You say "pork," I say "infusion of capital"

Wyoming’s two senators and one representative brought home the bacon this week.

The $410 billion Omnibus Spending Bill passed by Congress and signed by Pres. Obama includes $14.5 million in spending for Wyoming, all projects requested by the delegation. That includes millions for highway construction and improvements, $1.9 million for a pathways system in Grand Teton National Park, $3.42 million for a biology research lab at UW, almost $1 million for various health and drug prevention programs, $300,000 for renovation of a water treatment plant in Lincoln County and $285,000 for literacy and math programs on the Wind River Reservation. All reasonable requests that serve the public good. It’s almost as if Senators Enzi and Barrasso and Representative Lummis were community activists, even though they’re Republicans.

Included in the bill are a number of programs to boost Wyoming’s creative economy. They include $190,000 (requested by former Rep. Barbara Cubin) for the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody for digitizing and editing historic papers of William F. Cody. TV pundits have had a lot of fun criticizing this particular earmark (dare we call them earmarks?), going so far as to make fun of Buffalo Bill. One pundit, who shall remain nameless, referred to Bill as a horse thief and a philatelist, which are fighting words in Cody’s hometown of Cody. Why stamp-collecting is regarded with such low esteem in Park County is a long story and will have to wait for another time. Suffice to say, the barflies at the Irma Hotel Bar tonight are damn mad and are just about ready to shoot somebody, preferably a pointy-headed Democrat.

Here’s another cultural earmark: $114,000 to the Ark Memorial Foundation in Laramie for construction of Creative Arts Center. This was another project promoted by Cubin. The Creative Arts Program at Ark serves mentally challenged teens and young adults. The organization is a trailblazer in theatre and visual arts programs that feature the talents of people thought by some to have no talents. That’s why Ark won a Governor’s Arts Award three years ago.

The bill also included $95,000 to the Carbon County Museum Foundation for construction of multi-use museum, $171,000 to Citizens for Civic Auditorium for planning and construction of Casper Civic Auditorium and $380,000 to the City of Evanston for improvements to the Historic Evanston Roundhouse and Railyard. All these projects were a long time coming and will be a boost to their communities. Anyone who’s been to Evanston’s historic downtown knows what I’m talking about. Renovations to the Roundhouse and railyards and the museum have turned the town into a destination instead of just another pit stop along I-80.

All these projects are a boon to Wyoming, which is trying to reshape itself from the country’s "energy sacrifice zone" into a place with scores of vibrant arts and cultural amenities. These earmarks all mark progress.

You’d think the members of our Congressional delegation would be proud of their ability to help Wyoming plan for the future. But no, they’d rather play pitiful partisan games. All three voted to kill the $410 billion omnibus federal spending bill, calling it "fiscally irresponsible" and "pork-laden." Pork-barrel spending, too.

Pork-barrel my ass.

Bill Luckett, director for the Wyoming Democratic Party, told the Casper Star-Tribune:

The delegation's pointed criticism of earmarks while securing funding for their own pet projects is "blatant hypocrisy."

"It's an insult to the intelligence of Wyoming's people that they scream about earmarks out of one side of their mouth while they stick earmarks in the spending bill with the other side," Luckett said.

"It was Jesus Christ who said, 'Let he who is without sin cast the first stone,' " he added.

Trauner has ideas on better bailout bill

As we all know, the bailout bill tanked today in the U.S. House. I thought that the Dems had a deal on a good bill -- or at least a better bill than originally proposed by the Bushies -- and that the Repubs had decided to join in. Then the vote came, and the rescue/bailout/buy-in bill went down in flames.

My eyes are bleeding from the hours of commentary I just watched on the tube. It's a mess, to be sure, but who to blame? I'm usually content to blame the Republicans. "Nancy Pelosi hurt our feelings!" What a bunch of whiny babies. But did Pelosi have to drag out Bush's culpability one last time before the biggest vote in the House since it voted to change the name of "french fries" to "freedom fries." Why didn't the Dems whip the troops into shape and get the vote in, if that was the goal?

Just received an e-mail from Gary Trauner's campaign for the U.S. House seat being vacated by Repub Barbara Cubin (she voted for the bailout, by the way). Gary could be in that seat come January, so let's see what he has to say:

Today Congress rejected the flawed bailout bill by a narrow margin, showing once again why real leadership matters in Congress, now, more than ever.

