Energy prices may lead to another Revolution

I filled up the gas tank yesterday - $51 for 14+ gallons of gas. Last summer, I could fill the tank for $30 or less. Some people are saying demand has increased far faster than supply, driving up the price of an ever-scarcer commodity. Others are blaming the increase on the falling value of the dollar in world trade. Still others are blaming "greedy oil companies" for making"outrageous" profits, of OPEC keeping a lid on production to drive up prices, and the US filling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve reservoir. While all those factors contribute to what's going on today, it's actually much more complex than any of this.

It's true that demand has increased significantly. It's also true that there have been some major discoveries recently that, if brought online, would greatly increase supply, and offset the increased demand. There have been new oil and gas fields
discovered in Brazil, Chad, Sudan, Siberia and the Gulf of Mexico. It's going to take from five to ten years for those fields to come fully online, however. In the meantime, oil and gas prices are going to remain relatively high. Here are some of the reasons output cannot immediately grow to meet demand:

1. . Oil and gas production in many areas are threatened by war or political unrest. There is a growing revolution in southern Nigeria that has significantly reduced production from that African nation. The situation for nations around the Persian Gulf is in a constant boil, with war in Iraq and terrorism or the threat of terrorism affecting most of those nations, and Iran's attempt to change the Persian Gulf into an Iranian-controlled lake. Most of the petroleum reserves in Chad and Sudan are in the Darfur region, currently the scene of genocidal murder. The situation in Angola and several other West African nations isn't very attractive to foreign investment - investment that is essential to develop the oilfields there. Venezuela's behavior - confiscating or forcing out foreign investment - has resulted in a net decline in overall output. Iran is just one of several countries that has put off maintenance for immediate profit. That, too, has resulted in a decline in production.



2. . China and India are rapidly modernizing. This is taking a larger and larger amount of energy, much of which comes from oil and gas. At the same time, neither of these nations has a significant enough internal source of oil and gas, forcing them to import it from elsewhere. With a virtually stagnant output, the increasing demand is pushing prices higher.



3. . The US dollar has long been the "currency of choice" for oil and gas deals. The US dollar has significantly lost value over the last couple of years relative to currencies from other nations, especially the Euro. That, too, has contributed to the rising cost of all commodities imported into the United States, especially oil.



4. . There are only a few economically sensible alternatives to oil and gas, and most of those are under-utilized. Nuclear energy could replace some of the use of oil and gas in the production of electricity. Solar,wind, biomass, tidal and geothermal energy production can help, but only to a limited degree. These "alternative energy" options just aren't economically feasible - and frequently aren't even mechanically possible. Making electricity cheap enough to replace oil and gas home heating would help with the overall program, but only to a small degree.



5. . "Greedy oil companies" make far less profit on oil and gas than the Federal or State governments takes in taxes, and even less than what it costs in regulatory over-kill to produce useful products. Government intervention is far more of a problem than it's a help.



6. . The high cost of environmental activism significantly adds to the plight of the "common people". Environmental activism has kept the United States from building a single new refinery, adding a new nuclear power plant, opening new oilfields to production, increasing and modernizing the delivery network for oil and gas, and instituting many, many other possible solutions to the current problem. At the same time, they have successfully diverted tens of billions of dollars into uneconomical, impractical, and downright harmful "alternative energy solutions" that will never be more than minor contributers to satisfying our energy needs.
   
   
7. . "NIMBYism" is alive and well, and also significantly contributing to today's energy crunch. "Not in my back yard" means "not in my town/county/state" for a lot of people. It keeps the United States from drilling for oil and gas in many locations in the Gulf of Mexico, from building nuclear power plants where they're most needed, from building or modernizing refineries, and more.

I doubt the United States could ever be totally "energy independent". We have too many links to Canada and Mexico, and a very high demand. At the same time, we could greatly reduce our dependency with a little bit of common sense.

1. . We need to open up known reserves for production. That includes the coal reserves in the hastily and ill-advised Escallante/Grand Staircase "national monument", oil and gas fields in the Alaska Wildlife Refuge, the Naval Petroleum reserve, the Gulf Coast, and offshore on both the Atlantic and Pacific coast, developing what geothermal production areas we have, and updating and expanding the national energy distribution networks.



2. . We need to build at least six new refineries, and upgrade and enhance the capabilities of at least 2/3 of existing ones.



3. . We need to increase the percentage of electricity generated by nuclear power to where it accounts for 25% of our electrical output. France gets almost half of its electricity from nuclear power production. I'm sure we could easily reach a goal of 25% within ten years.



4. . We need to review ALL government rules and regulations regarding energy, keeping those that are beneficial and getting rid of those that aren't.



5. . We need to look at our environmental track record, see what works to both support our energy development and protect our wildlife resources, and scrap the rest.



6. . Eliminate "alternatives" that cost more than they'll ever be worth. The money to support these "alternatives" could better be used to study ways to make both energy production and energy use more efficient and cost-effective.



7. . Put an end, once and for all time, the stupidity of "Anthropomorphic" or "catastrophic" "Global Warming", and the destructive forces inherent in "addressing" this non-problem. We don't know enough about how the complex interplay between sun, water, wind and land affect overall weather patterns, or what contributes to changes. Until we do, it's impractical to implement costly and dangerous "remedies" that may cause more harm than help. At the same time, increase the study of atmospheric sciences so that real data, instead of misleading, "cherry-picked", or downright fraudulent "data" (hockey stick, anyone?) is used to make sensible, cost-effective, and workable decisions about the future.

