Rock the vote -- and show up at the polls

Stephen Winn, deputy editorial page editor at the Kansas City Star, wrote a column today in praise of the youth vote. I read it in our local paper, the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, while sipping coffee and listening to the blasted north wind whistle through the eaves. Winn applauds the younger generation for turning out in large numbers for Barack Obama. And then he bemoans the fact that Baby Boomers (his generation and mine) "have kind of screwed things up." He then lists the many ways that we have failed: electing George W. Bush not once but twice (maybe only once); lack of reform of Social Security and Medicare; running up the national debt; etc.

While our children get saddled with more of the national debt ($30,000 per person) and a whopping college loan debt (if they can even qualify for assistance), the country's older and oldest Americans keep getting more benefits. Why is that? They vote, work at the polls, write their congressional reps, and join powerful lobbying orgs such as AARP. Some of them even blog. They're loud and they're proud. A huge pain in the ass.

So youngsters, take a page from your elders' handbook and get involved to the point of pain-in-the-ass status. It's already happening, and it's good to see. My 23-year-old son, Kevin, voted in his first presidential election in 2004. He recently voted in the Arizona primary. He's outspoken in his support for Barack Obama, although he's too busy to do much electioneering, at least for now. He's paying for his own school, attending classes full-time and working nights. His girlfriend does the same. They're having a heck of a time finding enough financial aid. But they persevere. They're young and they have big plans.

My daughter is still too young to vote but will be in 2012. That same year, I'll be old enough to get Social Security checks. But I won't as retirement will still be a few years away. Will we have S.S. and Medicare reform by 2012? That depends on whether we have a Democrat as president or a Republican. To ensure that, we have to get to the polls and vote.

Speaking of polls, why is it that I'm the only one there who doesn't remember World War II? Born in 1950, I'm usually the youngest poll worker in my precinct. When we set up our e-voting machines in 2006, many of the poll workers gathered around and stared at the machines much like the primates in "2001: A Space Odyssey" stared at The Sentinel in the film's opening scene. They had about as much knowledge of the technology. We had techs from Diebold available to come in and fix any problems, but we did have to show others how to use the things to cast their vote.

Volunteers at polling places are primarily retirees. Younger people are at school or work or taking care of kids. Would that change if we had elections on weekends instead of weekdays? What if everyone had a paid day off on election day? Why not change polling day and see what happens. Or maybe we should change the entire system. We have local control of polling places, just as we have local control for schools. County clerks are responsible for setting up the system and making sure it runs smoothly.

But we've seen the results, most notably in the 2000 presidential elections. But even the latest round of primaries have shown ballot problems and machine breakdowns. Polling place workers are giving out faulty information, possibly because they forgot to take their morning meds.

So just add the crazy voting system to the things that we Baby Boomers should have fixed but didn't.

I've seen the young people getting involved in this election cycle. Men and women in their 20s and 30s are powering the Obama campaign nationally and right here in Wyoming. I think they see this as their opportunity to take charge of a broken system and make it better. There will be heartbreak and compromise along the way. But it's best not to think about that now. Win first, worry later.

Vets face a "daunting & growing" problem

The Billings Gazette reports that Montana Sen. Jon Tester will accompany the new secretary of Veterans Affairs to Billings and Helena on Feb. 20. Tester, a Democrat elected in 2006, invited James Peake to Montana late last year to see firsthand the issues affecting Montana veterans. As is the case everywhere, Montana vets are facing a long list of mental health problems after long deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Peake and Tester will hold a public town hall meeting for veterans at the Hilton Garden Inn in Billings at 9:15 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 20. Peake also will tour the Billings VA Clinic. He and Tester will travel to Helena where they'll hold a round-table discussion at 2:30 p.m.

Too bad Peake can’t travel south to Wyoming while he’s in the neighborhood. Perhaps one of our esteemed senators, both Iraq War supporters and Republicans who presumably have close personal relationships with Bush appointees, can do some inviting of their own. Tester’s an opponent of the war, and a newbie to boot. Look what he’s been able to accomplish.

I’m not a veteran, but I do have some expertise on mental health issues both personally, in my own family, and as a governor-appointed member of the Wyoming Mental Health Planning Council. I’ve also been board chair of UPLIFT, the Wyoming affiliate of the Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health.

Larry D. Barttelbort, executive director of the Wyoming Veterans Commission, sent out this press release about a program in the state aimed at addressing veterans’ mental health:

A joint venture pilot program between the Wyoming Military Department, Wyoming Veterans Commission, and the Wyoming Department of Health will ensure Wyoming Veterans are connected with state and federal resources. This pilot program is based on a recommendation from Wyoming's Veterans Mental Health Task Force. We have combined end-of-biennium funds to hire two contract Veteran's Advocates. They will link our Wyoming Veterans, their families, and their employers directly with state and federal resources. We will use Wyoming Military Department federal resources to assist with scheduling, data collection and reporting.

This program will help Veterans overcome the stigma of seeking help and help them connect with these wonderful resources. The advocates will meet with the Veteran, the family, and the employer to ensure the Veteran is using all the resources available to them.

Wyoming is also blessed with two of the finest VA Medical Centers in the U.S., at Sheridan and Cheyenne. The VA's Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC) in Casper, Gillette, Green River, Newcastle, Powell, Riverton and Rock Springs provide outstanding care. The Vet Centers in Cheyenne and Casper provide confidential mental health counseling and also provide contract services in some outlying areas.

If you are approached about a Wyoming Veteran experiencing problems with readjustment issues at home, with friends, or at work don't hesitate to call one of our advocates or the VA resources.

Veteran's Advocates:
Leon Chamberlain (307) 359-2430 (Northern Wyoming)
David Hall (307) 631-3736 (Southern Wyoming)
VA Health Information 1-877-222-8387

FMI: Larry D. Barttelbort, 307-772-5016

Veterans for America recently released a study of soldiers based at Fort Drum in Watertown, New York. You can read the full report at http://www.veteransforamerica.org/. Here are a few paragraphs from the introduction:

A new, in-depth investigative report released by Veterans for America, documents the toll of repeated, lengthy, and unpredictable deployments on Soldiers stationed at Fort Drum, New York, raising powerful questions about the sustainability of U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Over the past decade, Fort Drum’s 10th Mountain Division has been one of the Army’s most heavily deployed divisions. Since September 11, 2001, Fort Drum’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team (BCT) is the most deployed brigade in the Army – with more than 40 months logged away from home in that time.

VFA’s new report highlights the lack of treatment available to combat soldiers and presents potential solutions to what the Pentagon acknowledges is a "daunting and growing" problem.

"Sooner or later, and likely sooner, we’re going to hit the wall and something will have to change," said Bobby Muller, VFA’s founder. "Simple morality and decency demand a change. We cannot continue taking such gross advantage of those who have offered themselves in service to our country."

On their latest Iraq tour, members of the 2nd BCT were more than five times more likely to have been killed than others who have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and more than four times as likely to have been wounded. In all, the 2nd BCT has been deployed four times. Pentagon studies have found that a soldier’s chance of developing mental health problems increases 60 percent upon each deployment.

"Soldiers at Fort Drum have been repeatedly exposed to high intensity combat. Mental health resources must match this level of sacrifice," said Jason W. Forrester, one of the report authors.

More on House's "clean-coal" bills

As I mentioned on Thursday, two "clean-coal" bills moved forward in the Wyoming House. Both concern carbon sequestration. Neither bill supports a linguistic alternative to "sequestration," so it's up to me to keep looking for one.

Here's a bit more info from the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle on those two carbon bills:

CHEYENNE (WTE) -- On second reading Thursday, the Wyoming House of Representatives passed two pieces of clean-coal legislation requested by the governor. House Bill 89 states that surface landowners control the underground pore spaces where carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas and byproduct of burning coal to make electricity, could be stored. House Bill 90 sets up a regulatory regime for the practice of carbon sequestration under the supervision of the Department of Environmental Quality with assistance from the state Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. The bills must pass one more reading in the House, pass the Senate and be signed by the governor to become law.

Obama office opening draws SRO crowd

I joined about 70 others this morning for the grand opening of the Barack Obama office at 415 W. 28th St. in Cheyenne. Surprised to see so many people there, and so many I'd never seen at local Democratic Party gatherings.

But that's what this campaign is about, drawing in those who haven't been involved before -- or not for a very long time. I ran into an old friend who said he hadn't been to such an exciting political gathering since Gary Hart ran for prez in the 1980s. In fact, he hadn't been involved in politics at all since then.

Gabe Cohen is the Obama campaign's Wyoming director. He'll be overseeing offices in Cheyenne, Laramie, Rock Springs, and Casper. To get started, he asked all of us to take out our cell phones and call 10 friends and tell them to get involved in the campaign. Gabe is young, in his 20s or 30s, as are all the Obama people I met. The crowd was a mix of ages, from 20-somethings to the retired. A lot younger demographic than we see at the average meeting of our county party.