Trauner stated, "This flawed bill would not have limited CEO pay, or stopped CEO Golden Parachutes, and there was no truly independent oversight. During this time of crisis, career politicians in Washington D.C. are pointing fingers and playing partisan games. We need a bill that doesn't give Wall Street a blank check and puts into place real protection for taxpayers, like I specifically proposed last week."

Trauner continued, "So far, since this crisis has started, we have heard nothing from our sitting Congresswoman, and the best I can tell, the closest Cynthia Lummis has come to addressing the bailout is proposing to privatize Social Security. Privatization would prop up Wall Street by risking our Social Security in a stock market that is tanking as we speak."

So here is my proposal:

• In return for any purchase of bad assets held by private entities, we. the taxpayers, get a contingent stake in any company -– so if the assets are not worth the paper they are written on, taxpayers don't get burned and companies do not get off scot-free for bad behavior.


• The Government institutes direct oversight of these businesses and regulates them much like banks are regulated today.


• No golden parachutes or huge paydays for the CEOs and executives who got us in this mess in the first place. In fact, we should be taking money back from them. And if they've been irresponsible, they should be banned from future work in the securities industry.


• If we are going to bail out Wall Street, then we need to take care of Main Street as well – there must be provisions that ensure that we do everything we can for well-intentioned primary homeowners -– not investors or speculators -- who are at risk of foreclosure so they cans stay in their homes, either as owners or renters.

Trauner press conference in Cheyenne

Gary Trauner, Democratic candidate for Wyoming's lone U.S. House seat, talked to members of the press and one lone blogger today in Cheyenne. The subject? It's the economy, stupido. While Gary talked, U.S. Senate members in D.C. were grilling Henry Paulson about his proposed bailout.

Said Trauner: "This bailout without accountability is a license to loot." As a businessman, he wants the specifics of the plan laid out for all to see. And he wants the Bush Administration and Congress to move quickly. "We can't afford two more days let alone two more years of Wyoming politicians doing nothing."

Those remarks seemed to be aimed at Wyoming's delegation, Republicans all, but particularly do-nothing Barbara Cubin and the Republican pretender her throne, Cynthia Lummis. He said that all Lummis wants to do is raise taxes on millions of Americans (the poor who now pay no taxes) and dismantle Social Security and put the money into private accounts. "Ask anyone with a 401(K) how their investments are doing," Trauner said.

When asked if one particular political party is to blame for this mess, Gary refused to name names. "No party is to blame. It's a philosophy that's to blame." That philosophy, he added, "holds that government has no role in oversight." It's the same philosophy that brought us the bungled response to Hurricane Katrina, the unnecessary Iraq War, and the privatizing of essential government services -- contracts that usually go to the buddies of the chief philosophers of the Republican Party. He added: "One party is more to blame. But the people in the Democratic Party share some of the blame."

The candidate offered some more specifics. I'll roll those out later....

Rep. Barbara Cubin: "Best and Brightest?"

That's the question many Wyomingites were asking when we read that Cubin earned the "Best and Brightest" award. She has rarely been accused of being the brightest bulb in the pack. As for the "best" label, her own party has been working feverishly to unseat her during the last two election cycles. She eked out a victory against Democrat Gary Trauner in 2006, with many Republicans crossing over to vote against her.

Even though Rep. Cubin owns the worst attendance record in Congress, the American Conservative Union (ACU) gave Cubin its "Best and Brightest" award over the weekend. The reason? Rep. Cubin's stellar conservative voting record (when she does show up). She earned a perfect score of 100 (and a gold star) for voting according to the tenets held dear by the ACU. You can probably guess what they are. Cubin voted against funding for stem-cell research and Planned Parenthood. Any vote for stem-cell research is obviously a vote for science, which is roundly opposed by the Right Wing, especially the Rapture Right. Scientific inquiry can lead to questions about the very nature of our existence: "You mean that T-Rex and Noah didn't walk the earth together?"

Planned Parenthood is another Right-Wing target. Family planning is a personal issue, they say, best left up to wise counselors such as the Man of the House, the male ministers who run the local 10,000-member evangelical church, and God himself, who speaks directly to church leaders on these matters. Planned Parenthood gets in the way, with all its pills and potions and (Help me Jesus!) abortion advice.

Lest you think that Cubin spent all her time voting no, the ACU points out some of its favorite issues that she supported. She supports the border fence, which is designed to be stout and tall so that illegal immigrants (a.k.a. "Mexicans") can't knock down the fence with tanks borrowed from al-Qaeda and steal U.S. jobs in the very popular and competitive fruit-picking industry. Rep. Cubin also earned the eternal thanks of the ACU by voting for bills establishing English as the official U.S. language.

