Cynthia McKinney Relief Boat Hit by Israeli Ship

Published on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution by Craig Schneider.

boat carrying international activists, including former Georgia congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, and medical supplies to the embattled Gaza Strip sailed back into a Lebanese port on Tuesday after being turned back and damaged by the Israeli navy, organizers of the trip said.
Lebanese fishermen cheer as the vessel SS Dignity arrives at Tyre, Lebanon, on Tuesday after being turned back and damaged by the Israeli navy, according to organizers of the trip. (Mohammed Zaatari / AP)The crowds on the docks in the Lebanese port city of Tyre were jubilant and cheering as they welcomed the vessel.
The boat, which set off from Cyprus Monday wanted to make a statement and deliver medical supplies to embattled Gaza. The trip's organizers said the boat was clearly in international waters, 90 miles off the coast of Gaza, at the time of its close encounter with the Israeli navy.
"Our boat was rammed three times, twice in the front and one on the side," McKinney told CNN Tuesday morning. "Our mission was a peaceful mission. Our mission was thwarted by the aggressiveness of the Israeli military."

See rest of story at Commondreams.org

Tennessee coal ash disaster three times larger than originally estimated

From Thinkprogress.org

Santa Rosa Protests Police Use Of Tasers

http://rawstory.com/ Is reoporting that residents of Santa Rosa are protesting another death due to police use of tasers. A naked man was tasered to death in Texas.
From the RawStory.com

Activists hold anti-Taser vigil after year of deaths
12/27/2008 @ 6:22 pmFiled by Andrew McLemore
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In Santa Rosa, Calif., residents are not happy with their local law enforcement.After two men died by police wielding Tasers in the last two months and four more in the past year, a number of Sonoma County groups rallied about 40 people to protest the electro-shock weapon."Although it might seem like a lesser evil, they have been misusing it to such a degree that it has become lethal in this county," said Maggie Coshnear, a member of the county's October 22nd Coalition.Sherry Heyberger, a 40-year-old hairdresser, stood on a curb during the rally holding a sign that read "Tasers are Torture."Nathan Vaughn, the most recent victim of Taser use, was hit three times by a Taser less than two minutes after a Sonoma County sheriff's deputy entered his home.Vaughn, 39, was assaulting his father and his mother had called police for help, but less than an hour after the deputy arrived, Vaughn was dead."He shouldn't have died the way he did," Heyberger said. "He's been in and out of jail, yeah, but does that call for someone being Tasered three times?"Tasers have grown increasingly controversial as stories like Vaughn's continue to surface across the country.In Houston, Texas, a naked man disturbing the neighborhood died after police shocked him with a Taser four times.A recent report found that 400 people in the US and Canada have died from Taser shocks since 2001. Since the report was issued, Canada has begun removing the weapon from its police forces.

'Karl Rove's IT guru' Mike Connell dies in plane crash

From The RawStory.com
UPDATE AT THIS LINK: GOP consultant killed in plane crash was warned of sabotageA top level Republican IT consultant who was set to testify in a case alleging GOP election tampering in Ohio died in a plane crash late Friday night. Michael Connell -- founder of Ohio-based New Media Communications, which created campaign Web sites for George W. Bush and John McCain -- died instantly after his single-prop, private aircraft smashed into a vacant home in suburban Lake Township, Ohio. "The plane was attempting to land around 6 p.m. Friday at Akron-Canton Airport when it crashed about three miles short of the runway," reports the Akron Beacon Journal.Connell's exploits as a top GOP IT 'guru' have been well documented by RAW STORY's investigative team. The interest in Mike Connell stems from his association with a firm called GovTech, which he had spun off from his own New Media Communications under his wife Heather Connell’s name. GovTech was hired by Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell to set up an official election website at election.sos.state.oh.us to presented the 2004 presidential returns as they came in.Connell is a long-time GOP operative, whose New Media Communications provided web services for the Bush-Cheney ’04 campaign, the US Chamber of Commerce, the Republican National Committee and many Republican candidates. This in itself might have raised questions about his involvement in creating Ohio’s official state election website.However, the alternative media group ePlubibus Media further discovered in November 2006 that election.sos.state.oh.us was hosted on the servers of a company in Chattanooga, TN called SmarTech, which also provided hosting for a long list of Republican Internet domains.“Since early this decade, top Internet ‘gurus’ in Ohio have been coordinating web services with their GOP counterparts in Chattanooga, wiring up a major hub that in 2004, first served as a conduit for Ohio's live election night results,” researchers at ePluribus Media wrote.A few months after this revelation, when a scandal erupted surrounding the firing of US Attorneys for reasons of White House policy, other researchers found that the gwb43 domain used by members of the White House staff to evade freedom of information laws by sending emails outside of official White House channels was hosted on those same SmarTech servers.Given that the Bush White House used SmarTech servers to send and receive email, the use of one of those servers in tabulating Ohio’s election returns has raised eyebrows. Ohio gave Bush the decisive margin in the Electoral College to secure his reelection in 2004.IT expert Stephen Spoonamore says the SmartTech server could have functioned as a routing point for malicious activity and remains a weakness in electronic voting tabulation."...I have reason to believe that the alternate accounts were used to communicate with US Attorneys involved in political prosecutions, like that of Don Siegelman," said RAW STORY's Investigative News Editor, Larisa Alexandrovna, on her personal blog Saturday morning. "This is what I have been working on to prove for over a year. In fact, it was through following the Siegelman-Rove trail that I found evidence leading to Connell. That is how I became aware of him. Mike was getting ready to talk. He was frightened."He has flown his private plane for years without incident. I know he was going to DC last night, but I don't know why. He apparently ran out of gas, something I find hard to believe. I am not saying that this was a hit nor am I resigned to this being simply an accident either. I am no expert on aviation and cannot provide an opinion on the matter. What I am saying, however, is that given the context, this event needs to be examined carefully.""Mr. Connell has confided that he was being threatened, something that his attorneys also told the judge in the Ohio election fraud case," concluded Alexandrovna.An FAA investigation into the causes of Connell's plane crash is underway, but no results are expected for several weeks.
This was just too strange to pass up while on vacation. Peter B. had Larisa on the show on KGOE 1480 today. It will be interesting to see how this develops.

Went South for Christmas, up date to follow

It's Christmas and I am with my family. Will be back before New Year. Hope to have holiday posting here soon.

