Sometimes the comedy just writes itself.
The GOP has more email problems. My favorite quote: "Can we label the entire Republican Party as organized crime yet?"
Wired Danger Blog gives us a creepy "preview" of 9/11, and links to some even creepier things.
Congrats go out to JM Bell for his new (way cool and awesome!) temporary gig and a few other things, too.
GOP Disenfranchising Democratic voters, coming soon to a poll booth near you! (Hey, if you can't vote, they don't care that you wouldn't vote for them!)
George Bush doesn’t like the Constitution. In fact, he holds it in contempt.
That's it for now. I'm going to try to keep a post like this going almost daily.
Don't forget to Wear Orange tomorrow!
Just one more - I am waiting on a meeting and read this article from Kos. If you live in Michigan, or know Democrats or Independents in the state, go cause trouble for the Republicans, and some good for the Democrats at the same time. Brilliant!!!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
100,000 Strong
I just got this email from Barack Obama.
If you'd like to be a part of this amazing effort, please donate through the Utah for Obama fundraising page.
Last week, I did a "pledge match" so that I could pledge a certain dollar amount, and the campaign uses that to get people who have never donated before to donate the same amount. This is the 3rd or 4th time I've done the match. Usually, I'm matched right away. This time I had an unusual amount, so it took a little longer. Oddly enough, I got an email about that as I was writing this.
Sometimes I get a longer message, about why they've decided to donate, and sometimes I don't get any message. But, it's always a fun way for me to send my donations. Although, the Store is pretty fun, too.
Misty --
Something unexpected happened the day after the New Hampshire primary.
More than 20,000 people donated to our campaign online. That's the most ever in a single day.
In the first nine days of 2008, more than 75,000 donors gave online, and at least half of them had never given before. Just like we saw in Iowa and New Hampshire, in record numbers, our time for change has come.
Those new donors decided to step up and own a piece of this campaign right now, at this pivotal moment in history. Now, we're within striking distance of an almost unimaginable goal:
100,000 donors before the Nevada caucuses on January 19th.
Your support in 2007 helped get us this far, and I thank you. But this movement needs you now more than ever.
This is the most decisive period of our campaign -- we need to act immediately if we are going to compete as strongly as possible in the 24 states that are holding primaries and caucuses in the next four weeks.
I'm asking you to make another contribution now. This is so important that one of the people who gave in the last nine days is ready to give again to match your first online donation of 2008.
Make a donation of $50 today and take advantage of this opportunity to double your impact:
https://donate.barackobama.com
/match Today, I am in South Carolina with my good friend, Senator John Kerry.
Our organization here is building up very quickly thanks to grassroots supporters like you. Senator Kerry endorsed our campaign at an event this morning, and the energy and excitement was just like what we were feeling in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Tomorrow, I'm headed to Nevada, where the endorsement of the Culinary Workers Union has given us another boost of momentum. We are building the same kind of strong, professional caucus team that we had in Iowa.
Together, we can make this happen, and I appreciate your support.
Our campaign has been warned against offering people false hope.
But in the American story, there has never been anything false about hope.
Your past support is proof of this hope. And I need you to share that again now.
A fellow supporter is waiting to match your first donation of 2008, and their offer is their way of inspiring you to get involved again in this new year.
Make a matched donation of $50 now:
https://donate.barackobama.com
/match Nevada is the next stop on our road to change.
Let's get there 100,000 strong.
Thank you,
Barack
If you'd like to be a part of this amazing effort, please donate through the Utah for Obama fundraising page.
Last week, I did a "pledge match" so that I could pledge a certain dollar amount, and the campaign uses that to get people who have never donated before to donate the same amount. This is the 3rd or 4th time I've done the match. Usually, I'm matched right away. This time I had an unusual amount, so it took a little longer. Oddly enough, I got an email about that as I was writing this.
Congratulations! Your pledge inspired Gabriel L. in Pedricktown, NJ to make a donation to the campaign.
Here's what Gabriel L. in Pedricktown, NJ had to say:Go Obama!
Sometimes I get a longer message, about why they've decided to donate, and sometimes I don't get any message. But, it's always a fun way for me to send my donations. Although, the Store is pretty fun, too.
