Winter Wonderland

I have written about the inconvenience of the recent snowstorms to hit the Front Range; however even out of something caused misery for many, comes something good. Today started out very overcast and gloomy, but finally the clouds have moved out and we have a beautiful day left behind. Here are a few scenes from around here that I took this afternoon. Too see a larger version of a photo, just click on it. Use your browsers "Back" button to return to this page.



First, we have a picture of a white barn sitting in a field of untouched virgin snow. I imagine the horses who usually play in the corral are inside the barn, as I didn't notice them anywhere.



This picture is somewhat interesting in that you can see a white mist behind the barn and in front of the mountains. This is evaporating snow. From higher vantage points, you can see this white haze rising in the distance all around you, as the moisture from the snow vaporizes into the air to be recycled once again as clouds.



Here we have a doe and her young ones, out looking around for something to eat. As you can see, the mother and two of her babies thought they'd better take a closer look at me. They were not alone, however, as daddy buck was just off to the right, over the crest of a small incline, as seen below.



I think he was keeping an eye on me as well, but these beautiful animals are somewhat shy, and after I shot the pictures, they left the area.

Even though the wintry weather is bad for travelers, it does leave behind some wonderful scenes if you just take a closer look.

The Plows Keep Busy!

With the second large snowstorm in a week pounding the Front Range, the plow drivers are finding no shortage of work. The second storm began dropping its mess on the Denver area shortly after 9 AM yesterday morning. by the afternoon, the roads were already becoming a mess.

This photo was taken mid afternoon on the E-470 Tollway between Lone Tree and Parker, shortly before arriving at the eastbound toll-booths. Here are two plows driving tandem as they do, to rapidly clear the highway. The plow on the right clears an inside lane, and is followed by the plow on the outside lane that pushed all the snow off onto the median. In this photo, you can clearly see the ice-melting salt/sand mixture that the plows broadcast onto the road surface to keep it from icing over. In addition to that gritty melter, they also use a liquid de-icer on some roadways, particularly before the snow begins to fall.

Farewell, Dennis Linde

I was saddened to learn of the death of award-winning musician/songwriter Dennis Linde at the age of 63. Dennis died of pulmonary fibrosis last Friday, December 22.

Though the name may not be a household word, almost everyone would recognize some of Dennis Linde's work. He wrote many hit songs that are part of our collective life soundtrack. Probably the most well-known hit written by Dennis is Burning Love, recorded by Elvis Presley. He also is the writer of Callin' Baton Rouge, as recorded by Garth Brooks; and Goodbye Earl, a major hit recording for The Dixie Chicks, among many others.

While I didn't know Dennis, I met him a few times back in the 1970s and 1980s, through my uncle Alan who co-wrote songs with Dennis, as well as their both being members of the recording group Jubal in the early 1970s. In an indirect way, my eldest son's name came from Dennis Linde. When my son Dennis was born, we could not think of a name for him. At the time, I worked at radio station WCUM in Cumberland, Maryland, and spotted one of Dennis Linde's albums in the radio station's control room. Having met Dennis and seeing his album there, made me think that it would be a good name for the little person labeled "Baby Boy" at the hospital nursery.

My sincere condolences go out to Dennis' family and friends.

Here We Go Again!

Another major winter storm is heading toward the Colorado Front Range, and predictions are that we will possibly receive another two feet of snow. This one is expected to start dropping white flakes over the area on tomorrow, eight days since the Holiday Blizzard hit town a week ago this afternoon. AccuWeather is even using the "B" word for this second storm. I guess it's time to fill up the Jeep with fuel, stock some food, and plan for a repeat performance of last week. This is not looking good.

So far, I have been in Colorado for three major blizzards; the October 1997 storm, the one in March of 2003, and the Holiday Blizzard of '06 last week. Looks like we will be setting new records.

Gerald R. Ford Dies

In my post from just after the November elections, I quoted President Gerald Ford. Last night, I saw the news that he has died at the age of 93. Much has been said about his decision to give former President Richard Nixon a full and absolute pardon for crimes he may have committed while in office. The pardon put a stop to the probability of long inquests and trials for Nixon. Whatever one's politics, President Ford has to be given credit for getting the nation on to other business, and not letting Watergate consume any more of our resources and time. While I wish he had structured it differently so that Mr. Nixon would have had to face the music for his deeds, I understand and appreciate his intentions.