There IS an energy crunch. A lot of it is self-inflicted, not only for us, but for the entire world. The way to make it through that crunch is to implement what will help, and quit trying to strangle or destroy the means of eliminating that crunch. This needs to be the top priority of every lawmaker in the United States, not cosmetic band-aids that do no good. If gas gets to even $5 a gallon, a lot of people are going to be very upset. It didn't take much to bring about the American Revolution of 1776. High energy prices could well be the trigger for another one.

Junk email.

Sigh...

Seventy-five percent or more of my email is SPAM that gets by my SPAM filter. A lot of it comes from spam-bots digging email addresses from this and other websites where my email address is posted. This is a bleg - please stop.

I'm 60+ years old, physically disabled with a bad back and other problems, and don't need a job. I'm not looking to "strike it rich", and I don't play the lottery (If you don't play, you can't win, so all that crap about I've won this or that is just bunk). I retired from the Air Force after 26 years' service. That means I have the best socialized medicine in the United States, that my prescriptions cost me either nothing or a very small co-pay, and I don't need to "shop in Canada" for them.

I've been happily married to the same woman for 42 years, and don't need a date, dating service, or "horny girls" from ANYWHERE. I'm perfectly capable of having sex as often as I can physically perform, and don't need Viagra or drugs for "erectile disfunction". I have a separate, unpublished email address for Paypal, Yahoo, my bank account, and anything else I do on the Internet, and it's SECURE through a very nice security system. I don't sell anything on eBay, and only buy from a half-dozen dealers whom I know well and are happy with.

I've been working with computers since 1966, and am Internet-savvy enough to not fall for any of the Nigerian scams or their derivatives. If you want to send me money, make it a check payable to me: my mailing address can be found on my website. If you're someone who has a legitimate reason to get in touch with me, make sure you list it in the "Subject" line of your email, otherwise I'll delete it.

For the rest of you, just STOP.

The Stupidity at Berkeley

The City Council of Berkeley, California, has voted to ban the Marine Recruiting Station from the city because the Marines refuse to enlist gays. It's immaterial that the local recruiting office has no say over the matter, or that there are ample, excellent reasons to NOT enlist active, open gay men and lesbian women into the military. The City Council of Berkeley believes it knows how this nation should be run, and demands that IT, not the Constitution, nor the Congress, or even the President, should have a say in the matter. Nor do they care whether non-gay men and women are interested in joining the Marines. The City Council has SPOKEN, and MUST be obeyed.

The military is one of several functions that are given to the Federal Government in the Constitution. Article 1, Section 8, clearly states that "The Congress shall have the power

(12) To raise and support armies...
(13) To provide and maintain a navy;
(14) To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces;

I don't see anything in there about needing the permission of the City of Berkeley to do any of these things.

"Collective punishment" is a catch-word for the looney left, yet the City of Berkeley is collectively punishing the Marine Corps for the decisions made by the Congress, the President, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Berkeley has no authority to determine what federal offices will open in their jurisdiction. Six (seven?) of nine members of the Berkeley city council have decided they know better how to run the US military, and are attempting to "wag the dog" by passing a binding resolution demanding the city attorney look into ways of expelling the Marine Corps recruiters from their fair city.

Sen. Jim DeMint, R-SC, has taken it upon himself to present a bill to Congress to remove all earmarks (illegal spending, under any circumstances, since 99% of it is never PASSED by Congress, as the Constitution requires) to the City of Berkeley and any non-federal functions or facilities within that City. This is getting extreme howls from both the City of Berkeley and its congressional representatives. The City Council of Berleley seems to believe they have the option of "opting out" of any federal responsibilities they may have, while still sucking on the pork tit.

I explained to my children long ago that they have the option of doing whatever they choose. They also have the concurrent responsibility of accepting any consequences that go with those choices. There are three kinds of consequences - positive consequences (you do exceptionally well at work, and get a promotion), neutral consequences (you run a red light in the middle of the night, and no one sees you), or negative consequences (you put your hand on a hot stove, and burn it). If you commit a crime, you are (usually, except in the Liberal world) going to receive consequences. If you do something stupid, there may be grave consequences.

Berkeley wants to live in a consequence-free world. No such thing exists.

ABM - "Anybody but McCain"

My favored political candidate, Fred Thompson, has dropped out of the race. So have the two people I was most likely to support if Thompson quit - Duncan Hunter and Tom Tancredo. Now I'm stuck with choosing among a field of "lessers" - McCain, Romney, Huckabee, Guilliani, Paul, Clinton, Obama, and Edwards.

Forget the Democrats. There hasn't been a Democratic contender I'd be willing to vote for in the last four Presidential elections. I'm not too happy with the Republican candidates, either. In a time when we need a Madison, Lincoln, or Truman, we get McCain, Romney, and Clinton II. What a trio of buffoons.

I'll probably end up voting for one of them - the lesser of two bad choices, as I've had to do in all but a couple of elections since I first cast a ballot 42 years ago. The lesser of two bad choices is still a bad choice. We can only hope that it won't be so horrible a choice we'll have to resort to force to undo the mistakes that person makes. That brings us to John McCain.

McCain has proven over and over that he is the "candidate of mistakes" - McCain/Feingold, immigration, judges, tax cuts, and a half-dozen other major issues where he's been on the wrong side. If there's an option, I'd prefer Romney over McCain, and any Republican over either Clinton or Edwards. I don't have a good feeling about Barrack Obama, either, but I don't know enough to weigh his negatives, other than he's an idiot on foreign policy, and not too sharp on domestic policy.

This nation has failed, over the last decade or two, to attract and support top-level political leadership, especially for President. I fear we will face some truly difficult times ahead because of that failure.