Jeff Rense Show Massive Failure Last Night

Last night at about 9:20pm, the Jeff Rense show went off the air. After checking all the usual stuff locally to see if it was a problem on my end, I called ABC in New York. They informed me that the show had a massive failure and that none of the stations that run the show were getting it. They didn't know the cause of the problem, they just said they had everybody working on it.

I put on some Paul Harvey and a segment of Art of the Song for our kgoe listeners here in Humboldt Co. California.

The show was a re-run with guest David Blume. The subject was alcohol for cars. They were discussing how we could grow almost anything, distill it and make our own alcohol to run our cars on. They had just discussed how the oil companies were manipulating the prices of corn and methanol, noting that corn prices have fallen even though we are still using and making just as much alcohol as when corn prices were high. They went to a break and never came back.

Was there sabotage? I don't know, but the information was something that I don't think the auto industry or the oil companies wanted out there.

First Cold Storm Of The Season This Weekend

The first cold winter storm of the season is expected to bring thunderstorms, hail and snow to the north coast this weekend. Snow levels could be as low as the valley floors. This means the 199, 299, 101 and 36 highways will be effected.

Be prepared for power outages and slippery driving conditions starting late Friday 12-12-08 and going on until about the middle of next week.

See National Weather Service Special Weather Statement at link below.

http://forecast.weather.gov/showsigwx.php?warnzone=CAZ001&warncounty=CAC023&firewxzone=CAZ202&local_place1=Eureka+CA&product1=Special+Weather+Statement

Humboldt County's First-of-Its-Kind Citizen Oversight Program Finds 197 Ballots Dropped, Miscounted by Voting System in One Precinct

Company Knew About Software Flaw, Failed to Notify County...
Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org
First I think congratulations are in order for Humboldt County California Registrar of Voters Carolyn Crnich. Crnich worked with local voters and began the "Humboldt Election Transparency Project". The Eureka Times-Standard describes the program like this:

The basic idea behind the first-of-its-kind transparency project is fairly simple: every ballot cast in an election is passed through an optical scanner after being officially counted and the images are then placed online and available for download.
Software, created by volunteer Mitch Trachtenberg, then allows viewers to sort the ballots by precinct or race to conduct recounts at their pleasure.

Read entire story.

Good Morning Neighbors! Breakfast Program

I found this at the People Project blog.
November 25, 2008 by peopleproject
PEOPLE PROJECT’S Good Morning Neighbors! Breakfast Program
This ain’t charity. It’s SURVIVAL!
Every Tuesday and Friday from about 8:20am to 10:45am, there is coffee, herbal tea, hot 7-grain cereal, morning potatoes, and fresh fruit for anyone who wants a good morning lift! [No money involved] Breakfast is on the corner of Fairfield and Hawthorne in Eureka (up the block from the Serenity Inn on Broadway). Sometimes we also share fruit smoothies, nuts, yogurt, peanut butter and jelly, homemade muffins, apple juice and sauce, or cake.
We hope to inspire people to share community breakfast wherever you are. If you’re interested in donating supplies or helping on Tuesdays and/or Friday, please contact us at peopleproject@riseup.net or 707-618-9185. Also, we have alot of set up supplies (including an ez-up canopy for rainy days) if anyone wants to do breakfast on other days of the week at the same spot. Two people is the minimum to prepare and be present throughout breakfast. What a great way to start the day!
PEOPLE PROJECT believes that the power is in the people to take care of each other in generous and creative ways. And that it is vital to connect and learn from the experience of the most oppressed communities

Last Minute Rulemaking by Bush USDA Threatens Organic Farmers

Consumers and Farmers Join Together to Promote Organic Integrity
CORNUCOPIA, Wisconsin - December 3 - Many media outlets, from the New York Times to the blogosphere, have tracked what has been dubbed the "corporate takeover" of organic farming. One of the hottest controversies in this rapidly growing $20 billion industry has been giant factory farms milking thousands of cows each in feedlots and masquerading as organic. Some of these industrial dairies are controlled by the nation's largest agribusinesses.
Since the organic community first appealed to the USDA for better clarification and enforcement of regulations requiring organic dairy producers to graze their cattle, nearly 9 years ago, the number of giant industrial dairy operations, with as many as 10,000 cows, has grown from two to approximately 15. After years of delay, the USDA has finally responded with a new proposed rule that they said would crack down on abuses.

See Entire Article at Common Dreams.org

(photo courtesy of www.deesillustrations.com )

Getting More Local

I have been trying to get my act together and do more local blogging. I don't have any special local contacts like some of the local bloggers but I do work in a news room. Currently, I only blog from the radio station. I will be changing that soon.

I have procured a new notebook computer and have ordered a cord to connect my video camera to it. I am also working on bundling phone, cable t.v. and Internet access so I can blog from home. The notebook has wi-fi and it would be fun to blog from wi-fi spots as well. I have a lot of reading to do and have been trying to navigate Windows Vista. So far, Windows Vista sucks. I was trained on 98 and XP.

I haven't done much blogging since the Thanksgiving holiday but should be back with some local shots from Humboldt when I get all this stuff figured out.

Thanks for checking in and giving me a reason to do this.

Eliot Spitzer, Help Us Take On Corporate Personhood!

Eliot Spitzer is the former Attorney General of New York State. As Attorney General he took on Wall Street corruption. He got 1.4 billion dollars in fines. See Wikipedia

He was elected to Governor and was trying to take on the Bush Administration over predatory lending practices and had the backing of 49 Attorneys General. February 2008

One month later: FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES

ALBANY - Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who gained national prominence relentlessly pursuing Wall Street wrongdoing, has been caught on a federal wiretap arranging to meet with a high-priced prostitute at a Washington hotel last month, according to a law enforcement official and a person briefed on the investigation.

One month after announcing that they were going to take on predatory lenders, the prostitution story surfaced. Shortly after, the Madame that ran the call girl ring was found dead, hanged in her mom's tool shed. Five months later, Wall St. collapsed.

Now that Eliot Spitzer has some time on his hands, I am asking him to take a look at crafting a law that would take away the right of corporations to be people. Something that would stand the test of the U.S. Constitution and something that a more well to do county or state could take on.

Measure T may be dead here in Humboldt County, partly because we can't afford to enforce it, but the idea lives on.

To Restore Democracy: First Abolish Corporate Personhood

This is from author Thom Hartmann

Thomas Paine said it best.
“It has been thought,” he wrote in The Rights of Man in 1791, “…that government is a compact between those who govern and those who are governed; but this cannot be true, because it is putting the effect before the cause; for as man must have existed before governments existed, there necessarily was a time when governments did not exist, and consequently there could originally exist no governors to form such a compact with. The fact therefore must be, that the individuals themselves, each in his own personal and sovereign right, entered into a compact with each other to produce a government: and this is the only mode in which governments have a right to arise, and the only principle on which they have a right to exist.”