I met President Ford one time, after he had left office. I was covering a Republican fundraiser for a radio station in Houston, where Mr. Ford was the keynote speaker. While I only exchanged a few short words with him, he struck me as a gracious and intelligent man. Despite his well-publicized foibles on the golf course, he was not the klutz so humorously portrayed by Chevy Chase in his "Saturday Night Live" impersonations.

Gerald Ford has been called the nation's first unelected President, but he held the office with dignity. I believe he did his best during his short term to restore respect and honesty to the institution of the Presidency. For that, President Ford gets my respect.

A Sad Milestone

Christmas Day, 2006 marked a horrible milestone in the U.S. intervention in Iraq. On that day, the deaths of American military personnel in Iraq surpassed the 2,973 lives lost in the attacks of September 11, 2001. This doesn't even include the loss of life in Afghanistan, nor the tens of thousands of Iraqi citizens who have died in this misbegotten invasion of a country which posed no threat to the United States.

Rather than liberating a people longing for freedom, we have instead uncorked the bottle of sectarian violence that had been kept contained by the cruel regime of Saddam Hussein. Now we find ourselves paying in lives, money, and other resources; and bogged down in a civil war; a fact our President refuses to recognize. He calls it "resolve". I prefer the term "stubbornness". Mr. Bush, it is not a virtue to fail to modify tactics if current ones are failing. It is not "flip flopping" to adapt to changing conditions.

Amid the holiday celebrations with family and friends, I hope all of us keep in our thoughts the lives lost in this miserable Iraq war, and their loved ones. It is also imperative that we put pressure, and keep pressure, on our elected representatives to bring this misguided adventure to a close as soon as possible.

A Rocky Mountain Stream

Despite our holiday blizzard, one of the things I like about Colorado is the fact that we do get four seasons here. The photo above is one I took last spring as the creeks in the Rocky Mountain foothills were thawing out. The bit of snow in the middle of the water sits atop a bed of ice left over from the winter. The gnarly roots sticking up are the base of an old tree that has succumbed to the elements, lying dead on its side in the middle of the stream. I thought it made an interesting combination of elements, so I took the shot. I think it came out rather nice. It also reminds us that no matter how much snow winter brings, we have the warmth of springtime not too many months ahead, heralding the arrival of warmer weather.

I'm Dreaming of a Mele Kalikimaka

Bing Crosby may have made "White Christmas" a holiday favorite, but he had another Christmas tune he sang with The Andrews Sisters that sounds a lot more enticing after three feet of snowfall.

Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say on a bright Hawaiian Christmas Day
That's the island greeting that we send to you from the land where palm trees sway
Here we know that Christmas will be green and bright
The sun to shine by day and all the stars at night
Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii's way to say Merry Christmas to you

The great Holiday Blizzard of '06 has moved out, leaving mounds of white snow everywhere. It actually is very pretty seeing the snow on the Colorado blue spruce trees and all over the pastures here. After the snowfall ceased Thursday afternoon, the digging out began. Our townhouse complex had a crew working from early Thursday before the snow stopped, until about 1:30 am to get our driveways and streets cleared enough to leave. Now we have a single lane plowed out and piles of snow 6 feet tall all along the road.

It is my hope that we have no more actual blizzards to blog about this winter. We now return you to our regular programming.

Drama in the Snow

A few minutes ago, I looked out my back door and watched a blizzard story unfold. The blue pickup you see in the photo above, behind the SUV, was stuck in the snow. It is a 4x4, and as the driver tried forward and reverse gears, all of his wheels were spinning and going nowhere.

Luckily, a Suburban with chained tires from the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office drove by, although we are in Douglas County. The Sheriff's Deputy spoke with the driver, and then moments later, a tractor came along. I think this was just plain luck, as I doubt he had time to respond to a radio call from the deputy.

In any case, they quickly pulled the tractor into position behind the stuck pickup truck, strapped a tow rope up to both, and the tractor made quick work of extracting the pickup from the snow in which he had gotten stranded. The video below shows the rescue.

Perfect Gift for a Grad!

This is a picture from a few months back. It was taken in a store in a local mall, which was featuring gifts for the graduate in the Class of 2006. One suggested gift item was a fleece comforter. The unfortunate way they were rolled & folded could reveal what the grad really wanted for graduation!