"A German's point of view on Islam"

I received this from a friend of mine two days ago, and wondered if I should post it. After careful consideration, I decided I could not NOT post it and be true to my own beliefs. I wish I had a link, but so far I haven't been able to find one.

by Dr. Emanual Tanay, Psychiatrist

A man whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War ll owned a number of large industries and estates. When asked how many German people were true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism.

'Very few people were true Nazis 'he said,'but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world had come. My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed my factories.'

We are told again and again by 'experts' and 'talking heads' that Islam is the religion of peace, and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace. Although this unqualified assertion may be true, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff, meant to make us feel better, and meant to somehow diminish the spectra of fanatics rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam. The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history.

It is the fanatics who march. It is the fanatics who wage any one of 50 shooting wars worldwide. It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian or tribal groups throughout Africa and are gradually taking over the entire continent in an Islamic wave. It is the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or honor kill. It is the fanatics who take over mosque after mosque. It is the fanatics who zealously spread the stoning and hanging of rape victims and homosexuals. The hard quantifiable fact is that the 'peaceful majority', the 'silent majority', is cowed and extraneous.

Communist Russia was comprised of Russians who just wanted to live in peace, yet the Russian Communists were responsible for the murder of about 20 million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant. China 's huge population was peaceful as well, but Chinese Communists managed to kill a staggering 70 million people.

The average Japanese individual prior to World War ll was not a warmongering sadist. Yet, Japan murdered and slaughtered its way across South East Asia in an orgy of killing that included the systematic murder of 12 million Chinese civilians; most killed by sword, shovel, and bayonet.

And, who can forget Rwanda , which collapsed into butchery. Could it not be said that the majority of Rwandans were 'peace loving'?

History lessons are often incredibly simple and blunt, yet for all our powers of reason we often miss the most basic and uncomplicated of points: Peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant by their silence. Peace-loving Muslims will become our enemy if they don't speak up, because like my friend from Germany , they will awaken one day and find that the fanatics own them, and the end of their world will have begun.

Peace-loving Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians, Rwandans, Serbs, Afghanis, Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis, Nigerians, Algerians, and many others have died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until it was too late.

As for us who watch it all unfold, we must pay attention to the only group that counts: the fanatics who threaten our way of life.

Lastly, at the risk of offending, anyone who doubts that the issue is serious and just deletes this email without sending it on, is contributing to the passiveness that allows the problems to expand. So, extend yourself a bit and send this on and on and on! Let us hope that thousands, world wide, read this - think about it - and send it on.

This is all over the Internet, but I can't find a source for the original information - the original German quote. Dr. Tanay is indeed a noted psychiatrist, and even won a very prestigious award in 1984.

In the beginning, God...

Genesis 1:
1. In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.
2. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

Thus begins the saga of how God created the universe, and all that is within it. What few Christians, and almost all non-Christians, refuse to admit is that God DID create ALL the universe, and all that is within it. That means many different things that few today acknowledge, but that Solomon understood and admitted to in Ecclesiastes.

3:14 I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.
3:15 That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

8:17 Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.

I don't consider myself a wise man, but I do consider myself a child of God. I have asked God to explain to me what is true, and right. I feel I have received an answer, which I will put forth here. I don't expect or require that any man agree with me, but to ponder, and ask God if this is right and true, and listen for God's answer.

Two problems exist: the first is that Mankind assumes that the times referred to in Genesis are Man-time, instead of understanding that it is God-time, which is something quite different; and the second is that there is little difference between what we call "religion" and what we call "science". Let me try to explain what I mean by these.

God is Eternal. He has no beginning, and no end. Also, as Solomon so wisely stated, for God, all things are NOW (literally, "That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been;"). God-time, then, cannot be related to Man-time. For God, a second could be equal to half of eternity for Man, or half of eternity could be equal to a second. We all need to understand that, and understand that God works SOLELY on God-time.

When God dictated the Bible to man, he did it to pre-industrial, almost pre-agricultural nomadic herders. If God had tried to explain to them particle physics, the Big Bang, and quantum mechanics, guess how far He'd have gotten. Instead, He used terms that the authors could understand, and could relate to others. "Fundamentalist Christians" demand, however, that we equate the works of Genesis not in God-time, but in Man-time. The patent absurdity of this is found in Genesis itself, where planets and moons were not created until the fourth day.

God created the entire universe. That also means that instead of chaos, His creation is an ORDERLY universe that obeys the "natural" laws He created to operate in it. This brings us to point two above, that "religion" and "science" are but two sides of the same coin. "Religion" attempts to establish "who" and "why" the universe was created, while "science" tries to discover "what", "where", "when", and "how". Neither should (or can) distract from the other, for both magnify the glory of God's creation. The more details we learn about the events that led to our presence here today only go to prove what Solomon said: "Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.".

No single scientist, no group of scientists, can know ALL that God has created in this universe. There will always be things that bedazle and amaze us, and pique our interest to learn more. Our knowledge shouldn't cause us to reject God, but to understand more fully His omnipotence - and attention to detail. Nor should anything Man learns force us to "choose between God and Science", because both are one: God created ALL "scientific principles" when He created the universe. Just because we learned about God first, and we're a bit slow picking up the physical manifestations of His handiwork shouldn't detract from the fact that they are His creations.

Nor should scientific explanations of our world's past cause us to be forced to choose between God and Man: the universe is probably 16.5 billion Man-years old, and that doesn't change the fact that it was created by God in six God-days. The two have nothing in common. One is a measure of how WE, the inhabitants of this piece of real estate, measure time: the other is how God defines the processes of His actions. Remember again Solomon's words: "and God requireth that which is past.". The history of our universe, and our planet, are "required by God".