As you can see, the world may change but the Right Wing holds on tightly to issues that have no relevance in a world where energy costs are sky-rocketing, food shortages run rampant, global warming threatens our future, and dingbats push us into needless wars. As we speak of dinosaurs, we should note that the age of political dinosaurs is nearly over. Good-bye, Rep. Cubin. Good-bye, George W. Bush. Good-bye, Rapture Right. So long -- it hasn't been good to know you.

Great idea: debates in all 23 Wyo. counties

Cynthia Lummis, a Republican U.S. House candidate from Laramie County, wants to debate her Repub opponents in all 23 Wyoming counties before the Aug. 19 primary election. This comes from a story in today’s Casper Star-Tribune.

She would go toe-to-toe against the other three announced candidates: Mark Gordon, a Sheridan County rancher; Bill Winney of Bondurant; and Dr. Michael Holland of Green River.

Said Lummis:

"We want to heighten awareness of Republican issues and Republican races... All the attention lately has been on the Democratic presidential race, and we want to shift the emphasis, at least here in Wyoming, to another very competitive race, which is the Republican U.S. House race."

Very funny. "Heighten awareness of Republican issues" in a state where Repub voters outnumber Dems two-to-one and control the State Legislature and four of five elected offices.

If she clinches the primary, I hope that Ms. Lummis will also agree to debate Gary Trauner, the probable Democratic Party candidate for Barbara Cubin’s old U.S. House seat. Maybe those debates could raise issues that are important to ALL Wyomingites.

Freudenthal supports "Post 9-11 G.I. Bill"

It's great to see that Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal is one of the 23 governors signing a May 15 letter to the U.S. Senate urging the passage of the "Post-9/11 G.I. Bill." Today, the House of Represenatives passed the bill 256-166, with Wyoming's lone rep, Barbara Cubin, voting against it. The bill now goes on to the Senate, where it appears that Wyoming's Mike Enzi and John Barrasso will join their Republicans colleagues and vote against it. C'mon, guys. Do you have more loyalty to your party bosses than you do to the troops? We'll keep track of the votes and report them here.

Vietnam veteran and author Sen. James Webb of Virginia is the impetus for this legislation. He gathered a lot of supporters along the way, but he's the one who got the ball rolling.

For more info, go to the site of Irag and Afghanistan Veterans of America at http://www.iava.org/ or the G.I. Bill site at http://www.gibill2008.org/.

Trauner raising money, making waves

The Trauner for Congress Campaign released its first quarter 2008 fund-raising numbers on Tuesday and they look pretty good.

Trauner reported raising $256,426 with cash on hand of $550,502. Of the money raised this quarter, 98 percent of the contributions came from individuals with more than 350 Wyoming donors.

"I am very grateful and proud of our fundraising efforts. People across our state are showing they believe the time is now for a new direction," Trauner said. The money raised this quarter brings total donations for this campaign cycle to $623,614 with over 500 Wyoming donors to date. The campaign set a goal of 500 Wyoming donors by March 31st and exceeded it.

As you may recall, Trauner, a businessman and Democrat from Wilson, came within 1/2 of 1 percent of beating six-term incumbent Barbara Cubin in 2006. Cubin's had enough and now is retiring. Trauner says he will continue where he left off, knocking on as many doors across the state as he can. He's a tireless campaigner and a great candidate. His Republican competitors have been a little slow keeping up in the fund-raising department.

Records from the Federal Election Commission reported in the Casper Star-Tribune showed that former State Treasurer Cynthia Lummis of Cheyenne had a first-quarter fund-raising total of $168,000, $67,000 of it her own money.

Mark Gordon, a rancher and businessman from Buffalo, contributed $297,000 of his own money to a first-quarter total that topped $410,000. Gordon apparently has spent most of his money on TV commercials that dwell on illegal immigration, a non-issue to Democrats but the favorite paranoid delusion of the Rapture Right.

These Republicans like to put their money where their mouths are. I guess that’s a good thing, if you have extra in the bank, but it’s not always wise – look what happened to poor Mitt Romney.

Republican Bill Winney of Sublette County raised $5,650 this quarter, and state Rep. Dan Zwonitzer of Cheyenne, generated $9,275.

No word from the Repubs how many of their donations come from individual donors in Wyoming.

