The Apollo Alliance

What is the Apollo Alliance and how did they get their start? What role do they play in the environment/green jobs movement and what provisions in the stimulus bill did they write?

Tom Wright, in his piece The Apollo Stimulus, says:

Ever wonder who wrote the stimulus bill? Evidence is now surfacing in news reports it was the Apollo Alliance, a green jobs caldron of ideas dedicated to saving the earth and punishing those who are unfriendly to the environment...If you look at their board, they are mostly leftists and some really radical leftist like former member Van Jones, the now defrocked green jobs czar who was a self-avowed communist and community organizer in Oakland, Calif. Other former members include ACORN’s founder, Wade Rathke, and current member Gerald Hudson, vice president of the Service Employees International Union. The Apollo Alliance is mostly a shell corporation, and as its name indicates, is an alliance of environmentally centered organizations, union flunkies for the left like the Service Union Employees International, who turn out carrying signs for Obama’s health care rallies. Others, like John Podesta, CEO of the Center for American Progress and former Clinton chief of staff, lend their political savvy of progressive policy to the group, which has caught an angle on how to snare a large portion of the stimulus money for creating and funding green industries...Van Jones left the board when he was appointed as an advisor to President Obama, but was an active board member when the stimulus bill was written. Jones has been quoted as describing Apollo as “a grand unified field theory for progressive left causes.” Also close to Apollo is Jeffrey Carl Jones, who serves as a consultant to the national Apollo organization and runs an Apollo affiliate in Upstate New York. Jeffrey Jones was a national officer in the Students for a Democratic Society and along with Bill Ayers, later founded the Weather Underground, which bombed buildings and ran from the law for 10 years...

For a complete background on the group, including its origins, funding and goals, see The Apollo Alliance: Unifying Activists on the Left written by Phil Kerpen for the Capital Research Center.

That report also highlights their success in writing certain provisions in the stimulus bill:

In late 2008, the Apollo Alliance seized on
the fi nancial crisis to repackage its policy
ideas as a stimulus measure to be called the
Apollo Economic Recovery Act (AERA).
These were included in the stimulus bill, the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
(ARRA), which Congress passed in February
2009. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
(D-Nevada) specifi cally credited Apollo,
saying: “The Apollo Alliance has been an
important factor in helping us develop and
execute a strategy that makes great progress
on these goals and in motivating the public
to support them.”

There are more similarities between ARRA
and AERA than their names. A lengthy
analysis of the legislation posted on Apollo’s
website itemizes the parallels.

• Apollo wanted the government to
spend $50 billion on green jobs
programs. The stimulus bill spends
$110 billion.
• Apollo’s recommendation of more
spending for Energy Effi ciency and
Conservation Block Grants was
implemented.
• Apollo recommended fully funding
the Weatherization Assistance
program. The stimulus bill gave
the program more than fi ves times
the amount Apollo called “full
funding.”
• Apollo recommendations for the
electricity system, including extending
the production tax credit,
transmission grid upgrades, and carbon
capture and storage research,
were accepted.

Apollo did not merely claim credit for policy
ideas. As Sen. Reid pointed out, Apollo was
responsible for them.

Read the report and find out who is influencing Congress and the administration.

If you're getting gigged its nice to know who's gigging you. And keep your equipment ready, as we may get to do some gigging ourselves in the not to distant future.

Documentary explores effects of gas industry in Colo.

Chris Mobaldi and her husband, Steve, used to live in Rulison until Mobaldi's strange, increasing health problems drove them out. Convinced their water supply was contaminated by nearby natural gas drilling, the Mobaldis walked away from their house and moved to Grand Junction. Mobaldi is one of several Garfield County landowners interviewed in a new documentary titled “Split Estate.” Physicians, scientists and industry employees are also featured in the film. “Split Estate” explores the effects of the natural gas industry on landowners in Colorado and New Mexico. The film is being shown tonight at Mesa State College. In split estate situations, the surface rights and subsurface (mineral) rights for a piece of land are owned by different parties. According to the Bureau of Land Management, mineral rights in a split estate take precedence over other rights including those associated with owning (and living) on the surface. “Split Estate” deals with health problems many landowners attribute to natural gas industry contamination of their water wells as well as the air they breath. “Split Estate” premiered at the International Documentary Association's 13th annual DocuWeeks Theatrical Documentary Showcase in New York City and Los Angeles in August. Being invited to the showcase means the film qualifies for Academy Award consideration...read more

Aldo Leopold might call it the new agrarianism

One hundred years ago, a great American conservationist began a job in the Southwest as a ranger with the U.S. Forest Service. Over the course of an influential career, Aldo Leopold advocated a variety of conservation methods, including wilderness protection, sustainable agriculture, wildlife research, ecological restoration, environmental education, land health, erosion control and watershed management. But perhaps most important, he advocated a land ethic. Each of these concepts continues to resonate, perhaps more than ever as the challenges of the 21st century grow more complicated and pressing. But it was Leopold's emphasis on conserving whole systems — soil, water, plants, animals and people — that is crucial today. The health of the entire system, he argued, is dependent on its indivisibility. The force that knits it all together is the land ethic, a moral obligation we willingly assume to protect the soil, water, plants, animals and people living together as one community. After Leopold's death in 1948, however, the idea of a whole system seemed to break into fragments, beset by a rising tide of industrialization and materialism. Fortunately, a scattered but determined effort is now under way to knit the whole back together, and it's beginning where it matters most –– on the ground. Leopold's call for a land ethic is the root of the “new agrarianism,” a diverse suite of ideas and practices based on the bedrock belief that genuine health and wealth depends on the land's fertility. In Latin, agrarius means “pertaining to land.” This resurgent movement includes a dynamic intermixing of ranchers, farmers, conservationists, scientists and others who aim to create an economy that works in harmony with nature...read more

Governor calls special legislative session on water

Although state lawmakers didn't reach agreement on a deal to fix California's broken water system by the Oct. 11 deadline imposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, he said in the final minutes before midnight Sunday that he'd found enough progress in efforts to solve the state's crippling water supply problems to call a special session of the Legislature. Members have been called back to Sacramento and they're preparing to discuss a package of bills. The bill package includes a policy bill—a five-part bill sequence that was rolled into a single omnibus bill—and a bond measure that would require a two-thirds majority vote for passage. Farm advocates characterize the package as "inadequate," but say they will continue working to encourage passage of comprehensive water-system improvements...read more

US Senate Moves to Seize Deserts Under S. 787, a Clean Water Bill

If you ride an ATV or other OHVs in the desert or other type of "playa lake", "mudflat" or "sandflat" your right to ride on public Sunset at the Desert by Matt FinleyAND private land could be getting washed away in the name of The Clean Water Act. According to a congressional bill, S 787, "intrastate lakes, rivers, streams (including intermittent streams), mudflats, sandflats, wetlands, sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows, playa lakes, or natural ponds;". will be moved under federal jurisdiction and subject to regulation. That's pretty much all the water except subterranean (well) water. The wordage in the original Clean Waters Act of 1972 for this bill was purposefully changed: by striking `navigable waters' each place it appears and inserting `waters of the United States'. This bill goes to the Senate on October 15, 2009. From there it goes to the House, then to the POTUS to be signed into law. This is in addition to the federal take-over of the auto industry, the credit and banking industry, the bid to seize the health-care industry, and everything else our current administration is trying to control. Matt's 4-Wheel Drive Blog

Bird hunter kills sow grizzly

Duty, who interviewed the hunter, said it appears that the man and his dog were following a lane or game trail through the brush and came to a dead end in shrubs and berry bushes that were well over his head. He surprised a female grizzly who was bedded down for the day with three cubs. Duty said the hunter was probably 20 feet from the bear when he saw her. He said the hunter told him she was on her feet and took two big lunges toward him. He fired three times at her with a 20-gauge semi-automatic shotgun, Duty said. The third shot, including the wad, hit the bear in the forehead and brought her down, fatally wounded. Duty said the man rejoined his hunting party and then they walked about a mile back to their vehicle, drove to the landowner’s ranch house and called FWP and the Teton County Sheriff’s Office. Duty and Blauer responded together, and Duty conducted the investigation. Duty said on Tuesday that the case appears to be a self-defense shooting. He said he has conferred with a federal investigator since shooting a grizzly bear can be a violation of the federal Endangered Species Act. He said the investigation will be considered open until the results of a necropsy on the bear are done at the state lab in Bozeman. Unless new evidence comes to light, however, he said he considers it a case of justified shooting in defense of the life of the hunter...read more