Everything God does has a progression. Nothing was created before its time. Everything built toward where we are today. There would be no oil or coal for man to use if God hadn't created it over a long period of time, beginning millions and millions of years ago. The more we learn about our universe, the more we see an orderly progression from very minute sub-atomic particles to very complex systems including billions of galaxies. This is all the handiwork of God, and the more we know about them, the greater should be the awe of His magnificence.

A Timmy Update: December

Timmy is still with us, and will remain with us at least until February 20th, 2008. He's still about six months behind in most of his development, but is improving every day. His vocabulary has grown to about 600 words, although he won't always say more than two or three at a time. This worries me a bit, because that's a symptom we saw in our son Joe, who also suffered from brain damage done before he was adopted. Hopefully we'll have him in Head Start after the first of the year, and the competition will encourage him to talk more.

The last information we received from the courts indicated that Timmy will either be returned to his birth mom, or will be placed permanently in our care. That decision will be made no later than May 8th, 2008. So far, no other placements are being considered. Rose has satisfied some of the court-ordered requirements, but not all of them. She still refuses to believe that Timmy was deliberately injured. I would encourage any of you who read this to pray that the courts will make the best choice for Timmy, regardless of what anyone else wishes - including us.

Having Timmy has been a blessing for my wife and me. It's encouraged us to become more involved with the world, instead of withdrawn, as we had been before. Regardless of the court outcome in Timmy's case, Jean and I plan to work with a few agencies in the city to continue our involvement with children that need a safe place while the courts decide their future.

Back in February, I prayed to God to give us a mission that wouldn't involve any of the local churches. I want to tithe to God, but not to some local church that's going to use it for their benefit, not the benefit of God. I was willing to give both time and money to whatever cause God asked us to contribute to. Within a month, we had Timmy. God answers prayers, but in His Own way, and in His Own time. Timmy i with us on a "kinship" placement, which means we're considered of a member of his extended family, although there's no real relationship other than friendship between Rose and our youngest daughter, Anna. It also means that we don't get paid for providing foster care for Timmy. Taking care of this beautiful, wonderful little boy has been worth anything it might have cost us, and we're thankful to have him!

Merry Christmas!

Life is hectic when you're a parent, and the past two months have been even more hectic than average. Before we get distracted with the Christmas shopping, getting the tree up, wrapping presents, cooking, and all the other myriad ways of preparing for Christmas, we want to stop and wish all our friends a very Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year.

497th Reconnaissance Technical Group 2008 Reunion

Those of us who are both alumni of the 497th and live in Colorado - and enjoyed the 2007 reunion - have decided that a reunion next year, in 2008, is a great idea. Charles Sakai is in charge of planning the event. You can also leave comments here, and I will forward them to Charles. We hope to have an even greater attendance than last year.

Immigration and "reform"

I have a neighbor that is in the United States legally - in fact, I think he's a citizen. I don't see him often - he must work 20 hours out of every 24. He lives with his family and two other families in a house less than a block from me. He has a great job, makes a good living, and is a good neighbor. I believe the other people living with him are part of his extended family. I have no idea whether they're here legally or not, and don't much care. They are productive, assimilating into the neighborhood, have great families, and are better neighbors than some I have.

That's not true of all immigrants, whether they're legal or not. Quite a number of them are criminals, others have an "entitled" attitude towards federal largess, and still others believe they can "retake" the southwestern United States for Mexico. None of this type of "immigration" is good for the United States or its citizens. A good case for calling it an invasion, rather than immigration, can be made, especially by those who back La Raza and other separatist groups. Granting these people amnesty, regardless of what it's called, would be a disaster.

There are other illegal immigrants entering the United States with even more dangerous intentions. The number of "other than Mexican" illegals being caught is steadily rising. Many of these are from the Middle East, and have harmful intent for the citizens of the United States. Others belong to drug gangs and other harmful elements like MS-13. We have enough criminals of our own, we don't need to be importing them from elsewhere.

Congress - mostly the Democratic Party - keeps wanting to repeat the mistake of the 1980s, when all illegals were given blanket amnesty, and the 1990s, when Bill Clinton "legalized" hundreds of thousands of illegals with little or not checking of their background or intent. Neither of these did anything to stop the flow of illegals into the United States - quite the opposite. The next group also expects - actually demands - equal treatment. It's time to stop repeating what failed before, and create a truly EFFECTIVE immigration policy.

The first thing Congress needs to do is to cut off the flow of illegals. Many say a fence won't work, but it's done wonders for Israel, and it's cut the flow of illegals to a trickle where fences exist. It would be expensive, but far less so than the costs of illegal immigrants continuing to flow into the United States.

The second thing that is required is to force all illegals in the United States to register with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. Failure to register will be unappealable grounds for immediate eviction if discovered. Give the illegals 90 days to go to the Post Office, fill out a postcard form, and register. Aliens who register then have one year to prove that they are an asset to the United States. I discussed such an option here in April, 2006. It's time to implement it.

The third thing that needs to be done is to pass a law that states that anyone knowingly employing an illegal alien, or failing to actively pursue guaranteeing someone they hire is in the United States legally and permitted to work, forfeits their business to the Federal Government, who will then auction it off to the highest bidder. That will be sufficient incentive for businesses NOT to hire illegals. Many people may be hurt by such actions, but if enough feel the pain, hiring illegals will end.

Fourth, the United States needs to nullify the "anchor baby" laws. Only children of people in the United States legally may be considered for citizenship. That will do more to end the flood of illegals.