Gary Trauner in Cheyenne for Dem events

Gary Trauner dropped into the Democratic Party's legislative reception this evening in Cheyenne.

He's cranking up his campaign for the U.S. House seat being vacated by Barbara Cubin. There's at least one other candidate on the Dem side, and a passel on the Republican side, including Dan Zwonitzer and Cynthia Lummis, both of Cheyenne.

Gary was there with his field director, Eric (didn't catch his last name), a veteran of the 2007-2008 primary battles in Iowa. He's reworking Gary's web site, which is woefully out of date. It should be up and running any day now, said Eric, who's operating out of an office in Casper.

Gary plans another door-to-door campaign like the one he waged in 2006. I know he knocked on thousands of doors two years ago, a tactic that brought him within a whisper of beating Cubin. At least some of the Republicans and Independents who admitted voting for Gary in 2006 said theirs was an anti-Cubin vote. He obviously can't count on that with the Repubs fielding an array of fresh faces, one of which will make it through the gauntlet to the general election campaign.

Trauner is rested and ready, organized and well-funded. He's a veteran of one Wyoming campaign, which should serve him well over this long election season. He's in town this weekend for a variety of events, including Saturday night's Nellie Tayloe Ross Dinner and its salute to the state's women politicians. Keep checking his web site for updates at http://www.traunerforcongress.com/.

Do your duty and spend, spend, spend

The more I hear about the economic stimulus package promoted by Pres. Bush and the U.S. House, the less I like it. The money will have to be borrowed (again), which puts the U.S. deeper into a financial hole caused by the G.O.P.'s misguided policies of the past seven years. Endless wars cause endless expenditures. Corporate pals of Bush & Cheney get rich while the middle class ekes out an existence (if we're lucky) and gets foreclosed on if not.

My family would benefit from the rebate checks as proposed by the House bill. We are a working couple with a kid under-18 still at home, and still claimed as a dependent on our taxes. If I read the bill right, we'd get the largest check. After sending some of the money to Democratic candidates in Wyoming and nationally, we'd spend the rest of the money wildly on paying bills. No spending spree at Wal-Mart for us. Would this stimulate the economy? Would it bring us back from the precipice of recession? Not likely.

Our lone U.S. House rep, Barbara Cubin, voted against the economic stimulus package. I read her rationale on her web site. At first blush, I was impressed with Cubin's position. I rarely am. But on further investigation, found that her misgivings about the bill adhere pretty closely to the Republican Party line. Here's part of her 1/29/08 statement:

The Economic Stimulus Package will allow individuals who do not pay income taxes to receive a $300 check from the government. This provision will allow money earned by hard-working taxpayers to be handed out freely to individuals who pay no income tax.

Who could these people be? No doubt a coded reference to illegal immigrants. It couldn't be the wealthy who've received deep tax cuts under Bush and who hire sharp lawyers to make sure they get what's coming to them (everything!). Republicans are usually not shy when it comes to demonizing illegal immigrants. Immigration is one of the top three issues among G.O.P. voters, which it barely registers among Dems.

But Rep. Cubin does make some good points about bailing out the housing industry.

The package will greatly expand the federal government’s role in the housing market by increasing the amount of money government backed housing agencies can lend to people trying to buy a home. This provision will make it easier for certain individuals to purchase houses they might not actually be able to afford. Experts say a major cause of our nation’s current economic woes is the high number of people defaulting on housing loans. The Congresswoman has remained consistent that she does not believe taxpayer dollars should ever be used to bail out subprime mortgage lenders, who enable individuals to buy homes they may not be able to afford.

There's plenty of blame to go around in the sub-prime mortgage mess. Both borrowers are lenders have contributed to the problem. Rep. Cubin doesn't want the U.S. government ensnared in the mess, which is commendable. But how can we address our economic problems without paying attention to easy credit and the housing industry? For decades, we've been telling each other that owning a home is a right not a privilege. Home ownership stokes the economy. Are we now telling a broad swath of Americans that they can give up on their dreams? Many have already, as their jobs have been shipped overseas by corporate overlords. Job goes, money goes, house goes, especially if you have an adjustible rate mortgage and/or you've borrowed heavily against the equity (if you have any) in your house.