Grizzly bears on the prowl near Simms

State wildlife officials are warning Simms-area landowners to watch for grizzly bears, which are following the Sun River to reach areas where they haven't been in decades. About a dozen sightings of grizzlies have been reported since July. Rancher Jack Kirby says he spotted grizzlies feeding on a cow's carcass last Friday at about dusk. It was the first time he had seen a grizzly in his 62 years at the ranch. Mike Madel, a grizzly bear management specialist with the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, says the bears were probably a female and three cubs spotted frequently in the Simms area. Madel says at some ranches, bears have been eating feed in calf feeders. Madel says he expects the bears in the Simms area to leave on their own by the end of the month, returning to elevations of about 6,000 feet to hibernate. AP

Plan for million-acre horse sanctuary hits hurdle

Plans to use a million-acre ranch in northeastern Nevada once owned by the actor Jimmy Stewart as a wild horse sanctuary have been rejected by officials. A proposal by Winecup-Gamble Ranch to change from cattle to horse grazing has been rejected by the Elko County Board of Commissioners. The ranch, about 110km northeast of the city of Elko, comprises about 250,000 acres of deeded land and 750,000 acres owned mostly by the Bureau of Land Management, as well as some private land. The ranch has full access and a grazing permit over the bureau lands. The property, which was also once owned by Bing Crosby, has operated as a cattle and sheep property since the late 1800s and runs about 9000 cattle, with the ability to support up to 12,500. The Elko County Board of Commissioners heard an application to move the ranch from cattle to horses, the intention being to take up to 10,000 of the wild horses currently held in captivity by the bureau. The plan for the property includes a lodge, visitor centre and museum detailing the history of wild horses. However, the county commissioners ruled against the proposal...read more

Invading giant snakes threaten U.S wilderness areas

Burmese pythons and other giant snakes imported as pets could endanger some of America's most important parks and wilderness areas if they are allowed to multiply, according to a report released on Tuesday. Wildlife experts say the Burmese python is distributed across thousands of square miles (kilometers) in south Florida. There could be tens of thousands in the Everglades, a wildlife refuge that is home to the Florida panther and other endangered species. The Burmese python and four other non-native snakes -- boa constrictors, yellow anacondas, northern and southern African pythons -- are considered "high-risk" threats to the health of U.S. ecosystems because they eat native birds and animals, the U.S. Geological Survey report said. Two species, the boa constrictor and Burmese python, have already established breeding populations in south Florida and experts have found "strong evidence" that the northern African python may be breeding in the wild as well...read more

Wyo. Pays Out $443,000 For Wildlife Damage Claims

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department paid $443,450 in fiscal year 2009 to ranchers and others who lost livestock, crops, honey, feed and fences to predators and wildlife. The agency paid out $253,733 the previous year. Payments are made to compensate for damage or deaths caused by wolves, bears, elk, birds and other animals. Wolves and grizzly bears were the source of 50 percent of the predation compensation payments this year. Grizzly bears accounted for 26 percent, and wolves 24 percent. AP

ND grazing groups mulling new federal agreements

The two major rancher associations in western North Dakota's federal grasslands are deciding whether to sign new 10-year agreements with the U.S. government to govern the administration of grazing permits. The technical agreements between the Forest Service and the Medora and McKenzie County grazing associations would replace accords that expired Monday for grazing on much of the 1 million-acre Little Missouri National Grasslands - the largest grazing area in the country governed by the Forest Service. The new agreements do not, however, answer the question of how much grazing will be reduced under a new management plan implemented earlier this decade for the Dakota Prairie Grasslands, a Forest Service division that oversees the Little Missouri and three other national grasslands in North Dakota and South Dakota totaling just under 1.3 million acres. Grazing reductions are being determined through a separate process expected to continue for another seven years...read more

Wyo. Ranchers Find Innovative Ways To Carry On

At the turn of the 20th century, ranching was the challenge of a lifetime. It was an opportunity to tame the West, reside atop the prairie while working hard to feed, clothe and live in a country where dangers were around every turn in the dusty road. Between cold winters, inadequate water supply and outlaws, the risk was life and death for the early Campbell County homesteaders. Now, nine years into the 21st century, times have changed and opportunity in ranching is no longer what it once was. The risk has changed from fighting day in and day out for survival to striving to maintain the same lifestyle. New challenges have made it nearly impossible to establish the same roots that homesteaders did 100 years ago. Land prices, industrial stagnation, government involvement and general lack of interest by new generations are some major roadblocks that have changed the role of traditional ranching. But ranching as a lifestyle will never go away so long as there is land to graze and people who need to be fed. A new generation of risk takers are willing to take up the challenges posed by the modern world...read more

Bob Barker Plans to Fund Additional Animal Law Programs

At the 8th annual West Hollywood Book Festival Bob Barker used his Q&A session to promote the animal law programs that he has helped fund at several colleges and universities. Since 2001, Bob Barker has donated up to $1 million to eight law schools including Columbia, Harvard, Stanford and UCLA and $1 million for an undergraduate program at his Alma Mater, Drury University. At the festival, Barker told the crowd that he plans to aid universities in the creation of more animal law programs throughout the nation and expressed his satisfaction with the animal law program at Drury. Barker explained that he “got the idea to fund animal law degrees at universities because so many law degree programs are impacted and the level of interest in animal law has increased greatly amongst students and the public.” NABR

Against meat or against agriculture?

The Animal Agriculture Alliance is disappointed that yet another anti-agriculture activist voice has been welcomed into the media spotlight.ﾠ New York Times readers were confronted with some of the most negative stereotypes of modern agriculture on Oct. 11, when Jonathan Safran Foer's "Against Meat" ran in the food edition of the Sunday magazine. It's not a surprise to see Foer writing such a one-sided account of meat production. In 2006, he helped create a video entitled "If This is Kosher..." for PETA to encourage those of the Jewish faith to become vegetarians that included undercover footage from PETA and Animal Liberation Israel. He also sits on the Board of Directors for Farming Forward, a group that he cites within his article that actively promotes the greatest myths of modern farming as fact. Farming Forward is a vegetarian activist group headed by a business consultant and a professor of religious studies; just as with Michael Pollan, an agricultural background is notably missing. The group's Web site pushes for agricultural practices that were replaced long ago by more productive and sustainable methods, stating that it is "easier to see inside a prison than a CAFO" and that "99 percent of meat is produced in unsustainable and cruel factory farming methods."...read more

Steam train coming back through

Spewing steam as it grandly chugged across Montana's Hi-Line in July, the Southern Pacific "Daylight" No. 4449 steam engine was a sight not to be missed. Unfortunately, some people did. Train fanatics will get a second chance to see and ride the historic train as it heads back to Portland this week. Arguably one of the most beautiful locomotives ever built, the grand lady of the art deco era is now retired to a static display in Portland's Oaks Park. Built in 1941, SP 4449 originally ran from Los Angeles to San Francisco to Portland. The last time it ran was in the 1970s, when it was selected to pull the American Freedom Train throughout the United States. Starting today, the train leaves Minneapolis for Fargo. The second leg is from Fargo to Minot and after a layover in Minot on Thursday, the SP 4449 will head to Havre on Friday. The only leg completely in Montana is the Saturday trek from Havre to Whitefish, which also offers spectacular views of Glacier National Park. The train will spend a day in Whitefish before heading to Spokane on Oct. 19 and then from Spokane to Portland the following day. People can ride in the vintage passenger cars, with fares ranging from $199 to $499 for each leg of the journey. Or for a little more cash, they can stay overnight in one of the Pullman sleepers...read more

On the edge of common sense: Improve the needs of food, clothing, shelter

Food, clothing and shelter, the basic essentials of life. From the earliest caveman to modern soccer mom, from the Palestinian refugee to the Hurricane Katrina victim, from the Dalai Lama to Dolly Parton, first on the list is something to eat, something to wear and someplace to live. Food is first on the list because it is most essential. As has been said, "When you have lots to eat, you have lots of problems, when you don't have enough to eat, you have one problem." The latest eco-news slant de jour is the hysteric "discovery" that ruminants (enteric fermentation) release more methane into the atmosphere than cars (mobile transportation). In fact, they release many times more, though it stays in the atmosphere a much shorter time than carbon dioxide. But it's too bad they can't mention methane is only one of the big three greenhouse gases, along with carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. All of agriculture produces only 5.87 percent of all greenhouse gas. Energy production and use (coal, oil, natural gas and transportation) is responsible for a whopping 86.3 percent. And, transportation (cars and trucks) accounts for 33 percent of all those fossil fuel emissions. Do the math...read more

Song Of The Day #155

Ranch Radio will stay in the 60's for the rest of this week.

Our selection today was a favorite of mine while a sophomore in high school. This is Stonewall Jackson's 1962 recording of Old Showboat.

