Dems host "Caucus Party" Jan. 3

Nicole Novotny, communications director for the Laramie County Democrats, sent this reminder:

On January 3, 2008, the Laramie County Democratic Party will host a "Caucus Party" at CB & Potts on Dell Range Blvd. in Cheyenne from 6-10 p.m. Please drop by and see which presidential candidates are pulling ahead at this point in 2008! See you there!

FMI: Nicole Novotny, 307-514-4685

Who'll win in Iowa? Today's polls show front-runners in both parties ranked neck-and-neck. Who would you caucus for in Iowa if you could?

Wyoming Year in Review: 2007

While it’s tough to predict the coming year, it’s easy to crack wise about events of the previous 365-or-so days. Esquire Magazine once cornered the market with its "Dubious Achievements of (insert year here)." It stopped offering dubious achievements in 2001 but resumed in 2003 due to popular demand. It usually features a photo of the late Dick Nixon with the caption, "Why is this man laughing?" In 2007, his laughter was caused by a poll showing that Dubya (and not Tricky Dick) was "the worst president ever." Thus Nixon is off the hook, posterity-wise.

Esquire taught me how to write headlines. Some of the worst transgressions against America featured in DA carried this headline: "The Thanks of a Grateful Nation." So, you could feature any of Dubya’s incomprehensible quotes under this headline. How about this one from April 2003: "You’re free. And freedom is beautiful. And you know, it will take time to restore chaos and order – order out of chaos. But we will." For this, Bush receives the thanks of a grateful nation. And how about this from April 2005: "I’m going to spend a lot of time on Social Security. I enjoy it. I enjoy taking on the issue. I guess, it’s the mother in me."

Before you accuse me of poking fun at a man who rose from humble beginnings to be the leader of the free world, remember that Dubya was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and experienced many of life’s advantages, including an Ivy league education. So why can’t he speak in complete sentences? Is it an affectation, designed to appeal to the Bubbas in the Republican Party? Is he just dumb, as many suspect? Or is it his dyslexia at work, which was talked about in the early days of his presidency but dropped post-9-11?

But let’s get back to the year in review. The major problem with 2007 is that Bush is still president. That will change with the 2008 elections, which truly will earn the thanks of a grateful nation. The Iraq War continues to rage, with 2007 becoming the worst year for American combat deaths. Democrats, with a majority in the House and senate, attempted to end the war several times but kept running into lunkhead Republicans standing shoulder-to-shoulder in defense of Bush’s lunkhead policies. The Dems – except for the crusty Christopher Dodd – forget how to play politics and filibuster and hold their breath until they turned blue to get their way. The Democratic Majority was a big disappointment in 2007.

What about Wyoming? The Associated Press’s top stories for the state were also political ones. They include the death of U.S. Sen. Craig Thomas and his replacement by John Barrasso, a celebrity-physician from Casper who might yet become a free-thinking Republican from Wyoming if he could quit his addiction to voting with the Know-Nothing bloc of his party on issues such as stem-cell research and health insurance for poor children.

Another big political story: Barbara Cubin decided to retire from her U.S. House seat. This would seem like good news for Democrats except that Cubin was a big target, losing many voters in her own party to Gary Trauner in the 2006 election. Trauner is running again, but no big-name Repubs have entered the fray. State Sen. Colin Simpson, son of former U.S. Sen "Big Al" Simpson, says he will not run. We’ll have to wait and see what 2008 brings.

The state’s Repubs also made news with their decision to move up their presidential delegate selection to Jan. 5, making the Wyo. event among the first in the nation. The Republican Party has severely disciplined their high-plains brethren and sistren, withholding any signed photos of Dick Cheney until they change their ways.

Wildlife issues entered the fray. Ranchers and other big guys with big guns want to shoot wolves and grizzly bears. The feds have entered the fray and I can’t figure out all the ins and outs of their decisions. Suffice to say that with Bush and Cheney’s hand-selected wildlife conservators in control, the wildlife will lose. I have a practical question. While the loss of stock is a blow to ranchers, how many cows and sheep are killed annually by wolves? What does it add up to in dollars? Now, balance that against the tourist dollars spent annually to see (or attempt to see) the wolves and bears in Yellowstone National Park. Tourism is our largest economic generator along with energy development (oil, gas and coal). Agriculture and ranching are a distant third or fourth, depending on whose statistics you accept. You’d think those staunch bottom-line members of the state Republican Party would be allies in protecting wolves. But many legislators continue to be ranchers or those beholden to the ranching lobby. They are living in the last century or maybe the one before that.

One of the best things about Wyoming in 2007? The Governor’s first annual Arts Summit in Casper. Wyomingites convened from across the state in October to listen to some common-sense advice about how the arts can help Wyoming prepare for the future. Gov. Freudenthal has convened his own summit conference for Jan. 10-11, 2008, focusing on "Building the Wyoming We Want."

The University of Wyoming’s energy institute has added a school to study wind power. There is a gradual awakening in the state that global warming will also affect us. Strange but true. We produce tons of low-sulphur coal each day and ship it around the country, only to have it come back to haunt us in drought and acid rain and higher temps and the ravages of the pine bark beatle. On the plus side: a millennium from now, we’ll have some bitchin’ surf in Cheyenne.

Wyoming’s economy continues to hum along. Population is increasing, but at a measured pace. Baby Boomers are discovering Wyoming as a retirement haven (see preceding post), which could be good news or bad, depending on your P.O.V.

We face 2008 with angst and hope. I’ll offer some predictions in upcoming posts. They will be wildly unpredictable.

Herds of Boomers choosing Wyoming

I am pleased to report that my nefarious plan is working. When I moved to Cheyenne in 1991 to work at the Wyoming Arts Council, I pledged to help transform the state into an arts mecca. This, in turn, would cause my fellow Baby Boomers to abandon their Yuppie ways and come to Wyoming, the Rocky Mountain Nirvana. As Horace Greeley might have said in 2007: "Go West, aging Baby Boomers -- and don't forget your medication for restless leg syndrome and erectile dysfunction."

Today's AP story on CNN.com says that migrating herds of Baby Boomers are heading this way in ever-increasing numbers:

Demographers say thousands of people...are heading to the Rocky Mountain West in their later years. Forget the warmth of Florida and Arizona. Baby boomers, in particular, are gravitating toward the peaks and sagebrush basins of Wyoming and Montana, promising to turn these states from relatively young into two of the nation's oldest.

They're drawn by low crime, fresh air, little traffic and abundant outdoor activities, said Larry Swanson, an economist and director of the Center for the Rocky Mountain West in Missoula, Mont.

Although people of all ages like those things, older people tend to be flexible enough in their careers, families and finances to finally kick up their boots on a porch rail, he said. "If you're 25, you say, `I'd like to live here, but maybe someday in the future.' But if you're 45 or 55, the future is now."

The populations of Montana and Wyoming are not very old. In 2000, Montana ranked 18th and Wyoming 43rd for the relative size of their 65-and-over populations. But by 2030, the Census Bureau predicts Montana will rank fifth and Wyoming third in the nation for their over-65 populations.

The two states are not seeking out older people; they are being discovered.

The AP story by Mead Gruver cites some examples of people who’ve taken the plunge and moved to Wyoming. John Kerr, 69, retired from Boston's PBS station and became a seasonal Yellowstone ranger. Laurie Lyman, 55, quite her teaching job in San Diego and she and her husband are joining their friends in "snapping up property around Yellowstone." Ms. Lyman said she visited Yellowstone a few years ago and fell in love with its wolves. She plans to live close to them. I advise that she keep a close eye on her Yorkie, as gray wolves consider them a delicacy.

It’s easy to understand why Boomers with means are moving to the Yellowstone area. The scenery is gorgeous, crime rates are low, and there are lots of outdoor activities. The article does not mention that Wyoming has no income tax, which could be part of the draw. It also doesn’t mention that Teton County property tends to appreciate because there is only so much open space to build on. So, a pretty solid investment, even in this era of mortgage scandals and rampant foreclosures. And there are some celebs to ogle in Jackson Hole. The Dick Cheney Air Force drops out of the sky with alarming frequency. His gated community is lousy with CEOs, both indicted and unindicted. Harrison Ford, once a full-time resident, is occasionally spotted buzzing bewildered tourists with his helicopter. The cry goes out: "Indiana Jones! Run for it!"

Jackson is Wyoming’s cosmopolitan outpost. There is a plaque downtown that celebrates the first latte served in Wyoming. In some of the quaint shops downtown, you can buy clothing items that cost more than your "Greatest Generation" parents paid for their first house. Jackson features all of the state's great restaurants.

Jackson Hole's biggest draw? The arts. It features the Grand Teton Music Festival in Teton Village. Scores of arts galleries. And best of all -- the new Center for the Arts in the middle of Jackson. It houses the state's only full-time dance company in Dancer's Workshop, two theatre companies, the Jackson Hole Writers Conference, two film festivals, and scores of others. The Center houses classrooms, a dance rehearsal studio, a state-of-the art theatre, and a huge pottery studio with kilns. This facility gives the rest of us something to shoot for.