READ MORE TO FIND OUT HOW CORPORATIONS BECAME PERSONS WITHOUT A VOTE OR PROPER DEBATE.

Thom Hartmann points out how a county clerk added the idea of corporate person hood in a footnote that had no authority.

Hartmann writes:

The Supreme Court ruled on an obscure taxation issue in the Santa Clara County vs. The Union Pacific Railroad case, but the Recorder of the court - a man named J. C. Bancroft Davis, himself formerly the president of a small railroad - wrote into his personal commentary of the case (known as a headnote) that the Chief Justice had said that all the Justices agreed that corporations are persons

Measurt T may be gone but the idea behind it is just getting momentum.

Thom Hartmann also does a nationally syndicated radio show on Air America, weekdays from 9am to noon Pacific which can be heard on kgoe 1480 in Eureka.

Dozens pack Board of Supervisors in Protest over Settlement of Measure T

Today, about 50 people turned out to voice dissent over the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors decision to settle with opponents of Measure T. Measure T was passed by 55 percent of the vote here in Humboldt County California. Measure T seeks to keep corporations outside of the county from influencing local county elections.

David Cobb of Democracy Unlimited of Humboldt County said that 35 people spoke out against the decision by the Board of Supervisors and another 15 people didn't want to speak but were there to support of the measure. Cobb said that only 2 persons (not corporations), (or maybe they were), spoke out in favor of settlement. Measure T says that corporations are not persons and therefore don't have the same rights under the law as citizens do.

What's next? Read More.

Large Explosion Sound in Eureka just after 1am Monday Morning

We have had reports of a large explosion sound in Eureka near Coopers Gulch. No one seems to know what it was. Just after 1am Monday morning 11-17-08 the explosion sound lasted for several seconds. Did any of you hear it? Does anybody know what it was?

Tax-Exempt Organization Complaint (Referral) Form

Want to report a tax exempt organization to the IRS for impropriety? Maybe a church that got involved in a political campaign?
Get Form

64 Dams to Be Removed in 2008

Clean water and safety benefits illustrate need for more green infrastructure investments nationwide.

WASHINGTON - November 12 - American Rivers today released its list of 64 dams in 14 states that have been removed or are slated for removal in 2008. Thanks to the removal of these outdated dams, communities in California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Wisconsin will enjoy better water quality, improved public safety and flood protection, and more abundant fish and wildlife. A list of these projects is available at: www.americanrivers.org/2008DamRemovals.
For more than ten years, American Rivers has led a national effort to restore rivers through removing dams that no longer make sense. This effort has enabled a gradual shift in society's view of dams, and dramatically increased consideration of dam removal as a reasonable and beneficial option for restoring rivers.

Click for entire story.

Fight the H8 Rally

A fight the hate or H8 rally is set for this Saturday in Eureka. This gathering is to highlight the loss of civil rights to many in California with the passage of Proposition 8 that overturns the California Constitution and says that only members of the opposite sex can marry.
The event starts at 10:30 am November 15th. at the Humboldt County Court House on 5th st.

For contact info., bus routes and times, click here.

Disrespect The Homeless And You Might Be Disrespecting Our Troops

This is from the San Francisco Chronicle:

Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans Join The Homeless
by Anne Sussman
SAN FRANCISCO - Ethan Kreutzer joined the Army at the age of 17 and fought with the 19th Airborne in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. When he retuned home, he had no money, no education and no civilian job experience. He soon became homeless. He slept in an alley off Haight Street, behind two trash cans.

June Moss drove from Kuwait to Iraq as an Army engineer in a truck convoy. When she returned to the United States, she lost her home, and drove her two young children from hotel to hotel across Northern California.
Sean McKeen, a hardy, broad-shouldered 21-year-old with a wide smile, went to Iraq to clear land mines, and to get money for college. When he returned home, he became homeless in less than a week. He found himself sleeping in a cot in a crowded homeless shelter in San Francisco.
They are all part of a growing trend of homelessness among returning war on terrorism veterans.
More than 2,000 military personnel return home to California each month. Most have no specialized job experience, education or an easy familiarity with civilian life. And many have post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), making it difficult to get along with friends and family, and almost impossible to hold down a job.

Click for entire story

Good Food, Good Drinks and Great Entertainment in Trinidad

Last night I was informed that one of my friends would be performing in Trinidad. With little notice, I decided to check out the gig at the Beachcomber Cafe. Known mostly for it's Fair Trade Coffee drinks and soup, I was delighted to find out that they had beer and wine as well as other goodies. Last night they were serving fajitas with either tofu or pork. The place isn't real big but is cozy.

Penny Gunn, who runs the Trinidad Artisan Market during the summer, was the solo artist I had come to see. She played a mix of originals and cover tunes to a crowd that sang back on many songs. Everyone had a great time. Who would have thought that so much fun could be had on a Monday night in downtown Trinidad Ca. She was supposed to finish by 9pm but the crowd would have none of it. By about 9:30 things started to wind down and I ended up talking to some people outside about things in the sky. Wow, two of my favorite things, beer and things in the sky and all right down the street from my house.

Alice Vasterling, has owned the Beachcomber Cafe for 5 years now and she and Olivia Seoville served the crowd with a smile. (Alice is the one in the hat).

For a hot bowl of soup, great coffee drinks, organic food and sometimes, entertainment, I recommend ducking into the little cafe next to the town hall in Trinidad.

Support Your Local Veteran

Tuesday, November 11th., is Veterans Day. There are many ways to honor the people that put their lives in harms way in order to ensure freedom here in the good old U.S.A. If you see veterans giving out the little poppies in front of a retail store, thank them, offer to buy them a drink or something to eat. Donate what you can to the local chapter, they usually have a can to put money in.

There are also local events to attend. Most towns will have special Veterans Day events. The Rotary Club of Southwest Eureka is one local example. They will have speakers from the Veterans Health Clinic, Veterans Service Center, Veterans Stand Down and the Humboldt County Veterans Service Office. The celebration also includes performances by the Eureka High School Jazz Ensemble and the Eureka High School Limited Edition.

Zane Middle School eight-grader Brittiney Morettini will read her essay on "Why We Should Honor Our Veterans," Brittiney won this year's local Veterans of Foreign Wars' Patriots Pen contest.