Snowed In, and Still Falling

Well, it is before 8 o'clock on Thursday morning. I was supposed to drive to Cheyenne, Wyoming this morning, but I-25 is closed all the way to the state line. Besides that, I can't yet even get out of my garage. The snow is deep, drifting, and I cannot even get out of the garage.

The first photo this morning is looking out at my neighbor's townhouse. The front porch is behind the visible part of the evergreen tree (which itself is really about 5' tall). As you can see, about 3' of white crap blocks her door, as it does mine.

The snow is supposed to stop later today, but we are still under a blizzard warning until noon. I really need to get out of here and get to the office, but at this point, I don't think that is yet possible.

The second photo of the morning shows the snowdrift out the back door. There is hardly any accumulation on top of the fence or the patio furniture, as the high winds have kept them clear. But that fence is about 5½ feet tall, and all but the top 10" or so are behind the snow.

Luckily, we still have power, water, gas, and food, so we will be fine. Still, with things to do and places to go, this is not good. It's on days like today that I wondered why did I ever move away from Houston!! I'd almost take a hurricane over much of this weather.

Update! - It Keeps Piling Up

Here is what I see upon opening the front door at 5:00 PM. The garage is behind a three-foot drift. The snow beyond the porch is about 2 feet lower than the porch at its base. Still, it keeps coming down!

Denver International Airport is closed down, Governor Owens has declared a state of emergency, the Regional Transportation District is bringing the busses in, and many highways are closed. Are we having fun yet?

Autumn Out With A Bang!

Here it is, the day before the Winter Solstice, the last day of Autumn. What do we get to mark the occasion? A blizzard. Snow started falling here in Parker at about 3:30 AM this morning, and by the time I went to work, it was already getting treacherous. I called it a day shortly after noon, knowing the drive home would be awful. I was not wrong!

Still, I made it safe and sound, despite people with no common sense, driving like maniacs. My little 4x4 Jeep did a good job, but even that was not so sure footed in this mess. By the time it all ends tomorrow afternoon, we expect up to two feet of snowfall. This is also very wet snow, unlike our typical Colorado fluff. The movie above was taken shortly before 2:00 PM, and it is expected to continue like that for at least another day! That is not static on the video, but sideways snow coming down very hard.

Looks like a white solstice and a white Christmas, even if only from the many inches of the stuff left on the ground by next Monday.

Ho, Ho, Ho!

Wisconsin's Historic Capitol

Interior of the dome from the rotunda.

Last summer during my weekend in Madison, I got to go to the Wisconsin Capitol. This is a very impressive building in many ways. The Capitol has four wings, giving the building the symmetry of an "X" shape. Built in the first decade of the 20th Century to replace the previous capitol which was destroyed by fire, the building boasts the largest dome by volume of any in the United States. It is also the only dome built only from granite. Two hundred feet above the floor of the rotunda is "Wisconsin Resources", a painting on the dome's interior by artist Edwin Blashfield, and the outside is graced by a gilded bronze statue, "Wisconsin", by Daniel Chester French. The Wisconsin Capitol is also the only capitol in the country built on an isthmus, as downtown Madison lies on a strip of land separating Lake Mendota and Lake Monona.

The interior of the capitol is crafted of various colors of stone, wood, and gilding, and is very aesthetically pleasing. Some of the stones contain ancient fossils.

In 2001, the Capitol was designated a National Historic Landmark. By state law, no building within a mile of the Capitol may be taller than the base of the columns which surround the dome, insuring the building's place in Madison's skyline.

The city of Madison is one of the more freethinking areas of Wisconsin, and home to one of the nation's most visible advocacy groups for protecting the separation of church & state. To counter officially-sponsored religious displays, every December, the Madison-based Freedom From Religion Foundation, places a plaque at the Wisconsin Capitol that reads:

At this THE WINTER SOLSTICE may reason prevail. There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds.

The FFRF has also previously placed a similar plaque in Colorado near the creche mentioned in the post below about Denver's holiday lights, but it has been regularly stolen or vandalized. They eventually included the Biblical command, "Thou shalt not steal" on the back of the plaque.

There are many things to see there, but the Wisconsin Capitol building is well worth the time to visit when in the Madison area.



Interior stairwell near the North Wing.



Exterior of Wisconsin Capitol Dome.