But what about the rest of the state? Does art exist in Casper and Green River and Cheyenne? And will Boomers want to dwell in these windswept outposts?

Yes, I'm happy to report. And so are AP and CNN. The reporter located a couple that relocated to my town of Cheyenne:

Working was what Lee and Beth Dix had in mind in 1999 when they began thinking about leaving Washington, D.C., where he was a systems analyst for IBM Corp. and she was a corporate planner for Fairchild Corp.

Lee Dix, 62, said the couple researched dozens of communities in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, then flew to Denver and started driving. The couple ended up in Cheyenne, the first overnight stop on their trip.

Lee Dix said the couple did not even consider Florida or Arizona after sweltering in Washington. "Except for the wind here, this is a pretty ideal place for us," he said.

This is an encouraging development. I've lived in the Washington, D.C., area and I'll take Wyoming's wind to the Beltway's swelter and bombast any day. But approaching Cheyenne from the south as the Dixes did can be a daunting experience. At the border, motorists must negotiate a scary line-up of giant brightly-lit billboards (they can be seen from space) and then a series of big-box fireworks' outlets ("More bang for the buck!"). Roaming herds of buffalo and pronghorn antelope lurk in the tall grass, waiting to pounce on wayward tourists. Beware of the roving bands of gay married couples trying to sneak their illicit lifestyles into The Equality State! Republican legislators warned us last session about this, said we needed to change our lax marriage laws to stem this rising tide. And now look!

The constant west wind can send cow-sized tumbleweeds barreling across I-25. Last fall, a particularly large t-weed swallowed a Toyota Prius and sent it tumbling off to Nebraska. The occupants, a trio of consultants from Denver, were never heard from again. The City of Cheyenne's gateway is notable for its truck stops, car dealerships, and tumbledown motels. Mile-long freight trains rumble along the tracks. Tourists crashing at the motels stay awake all night just so they can hear that lonesome whistle blow.

Still, it's a town where the arts are increasing in quantity and quality. And we're anxious to welcome other adventurous Boomers. We hope you're not here just for the tax breaks or the housing prices. Bargain hunters or part-time residents make bad neighbors. They also tend to be Republicans -- we don't need any more of those. We hope you are good citizens who contribute to the town's cultural vitality. We have a great symphony and theatre company. We have an active arts scene. Our new library is top-notch. This is a community full of readers, people curious about the world. We come out in force for events sponsored by the Arts Council and the Wyoming Humanities Council. The State Museum has a great lecture series focusing on Wyoming history.

Welcome Boomers! We've been setting the table for years, awaiting your arrival for the feast that is Wyoming. Hope you remembered those little purple pills.

DCCC gives boost to Trauner campaign

Mcjoan on Daily Kos posted this on Dec. 20 about Gary Trauner’s new visibility (and viability) in the 2008 race for Wyoming’s lone U.S. House seat:

The DCCC's fundraising efforts have been successful enough that they can look beyond defending seats of vulnerable incumbents, so they're looking at targeting key open seats, currently held by Republicans. These include state Senate Majority Leader Debbie Halvorson in Illinois’ 11th district; state Sen. John Adler in New Jersey’s 3rd; state Assemblywoman and 2006 nominee Linda Stender in New Jersey’s 7th; Franklin County Commissioner and 2006 nominee Mary Jo Kilroy in Ohio’s 15th; state Sen. John Boccieri in Ohio’s 16th; and most exciting for us, Gary Trauner in Wyoming’s at-large.

Mcjoan also includes this quote from Frank Luntz:

Luntz, who has been most often associated with the Republican Party, was not as certain about whether the Wyoming GOP can hang onto the U.S. House seat to be vacated by incumbent Barbara Cubin. "In this current environment, I don't count on anything anymore," he said. "Wyoming is not as Republican as people think it is," Luntz added. "Voters have such a deep independent streak, and they don't like Washington."... "Do you realize how angry the American people are right now? They're angry at the war. They're angry at the economy. They're angry at illegal immigration," he said. They also are angry at the waste and corruption in Washington.

Here's what Mr. Trauner has to say about this turn of events:

The support of the everyday people through the netroots means a lot. There may be some issues where we disagree, but their financial support will make a huge difference going forward.... I welcome the DCCC's support, but I'm still running a race for the people of Wyoming and what matters to them. That's doing the right thing for the people of Wyoming and our country, and I'm glad the DCCC willing to stand behind that.... For me, I'm optimistic, buoyantly optimistic. It's more clear than ever that people aren't happy with the path we're on, with the representation that they have. It's gotten worse since 2006. We need representatives who are willing to be leaders and tell it straight.

Act Blue! Contribute to Trauner!

Blue Majority has endorsed Gary Trauner for Congress. The site bills itself this way:

We may have re-taken Congress, but our work is by no means done – in fact, this is just the beginning. Now, we need to support and strengthen our caucus. This page will feature candidates selected by DailyKos, OpenLeft, and the Swing State Project whose presence in Congress will make our party stronger.

Trauner won in most of WYO’s cities in 2006 but lost in the rural north. Trauner’s challenge will be to woo those voters in 2008, no easy task. The good news is that there isn’t yet an announced Republican candidate to replace Barbara Cubin, the right-wing kook who’s (finally) retiring. Many Repubs thought that the candidate would be State Senator Colin Simpson, son of former Sen. Big Al Simpson. But Colin tendered his regrets a few weeks ago, saying that he didn’t want to go to D.C. because the change would be too much for his young family. Colin Simpson has not been particularly noteworthy during his time in the State Senate. He tows the party line most of the time, but that’s not to unusual in this state. If he does decide to run in the future, let’s hope he exhibits his father’s tendency to cross party lines and work with the other side of the aisle.

Here’s what Blue Majority says about Mr. Trauner:

In deep red Wyoming, Trauner stands up for the Constitution. He nearly beat Republican Barbara Cubin in 2006, and forced her into retirement. He’s now gearing up to take the seat, while speaking out strongly on core Constitutional principles like the rule of law and illegal wiretapping by private phone companies. No matter what the pundits say, the Bill of Rights is popular everywhere in the country, with the possible exception of DC.

Blue Majority is collecting funds for Trauner. So far, it's racked up more than $1,100, which goes a long way in WYO. You can also contribute at his web site. Trauner will need lots of dough to counter the deep pockets of the WYO GOP, an outfit which specializes in casting aspersions through expensive TV ads.

Wandering in the wilderness since 1968

This comes from Jim Wallis's Dec. 19 column, "My Prayer for 2008," at Sojourners Online:

1968 was the turning point when everything began to go wrong in America. I remember my feelings at the time vividly. King had been the leader of the movements that had captured my imagination and commitment as a young activist; and Kennedy was the only politician who won my political trust. I was getting ready to take a break from college to work on his presidential campaign when he was killed. Ever since 1968, the door has been closed to real social change in the U.S. Since 1968, we have been wandering in the wilderness. The coming New Year -- 2008 -- marks 40 years of that wandering, a passage of time I have been pondering as we enter into it.

I agree with Jim. We have been wandering in the wilderness since 1968. We have a chance for a major upheaval in the 2008 elections. But it's not just elections that make big changes. As Jim says:

Real social progress seems to require that combination -- strong social movements and open political doors. I believe we may be approaching just such a time.

Maybe we are. Those doors have been closed for such an awfully long time.

Read the entire column at http://www.sojo.net/.

WDP offers daily news roundup on blog

Bill Luckett, the Wyoming Democratic Party's PIO, has been compiling a daily news roundup on the party's blog. To check it out, go to http://www.wyomingdemocrats.com/ and click on "blog" on the sidebar.

He carried this listing yesterday:

Not too much today. First up is a new story today in the Casper Star-Tribune on Chairman Millin’s recent letter to the Denver Post: Dem leader ruffles feathers

I read the story yesterday in the CST. Some of the state's Dems have complained about what they saw as the party's endorsement of Brack Obama for president. Millin said that he was only voicing his personal opinion and not speaking for the WDP. Still, the rules committee will probably look at this during the state convention over Memorial Day weekend 2008 in Jackson.

Wyoming's Cheney featured on Time's "Magazine Cover of the Year"

As did so many smart-asses of my generation, I devoured each issue of National Lampoon when it hit the newsstands. All those great humor writers: Michael O'Donaghue, who later found fame in strange one-man sketches on Saturday Night Live; P.J. O'Rourke, who grew up to be a "Republican lounge lizard" (his term) and author of one of my favorite books, "Holidays in Hell;" Bruce McCall, comic writer and illustrator, inventor of the "Bulgemobile;" Tona Hendra; and Doug Kenney (notice all the Irish-American surnames?). The magazine's covers were designed to grab the attention of teens and twenty-somethings, mostly males. The most infamous is the one pictured above: "If you don't buy this magazine, we'll shoot this dog." I don't know this for a fact, but I'm sure that issue sold out quickly. Not that we were dog haters. Almost everyone I knew had some big gallumphing mutt. We just loved dark humor.