If you can't take the time to add to or attend a local event, take a veteran out to dinner or just do something to show that you appreciate what they did for our country.

Something that people all over the country can do is to support a program called "Socks For Soldiers".

You can find out what they do and get in touch with them by clicking the "Socks For Soldiers" logo to the left of my blog.

Remember, whether you are against war or for war, veterans are doing what is expected of them. They don't set the policy, that comes from Congress or in the case of Iraq, the White House.

Info for Rotary Club of Southwest Eureka event

707-443-5254

Info for the week long event at Humboldt State University

call Kim Hall 707-826-6197

Arcata To Hold Protest Rally Against Prop. H8 Saturday

Justin Pabalate, Co-Chair of Humboldt Pride says there will be a rally on the Arcata Plaza Saturday November 8th., at 2pm. 60% of Humboldt County voted against the discriminatory ballot proposition. Show up to support civil rights and the California Constitution.

More info:

http://www.humboldtpride.org/

http://www.marriageequality.org/

http://www.queerhumboldt.org/

ACLU 'Concerned' After Students Told Not To Say Obama

This from WAPT.com, ABC news affiliate in Mississippi.

PEARL, Miss. -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi said Friday that it had received numerous reports from throughout the state from parents and students regarding alleged violations of students’ free speech following Tuesday’s election.
On Thursday, the Pearl Schools superintendent said that a school bus driver and a coach were disciplined for allegedly telling students not to say President-elect Barack Obama’s name.
Reporters with 16 WAPT News received several calls from upset parents that said a school bus driver told the children on a Pearl school bus that if they said Obama’s name, they would be written up and taken to the principal’s office for disciplinary reasons.
Click for entire racist story

In California, blacks vote to discriminate against gay marriage. In Mississippi, whites still discriminate against blacks. This country may have come a long way recently but we still have more than our share of bigots! Anyone still want to get rid of the ACLU?

Eliot Spitzer Charges Dropped

Former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer has had criminal charges against him dropped.

Federal prosecutors have said that their investigation found no evidence that he or his office misused public or campaign funds for prostitution.

On May 25th 2003, on 60 minutes, correspondent Steve Kroft reported, after years of greed and questionable practices that duped small investors, 10 of the largest investment firms on Wall Street have agreed to pay the piper: $1.4 billion dollars in fines, plus some tough new rules that are supposed to keep it from happening again.

Much of the credit has to go to Eliot Spitzer, the aggressive, ambitious attorney general of New York state.

After 90 million Americans lost $7 trillion in the stock market collapse, Spitzer deputized himself the Sheriff of Wall street and began a crusade for retribution, restitution and reform.

In February of this year, the Washington Post had this:

Predatory Lenders' Partner in Crime
How the Bush Administration Stopped the States From Stepping In to Help Consumers
Links to this article
By Eliot SpitzerThursday, February 14, 2008; Page A25
Several years ago, state attorneys general and others involved in consumer protection began to notice a marked increase in a range of predatory lending practices by mortgage lenders. Some were misrepresenting the terms of loans, making loans without regard to consumers' ability to repay, making loans with deceptive "teaser" rates that later ballooned astronomically, packing loans with undisclosed charges and fees, or even paying illegal kickbacks. These and other practices, we noticed, were having a devastating effect on home buyers. In addition, the widespread nature of these practices, if left unchecked, threatened our financial markets.

See entire story.

Was Eliot Spitzer set up by the powers that be? Did he know too much? Would he still be Governor if he had looked the other way instead of trying to get the states to do what the FED's wouldn't do? One thing is for sure, Wall Street did need a Sheriff

Lawsuits to challenge California gay marriage ban

Published: Thursday November 6, 2008
FROM AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE
California's vote to ban same-sex marriages in a referendum will be contested by activists and city officials who have lodged multiple legal challenges to the ballot, officials said Thursday.
In a stunning result, voters approved a proposal added to ballot papers in Tuesday's presidential election which amended the state constitution to say that only marriages between men and women are recognized in California.
Voters approved the constitutional amendment by a margin of 52.5 to 47.5 percent, according to near-complete results.
The decision came only six months after California's Supreme Court overturned a previous ban on same-sex marriage, paving the way for thousands of gay and lesbian couples to tie the knot in the state.
However opponents of same-sex marriage successfully gathered enough support for an amendment to be added to the November 4 election which sought to override the California Supreme Court decision.
Now activists and city officials in Los Angeles and San Francisco are vowing to return to the California Supreme Court, arguing that the vote -- known as "Proposition 8" -- represented a sweeping revision of the constitution and was more far-reaching than a simple amendment.
"A major purpose of the constitution is to protect minorities from majorities," said Elizabeth Gill, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), one of the rights groups fighting the ban.
"Because changing that principle is a fundamental change to the organizing principles of the constitution itself, only the legislature can initiate such revisions to the constitution."
Challenges have been filed by the ACLU, the National Center for Lesbian Rights and Lambda Legal while San Francisco, Los Angeles and Santa Clara have sued in a joint bid.
"Equal protection of the laws is not merely the cornerstone of the California Constitution, it is what separates constitutional democracy from mob rule tyranny," San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera said in a statement.
Another lawsuit has been filed by Los Angeles lawyer Gloria Allred on behalf of the lesbian couple whose legal fight initially led to May's Supreme Court decision to overturn a previous ban.
The marriage ban sparked angry protests in California on Wednesday, with thousands taking to the streets in Los Angeles to condemn the ban.
Angry crowds thronged the streets in central West Hollywood, the heart of Los Angeles' gay community, chanting slogans and waving signs.
The legal status of thousands of same-sex couples who have wed since June remains unclear although state officials have insisted that the marriages will remain valid.
This story can be found at the Rawstory.com

High Speed Rail Coming to California

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

(11-05) 00:26 PST SAN FRANCISCO -- California voters appeared to be climbing on board a plan to start construction of the nation's first high-speed rail system.

With better than 40 percent of ballots counted, Proposition 1A was holding a narrow but steady lead.
The bond measure would approve the sale of nearly $10 billion in bonds as a down payment on an 800-mile high-speed rail network that would send electric trains zipping between Northern and Southern California at up to 220 mph.
Supporters, including transportation, environmental and business groups and the heavy-construction industry, said high-speed rail would offer a fast, greener and less-costly way to travel up and down the state.
Opponents - mainly taxpayers groups and the libertarian Reason Foundation - criticized the high-speed rail proposal as either poorly planned or a good idea that the state can't afford in trying economic times.

