Defining a Liberal Today

One of my favorite new blogs is by Glenn Greenwald, an attorney that specializes in first amendment cases. On Sunday he wrote: It used to be the case that in order to be considered a "liberal" or someone "of the Left," one had to actually ascribe to liberal views on the important policy issues of the day – social spending, abortion, the death penalty, affirmative action, immigration, "judicial activism," hate speech laws, gay rights, utopian foreign policies, etc. etc. These days, to be a "liberal," such views are no longer necessary.

Now, in order to be considered a "liberal," only one thing is required – a failure to pledge blind loyalty to George W. Bush. The minute one criticizes him is the minute that one becomes a "liberal," regardless of the ground on which the criticism is based. And the more one criticizes him, by definition, the more "liberal" one is. Whether one is a "liberal" -- or, for that matter, a "conservative" -- is now no longer a function of one’s actual political views, but is a function purely of one’s personal loyalty to George Bush.

This couldn't be more true. What is even funnier is what passes for a 'conservative' today. Back in the days of St. Ronald Reagan a conservative was someone who believed in small government, staying out of foreign affairs, belief in a strong military and a balanced Federal budget. That sure is no longer the case. A conservative is now someone that follows the Bush Admin. hook, line and sinker, even if they disagree with Bush.

Today Glenn goes on to write:conservatives over the last three decades have been abandoned almost entirely and have been replaced by their precise antitheses -- all in order to justify George Bush’s conduct. The principal example used was the angry opposition to warrant-based FISA eavesdropping voiced by conservatives under the Clinton Administration, as compared to the stirring defense of warrantless, oversight-less eavesdropping now engaged in proudly by the Bush Administration.

But beyond that specific, quite revealing instance is the general disappearance of an anti-federal-government ethos. Principles of a restrained federal government and distrust of that government -- previously centerpieces of the conservative movement -- have been discarded like yesterday's trash in order to maintain praise of George Bush's actions and to maximize the powers and reach of the Federal Government now that Bush controls it.

Glenn is a bright guy that hits the nail directly on the head. How do I know that? Well, because of all the outragious emails he received from the 'right wing' in response to his post.

Happy Birthday Charles Darwin

Charlie's 200th birthday anniversary will be in 2009. What else can be said about Charles Darwin that hasn't already been said? I found that his son Leonard Darwin (1850-1943) was the mentor of Ronald Fisher (1890-1962) who almost single-handedly created the foundations for modern statistical science.

Are We a Sheep-Like Nation?

Bruce Mulkey asks What is it going to take for the American people to wake up to the presidential coup d’état that is now under way, a takeover that is occurring in broad daylight by a president who has declared that as commander in chief he has unfettered power to fight an undeclared and never-ending war on terrorism, even if that means ignoring the courts, disregarding laws passed by Congress and circumventing the Bill of Rights in the process?

This is exactly the right question. Are we so afraid of terrorist attacks that we will allow Bush to decide which laws he will follow and which ones he will not? It seems like a very small majority feel exactly that way. You really have to wonder why so many people are afraid of terrorists? As countries go, we are one of the those with the least to fear of actual terrorists attacks. If we are so afraid of terrorist attacks, why are we not demanding better protection of our ports, nuclear power plants, railways, and chemical plants? Congress has got to wake up soon and it looks like it is beginning to happen with a few key Republicans questioning the legality of Bush ignoring our laws.

Last Year and This Years Ice Palace

Last years larger Ice Palace but they have built palaces much larger than this one.




Ta Da! This years Ice Palace ready for the King and Queen. The 'wing' structure at the left side is likely a maze.



The 'Thrones'.

Ice Palace Today

So here is where we stand today with the Ice Palace. I suspect it will be finished late this afternoon or by noon tomorrow at the latest. 'Thrones' for the King and Queen still need to be built in the center of the structure. When I drove by at noon the electricians were at work getting ready to string the lights. It's one of the smallest Ice Palaces ever but that's ok, the tourist will settle for it hopefully.