Maybe that's why I was pleased to see a Texas Monthly homage to that National Lampoon issue chosen as Time's "magazine cover of the year." As you can see above, it features a gun-toting (and always snarling) Dick Cheney with shotgun. It refers to the famous incident in 2006 when Cheney went duck hunting and all he did was wound a Republican supporter. Funnier still was his victim's apology a few days later. Apparently he was concerned that the Veep might wield some of his limitless power to do him harm. His apology went something like this: "Sorry I got in the way of your shotgun pellets, Dick. Please don't send my family to Gitmo!" Texas Monthly is a fine magazine, one that almost makes me want to live in Texas. I first started reading it back in the late 1970s when Bill Broyles as editor. Broyles is a fine writer and now a famous Hollywood screenwriter who (like many Texans) lives in Jackson Hole. He's written movingly of his experiences as a Marine in Vietnam. Way to go, Texas Mo. Keep up the good work.

Arthur C. Clarke wants "to be remembered as a writer"

"Sometimes I am asked how I would like to be remembered," said Arthur C. Clarke at his 90th birthday Sunday in Colombo, Sri Lanka. "I have had a diverse career as a writer, underwater explorer and space promoter. Of all these I would like to be remembered as a writer."

Clarke, author of 100 sci-fi books including "2001: A Space Odyssey," listed three wishes on his birthday: for the world to embrace cleaner energy resources; for a lasting peace in his adopted home, Sri Lanka; and for evidence of extraterrestrial beings.

"I have always believed that we are not alone in this universe," he said.

Humans are waiting until extraterrestrial beings "call us or give us a sign. We have no way of guessing when this might happen. I hope sooner rather than later."

Wyo. Democratic Party responds to Millin

The Wyoming Democratic Party web site offers several links to stories about State Chair John Millin's letter to the editor last week in the Denver Post (see previous post). The letter dissed Hillary Clinton's candidacy because, according to Millin, she would be a drag on the efforts of Democrats in Wyoming. The state is red as red can be, and many of these Reds have an irrational hatred of the Clintons. His letter also promoted the candidacy of Barack Obama. So, the WDP web site offered this caveat:

Please note that the opinions expressed by Chairman Millin in the Denver Post article are his personal opinions only, and they do not reflect any official position of the Wyoming Democratic Party. The party remains neutral in all Democratic primary elections, and the party will enthusiastically support our presidential nominee. Every one of our party’s major candidates for president would make a better president for this country than any one running on the Republican side. As a state party chairman and as a superdelegate to the national convention, Chairman Millin is free to endorse whichever candidate he prefers for president. Part of our presidential election process involves the candidates trying to earn the endorsements of unpledged delegates to the convention. But any delegate’s endorsement of any candidate does not change the position of the Democratic Party, which remains neutral in the presidential primary.

Last week was an active one, media-wise, for some of the state's top Democrats. First you had Gov. Freudenthal say he wasn't going to attend the Democratic National Convention in August 2008 down the road in Denver. He did a switcheroo on that one, once he was informed that he was a superdelgate to the convention and his presence would be missed. And then came Mr. Millin's letter and the responses to it.

I believe in standing up as a Democrat. I did like Millin's letter's list of Dems' accomplishments in Wyoming. The best was Gary Trauner scaring Barbara Cubin into retirement. We're all very happy about that, as Ms. Cubin continues to miss crucial votes in Congress. Considering her right-wing voting record, maybe that's not such a bad thing...

Regarding Millin's Denver Post comments

Here are my comments to a recent letter to the editor by Wyoming Democratic Party Chair John Millin which appeared in the Denver Post. His comments about a Hillary Clinton candidacy and its effects on other WYO Democratic Party candidates (local and national) have caused quite a stir. I thought I'd provide some context:

I'm a Wyoming Democrat and recently served as secretary to the Laramie County Democrats when John Millin was its chair. So, my comments come to you completely biased. Yes, Hillary Clinton will not be a fave among Wyoming voters. Obama may get a few more votes if he's the Democratic Party's presidential candidate. The same goes for Edwards. But let's face it: the Republican candidate, no matter who HE is, will win Wyoming and its crucial three electoral votes. Democrats voting for president in Wyoming are throwing away their vote. We saw how little the popular vote counts in the 2000 elections, when Gore was elected prez by the majority of Americans but Bush won the electoral contest thanks to Republican Party hacks in Florida and some tired old cranks on the Supreme Court.

But the alternative is to vote for the Republican candidate. We can't afford another eight years of compassionate conservatism. Look what's happened the past eight years. Bush and Cheney have taken us to the brink of World War III and keep pressing war against Iran.

I will vote Democratic for president, Hillary or not. My neighbors will vote for Mitt or Fred or Rudy. Republicans will continue to turn our government over to corporate interests and Christian know-nothings. They will continue to wage war against the planet.

Our only choice for salvation lies with the Democrats. My first choice for president is not Ms. Clinton. I like Edwards and Kucinich and Richardson. But if she's chosen at the Denver convention, I will vote for Hillary Clinton. I reckon that John Millin will also do so, as will other Wyoming Dems.

Calls to impeach WYO's "favorite son"

Democrat.com carried news on Friday about a call by Rep. Robert Wexler of Florida to impeach V.P. Dick Cheney, the quiet young man who grew up in Casper, Wyoming, and went on to become the scourge of the universe. Joining Wexler in this effort are two other Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee: Luis Gutierrez of Illinois and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin. They called on their committee to begin impeachment hearings. Here's what they said:

"The charges are too serious to ignore. There is credible evidence that the Vice President abused the power of his office, and not only brought us into an unneccesary war but violated the civil liberties and privacy of American citizens. It is the constitutional duty of Congress to hold impeachment hearings."

They wrote an op-ed outlining their position, but none of the nation's leading newspapers would publish it, according to Democrat.com. No surprise there. As A.J. Liebling said, "The free press belongs to those who own one." So it's been up to progressive bloggers to spread the word. Some of those links are on my sidebar.

To sign a petition supporting Wexler's efforts, go to http://wexlerwantshearings.com/

A fine mishegoss you got us into

In Wednesday’s New York Times, Maureen Dowd writes about a recent speech at the American Enterprise Institute by Iraq War architect Douglas Feith. He was part of Donald Rumsfeld’s stable of neo-cons who did such a great job in Iraq. Dowd says this about Feith and his chickenhawk pals:

"He was simply trying to put an egghead gloss on his Humpty Dumpty mishegoss."

Mishegoss? That’s a new word for me. Here are its meanings:

"Noun 1. mishegoss -- (Yiddish) craziness; senseless behavior or activity meshugaas, mishegaasfoolery, tomfoolery, lunacy, craziness, folly, indulgence -- foolish or senseless behavior."

That pretty well sums up our Iraq misadventure.

Bush's "hoodoo science" on global warming

Ronald Reagan believed in voodoo economics. This president believes in voodoo science (maybe that's hoodoo science). Or maybe he just believes in the power of ignorance. Rep. Henry Waxman’s House Oversight and Government Reform Committee issued its report Monday about the Bush Administration’s interference with climate change science. It obtained more than 27,000 pages of documents from the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the Commerce Department, held two investigative hearings, and interviewed officials. Most of this info has never been publicly disclosed.

The findings are available on Waxman’s site at http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1653. Here’s an executive summary:

The evidence before the Committee leads to one inescapable conclusion: the Bush Administration has engaged in a systematic effort to manipulate climate change science and mislead policymakers and the public about the dangers of global warming.

On a gut-level, we always knew this to be the case. Now we know for sure. We have proof, which is something the Republicans never pay attention to.

Coal-powered projects snuffed in WYO

Casper Star-Tribune energy reporter Dustin Bleizeffer reports this in today’s issue:

Two coal-based power projects planned for southwest Wyoming have been snuffed due to an uncertain political climate regarding greenhouse gases. PacifiCorp, which operates as Rocky Mountain Power in Wyoming, said it has pulled all coal-based power generation from its plan to meet increasing load demand within the six Western states it serves. The action scraps a planned 527-megawatt, "super-critical" pulverized coal unit at the Jim Bridger power plant in Sweetwater County. It also scraps a coal-gasification, carbon capture and sequestration demonstration project in partnership with the state of Wyoming at Jim Bridger, according to Rocky Mountain Power spokesman Dave Eskelsen.

"The situation the company finds itself in now is a significant amount of uncertainty about what climate change regulation might do to the cost of coal plants," Eskelsen said Monday. "Coal projects are no longer viable."California, Oregon, Washington and other states across the nation are forcing utilities to consider the additional cost of curbing carbon dioxide emissions in proposed coal-based generation, due to increasing pressure to address climate change. The world's top scientists say human-caused CO2 is almost certainly a key factor in global warming.

This is good news for all of us, including Wyomingites. Republicans will blather on about this, I’m sure, but global warming affects Rock Springs as much as Palm Springs or Warm Springs or any other similarly-named place on the planet. Cancelling (or at least postponing) coal-fired plants is a good thing. In the meantime, we can invest more in solar and wind energy, as well as biofuels.
But the CST story gets more intriguing further down the page:

The outside pressures against coal-fired generation are in complete contrast with the treatment conventional coal projects have received from Freudenthal's administration and Wyoming regulators. At least three new coal-fired power plant projects have been approved in Wyoming in recent years, with no carbon capture or sequestration requirements. All three plants are planned for construction in Campbell County over the next three years. Among them is Basin Electric Power
Cooperative's 385-megawatt Dry Fork Station.