Local Voter Confidince Committee Seeks Volunteers For Hand Count

The Voter Confidence Committee is looking for volunteers to help with a partial hand count of the Humboldt County election results. To sign up, go to VCC

Marijuana Policy Project says Many Victories on Election Night

2008 Ballot Initiatives
On November 4, 2008, MPP and our allies across the country passed nine out of 10 marijuana-related ballot initiatives ... and also defeated a bad initiative.

Click To See Results

Bigotry Wins in California

Bigotry in California is alive and well. The fear mongering and lies spread by the Yes on 8 or H8TE campaign seem to have won out over the California Constitution.

With 96 percent of the vote in and according to the private machines that count our votes as of 10:55 am Wednesday November 5th., Prop. H8TE looks like this:

08 - Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry YES: 5,220,694 52.2% NO: 4,792,873 47.8%

Election Night Results - CA Secretary of State

99.5% ( 25,318 of 25,423 ) precincts partiallyor fully reporting as of Nov. 5, 2008, at 2:48 p.m. State Ballot Measures
1A - Safe, Reliable High-Speed Train Bond Act
YES: 5,053,442 52.2%
NO: 4,641,088 47.8%
02 - Standards for Confining Farm Animals
YES: 6,234,998 63.2%
NO: 3,639,387 36.8%
03 - Children's Hospital Bond Act. Grant Program.
YES: 5,291,434 54.8%
NO: 4,364,891 45.2%
04 - Parent Notif. Before Terminating Minor's Pregnancy
YES: 4,735,641 47.9%
NO: 5,138,780 52.1%
05 - Nonviolent Drug Offense. Sentencing, Parole, Rehab
YES: 3,894,165 40.1%
NO: 5,816,298 59.9%
06 - Police, Law Enforcement Funding. Criminal Laws.
YES: 2,911,662 30.7%
NO: 6,555,129 69.3%
07 - Renewable Energy Generation
YES: 3,402,940 35.1%
NO: 6,281,232 64.9%
08 - Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry
YES: 5,359,110 52.5%
NO: 4,867,034 47.5%
09 - Criminal Justice System. Victims' Rights. Parole.
YES: 5,075,131 53.5%
NO: 4,422,258 46.5%
10 - Altern. Fuel Vehicles and Renewable Energy Bonds
YES: 3,870,860 40.2%
NO: 5,739,451 59.8%
11 - Redistricting
YES: 4,645,027 50.6%
NO: 4,547,706 49.4%
12 - Veterans' Bond
YES: 5,971,024 63.5%
NO: 3,438,774 36.5%

EXCLUSIVE: Obama Database Details Startling, Widespread Touch-Screen Probs in NV

Presidential Race Missing on Ballots; Machines Go Down; Votes Not Recorded; Printers Jam
Attorneys Decline to Take Action to Remove Machines From Service, Ensure Paper Ballots for Voters... See this and many more voting stories at the brad blog.

US Chamber of Commerce Backing Anti-Union Senators

Big business lobbies against Employee Free Choice Act that would make it easier to organize a union
The US Chamber of Commerce is pouring more than 30 million dollars into the senatorial race to elect republicans in key states. The objective is to support "pro-business" candidates and avoid confronting an air-tight democratic majority that would be likely to pass the Employee Free Choice Act, a bill that was filibustered in the senate in 2007. To discuss the legislation and the campaign surrounding it, The Real News Network spoke to Stewart Acuff, Director of Organizing for the AFL-CIO and Bruce Raynor, General President of UNITE HERE:
Click for U-Tube Video
Source: The Real News Network

RawStory.com Reports:Election monitors call for extension of VA voting hours

An election monitoring group is asking officials in Virginia to address reports of massive voting machine failures and voters being turned away from polls, and it may go to court if no action is taken. Election Protection, a nonprofit group aimed at cataloging and correcting problems at the polls, says it has received more than 27,000 calls from voters since 5 a.m. Tuesday. Most problems have been reported in Pennsylvania, Virginia, New Jersey and Florida, representatives of the group said. Voters experiencing problems can report them by dialing 866-OUR-VOTE or 866-MY-VOTE1."We don’t want to be chicken little here,” said Jonah Goldman, who directs the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Campaign for Fair Elections. "What we’re trying to do is report what we’re seeing out in the field. Unfortunately this is what we expected.”During a press conference Tuesday morning, group representatives said they were asking election officials in Virginia to extend voting by two hours. The group also wants election to ensure that paper ballots are available in precincts where electronic voting machines break down. If elections officials fail to act, the group could file a lawsuit in federal court, but it hopes to avoid that option.

Click for the rest of the story.

Peter B Collins gives us another month.

Peter B. Collins, heard weekdays from 3 to 6pm on KGOE 1480 am in Eureka Ca. weekdays, has told us that he has secured financing to keep his show on the air at least through December 14th. He had given us a preliminary end date of November 14th but that now has been pushed back. Although his show is doing great in Eureka and we have plenty of local advertisers for it, Peter B. distributes his show to radio stations for free. He has to pay his producer, engineer and satellite time out of his own pocket. This money comes from regional or national advertiser that buy ads through him that he places on the show before we get it. Anyone that wants to help support the show can send potential advertisers or money to:

Peter B. Collins

P.O. Box 100

Mill Valley, Ca. 94942

or e-mail to: peter@peterbcollins.com

GOP Voter Suppression: More Miss than Hit

By Zachary Roth - October 30, 2008, 1:10PM
Yesterday we posted a quick round-up of the various voter-suppression schemes being pushed by Republicans in swing states around the country. And after looking at the list, one thing quickly becomes clear: most of the efforts have failed.
There's no one grand unifying theory for why that's true.

Click to see what's going on around the country and the rest of this story.

RAND Lobbies Pentagon: Start War To Save U.S. Economy

Paul Joseph Watson & Yihan DaiPrison Planet.comThursday, October 30, 2008
According to reports out of top Chinese mainstream news outlets, the RAND Corporation recently presented a shocking proposal to the Pentagon in which it lobbied for a war to be started with a major foreign power in an attempt to stimulate the American economy and prevent a recession.
A fierce debate has now ensued in China about who that foreign power may be, with China itself as well as Russia and even Japan suspected to be the targets of aggression.
The reports cite French media news sources as having uncovered the proposal, in which RAND suggested that the $700 billion dollars that has been earmarked to bailout Wall Street and failing banks instead be used to finance a new war which would in turn re-invigorate the flagging stock markets.
The RAND Corporation is a notoriously powerful NGO with deep ties to the U.S. military-industrial complex as well as interlocking connections with the Ford, Rockefeller, and Carnegie foundations.