Gabe said that "they" called the Obama campaign crazy for opening four offices in Wyoming, adding that he thought this was a natural thing to do "because we're going to get this kind of turnout everywhere." This was greeted with applause and huzzahs. He then quizzed us with this question: "Which state put JFK over the top in 1960?" Many of us shouted the answer: "Wyoming." The parallels have already been drawn between the Kennedy race for president and Obama's. The energy is there, especially with the young people.

This Cheyenne crowd was energized. Gabe introduced Matt Chandler, who's the campaign's communications director for Wyoming. We also met State Rep. Pete Jorgensen from Jackson, who's one of the Dems' five super-delegates. He said he was old enough to remember JFK, and that he'd worked overseas for a time during the 1960s and recalled "the good will we had around the world -- that's all gone now."

Pete named the other super-delegates: Cynthia Nunley, Nancy Drummond, John Millin (state party chair) and Gov. Dave Freudenthal. He also said that he'd just talked to his wife in Jackson who said that several kids from Rock Springs were coming to stay at their house to canvass Teton County for Obama.

Mike Bell, Laramie County Democrats state chair, spoke next. He said that the March 8 county convention will not be held at the UW Family Practice Center auditorium because there won't be enough room. He startled us by saying that as many as 1,000 people could attend the convention. "We need a bigger place," he said by way of understatement. Possibilities include the Civic Center and Storey Gym, but each of those have a $2,000 fee. Little America wants $6,000 for its new conference center. "We're Democrats. How we can we afford that?"

A hubbub erupted. One woman, who said she was a retired state employee on a fixed income, said she would write a $100 check so we could get the best place for our convention. Others said they would do the same thing. Sara Burlingame-Thomas lifted the cap from her three-month-old son's head and started passing it around. Within 10 minutes, we had $1,500 in cash and checks. Mike said he'd go down Monday and rent a bigger place. Huzzahs all around.

Mike had some tips for us. To participate in the caucus/convention, you must be a registered Democrat in Laramie County by Friday, Feb. 22. And don't count on being on the voter rolls if you didn't vote in the 2006 general election, as your name was probably purged at the county clerk's office. If in doubt, check with the county clerk.

Mike said that registration begins at 8 a.m. at the convention, but it may be helpful to be there by 7:30 if we're going to have such a big turnout. I may have to be there even earlier as I've agreed to be on the nominations committee. We'll kick things off with the presidential preference vote, and then move into delegate selection. "This could be a slugfest," said Mike, depending on how many people are there for each candidate. Following that, we'll discuss the party platform.

"The county caucus is very important," Mike added. "The presidential preference vote determines the delegate count." Up to 55 delegates will be chosen here for the state party convention set for Memorial Day weekend in Jackson.

To wrap things up, Obama organizer Pat Lane (another youngster) made a call for volunteers. "We've seen in the West that Barack Obama is well-liked," he said, noting that he's won primaries/caucuses in Colorado, Nebraska and Idaho. "But we didn't do that -- it was folks like you." He noted that the best way to volunteer was as a precinct captain. That person talks to registered Dems in each precinct and gets them out to the caucus. He also said that volunteers of all kinds are needed, whether for the phone bank or walking neighborhoods.

The meeting broke up and I got in line to sign up as a precinct captain. I could tell that people were excited. I took this as a very good sign that Wyoming, and possibly the U.S., will get the kind of change that we need after eight years of the Bush-Cheney regime.

To get more info about the March 8 caucus/convention, call the county and state party office in Cheyenne at 307-634-9001.

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Super-Delegate!

Grumblings and petitions and angry posts about Democratic Party super-delegates are popping up all over the blogosphere. Democrats who work in the trenches and show up at meetings and cast votes in primaries are concerned that these odd creatures, super-delegates, will swoop into the national convention in August and negate all our hard work.

We have four SD's in Wyoming (correction 2/17: there are five). Governor Dave Freudenthal is one; another is state party chair John Millin. The others are (corrected 2/17) Pete Jorgensen, Cynthia Nunley, and Nancy Drummond. They are being courted by both the Obama and Clinton camps. What they're supposed to do is wait until the convention, determine the will of the Wyoming delegation, and then support that by casting their votes accordingly. Will that happen? Who knows. Some media outlets, such as CNN, are throwing super-delegate counts into their delegate numbers for Clinton and Obama. A petition is circulating urging CNN to stop that.

Another petition is over at moveon.org. It's designed to become a paid ad in USA Today. Here's the wording of the petition:

Hi, you've probably heard about the "superdelegates" who could end up deciding the Democratic nominee.The superdelegates are under lots of pressure right now to come out for one candidate or the other. We urgently need to encourage them to let the voters decide between Clinton and Obama—and then to support the will of the people. I signed a petition urging the superdelegates to respect the will of the voters. Can you join me at the link below?http://pol.moveon.org/superdelegates/?r_by=12150-1460962-nGQYmh&rc=comment_paste. Thanks!

I think all of the SD hubbub is another exciting aspect of an already stimulating election season. I am a bit paranoid that super-delegates could screw things up. Let's face it -- Dems are good at that, especially during presidential years. So be vigilant, fellow Democrats, and keep an eye on your own state's designated SD's. Chat with them, drop them notes, and tell them to butt out until August in Denver.

Clinton & Obama target WYO & MONT

On Montana's 4&20 Blackbirds, jhwygirl talks about the Obama-Clinton race, particularly how the battle is shaping up in her state of Montana and her former state of Wyoming. Here's an excerpt:

As LiTW reports today, Hillary is now hiring staff in Montana, Wyoming, and even Puerto Rico. [Matt] Singer says that he thinks that the staff is going to be up and running only for the primaries -- in other words, they’ll pull out or be redirected for the general. He’s probably right….and isn’t that ironic? Even though it has been shown that Dean’s 50-state strategy is really the way to go (flashback 2006), neither candidate will give it the respect it deserves -- until it’s in the rearview mirror. And even then -- only as much respect as they absolutely have to give it. (”Oops!”)

I hadn't heard about Hillary hiring Wyoming staff. But we do know that Barack Obama is opening offices in Cheyenne and Laramie (reported Tuesday). To back up the claim that the Democratic candidates are only interested in capturing delegates in the primaries, I heard through the grapevine that the Obama people have only leased their Cheyenne office for four months, which would take them through the Democratic state convention on Memorial Day weekend. Still, a short-term presence is at least some presence. It may encourage turnout at the county conventions, and raise Sen. Obama's profile in Wyoming. As for Ms. Clinton, her profile is pretty low among Wyomingites, even Dems. A few staffers roaming the state won't be enough to repair damage done a long time ago -- in the 1990s.

UW and GE sign deal on clean-coal project

The big coal-driven news yesterday was a deal between the University of Wyoming and General Electric Energy to develop an Advanced Coal Technology Center.

And in the Legislature, two bills about carbon sequestration passed first reading in the House.

The proposed GE Energy/UW project would, according to a UW press release, "consist of a small-scale gasification system that would allow UW and GE researchers to develop advanced coal gasification technology solutions for Powder River Basin (PRB) and other Wyoming coals."

There’s more:

GE’s cleaner-coal integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) and gasification technology... has been in use at the 230-megawatt TECO Polk I Station in Florida for more than 10 years. The company currently offers a 630-megawatt commercial-scale plant that produces 75 percent less Sox (oxides of sulfur), 33 percent less NOx (oxides of nitrogen), 40 percent less particulate matter, captures 90 percent more mercury and uses 30 percent less water than a pulverized coal plant. Duke Energy, AEP and other utilities in the eastern U.S. have committed to using GE's IGCC technology in proposed projects.

Florida is known more for its orange groves than coal fields, so citrus gasification would be a suitable route for the Sunshine State. But Wyoming produces more than 400 million tons of coal annually which, according to UW, "fuels more than 30 percent of the national electrical power generation needs."

Before this project can proceed, the GE/UW alliance is asking the Legislature for a $20 million match to build the plant outside of Laramie. Gov. Freudenthal backs the project, so do some legislators. My guess is that the Legislature will approve the funds.

While I would prefer that we should focus on conservation and alternative energy sources such as wind and solar, it’s not realistic to think that could replace carbon fuels overnight. Besides, the State of Wyoming’s budget is powered by carbon too, those royalties collected when oil and gas and coal are pulled out of the ground.

Both Wyoming and Montana are looking at clean-coal technologies. While they may be interim steps on the way to energy independence, we can’t forget that we can’t put global warming on hold while we work this stuff out.

Obama to open Cheyenne & Laramie offices

As the Democratic candidates hunt for every delegate, Wyoming enters the picture. According to Channel 5 tonight, Barack Obama is opening offices in Cheyenne and Laramie and sending a team to WYO to campaign during the three weeks remaining before the Democratic county conventions.