Wal-Mart in Saranac Lake - Evil Rears Its Ugly Head

So the 'rumors' turned out to be true. Wal-Mart just announced it wants to build a 121,000 square foot supercenter in Saranac Lake, NY. Happy days are here again - NOT. This is a done deal. A majority of Saranac Lake village residents are in favor of a giant Wal-Mart, so it will happen. The village will sell its 10 acre sandpit lot to Wal-Mart. What used to be Stanley Chevrolet will definitely sell; it's an odd coincidence that they gave up their Chevy dealership just a few months ago. Burger King 'closed' for the season in November; any bets that it will re-open as a MacDonald's since MacDonald's will be looking for a new location? Carcuzzi - well what can I say about Carcuzzi. A couple months ago I asked one of the partners if they would sell out to Wal-Mart. To paraphrase - nope, we are a brand new business and they would have to pay way too much to buy us out. Well, I guess the largest retailer in the universe can afford to buy out a little car repair business afterall. What really bothers me are the Village officials. They have claimed for months that they knew nothing about Wal-Mart wanting to purchase the village sandlot. Well, the Carcuzzi owner said he knew last summer that Wal-Mart was interested in buying his property, so I find it hard to believe that the Village officials didn't know. One can understand why a private business might not want to be upfront about their future plans, but there is no excuse for misdirection by public officials.

Finally An Ice Palace

After the warmest January in the USA ever, 8.8 degrees above average, work on the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Ice Palace began yesterday. It will be much smaller than usual, probably only about 600-800 blocks of ice vs the normal 2000 blocks. The ice blocks are only about 10 inches thick which will result in a small castle. Normally the ice blocks would be about 15-18 inches thick.



The blocks of ice are cut from Pontiac Bay on Lake Flower using a special saw that was designed decades ago. The ice blocks are guided to shore and scooped up by a tractor and delivered to the building site. The space where the ice has been cut can be seen in the lower left corner of the photo.



The ice palace as of early this morning, about 7 courses high. This was done in a single day with the help of inmates from Camp Gabriels and some very experienced local 'architects' and 'engineers'.



Once the walls get high, the ice blocks are hoisted into place using a crane. This one belongs to the Paul Smiths College forestry department.

NOTE: They added another half dozen courses of ice blocks today. Of course I'll post a picture of the finished Ice Palace. One taken at night as well.

USA Influence

Well let's see - Iraq and Iran hate us. But Poland thinks we rock.

Julia's New Car

Got a great deal on a 2003 Pontiac Vibe AWD 'repo'. I normally wouldn't buy a Pontiac but the Vibe is the same as a Toyota Matrix. Her car is 'Neptune Blue' and looks brand new.

Plattsburgh Vote for Impeachment Fails 3-2

Read all about it here

There was a city council vote on impeaching G.W. Bush last night. I am very proud of the people in Plattsburgh, NY. Plattsburgh is considered a pretty republican area as is most of Northern NY. That being said, Clinton County did favor John Kerry for President. I guess that means that there are Republicans in Clinton County and Plattsburgh that have some sort of sense of right and wrong. Although the motion to impeach G.W. Bush failed 3-2, it was probably more due to the fact that some didn't think it was the proper forum for an impeachment vote. To me it seems like exactly the right forum. Democracy in action at the grassroots level. Of course, there were conservatives present calling people traitors, "Hang the traitors, death to the left," shouted one person as several in the crowd wearing veterans hats cheered. Yep, let's kill Americans that actually want to go after the terrorists responsible for 9/11. Everyone else is a patriot.

To All My Scientist Friends - ATTENTION!!!

By order of President George W. Bush you must immediately cease all research on human animal hybrids!!! Especially any ongoing Pigman research! STOP NOW!!!