Click here for entire article

ACLU highlights 'Constitution-Free Zone' 100 miles from border

WASHINGTON – The extraordinary powers of customs and border agents to invade the privacy of individuals at the U.S. border are spreading inland and creating what amounts to a “Constitution-free Zone” that covers fully two-thirds of the American population, the American Civil Liberties Union said today in a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.
“The authorities can do things at the border that they could never do to citizens and residents inside our country under the Constitution,” said Caroline Fredrickson, director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office. “Yet the government is asserting that some of these powers extend as far as 100 miles inside the actual border. It is a classic example of law enforcement powers expanding far beyond their proper boundaries – in this case, literally.”

Read Full Story Click Here

Votes Reportedly Flipping from Repub to Dem in TN!

Blogged by Brad Friedman on 10/22/2008 1:49PM

So NOW Can We Impound These Machines, Take Them Out of Service and Give Every Voter a PAPER BALLOT, Please?!

Several Decatur County voters are concerned about problems with the voting machines at the Election Commission Office. Voters claim they tried to vote for McCain for President but the machine checked Obama instead.
At least three voters encountered the problem when casting their early ballot on Saturday morning. Franklin Boroughs says he intended to vote for Republican but rather the computer had checked the Democratic candidate instead.

Read More Click Here

McCain Campaign Paid Republican Operative Accused of Voter Fraud

Published on Wednesday, October 22, 2008 by Times Online/UK

by Hannah Strange
John McCain paid $175,000 of campaign money to a Republican operative accused of massive voter registration fraud in several states, it has emerged.
As the McCain camp attempts to tie Barack Obama to claims of registration irregularities by the activist group ACORN, campaign finance records detailing the payment to the firm of Nathan Sproul, investigated several times for fraud, threatens to derail that argument.
The documents show that a joint committee of the McCain-Palin campaign, the Republican National Committee and the California Republican Party, made the payment to Lincoln Strategy, of which Mr Sproul is the managing partner, for the purposes of "voter registration".
Mr Sproul has been investigated on numerous occasions for preventing Democrats from voting, destroying registration forms and leading efforts to get Ralph Nader on ballots to leach the Democratic vote.
Read more click here

Election Integrity Filmmaker Sees Own Vote Flipped on ESS Touch-Screens in TN

Guest Blog from Brad Freidman at the Brad Blog:
David and Patricia Earnhardt Report Their Problems During Early Voting in Nashville
Obama Vote Won't Register, Then Flips to Other Candidate, as Similarly Reported Recently in WV...
Now comes the vote-flipping on touch-screen machines in Davidson County (Nashville), TN where early voting has also begun. This time, the problems occurred for David and Patricia Earnhardt, the director and executive producer of the award-winning election integrity documentary, Uncounted: The New Math of American Elections which details the history of problems with electronic voting across the nation and some of the whistleblowers and EI advocates who've helped to bring the matter to light. [Disclosure: The BRAD BLOG is prominently featured in the film.]
The Earnhardts' story of what happened to them last Friday when, among other things, Patricia's attempt to vote for Obama on the ES&S touch-screen wouldn't register at all, and at one point, with a poll-worker trying to help, had actually registered a vote for Green Party candidate Cynthia McKinney --- five rows away from Obama on the screen --- follows below.
CLICK HERE FOR THE REST OF THE STORY

Build Your Own Green House

I decided that for a summer project, I would build a green house. I am not proficient in building skills so I bought a kit that came in a box. I hate puzzles but that is what this was. A large Chinese puzzle in a box. The directions were vague to say the least. Maybe something was lost in translation. The kit is for a 10'x12' greenhouse. It was suggested that I build a base to set the frame on. I chose pressure treated 4''x4'' posts and used 18'' re bar to stake it down. For a floor I used 12'' concrete pavers. The kit I bought was from Harbor Freight in Arcata. It was on sale for about 600-dollars. I couldn't build one this size for that price on my own so I feel I got a pretty good deal. I am pretty happy with the final results. Now I just have to figure out what will grow the best with the least amount of light or heat. Living near Trinidad we have a lot of trees on our property and the greenhouse doesn't get as much sun as I would like. I am looking to grow food not medicine so any suggestions should be along those lines. Any suggestions would be helpful.

Peter B. Collins Ponders Moving On

Peter B. Collins heard weekdays on KGOE 1480 am here in Eureka and on other stations around the west is considering calling it quits. He is seeking help to keep the show on the air. Peter B. provides the show to radio stations for free. Peter B. gets paid by the ads that come within his show. Although we at kgoe have done well in selling ads for our part of the show here in Humboldt Co., Peter B. has had a harder time getting regional advertisers to insert into his show before it comes down the satellite. Peter B. pays for his own satellite time, producer and equipment.

If things don't change, his last show will be November 14th.

Anyone that wants to help can send advertisers or money to:

http://www.peterbcollins.com/ and click on you can help, or send help to

Peter B. Collins

P.O. Box 100

Mill Valley Ca. 94942

State Water Resources Control Board to Hold Public Meetings on Klamath Dams

Sacramento— Over the next three weeks, members of the public are invited to give input on the water quality certification process for the dams along the Klamath River. The State Water Board will hold a series of meetings near the Klamath (and in Sacramento) to gather public input for an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) related to relicensing of the hydroelectric dams. Technically, the EIR relates to the 401 Water Quality Certification of Klamath Hydroelectric Project (KHP). The project is owned by PacifiCorp.

Click for complete schedule

Hearing Schedule

Date and Time
Location
Type
Address
October 20, 2008
1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Eureka
Public
Six Rivers National Forest
1330 Bayshore Way
Eureka, CA
(707) 442-1721
October 20, 2008
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Klamath
Public
Yurok Tribe Headquarters
190 Klamath Blvd.
Klamath, CA 95548
October 21, 2008
noon – 2 p.m.
Orleans
Public
Karuk Community Center 39051 State Hwy. 96
Orleans, CA 95556
-----------------------------------State Water Resources Control BoardOffice of Public AffairsPhone: 916.341.5254Fax: 916.341.5252Email: info@waterboards.ca.gov

Did you serve in the military; are you a Surviving Spouse of a Veteran?