I watched Obama's speech tonight from Madison, Wisconsin. He had won the primaries/caucuses in Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. More than 18,000 people packed the university arena and cheered the candidate. In the background, you could see white and black and brown and young and middle-aged and maybe a few oldsters thrown in for good measure. It wasn't necessarily a fiery speech. He did note the victories, and also spent a little time trashing "Bush/McCain" policies on Iraq, the economy, climate change to name a few. I liked how he said "Bush/McCain." It's about time we began linking the two because four years of McCain will be like a repeat of George W. Bush. Bush has endorsed McCain as a "true conservative," and McCain has backed Bush's bankrupt policies in Iraq. He predicts that the U.S. may need troops in Iraq for 100 years. Let's bring them home now.

I listened to as much of McCain's victory speech as I could stomach. He swept all three states for the Repubs. He spoke in front of a half-dozen rapidly aging white folks, including John Warner. I guess he was somewhere in Virginia. All I hear when McCain speaks is "more of the same." Blah, blah, blah. He's 72, Obama's 46. This is the largest age gap we've ever had between major party presidential candidates. That tells you a lot.

Meanwhile, here in Wyoming, we're getting cranked up for our March 8 county gatherings. In Laramie County, we'll select 55 delegates for the state Democratic Party convention set for Memorial Day weekend in Jackson. These county confabs are going to be jammed. See you there!

Capturing carbon a big topic this year

So many bills, so little time.

There is much to keep track of during a 20-day legislative session. Day two hasn't even started and a whole list of things have already happened.

To narrow the scope of my reports, I'll concentrate on one subject and attempt to understand it by the end of the session. Carbon sequestration is intriguing, not only because of the terminology. If I understand it correctly, its aim is to capture the carbon dioxide emitted by coal-burning plants and store it underground until we can figure out what to do with it. So a better term would be Carbon Dioxide Sequestration or, for short, CO2 Storage. We'll work on the wording as the Legislature decides what to do with the bills on the subject it has approved thus far.

Yesterday, the Wyoming House okayed introduction of a bill that would give the state Department of Environmental Quality authority over "carbon injection and sequestration." Another approved bill would give surface owners rights to "any subsurface space that could be used for carbon injection."

As the carbon-based life forms in the Legislature debate the topic, I'll capture more news at this site. Sequestration will be kept to a minimum.

Keep tabs on Legislature via these sites

As noted earlier, the 2008 version of the Wyoming State Legislature convened today. Gov. Dave Freudenthal opened the session with his "State of the State" speech. In his blog on the Casper Star-Tribune's legislative web site, Capitol Bureau Chief Jared Miller noted that the speech was interrupted twice by applause -- at the beginning and at the end. It wasn't one of the Gov's best efforts, as he had to be dragged out of his sick bed to deliver it.

Even the most diehard political junkie should find all he/she/it needs at the Trib site and the state site. And Dems can get plenty to read via Bill Luckett's blog on the Wyoming Democratic Party web site. Get some local info on legislators, central committee meetings, and the March 8 county convention by clicking on Laramie County Democrats.

Now all we need is a webcam in each chamber. That may be a tad too much reality TV.

Wyoming Legislature opens 20-day session

The Wyoming State Legislature opens its 20-day budget session this morning. The governor's budget and an array of bills await their attention during this even-year "short session." Short session, maybe, but long days and nights for legislators.

The Governor presents his state of the state address this morning. You can watch in person at the State Capitol if you get there early. Most of us listen on the radio. While there are rumblings afoot that Wyoming's economy is slowing, Gov. Freuenthal plans to accentuate the positive, according to an AP story in this morning's local paper.

As we know from the national scene, these rumblings and rumors of doom-and-gloom can have major consequences. And it's a stark difference from the past four years, when we've entered the legislative session buoyed by visions of huge surpluses.

We have some major concerns about energy. New coal-fired plants are being scrubbed because of concerns about global warming. Actually, those fears have more to do with corporate paranoia about how a Democratic president might confront the real issue of global warming. Energy companies don't want to build huge coal-fired plants in Wyoming to take advantage of our low-sulphur coal, and then have to retrofit it in a couple years to comply with stricter regulations.

Naturally, carbon sequestering is going to be a big issue this session. Wind power, too, and how to regulate all the huge windmills going up across Wyoming to bring power to Colorado and California. Does Wyoming want to become one big windmill farm for the West? States such as California regulate windmills to deal with NIMBY complaints. Well, Wyoming doesn't want to continue being a cheap-energy plantation -- we've done enough of that already.

To the Legislature's credit, they've provided funds for the Energy Institute at the University of Wyoming. It's turned out to be a great forum for discussing all aspects of energy development, including global warming. Many of us thought it was going to be another good-ol' boys club for the oil, gas and coal industries.

One has to wonder about how much time the Legislature will devote to bills that cater to the Republican Party's pet topics: abortion, illegal immigration, school prayer, etc. There is one Republican bill that makes it a felony to assist illegal immigrants. Not sure what that means. If I give a quarter to an illegal immigrant, am I a felon? I'll have to look at the bill's wording before I ridicule it further.

Get more information about specific bills at http://legisweb.state.wy.us/. And call or e-mail your senator or rep about your concerns. In Wyoming, the best way to do that is when the Legislature is not in session and your legislators are close to home. That's most of the year. But feel free to contact them in the next 20 working days. You'll be glad you did.

Democrats shine light on Legislature; Republicans operate in the dark

From the Casper Star-Tribune:

Democratic legislators are inviting members of the public to attend their pre-session caucus Sunday at the Hitching Post Inn in Cheyenne.

The caucus begins at 1 p.m. At 2 p.m. people who attend will be invited to briefly address the legislators, caucus chairmen Rep. Ross Diercks and Sen. Mike Massie said in a release.

The Republican legislative caucus traditionally has been closed to the public. This year apparently will be no different. But Sen. Kit Jennings, R-Casper, chairman of the Senate Republican conference, said he will put the question on the agenda for discussion Sunday and see if the Republican legislators want to open the caucus next year.

Rep. Tom Lubnau, R-Gillette, chairman of the House Republican caucus, said he was polling House Republicans on the issue but said the caucus probably will remain closed.

Gov. Dave Freudenthal will talk to the Republican caucus at 1:45 p.m. Sunday, followed by a 2:15 p.m. address to the Democrats.

Romney withdraws, blames Democrats

Mitt Romney withdrew from the Republican race for president today. He took a good hard look at the delegate numbers and decided they didn't add up to victory.

He blamed Democrats (Repubs blame us for everything) for his early withdrawal, blasting Democratic Party candidates Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama as being weaklings on national security. Here are his exact words, according to the New York Times:

“They would retreat, declare defeat, and the consequences of that would be devastating.” Staying in the race, he said, “would make it easier for Senator Clinton or Obama to win.” Mr. Romney, who spent tens of millions of dollars of his fortune on the race, added, “Frankly, in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding the surrender to terror.”

So, if Romney stayed in the race, his campaign would aid "the surrender to terror?" His campaign would somehow strengthen the Democrats? Those tofu-eating surrender monkeys would then turn over the keys of American to the terrists, as Pres. Bush so eloquently labels everyone in the Islamic world.

Sounds illogical to me, but Mitt was speaking to the ultra-cons at the Conservative National Action Conference, who later booed the presumptive Republican nominee, war hero John McCain. This group is made up of the 32 percent of Americans who still approve of Bush's handling of the war in Iraq, the sinking economy, and pretty near everything else. Consider the audience....

Snowpack up, but water fights continue

A quick look at this morning's paper reveals that water (surprise!) remains the number one issue in the Rocky Mountain West.

The Cheyenne-Laramie County Regional Planning Commission yesterday voted down a subdivision of 146 ranchettes west of town due to lack of water. That's a surprise, since concerns about water availability hasn't seemed to slow the steady march of ranchettes across the county. Perhaps this signals a change in attitude, although we can be sure that Wild West Development Corp. of Scottsdale, Ariz., will not go away without a fight.

The state's snowpack is up. It's about 95 percent of average statewide compared to 75 percent of historical average this time last year. Good news for summer water supplies. Some places have more snow than others. There's 380 inches of snow at the top of Jackson Hole Ski Resort. Lots of snow all over the western part of the state. The North Platte drainage in the middle of the state is not as healthy, with snowpack about 90 percent of average.

Meanwhile, Montana and Wyoming continue their wrangling over the drought, mainly water supplies flowing from the Bighorn River. Montana is also concerned about coal-bed methane drilling along the border. Lots of water is pumped out of the ground in the drilling process.

A new report from the Wyoming State Geological Survey might alleviate some of Montana's water concerns. The report said that more than 130 billion gallons of water could be saved through an energy moratarium in two drainages: Clear Creek and Crazy Woman Creek. Water flows out of the Bighorn Mountains through those creeks into the Powder River Basin. The moratorium wouldn't have much of an affect on energy supplies but would have a big impact on water availability. The Powder River Basin Resource Council has been pushing for this. We'll see what happens.