Denver Holiday Lights

One of the annual traditions in Denver is the lighted holiday display at the City and County of Denver building (City Hall). This building lies across Civic Center Park from the Colorado Capitol building, and faces it. It is also just a short walk away from the U.S. Mint that manufactures our coins. On the way home from my company's holiday party at Coors Field tonight, I stopped to take a few photos. These are of the front of the building, which faces east. Here are two of them for you to enjoy.

The display has not been without controversy. The city has a creche on the front steps, which has raised First Amendment issues, but remains as part of the larger display. The display says "Merry Christmas" on one side, and "Happy New Year" on the other. When current mayor John Hickenlooper came into office, he proposed changing the Christmas greeting to the more inclusive "Happy Holidays", since the building belongs to all Denverites. The uproar was too much, so Hickenlooper relented, and "Merry Christmas" remains.

All controversy aside, the lights are breathtaking, and these pictures cannot really convey the impact of seeing them in person. Click on the photos to see a larger version.

Happy Holidays to all!

Prairie Dog

It is getting close to the start of winter here, and this little fellow is probably snuggly hibernating in his burrow tonight. Last summer, he came out long enough for me to get this quick picture of him.

The black tip on his tail tells us he is a member of the Black-Tailed Prairie Dog species, that lives in colonies, or "prairie dog towns" throughout the Great Plains of the United States. These little animals are not "dogs" at all, but a variety of ground squirrel. Their towns are a network of tunnels they create underground, with multiple entrances. They emit a high-pitched bark to warn the others when danger approaches. They are extremely shy.

They also can be somewhat dangerous in the wild, as the fleas they get tend to carry bubonic plague. While today's antibiotics mean the plague is no longer the "Black Death" of medieval times, I still wouldn't want to catch it.

There are other controversies about these cute little animals. As their tunnels can be a nuisance, as well as a danger to cattle stepping into the holes they make, some people poison them by the hundreds. This has caused animal rights activists to fight back, working to relocate colonies rather than allow them to be destroyed.

Here in Northern Colorado, you don't have to look far, even in urbanized areas, to find a prairie dog town. In captivity, they have a lifespan of approximately eight years.

The D & F Tower

My recent journey back to downtown Denver gave me the chance to shoot this photo of the famed Daniels & Fisher Tower, which stands on the 16th Street Mall. This landmark was part of the Daniels & Fisher department store, and according to Wikipedia, was the tallest structure west of the Mississippi at the time of its construction. Wikipedia also notes that it was modelled after The Campanile, or St. Mark's Bell Tower in Venice, Italy, and indeed it looks very much like its Italian sister. (CLICK HERE to see The Campanile).

Daniels & Fisher was acquired by the May Company, and starting in the 1950s, this historic tower became known as the May D & F Tower. When the old department store fell victim to the wrecker's ball around 1980, the clock tower was spared, and it stands vigilant over the passersby on the 16th Street Mall today, nearly 100 years after it was built.

Sweet Deliveries

Hammond's Candy Company is a longstanding Denver institution. Founded in 1920 by Carl Hammond, Sr., the company makes a wide variety of candy canes, lollipops, and other sweet treats, all by hand in their Denver factory. They have also been featured on the television program, Unwrapped on the FoodTV network.

I have visited them before, but earlier this month, I took my wife, my daughter-in-law, and my granddaughter to the annual Hammond's Christmas Candy Cane Festival. It is a good event for children and families, as there are activities for them, live reindeer, Santa, and of course, lots of candy canes and lollipops!

One thing that always catches my attention at the Hammond's factory is their old delivery truck, which is seemingly always parked out front. It is a bit of Hammond's history. I don't know the details behind it, but it was manufactured by International Harvester. I would guess from the look of it, that it is a late 1940s to mid 1950s model. Hopefully, it won't just be left to rust in the elements, but perhaps eventually be restored to its original condition. You just don't see many of these still around anymore.

The IH logo of International Harvester has another place in my childhood memories. They used to manufacture a variety of products, from farm implements, to trucks, and even household appliances. When I was a child, we had an International Harvester refrigerator that bore the IH brand. This was before the days of "frost-free". I can still recall my mother defrosting the freezer section of that refrigerator. How times have changed.