As a Democrat, this distresses me. Many pressures are brought to bear on a Dem governor in our fair state, but Freudenthal shouldn’t be so quick to approve these coal-fired monsters. While he’s talked about global warming and attended some of the regional/national conclaves about renewable energy, Freudenthal needs to take the same kind of proactive stance shown by Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter. Less coal, more renewable sources of energy. Gov. Freudenthal also needs to put some money into play.

Home from Iraq for Christmas

Our plane was late. Good thing for the eight Air Force guys who showed up right before the regular boarding time. Some were in desert camouflage uniforms, others wore civvies. All had short haircuts. "Iraq," I guessed. "Maybe Afghanistan."

Iraq, it turns out. One of the airmen sat next to me in row 31 on the flight to Denver. They had been eight months in Kuwait. Their job was driving the trucks that supply to U.S. military throughout Iraq. The guy next to me, Greg from southeastern Idaho, estimated that he drove 20,000 miles in his eight-month stint. Sometimes he drove, sometimes he rode shotgun – in this case, a government-issue automatic weapon. I asked him if they had any problem with I.E.D.s. He looked at me as if I was crazy. "Yeah," he said simply. "It wasn't any fun.

That may be the understatement of the year.

Greg and his buddies had departed Kuwait Sunday morning. A five-hour flight to Germany. Eight hours to Baltimore-Washington Airport (BWI). Four hours to Denver. Greg’s next flight was to Spokane where he was stationed at Fairchild AFB. Then he was off to his family near Idaho Falls for Christmas. His brother won't be there because he's in Afghanistan until April.

Before joining the Air Force two years ago, he was part of a harvesting crew that spent the summer and fall roaming the high prairie cutting wheat, corn, and soybeans. Wheat in the Dakotas, corn in Kansas and Nebraska, soybeans in Missouri. He said that he dropped on Cheyenne Frontier Days a few times during his travels. A few days in Cheyenne and then, like an 1880s cowhand, he was off to greener fields, or maybe I should say ripening fields? So now he travels the world with the Air Force. Join the Air Force and drive a big rig to Kirkuk and Ramadi and Fallujah!

Greg and his buddies threw back the drinks. Who could blame them? They were young and fatigued and happy to be out of the war zone. They all had I-Pods. Greg’s was stored in a sturdy black metal case. I didn’t have to ask him why. His buddy across the aisle wore civvies and a do-rag on his head. He was plugged into music, as was the buzz-headed airman in front of him. A few rows up, another airman was reading a book about Iran. Didn’t see the whole title, but he was reading up, just in case our presdident makes yet another dumb move.

Many of us had short connections in Denver. One airman had six minutes to catch his flight to Salt Lake City. Greg and his pal Matt had 30 minutes. I only had 15 minutes and a colleague and I ran to the A concourse only to find that it had been cancelled and we had to wait two hours for another. But, as I sit here on a Monday morning in Cheyenne, I realize I’d only been gone five days to an arts conference in Baltimore. These guys hadn’t seen family for at least eight months. I wish them well and hope they don’t have to return to Bush’s Insane War in Iraq.

How do we build a Wyoming we want?

Governor Dave Freudenthal will convene a conference called "Building the Wyoming We Want" on Jan. 10-11 at Casper College's Krampert Theatre. Tickets are $25 each. Anyone can attend, but registration is required. To register, click here.

FMI: Mark Toft at 307-777-8922 or Wendy Curran at 777-3654. I’ll

To see the conference schedule, go to http://outreach.uwyo.edu/conferences/buildingthewyowewant/agenda.asp

First suggestion: Let's quit socking money away in the Rainy Day Savings Account ($4 billion and counting) and spend it on infrastructure.

Even in Wyo., King Coal may lose crown

Bill Sniffin's column in today's Wyoming Tribune-Eagle is the second of his I've read that addresses coal's precarious future in Wyoming.

Sniffin, a long-time Wyo. journalist who once ran for governor in 2002 as a Republican, seems to know his subject. He notes that the state has 250 years worth of low-sulphur coal in the ground. He adds: "Wyoming is North America's Saudi Arabia when it comes to coal."

We are in the midst of an energy boom that began back in 2002. Coal, oil, and natural gas are partners in the boom. Sniffin doesn't mention this, but this also coincides with a Republican president and a Republican Congress, all friends of fossil fuel. Not to mention Wyoming's own, Dick Cheney, whose secret meetings with corporate energy tycoons early in the Bush presidency set us on our current path of energy dependence and Middle East wars.

But Sniffin, at least, recognizes that coal's days are numbered. And why is that?

"A bogeyman named global warming has entered the nation's consciousness and is starting to put a crimp into some of these developments, especially coal."

While Bush has spent most of his tenure denying that global warming exists, he now at least acknowledges that there's a slight possibility that it could exist. Even Texas, Dubya's home state, has cancelled "a huge development of coal-powered plants that would have used 7 percent of Wyoming's coal." Not even Texas wants a new batch of coal-fired plants polluting the atmosphere and ratcheting up the global CO2 index. Sniffin also notes that Utah residents are up in arms over plans for a coal-fired plant next door in Nevada.

People everywhere, it seems, are taking global warming seriously.

Meanwhile, battles rage over keeping energy development out of the Wyoming Range and the Red Desert. While energy development is king in Wyoming, hunters and ranchers and environmentalists are forming alliances to save those natural places which make up the true bounty of the state. It's ironic that fossil fuels pulled from beneath the high prairie and rugged mountains may be the cause of a warmer planet that will kill alpine forests and turn grasslands into desert.

Bill Sniffin wraps up his column by saying that "the public relations advantage is definitely in the hands of the global warming folks." His wording implies that he is not one of these folks, nor are most Wyomingites.

But it's not just a mater of P.R. Global warming is a real threat with dire consequences. Republicans, too, have only one planet to call home.

Journalists: Iraq more dangerous than ever

From the Project for Excellence in Journalism:

In a new PEJ survey, journalists reporting from Iraq say the conditions are the most dangerous they've ever encountered. Ninety percent say most of Baghdad remains too dangerous to visit. Nearly 60% of the news organizations have had at least one Iraqi staff member killed or kidnapped in the last year. The survey is of 111 journalists from 29 news organizations reporting from Iraq.

Adobe Town could get stronger protection

On Wednesday, the Wyoming Environmental Quality Council decided to back stronger protection for an area known as Adobe Town in southwest Wyoming. The meeting was held in nearby Rock Springs. According to an article in the Casper Star-Tribune:

The council voted 5-1 to approve a petition from the Laramie-based Biodiversity Conservation Alliance and seven other conservation groups that designates about 180,000 acres in and around Adobe Town as a "very rare and uncommon" area. Commissioners concluded that Adobe Town has the significant scenic, archaeological, historic, wildlife, or surface geological values necessary for the designation.

Here's a description of Adobe Town from the Friends of the Red Desert web site.

Carved into intricate shapes by water and wind, Adobe Town is possibly the most astonishing and remote set of badlands and geological formations in the entire state of Wyoming. Throughout the area, which is virtually untouched by human activity, wide patches of desert and rolling sand dunes stretch across the open spaces between colorful rock formations and rugged canyons. Fossils of long-extinct mammals, reptiles, and invertebrates show visitors what once inhabited this landscape. And several high priority plant species that have adapted to thrive off 5 inches of average rainfall sprout from the arid soil.

I've been to many sections of the Red Desert, including Adobe Town. It's a severe and beautiful landscape, one that needs protection from the ravages that have been inflicted upon other parts of Wyoming. I attended the "Red Desert Symposium" at the UW Art Museum in September. Annie Proulx was there, speaking about her new book, "Red Desert," which chronicles -- in words and stunning photos -- the scope of this wonderful region. I'll keep you posted on the release date for the book.

Keeping an eye on the Republicans

From Mike Gehrke on the Democratic National Committee's e-mail newsletter:

What are Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, John McCain and Fred Thompson telling voters in Iowa and New Hampshire?

As the Democratic Party's Research Director, I spend a lot of time watching what the candidates say when they aren't on CNN or Fox News. Believe me, they're like entirely different people when they're speaking to just a few dozen people in Des Moines or Manchester and don't think the cameras are rolling.

But don't just take my word for it -- watch the video yourself, and let us know right away if you find something noteworthy: http://www.democrats.org/FlipperTV

Dems with cameras have been attending public events by the Republican candidates and recording the proceedings. They then go to their laptops and download the video, making it available to all of us. If you have the time and patience, you might find some good stuff to blog. I'll let you know when I do.

News from the Laramie County Democrats

At the Laramie County Democrats' meeting last night at the Plains Hotel, party chairman Mike Bell announced that Saturday, March 8, is the date for the county convention. It will be held at the University of Wyoming Family Practice Center, 18th St. and Pebrican, Cheyenne. County Dems need to attend the convention if you're interested in becoming a delegate to the state convention on Memorial Day weekend in Jackson. There, the delegates to the August 2008 Democratic National Convention will be selected. Wyoming is allowed 14 delegates and four super-delegates for the Denver gathering. These latter delegates include Wyoming Democratic Party Chair John Millin, Gov. Dave Freudenthal, and the state's two national committee members.