It's available on the 23 track CD The Best of Stonewall Jackson.

test post

test

Schwarzenegger Says California Cows Can Keep Tails

California cows are the first in the nation with the legal right to swat flies as nature intended now that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a bill banning the painful practice of tail docking that he once mocked as being a waste of legislators' time. "We were always confident that if reality could trump the rhetoric, the governor would see the merits of this," said Jennifer Fearing, who lobbied for the tail docking bill for the Humane Society of the United States, which vows to take the fight against the removal of tails to other large dairy-producing states such as Wisconsin, Vermont and New York. Dairy officials say the practice of cutting off cow tails to prevent them from slinging manure is practiced on fewer than 15 percent of the state's 1.5 million dairy cows. Docking is usually done without numbing, either with sharp shears or with a tight rubber band that stops the blood flow and causes the tail to die...read more

Schumer Amendment Would Deny Protections to Bloggers

The U.S. Congress has been working all year on the development of a federal shield law, which would offer journalists a "qualified privilege against disclosing the identity of sources and turning over information obtained or created in the course of newsgathering." The long-sought protection would allow journalists to work with whistle-blowers and anonymous sources free of the fear that they could be compelled, at the threat of prosecution and punishment, to disclose the identity of such sources. But now, thanks to an amendment put forward by Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) in the Senate Judiciary Committee, a boundary line has been drawn around who shall be shielded, and everyone who plies their journalistic trade as an independent blogger or a citizen journalist has ended up on the wrong side of that line...read more

Watch what you tweet

A social worker from New York City was arrested last week while in Pittsburgh for the G-20 protests, then subjected to an FBI raid this week at home -- all for using Twitter. Elliot Madison faces charges of hindering apprehension or prosecution, criminal use of a communication facility and possession of instruments of crime. He was posting to a Twitter feed (or tweeting, as it is called) publicly available information about police activities around the G-20 protests, including information about where police had issued orders to disperse. While alerting people to public information may not seem to be an arrestable offense, be forewarned: Many people have been arrested for the same "crime" -- in Iran, that is...read more

Federal scientists: Limit offshore drilling plans

The federal government's top ocean scientists are urging the Interior Department to drastically reduce plans to open the coast to offshore oil and gas drilling, citing threats to marine life and potentially devastating effects of oil spills in Arctic waters. The recommendations by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are informal and not binding. But if adopted, they would restrict development in some of the nation's most resource-rich untapped offshore areas and mark a significant departure from the pro-drilling policies of the George W. Bush administration. They also give added -- and official -- weight to environmentalists' concerns. In a letter sent to Interior officials last month, NOAA recommended excluding large tracts of the Alaska coast, the Atlantic seaboard and the Gulf of Mexico from Interior's draft offshore drilling plan for 2010 to 2015...read more

White House expands climate campaign

President Barack Obama's so-called green team has undergone a growth spurt. The group of Cabinet secretaries and White House advisers who meet regularly to craft the president's energy and environmental agenda now numbers 13, double what it was during the administration's early days. It's just one of the signs that the administration is stepping up its push to pass energy and climate legislation this year, as the Senate continues to wrangle with Obama's other top domestic priority, health care reform. The House has already passed a bill. Since the summer, when everyone else's attention was focused on the heated town hall meetings over health care, Obama administration officials have been meeting with more than half the Senate, made calls to nearly 100 mayors in 17 states, and met with numerous governors, according to White House records. Their goal, according to Carol Browner, the president's assistant for energy and climate change, "is to get the bill moving and keep it moving."...read more

Energy crisis is postponed as new gas discovered

Tony Hayward, BP's chief executive, said proven natural gas reserves around the world have risen to 1.2 trillion barrels of oil equivalent, enough for 60 years' supply – and rising fast. "There has been a revolution in the gas fields of North America. Reserve estimates are rising sharply as technology unlocks unconventional resources," he said. This is almost unknown to the public, despite the efforts of Nick Grealy at "No Hot Air" who has been arguing for some time that Britain's shale reserves could replace declining North Sea output. Rune Bjornson from Norway's StatoilHydro said exploitable reserves are much greater than supposed just three years ago and may meet global gas needs for generations. "The common wisdom was that unconventional gas was too difficult, too expensive and too demanding," he said, according to Petroleum Economist. "This has changed. If we ever doubted that gas was the fuel of the future – in many ways there's the answer." The breakthrough has been to combine 3-D seismic imaging with new technologies to free "tight gas" by smashing rocks, known as hydro-fracturing or "fracking" in the trade. The US is leading the charge. Operations in Pennsylvania and Texas have already been sufficient to cut US imports of liquefied natural gas (LGN) from Trinidad and Qatar to almost nil, with knock-on effects for the global gas market – and crude oil. It is one reason why spot prices for some LNG deliveries have dropped to 50pc of pipeline contracts...read more

Eminent domain considered for getting access to forest

After years of negotiations have failed to gain access across one mile of private land to reach 16,000 acres of the Gallatin National Forest, the agency is considering pursuing an easement through the use of eminent domain. "We certainly don't approach the use of eminent domain lightly," said Marna Daley, the Gallatin's public-affairs officer. The agency has never used the big-stick approach to gain access in Montana, and it has rarely used it elsewhere in the United States. Even now, Gallatin Forest officials are hesitant to use the word, but they say there are limited courses of action left. "There's a discussion right now with the Washington office about our next course of action," said Bill Avey, Big Timber District ranger. "I explained to my boss that it appears we're out of options at this time." According to Forest Service research, public use of the road dates back to 1896. A ranger cabin existed on the forest in the early 1900s. Because it is the closest forest access to Big Timber, the road and mountains it leads to are popular with big-game hunters. In the Gallatin's travel plan, the area is specifically geared to motorcycle use, offering a number of loop routes on single-track trails. Despite the well-documented historic use, in 1991 the Sweet Grass County commissioners declined to declare the road a public route...read more

Kennel owners win legal fight with forest

A federal judge has ruled there are circumstances when dogs can be defined as livestock, a decision that clears the way for a northern Idaho kennel business to continue operating on land where federal Wild and Scenic River rules apply. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge is a victory for Ron and Mary Park, owners of Wild River Kennels, and a legal blow to the U.S. Forest Service. It also ends, for now, a 10-year-old legal dispute for the kennel, which is built along the Clearwater River near Kooskia. The kennel property is along private land subject to an easement under the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. While the easement allows for livestock farming, the forest service claimed dogs and commercial kennels didn't qualify and that the business should not be allowed to operate. Lodge initially agreed with the government, and in 2005 issued a ruling that concluded that dogs, even under broad definitions, could not be deemed livestock. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals concluded Lodge got it wrong and sent the case back. While the justices acknowledged the uncertainty of classifying dogs as livestock, they said wording in the easement defining livestock was too ambiguous. Lodge changed course in his latest ruling, filed recently in U.S. District Court in Coeur d'Alene, and attempts to set parameters when dogs fit the livestock designation. "Under the facts of this case, the court finds that the dogs being used on the easement property for breeding, hunting and boarding are dogs being used for work and/or profit and can be considered livestock under the plain meaning of the term livestock," Lodge wrote...read more

Assignment Earth: Mexican wolves (video)

‘Family feud’ threatens to hurt ethanol lobby

A “family feud” between rival ethanol lobbies represents a "clear and present danger to the corn industry," according to an internal memo written by the president of a third trade association that represents corn farmers. The memo provides a rare public airing between trade groups usually limited to internal conference calls or K Street happy hour conversations. Darrin Ihnen, president of the National Corn Growers Association, painted a dramatic picture of a bitter rivalry between the Renewable Fuels Association and Growth Energy for members in a lengthy report that warned of dire consequences, including the loss of political support on Capitol Hill...read more

Vilsack: Climate bill tough sell to farmers

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack acknowledged today that he’s having a tough time selling farmers on the idea that climate legislation won’t hurt their bottom line and could increase their income. “It’s going to require us to repeat it over and over again to sink through,” he said during an appearance before the Society of Environmental Journalists in Madison. Studies have shown, in fact, that the House-passed bill contains provisions that would soften the impact on fertilizer and fuel costs and that many farmers, including corn and soybean growers, actually will benefit from the bill because it will increase the price of their crops. He assured the journalists farmers will figure out ways to reduce their use of fertilizer and energy to reduce their costs. Vilsack also expressed confidence that farmers will widely benefit from selling carbon credits, but he pointedly said it’s too early to tell what farming practices will qualify for credits. Vilsack also said the climate bill “shouldn’t necessarily drive up food costs,” noting that commodity costs represent only a fraction of the price of processed foods...read more