What is “Presumptive” Service Connection?
The Department of Veterans Affairs presumes that specific disabilities diagnosed in certain veterans were caused by their military service. The VA does this because of the unique circumstances of their military service. If one of these conditions is diagnosed in a veteran in one of these groups, VA presumes that the circumstances of his/her service caused the condition, and disability compensation can be awarded. DIC education and CHAMPVA for spouses of veterans rated 100% or surviving souses late-veterans that died from discussed medical problems

What Conditions are “Presumed” to be caused by their Military Service?
Veterans in the groups identified below: Entitlement to disability compensation may be presumed under the circumstances described and for the conditions listed.
Veterans within one year of release from active duty: Individuals diagnosed with chronic diseases (such as arthritis, diabetes, or hypertension) are encouraged to apply for disability compensation.
Veterans with 90 plus days of active duty and suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)/Lou Gehrig's disease.
Veterans deployed to the Southwest Asia Theater of Operations from August 2, 1990, to July 31, 1991: Individuals diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)/Lou Gehrig's disease is encouraged to apply for disability compensation.

Former
Prisoners of War
Vietnam Veterans
(Exposed to
Agent Orange)
Atomic Veterans
(Exposed to Ionizing Radiation)
Gulf War Veterans
(Undiagnosed Illness)
(1) Imprisoned for any length of time, and disability at least 10 percent disabling:
· psychosis
· any of the anxiety states
· dysthymic disorder
· organic residuals of frostbite
· post-traumatic osteoarthritis
· heart disease or hypertensive vascular disease and their complications
· stroke and its residuals

(2) Imprisoned for at least 30 days, and disability at least 10 percent disabling:
· avitaminosis
· beriberi
· chronic dysentery
· helminthiasis
· malnutrition (including optic atrophy)
· pellagra
· any other nutritional deficiency
· irritable bowel syndrome
· peptic ulcer disease
· peripheral neuropathy
· cirrhosis of the liver

Served in the Republic of Vietnam between 1/9/62 and 5/7/75:
· chloracne or other acneform disease similar to chloracne*
· porphyria cutanea tarda*
· soft-tissue sarcoma (other than osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi's sarcoma or mesothelioma)
· Hodgkin's disease
· multiple myeloma
· respiratory cancers (lung, bronchus, larynx, trachea)
· non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
· prostate cancer
· acute and subacute peripheral neuropathy*
· type 2 diabetes
· chronic lymphocytic leukemia

*Must become manifest to a degree of 10 percent or more within a year after the last date on which the veteran was exposed to an herbicide agent during active military, naval, or air service.

Participated in atmospheric nuclear testing; occupied or was a POW in Hiroshima or Nagasaki; service before 2/1/92 at a diffusion plant in Paducah, KY, Portsmouth, OH, or Oak Ridge, TN; or service before 1/1/74 at Amchitka Island, AK:
· all forms of leukemia (except for chronic lymphocytic leukemia)
· cancer of the thyroid, breast, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, pancreas, bile ducts, gall bladder, salivary gland, urinary tract (renal pelves, ureter, urinary bladder and urethra), brain, bone, lung, colon, ovary
· bronchiolo-alveolar carcinoma
· multiple myeloma
· lymphomas (other than Hodgkin's disease)
· primary liver cancer (except if cirrhosis or hepatitis B is indicated)
Served in the Southwest Asia Theater of Operations during the Gulf War with condition at least 10 percent disabling by 12/31/11. Included are medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illnesses defined by a cluster of signs or symptoms that have existed for six months or more, such as:
· chronic fatigue syndrome
· fibromyalgia
· irritable bowel syndrome
· any diagnosed or undiagnosed illness that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs determines warrants a presumption of service connection

Signs or symptoms of an undiagnosed illness include: fatigue, skin symptoms, headaches, muscle pain, joint pain, neurological symptoms, respiratory symptoms, sleep disturbance, GI symptoms, cardiovascular symptoms, weight loss, menstrual disorders

For more Information, contact the County of Humboldt Veterans Service office at 445-7341
Or the VA @ 1-800-827-1000

My Views on Abortion and the Election

I sent this as a reply to a group that mass e-mailed me about Obama and abortion. Abortion is their sole reason for not supporting Obama for President.


I am a liberal considering running for office on a one issue platform. Abortion. I will run as pro-life and answer no other questions. I will pander to the Christian right for their votes and then do what George Bush did and ignore those dumb people that think that war, torture, financial collapse, education, healthcare and big government are of no concern. Just abortion. A one issue platform. I will probably win.
Tom Sebourn
Now I ask my blog readers...
What should I run for?

New Poll Shows Prop. 8 Winning

People that want to take rights away from Californian's have spent over 20 million dollars on T.V. and Radio ads. Proposition 8 will ammend the California constitution to remove rights granted to Californians. A new poll shows that the campaign is winning the hearts of homophobes all over California. KPIX, San Francisco's CBS television affiliate says their new poll shows prop. 8 winning by 47% to 43%.

KGOE is even running "Yes on Prop. 8" ads. We run all political ads weather we agree with the position or not.

In opposition to the proposition is a U-Tube video called Gender Auditors is available at:http://www.couragecampaign.org/NoOnProp8

If the No on Prop.8 people want to make a buy on KGOE, we will gladly take their money.

I am against this proposition on the grounds that the constitution is designed to spell out what powers are granted to the state, leaving all other rights and powers to the people. Amending the constitution to take away rights from people is the wrong thing to do.

The big lie is that churches are at risk of loosing their tax exempt status. They violate their tax exempt status if they fund political campaigns or tell people how to vote from the pulpit.

Do we want the Muslims, Catholics, Mormons, Baptists, Satanists or Jews funding political campaigns and telling their followers how to vote? I pray not!

Martial Law Declared In US Congress

Nancy Pelosi declared Martial Law in the U.S. Congress.

Michael Burgess blames the Democrats for the problem.

Here are two U-Tube video links. One from a Republican and one from a Democrat about the banks taking authority over the U.S. Congress.

Representative Michael Burgess, Republican from Texas 26th district.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIhHWXek574

That's a u-tube video from C-Span.

Here's another one from Representative Brad Sherman, Democrat from California, 27th district.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaG9d_4zij8

It would seem that the banks have pulled a coup on Congress.

A Sign of the Times

The Dow was down 487 points this morning. As Van Halen said in one of their songs, "you might as well jump".

More to come....

Why We Should Not Allow Gay Marriage

This is a guest blog.