Finally, the United States should enact federal legislation that states that any illegal alien caught committing a crime in the United States will be forever banned from US citizenship, and that their full sentence MUST be served prior to their being deported. At least half that sentence should be forced labor maintaining the fence between the United States and Mexico, and between the United States and Canada. Yes, we need fences in both locations, although Canadians aren't anywhere the problem that Latin Americans are. The biggest reason for a fence between the United States and Canada is the flow of undocumented third-nation immigrants, especially those from the Middle East and other nations hostile to the United States.

Then, and only then, can this nation consider the "illegal alien" problem under control.

The Verdict is In on the Jena 6 case

Apparently, the case of the Jena 6 is another in a long line of journalistic malpractices by "major media", as attested to by this detailed analysis by someone who both lives there and has enough common sense to look at ALL the evidence.

I grew up in the little town of Tioga, about 30 miles from Jena. I played sports against the Jena high school teams, and had friends and relatives throughout that part of Louisiana. As a young boy growing up in the 1950's and early 60's, there wasn't a better place in the world to explore and learn.

Most people think of Louisiana as being full of crazy Cajuns that live on bayous and go barefoot year round. Actually, the area is far more diverse than that. The area north of the Red River is home to many different cultures. The town of Jena itself is named after the German city of the same name. There's another town, Kolin, about 30 miles from Jena, that was settled by Bohemians. There are areas settled by descendants of Polish, Hungarian, Lithuanian, and French (not Cajun) settlers, as well as Native Americans and others. There are large numbers of blacks throughout the areas, although there are only a few areas where they're in the majority. There was a lot of "diversity" in the population long before the 1964 Civil Rights act was passed.

The media's categorization of the area, and the event, devoid of any of this background information, is a disservice to the people of Jena, the state of Louisiana, and all civic-minded Americans. It's also another in a long line of self-perpetuated "truths" that show the American major media as being more interested in creating a story than in reporting one.

Items in the news...

There's lots of things going on right now that don't warrant a whole post, but do deserve a comment or two. I'll try to cover all the things I've been reading lately that deserve such treatment.

Fluorescent light bulbs

The "distinguished" Senator from Colorado, Ken Salazar, is pushing the use of fluorescent light bulbs in homes to reduce "greenhouse gas emissions". My wife and I have switched to fluorescent light bulbs in about 2/3 of the lighting in our home, not to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but to cut our electric bill. We estimate we save about $.30/month per bulb. If the average bulb actually lasted the 60 months they're advertised to, we'd save about $13.25 per bulb($.30/mo x 60mo - difference in cost - about $4.75/bulb). Unfortunately, most fluorescent bulbs DON'T last 60 months, but only last about 30 months - cutting the savings in half. Also, there's a problem with burned-out fluorescent bulbs - they contain toxic materials that end up in a land-fill, and eventually into the soil. We still use them, but I wonder if the actual savings is all that spectacular. I guess it depends on how much you pay for electricity, and how many lights you leave on all day.

Wildfires in California

Once again, the combination of Santa Anna winds and stupid people have ganged up on southern California, causing misery for a half-million people. Some of it could be prevented, but at a very large cost. Eventually, however, the cost is going to be less than the cost of constantly rebuilding in the path of danger.

We have a similar problem here in Colorado - we have several million acres of trees that are a monster forest fire waiting to happen. The trees need to be thinned, beetle-killed trees need to be removed, and a lot of the underbrush needs to be plowed under. Unfortunately, a lot of "environmentalists" don't want ANYTHING done. They want Colorado's mountains to "remain in an unspoiled state". That's utterly impossible, but some people who are gung-ho to "preserve nature" know absolutely nothing about the subject. In reality, things change, and change constantly. There is no standing still. Trees grow, mature, and die; they're attacked by disease, insects, and an ever-changing environment; water is taken out of the western slope watershed and piped to a thirsty Front Range with a population of more than 4 million people, most of whom want bluegrass lawns in a semi-desert.

Teddy Roosevelt created the National Forest system to ensure the continuity of the nation's lumber industry, yet today "environmentalists" have all but killed that industry through legislation, lawsuits, and intimidation. A vibrant, CONTROLLED lumber industry could do a lot to restore our forests to more healthy, fire-resistant, and economically sustainable resources. Locking things up forever is both arrogant and stupid. It's time it stopped. Building homes in fire-prone areas without adequate safeguards, and expecting the "insurance industry" (I.E., the average insured, regardless of where they live,) to bail out destroyed communities, is also arrogant and stupid. Insanity is sometimes defined as doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results. We have over 50 years of history telling us that doing some things bring bad results. Maybe we need to do a few things differently, at least on an experimental basis, to see if we really can make a difference.

Colorado Rockies

The Colorado Rockies are the National League champions, and will meet the Boston Red Socks in the World Series. In order to get where they are today, the Rockies won 21 of their last 22 games. We'll see if the Red Socks, or a week's inactivity, have made any difference in how the Rockies play. Whether they win or not, it's good to see the Rockies, a franchise that's only been in existence for 15 years, at the top of the heap. It's also fun to watch many of the former Colorado Springs Sky Sox players in action in the major leagues. May the best team win (the Rockies, of course)!

Politics - Yuck!

This election cycle's early start, the crowded field, and the fact that the Republicans aren't fielding their Vice President, has made for a wide-open, no-holds-barred dogfight for the nomination. Some of it's already gotten VERY dirty. Sometimes I wonder how politicians can survive in all that slime they constantly fling at one another. Some of the candidates are beginning to drop by the wayside, either due to poor performance, or more frequently, lack of money. Again we see a Clinton running for the Presidency, and again we see tainted campaign contributions. There's a pattern here, and I hope the nation can see it. We've also seen that McCain-Feingold has done nothing to remove corporate money from the campaign, or done anything else it was touted as doing. It's a bad law, a bad precedent, and needs to be repealed. The Supreme Court's failure to declare the entire thing unconstitutional just goes to prove how badly the courts have become politicized over the past 75 years or so.