Meanwhile, we can all hope that Wyoming and Montana can kiss and make up.

March 8 Dem caucus could carry clout

It could be standing room only at the March 8 caucus for the Laramie County Democrats.

With less than 100 delegates separating Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama after "Super Tuesday," each delegate will count as we churn forward to the Dems' national convention in Denver in August. So Wyoming Democrats will have a say, our voices amplified by the tightest presidential race in recent memory.

Even Kos at Big Kahuna Prog Blog Daily Kos sees Wyoming playing a role (although he shouldn't call our state "tiny" until he actually drives through it):

Hillary's task is to defeat Obama decisively on Tuesday. If she can't manage that, then her plan B is to survive February to fight in March. On Tuesday the 4th, Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas and Vermont go to the polls. Vermont appears the most competitive right now, though that will change with a couple of weeks to campaign in these states. Winning Ohio, in particular will be important for propaganda purposes.... Tiny Wyoming will go on Saturday March 8, with its 18 delegates perhaps actually mattering. Mississippi, with its 40 delegates, should be Obama territory on the 11th. Then...

So what does that mean for March 8? Big doins in Cheyenne. A record turnout at the caucus. Drama in the air. If you're a registered Democrat in Laramie County as of Feb. 22, you can come out and have your voice heard. Delegates will be selected to the state convention set for Memorial Day weekend in Jackson.

The county convention convenes on Saturday, March 8, at the University of Wyoming Family Practice Center, 821 E. 18th St., Cheyenne. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and activities commence in the auditorium at 9.

And remember: be kind to the volunteers. I'll be there early, working on the nominations committee.

Democrats gather March 1 for Ross banquet

The Wyoming Democratic Party has announced details for the Nellie Tayloe Ross Dinner and Awards Banquet in Cheyenne. The theme for this year's event is, "A Celebration of Women in Government and Politics." It's scheduled for Saturday, March 1, at the Historic Plains Hotel in downtown Cheyenne, 1600 Central Ave. Among the featured guests will be Wyo. Gov. Dave Freudenthal and First Lady Nancy Freudenthal, and the keynote speaker this year is U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, the South Dakota Democrat who is the youngest woman serving in Congress.

To reserve your tickets for the events, call 1-800-729-3367 or register online at http://www.wyomingdemocrats.com/.

The WDP has reserved a block of rooms at the Plains for $70 a night ($80 for a parlor room). For further information or to reserve a room, contact the hotel at 307-638-3311.

Gov. Freudenthal, Mrs. Freudenthal, and Rep. Herseth Sandlin will attend a private reception prior to the dinner. Tickets for this exclusive event, which begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Plains Hotel, are $100 a person.

The dinner itself will begin at 7 p.m., and tickets are $75 per person, or you and your group may choose one of the options offered for a table of eight.

FMI: Bill Luckett, WDP communications director, 307-631-7638.

In search of common-sense health plans

Nothing focuses a parent's attention like a kid in distress.

Our teen daughter was in the hospital recently. She's be all right, but I'm still fuming about my dealings with my insurance company. I've had the same health insurance for more than 16 years. The State of Wyoming and I have paid thousands and thousands of premiums over the years. So why is it when we really need it that the insurance company's first response seems to be: How can we get out of paying this? They don't actually say this, but it becomes obvious when you spend hour after hour talking to disembodied voices in Boise and Denver and Phoenix about covering the medical needs of a teen girl.

The system is archaic and stupid. The presidential condidates on both sides have health insurance plans. Not sure about Ron Paul with his libertarian roots. But all the rest do. It's Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama I'm concerned with. I'm going to actually read their health care proposals. Up until now, I've been content to let others describe them to me. But this is a huge issue, one that will become an even bigger monster as time passes and we Baby Boomers start falling apart. Read the candidates' health care plans? What a concept. For contrast, I'm going to check out the plans of Republican candidates. I may even compare and contrast the plans on these pages, provided my brain doesn't explode during the search for common-sense health care solutions.

Wish me luck.

Democrats hold "Super Tuesday" grand opening for new Cheyenne office

Happy Ground Hog Day!

Laramie County Democratic Party Chairman Mike Bell emerged from his super-secret bunker this morning, saw his shadow, and announced that the sun will shine on the Democrats during 2008.

That means it's time for The Party to party.

The LarCoDems invites the public to attend the grand opening of its new office at 117 W. 17th St. in Cheyenne on "Super Tuesday," Feb. 5, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Democrats and others (Independents, for example -- even Republicans) from around the county are welcome to tour the headquarters, watch caucus and primary returns from across the nation, and enjoy snacks, beverages, and discussions about the future of our state and our country.

"This is the biggest presidential primary election day our country has ever seen," said Bell. "Democrats across the nation are energized by our candidates, which we can see in the record turnout out in the voting so far in the early primary states. We are looking forward to an exciting evening, and we are eager to show off our new office to anyone who wants to come by."

The Wyoming Democratic Party recently established the satellite office in downtown Cheyenne, and state party Executive Director Brandon Owens moved to Cheyenne to head up the new office. The official state party headquarters remains in Casper.

The downtown Cheyenne office also serves as the new headquarters for the Laramie County Democratic Party, which is sharing the space with the state party.

Contact: Chairman Mike Bell or Communications Director Nicole Novotny, LarCoDems HQ, 307-634-9001.

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?

Is this any way to elect a president?

Why is it that, with Super Tuesday still six days away, we now only have two candidates in the Democratic Party race for the presidency? We're lost the best with just a few percent of all registered Democrats voting in a handful of primaries and caucuses. Dennis Kucinich is gone, and so is John Edwards. Principled candidates with great messages, but who didn't get voters in a few states whipped up into a frenzy. They stood up for the middle class and stood against the Iraq War. They didn't have the money or the media coverage to go the distance. That's the problem, isn't it? Money -- the lack thereof. That, and the ridiculous primary system that needs a major overhaul. But who will do the overhauling? Not the next president who, because he/she is the prez, will not want to rock the boat. Not the members of the next Congress, who will be busy beating each other with cudgels -- and carving out earmarks in the latest appropriations bills.

Sour grapes? Sure, but seems to me there are better ways for the world's lone superpower to practice democracy.

Local Democrats kick it into high gear

It's great to see new faces at each monthly meeting of the Laramie County Democrats in Cheyenne. The 2008 election season is kicking into high gear -- that accounts for some of the interest. And Laramie County is lucky to have two very active organizations in the LarCoDems (sometimes ominously called "the central committee") and the Grassroots Coalition. Lots of activities on the schedule for the months leading up to the Democratic Party national convention in Denver in August.

The LarCoDems will hold a Caucus/Primary Watching Party on Tuesday, Feb. 5 ("Super Tuesday') at the new county HQ at 117 W. 17th St. downtown. It will start at 6:30 p.m. and last until the cows come home, or until the last state reports its results. For more info, call the HQ at 307-634-9001.

Next meeting of the LarCoDems is Feb. 26 at the Plains Hotel downtown. That Friday, Feb. 29, is the annual legislative reception, followed the next evening (March 1) with the annual Nellie Tayloe Ross banquet (more details in future posts).

The county convention convenes on Saturday, March 8, at the University of Wyoming Family Practice Center, 821 E. 18th St., Cheyenne. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and activities commence in the auditorium at 9. Delegates to the state convention will be selected and the LarCoDems will conduct a presidential preference poll. To vote or to be considered as a delegate, you must be a registered Democrat in the county as of Feb. 22.

LarCoDems meet again on April 29.

The Wyoming Democratic Party state convention will be held May 23-25 in Jackson, which is Memorial Day weekend. Bring your snow gear, as it seems to be a Teton County tradition to feature snow along with its Memorial Day celebration. Two years ago, I sold books outside at the vendor fair as sheets of "sunshine snow" blew in from the West. Be prepared!

The Grassroots Coalition also plans a full slate of activities in 2008. More details in future posts.

Reminder: Laramie Co. Dems meet Jan. 29

Winter blahs got you down? Depressed by the fact that Dubya is still in the Oval Office (or lurking somewhere around the White House)?

Here's an antidote for what ails you. The Laramie County Democratic Party will host the "Wyoming Legislator Panel Discussion: Legislative Issues in 2008." It will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 7 p.m., at downtown Cheyenne's Historic Plains Hotel. This event is free and open to the public. FMI: Contact Nicole Novotny at 307-514-4685.

We have a great batch of Democrats from Laramie County in the Wyoming State Legislature. They always have a lot of good info, and can give us a preview of what's to come in the 2008 session.

Trauner edges Lummis in latest poll

Good news for Democrat Gary Trauner's bid to grab Wyoming's lone U.S. House seat in 2008 (as reported in today's Casper Star-Tribune):

The general election race for Wyoming's lone U.S. House seat could be another nail-biter, a new Casper Star-Tribune poll shows.