Decline in grocery food prices stretches to farmers' profits

Prices in the grocery store are down by 10 percent from last year, the Iowa Farm Bureau reports. So are farmers' profits. The Farm Bureau's survey of food prices shows the fourth consecutive quarterly decline from 2008, when corn and soybean prices hit record levels and food processing companies and supermarket chains were warning of spikes in food prices. Instead, commodity prices have come down. Prices for corn, soybeans and livestock are slightly more than half of what they were 12 months ago. Not surprisingly, it's the farmers who now feel the squeeze. "While the decline in global demand has helped bring prices down for shoppers, a combination of decreased demand and other factors has made things more difficult for farmers, particularly those who raise livestock," said Dave Miller, director of research and commodity services for the Iowa Farm Bureau...read more

Prospects Distant for Offshore Wind in West

Eastern states from North Carolina to Maine are working on plans for offshore wind power. Why is nothing happening off the West Coast, where the winds also blow strong? The main problem, experts say, is topography. Whereas the continental shelf extends for miles off the East Coast, the bedrock drops off sharply just beyond the West Coast –- making it too deep to anchor the turbines with current technology. A second difficulty is power prices. Electricity in California, while expensive relative to the middle of the country, is still cheaper than in most of New England. This makes offshore wind projects less economical. (Electricity in Washington and Oregon is cheaper still.) Western states also have an abundance of what Easterners do not: land...read more

Wounded bear mauls 83-year-old hunter

A brown bear turned the tables Monday on an 83-year-old hunting party member in the Tahoe National Forest near Camptonville, severely mauling the man's arm and shoulder, authorities said. The victim, Orval Sanders of Oroville, was taken by helicopter to Sutter Roseville Medical Center where he underwent surgery for a crushed left wrist, said Mark Lucero of the state Department of Fish and Game. Sanders and six other men were hunting with dogs near Alleghany in Sierra County when they treed three bears. One of three bears came down from the tree after being shot and attacked Sanders, said Lucero. "The bear came out of the tree and grabbed the guy," badly mauling his arm and shoulder, said Lucero. Sanders told an investigator that he tried to protect himself by raising both arms in front of him. The bear slashed and bit both arms, said Lucero. It was not clear if Sanders was carrying a gun when attacked, said Lucero...read more

Lisa Jackson's California Dreaming

According to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson, climate change regulations have their "roots" in California, and much of what President Obama is trying to accomplish is guided by what California has already achieved. She touts that the United States is finally "catching up with what's happening in California."

But what do we want to catch up to, asks the Heritage Foundation?

* A report by the American Lung Association from May 17, 2009 shows that Los Angeles, Fresno, Bakersfield, Sacramento, Visalia and Hanford all rank in the top 10 of one or all three categories of pollution: short-term particle pollution, ozone pollution and year-round particle pollution.
* California's unemployment rate for August 2009 was 12.2 percent, nearly 5 percentage points higher than a year ago and tied for fourth highest in the country.

Maybe the results will come in the future but it's highly unlikely the economic pain will be worth the negligible environmental benefits. Supporters argue that thousands of green jobs will be created, however, David Kreutzer of the Heritage Foundation warns that green job growth is "grossly overstated because they don't take into account the jobs lost elsewhere."

The irony of mainstream environmentalists praising one of the most polluted states as a model to follow in one of the most polluted cities in America has not been lost on critics. It has become very clear that the concern is not so much for the pollution itself: mainstream environmentalists offer effulgent praise to California, calling it a "green state" not because it is clean but because it has installed stringent greenhouse gas regulations. The California energy plan should be used as a lessons learned model rather than hailed as a success.

Source: Nick Loris, "EPA's Lisa Jackson: It's Time the Rest of the U.S. Caught Up with California," Heritage Foundation, October 7, 2009.

For text go here.

NCPA

When fire came over the mountain

THE BIG BURN By Timothy Egan Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $26, 352 pages. Not since David McCullough's 1968 "The Johnstown Flood" grabbed readers and hurled them down the narrow Conemaugh Valley to certain doom can I remember a natural-disaster yarn that yanks one by the back of the neck face to face with horror the way Timothy Egan's "The Big Burn" brings the great Western fire of 1910 over the mountain to destroy the town of Wallace, Idaho. Before it burned itself out, the inferno consumed 3 million acres in just two days, and blazes elsewhere in the panhandle of Idaho, western Montana and eastern Oregon had burned up an area larger than the state of Connecticut. More than 10,000 men had been dispatched to the various conflagrations from as far away as California and Arizona, but most were too late to do more than rescue the handful of fledgling U.S. Forest Service rangers who had never had a chance to snuff out the early fires before they became an incinerating tsunami that evaporated everything in its path. Mr. Egan, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist (one of his five previous books, "The Worst Hard Times," won a National Book Award) is at the top of his game with this tale. It is both the story of the worst fire ever to sweep modern America at that time and a deft political tale of how we got the public land policy and conservation movement we have today - and how vulnerable that policy is to the pressures of human greed...read more

Light Bulbs vs. The Nanny State (video)

Debate Follows Bills to Remove Clotheslines Bans

After taking a class that covered global warming last year, Jill Saylor decided to save energy by drying her laundry on a clothesline at her mobile home. Mary Lou Sayer, who uses her dryer sparingly, hanging wet laundry indoors at her condominium in Concord, N.H. “I figured trailer parks were the one place left where hanging your laundry was actually still allowed,” she said, standing in front of her tidy yellow mobile home on an impeccably manicured lawn. But she was wrong. Like the majority of the 60 million people who now live in the country’s roughly 300,000 private communities, Ms. Saylor was forbidden to dry her laundry outside because many people viewed it as an eyesore, not unlike storing junk cars in driveways, and a marker of poverty that lowers property values. In the last year, however, state lawmakers in Colorado, Hawaii, Maine and Vermont have overridden these local rules with legislation protecting the right to hang laundry outdoors, citing environmental concerns since clothes dryers use at least 6 percent of all household electricity consumption...read more

Song Of The Day #154

Ranch Radio is still having a little fun with Obama Named Country Music Entertainer of the Year and Mr. President, I Knew Charley Pride, And You're No Charley Pride.

Personally, I think Obama is taking this country off the reservation with his assinine economic policies and the many wooden heads he's appointed to high positions.

Speaking of the reservation and wooden heads, our tune today is Kawliga by, you guessed it, Charley Pride. Both Pride songs featured can be found on The Essential Charley Pride.

Mr. President, I Knew Charley Pride, And You're No Charley Pride

Obama Named Country Music Entertainer of the Year

NASHVILLE (The Borowitz Report) - President Barack Obama stunned the country music world today by picking up its highest honor, Country Music Entertainer of the Year. Mr. Obama was chosen unanimously, according to the Country Music Association, beating out such favorite as Carrie Underwood and Toby Keith. In Nashville, country music insiders were shocked by Mr. Obama's selection, given that he has only been in office for eight months and during that time has yet to record a single country song. But Mr. Obama was gracious in receiving the honor, saying that he was "honored and humbled" by the award before excusing himself to accept this year's Heisman Trophy.

Obama Urged to Intensify Push for Climate Measure

President Obama is coming under renewed pressure internationally and in the United States to throw his weight behind climate-change legislation, which advocates fear has suffered in light of the president's sweeping domestic agenda. The Nobel committee's announcement Friday that Obama won the Peace Prize was a fresh reminder that much of the world expects him to lead the way toward a global climate pact. The committee cited his "more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges." And in Washington, advocates are clamoring for more evidence that Obama will make good on his campaign promise to impose the first-ever national cap on greenhouse gases. Last week, the leading author of Senate climate legislation sought personal assurances from Obama during an Oval Office meeting, saying he wanted to "hear it from him directly" as he pushed ahead...read more

Republican Senator Announces Support For Climate Bill

South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) announced his support for a climate bill this year on Sunday – but Democrats still face a steep climb to gain broad bipartisan backing for the legislation. Democrats need just a handful of Republicans to get the 60 votes needed to overcome a Senate filibuster – if they can convince skeptical coal- and manufacturing-state Democrats to support the bill. But while environmentalists heralded Graham’s support as a “game changer,” any climate bill still faces steep obstacles in the Senate. “We are also convinced that we have found… a framework for climate legislation to pass Congress,” Graham wrote in a Sunday New York Times op-ed co-authored with Massachusetts Democrat John Kerry. “It begins now, not months from now — with a road to 60 votes in the Senate.”...read more

Is Climate Change a Moral, Philosophical Belief? And Can You Be Fired Over It?