Mike also announced that the annual Nellie Tayloe Ross dinner will be held March 1 and the legislative reception March 7.

The county Democrats will share a new downtown office with the state party at 117 W. 17th St., next door to the Wyoming Epilspesy Foundation offices. No hours have been set, so dial in later for that info.

Also check out the party's new web site at http://www.laramiecountydemocrats.org.

Trauner fund-raiser set for Dec. 8

The Democratic Party Grassroots Coalition will hold a holiday party and Christmas brunch on Saturday, Dec. 8, 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Historic Governor's Mansion in downtown Cheyenne. Guest speaker will be Gary Trauner, the Democrat from Wilson who's running for Wyoming's lone U.S. House seat in 2008. There is no admission charge. But bring your checkbooks and donate to Gary's campaign. You're also invited to bring along your favorite brunch item to share.

This is Gary's first campaign appearance in Laramie County. For more info on his campaign, go to http://www.traunerforcongress.com.

"Chinatown" on Grist's "green" list

Besides offering comprehensive coverage of environmental issues, Grist magazine periodically offers up "green lists" of movies, cities, politicians, colleges, etc. The mag's list of 15 green movies includes the expected documentaries, such as "An Inconvenient Truth" and "Who Killed the Electric Car," but also some surprises such as "Chinatown." This is my favorite movie because of the acting of Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, plus the twisted, intriguing plot that keeps its secret until the end. Grist likes it for the subplot that runs underneath the action: L.A.'s insatiable thirst and its history of water grabs. Nicholson's character, private eye Jake Gittes, asks rich-guy bad-guy John Huston how much money he needs. But this aqua-tycoon not only wants more money, but all the water in California and, the creepy heart of the matter: his daughter's (and her daughter's) sexual favors. The movie's title could have been "Greed" but it was already taken. Those Seven Deadly Sins just keep on giving.

See Grist's green movie list at http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2007/06/29/movies/

Surge is working; people keep dying

First Lt. Walter Bryan Jackson, a 2005 West Point grad who recently received the Distinguished Service Cross for service in Iraq, is profiled in today's Washington Post. He's been operated on a dozen times for wounds he received under fire in Iraq. His best friend and college roommate was just killed in an Afghanistan ambush. The Post reporter talked to him as he was shipping off to a new assignment, this one in South Korea:

"It's kind of hard to explain" how it feels to be part of a small segment of the U.S. population that is "bearing the brunt of the responsibilities" from today's conflicts, Jackson said as he waited for his flight at Dulles International Airport. "It doesn't affect society at large in the slightest. Life just goes on, and a lot of people . . . are more concerned about the price of gas than about soldiers fighting and dying," said Jackson, who has lost several comrades in the wars.

So far in November, 32 Americans have been killed in Iraq. Total deaths on the U.S. side are approaching 3,900. Total wounded are in the tens of thousands, although now we hear that some 20,000 returning G.I.s not previously counted in the wounded ranks have returned with some kind of brain damage.

The surge, of course, have reduced overall incidents of violence and U.S. casualties. But is that due to the surge or other factors? Depends which side of the U.S. political fence you live on. I can give credit to Bush & Petreaus for a change in policy. But the Republicans are anxious to pile on the praise for the surge because, overall, the Iraq War has been a disaster for their party and led directly to the Congressional shift in 2006 and most likely a democratic victory in 2008. So they endlessly praise the surge for this war that's lasted longer than World War II.

Our new Wyoming senator, John Barrasso of Casper, was just in Iraq for two days and has heard from Wyoming fighting men and women that the surge is working. Here's an excerpt from a story in today's Casper Star-Tribune by Joshua Wolfson:

He also visited with Wyoming soldiers and gave them quarters, hats and patches from the Cowboy State. After speaking with the troops, Barrasso said the United States has "absolutely" achieved a significant military success since the troop surge began earlier this year. "There has been measurable progress," he said, pointing to figures that show the number of injuries and deaths of Iraqi citizens and U.S. soldiers on the decline.

Reminders of home are much appreciated when you are thousands of miles away in a war zone. But Barrasso may have brought with him another reminder of home, that American Senators have the luxury of flying to Iraq for a two-day jaunt and then returning home to loved ones for the holidays and little post-Thanksgiving shopping. Sen. Barrasso can now return to the Senate in good conscience and keep blocking Dem efforts to set a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. He and Sen. Enzi have voted in lockstep with other Republican Senators to keep the war going and ensure that this time next year another Congressional contingent will be on the ground in Baghdad.

But the senator gave a stern warning to the Iraqi leader:

During his visit to Iraq, Sen. John Barrasso delivered a message on behalf of his Wyoming constituents to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki."I specifically told him I was the newest United States senator, I was from Wyoming," Barrasso recalled Saturday afternoon, a few hours after arriving in Casper. "We are very direct. We are rugged individualists and we like to have things done quickly. And that I wanted him to know that the people of Wyoming were expecting quicker progress politically in Iraq."

If Barrasso constituents are rugged individualists who want things done quickly, why are they so willing to support an endless war? Bush declared "Mission Accomplished" on May 1, 2003, just weeks after the Iraq invasion. That's 54 months ago. Wyomingites (without my help) voted for Bush and the status quo in 2004. They sent Barbara Cubin back to the U.S. House in 2006. Cubin votes the Bush line every time. I voted for the other guy, Gary Trauner, who's running again.

Quick results. Endless war. Those don't go together at all.

Welcome home, Sen. Barrasso. Now let's get the G.I.s back home where they belong.

Realism in short supply in Western histories

In her New York Times' Review of "Driven Out: The Forgotten War Aagainst Chinese-Americans" by Jean Pfaelzer," Patricia Nelson Limerick said this:

Thinking realistically about the history of the American West easily lands on the list of this nation’s top 10 least favorite pastimes. Hundreds of historians have invested their life force in pointing out the inaccuracies in the image of the 19th-century West as a place of colorful romance and innocent adventure. “No thanks,” the believers reliably respond. “We like our version a lot better.”

Limerick, faculty director at the Center for the American West at the University of Colorado, nailed it. Not only is "thinking trealistically about the history of the American West" one of the "top 10 least favorite pastimes" in the nation, it's also true in Wyoming. This state had its own rampages against Chinese-Americans during the the period Pfaelzer addresses: 1850-1906. There was the infamous Chinese massacre in Rock Springs, in which disgruntled European immigrants murdered their equally disgruntled Chinese cousins. Disgruntlement and disenchantment were rfie among immigrants to the American West.

Pfaelzer writes:

“Whites saw in Chinese workers precisely what they hated about their own lives: hard and underpaid work, long hours, poor living conditions and a dearth of women.” In other words, white workers made the Chinese their scapegoats because of the similarities, rather than the differences, between them.

"Driven Out" is one of this year's "100 Notable Books" in the New York Times. I haven't read it, but now it's on my list thanks to fine review by Ms. Limerick. For entire list, go to http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/02/books/review/notable-books-2007.html

UF protesters make their point

Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, defender of torture, recieved a warm reception at my alma mater of the University of Florida during his first appearance at a university since resigning from office under a big dark cloud.

The reception by Gator Nation was not friendly.

According to a story by Devin Culclasure in the Independent Florida Alligator where, in 1976, I was a general assignment reporter, protestors greeted Gonzales's canned remarks at the Philips Center for the Performing Arts:

About 15 minutes into his speech, two UF students, Richard Gutierrez and Kevin Hachey, climbed onto the stage wearing orange jumpsuits and black hoods on their heads. University Police Department officers scrambled onto the stage to remove them. Matthew Cox, an employee of the Phillips Center, wrestled with one protester on the far side of stage, grabbing his legs and pulling him down. The other stood directly next to Gonzales, who calmly avoided looking in his direction. As police took the protester away, Gonzales glanced in his direction before attempting to continue his speech while he waited for the raucous crowd to settle down after a few minutes. A few more protesters climbed onto the stage. Meanwhile, even more protesters stood up, removed shirts or jackets revealing yellow T-shirts that read "SHAME," and stood with their backs toward Gonzales. They remained standing in their positions for the rest of the event.

UF cops seemed to handle this event much better than it did a few months ago when they tasered a rambunctious student during another political speech.

Steve Orlando, UF spokesman, said the usual number of four security officers was present. He added that he also thought most of the protesters expressed their views reasonably."A few crossed the line, but I think it went pretty well," Orlando said."I think Mr. Gonzales saw a whole lot of First Amendment tonight," he added with a laugh.

Gonzales remains under investigation by Congress for his questionable firing of attorneys who refused to do Dubya's bidding. One wonders if Mr. Gonzales has actually read the First Amendment -- or any other part of the Constitution of the U.S.

Read the entire Alligator article by going to http://www.alligator.org/articles/2007/11/20/news/campus/gonzales.txt.

PHOTO CREDIT: (Scott Robertson /Alligator Staff) Former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales pauses during his speech as a protester stands next to him at the Phillips Center on Monday night.