Cubin is committed to getting our housing market back on track, but says the key to doing this is putting more money back into the hands of the American people to ease the financial burden of homeownership. Cubin continues to be an outspoken advocate for permanent tax relief and has joined colleagues in the House of Representatives introducing the Economic Growth Act of 2008 to produce longer-term economic growth. The bill would allow businesses to deduct the full cost on their tax returns of any assets they purchase for their business; simplify and lower the capital gains tax for corporations to be able to invest more money back into the economy; and cut the top corporate tax rate from 35% to 25%, aligning our tax rate with the average rate in the European Union and making American companies more competitive internationally.

More tax cuts for corporations? If we align our top corporate tax rate with that in the EU, won't it be easier to ship American jobs overseas? I'll have to take a closer look at the Economic Growth Act of 2008 before I can speak about its details. But if the past teaches us anything, it's that the Republicans are good at tagging their proposals with ironic titles. Who can forget the "Clean Skies Initiative" which allowed more air pollution and the "Healthy Forests" plan which called for cutting down more forests? If the Repubs were still in charge of Congress, I'd say that the Economic Stimulus Plan would really be the "Sink the U.S. Economy" plan. But Congressional Democrats couldn't be that cynical, could they?

Fearful Leader speaks on the economy

I know that Fearful Leader will appear on TV this morning to talk about his ideas to stem the country's recession. His ideas have all been so good and helpful in the past, I can't imagine that he won't offer brilliant solutions to our economic malaise.

But what can get us out of a recession? Dubya sent us some rebate checks early in his presidency. All taxpayers got one. Did I go out and spend it to support our consumer-based economy? No, I paid bills. Most Americans did the same, I'm sure.

That's not going to be enough this time. I don't have any big ideas. It might help to repeal the tax cuts to the rich that was Bush's big idea for stimulating the economy. We also might try to pay back the country's debt. That would mean a plan for energy independence, keeping jobs in the U.S., solutions to the sub-prime mortgage mess, ending the war in Iraq, etc. Since Bush's buddies are petro-moguls (and Saudi princes), CEOs of giant corporation who send jobs overseas to fatten their own bonuses, mortgage bankers and war profiteers, don't look for anything meaningful from Fearful Leader's speech.

Let's hope that the Congressional delegation from Wyoming will be on the side of the angels and come up with a sensible plan. Not likely, as they tend to vote the Republican line, whether it makes sense or not. Mike Enzi, a successful businessman from Gillette, has good ideas and has worked successfully with Dems (even Ted Kennedy!) on other issues. But comity is not a valued commodity during an election year.

FURTHER READING: For some background on the roots of this crisis, read Paul Krugman's column, "Don't Cry for Me, America," in today's New York Times.

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.

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.

Rep. Cubin reports from the war zone

If Iraq’s such a fine place, why aren’t either of your sons over there?

That’s my question for Wyoming’s lone rep in the U.S. House, Barbara Cubin. She traveled to Iraq recently and wrote an account for her e-mail newsletter. I am very thankful that Ms. Cubin risked her neck to bring me this first-hand report of the battle zone. Knowledge is better than ignorance, which is all that we usually hear from Ms. Cubin. She has stubbornly clung to the claim by Bush & Cheney that Saddam Hussein was in cahoots with Osama bin Laden. She tells us that Iraq is the front line in the so-called War on terror. Well, it wasn’t before we invaded -- but it is now.

You can get more balderdash about the war at Cubin's web site: http://www.house.gov/cubin/.

Here are some highlights of her dispatches from the war:

Imagine anything you have ever seen on television, in the movies or in newspapers depicting war – being on the ground in a war zone in Baghdad and Balad is incredibly more dramatic and intense. I traveled with four other Members of Congress. We rode for hours on C-130 planes, strapped to the same uncomfortable seats in which our military men and women travel into war. We slept in military beds, ate in chow halls and in Baghdad traveled through a "red zone" (an unsafe, unsecured area) in humvees, all the while wearing approximately 30 pounds of heavy protective armor.

*********************

I have always believed we as lawmakers have a responsibility to listen to our military commanders on the ground and trust in their first-hand experience of battle. During my time in Iraq, that is just what I did -- listen. I met American generals, Iraqi police, State Department officials, military medical teams, officers and enlisted men and women, including several out of the hundreds of Wyoming's own sons and daughters. I asked the same three questions of everyone I met while in Iraq. I asked how the current U.S. political debate affected their efforts, how we were doing on the ground and if we were making progress. The people with whom I spoke told me frankly that the debate in Washington over troop withdrawal and the lack of support for the war hurts morale. They said it makes their jobs harder and diminishes their overall chance of success in Iraq. They do not understand how opponents of the war can say they support the troops, but not the war. The soldiers are proud of their jobs, their work in Iraq and their country. They see their jobs and the war as, understandably, linked.

