition. Websites maintained by labor unions across the globe are self-nominated, and after review and analysis, the “Best of” award is issued. The top few sites are honored at the Labour Start website, and are always worth a look. It is amazing what our friends in organized labor are doing with the Internet.
Are you a member of a union? If so, and they have a kickin’ website, why not nominate it? Like the lottery folks say, you can’t win if you aren’t in.
Note from National
Over at Chlorophyll, Dean Myerson has posted a note from Brent McMillian, the national party’s Political Director. It seems that the Green Party is alive and kicking up some dust...in fact, two extra month’s worth of dust! We’ve already got as many candidates now as we had on Feb. 11th in 2004. And I personally know of two congressional races in SC that are not included in that list, and a possible third. Could be a banner year gang!
Energy Policy-Greens need one
As I mentioned in an “opinion” rant, we can look to world wide Greens for ideas, instead of only being able to look to the US experience. Well, our friends in Ireland’s Green Party are beginning the process of building a Green Energy Policy. I know we have the knowledge here, and the desire. We need a US Green Party energy plan people can see as viable, and they will want to have it. Perhaps the Irish are showing us the way.
Lord, what has become of my America?
I know the US didn’t turn evil over night. Perhaps the US still isn’t evil, but a lot of evil seems to emanate from here. The fact that the United States has an international reputation for torturing that Sec. Of State Rice has had to deny should be a source of great shame to us, in my opinion.
Now the Bush administration has finally gotten on board with John McCain to end torture as a possible tool for US troops, employees, or contractors.
Of course, we all know they wouldn’t lie to us and commit torture behind our backs...
OK gang, that’s about all for now. I am so happy at the participation here, and think that soon I will have a rhythm in place, and this site will be one folks will think worth their time. Y’all come back now, y’hear?
Warm Enough For Ya?
The BBC has reported ”Ocean temperatures recorded in the Northern Hemisphere Atlantic Ocean have also been the hottest on record.
British scientists also report that this was the second warmest year globally since such records were first reliably made, starting in the 1860s. The report clearly links this truth to global climate change caused by human activity.
A graph of world temperatures from 1960 to 2005.
The Bush administration has put the demands of science into a cost-benefit analysis system, and guess what? Turns out, the environment costs more than it’s worth. The future, free of all this clean air and excess solar radiation, will be a much warmer place, and who’s against warmth? Kittens are warm. Are you anti-kitten? Well, are you punk?
You stole my land, at least give me a chance to win it back!
The Catawba Indians of South Carolina had reached an agreement with the US government near the end of the Clinton administration. That agreement gave the Catawba $50 million dollars and the right to run both video poker and high stakes bingo at two locations in the state.
Video Poker was outlawed state wide a year or so after the agreement, and since then the Catawba bingo hall has seen a 50% drop in profits after the state established a state run lottery. Now the Catawba want to bring video poker back. A Master-in-equity court, pretty much the lowest court possible, has ruled that the Catawba have a right to video poker on their reservation, because the state changed the agreement with the Catawba by bringing in a state run lottery, cutting the Catawba profits by half.
On a personal aside, as a compulsive gambler who lost a business, house, myself and almost my family and life to my compulsion to gamble, video poker being my “drug of choice”, I am hopeful that video poker will not come back to the area. If it does, I look to see the entire state opened up to all forms of gambling, including casino and sports betting, in every city and berg, and soon.
As an advocate for justice, I am torn. I know that the Catawba, like all “New World Natives”, were decimated at the hands of Europeans..and the Catawba were one of the “Good Tribes” the white folks got along with by and large. I know their land was stolen from them. I don’t know if letting them win it back, mainly from the paychecks of the poor and working class like me, is the best way to see justice done.
Bring The Troops Home
In a Press Release, the Wisconsin Green Party has announced that they continue to push city-by-city votes on ending the US participation in the war on Iraq. Madison, Milwaukee, and at least a dozen other communities in Wisconsin will be able to vote on this issue, and the Wisconsin Green Party is a big part of that reality. Congratulations to them, and perhaps we can persuade someone to generate a report on where else Greens might be able to use this strategy. Any takers?
From Green Commons
Lou Novak points out the shenanigans that are leaving the Great Lakes at risk. Large scale diversions of water are curtailed, but smaller diversions can have an acute impact, as Lou calls it, a “death of a thousand cuts”. Links to the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News are included, so ya doesn’t haft ta trust jes us.
Labor Website of the Year
Labour Start, the British Labour website (not Labour Party, independent, like us. :->) has announced their 2005 “Labor Site of the Year” competition. Websites maintained by labor unions across the globe are self-nominated, and after review and analysis, the “Best of” award is issued. The top few sites are honored at the Labour Start website, and are always worth a look. It is amazing what our friends in organized labor are doing with the Internet.
Are you a member of a union? If so, and they have a kickin’ website, why not nominate it? Like the lottery folks say, you can’t win if you aren’t in.
Note from National
Over at Chlorophyll, Dean Myerson has posted a note from Brent McMillian, the national party’s Political Director. It seems that the Green Party is alive and kicking up some dust...in fact, two extra month’s worth of dust! We’ve already got as many candidates now as we had on Feb. 11th in 2004. And I personally know of two congressional races in SC that are not included in that list, and a possible third. Could be a banner year gang!
Energy Policy-Greens need one
As I mentioned in an “opinion” rant, we can look to world wide Greens for ideas, instead of only being able to look to the US experience. Well, our friends in Ireland’s Green Party are beginning the process of building a Green Energy Policy. I know we have the knowledge here, and the desire. We need a US Green Party energy plan people can see as viable, and they will want to have it. Perhaps the Irish are showing us the way.
Lord, what has become of my America?
I know the US didn’t turn evil over night. Perhaps the US still isn’t evil, but a lot of evil seems to emanate from here. The fact that the United States has an international reputation for torturing that Sec. Of State Rice has had to deny should be a source of great shame to us, in my opinion.
Now the Bush administration has finally gotten on board with John McCain to end torture as a possible tool for US troops, employees, or contractors.
Of course, we all know they wouldn’t lie to us and commit torture behind our backs...
OK gang, that’s about all for now. I am so happy at the participation here, and think that soon I will have a rhythm in place, and this site will be one folks will think worth their time. Y’all come back now, y’hear?
// posted by Gregg Jocoy @ 10:38 AM 