Dennis: Stop making sense!

You watch Dennis Kucinich speak confidently about big issues such as global warming and the Iraq War, and you wonder why the MSM ignores him. Maybe it's because he makes so much sense. He's short on irony, long on sincerity. As the bloggers at Crooks and Liars put it, MSM would rather make a big deal of one heckler at the recent debate than spend time on actual issues.

Makes me glad my vehicle sports the only "Kucinich for President" bumper sticker in Cheyenne (that I've seen, anyway). I also was a Kucinich delegate in 2004 to our state Democratic Party convention. No delegates for K went from there to Boston, but it was a start.

Here's Dennis Kucinich speaking at a forum on global warming (via Crooks and Liars):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbkZo5YOCNM

A weekend with Monty Python

Yesterday we felt like watching movies, so went down to the Laramie County Public Library to scan the shelves. Movie-renting is a challenge for us. My wife Chris prefers comedies such as "Galaxy Quest" and "Just Visiting," as well as endless screenings of "The Sound of Music." We rarely agree, although we share a taste for old Woody Allen movies ("Annie Hall" and before). My teen daughter Annie goes for dramas that feature dysfunctional families and psychiatrists. Some of her favorites (for now) include "Running with Scissors," "Junebug" and "The Squid and the Whale."

My tastes are all over the map. I like quirky comedies, indies, old gumshoe films with Bogie and William Powell, musicals, and documentaries. The other day I was happy as a clam to catch "After the Thin Man" on TMC during my lunch hour. The cast includes Powell, Myrna Loy, James Stewart, and Ida Lupino. Stewart plays the smarmy bad guy, a murderer. Very cool.

Yesterday's library haul included "Monty Python and the Holy Grail, "Just Visiting," "Thirteen," "The Great Santini," and "Old School." Chris chose the first two; Annie the others. I couldn't decide on anything. That's how it is with me sometimes. I don't know what I want.

Chris and I had a great time watching "The Holy Grail" that night. I know that Monty Python movies and reruns of the TV show are now considered the province of smark-alecky college kids. But what's not to like about "the knights who say ni" and the killer rabbit? The word "shrubbery" never sounded so dang funny.

Meanwhile, Annie watched "The Great Santini" and "Thirteen" on the downstairs box, a 30-year-old TV encased in a heavy piece of furniture that I never want to move again. I had recommended "Santini" as a representative of the "dysfunctional family" school. Annie found it interesting, but a bit dated as it was set in the 1960s. "Thirteen" spoke to her as more contemporary, more twisted. It's a disturbing film, one that conjures up a contemporary parent's worst nightmares. I've seen it, and once was enough. We've been through that kind of torture already with one teenager and don't want another round. Cuts too close top the bone.

Bring on the knights who say ni!

Latest skirmish in "The Ritalin Wars"

Judith Warner writes the "Domestic Disturbances" column each Friday in the New York Times. On Nov. 15, she wrote about the new study that shows that the brains of some children develop more slowly than others. People seem to be reading a lot into this study, inferring that it finally explains the cause of attention and behavior problems.

Ms. Warner's column addresses several aspects of the issue, but one paragraph really caught my eye:

Facts don’t have much sway when you’re in the grip of a religion. And the beliefs underlying the Ritalin wars (I am using “Ritalin” here as shorthand for the whole practice of diagnosing children and treating them with psychotropic drugs) have truly now become like a creed. They’re only superficially about diagnosis and medication. For most people, they’re more profoundly about a sense of menace bearing down upon the world of our children.

As a battle-hardened veteran of "The Ritalin Wars," I've written extensively about the experience. You can read two essays on my web site at http://www.hummingbirdminds.com. Go to the sidebar and click on "On ADHD."

The name of this blog is taken from one researcher who described his own ADHD as having a "hummingbird mind."

The give-and-take over these latest study results is only a skirmish in the long war. More later on the subject...

Speak for those "living in the shadows"

The poor are invisible in the U.S.

That's why the non-poor -- people with a job and car and house and (one hopes) a conscience -- need to "speak on their behalf," according to Jon Laughlin, pastor of Grace United Methodist Church in Cheyenne.

Laughlin spoke to the monthly gathering of the Democratic Grassroots Coalition last Thursday at the library. It had been a challenge to decide how to spend that evening. Across town, the YMCA was hosting a talk by Laramie writer RoseMarie London. The TV called with the Democratic Party debates out of Las Vegas and new episodes of "The Office" and "30 Rock."

But I went to the meeting because of Laughlin and the fact that it was the night when we gathered canned and boxed goods for holiday distribution at the Salvation Army or the COMEA House.

Laughlin spoke of ways to get the attention of elected officials on behalf of the poor and homeless. A few winters ago, he attended a meeting of the city council where the plight of neighborhood street lights was on the agenda. The council wanted to put another million dollars into the lighting budget. Laughlin had another idea. He suggested that council members could use that money for street lights. If they did, however, could they make sure that the lights were built closer to the ground so that a homeless family could huddle underneath to keep warm. His point made, he requested that the money would be better spent on funding for housing vouchers or the energy assistance plan that helps the working bill pay their heating bills. The council agreed.

Just one example of how we can serve as the voices for "those people living in the shadows all over this community."

Mike Bell, chair of the Laramie County Democrats, suggested another way to assist the poor this holiday season: have dinner with them. COMEA House and St. Mark's Episcopal Church at 1908 Central Avenue will hold a Thanksgiving dinner "with" the homeless on Nov. 22. The problem with most holiday dinners for "the needy" is that the volunteers come out to cook and ladle out the food to their fellow humans, but then they sit on one end of the room and the needy sit on the other. At the St. Mark's feast, everyone will sit together family-style. And dinner guests, homeless or not, will have the opportunity to prepare their own favorite recipes for the feed.

Sounds good to me. If you're interested in taking part, call Faye Mills at 514-3488 or St. Mark's at 634-7709.

When asked to name the top-five action items for the Dems to take out of Thursday's meeting, Laughlin reeled off these: 1. affordable housing; 2. affordable daycare; 3. availability of medical care; 4. a livable wage. He couldn't think of a fifth item, but figured that all of us would be plenty busy with these four items.

Involvement is the key. He acknowledged that he was a registered Democrat. "If you want to know whether people are Republicans or Democrats, watch how they treat (or talk about) poor people," he said. While Democrats often fall short in this regard, they at least have a domestic agenda that promotes the priorities named above.

"Nothing happens on the other side," he concluded.

With Thanksgiving (and lower-case thanksgiving) in mind, here's part of a poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson:

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.

Ghost Road Press books on sale

Denver's Ghost Road Press, publisher of my 2006 story collection, The Weight of a Body, is holding a holiday sale until Dec. 22. GRP is offering free shipping on all titles, and a buy-2-get-one-free sale on select titles (mine included).

At last month's Colorado Book Awards, Ghost Road Press fielded three finalists and two award winners. Finalists were Karen Chamberlain, Jeffrey Ethan Lee, and Janet Bland. Teague Bohlen's novel, The Pull of the Earth, won for best fiction, and Sonya Unrein, GRP's co-publisher) won for best anthology with Open Windows 2007. I read Teague's novel earlier this year and liked it very much.

Order your books at http://www.ghostroadpress.com.

Grassroots Dems Coalition meets Nov. 15

The Democratic Grassroots Coalition will meet on Thursday, Nov. 15, 6:30 p.m., in the Laramie County Public Library's Sunflower Room in Cheyenne. Guest speaker will be Pastor Jon Laughlin of Grace United Methodist Church, advocate for the hungry and the homeless. Bring canned and/or boxed goods for a holiday collection that will be distributed in Laramie County.

This event is free and open to the public, including Republicans.

Correction to previous post

This comes from Walter Reed Medical Center:

Instead of sending an "Any Wounded Soldier" letter or package to WalterReed, please consider making a donation to one of the more than 300 nonprofit organizations dedicated to helping our troops and their families listed on the "America Supports You" website.

Other organizations that offer means of showing your support for our troops
or assist wounded servicemembers and their families include:
http://www.usocares.org/
http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/tooursoldiers/
http://www.redcross.org/

For individuals without computer access, your local military installation, the local National Guard or military reserve unit in yourarea may offer the best alternative to show your support to ourreturning troops and their families. Walter Reed Army Medical Center will continue to receive process and deliver all mail that is addressedto a specific individual.

Send a card to a recovering vet

A thought for Veteran's Day... As you're making out your Christmas/holiday card list, add this:

A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue NW
Washington,D.C. 20307-5001

Cubin decides not to run again

News started circulating yesterday afternoon that Wyoming's lone U.S. Rep., Republican Barbara Cubin, has decided not to run again. She's in the middle of her seventh term and the end can't come too soon. She's been facing many medical problems of her own and her husband's, and has missed half the votes held this session in Congress. Here's an excerpt from a story about Cubin in today's Casper Star-Tribune:

"If it's true that Cubin has decided not to run, then it poses interesting dynamics for the future, because the Republican Party has quite a few people on the bench right now," said Liz Brimmer, former chief of staff to the late U.S. Sen. Craig Thomas and owner of a Jackson communications and statewide public relations firm.