The Ultimate Authority

In a time where theocrats & theocons are meeting some degree of success in their efforts to transform America into a fundamentalist Christian version of Iran, it is refreshing to see the values of the Founding Fathers reflected in the town hall of the municipality where I live. Despite the fact that our freedom is largely because of the separation of church & state guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, there are many today who would institute a Christian government here. How they forget that our government receives its powers from "We the people"; that this is a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people", as President Lincoln reiterated in his famous address in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and that kings supposedly ruling by divine right, appointed by God; are not an American value. Liberty's greatest enemy has been the rule of the church.

That rule gave us the Inquisition, the Salem Witch Trials, and the Dark Ages. Yesterday, the church threatened the life of Galileo, declared Copernicus a heretic, and burned Bruno at the stake. Today, the church remains the enemy of advancement and progress by pushing ignorance about Darwinian evolution and modern cosmology to be taught in public schools as science. It seeks to shut down stem cell research which could save the lives of millions, and alleviate the suffering of millions more; all for the idea that a fertilized ova has rights superior to those of a living human being.

Therefore, I am greatly pleased that the town of Parker, Colorado recognized the rule of the people on its Town Hall by posting the quote from James Madison that affirms that "The ultimate authority . . . resides in the people alone."

Coneys

Something I try to do is cut bad things out of my diet when possible. I don't go overboard, but given a choice, I will select dairy products from cows not given antibiotics or bovine growth hormones. I avoid heart-clogging transfats nowadays, and seek to limit my intake of products containing high-fructose corn syrup as a sweetener.

Still, there are some guilty pleasures in life that I won't give up. One of those is my love for a good, authentic coney island hot dog. I have yet to find one in Colorado that measures up, despite my search for such a thing. Yet there are some places around this great nation where I know I can get a coney that measures up to my culinary standards of taste, texture, and consistency.

Our first stop on this weiner tour is Curtis Famous Weiners at 35 North Liberty Street in Downtown Cumberland, Maryland. Serving the appetites of Allegany County since 1918, this is your quintessential, hole-in-the-wall coney dog joint. When I lived in Cumberland in the early 1970s, I lived on two things...Diatri's cheesesteak subs and Curtis' hot dogs. Curtis' claims to be the oldest business still operating in Cumberland. Their coneys are a delight for the hot dog lover!

Next stop is the original Coney Island in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma. This is another establishment with a history, having been in business since the 1920s. Here is my typical fare at the Tulsa Coney Island; 3 coneys with cheese, onions, & coney island chili, a bag of Frito's corn chips and a large Pepsi Cola. This is pure delight. The Tulsa dogs are commonly eaten with a dusting of ground cayenne pepper over the top.

Finally, we end our tour in Houston, Texas, home of James' Coney Island. James has gone from being a downtown hot dog place, to a multi-outlet chain in the Houston area. You can get everything from a Chicago dog with sport peppers, to a corn dog. Don't waste your time on those pretenders, however. Go for the original chili-cheese coney with onions.

I know there are other good coneys to be had in other places, but these three are my favorites!

Downtown Cowboy

Denver is well known for its many displays of public art and sculpture. Since I don't get downtown much anymore, I tend to notice things that pop up between visits.

I don't know how long this cowboy guitarist mural has been gracing the side of this building near the west end of the 16th Street Mall, but it was new to me when I first saw it last week. I checked out the Denver Public Art brochure (available by CLICKING HERE) and found nothing about it.

This type of picture would not likely be found in cities of the east coast, but instead harkens back to Denver's part in the history of cowboys in the west. The singing cowboy and his guitar are integral to the mythos of the American West, and it is good to see this image silently serenading people walking or riding by.

Denver Union Station

Union Station in Lower Downtown Denver, Colorado is a beautiful old train station that is slated to be the centerpiece of a new residential, office, and retail development. Already, it is a transportation hub, served by the city's RTD light rail and bus services, as well as Amtrak trains to Los Angeles and Chicago.

This classic train station has long been a landmark for travelers and locals alike, and was once bustling with passengers going to points all over the country. Today, it is owned by the Regional Transportation District, and will be joined by new buildings housing stores, townhouses and offices.

In the basement of this beautiful train station, is one of the world's largest "O" scale model railroads, the Colorado Midland Railway, which is maintained by the Denver Society of Model Railroaders. This model railroad occupies 6500 square feet, and the trains traverse 4000 linear feet of track. The CMR was not part of the Union Station redevelopment plans, but it so happens that Denver Mayor, John Hickenlooper is a big fan. He led the effort to preserve the model railroad at Union Station, and because of his initiative, it will remain there for years to come.