*********************

Each person with whom I spoke said that while the situation in Iraq remained critical, real progress is being made. Sectarian violence has been curbed in many areas, security in some contested regions has improved and the Iraqi people have been joining with U.S. forces against Al-Qaeda. I was told that our presence in the country was not only important for Iraq and the region, but important for the United States and the entire world in deterring terrorism.

***********************

In my opinion, as a country we must stop bickering and unite behind our troops and their mission. Not adequately funding this war in a timely fashion would be a severe mistake for our nations' security and would not serve our troops. If we truly support our soldiers and their families, we must give them the means to carry out their mission and return home after success, not failure.

**********************

Our service men and women truly make the red, white and blue proud.

Greetings from Casper (a.k.a. Oil City)

Blogging "Live" from the Natrona County Public Library in Casper...

I'm here for the Casper College Literary Conference, which features Nick Flynn, author of the boffo memoir "Another Bullshit Night in Suck City," and Belarus poet Valzhyna Mort. They both read at a lunchtime session on campus, as did Casper short story writer Chad Hanson. More to come over the next two days.

I always enjoy reading the Casper Star-Tribune Online. The Trib has traditionally been Wyoming's statewide newspaper and, at least when Charles Levendosky was editorial page editor, the only paper that printed your letter to the editor verbatim and, if possible, in its entirety. Now those comments can be found Online. Lots of juicy comments recently about Gary Trauner and his renewed run for Barbara Cubin's seat in the U.S. House. Right-wingers call Gary a carpet bagger, which means he's from some place other than Wyoming. In this case, he's from THE EAST COAST. Horrors! Cubin isn't a native either. She's fallen for the Bush agenda hook, line, and sinker.

Also check out the comments about wolves and their place in the ecosystem. Most are along the line of the bumper sticker I recently saw in Cheyenne: "Wolves: Eliminate, don't legislate."

Maybe we could say the same about Barbara: "Cubin: Eliminate (via election)! Don't let her legislate!"

Lots of good name-calling on the CST Online. Many aspersions are cast. Great breakfast reading.

Gary Trauner to announce House bid?

Gary Trauner, the Democrat from Jackson who almost booted Barbara Cubin from Wyoming's lone U.S. House seat in 2006, is set to make a big announcement tomorrow. Could it be that he will run again in 2008? We hope so.

Mike Bell, head of the Laramie County Democrats, dialed up Gary on his cell phone last night during the Jim Byrd Memorial Dinner. Dems in the room sent loud greetings to Gary. Later, over the traditional Democratic repast of chili, hot dogs and apple pie, we agreed that another Trauner run was what we'd all been hoping for. We will be knocking on a lot of doors and walking all the neighborhoods before November 2008.

Cubin beat Trauner by only 1,000 votes last time. Most of those votes came from rural precincts in central and northeastern Wyoming. Can Gary pursuade those voters that he will work harder than Cubin, who has a dismal no-show rate of 45 percent? Can he pursuade them that he's not an elitist East Coast liberal, which was the brush Republicans painted him with last time? Should he forget rural voters and concentrate on the cities, most of which he won in 2006? We'll need to increase the number of Trauner voters in Cheyenne, Casper, Rock Springs, Sheridan, Riverton, Lander, Gillette, Laramie and Jackson. That would put Gary over the top.

Stay tuned...

Run, Barbara, Run!

Wyoming Democrats eagerly await another crack at U.S. Rep. Barbara Cubin in 2008. Gary Trauner came within a thousand vottes of beating her last time. Calamaties in her personal life have combined to make her even less viable in 2008.

Here's the latest from a story in today's Casper Star-Tribune:

U.S. Rep. Barbara Cubin has missed almost half of all House votes this year, staying away from the Capitol due to her husband's illness, her brother's death and her own broken foot.

"It has been an extraordinarily difficult year for our family," Cubin, R-Wyo., said from Wyoming Medical Center in Casper Tuesday, where Dr. Frederick "Fritz" Cubin is scheduled to undergo another surgery this week. "No one regrets the votes that I've missed more than I do.

"Cubin, a Republican, has missed 427 votes this year, or 45 percent. That's the third highest percentage in the House, and the top two -- Republican Reps. Charlie Norwood of Georgia and Jo Ann Davis of Virginia -- are both deceased.