Tim Nicholson, former Head of Sustainability at Grainger, a UK property company, claims that he was let go in 2008 for his "strong" views on climate change and the environment, reports CNN. Turns out, Nicholson feels his dismissal was a form of discrimination against his beliefs and he's taking the case to court. It does seem a bit ironic to us that a sustainability officer would be fired for being...a sustainability officer. It would be one thing if the fella was at his wits end and chose to leave, but to be fired for environmental beliefs seems a little backwards. Here is where the story gets more interesting. Nicholson was fired back in 2008 and has since taken his case to court, alleging that believing in climate change and its future effects on the planet are more of a philosophical belief and therefore protected under the UK's Employment Equality (Religion and Beliefs) Regulations. Essentially, this climate change case has turned into an anti-discrimination case. Not only was Nicholson fired, but he claims that leader in the company "showed contempt" for his beliefs and even taunted him...read more

Feeling green while the poor starve

Of all the insanities committed in the name of green politics, one of the most insane is the production of biofuels from food crops. In pursuit of increased proportion of energy from renewable sources, governments have realized that wind and solar power cannot make sufficiently large contributions. They have therefore turned to biofuels, a move that hugely delights their farming lobbies. Left at that, this might not have done too much damage outside of a massive misallocation of resources, but in a move that compounds insanity with thoughtless wickedness, they have chosen to do so out of food crops, rather than push forward the development of fuels from biological waste products such as husks, stalks and other cellulose surplus. Now Robin Pagnamenta reports in the Times that "Britain's self-sufficiency in wheat will end next year because a giant new biofuel refinery needs so much of the staple crop that home-grown supplies will be exhausted." Yes, we are now buying wheat on world markets to turn into fuel that is more expensive than that we can buy elsewhere or pump out of North Sea wells. That puts upward pressure on world prices, forcing up the price of foodstuffs. To affluent people this will be an inconvenience; to the poor it might mean starvation. We have, in effect, reintroduced the Corn Laws which were abolished in 1846, ensuring that the poor have to pay more for their bread as landowners and farmers benefit from higher prices. Well-to-do ladies driving their children to school in 4x4s can feel good that they are driving on 'green' fuel, even as people in poorer countries go hungry. Already there have been pasta protests in Italy and tortilla riots in Mexico, as poor people protest as the higher prices...read more

Algae Energy Orgy

When Adam Freeman graduated last December from Kennesaw State University in Georgia with a degree in biochemistry, he wanted to work in only one field: pond scum. Freeman had read that entrepreneurs were squeezing out fuel from the green muck known as algae, and he wanted to be one of them. So he set out on an algae road trip. With a list of more than 40 companies to visit, he drove from his hometown of Roswell, Georgia, to Vancouver, British Columbia, and back—sleeping on couches and knocking on companies' doors. But after four months and 18,000 miles, he realized that the industry wasn't what it purported to be. No one actually seemed to be producing oil. Most companies were simply growing scum without analyzing it. Some were bizarrely secretive. "I thought there'd be established companies where I could get a job, but there weren't," he says. Freeman saw firsthand the algae industry's slimy secret: Some companies have promised impossible amounts of oil based on speculation, raising millions from unwitting investors...read more

'Ill' wind blowing globally

In the world of bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses, the planet is growing ever more interconnected, and possibly ill, say some researchers meeting in Flagstaff. These are some of the types of questions probed by researchers like Jeff Foster and Paul Keim at the Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics at Northern Arizona University. Researchers gathering in Flagstaff last week described new and changing threats to coral reefs, local birds and even prairie dogs as a result of multiple factors. It was a conference to share research on the Colorado Plateau, and farther. It's likely the overlaps between climate change, global commerce, inbreeding in small populations, introduced species, poor land management and domestic animals mingling with wildlife that all add up, Foster said. These factors together have lead to what's thought to be an upswing in infectious disease affecting animals and ecosystems worldwide, being tracked at NAU's labs, and elsewhere. "There is often no cure for wildlife or ecosystems that become infected," Foster said. The goal is largely to prevent infection from the start. Foster looks at brucellosis, a bacterial disease that can be passed from infected cattle and goats through milk and cheese to humans in unpasteurized milk. He's tracking the evolution of the disease, which pre-dates the domestication of cattle...read more

When Public Power Is Used for Private Gain

In December 2003, Bruce Ratner, a New York real estate tycoon and owner of the New Jersey Nets basketball team, announced his long-simmering plans to build a 22-acre "urban utopia" in central Brooklyn, featuring more than a dozen office and apartment towers rising as high as 60 stories, a 180-room hotel, and a fancy new basketball arena for Ratner's Nets to call home. Dubbed the Atlantic Yards, this ambitious project faced several potentially ruinous obstacles. First, various private parties owned more than half of the 22-acre site, which meant time-consuming and possibly unsuccessful negotiations to acquire their land. Second, the size and scope of the project would violate numerous zoning restrictions on height, density, and use. And third, the powerful Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), which runs New York City's subways, buses, and commuter trains, controlled a crucial 8-acre rail yard at the center of the proposed footprint. So Ratner did what most politically-connected elites do when they run into trouble: He turned to the government—including his old Columbia law school pal Gov. George Pataki—for a bailout. More specifically, Ratner partnered with the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC), a controversial and embattled state agency with the power to bypass zoning laws and seize private property via eminent domain. The result of that unholy union is Goldstein v. New York State Urban Development Corporation, which New York's Court of Appeals—the state's highest court—will hear next Wednesday in Albany. At issue is the ESDC's use of eminent domain to seize privately-owned homes and businesses on behalf of Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards. It's a classic case of eminent domain abuse. Ratner isn't planning to build a bridge or a road or any other legitimate public project that might permit the forceful taking of private property. He wants to build a basketball arena, sell tickets to the games (not to mention sell broadcast rights, advertising space, concessions, and merchandise), and make a big fat profit. That's not public use, it's private gain...read more

Obama administration backs Organ Mountains bill

Support for the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks Wilderness Act continues to grow, as the Obama administration has now offered its support to the legislation intended to protect the mountain range just east of Las Cruces and other scenic areas in Dona Ana County. The Obama administration endorsed the legislation at a U.S. Senate hearing Thursday in Washington, D.C. Resolutions in support of the legislation written by Sens. Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall, both D-N.M., to protect the Organs have already been adopted by the city of Las Cruces, town of Mesilla and Do-a Ana County governments. Gov. Bill Richardson has also thrown in his support for the bill. "This bill already had strong local support, and now we have the backing of the Obama administration," said Bingaman, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Oscar Butler, vice chairman of the county Board of Commissioners, and Jerry Schickedanz, chairman of the group People for Preserving Our Western Heritage, were invited to testify at the hearing. While Schickedanz said he certainly supports efforts to preserve the Organs, he and others are opposed to the limitations that could be placed on ranchers and other users of the wilderness areas. "There are other ways to protect the lands," Schickedanz said. "It's premature to put this on the fast track for approval without a public hearing."...read more

Locals excluded from Devils Tower stakeholders meeting

A rancher whose property adjoins Devils Tower is upset over being excluded from a meeting in which stakeholders discussed which stories visitors should hear when they travel to the national monument. Park officials say the meeting was invitation only. And since the park is overseen by a federal agency, a meeting concerning Devils Tower is not subject to Wyoming’s open meetings law. About a dozen stakeholders made up of American Indians, climbing enthusiasts and park historians were invited to a two-day meeting last week in Hulett. The attendees discussed the park’s interpretation plan, an internal document that spells out which stories park rangers should tell to tourists. Rancher Ogden Driskill, whose property is next to the park’s south and east boundaries, feels he should have had a say in the process. Driskill said his family has lived near the park since 1880. He claims park officials have a history of excluding ranchers from stakeholder meetings. “I really honestly don’t think this was an oversight,” Driskill said. “We feel we should be offered a seat at the table.”...read more

Roof-Dwelling Boa Constrictor Captured

After causing a major stir in Fall River, Mass., a roof-dwelling boa constrictor is now in custody, reported TV station WPRI. The snake had been spotted repeatedly on the roof of a multifamily dwelling in recent weeks, according to various news reports. Nine feet in length, it was eye-catching enough to bring onlookers and aspiring nature photographers to the neighborhood. When animal control officers attempted to catch the reptile earlier this week, they had no luck, said WPRI. According to the station, the landlord and his friends pounced on the giant snake Thursday night as it slithered into the attic...read more

Golfer loses arm to alligator

A 77-year-old man lost his arm below the elbow Thursday when he was attacked by an alligator while playing golf on Fripp Island. The man, the father of a Fripp Island property owner, was playing the 11th hole of the island's Ocean Creek Golf Course at about 3 p.m. when the attack occurred. The victim was leaning down to pick up his ball when a 10-foot long alligator grabbed his arm, said Kate Hines, general manager of the Fripp Island Property Owners Association. Hines said the alligator dragged the man into a nearby pond and went into a series of "death rolls," a technique the reptile uses to tear apart its food. The man lost his arm in the struggle...read more