Whether you are there as part of your travel or commute, or just passing through town, Union Station on Wynkoop Street is a place not to miss.

Western Maryland

Last week during a visit to my in-laws' home in West Virginia, I took a day trip to visit some old friends in Cumberland, Maryland. I lived in Cumberland back in the 1970s, and it is still one of my favorite places. Nestled in the hills of the Alleghenys, Cumberland is a very historic city. It was home to the headquarters of General George Washington during the American Revolution. It was also a major transportation hub in the early days of the United States, when it served as the western terminus of the famed Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, the eastern terminus of the National Road (now US 40), which ran from Cumberland to Columbus, Ohio; and eventually to Vandalia, Illinois. Cumberland is also a major rail center for the CSX (formerly B&O, C&O, and Western Maryland) rail line.

While I got to Cumberland too late to take any pictures there, my wife and I stopped along the way to have lunch at one of our favorite places. That place is Penn Alps in Grantsville, Maryland, located west of Cumberland in Garrett County. The grounds of Penn Alps contain the restaurant, an artisan village, and the old Casselman River bridge, seen in the photo above. Built in 1813, it was the longest single-span stone bridge in America at the time. It was actually made tall enough for the C&O Canal traffic to go under it, but the advent of the railroad meant the canal was never extended west from Cumberland. The bridge is also at the site where Generals Washington and Braddock crossed in 1755 on their way to Fort Duquesne (Pittsburgh, PA). An interesting side note: The historical marker references "Castleman's River", while all other signs in the area call it "Casselman River".

Just to the south of the Casselman bridge are two other bridges built over the years. First is the US 40 bridge, followed by the Interstate Highway 68 bridge over the Casselman River.

As I mentioned above, US 40 follows the route of the old National Road. Milestones were placed at points along the road to tell travelers the distance to major points. Not far from the Casselman River Bridge in Grantsville is one of these historic cast iron mileposts. A similar one that sat six miles to the east is now on display at the Smithsonian. CLICK HERE to read more about that one. According to the Smithsonian, these markers were cast in the foundry of Major James Francis, at Connellsville, Pennsylvania. They were put in place in the late 1830s or early 1840s.

If you would like to see a display with a photo of another similar marker in a photo from the early 1900s, you can download a PDF of the Maryland display for where the National Road left Maryland and entered Pennsylvania by CLICKING HERE.

There is so much history in the entire Western Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia area, that it is well worth making a trip there if you can.

America Wakes Up!

Somehow I feel like quoting President Gerald Ford is appropriate. "Our long national nightmare is over". Well, maybe not quite, but I cannot express the hope and joy I feel at knowing there are checks and balances returning to our national government. It is like, despite the Republican gerrymandered districts, despite the outcome of the elections since 2000, that the voters finally woke up from a long nap and realized what autocratic, one-party rule has done to our Constitution and our nation.

In a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton in 1887, Lord Acton made the oft-quoted statement, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely". With the GOP in charge of all the branches of government, we have seen the truth in Lord Acton's assertion. The Republicans developed an arrogance that resulted in an attitude of all or nothing. The "uniter, not a divider" sitting in the oval office, and his cohorts in the Congress did everything but unite us.

After the attacks of September 11, the country rallied around the President; and the world rallied around the United States. All thoughts about whether President Bush had legitimacy after the elections of 2000 went away. Over the last five years, the administration squandered both the goodwill of the American people and of the world at large. People understood when the United States went into Afghanistan in search of Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban regime that supported him. If the government had stayed focused on the sources of terrorism, I don't think there would have been much argument from anyone.

As we know, the President didn't stop there. He saw a justification to tie Iraq and his father's nemesis, Saddam Hussein, to the "War on Terror". No matter that Iraq never attacked us, nor presented any credible clear and present danger to America. Saddam was well contained within no-fly zones in his own country, sanctions were keeping him in check, and Hans Blix and his team of weapons inspectors were finally able to do their job.