It's going to be hard for this Independent voter to make a choice this year. There doesn't appear to be a truly outstanding candidate from either party. A third-party candidacy would probably screw up things even greater than they currently are. So far, there's not a single candidate that meets even my minimum criteria for president.

The War

It only takes one side, one incident to trigger a war. World War I was triggered by a lone Serb assassinating Archduke Ferdinand of Austria. World War II was triggered by the Treaty of Versailles, and Hitler's unilateral repudiation of the truly disgusting treaty. Failure of the West to stand up to Hitler early led to a cataclysm that killed more than 60 million people. But people forget.

The West (not just the United States, but all non-Islamic societies) have been at war for the past 35 years. Yasser Arafat declared war against the West, and attacked targets throughout the Middle East, as early as the late 1960's. The abduction and killing of Jewish athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics was just one in a series of events that saw Islamists (mostly Arabs) attacking Western civilization. The assassination of an American diplomat in Sudan, the killing of American citizens during aircraft hijackings, the destruction of American foreign assets throughout the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Europe, and the killing of American citizens by "terrorists" has continued to this day.

These are acts of war. It doesn't matter that they're being conducted by "non-state" entities, they remain acts of war. They are sanctioned, supplied, financed, and assisted by a half-dozen Islamic states through out the Islamic world. Refusing to accept that we're at war is just as insane as refusing to accept that your brakes need replacing, and driving 200 miles every day on an Interstate highway. Sooner or later, each will result in someone's death.

We used to know how to wage war. That was before the lawyers got involved. Too many people think they can talk away the problems. That worked so well with Hitler and Tojo, with Ho Chi Minh, with Fidel Castro, and today with Osama bin Laden, Amadinijad, and Hugo Chavez. It takes at least two people to make an agreement, but only one to wage war. Talking has failed to achieve any lasting results. It's time to go back to a process that worked - destroying your enemy's ability to fight against you.

People talk about how "stupid" George Bush is, and how badly he's handled the war. Wars are always full of surprises. We seem to have adjusted, and the war is heading in the right direction. As for the "stupidity" of attacking Iraq, anyone who says that doesn't know much about military history. Establishing a secure base in the midst of your enemies is one sure-fire way of ensuring you're going to be the victor. A secure base of operations in Iraq would provide ideal placement to take on Iran, Syria, an aggressive and degenerating Turkey, Saudi Arabia (the source of more than half the funding for terrorism), and with bases in Afghanistan, a rapidly degenerating Pakistan. The war we're currently involved in will last five or six generations. I wonder if the current United States will be able to survive five or six more YEARS of fighting.

A lot of people have tried to compare the war against state-sponsored terrorism with the Cold War. The main difference is that there will be far more dead bodies from the current war than people who died in the Cold War. For the uninitiated, more than 80,000 people died in the service of this nation during the Cold War, and that doesn't include Korea or Vietnam. Many died in training, others died in accidents, and a few died in operating against an aggressive, determined enemy. Few are known to anyone but their families.

Not much time to catch up!

I had hoped that things would have settled down a bit in our life by this time of the year, but it's not working that way. Timmy has speech therapy on Mondays, physical and occupational therapy on Wednesdays, visits with his biological mother twice a week, and visits with his maternal grandparents every other Sunday. Two-year-olds don't give you much time to get anything done, however, other than taking care of them. There haven't been any long, quiet moments to create blog posts, or much of anything else, for that matter.

Other than running us ragged, Timmy is doing great in just about every area.

497 RTG Reunion, Colorado Springs

UPDATED Apr 14, 2007
Updated Jun 14, 2007 - attendees only.
Updated Jun 16, 2007 - FINAL UPDATE - See bottom of post.

I'm going to keep this at the top of my weblog until July 7th, 2007, for everyone's information. This will save everyone's bandwidth, reduce the strain on the 497RTG Yahoo group list, and have the information readily available to anyone wishing to look at it. Please leave any comments, suggestions, recommendations, and other information you wish to share in the comments section of this article. I will update this post each time something changes, but will not change the date. It will remain at the top of my weblong until July 7, 2007.

This is an update, based on all the information that we've gathered over the past several weeks, working toward our summer reunion. I've deleted all extraneous material to cut down on bandwidth.

The first planning committee meeting was held Jan 13, 2007, at the Village Inn Restuarant, Academy Blvd. and Palmer Park Blvd., Colorado Springs, CO. Charles Sakai and I were the only ones present. We need at least three to five more members. Tentative membership in the planning committee has been extended to Dale Hutchinson, Joyce Donaldson (accepted), and Martha North. We've also invited Debbie Barnes to join us. We went over the following information:

Date & Time of the reunion meeting: June 30, 2007, from 9AM until 9PM. The Academy picnic area has been selected, and is only open from 9AM to 9PM. We MUST leave by 9PM. There are gates, and they get locked.

Eligibility: Former members and dependents of those assigned to the 497th Reconnaissance Technical Group, Schierstein, Germany, between 1952 and 1992, members of the two satellite squadrons at Ramstein and RAF Alconbury, UK, members of the computer squadron at Schierstein that supported us, and honored guests (selected by former RTG members). I have issued a special invitation to CMSgt Groves, a local retiree, who was a part of the unit at its founding.