Brimmer said that if Cubin has decided to retire, people in the state should respect that her health challenges are difficult for all families and for any woman working. "Sometimes when people are public servants, that measure of empathy isn't always our first reaction," Brimmer said. "I think in this case we should have a lot of empathy."

I wonder how many times Cubin voted against family-friendly legislation to assist with family medical leave, daycare, minimum wage, health care for needy children, etc. She is adamantly against any kind of universal health care plan, although she benefits from the best plan taxpayer money can buy in the U.S. Congress. Since Republicans nearly always vote against such legislation, since they say it will swell the federal budget, I'm sure that most of her votes were family-unfriendly. She was all for dropping cluster bombs on Iraqi villages. And she never met a Big Oil bill that she didn't like. Petro-dollars are her lifeblood.

Empathy exists on the personal and national and global scale. Ms. Cubin never exhibited the trait in her public life so it's hard to muster any for her now.

I hope that she's replaced in 2008 with a Democrat, Gary Trauner. If Colin Simpson does run on the Repub side and is elected, let's hope he can avoid Cubin's doctrinaire right-wing politics and be a more thoughtful and free-thinking Rep, something on the order of his father, former Sen. Al Simpson.

Generation Gap? That's so sixties

On an MSNBC video clip this morning, Barack Obama talked about the "generation gap." He didn't use that terminology, which is so sixties. But maybe that's how the question was asked. He at least seemed to agree with the idea that he, as a younger non-Vietnam-generation politician, might have an advantage over his older colleagues such as Hilary Clinton. "They've been fighting the same battles since the sixties." That hit me like a ton of cliches, probably because I've been fighting the same battles since the sixties. I'm two years younger than Hilary Clinton. We're the first batch of the Baby Boomer cohort, born 1946-50. We came of age in the sixties and we fought all those battles and we keep fighting them. There are some positives in that, but also a burden. We can't seem to stop fighting them. We have been at each other's throats for so long it seems normal. But where has it lead? True believers George W. Bush and Karl Rove and Dick Cheney on The Right; dumstruck liberals like me and Hilary and Dennis Kucinich and Michael Moore on The Left. Butting heads in the public arena and nothing getting accomplished.

I've thought this for awhile, that maybe it will take someone from a different generation, someone who grew up in a different country, to show us the way out of our morass. Barack Obama might be that person on the Democratic side. Could be Arnold Schwarzenegger on the Repub side. Don't shoot me, fellow Dems. Arnold is getting stuff done across the board in California. Yes, he's still beholden in some ways to the national neo-con agenda, but he's blazing new trails in energy conservation.

Maybe there are other pols out there who can bring us together. We need some visionaries, now more than ever.

Savage capitalism skewers wingnuts

This post is by Kevin Drum at the Washington Monthly:

SCHADENFREUDE ALERT....The New York Times reports today that a group of conservative authors, including Swift Boat nutball Jerome Corsi, is suing right-wing darling Regnery Publishing. The lead plaintiff is Richard Miniter, author of Shadow War: The Untold Story of How Bush Is Winning the War on Terror, who apparently got his hands on a royalty statement he wasn't supposed to see:

"It suddenly occurred to us that Regnery is making collectively jillions of dollars off of us and paying us a pittance." He added: "Why is Regnery acting like a Marxist cartoon of a capitalist company?"

....The authors, who say in the lawsuit that [Regnery's parent company] has been "unjustly enriched well in excess of one million dollars," are seeking unspecified damages. But Mr. Miniter said, "We're not looking for a payoff; we're looking for justice."

Well, we're all looking for justice, aren't we? But if a conservative is a liberal who's been mugged, what do you call a conservative who's come face to face with the naked face of vertically integrated capitalism?

Energy costs just keep climbing

Oil prices inching toward $100 a barrel...gas prices nearing $3 a gallon (again) here in Wyoming -- and way over $3 on the coasts...home heating prices up all across the U.S....people spending around $4,000 per year on energy (according to CNN) which adds up to more than annual out-of-pocket health-care costs...

That's what seven years of a Bush-Cheney administration has done to us. It's disingenuous to say that there is a lack of an energy policy. It's just the same ol' same ol'. Cheney held his secret meetings with the energy czars early on and they all decided to rake in petro-dollars hand-over-fist. And keep on doing it until the wells run dry!

That's not a policy. It's insanity.

Resurrecting the Beatles in cinema

About halfway through "Across the Universe," I began to wonder what I was doing on a Sunday afternoon in 2007 watching a movie featuring Beatles music. I’m 56, grew up on the Beatles, and was about the same age as the film’s main characters as they waded through the strange cavalcade of events that were the late 1960s and early 1970s. While I look at that time with a jaundiced eye, I’m not one of those neo-con cranks who blame all modern ills on sixties' excess. Those years helped make me who I am and I’m kind of fond of my 56-year-old self.

My wonderment of watching a movie with Beatles music is just that. I wonder why the music is still alive and kicking, so full of verve and so relevant. The boys from Liverpool recorded their last album together 37 years ago. Two of them are dead, one from an assassin’s bullet. The surviving two are now in their sixties. Don’t hear much from Ringo. Wouldn’t be hearing much about Paul McCartney if he wasn’t going through a nasty divorce with his young wife. Were the Beatles songs that good? Or were there just so many of us Baby Boomers listening to them?

My daughter Annie is 14. She likes the Beatles and some other bands from that era. She’s kind of a neo-hippie. When I was 14, in 1965, would I have urged my parents to take me to a movie starring a group that had its heyday 37 years before? That would be a crooner from 1928, Rudy Vallee, maybe, or a group that played Charleston dance tunes -- "Flapper" music. There were great jazz musicians, but what did I know of jazz at 14 in Middle America? My father listened to classical music and the rousing tunes of the Scottish Black Watch. My mom liked humming Irish tunes. When I was 11, my father told me not to listen to Elvis or the rest of that rock-and-roll crap I played on my transistor radio. So I absorbed it under the covers at night, Elvis and Dion and Del Shannon and the Shirelles and, eventually, the Beatles and the other bands from the British pop invasion. My very own music, beamed to me via broadcasts from Chicago, Denver, and Wichita.

It may be that the lives of the Beatles so perfectly represented the era. "Across the Universe" begins with young people in the throes of young love. They sing the early songs, which also were about holding hands and love-gone-bad and the pain of long-distance romance. The wild boys from Princeton "get by with a little help from their friends." As the Beatles lives became more serious and complicated – a reflection of their maturity and the times they lived in – so do the songs in the movie. Here comes Vietnam and protests and pot-smoking and hippies and more of Vietnam. At one time, I was afraid the movie would end in a rush of angst and violence, as did the 1960s. But it ends happily – fitting for a musical that has roots in the MGM musical tradition and even the Beatles’ films, "Help" and "Hard Day’s Night." Seems to me a sad or cynical or apocalyptic ending would have gone against the spirit of the band.

Movies in 2007 dwell on the dark side. Not comedies. They tend to dwell on the inane. An unnecessary and unpopular war rages, and we are in the hands of lunatics at home and terrorists abroad. Movies reflect the zeitgeist of the times. "Across the Universe" seems to go against the grain. Maybe we all yearn for some lively song-and-dance. Maybe this Beatles’ immersion in just pure nostalgia for this wrung-out bunch we call Baby Boomers. I’d hate to think it’s only nostalgia. I’d like to think that the Beatles were talented revolutionaries, who helped bring in a wave of great music and good times.

To be continued...

Turner writes requiem for future soldier

I'm not a veteran, nor have I ever pretended to be. Maybe that's why it's so important for me to read what veterans have to say. That was true of Vietnam, the war of my era, and now of Iraq.

One of the best literary works to come out of Iraq (thus far) is Brian Turner's "Here, Bullet." Turner's an Army combat veteran who landed a book contract while still serving in Iraq with the Third Stryker Brigade combat team of the 2nd Infantry Division. "Here, Bullet" was published in November 2005 by Alice James Books, one of the best of the independent literary publishers. Turner was supposed to be in Austin in March 2006 for a reading at the annual Association of Writers and Writing Programs' (AWP) conference. But he was sick at home so a stand-in read some of the poems from "Here, Bullet." Not quite the same.

He's one of the writers for the New York Times' "Home Fires" blog. His latest post was "Requiem for the last American soldier to die in Iraq." Painful and poetic to read. But read it you must (that's an order!) at http://homefires.blogs.nytimes.com/. Scroll down to the Oct. 31 post.

Kucinich: Bush ready for loony bin?

Rep. Dennis Kucinich's comments Tuesday about President Bush's mental stability regarding reckless war-making bear repeating. This story comes from philly.com:

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D. Ohio) suggested today that President Bush's comment about a nuclear Iran precipitating "World War III" is a sign of mental instability.

"I seriously believe we have to start asking questions about his mental health," Kucinich, a back-of-the-pack candidate for president, said in an interview with The Inquirer's editorial board. "There's something wrong. He does not seem to understand his words have real impact."

At a news conference two weeks ago, Bush said, "I've told people that if you're interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them (Iran) from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon."