Still, the President using various claims to rush into an elective invasion of a sovereign country, kept changing his reasons for pressing ahead into Iraq. Some of the ever-changing rationalization included:
• Saddam already had “Weapons of Mass Destruction”
• Saddam had plotted with Al Qaeda and would share his WMD with them
• We could not allow a hostile state of Iraq to control a large portion of the world’s petroleum supplies
• Saddam had invaded his neighbor, and would do so again if given the chance
• Saddam had purchased yellow-cake uranium from Africa in his drive to build nuclear weapons
• Bring freedom to the long-oppressed Iraqi people, who would greet our troops as liberators
In the build up to war, Secretary of State Colin Powell sullied his reputation by going to the United Nations, showing satellite photos of trucks, and backing the claim of the administration that these were mobile weapons laboratories. They were just trucks. Nothing more, nothing less.

Then we were told that the Iraqi’s would pay the financial costs of the war with the profits from the sales of their oil. Instead, a budget surplus has turned into a huge financial deficit for this country’s taxpayers. Billions of dollars of what Bush called “the peoples’ money” back in 2000, wasted, missing, and handed over to Vice President Cheney’s former company, Halliburton, in no-bid contracts in Iraq.

The Bush regime then went on to equate the President with the country; saying anyone who criticized the actions of the administration were “aiding the terrorists” and were not patriotic Americans. Opposite-speak became the order of the day; dissent was not patriotic, but treasonous.

The Constitution was put through the GOP shredder as well, starting with no-warrant wiretaps, and collection of everyone’s telephone call records, making every citizen a terrorism suspect. The FISA courts were deemed as interference in the President’s power.

Then, most shameful of all, a GOP reinterpretation of the Geneva Convention rules created a new category of POWs called “enemy combatants”, which made it fine for the US to torture and hold indefinitely. Habeas Corpus suspended, and now anyone the President declares to be suspect can be held without charges, without facing his or her accuser. The America who has stood up for human rights now sends suspected “enemy combatants” to secret torture camps in rogue states.

On the domestic front, the President’s GOP allies in Congress intimidated the Democratic oversight of the President’s appointments by threatening the so-called Nuclear Option. This would have been a vote by the Republican majority to eliminate the one tool held by the minority party, the philibuster. These bullying tactics allowed the GOP to castrate the Democrats and render them unable to fulfill their role in the checks and balances available under our two-party system.

I could go on and on, but the above examples are why I am absolutely ecstatic over the Democrats taking back the House of Representatives and the Senate. I am actually not a big fan of many things the Democrats do as well, but there needs to be brakes on the runaway Republican arrogance and authoritarian rule.

I hold no illusion that everything will be fixed. The President still holds a veto pen. Still, the voters have finally had enough, and have given a rare opportunity for the Democrats to re-establish our democratic republic and our Constitution. It is my hope that several things occur:
• The President will take the election to heart, and try to compromise with the Congress
• The Democrats, while providing oversight, will not try to overreach and end up alienating the voters. There is a great danger of winning this battle and losing it all in 2008.
• Eliminate the unconstitutional provisions of the Patriot Act and other legislation enacted by the GOP during the last few years that violates civil rights
• Work to craft as clean an exit as possible from the civil war in Iraq
• Prove to Americans that while we can never be totally safe, we can fight terrorism and defend our people without destroying liberty to protect it

For the first time in at least five years, I am optimistic about the future of our great nation. The voters have decided that one-party rule isn’t working. I look to our elected representatives of both parties to take this opportunity to restore sanity to our government. I hope they do.

Olbermann is Spot On!

The video link above is Keith Olbermann's special statement at the end of his program, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, broadcast on September 11, 2006. This fifth anniversary of the Al Qaeda attacks on the United States finds Osama Bin Laden at large, the US squandering resources in a war on a nation that had nothing to do with the attacks, and the President of the United States still vilifying those who disagree with his misguided policies. This is must viewing for all. It does require Internet Explorer.

Text version at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6210240/#060911b

Steve Irwin, Killed by a Stingray

As everyone knows by now, the "Crocodile Hunter", Steve Irwin, has been killed by a stingray barb through the heart while taping a television program. This was truly a freak accident, as very rarely are stingrays fatal to humans. Not much I can say about this great conservationist and naturalist, other than he was able to bring his love of animals to the public via his television shows, acquainting his viewers with some of the others with which we share this planet. He will be missed by many, myself included.

Not So Miraculous Tree Water

The pilgrims flocking to a tree in San Antonio, Texas won't give up their miracle, just because a natural, and expected, explanation has been found.