Democrat Gary Trauner, the Teton County businessman who narrowly lost to Rep. Barbara Cubin in 2006, is in a statistical tie with former state treasurer Cynthia Lummis, a Republican, the results show.

The poll by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research of Washington, D.C., on Jan. 18-21, surveyed 625 registered voters from across the state who said they regularly vote in Wyoming state elections. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

If the election were held now, Trauner would receive 41 percent of the vote, while Lummis would get 40 percent, the poll showed. The remaining 19 percent of voters said they were undecided.

So what are we waiting for -- let's hold the election now, before those "undecideds" get swayed by the Repubs.

Between hardrock law and a hard place

I don’t pretend to understand the 1872 hardrock mining law. I do know that it gives mining priority over almost all other endeavors, including living a life free from mine tailings and arsenic and other environmental toxins. I also know that the law dates to 1872. This was seven years after the end of the U.S. Civil War, four years before the Battle of the Little Big Horn and the Black Hills gold rush, and 136 years before much-needed overhauls to this ancient law (finally) are actively under consideration in Congress.

Here are excerpts (including response of our own Sen. John Barrasso in boldface below) from the Jan. 25 article about the situation in the Casper Star-Tribune:

Senators indicated Thursday that they will pass a less-sweeping reform of 1872 hardrock mining law than the House did late last year, imposing royalties on new mines but perhaps not on existing ones.

At a hearing on the issue, senators generally agreed to put in place a royalty on future mines, to create a fund to clean up abandoned hardrock mines and to replace the outmoded patenting system with a more modern practice. But they expressed more reluctance than their House counterparts to impose a royalty on mines already operating.

The House-passed bill would charge an 8 percent royalty on the gross revenue from new mineral production and a 4 percent royalty on existing operations. That includes gold, silver, copper, uranium and more. The royalty would be used for cleanup of abandoned mines.

Under the 1872 law, federal land can be sold for $2.50 or $5 an acre. Congress for more than a decade has annually approved a moratorium on such sales, and the House bill would permanently end them.Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., the top Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, objected to some of the increased environmental regulations in the House bill. He said that because other national environmental laws already apply, the new rules are "solutions in search of a problem."

But some Democrats and environmental groups want to keep a House-passed provision that gives the Interior secretary the power to veto a mining operation if it would cause undue degradation of the environment.

Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., who also sits on the panel, said he was "troubled" by some of the provisions that came out of the House. He objected to giving future administrations explicit veto authority over mining operations, saying it would add too much uncertainty for investment in mining.

UW symposium ponders climate change

Here in the land of oil/gas/coal, we too are turning our attention to global warming. Over at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, there's a Climate Change Committee (code name -- C3), described as a "faculty group that works with the UW Research Office and the Office of the President to coordinate a campus-wide initiative on climate change."

To that end, C3 has planned a free symposium Jan. 30-31.

The event is coordinated with more than 1,200 other universities and institutions across the country participating in Focus the Nation. Its goal is "to educate the public about significant aspects of climate change, with special attention to ways that we can mitigate and adapt to anticipated environmental changes at a national and state level."

The symposium on Thursday, Jan. 31 opens at 12:30 p.m. with a panel discussion featuring Mary Byrnes, Wyoming Public Service Commission; Gary Collins, Wyoming Governor's Office, Arapaho Tribal Liaison; Mike Purcell, Wyoming Water Development Commission; Rob Hurless, Wyoming Governor's Office, Energy and Telecommunications adviser; and John Corra, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality.

At 2:30 p.m., Denise Stephenson Hawk of the National Center for Atmospheric Research will present "Climate Change and its Sphere of Influence: Pathways to Societal Resilience." A 4:30 p.m. workshop on lobbying skills, led by Sarah Gorin of the Equality State Policy Center, will be followed at 6 p.m. with another keynote presentation titled "Climate Change in the Rockies: Global Problems, Homegrown Solutions," by Michelle Nijhuis, a freelance journalist and contributing editor for High Country News in Colorado.

A symposium launch party, featuring free food and live music from the bluegrass band "Head to the Hills," is Wednesday, Jan. 30, in the Wyoming Union Gardens. A live, interactive webcast of "The 2 Percent Solution," hosted by actor and clean energy advocate Edward Norton, begins at 6 p.m.

For more info on the symposium, call 307-766-5310 or e-mail strauss@uwyo.edu.

Destination Buy-a-Good-Book

I normally don't read USA Today unless I'm on the road and hotel managment drops a copy at my door. Nothing against USA Today. It's short, bullet-laden news stories get right to the point and out again, perfect reads for the weary traveler. One of my favorite sections is the one that lists a short news item for each state. I always read the snippets for my state of Wyoming, plus those for other states I've lived in, such as Kansas and Maryland. I also like the colorful weather maps.


The paper also likes lists, especially when it comes to travel. Top 10 sushi restaurants in the USA. Best sandy beaches! Top 10 things airline travelers need to know.


A recent list featured the top nine "bookstore destinations" in the USA. Here's the list:


BOOKS & BOOKS: 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables, Fla., http://www.booksandbooks.com/


CITY LIGHTS BOOKS: 261 Columbus Ave., San Francisco; http://www.citylights.com/


ELLIOTT BAY BOOK CO.: 101 S. Main St., Seattle; http://www.elliottbaybook.com/


POLITICS AND PROSE: 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington; http://www.politics-prose.com/


POWELL'S CITY OF BOOKS: 1005 W. Burnside, Portland, Ore.; http://www.powells.com/

PRAIRIE LIGHTS: 15 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City. http://www.prairielightsbooks.com/


TATTERED COVER BOOK STORE: 1628 16th St., Denver; http://www.tatteredcover.com/


THAT BOOKSTORE IN BLYTHEVILLE: 316 W. Main, Blytheville, Ark.; http://www.tbib.com/

THE STRAND: Corner of 12th Street and Broadway, near Union Square, Manhattan; http://www.strandbooks.com/


I'm pleased to say I've been in four of the nine. I spent the majority of my time during two business trips to Portland at Powell's. But the store that's claimed most of my book-browsing-and-buying time has been Tattered Cover in Denver. When I lived in Denver, a week didn't go by that I didn't drop into the store. I once even lived in the Cherry Creek neighborhood, five blocks from the store. Then the area became chic, rents went up, and many of the old brick bungalows were scraped from the property to make way for townhouse duplexes. Another great thing about the neighborhood: the Cherry Cricket, one of the best sports-watching bars in the city.


Other destination bookstores of note? Sam Weller's in Salt Lake City, Changing Hands Books in Tempe, Ariz., Chapters A Literary Bookstore in D.C., and the modest but fantastic The Book Shop in funky downtown Sheridan, Wyo.

What are your favorites?

Celebrating Dr. King with a speech

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s, Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech (excerpt), delivered in Oslo, Norway, Dec. 10, 1964:

“I accept this award today with an abiding faith in America and an audacious faith in the future of mankind. I refuse to accept the idea that the ‘isness’ of man’s present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal ‘oughtness’ that forever confronts him.

I refuse to accept the idea that man is mere flotsam and jetsam in the river of life which surrounds him. I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.

I refuse to accept the cynical notion that nation after nation must spiral down a militaristic stairway into a hell of thermonuclear destruction. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. That is why right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant.

I believe that even amid today’s mortar bursts and whining bullets, there is still hope for a brighter tomorrow. I believe that wounded justice, lying prostrate on the blood-flowing streets of our nations, can be lifted from this dust of shame to reign supreme among the children of men.

I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down men other-centered can build up. I believe that one day mankind will bow before the altars of God and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive good will proclaim the rule of the land.

‘And the lion and the lamb shall lie down together and every man shall sit under his own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid.’ I still believe that we shall overcome. This faith can give us courage to face the uncertainties of the future. It will give our tired feet new strength as we continue our forward stride toward the city of freedom. When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds and our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, we will know that we are living in the creative turmoil of a genuine civilization struggling to be born.

Today I come to Oslo as a trustee, inspired and with renewed dedication to humanity. I accept this prize on behalf of all men who love peace and brotherhood.”

(Found at http://www.leveesnotwar.org/).

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.

Laramie Co. Dems meet Jan. 29; supplies needed for state party extension office

Nicole Novotny, secretary for the Laramie County Democrats, passes along this news:

Hello fellow LCD members. Here is the announcement for the next meeting. Also, we are collecting office supplies for the new state party extension office here in town! If you have any office supplies lying around, especially wastebaskets, notebooks, pens, and pencils, please bring them to the meeting. If you have questions about this "office supply drive" please contact LCD Chair Mike Bell at thomcat@bresnan.net.

The Laramie County Democratic Party is pleased to host the "Wyoming Legislator Panel Discussion: Legislative Issues in 2008." It will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 7 p.m., at downtown Cheyenne's Historic Plains Hotel This event is free and open to the public.