The average number of missed votes per member is 3.9 percent, according to The Washington Post database.

Cubin, who was first elected to the House in 1994, says she is frustrated by rumors and reports that she may not seek re-election in 2008.

"At this point in time I absolutely intend to run again," she said.

Sali: Hindu prayer threatens U.S.

Wyoming has been known to send some oddballs to Congress. Witness some of the antics of Rep. Barbara Cubin, now serving her seventh term as our lone U.S. Rep. But Idaho has sent some doozies to D.C. Remember the late Rep. Helen Chenoweth? She supported the armed militia groups in northern Idaho and even saw those legendary black helicopters that, in the 1990s, right wingers were convinced were spying on us. Considering what's happened since 9/11, maybe she wasn't so crazy after all. But anyway, Idaho has sent some pills to Congress. The one there now, Bill Sali, may take the cake. This was reported on the ultra-conservative American Family News Network:

Last month, the U.S. Senate was opened for the first time ever with a Hindu prayer. Although the event generated little outrage on Capitol Hill, Representative Bill Sali (R-Idaho) is one member of Congress who believes the prayer should have never been allowed.

"We have not only a Hindu prayer being offered in the Senate, we have a Muslim member of the House of Representatives now, Keith Ellison from Minnesota. Those are changes -- and they are not what was envisioned by the Founding Fathers," asserts Sali.

Sali says America was built on Christian principles that were derived from scripture. He also says the only way the United States has been allowed to exist in a world that is so hostile to Christian principles is through "the protective hand of God."

"You know, the Lord can cause the rain to fall on the just and the unjust alike," says the Idaho Republican.

According to Congressman Sali, the only way the U.S. can continue to survive is under that protective hand of God. He states when a Hindu prayer is offered, "that's a different god" and that it "creates problems for the longevity of this country."

Cubin keeps repeating Iraq lies

I thoroughly enjoy those e-mail replies I receive from my congresswoman, Barbara Cubin of Wyoming. They are chock full of fictions and I can't resist sharing. The most recent one concerning withdrawal from Iraq is just too darn long for a blog post. Here are some excerpts with my comments.

For decades we have been in the cross hairs of terrorists. Even before September 11th, we had lost 600 Americans since the 1983 bombings in Beirut. We must now fight this war on our terms, bringing the fight to the terrorists, lest they bring the fight again to our cities, towns, and rural communities. Radical Islamists will not go away if ignored, they will not be content with attacks on foreign soil, and they will not be placated by nice words or friendly gestures. Osama bin Ladin has called the war in Iraq the center of World War III. He realizes the importance of Iraq, his partners in terror recognize it, and we need to realize it too.

Osama bin Forgotten said nothing about Iraq until the U.S. invasion in March 2003. He then recognized the importance of Iraq, a place where 19-year-old soldiers from Lusk and Meteetsee would be sitting ducks for suicide bombers and I.E.D.s. As of this morning, 3,558 U.S. soldiers and marines have been killed preventing terrorists from invading Wyoming. Two soldiers from the state and one Ohio airman based at Warren AFB in Cheyenne have been killed this month.

The connection between al Qaeda and Iraq has been documented and I supported the ousting of Saddam as part of our global War on Terror.

This connection has never beeen documented and it's a lie to say so. Experts agree that the link between al Queda and Iraq was as nonexistent as Bush's weapons of mass destruction.

I would like to see our soldiers out of Iraq as soon as possible, but not before their job is complete. On January 10, 2007, President Bush presented a comprehensive plan to achieve success in Iraq, including the deployment of 20,000 additional troops to intensify Baghdad security operations.

Cubin has supported Bush's loony war against Iraq from the beginning. She also supports his equally loony "surge" which has been accompanied by a surge in U.S. casualties and a bigger surge in Iraqi civilian deaths. Rep. Cubin says she would like to see our troops come out of Iraq as soon as possible. What she means is, she wants to keep our troops in Iraq through next November's elections so she can count on the votes of those stupid enough to believe her assertions, and those of her overlords, Pres. Bush and (another Wyomingite) V.P. Cheney, a guy who tells whoppers on a daily basis.

In D.C.: A nay, a no-show, and a yay

Poor legislation makes for odd bedfellows.

Wyoming Republican Senator Mike Enzi cast his vote against the Iraq War funding bill. He was joined by two other Republicans and Democratic Party presidential candidates Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama. Enzi called the bill "poor legislating" because it it included "funding for pet programs in a must-pass military spending bill... It's a violation of what the American people sent us here to do."