The tree has been gurgling water from its trunk for months, and people believed it to be "holy water" with miraculous healing abilities. Funny thing though, when the San Antonio Water System shut off the water service to the home of Lucille Pope, the tree stopped giving off its water. Officials think the tree roots have penetrated the water line to the Pope home, yet the faithful continue to come.

According to the San Antonio Express-News, Lloyd Pope says he tells people what happened, but they still want the water. Maybe I should set up a holy water tree in my own yard and sell vials of it to pay off some bills. :) Much like the water-stain Mary under a freeway, or the Virgin on a grilled cheese sandwich, the water tree demonstrates how many people are so hungry for signs and miracles that they suspend logic and rational thinking. The scary thing is that some of these folks vote.

Lipstick Terrorism

Last week when British security announced they had busted a plot by Islamic terrorists to blow up ten transatlantic airplanes in mid flight, I was in Tulsa, Oklahoma on business. Great, now I have to deal with increased probing at the airport to get home. That is more of an incovenience than anything. However, I believe that the airport security measures are window dressing to make flyers feel safe, without really doing much good.

One Tulsa TV station had a news story that featured a little white-haired grandmother lamenting that the TSA agents at Tulsa International Airport had taken away her lipstick. It is one thing to take away people's bottles of water, but a granny's lipstick? Let's see...how many grandmothers have used lipstick to blow up airplanes? How many was that? Yeah, I thought so.

Yet, the airlines continually fill the bellies of our passenger jets with unchecked cargo, packages, and mail. Is that secure? I am convinced that this country will only react to events, rather than think ahead to institute security that plugs the holes in our transportation networks. Can we be made perfectly safe? The answer is no, and even if we could be, how much intrusion and probing are we willing to take before we say, "ENOUGH!". Living in a secure cage is not living free. It appears that terrorists have already won by injuring our economy and making people avoid air travel.

What about airport shops that sell lotions, drinks, and bottled water? How about the already financially-ailing airline industry. Will it get to the point that the government has to merge together and take over the airlines?

Bottom line: We do need real security reform to make air travel reasonably safe. It will never be without risk. Let's stop taking grandma's lipstick and spend time, money, and energy on stopping real terrorist threats.

Tears & Dashed Hopes in West Virginia

Last night, I went to bed after seeing the news reports of 12 coal miners found alive inside the Sago Coal Mine in Tallmansville, West Virginia. The elation and joy of the families was evident. CNN responded to shouts coming from the crowd of "Twelve alive!" by reporting the news, yet no miner appeared, no press conference was held. The closest to official confirmation was the Governor of West Virginia, Joe Manchin, saying that a miracle had happened.

Yet, something seemed out of kilter to me. Perhaps it is my inate skepticism, but I wondered about the reports of a planned reunion at the Baptist Church near the mine. Wouldn't it be wise to have the miners examined, given oxygen and IVs? Why had no official word come from the rescue team? Still, I hoped the reports were true, and finally went to bed.

When I got up this morning and learned that only one miner had in fact survived, my thoughts immediately went to the families I had seen on television only a few hours earlier, celebrating the expected return of their beloved family members. What a cruel blow, to believe they were safe, and find out the horrible truth. The emotional roller coaster of going from dispair to elation and then to incredulity, grief and anger has got to be the most awful of emotional journeys.

Whether it was miscommunication from the rescue team to the command center, a wrongly overheard radio, or any other reason, this should never have happened, and should never again. Once the families deal with their losses, this must be addressed, as well as why the Sago mine was still operating after reports of numerous safety citations.

West Virginia has precious little economic opportunity, and the mines provide some of the best paying jobs in the state. The strong and brave workers in the coal mines understand the risk, but they should not be subject to undue danger. Underground mining will never be 100% safe, but perhaps more should be done to make them less hazardous. Economic factors will never drive the mining companies to improve the conditions in the mines. This is one instance where government regulatory bodies can. I am a strong proponent of small government, but this definitely comes under providing for the common welfare.

This tragedy hits very close to home. The surviving miner is from Simpson, WV, a very small town only 8 miles from my wife's hometown of Grafton. It is my sincere hope that this young man survives to lead a normal life. The people of West Virginia are strong and resilient. They have endured many hardships in life, and they will move ahead. Yet those lost in this latest mining disaster will be remembered, and hopefully the mines will be made safer for present and future coal miners.