Questions regarding this event can be directed to Nicole Novotny at 307-514-4685.

The eyes of the nation turn to... Wyoming

While the political eyes of the nation are riveted on primaries in South Carolina, Florida, and Nevada, let's not forget that Wyoming Democrats will be deciding 18 delegates and four super-delegates during the next five months. Unlike our brethren and sistren in the Wyoming Republican Party, we will take our full slate of delegates to the national convention. That's because we didn't monkey with our calendar to get a little extra publicity by luring presidential candidates to the state. The Wyoming Repubs did this, lost half their delegates, and only drew visits from a few candidates. Mitt Romney flew in, but he's almost a favorite son due to his Mormonism, and the western part of Wyoming is basically a Utah annex. Romney's son Josh owns a ranch in Wyoming, and participated in the Repubs' state convention in Cheyenne a few weeks ago.

So, the Wyoming Democratic Party calendar is full. We'll know our delegates at the end of Memorial Day weekend in Jackson. Who knows, the national race may still be undecided at this point and the lateness of our selection may actually give us some publicity. Our county party held a mock debate and straw poll last September and Barack Obama finished first, with Hillary Clinton way down the list. Don't count on too many Hillary delegates coming out of our state convention. But who knows -- maybe her support will increase as she gains delegates on the national scene.

If you wish to read the details of the WDP's delegate selection process, all 47 pages of it, go to http://www.wyomingdemocrats.com. Meanwhile, here's the party's list of key 2008 events:

February 22: Deadline to register as a Democrat in your county in order to participate in the county caucuses.

March 1: Delegate and alternate candidates may obtain statement of candidacy forms from this website or by calling the state party office at 800-729-3367.

March 8: County Caucuses and Conventions held, and Democrats attending the county conventions vote for their preferred presidential candidate.

April 30, 5 p.m.: Deadline for Democrats wishing to represent Wyoming at the 2008 Democratic National Convention to file statement of candidacy forms with the state party office.

May 23-24: State Convention in Jackson. Delegates to the state convention elect Wyoming's delegates and alternates to the national convention.

August 25-28: National Convention, Denver. Our party formally nominates its presidential candidate.

Books for stay-at-home sickos

I've grown tired of the world of contemporary novels. So, during my last trip to the Laramie County Public Library, I picked up a batch of anthologies. A good thing, too, as I finally fell victim to one of the many viruses floating around Cheyenne. I'm home, and I desperately need new reading material, lest I be lured into watching political news on the tube all day.

"Bronx Noir," edited by S.J. Rozan, got my attention because it features work by one of my favorite writers, Jerome Charyn. There are no Charyn books in the library or in our local bookstores. That could be due to the fact that the writer sets most of his work New York City. He's best known for his Isaac Slidel police novels. Before he turned to mysteries, Charyn was a "literary writer," which is usually the kiss of death when it comes to book sales. He also won an NEA creative writing fellowship way back when.

But he's not the only good writer in this anthology by Akashic Books. Hard-boiled Lawrence Block is in here, as well as Terrence Cheng with his great noirish story, "Gold Mountain," about a young Chinese man who jumps ship in New York Harbor with a suitcase full of his boss's cash.

"Wolf Woman Bay" (Carroll & Graf) boasts retro cartoon-like cover art and features 10 of "the finest crime and mystery novellas of the year." I skipped Ed McBain and Joyce Carol Oates and jumped into a story by Steve Hockensmith, who's a mystery to me. The title of his novella, "Gustav Amlingmeyer, Holmes of the Range," caught my attention. It features Miles City, Montana, cowboy detectives Big Red and Old Red. Big Red has been reading Sherlock Holmes to his illiterate brother, Old Red, and it exerts a big influence when there's a murder in town. Hockensmith writes in an easy-going style that flirts with folksiness. The novella is also epistolary (told in letter form), which you don't see much these days.

I don't know how steamy all the stories get in "Killing Me Softly: Erotic Tales of Unearthly Love," but the one I read -- "Jaguar Hunter" by Lucius Shepard -- barely scratches the surface of an "R" rating. The story is great, though, by one of the best contemporary sci-fi (or maybe speculative fiction) writers around. Shepard sets this in an unnamed Central American country, a setting for much of his work. Esteban is an Indian who only wants to give back a TV his wife bought from an unscrupulous store owner in town. But the owner talks him into killing a jaguar. It turns out to be harder that he thought. And much more mysterious. "Killing Me Softly" is a HarperPrism paperback.

Now, back to my reading...

What's $100 a barrel and rhymes with "toil?"

Pres. Bush met with our Saudi Arabian overlords today. And just what is the Prez whispering to King Abdullah? Or is that a kiss? Probably not. A kiss would have to be planted on another part of the king's anatomy.

Reuters had the lowdown:

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah hosts George W. Bush at his desert playground on Tuesday when the U.S. president will get a taste of how the royals live in the world's richest oil-producing monarchy.

Setting aside serious talk of Middle East peace, Iranian challenges and controversial arms deals that dominated day one of his visit, Bush will trade in his business suit for more casual attire and stay the night at the sprawling tent-like structure with walls made of silk.

Even the Arabian stallions the king raises at his Al Janadriyah "horse farm" near Riyadh lead lives of luxury. They are kept in climate-controlled, air-conditioned stables and are treated to aqua-therapy.

The special hospitality is for a U.S. president who hosted Abdullah as crown prince in Crawford, Texas, in 2002 and 2005.

When Bush walked arm-in-arm with Abdullah at his ranch nearly three years ago, oil cost $54 a barrel, a level the Saudi government admitted then was "clearly too high."

Oil is now hovering near $100 a barrel and many Americans are griping about their tax dollars helping to underwrite the defense of wealthy Gulf allies, so the issue may come up again.

Winning the West in 2008

McJoan wrote Sunday on Daily Kos about the presidential race in the West, concentrating on the Rocky Mountain states. The Democratic Party started its run for the White House by paying a lot of attention to the West, and providing money for state parties to beef up their staffs and outreach efforts. Wyoming's a great example of that. The state party has consistent leadership, and PR guy Bill Luckett does a good job of getting out the word, both in person and on the web. Howard Dean's 50-state strategy has helped Wyoming Democrats, although we're not too welcoming when he actually shows up in the state. But that's the key issue, isn't it? Democratic candidates in Wyoming need to be strong progressives but can't be seen as beholden to to the DNC. The only way Dems can win is to woo Republicans, Libertarians, and independents. Gov. Freudenthal did it twice in his campaigns. Former Gov. Mike Sullivan is another good example. Gary Trauner snagged a lot of votes in 2006 as the anti-Barbara Cubin. That won't be so easy this time, as Cubin is retiring.

McJoan made a lot of great points in her DK post. Here's a paragraph that rings true:

Finding avenues of nonpartisan, and even anti-partisan, appeal have been critical to the survival of the Western Democrat in the lean years since Ronald Reagan helped solidify the region as solidly red, as has keeping the national party at arm's length. The key for the Democratic Party in shaping a strategy for the 2008 elections will be allowing Democrats running in the region to run with a high degree of independence from the national party's message and structure. The key for national Democrats running in the West will be to find those issues that can be branded as Democratic and that uphold our progressive values.

Notice that she doesn't use the term "bipartisan." Here's why:

There is also the risk of misreading the basic anti-partisan orientation of these voters as a longing for bipartisanship. It's important to note that, in the context of this region, anti-partisan is not the equivalent of bipartisan. Western voters are highly pragmatic, looking for problem solvers first, and ideological debate is of less interest than action. Misreading this as some great yearning for comity can result in short-lived and uneasy compromises that erode the Democratic brand and end up diluting policies and programs. That doesn't have to happen. Voters in the Mountain West are more swayed by results than by process. Battles can be won, even in the most unlikely of places, by taking strong, principled, progressive stands.

Standing up for constitutional rights, a living wage, energy independence, etc., will go far in the West.

Give me some of that new-era science

After hearing about it on NPR's "Science Friday," I cast my vote of support for Science Debate 2008. Here's a short description of the project's goals:

Given the many urgent scientific and technological challenges facing America and the rest of the world, the increasing need for accurate scientific information in political decision making, and the vital role scientific innovation plays in spurring economic growth and competitiveness, we call for a public debate in which the U.S. presidential candidates share their views on the issues of The Environment, Health and Medicine, and Science and Technology Policy.

The web site features a long list of people who support the effort. It includes scientists, media people, politicians, and bloggers.

What's the likelihood of such a debate? Not bloody likely, as the Republican side has everything to lose and nothing to gain. A recent article in Reason Magazine revealed that all the Democratic candidates believe in evolution and most of the Republicans are on the side of the creationists and the so-called "Intelligent Design" curriculum. Reality-based vs. faith-based.