According to our local paper, the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, Enzi liked the parts of the bill that supported drought relief and rural schools, but objected to parts "that carved out packages for certain unions and airlines, undid some of the pensions legislation he helped pass last year, and changed some small business provisions in minimum wage legislation he had supported."

Sen. Craig Thomas didn't vote on the bill because he's undergoing another round of chemotherapy for cancer. His office said he would have voted against the bill for the "billions in spending unrelated to military spending," according to the Casper Star-Tribune's Washington, D.C., bureau.

As usual, Rep. Barbara Cubin uttered the most vitriolic statement: "For over 100 days, the safety of our men and women in uniform, who are bravely leading the efforts to defeat terror on a global scale, has been held hostage to Washington Democrats who would just as soon see our troops lay down their weapons and retreat."

In other words, "why do Democrats hate our troops?" Repeat it often enough and it becomes gospel among the knuckleheads -- or so Cubin must think.

The three-person Wyoming Congressional delegation split on this one. A nay, a no-show, and a yay. Unusual for a group that has pretty much marched in lockstep with Bush these past six years.

Build refineries where Republicans play

When looking for easy answers to difficult questions, turn on CNN.

This morning, it featured a periodic update on rising gas prices called "Who’s to blame?"

The price of oil per barrel is about the same as this time last year. Gas taxes haven’t risen. Usage is about the same. Wars haven’t stopped Saudi oil shipments.

But refinery capacity is down. So we can blame it on the refineries.

Some refineries are being repaired and upgraded. The refineries of the Gulf Coast have never returned to full capacity as crews are constantly patching them, up so they can continue to plug along. No new refineries have been built in 30 years because, say the oil companies, nobody wants a refinery in their backyard.

But what about the refineries we already have? Who’s responsible for their sorry state? Oil companies. If their refineries were state of the art and pumping out refined fuel at a rapid pace, gas prices would fall. Profits would sink for oil company CEOs and they would have to buy one yacht a year instead of several. They would have less money to lobby Congress.

So it’s the oil companies, you see, backed by a U.S. administration of oil barons: George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. And their pals in Congress like Wyoming Rep. Barbara Cubin.

We can drive less, I know, but unless we all stopped commuting tomorrow, it would have little effect. I use ethanol in my motorized beast, and my wife has a Saturn sedan that gets great mileage. We could do better, but we’ve made adjustments. I commute by bike to work almost every day during the summer.

We even have a refinery in our town. According to the local paper, Frontier Refining is getting an upgrade with new and better equipment. Refineries don’t look nice and they smell, but the prevailing westerlies carry the smell to the east. We smell gas only when the winds come from the south, a rare event in southeastern Wyoming. I don't mind it. But I don't smell the refinery every day as do the people who live around it.

When I was traveling to Jackson last week via I-80, I noticed construction on the east end of the sprawling Sinclair Refinery. It appeared that it was business as usual at the rest of the complex. Was this an upgrade or an addition? Don’t know, but I’ll see if I can find out. The town of Sinclair has a population of maybe 300, many of whom work at the refinery. It has a fine little Mexican restaurant and, as I’m eating my enchiladas, I can smell the refinery which smells like money to everyone else in town.

Cheyenne and Sinclair are doing their part. I wonder if we should locate refineries to the chi-chi Rocky Mountain resorts where oil company execs come to play. What about Jackson? Vail? Sun Valley? I’m sure the average CEO won’t mind if we park a refinery next to their sprawling mansion in the pines. The mansion was paid for with inflated gas prices so its only right that the refinery is there too. The exec could keep an eye on all his investments, ill-gotten-gains and refinery too. I’m sure the refinery will be pleasing to the eye, as nobody wants a steel monstrosity next door. Might affect resale prices. Besides, most of these execs live in planned communities with covenants. The refinery would probably have to be built by a high-priced architect from The Coast, incorporating the latest in esthetics and green technology (O.K., forget the green stuff). I suppose they’d also have to do something about the smell. As you can see, this will turn out to be quite a pricey project. But what does the oil company CEO care? He’ll just pass those prices on to us and use the profits to build a third house in some other resort – or maybe move to Dubai along with his company.

In the end, it’s probably best to retrofit refineries in Cheyenne and Sinclair, Beaumont and New Orleans, than to branch out to Jackson and Vail. So what’s stopping the oil companies from doing so?

You tell me.