Location: US Air Force Academy Picnic Pavlion #3. The Pavilion is opposite the road to the USAF Academy hospital (I.E., to the east), and just past the first curve, on the left. If entering from the North Gate, turn left at the crossroad leading to the Hospital, go about 100 yards around a shallow curve, and immediately turn left again into the pavilion parking lot. Entering from the South Gate, go past the football stadium to the next intersection, turn right, go about 100 yards around a shallow curve, and immediately turn left into the pavilion parking lot. There are spaces for about 100 cars in the lot.

Activities: The majority of the activities will be getting re-acquainted with other former members of the 497th Reconnaissance Technical Group. Additional activities will include cooking and eating. If anyone wishes to suggest other activities, please feel free to do so in Comments. Ideas that are accepted will be posted in this location. UPDATE: We will have horseshoes, a volleyball (the site has a net), and a soccer ball for the kids interested in soccer. I have a horseshoe set, and will bring it. Martha North is also threatening to bring water balloons. We're open to suggestions for other activities.

I will try to set up a tour of the Academy as part of the afternoon's entertainment. The MWR office is not helpful in this suggestion, but we will continue to work on it. I will also try to create a set of links to activities available in the Colorado Springs area for anyone coming from out of town and planning to stay more than Saturday. Activities for small children and teens who will be totally bored by the chatter of all the "old geezers" are especially solicited.

Food: The food available at most 497RTG 4th of July picnics included bratwursts, hamburgers, hot dogs, and whatever members thought to bring. We will try to recreate that atmosphere. I've made arrangements with the people at Sara's Sausages, Palmer Lake, CO, to buy 30 pounds of German Sausage/Bratwurst from them at $2.50/lb (I'll pay for these). I'll pick them up Jun 28th, and keep them until the reunion. We'll also need to buy hamburger patties, hot dogs, brotchen/rolls, hot dog buns, hamburger buns, mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, salt, pepper, charcoal & lighter, paper plates, napkins/paper towels, paper cups, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, chips and crackers, and whatever else people want for the picnic. I've talked my wife into making a large bowl of potato salad (enough for 8-12 people). Please let me know if you are willing to contribute something for the picnic, or donate funds to cover expenses. I will try to establish general costs and post them here as soon as possible. We also need local people to volunteer to keep these things at their homes until the day of the picnic.

Sam's Club has an excellent product (18 hamburger patties, 80% sirloin, for about $9/pkg). They also have rolls, buns, etc. Jean and I are members, and will be happy to purchase whatever is needed on behalf of the group.

Drinks: We want to have a variety of drinks, to satisfy everyone's taste. We will try to provide water, sodas, coffee, tea, kool-aid, and any other non-alcoholic beverage that anyone wishes. Those wishing alcoholic beverages should make arrangements to either bring their own, or to purchase them locally. We need to double-check any local restrictions on the consumption of alcoholic beverages at the Academy Pavilion. Anyone volunteering to provide non-alcoholic beverages should email me with what you are volunteering to provide, and in what quantity.

Accommodations: I've been talking to about a half-dozen hotels/motels about providing discount accommodations to those attending the reunion. I know that at least twelve people are
coming from outside Colorado. I do NOT know how long any of you plan to remain in the local area. I need that information. I've gotten some tentative offers of a standard 10% discount offered to active duty military, but many of these depend on having information and reservations in advance. I will post a list of hotels/motels and costs soon. UPDATE: There is an extensive campground at the Air Force Academy, near the pavilion where we're having the reunion. Reservations are first-come, first-served. There is space for tent camping, for RVs, and for other types of campers. Call MWR, 719-333-4753, between 9AM and 6PM, local time (Mountain Daylight Time).

Volunteers: We need between twelve and sixteen volunteers (either individuals or families) for the following:

* Set-up: Getting everything to the site, put down paper tablecloths, start cooking fires, spread out food, get drinks prepared, and whatever else has to be done. Joyce has volunteered to chair a setup committee. We need a few folks to volunteer to help her in setting up. This will involve putting tablecloths on the tables, putting out coffee and drink cups, silverware, paper plates, and whatever else we need to do for everyone to have a good time.

* Cooking: I would like at least three cooks per shift, and three shifts of cooks so no one is stuck with the detail during the entire reunion. There are two 3' x 5' grills at the pavilion, and 12 tables. Bratwursts take about 20 minutes to cook through, hamburger patties about 15 minutes, and hot dogs 6-8 minutes. Depending on how many people attend, and how much they eat, cooking could go on from about 10:30 until late in the afternoon.

* Clean-up: The Academy requires us to clean up after ourselves, or face an additional charge. They didn't say what that additional charge would be, but others have said it's in the range of $50-$100. We'll need four or five people to ensure that all the trash we generate is cleaned up and deposited where it belongs. I will provide trash bags.

Publicity: I'll do my best to get free publicity of the reunion as much as possible. That includes something in the Colorado Springs Gazette, possibly in each of the three local base newspapers, and anywhere else where I think the information will reach former 497RTG personnel.

We also need someone to try to get publicity of the event in Denver, also, as well as anywhere there might be a large group of former 497th members (Offutt? Beale? Langley? Washington, DC?) who might wish to attend. We need to start promoting the event NOW.

Attendance: I have commitments from the people listed below. If you plan to come, and your name isn't on the list, please email me as soon as possible at mweather@citystar.com. If you're coming, not active duty or retired, I'll also need to know that so I can forward your name to the USAFA Security Police. This will reduce any hassle getting on the Academy. The list below is alphabetical.