But hold on a minute. Reason also notes that all of the Democrats also believe in God, so they really fall into the category of "theistic evolutionists." In other words, Obama and Clinton and Edwards and Kucinich and all the candidates who've since dropped out believe that God plays a part in evolution.

That's the tack that the nuns and priests took at my Catholic school way back in the sixties. Evolution was a given, they said, but God's influence was in there somewhere. How much of a role did he/she/it play? After all, doesn't the Bible say that God created this whole mess in six days and rested on the seventh? My university-educated teachers all cautioned us not to take the Biblical account too literally. We should see it as a story, an illustration of the power of God the Creator. We should look at the term "day" as metaphorical. Who's to say what a day means to God? It could be a millisecond; it could be five billion years. This brings to mind the courtroom exchanged in "Inherit the Wind."

The contemporary Catholic Church has fallen into the clutches of its anti-abortion allies in the Religious Right. The Bible has crept back into everyday Catholic teachings, and that doesn't allow for any metaphors. Metaphors out, dogma in. Rigidity, too. That's why so many practicing Catholics have gone over to The Dark Side.

Let's have this 2008 science debate! Sing with me now. "Give me that new-era science, give me that new-era science...."

CAPTION: In the 17th century painting by Guido Reni (above), St. Michael (my namesake) is shown subduing science-loving Liberal Catholics, driving them out of Wyoming and into Denver, where they all become Democrats. This is metaphorical, of course.

Plan for the future, not the past

On Thursday and Friday, Gov. Dave Freudenthal convened his "Building the Wyoming We Want" conference in Casper. Casper Star-Tribune correspondent Brodie Farquhar covered the event and reported in Saturday’s paper that almost 500 people attended. That’s probably why I couldn’t get in and had to settle for a waiting list. It also helps if you don’t wait until the last minute for these things.

It appears that the main point learned at this conference was this: Wyoming has to plan for the future. Lest you think that "planning for the future" is a redundancy, remember that one of the state’s favorite bumper-sticker slogans is: "Wyoming is what America was."

The Governor asked the audience to go home with two concepts:

One, a successful planning process will evolve over time, as thinking and conditions change.

Two, "We can control our own future," Freudenthal said, although that belief has been waylaid in the past by fears of today's boom turning into tomorrow's bust. If Wyoming can successfully figure out how to allocate resources, how to pay for open space and wildlife, how to pay for education, then surely the state can get a handle on growth, he said.

Freudenthal promised the audience that he'd continue to work on a supportive structure for communities what want to plan their future.

I’m hoping that plenty of legislators were on hand to hear this. They too often seem to be planning for the past. The Republicans just love stashing away money in the rainy day fund. We need to spend on infrastructure now. The Joint Appropriation Committee began holding hearings in Cheyenne this opast week and will be meeting until the Legislature convenes on Feb. 11.

To read Brodie’s entire CST article, go to http://www.trib.com/articles/2008/01/12/news/wyoming/.

January 11: Close Guantanamo

Republicans think like it's 1899

Bill Luckett, blogger for the Wyoming Democratic Party, led off his Jan. 9 news digest with a piece about Teton County Republican goals. You just have to ask: what century are these people living in? On what planet do they dwell? Here's the excerpt:

Next, we have this piece from the Jackson Hole News & Guide, which demonstrated to all the people of Teton County just how out of touch their local Republican leaders are (I’ve included the entire piece below, because it’s just two sentences):

GOP goals: Abolish the federal income and estate taxes, deport illegal immigrants who are stopped by police, dissolve the Teton County Housing Authority, and begin planning for another bridge over the Snake River to the west bank. Teton County Republicans voted for these and other positions Saturday as they set their platform for the upcoming election cycle.

N.H. voters voted for... CHANGE!

I've kind of lost touch with Dave Barry and his very funny Miami Herald columns. Seems he was covering the recent New Hampshire primaries from a hotel room while eating Cheez-Its, or so he says. This column serves as an antidote to all the very serious N.H. post-mortems we've been getting for the past two days:

The voters of New Hampshire have made their decision, and the big winner is:
Change. Here's the final vote tally:
Change -- 43 percent
Hope -- 28 percent
Hope For Change -- 17 percent
Hair -- 9 percent
Experience -- 2 percent
Dennis Kucinich -- 1 percent

Now it's time for the politicians and the press to drop New Hampshire like an ant-covered corn dog and sprint for the airport, leaving the residents of The Granite State to spend the rest of the winter plucking 239 billion candidate signs out of their snowbanks, all the while wondering if there ever really was a candidate named ''Mike Gravel,'' or if that was just teenagers playing a sign-planting prank.

Mr. Barry also took a little time to dissect the Hillary Clinton "crying incident," also referred to as the "welling-of-the-tears incident." You decide the proper terminolgy:

Meanwhile there are many unanswered questions about the races in both parties. On the Democratic side: Is Barack Obama for real? Or is he, as sources inside the Hillary Clinton campaign have suggested, a hologram formed by laser beams? Is the nation truly ready for a hologram president? And speaking of Hillary Clinton: When her eyes appeared to well up with tears during a campaign appearance at a New Hampshire diner, was that real welling? Or did she fake the welling? If she did, in fact, well, do we know for certain that those were her own personal tears? Why was no sample made available to the media for testing?

Lest you think he just picks on Democrats:

Among the unanswered questions on the Republican side are: Is John McCain, at 117, too old and cranky to be president? Like, during the White House Easter Egg Roll, would he come outside in his bathrobe and yell, ''You kids get off my lawn!'' Does Mitt Romney contain any human DNA whatsoever? Does he, for example, burp? Can he emit bodily aromas? And is there any TV show that Mike Huckabee will NOT appear on? Are we going to see him one of these nights on Deal or No Deal?

Hillary Clinton fans and "Girl Power!"

My wife is ecstatic about Hillary Clinton's win in the New Hampshire primary. "Girl Power!" she kept shouting all morning. "But," says I, "Barack Obama leads in the delegate count -- and don't forget about John Edwards." "Girl Power," she says. My daughter wishes she could vote in this presidential election but will have to wait until 2012. "Girl Power!" she shouts as she shuffles off the school.

I couldn't think of anything clever to say. "It ain't over 'til it's over," comes to mind. Or as John Edwards said last night: "There are 48 states left to vote." That would be 47 for the Republicans, as the Wyoming Repubs had their say last Saturday.

On to the rest of the primaries!

McGovern: Impeach Bush & Cheney

South Dakota's George McGovern -- writer, bomber pilot, senator and presidential candidate -- wrote an illuminating column for Sunday's Washington Post. In it, he calls publicly for the impeachment of our fearful leaders -- and gives all the reasons why it's high time we did so. In the process, he says a few nice things about his old nemesis, Richard Nixon:

I have not been heavily involved in singing the praises of the Nixon administration. But the case for impeaching Bush and Cheney is far stronger than was the case against Nixon and Vice President Spiro T. Agnew after the 1972 election. The nation would be much more secure and productive under a Nixon presidency than with Bush. Indeed, has any administration in our national history been so damaging as the Bush-Cheney era?

How could a once-admired, great nation fall into such a quagmire of killing, immorality and lawlessness?

Read the rest at the Washington Post on the Jan. 6 op-ed pages.

I cast my first vote for president in the 1972 election. I hadn't thought about lately, but it just ocurred to me that it involved a race between two Westerners: Nixon from California and McGovern from South Dakota. I know that some consider S.D. more Great Plains that High Plains. But the western one-third of the state is more mountainous than many places in eastern Wyoming. And McGovern has written extensively about the region, most notably in his book about the Ludlow Massacre in Colorado.

What other presidential election has pitched West vs. West? We certainly won't have one this time, unless John McCain or Duncan Hunter is matched up against Bill Richardson or Mike Gravel (is he still in the race?). Not likely....

Go, Dennis, Go!

Special Kucinich TV spot available at http://www.usalone.com/kucinich_tv.php

A man of great courage. Too radical to get elected, Democrats say, and too short. Too bad he's been so marginalized by his own party. It would be great to see him win the Democratic Party primary in New Hampshire. My second choice for great N.H. happenings would be a first place finish by John Edwards with second place to Barack Obama. I don't dislike Hillary Clinton. In fact, after today's film clip from N.H., I feel sorry for her as I admire the hell out of her. Alas, her time has come and gone.

FMI: http://www.kucinich4president.com.

Dems watch N.H. primaries Jan. 8

We had such an uplifting time last Thursday during our local "Iowa Caucus Night Party" that we're going to do it again tomorrow night. Join the Laramie County Democrats on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 6-10 p.m. for our "New Hampshire Primary Results Party." We'll gather at the bar at Little America in Cheyenne out in the prairie where I-80 and I-25 connect. Everyone is welcome. The discussion are sure to be lively.

FMI: Nicole Novotny, LCD Communications Director, 307-514-4685.