Two families crucial to saving American bison

Jackie Means has only faded memories of her childhood pilgrimages to Custer State Park to view the famous buffalo herd. Her first adult visits, back in the 1960s, remain much more vivid. “There were buffalo all over,” she said. Back then, the herd’s size numbered 2,500, its peak, since reduced to prevent overgrazing its Black Hills refuge. Those glimpses of the buffalo were family reunions of a sort. Means’ paternal grandfather, Scotty Philip, once lauded as “The Man Who Saved the Buffalo,” raised the bison that provided the foundation for today’s Custer State Park herd. The park’s herd started in 1914, three years after his death, with the purchase of 36 buffalo for about $11,000 from the Philip ranch near Fort Pierre. Actually, Philip had a bit of help. He bought 83 buffalo from the estate of another rancher, Fred Dupree, who had rounded up five bison calves when buffalo were on the brink of extinction. But, as descendants of both the Philip and Dupree families attest, there was more to the story of how those two legendary ranchers helped spare the American bison from annihilation. Their wives, Mary Good Elk Woman Dupree and Sarah Philip, were unsung heroines in the saga, largely ignored by historians but credited by their families for their roles. Both women were Lakota, for whom the buffalo are sacred. And both, according to their descendants, helped persuade their husbands to rescue buffalo for their preservation...read more

Access pits neighbor against neighbor

A legal battle out of Beaverhead County has once again irritated Montana's sore spot of public access and pitted neighbor against neighbor. The parties in this case are tailor-made to get the public fist-shaking angry: On one side, a longtime Montana cowboy; on the other, a transplanted California lawyer. The fracas started two years ago when Peter Tomaryn (the lawyer from California) and owners of the Diamond Bar J Ranch cut off access to a private road that runs through their property. The crux is this action has prevented Art Robinson (Montana cowboy) from using this road - a road that he has traveled for the past 20 years - to get back and forth to his ranch in the mountains south of Dillon. The road at the center of the litigation is about an 8-mile stretch that starts at state Highway 91 and runs along Grasshopper Creek. The private road runs through the Diamond J Bar Ranch and Tomaryn's land continues to Robinson's property, which is known as the Frenchie Place. Robinson purchased the Frenchie Place in 1987, long before the current owners of the J Bar Ranch and Tomaryn bought their land. Robinson used the road - called Grasshopper Creek Road - for two decades as the main access to and from his property. Robinson's lawyer, W. Dennis Starkel, said his client was never prevented from using the road in all that time...read more

Oregon ranchers consider mobile slaughterhouse

Eastern Oregon ranchers are considering a mobile slaughtering plant in Baker County to process beef that's now hauled out of state. Over the last 30 years, dozens of Oregon plants have been shut down, said Dan Forsea, president of the Baker County Livestock Association. Financial and environmental considerations have weighed against building a meat processing plant in Oregon. But Forsea said Joel Huesby, a rancher near Walla Walla, Wash., has built one of the first mobile slaughtering plants the U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved. Huesby slaughters cattle for hire, but he told the Baker County ranchers his primary purpose is to process his own brand of grass-fed cattle, which he markets through the Internet and selected grocery stores and meat markets. Huesby said he saw it as a way to increase the value of his cattle and cattle raised by other ranchers around Walla Walla County and other areas...read more

Korean students learn the cowboy way

Dorothy Jung and other cowboys broke into song as they stood near the campfire Sunday on a ranch east of Longview. They sang in Korean, but the words translated like any matter-of-fact song a cowboy might croon as raindrops began and a cool wind stirred. "It's like, 'It's windy, it's windy,' " Jung translated. "It's a Korean traditional song. It's not a cowboy song. We don't know anything about cowboys." The junior economics major at LeTourneau University knew more about cowboys than she and about 20 fellow exchange students had known that morning. A window on the West — the American West — opened for the Koreans on Sunday afternoon at rancher Jay Knight's spread. The cowboy-curious herd was corralled by the college ministry at Alpine Church of Christ, where they worship. "Handong University is kind of a sister university with LeTourneau," Alpine member C.B. Dixon said. "This is the first year they've come out here to this place." The students wore jeans, and many sported western hats. Each moseyed about the working ranch in sneakers — not a pair of boots among them...read more

Hailey celebrates wool with 'Trailing of the Sheep' Event continues today

Ford literally wears her passion on her sleeve. The underwear she wears is made of soft merino wool. Her sweater is "a mix of all my children." And her scarf is a mix of Angora rabbit and wools from her various sheep. The merino wool is finding a market in the underwear the United States uses for its troops in Afghanistan and Iraq since the wool can be machine-washed, Ford said. Fortunately, for sheep ranchers, American-grown wool and lamb meat is enjoying some of its best markets in years - in part because the weak American dollar is keeping imports from countries like New Zealand down, said Carey Flat Top Sheep Rancher John Peavey. That said, the weak American dollar didn't keep dozens of tourists from traveling from as far away as Florida to the Wood River Valley this weekend to take in the three-day Trailing of the Sheep Festival. The visitors enjoyed an array of free lamb nibbles - from Moroccan stew to lamb curry - at Ketchum art galleries on Friday night. And then they dug into lamb chops at the annual Basque Dinner served up by Hailey's St. Charles Catholic Church on Saturday...read more

Cattle drive a Bickleton mainstay

A cattle drive -- the old-fashioned, horseback kind -- brought traffic to a halt in Bickleton on Friday afternoon. In Bickleton terms, that means five or six cars had to wait while a herd of cows moseyed around them down Market Street. "There's not much traffic to stop," said Bob Harvey, an auto mechanic who organizes family members and friends in the annual cattle drive through the heart of this unincorporated Klickitat County community of 90 residents. Harvey, 45, and more than a dozen volunteers meet every October to help area cattle rancher Mat Spalding move his cows from summer pastures to his barns for pregnancy checking, calf rearing and winter feeding. In exchange, Spalding allows them to hunt deer on his land. The easiest and quickest way is to drive them by horseback right through the center of town. Loading them into a truck would take too much time. "It takes longer to corral them up and then haul them," said Spalding, 56. Justin Harvey, Bob's 17-year-old nephew, added: "And it's fun."...read more

Dallas Auction Gallery to bang the gavel on Dallas man's lifetime bovine collection

Dallas Auction Gallery bangs the gavel next week on the lifetime bovine collection of Derrill Osborn. The fabled Neiman Marcus men's clothing director (now seven years retired) has become as celebrated for his objets vaches as for his keenly eccentric personal style. Of course, most of us would need multiple lifetimes to amass the bounty of more than 500 pieces that, until recently, filled every inch of his modestly sized Oak Lawn townhouse. His collection includes 19th- and 20th century bovine oil paintings, Black Forest carvings, Staffordshire figurines, 150-year-old majolica and even an Empire-style armchair clad in fabric given to Osborn by Gianni Versace. Each piece seems bathed in the aura of its famously stylish curator. Osborn, with his mustache, wide-brimmed hats and penchant for dressing in elaborate suits (even for the most mundane errands), has graced the pages of GQ, Esquire and Vogue Hommes. He was once in charge of assisting a young John Kennedy Jr. with his wardrobe. Even today, Osborn rarely leaves home without a fresh red rose or carnation boutonniere in his lapel. He was just a child when he acquired his first bovine object, a piece whittled by his rancher great-grandfather. "I remember as a boy watching cows, studying cows," says Osborn, a New Mexico native who spent his early childhood on the family ranch. He recalls marveling at the herds that roamed over their land and getting a front row seat at the brandings. Clearly, something stuck...read more

WINDMILL: Predicting the weather has come a long way

These early cold fronts coming through West Texas are reminiscent of the old days of the 1970s when I met almost daily with a roundtable of morning coffee drinkers at the old Jackson House on West Beauregard on my way to the Standard-Times. The oldtimers of that time would forecast a wet winter when the first northers came in with rain. Those were the days when folks like the late Boze Hartgrove, a Concho and Reagan County rancher, the late D. K. McMullen, also a Reagan County rancher and lamb buyer, and the late Tom Poteet, one of the last country traders, would forecast the weather by the signs of the moon or the length of their horse’s hair. A legend told to me by Harry Firstbrook of Marfa when I was writing Windmill Country in the 1970s promoted the theory that more mesquite beans mean more wintertime. The late Jerry Mack Johnson, a San Angelo author and weather prognosticator, said a severe winter is likely when the tree leaves fall late. If the leaves drop early, the fall will be short and the winter will be mild. “A late frost means a long, hard winter. Two frosts mean winter will soon appear,” Johnson wrote in his book “Country Wisdom. In today’s world, with a 24-hour weather channel supplying us with pictures of current conditions from space, it’s hard for this generation to believe we lived without computer models to plan farm and ranch activity. Much of the oldtimers’ foundation in weather prediction was based on knowledge passed down from the American Indians, who observed natural phenomena...read more