Ben Acre
Debbie Barnes
Mike & Bonnie Bekisz
Bill & Becky Cordell
Joyce Donaldson
Herb Flanders
Eileen Gleason
Jerry & Kay Heck
Chad & Rachel Howard
Jeff Hodson
Dale Hutchinson
Christina Knight
Tom Konzel
Richard Lang
Tim Meuret
Martha North
Charles Sakai
Brian & Marie Taylor
Mike & Jean Weatherford


Several others have emailed me, but I haven't gotten this list updated yet. I'll try to do that in the next couple of weeks. I especially need to know who will be coming from the local area. Don't get upset if your name isn't on the list. I haven't gotten the spreadsheet from Martha North with everyone she has listed, and you have another chance to submit your name in the comments to this entry.

Funding: I've agreed to pay for the bratwurst and several other items, but can't afford to fund the entire reunion. We will calculate an estimated total cost and accept donations toward meeting those costs after the next planning committee meeting.

Planning Committee Meetings:
The planning committee will hold regular meetings on the second Saturday of the month through May to discuss the status of the upcoming reunion. Meetings will be held at the Palmer Park Village Inn unless otherwise noted. Any additional meetings will be posted on the 497RTG Yahoo group site.

Contact
Mike Weatherford, mweather@citystar.com, 719-597-0128, 1715 Clemson Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80909.
Charles Sakai
Martha North
Joyce Donaldson
Debbie Barnes - kfoopooh@yahoo.com
497RTG@yahoogroups.com

The Academy may be open to all visitors this summer, depending on how things go. If not, we will have to have an attendance list at least a week in advance for those that do not have a current, valid US military ID card. I'll try to keep everyone informed on this.

I think everyone is planning on bringing a camera. I know I will, Joyce will, and Charles will. We want to have access to as many photos as possible, so we can post them online for others who weren't able to attend to enjoy. It'll also help remind all of us who we're talking to and about to have a mug shot to refresh the memory.

Here are some of the expenses we need to cover:

Item	Cost	paid
Pavilion Reservation	$35.00	Mike W
Set-up costs
Plastic tablecloths (10)
Paper plates (200)		Debbie B
Styrofoam cups for hot drinks (50-60)
Plastic cups for cold drinks (100)		Debbie B
Plastic silverware (200 sets)		Debbie B
Charcoal (2-3 bags)
Lighter
Matches
Coffee pot (rental?)
Napkins
Paper Towels (3 rolls)		Debbie B
Food
Bratwurst (120)	$75.00	Mike W
Hamburger patties (60)
Hot Dogs (60)		Debbie B
Potato Salad	$ .00	donated
Hot dog buns (60)		Debbie B
Hamburger buns (60)
Sliced cheese
Dill pickles
Lettuce
Tomato
Mayonnaise (1 lg jar)
Mustard (1 lg jar)
German-style mustard (2 sm jars)		Mike W
Salt/Pepper (4 packaged sets)
Brotchen/Rolls (100+)
Relish?
Vegetable tray?
Chips, etc.
Drinks
Coffee
Tea
Sodas
Bottled water
Kool-aid
Other?
Clean-up
Garbage sacks		Mike W
Paper towels (see "Setup")		Debbie B
Spray cleaner		Mike W
Something to clean grills

Several people have agreed to supply part of the requirements for things like chips, sodas, etc. If you're willing to add to the list, please let me know.

If anyone has any suggestions to this list, please email me with your suggestion, its approximate cost, and whether you wish to provide the issue. I'll try to go back through all the emails for prior suggestions.
======================================================
Final Update:

Everything is set for the 30th. Jean and I will begin shopping this week, and make final purchases around the 27th or 28th. I've got two cooks lined up, and I hope more volunteer once they arrive. Charles Sakai and Debbie Barnes have been outstanding in their assistance, so please let them know how much you appreciate their hard work.

It looks like we'll have between 40 and 60 people show up on the 30th, counting wives, children, and other guests. That's a great turnout, and I hope everyone has a good time. If you know someone who's unaware of the reunion, or haven't yet made up their minds to attend, this would be a great time to contact them.

We WILL have to submit a list of names to the Security Police, but that's all they want. The list can be suplemented at any time up through the 28th. If for some reason you decide to come after that, just tell the gate guards you're there to attend the 497th RTG Reunion. You shouldn't have any trouble at either the north or south gate.

One thing that's become very obvious is the need for some type of "official" 497RTG Alumni Association. We could have gotten extra discounts from many places with official letterhead, and gotten much better coverage from local media. This is something to think about, and perhaps discuss at the reunion.

Update on Timmy

For all of those who have been following this saga, it's time for an update.

Timmy is doing fine! He's grown at least two inches in height, put on six pounds, and outgrown his shoes. He's adding at least one new word a day to his vocabulary, sometimes two or three. He's speaking in two- and three-word sentences, where before he used only a single word. His attention span has improved from two to five minutes to where he can now sit still and watch a movie for 30 minutes at a time without becoming fidgety. He LOVES to play outside, and we actually have a lawn for him to play on this year, thanks to late spring rains. We've bought him a few toys that he'll have to grow into, but that's happening faster than anyone, including us, expected. I've even gotten him to fish.

This doesn't mean the developmental delays that were detected back in April are completely gone. There are still problems that Timmy has to overcome, but he's made up a lot of lost ground. He still has problems with gross-motor control and some fine-motor control, but he's improving. He still needs help in speech and language, and some psychological assistance to help him overcome some of his fears. He's improving daily, though, and is a joy to be around, even for these 60-something "new" parents.

There will not be any change in custody until at least the middle of November, if then. Scott Mann, the person who injured Timmy, has pleaded guilty in court, and will be sentenced in August. He's pushing for probation, the rest of us (excluding Timmy's mother, who still protects this POS) are hoping for at least a year of jail time.

That's it for now. I'll update this the next time something significant occurs.