“Dennis Kucinich has always been a hard guy to take seriously. but this takes the cake," said Dan Ronayne, Republican National Committee spokesman. "Maybe he thinks preposterous quotes are the only way he can get his failed campaign any attention.”

Kucinich, who thinks Bush and Vice President Cheney should be impeached and
charged with war crimes, is running sixth in most national polls. He said he doesn't believe his comments about the president's mental health are irresponsible.

"You cannot be a president of the United States who's wanton in his expression of violence," Kucinich said. "There's a lot of people who need care. He might be one of them. If there isn't something wrong with him, then there's something wrong with us. This, to me, is a very serious question."

Clinton returns to the Intermountain West

Former president Bill Clinton will be speaking in Salt Lake City a week from today (Nov. 4). I found the above announcement on The Utah Amicus blog. Bill Clinton can still stir up a crowd, and I'm sure he'll linger for many handshakes. Here's a guy who likes the spotlight, likes mixing it up with real people, can hold his own in any conversation -- even speak in complete sentences.

Need I point out how different Bill's personality is from George W. Bush's?

Mr. Clinton has also visited Wyoming. Not recently, but when he ran for president in 1992. It was October, and his campaign dropped into the Cheyenne Municipal Airport one sunny afternoon. The evening before, my wife Chris, son Kevin and I attended a sign-making session at our local Democratic Party HQ. Kevin, then seven, helped make some placards to welcome the candidate to Wyoming. "Wyoming welcomes the next president" and "We love Bill" and "Bill Yes, George No." Things like that. Kevin wrote one: "Clinton Yay, Bush Boo." He spent a lot of time on it, but at home later that evening, our second-grader burst into tears. We asked him what was wrong, and he said that President Bush had been a big influence on him and he didn't mean what he wrote on the sign. He asked us not to use it the next day at the rally. So we didn't. Our son, the budding Republican. He's 22 now, with a different outlook on the world.

At the airport hanger the next day, hundreds of us waited for the next Prez to touch down. Outside the chain-link fence, a dozen demonstrators lined up with their own signs. I don't remember the wording, but some referenced abortion. One referred to Bill as a draft dodger, which of course he was (just like Wyoming's Dick Cheney). But we didn't care. We were happy that any Democratic presidential candidate had decided to come to WYO, an overwhelmingly Republican state who always send their three electoral votes to the Red Team.

Clinton lingered longer than anticipated. He spoke for awhile, and then spent an hour shaking hands. Chris, four months pregnant, pushed her way through the crowd with cries of "pregnant woman coming through." The assembled masses parted like the Red Sea. She shook Bill's hand and and held his fingers briefly to her swollen belly in the traditional "laying on of hands" ritual. Bill's hands, of course, had done much laying on during his life and were to do so much more during his presidency. But Chris was elated with her contact with a future president, and after she returned to tell me about it, surged through the crowd again for another handshake. I was unable to follow, so didn't even get close to a handclasp. I did give him a thumbs up sign, but I don't think he saw it.

Mr. Clinton departed and a few weeks later was President of these United States. Wyomingites went to the polls in the season's first blizzard and voted in big numbers for Bush Sr. My father, a Republican in Florida, called to wish me well. He said there had been a story on the nightly news about a family near Lusk, Wyoming, riding horseback through the snow to vote. I said I hoped they were Democrats and a discussion ensued about the state of politics and the world. My father and I disagreed on most things political. But that night, I took it in stride. Our guy won. We set off the celebrate at the Hitching Post Inn with our fellow Dems.

But Kevin was upset with the election results. George Bush Sr. had been a big influence on him. We asked if he wanted to drop by Republican HQ to commiserate with his homeys. He said he did. When we arrived, I decided to take off my Clinton button in the interest of peace and good will. Chris stubbornly wore hers. We sipped coffee while Kevin ate a sandwich and sat in front of the big Republican TV to watch the returns. The Republicans were gracious, especially when we told them Kevin's story. One of the women asked if we wanted to join the party. We had a big laugh over that one. We were invited to eat and drink. The Republicans offered a nice spread, with one of those six-foot-long Subway sandwiches, bowls of chips, veggie and fruit plates, and lots of desserts. I was tempted to gorge myself, as it would feel righteous to eat food paid for by Republican funds. Instead, I grabbed a cup of coffee and hung around.

Later, at the Dems' party, we had to buy our own drinks and had only stale pretzels and nuts to munch on. But people were giddy. We had won. Things would be great from here on out. And that was partially true. The 1990s were a time of peace and plenty. Wretched excess, too. We didn't know that it was only the calm before the storm. We didn't know the shitstorm that awaited us in the new century.

Now another Clinton runs for president. Her spouse will be speaking and campaigning in Utah which is right next door. I am not a supporter of Hilary Clinton. But I will vote for her if she is nominated at the convention in Denver. I will have no other choice. She will have to campaign in Wyoming, as it is good luck to do so. Remember 1992? Remember the great time Bill had during that drop-in visit to Cheyenne? I would urge Mrs. Clinton to speak to Howard Dean, who can remind her of the so-called 50-state strategy. Wyoming, believe it or not, is one of the official members of the U.S.A. Don't forget us out here, and we won't forget you.

Pay the mortgage, or buy Rockies tickets?

Spare $2,100 for World Series tickets?

I think not. That's how much my wife's coworker wanted for three tickets to game three of the World Series Saturday at Coors Field in Denver. A little rich for my blood -- and my budget. That's two mortgage payments. Eight car payments. Fourteen weeks of groceries. Seven hundred lattes. I mention lattes because that seems to be the measure of most things in newspaper stories about the economy. "If the average consumer gave up one latte a day, he/she could buy a yacht in five years." Something like that. Three World Series tix for seven hundred lattes?

This offer was made before the Series started in Boston on Wednesday. They may be cheaper now that the Rockies are down two games to none. But maybe not. The Series has never been held in Denver. This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime events that you'll be able to tell your grandkids. "I saw the Rockies whip the Boston Red Sox in ought-seven." Or "I saw the first World Series game ever played at a mile high."

It's not worth it. The best I'll be able to do for my grandkids is say that I saw Helton and Tulo and Matsui play during the World Series season of 2007. I might also mention that I paid 90 bucks for three great Rockies tix in August. First base side, 20 rows up. We watched the Rox beat the Brewers. In front of us were four bearded guys from Milwaukee, about my age, who'd decided to catch one of their hometown team's road swings. They'd been touring the mountains that day, and now sat back with beer and brats to watch the game. They thought the Denver fans were a bit timid, too laid-back. An old criticism of residents of Rocky Mountain High-land. Did I mention that they also were Green Bay Packers' fans? Diehards. I suggested they attend the next Packers-Broncos game at Mile High Stadium and sit in the south stands. See if they can find any laid-back fans there.

I'm not a diehard fan about any team. I like the Broncos and Rockies, but don't live and die with their fortunes. In August, I took the family to a Broncos' exhibition game (three tix for $56!) and we sat amongst a bunch of drunks. One very large drunk, at the game with his son and a male friend, spent most of the game trying to pick up an apparently single mom seated with her two young kids. He made no headway, despite his bonehead witticisms and the obscenities he aimed at the refs. He and his pal gave a hard time to the interracial couple seated below them. Then he and his friend lit cigarettes and that was too much for my wife. "No smoking in the stands!" The overage bad boys stared at her but said nothing. I was thinking: "My wife is going to get my ass beat." I've seen more than one fight in these stands. As they filed out between the third and fourth quarters (what kind of fan leaves early?), one of the guys told my wife that it was lucky she was a woman. He gave her a hard look. She stared at him, said nothing. Ditto for me. I was just glad they were gone so I could enjoy the Broncos' dismantling of the Arizona Cardinals on a warm August night.

My wife and I have watched all the Rockies' post-season games, including the one-game divisional playoff against San Diego. That went thirteen innings and I didn't go to bed until after the last out. I guess that's pretty dedicated. I wasn't there, choosing instead to watch from the comfort of my front room.

The Red Sox have been impressive during the first two games. Excellent pitchers, and they knocked the cover off the ball on Wednesday night. Rox pitchers pretty much shut them down last night. Unfortunately, they still got two runs and the Rox only one. But Coors Field is friendly to Rockies hitters. So we'll see what happens Saturday and Sunday and (we hope) Monday.

I could spend all day and many calories/electrons writing about the economics of baseball. I hate its excesses, the huge profit that greedhead owners pull from the wallets of gullible fans, the big paychecks for some of the players. Owners regularly blackmail fans to build big new stadiums so they can boost their already obscene revenues. It happens in football too.

Here's something else. Who are the people who sit behind home plate and get their well-groomed mugs on TV? No matter the ballpark, those faces are white. Yuppies with cash, by the looks of it. They can buy the tickets, pay the mortgage, and sip lattes 'til the cows come home.

The excesses of big-time sports are legion.

Still, I like the Rox and not the Sox. I like the way the Rox play hard and play as a team. Intriguing personalities, too, although none have a goofy dance like Sox pitcher Jonathan Papelbon. Rooting for a winning team makes my anemic little life more interesting.

But pay $2,100 for three tickets? Never do it. But do I hear $1,500? Now you're talkin'...