It's All Trew: Turtle hunt leaves us shellshocked

Among this year's experiences to date is a story about our developing a new fishing lake and the turtles contained therein, plus a couple of turtle stories. I have a Native American friend who, for years, has "rescued" turtles from the freeways, placing them in her large, fenced backyard. At feeding time, she steps to her back porch, bangs a pan with a spoon and the entire backyard comes alive with healthy turtles arriving to be fed. A relative living in California, also with a large backyard, became host to a wayward desert turtle who took up residence. Since it is on the endangered species list, it sported its own tattoo number, registered description and has been to the local vet twice. The turtle tale continues. We have a small, swampy lagoon area that old timers called Blue Hole, where they played hooky from Alanreed school, rode their horses across the pastures and swam in the cool waters. It must have been larger and deeper in the old days. At the urging of our daughter-in-law, Janice, we decided to clean the place, trim the brush and develop it into a fishing camp for the family. A plan was agreed, the work began and, after a few months passed, the camp was finished, complete with a new fence to keep the cattle out. After the fish were released, the expert asked if we had any turtles? When we stopped to study the lake and watch, we had more turtles than you could count. Big turtles, middle-sized turtles and many little, bitty turtles. We were told that would not do. We had to lower the count. We built a home-made turtle trap. After all, a turtle can't be too smart. Ha! The only turtle casualty was one that laughed himself to death after seeing our contraption. We ordered a manufactured turtle trap from the fish people. It was a square aluminum cage that floated with trap doors on top that dumped the turtles as they lay in the sun. The great turtle hunt began...read more

Cowgirl Sass & Savvy

Changing of the seasons - Cowboy Style

Julie Carter

For most people, fall is the season of turning leaves, cooler weather, and the last bloom of summer flowers. For the cowboy, like Monday starts a new week, fall begins a new year.

It is the time of year for gathering the cattle and turning sassy calves into weanlings. The long days in the saddle, the billowing dust of corrals full of cattle, the long lines of cattle trucks all mean one thing. Pay day. That reward for a year of work that started this time last year.

For one more year, they have watched a cow buyer drive off down the dusty road, knowing that they probably won't see him again for a year. One more time, they heave a sigh of relief as the last cattle truck rolled over the cattle guard headed for feedlots and wheat pastures.

Yearling cattle operators have shipped the summer cattle and are looking to get the fall stockers received and tucked away in winter pastures.

Fall is when you get out all the jackets, down vests, wild rags and leggings. You make every effort to find the winter gloves, all of them, including the right and left one of each pair. It's commonly known that while empty cardboard boxes multiply in captivity, winter gloves in matching pairs are an endangered species.

My first concession to the season is giving up my sandals in trade for full-cover footwear. It usually doesn't happen before I've been seen in public a number of times wearing a turtleneck sweater and the aforementioned shoes with no tops.

The horses begin to grow furry coats and spend more time at the feed bunk. They have little interest in working, socializing or doing anything but soaking up the afternoon sun.

Fall is when you start breaking the two-year-old colts and hope they retain just a little of it before you turn them out for winter. It is hard to maintain any cowboy athletic prowess with a bucking colt when you are dressed with enough layers to resemble the Michelin man.

Preferred menu changes move from sandwiches and salads to pots of chili and a complete assortment of crock-pot ready-to-eat cuisine options.

Pumpkins are everywhere. Pumpkin cake and pumpkin bread are a favorite whether it is for the taste of cinnamon and clove or simply a good reason for the cream cheese frosting. While I happen to think pumpkin comes in a can, the real thing does look pretty sitting around next to Indian corn or bundled corn stocks.

It is not yet calving season and there is not yet any ice to break on the water tanks. The feed pickups stand by ready for work. However, the season is too short to start any major fencing, pipelining or corral building.

It is not that winter is an idle season but it has a specific list of jobs that, for the most part, leave no time for special projects.

Fall is the time to review what has been accomplished during the year - you can't get it back but you can always hope to improve on it.

Ranching is like that. A rancher is always looking forward to getting this year over with so he can start on the next one. He simply is able to start a little earlier with his New Year resolutions.

And those almost always begin with a prayer for full water tanks, good grass and decent cattle prices.

Julie can be reached for comment at jcarter@tularosa.net.

Budweiser - The American Dream (video)

Telephone Company Is Arm of Government, Feds Admit in Spy Suit

The Department of Justice has finally admitted it in court papers: The nation’s telecom companies are an arm of the government — at least when it comes to secret spying. Fortunately, a judge says that relationship isn’t enough to squash a rights group’s open records request for communications between the nation’s telecoms and the feds. The Electronic Frontier Foundation wanted to see what role telecom lobbying of Justice Department played when the government began its year-long, and ultimately successful, push to win retroactive immunity for AT&T and others being sued for unlawfully spying on American citizens. The feds argued that the documents showing consultation over the controversial telecom immunity proposal weren’t subject to the Freedom of Information Act since they were protected as “intra-agency” records. The feds were supposed to make the documents available Friday, but in a motion late Thursday, the Obama administration is asking for a 30-day emergency stay (.pdf) so it can file a further appeal...read more

Police stop more than 1 million people on street

A teenager trying to get into his apartment after school is confronted by police. A man leaving his workplace chooses a different route back home to avoid officers who roam a particular street. These and hundreds of thousands of other Americans in big cities have been stopped on the street by police using a law-enforcement practice called stop-and-frisk that alarms civil libertarians but is credited by authorities with helping reduce crime. Police in major U.S. cities stop and question more than a million people each year - a sharply higher number than just a few years ago. Most are black and Hispanic men. Many are frisked, and nearly all are innocent of any crime, according to figures gathered by The Associated Press. The practice is perfectly legal. A 1968 Supreme Court decision established the benchmark of "reasonable suspicion" - a standard that is lower than the "probable cause" needed to justify an arrest. Not all stops are the same. Some people are just stopped and questioned. Others have their bag or backpack searched. And sometimes police conduct a full pat-down...read more

NYPD tracking cell phone owners, but foes aren't sure practice is legal

The NYPD is amassing a database of cell phone users, instructing cops to log serial numbers from suspects' phones in hopes of connecting them to past or future crimes. In the era of disposable, anonymous cell phones, the file could be a treasure-trove for detectives investigating drug rings and other criminal enterprises, police sources say. A recent internal memo says that when cops make an arrest, they should remove the suspect's cell phone battery to avoid leakage - then jot down the International Mobile Equipment Identity number. The IMEI number is registered with the service provider whenever a call is made. And that data could allow a detective to match, for example, a cell phone used by one suspect to a phone used by another. New York Civil Liberties Union associate legal director Christopher Dunn said it appears the NYPD is "taking phones apart to get information" without warrants. "It's hard to believe they feel there's a real need to take out the battery to prevent leakage," he said. "Instead, it looks like they're doing this to circumvent the warrant process."...Read more

Class Challenges California DNA Sampling Law

A California law forcing anyone arrested or charged with a felony to submit to DNA sampling is unconstitutional, according to a class action in Federal Court. Sampling subjects say the requirement constitutes an illegal seizure of their genetic information and violates their due process rights. The lawsuit, filed by a group of Californians subject to the law, challenges a provision of Proposition 69, effective since January, mandating that all adults arrested or charged with a felony provide police with a DNA sample. Such felonies include "many offenses for which their DNA has no conceivable relevance," from writing bad checks to cocaine possession, the plaintiffs claim. Lead plaintiff Elizabeth Haskell was arrested in March 2009 at a peace rally. She claims police told her she would be charged with a separate misdemeanor when she refused to let authorities swab the inside of her cheek. Haskell "was told she would not be released from jail until after arraignment if she did not provide a DNA sample on the spot and without advice from lawyer," the lawsuit claims. Haskell says no charges were filed against her. Before Proposition 69 passed in 2004, only convicted felons were required to submit to DNA testing. The genetic data were then compiled into a state-wide database. The plaintiffs say Proposition 69 allows their DNA to also be entered into the system, and people such as Haskell, who are eventually found innocent of the charges, must wait at least three years for their DNA samples to be expunged from the database. Failure to comply with the mandate can result in a fine and one year of imprisonment, the class adds...read more