Local Democrats digest Iowa results

Local Democrats held an informal "Iowa Caucus Party" last Thursday at C.B. & Potts in Cheyenne. I was late to the party, so I skipped the ribs and dove into a flagon of Buttface Amber Ale. We watched two sets of results on two TVs. The good TV showed FOX with its Republican noisemakers such as William Kristol. The other TV, which was as old as Dick Clark, carried MSNBC with Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann. I made the wrong choice and sat facing FOX. I quickly switched seats and engaged in a lively conversation about the Iowa results. Most of the 20-or-so Dems in attendance seemed pleased that Barack Obama took the convincing win. In the fall of ought-seven, Obama had finished first in the Laramie County Democrats straw poll. I was happy to see that John Edwards made a convincing number-two showing, although he finished neck-and-neck with Hillary Clinton.

I was distressed that Kucinich didn't even place. Predictable but still distressing. Kucinich has the best policies of any of the Democratic Party candidates. His stands against the Iraq War and in support of the U.S. Constitution have pushed him to the fringe. His own party has been complicit in this, as you'll notice that Kucinich was nowhere to be seen in the New Hampshire debate. Kucinich is a good man, a brave man. He'd be a radical alternative to what we have now. That's not saying much, I know.

Who attended the caucus party? Local party officers. Union members. Gubment workers such as myself. An Air Force veteran who now flies for United Airlines. Several candidates for public office in ought-eight. A Boston Red Sox fan. A poet. A Vietnam veteran. A young rabble-rouser. A Colorado refugee. A rancher. An historian.

All Americans. People trying to take back their country.

You too can get involved. The next meeting of the Laramie County Democrats will be on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 7 p.m., at the Historic Plains Hotel in downtown Cheyenne. Our county convention will be March 8 and the state convention will be Memorial Day weekend in Jackson. Get statewide news on Bill Luckett's blog at the Wyoming Democratic Party site.

It's Mitt and Fred for WYO Republicans

This comes from Denver Post Online:

Mitt Romney captured his first win of the Republican presidential race on Saturday, prevailing in Wyoming caucuses for a much-needed boost to his candidacy three days before the New Hampshire primary. "This is just the beginning," he declared.

The former Massachusetts governor won eight delegates, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson got three and California Rep. Duncan Hunter won one.

"The people of Wyoming took the first step towards bringing true conservative change to Washington," Romney said in a statement. "I am honored to have won many of the first delegates awarded this primary season. As the Republican nominee, I promise to fight to seat all of Wyoming's delegates at the national convention." The victory was a welcome development for Romney, coming two days after his loss to Mike Huckabee in the Iowa caucuses and three days before the first-in-the-nation primary in New Hampshire. Those two states have attracted most of the political attention. Wyoming had scheduled its GOP county conventions earlier to attract candidates to the state but had only modest results.

Romney visited Wyoming in August and November and three of his five sons campaigned in the state. One son, Josh Romney, owns a ranch in southwest Wyoming.

Searching for Republican bumper stickers

I prowled the Cheyenne Holiday Inn parking lot this morning searching for signs who the local Republicans might prefer as they hold today's county convention. The results will be available on the local evening news. But if bumper stickers are any bellwether, only Mitt, Fred and Ron are going to get votes. I spied one Mitt 08, one Fred 08, and one Ron Paul. To be fair, the big black truck with the Ron Paul sticker had several of them, including a placard and the legend "Ron Paul for Freedom" scrawled across its windows. The truck bore a Colorado license plate. I did see a bumper sticker that read "Christmas: an American Tradition." I suppose that the sticker is a sign that at least one Republican convention-goer agrees with Pat Robertson and Bill O'Reilly that there's a war on Christmas. This war, according to the fundies and Fixed News, is waged by secularists against god-fearing traditionalists. In reality, if there's a war against the Christian Christmas, it's being waged by rich Republican corporate CEOs. Those same people that are funding the campaigns of the candidates running today in the Laramie County Republican convention. You could say that Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee are not in the pockets of corporate special interests. But just wait...

Revisiting 1968 in 2008

Yet another column about 1968 (40 years gone) and its impact upon the U.S.A. Written by Bob Herbert on the New York Times web site. It does include a few mistakes. "The Sound of Music," for instance, was not released in 1968 but in 1965. Just ask my wife, the world's number one SOM fan. Besides that, though, Herbert's column is a good one. Go here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/01/opinion/01herbert.html?_r=2&ref=opinion&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Reagan on Rushmore could mean a boost to Wyoming tourism

Jim Hightower, "America's No. 1 Populist," revisited the Ronald Reagan presidency in his year-end column:

"I must admit that the seven-year reign of Bush & Company makes me yearn for the years of Ronald Reagan, when the term “conservative” merely meant right wing, rather than full-tilt, bull-goose loopy."

He's a bit shocked that there's a movement afoot to add Reagan's image to that of Jefferson, Washington, Teddy Roosevelt, and Lincoln on Mount Rushmore. Hate to tell you this, Jim, but certain Reagan idol-worshippers have been at this since 1988, when The Gipper left D.C. for his California ranch. But now there's a web site devoted to the cause: “Put Reagan On Rushmore in your home or office." Go to http://www.reaganrushmore.com/. I was going to copy and paste the image but I didn't want to be responsible for spreading it around.

But hey, if you look at it from a Wyoming tourism P.O.V., it's not such a bad idea. Reagan fans from all over would be drawn to the Black Hills during the construction phase, which could take up to five years. Once the giant head is completed, it will receive a constant stream of traffic until the end of time. The most direct auto routes to Mount Rushmore from Orange County, California, take you through Wyoming. Even those voyagers taking the southern route through Colorado would have to transverse the southeastern corner of WYO, where I live. Gas prices will be, like, $10 a gallon by then, so we can siphon off some of that dough from Hummer 5's and the giant SUVs of the future.

Makes you wonder what other GOP hero could be added to Mount Rushmore. Perhaps the beady-eyed visage of Karl Rove? He wasn't technically a president, but he was George W. Bush's "Brain." Maybe we could just stick the brain up there. The actual brain.

Beware of that "brief flash of fear"

I'm a sucker for good literary references. It's the English major in me. Possibly no book has been more abused in this arena than George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. It's the no-brainer lit reference for our times, the era of John Ashcroft and Alberto Gonzalez, true champions of the abridged Republican version of the Bill of Rights.

But here's a good one regarding new security methods in use by the Transportation Satety Administration. It was posted Jan. 1 by Avram Grumer at Making Light:

George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four, Part 1, Chapter 5:
He did not know how long she had been looking at him, but perhaps for as much as five minutes, and it was possible that his features had not been perfectly under control. It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander when you were in any public place or within range of a telescreen. The smallest thing could give you away. A nervous tic, an unconscious look of anxiety, a habit of muttering to yourself — anything that carried with it the suggestion of abnormality, of having something to hide. In any case, to wear an improper expression on your face (to look incredulous when a victory was announced, for example) was itself a punishable offence. There was even a word for it in Newspeak: facecrime, it was called.

Us, now:
TSA officials will not reveal specific behaviors identified by the program — called SPOT (Screening Passengers by Observation Technique) — that are considered indicators of possible terrorist intent.

But a central task is to recognize microfacial expressions — a flash of feelings that in a fraction of a second reflects emotions such as fear, anger, surprise or contempt, said Carl Maccario, who helped start the program for TSA.

“In the SPOT program, we have a conversation with (passengers) and we ask them about their trip,” said Maccario from his office in Boston. “When someone lies or tries to be deceptive, … there are behavior cues that show it. … A brief flash of fear.”

Looking ahead to ought-eight

As promised, here are my predictions for 2008.

The Bush Administration will decide to dis-invade Iraq, discovering that the long-suspected weapons of mass destruction are in Iran.

We invade Iran.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan.

Not to mention Osama bin Laden.

Barack Obama will be elected president. His vice president is Bill Richardson.

Wyoming Republicans exported to D.C. for the Bush presidency make plans to return to their home state to make mischief of one kind or another. Dick Cheney begins moving out of the V.P Mansion. He and his cabal of ousted neo-cons start making plans to invade Idaho.

For the first time since the 1970s, a Democrat is elected to Wyoming’s lone U.S. House seat. Gary Trauner pledges that he won’t let down his adopted state.

The Republicans in the Wyoming State Legislature, faced with crises in health care, meth addiction, transportation, and education, spend most of their time proposing bills outlawing gay marriage, "fetal homicide," evolution, global warming, stem-cell research, and Democrats. Their only success is the "Why Do They Hate God and Our Troops?" measure, which bans for life all Democrats currently registered in the state.

I move to Colorado. I conspire with my fellow exiles to invade Wyoming. The plot is exposed by an FBI mole (an actual mole named Ralph fitted with high-tech snooping devices) and we are all sent to Gitmo.

We await full pardons from Pres. Obama.

Happy New Year!