"Why we should not allow Gay Marriage..."by: Sarah Reid

Yes... I said it...I think the only reason we should not allow gay marriage is if we don't allow straight marriage either.The ONLY argument against gay marriage is a religious one. So if we follow the logic that religion and government do NOT belong together than we should remove the concept of marriage completely from the governmental and legal arena and ONLY ALLOW CIVIL UNIONS FOR ALL.

Let the religious institutions have marriage... Like baptism and bar mitzvah and all of that and in the realm of laws and government only allow civil unions or domestic partnerships FOR EVERYONE but it has to be the same for ALL long term committed relationships.The religious argument is moot anyway...VOTE NO ON PROPOSITION 8!!!

Other false arguments against gay marriage:Marriage is a tool for procreation:If this is the case than there should be a rule against infertile people getting married or people who do not want children getting married and if a Couple DOES NOT have children within a set amount of time their marriage should be considered void legally. SECONDLY all people who procreate outside of

marriage should HAVE to be married by the child's first birthday (or some other arbitrary time limit) by law in order to fulfill the "marriage is procreation" ideal.

If we allow gay marriage then why not allow child molestation:First off, the highest percentage of folks who molest and rape children(roughly 98%) are not only male but self- defined as straight. The rest are dominated by straight females. So if you look at the fact that roughly10% of the population is gay than you would think that 10% of molestation would be by gays but this is simply NOT THE CASE. Less than .08% of child molestation cases are done by gay men or women. (hence why I tell my folks I would rather have a gay man as a boy scout leader or babysitter than an adamantly straight guy.)Secondly, child molestation is a crime. A child CAN NOT CONSENT to sexual acts. On a legal/Money level, someone under the age of 18 CAN NOT SIGN A LEGAL CONTRACT. That is vastly different than two adults making a contractor commitment to one another.

McCain Phones It In

This is from Thinkprogress.org

McCain: ‘It’s not my style to simply phone it in.’
At a rally in Ohio today, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) touted his decision to come back to Washington last week to work on the financial bailout:
Remarkably, some people have criticized my decision to put my country first, but I’ll never be a president who sits on the sidelines when this country faces a crisis. I’ll never do that. I know that many of you have noticed it’s not my style to simply phone it in. I’m a Teddy Roosevelt Republican. I believe our leaders belong in the arena — in the arena — when your country faces a challenge. Not on the road in a campaign. I’ve never been afraid of stepping in to solve problems for the American people and I’m not going to stop now.

However, phoning it in is exactly what McCain did do. Explaining why McCain never went to Capitol Hill on Friday or Saturday after rushing back to Washington after the debate, top aide Mark Salter explained that McCain “can effectively do what he needs to do by phone.”

After Taking Credit For Bailout Bill, Is McCain Campaign Willing To Share Responsibility For Its Failure?

China banks told to halt lending to US banks-SCMP

This is from Reuters News and I found it at prison planet.com

REUTERSThursday, September 25, 2008
BEIJING, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Chinese regulators have told domestic banks to stop interbank lending to U.S. financial institutions to prevent possible losses during the financial crisis, the South China Morning Post reported on Thursday.
The Hong Kong newspaper cited unidentified industry sources as saying the instruction from the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) applied to interbank lending of all currencies to U.S. banks but not to banks from other countries.
"The decree appears to be Beijing’s first attempt to erect defences against the deepening U.S. financial meltdown after the mainland’s major lenders reported billions of U.S. dollars in exposure to the credit crisis," the SCMP said.

Bloggers Picnic

No photos. Not that there weren't any, it's just that I don't do photo shop and can't remove the faces as easily as some. I kept my sunglasses on.

I did want to say that I had a great time on Sunday meeting all of the bloggers that showed up in Rio Dell for the picnic. There was good food and drink. Nobody got into a fight. The weather was as good as it gets and it was fun to put faces on the many people that I have argued and agreed with over the past few months. Until next year, Go Bloggers!

Mountain Lion Causes Brush Fire on Table Bluff

9-17-08

It all started because of a mountain lion. One was spotted on the reservation on Table Bluff here in Humboldt County. The locals decided to cut the brush so the mountain lion wouldn't be able to hide there. Just after 3pm today, a mower sparked the dry brush and soon there was a 3 acre brush fire. Cal Fire was first on the scene backed up by Loleta Fire Department and a Humboldt District fire crew. A helicopter was overhead but it didn't drop any water and no water bucket was visible.

Radio personality Rollin Trehearne, 92.3 and 98.3 fm morning man lives near where the fire broke out and helped man a fire hose to keep the fire contained between roads. The fire did jump a gravel road but the wind blowing from the south, blew the fire away from most of the houses toward a ranch. A road between the ranch and the fire helped to serve as a fire break and the fire was contained by about 4pm. The mop up of hot spots was still going on at 6pm. No one was injured and no homes were damaged.

The Saudi 9/11 Connection

Lest you think that Iraq had anything to do with 9/11, read this from a second look at the Saudis.com

http://www.asecondlookatthesaudis.com/

Predictably, in virtually every major terrorist attack against the United States over the last twelve years, the men actually pulling the trigger at the end of the day have been Saudi Arabian. These include:
The Saudi National Guard bombing in November 1995, which killed five Americans. All four of the men convicted and executed for the bombing were Saudis.
The Khobar Towers bombing in June 1996, which killed 19 Americans. Of the 14 men indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice for that bombing, 13 were Saudi Arabian, including all five of the men who drove and detonated the truck bomb on the day of the attack.
The Nairobi embassy bombing in August 1998, which killed 12 Americans. Both of the men who drove and detonated the truck bomb were Saudis.
The USS Cole bombing in October 2000, which killed 17 Americans. According to both the Prime Minister of Yemen and a well-known former Al Qaeda operative, both of the men who drove and detonated the explosives-laden boat used in that attack were Saudis.
The Riyadh residential compound bombings in May 2003, which killed nine Americans. All nine of the suicide bombers killed in the attacks were Saudis.
The Mosul mess tent bombing in December 2004, which killed 18 Americans. The lone suicide bomber responsible was identified in numerous press reports as a foreign insurgent from Saudi Arabia.

More here.

What's Shakin'

Four large earthquakes today and Thursday.

1. Northern Chile magnitude 6.0 at 12:12 am GMT Wednesday.

2. Southern Iran magnitude 6.0 at 3:30pm local time Wednesday.

3. Eastern Coast of Japan magnitude 7.0 at 9:21am Thursday morning. Tsunami warning issued for 20 inch tsunami.

4. Northeastern Indonesia magnitude 6.6, Indonesia's seismological agency said is was a 7.6 and a tsunami warning was issued Thursday.