Senate committee approves Patriot Act changes

A divided Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved a revised version of the nation's major counterterrorism law, after intelligence and law enforcement officials assured lawmakers that counterterrorism operations would not be harmed. The 11-8 vote sent the bill to the full Senate, where several senators who voted "yes" said they had enough concerns to oppose the legislation unless more changes are made. The expiring sections allow roving wiretaps on multiple phones, access to business records and a never-used provision to conduct surveillance of a non-U.S. citizen who may not be part of a recognized terrorist group. Several of the changes adopted Thursday govern use of National Security Letters, which are FBI demands for information without a court order. These letters can be subject to a court order prohibiting the recipient from disclosing the letter. One change would require the government to notify recipients when the non-disclosure order is no longer required. This is aimed at recipients of letters who challenged the order. If the government meets a legal test for an order not to disclose a national security letter, a judge would have to issue the order. The attorney general would be given six months to establish procedures to acquire, destroy, and prevent dissemination by the FBI of records received in response to a National Security Letter. Other changes would: _Clarify the types of library records entitled to a higher level of review. _Require the FBI to include specific facts in its written statement supporting the issuance of the National Security Letter. The government would have to demonstrate the information requested is relevant to an authorized investigation...read more

Mobs, violent criminals turn to Medicare fraud

Lured by easier money and shorter prison sentences, Mafia figures and other violent criminals increasingly are moving into Medicare fraud and spilling blood over what was once a white-collar crime. Around the nation, federal investigators have been threatened, an informant's body was found riddled with bullets, and a woman was discovered dead in a pharmacy under investigation, her throat slit with a piece of broken toilet seat. For criminals, Medicare schemes offer a greater payoff and carry much shorter prison sentences than offenses such as drug trafficking or robbery. "We've seen more people that used to be involved in (dealing) drugs are switching over to health-care fraud because it's not as dangerous," Miami FBI spokeswoman Judy Orihuela said...read more

The mob's gonna love health care reform.

America's Internet police

You may have won $10 million dollars!!! Or not, but the same federal agency that can't stop those dishonest sweepstakes mailings wants the right to supervise everything bloggers, Facebookers, tweeters and practically anyone else writes on the Internet starting in December. You see, bad, bad regular people may write something nice about puppy kibble after nefarious corporate goons pay them off with a free bag of dog food. Consumers must be protected from such trickery. The plans of the Federal Trade Commission don't bother us newspaper folks none because we're exempt. Our book reviewers can keep right on taking free books, and our music reviewers can wallow in a torrent of freebie music downloads until their iPods explode. But if you readers do the same thing and fail to disclose the full details of your "financial relationship" with a "marketer" before you tweet, both you and the book publisher may have broken the law, resulting in fines of more than $10,000...read more

Feds limit Arizona sheriff's immigration powers

An Arizona sheriff known for aggressively cracking down on illegal immigration is being stripped of some of his power to enforce immigration law. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio says federal officials won't let him renew a deal that let his deputies make federal immigration arrests. The U.S. government is changing its rules for allowing local police to enforce more expansive federal immigration laws. Federal officials did renew a deal that will let Arpaio's jail officers determine the immigration status of people in his jails. Arpaio says federal officials offered no explanation of why his powers were cut in half. A spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement declined to comment on the curtailment of Arpaio's powers. AP

NYC undercover stings expose 'gun show loophole'

New York City officials secretly videotaped dozens of firearm purchases they say were illegal at gun shows in states that have not closed the "gun show loophole." The sting, described in a city report released Wednesday, was conducted at seven gun shows in Tennessee, Ohio and Nevada. Those states are among the many that permit private unlicensed dealers, known as "occasional sellers," to sell weapons at gun shows without conducting background checks. Gun-control advocates say the loophole makes it easier for criminals to acquire guns and prevents law enforcement from being able to trace those weapons if they are used in crimes. Nine states, including New York, have passed laws to close the loophole, requiring background checks on at least all handgun purchases at gun shows. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has long campaigned for Congress to close the loophole, and for states to do it on their own if the federal government does not. Even in states that haven't closed the loophole, federal law bars "occasional sellers" from selling guns to people they have reason to believe would fail a background check. This is where the Bloomberg operation says 19 out of 30 sellers broke the law during the investigation, in which undercover buyers wore tiny cameras concealed in baseball hats and purses and audio recorders hidden in wristwatches...read more

Hutchison, Tester, Souder wading into gun rights case

Two pro-gun rights senators are wading into a lawsuit pending before the Supreme Court that could further expand the Second Amendment and restrict governments’ ability to police the flow of firearms. Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) are joining Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.) in filing a joint amicus brief before the Supreme Court — repeating an effort they first made last year in the District of Columbia’s gun-rights case. The lawmakers say they plan to ask justices to apply the Second Amendment more forcibly to states, siding with the National Rifle Association in seeking to overturn the city of Chicago’s handgun registration laws...read more

Victory for First Amendment: Pittsburgh-Area College Allows Student to Advocate for Concealed Carry on Campus

After months of national media attention, a student threatened with punishment for attempting to form a gun-rights group at Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) is finally allowed to distribute pamphlets about the group on campus. The college has also rescinded its unconstitutional policy demanding "prior written approval" for "personal contact with individuals or groups related to non-sponsored college material or events." After Christine Brashier, who wanted to form a chapter of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus (SCCC), was told that her pamphlets were unacceptable "solicitation" and that any further efforts would be considered "academic misconduct," she turned to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) for help. In April, Brashier created pamphlets to distribute to her classmates encouraging them to join her in forming a chapter of the SCCC national organization at CCAC. Her pamphlets stated that the group "supports the legalization of concealed carry by licensed individuals on college campuses." She personally distributed copies of the pamphlets, which identified her as a "Campus Leader" of the effort to start the chapter. Brashier was quickly summoned to a meeting with administrators, who told her that passing out her non-commercial pamphlets was prohibited as "solicitation." Furthermore, they insisted that the college pre-approve any pamphlets, that pamphlets like hers would not be approved, and that Brashier destroy all copies of her pamphlet. At one point during the meeting, Dean Yvonne Burns reportedly said, "You may want to discuss this topic but the college does not, and you cannot make us." Brashier was warned that any further efforts would be considered "academic misconduct."...read more

Gun control

At what point does the government change from protecting its citizens to controlling them? This is not an easy question, and it is one too often ignored by both citizens and governments. Government has a duty to protect its citizens from enemies and at times from each other. However, it is a slippery slope that leads governments down the path to total social control in the interest of protecting everyone everywhere all the time. Although the government should indeed be able to police its own citizens it should never be allowed to absolutely remove any single right. Does the government have a right to outlaw the possession of firearms by its citizens in the interest of protection if it means that they are severely limited in their own ability to protect themselves? Absolutely not. The other question is that of deterrence. Is public or private deterrence a more useful method in fighting crime? In many crimes the use of public deterrence by the government is most often the best means. The government can do things not available to ordinary citizens such as fines and jail time. But in cases dealing with public or personal safety many times the best deterrence is private. A gun wielding criminal will be more afraid of a gun wielding citizen than of the possibility of incarceration. Private citizens concerned only for their own safety and not held back by court proceedings, warrants, or properly reading someone their rights can be the biggest deterrent of violent crime available...read more

Threat to sue athlete for fund-raising brothel

The New Zealand Olympic Committee has threatened to sue a local taekwondo athlete who plans to finance his 2012 London Games bid with the proceeds from a brothel. Logan Campbell, whose participation in the Beijing Olympics last year cost him NZ$150,000 ($110,600) -- most of which came from his parents -- opened a brothel with a friend in Auckland earlier this year. Campbell went public with the scheme in July and the 23-year-old said he hoped to raise NZ$300,000 to alleviate any financial burden on his parents and to have more time to concentrate on training...read more

ALE agents seize 929 gallons of moonshine

State Alcohol Law Enforcement agents seized 929 gallons of moonshine Wednesday and arrested a Wilkesboro man, authorities said Friday. Roger Lee Nance, of 1117 Shew Ridge Mission Road, was charged with possession of non-tax paid liquor, possession of non-tax-paid liquor for the purpose of selling, and possession of equipment and ingredients intended for the use in the manufacture of an alcoholic beverage. “This is one of the biggest seizures of white liquor I’ve seen come out of the mountains in my career,” ALE Director John Ledford said in statement...read more

Song Of The Day #153

Our Gospel tune this am is by a young George Jones singing Please Take The Devil Out Of Me.

It's available on the 22 track CD The Definitive Collection 1955-1962 and on the 48 track 2 CD Cup of Loneliness: The Classic Mercury Years.