2005 Bush Timeline

SOTU Address 2005-->SSI privitization-->Fitzgerald Invest-->
Katrina debacle--->Libby,Delay, Cunningham, Abramhoff indictments--->
Illegal wiretaps---> Democratic elections in Iraq and Palestine--->
Iran nucs --->deficits through roof -->weakened army --> more indictments to come

After tonight, two more SOTU addresses to go. Can we survive?

Heckuva Job Georgie

"The beginnings of reform and democracy in the Palestinian territories are now showing the power of freedom to break old patterns of violence and failure."
-- George W. Bush
State of the Union, 2005

Basically the message will be "I'm right and you are wrong, so trust me".
Also, "if the President does it, it can't be breaking the law"

What Will Bush Say Part II

Well, for about 50% of us he will be saying this.

State of the Union - What Will Bush Say?

1) The economy is doing great or our economy is struggling?

2) We have too much health insurance or many Americans have no health insurance?

3) Will mention Osama bin Laden or will not mention Osama bin Laden?

4) The President is not above the law or the President can ignore any law he wants?

5) Democratic elections in the Middle East are great or damn not who we really wanted elected?

6) I know Jack Abramhoff or I never met the guy?

7) Says "if the President does it, it's not illegal or says "I am not a crook"?

Ok This is Really Funny

The 50 most loathsome people in America 2005

I really like #13, #12 and really really like #4!!!

Democratic Elections Don't Always Give You the Government You Want

Looks like G.W. Bush is getting some conservative governments elected.

Canada's government just went conservative. But oops, looks like one of the first things Harper wants are some armed ice breakers to enforce Canada's sovereignty over arctic waters. The USA has challenged Canada's claims to sovereignty over Arctic waterways. Harper has also vowed to clean up Canada's corrupt government. I wonder if that gives Bush pause?

Iraq is forming a conservative government of sorts. At least it's one that believes religion plays a strong role in government. Iran and Palestine couldn't be happier.

Speaking of Palestine.... they just had democratic elections. Seems like the people have spoken. The terrorist group Hamas is now firmly in charge. I heard a Hamas spokesperson on the radio this morning say that Hamas won because of what G.W. Bush is doing in Iraq.

Let's not even talk about Venezuela.

So the USA better learn to work with the foreign governments we have and not the ones we wish we had.

Let Me Get This Straight Karl

-Bush ignores Clinton's advice about dealing with al Qaeda
-didn't take the "bin Laden determined to strike inside U.S." memo seriously
-invaded Afghanistan but failed to follow through on our commitments
-can't catch bin Laden
-launched a devastating war in Iraq that has increased the terrorist threat
-weakens our army
-watched the nuclear threat posed by North Korea and Iran get considerably worse
-his minions leaked classified information for partisan gain
-appoints unqualified cronies to important gov't positions
-launched an illegal surveillance program that produced a flood of useless tips

Yet Democrats are the ones that are weak on defense?

For You Technical Types - How Soon Will Iran Have the Bomb?

The war drums are beating to prepare us for a possible attack on Iran, at least their nuclear (nucular) facilities. From reading the newspapers it sounds like Iran will have nuclear weapons within a few months, a year at the most.

Do you want to educate yourself about what Iran's real capacity is? Go here and enjoy. Be sure and read "part 1" also.

Jack And George - Photos

Scott McClellan said earlier this month, "The president does not know him (Abramoff), nor does the president recall ever meeting him."

Well now the photos are beginning to show up. Now photos of Jack and George may or may not mean anything. But one photo it seems "shows Abramoff and Bush with Raul Garza, chairman of the Kickapoo Indians in Texas, who has been indicted on charges of stealing $300,000 from his tribe."

It's photos like that one that are likely to make one ask questions about the Bush Administration relationship with Jack Abramoff. And, who in their right mind would believe George never met "pioneer" Jack Abramoff. If someone raised $100,000 for your campaign, wouldn't you want to thank them in person?