Richardson Out - What Does It Mean For Utah? [Update 2]
Many elected officials and others on the "Who's Who of Utah Democrats" have previously signed on to support Bill Richardson. Which is understandable, considering he's from the West, and knows many Utahns personally. Now that he appears to have dropped out, or will be dropping out today, where will those supporting him go?
At least one elected official has come over into the Obama camp. Yesterday the following emails were sent through the Utah for Obama ListServ:
[Update] On a related note, the AP is reporting that John Kerry will be announcing his endorsement of Senator Obama today.
[Update 2] John Kerry's endorsement has arrived. And Edwards seems to be taking it in stride.
South Dakota Senator Tim Johnson and Congressman George Miller (D-CA) have also announced their endorsements of Senator Obama. First Read has some interesting commentary on Miller's endorsement.
At least one elected official has come over into the Obama camp. Yesterday the following emails were sent through the Utah for Obama ListServ:
It appears that Richardson is poised to announce that he will pull out of the presidential race tomorrow. Conflicting reports in the media, but overall it looks true.And a reply:
This opens up the possibility that many Utah political leaders could switch their support to Obama. We need to start working them! -JANET
Janet,I've heard rumors of some others who will also be turning to Senator Obama, and I can't wait until they are publicly confirmed.
I was a Richardson guy but I am now supporting Obama.
Sen. Scott McCoy
[Update] On a related note, the AP is reporting that John Kerry will be announcing his endorsement of Senator Obama today.
[Update 2] John Kerry's endorsement has arrived. And Edwards seems to be taking it in stride.
Our country and our Party are stronger because of John's service, and I respect his decision. When we were running against each other and on the same ticket, John and I agreed on many issues. I continue to believe that this election is about the future, not the past, and that the country needs a President who will fight aggressively to end the status quo and change the Washington system and to give voice to all of those whose voices are ignored in the corridors of power.Kerry's statement is here.
South Dakota Senator Tim Johnson and Congressman George Miller (D-CA) have also announced their endorsements of Senator Obama. First Read has some interesting commentary on Miller's endorsement.
Financial Literacy, Thanks Senator Patricia Jones
Senator Patricia Jones made this announcement:
I'm thrilled with this! I wasn't given much in the way of instruction on finances when I was growing up. And it's caused a lot of heartache and lessons learned the hard way in my life.
I don't think this is in any way a substitute for parents teaching their children how to handle money, but I do think that it will make our society as a whole better off. If the general attitude in society towards money is a responsible one, it benefits everyone.
So, thanks, Senator Jones! I plan to follow this and support the bill any way I can!
This session, I am sponsoring legislation which, if passed, will greatly broaden Financial Literacy Education in our public schools. It’s practical and smart. It was editorialized recently in the Deseret Morning News.She goes on to explain why this is needed, and better than the current financial literacy programs in schools.More than ever before, parents and grandparents believe it is vital to educate our young people to be financially responsible. Just take a look at today’s economy and you will see dire consequences of financial irresponsibility. It is critical for the stability of our families and will give our kids the ability to compete in today’s economic world.
I'm thrilled with this! I wasn't given much in the way of instruction on finances when I was growing up. And it's caused a lot of heartache and lessons learned the hard way in my life.
I don't think this is in any way a substitute for parents teaching their children how to handle money, but I do think that it will make our society as a whole better off. If the general attitude in society towards money is a responsible one, it benefits everyone.
So, thanks, Senator Jones! I plan to follow this and support the bill any way I can!
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
xkcd: Don't Get Mad, Get Even
Alt: And sometimes I use it to retaliate against the guy upstairs with the loud girlfriend and the elliptical dish.
Ahh, the ways I've dreamt up of getting even with people.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
New Hampshire Primary
I need to make this brief, because it's time for bed, but here's a quick post about how tonight's New Hampshire watch party went. I think turnout was about 150, but I didn't get a count. It was definitely more packed than last time. We had Fox 13, KSL 5, and the Deseret News there. I don't know if I missed any other news organizations. I haven't had time to watch it, but here's KSL's coverage. We saw part of Fox while I was still there. They showed an interview with Theo, one of the Steering Committee Members. I think they also interviewed my sister, Jenee, but I'm not sure if it aired. I'm pretty sure there'll be a good article from the Deseret News tomorrow.
Obama apparently placed 2nd, with 80% of the votes in last I heard. Did we wish he had come in first? Hell yeah. Does it mean anything bad? Hell, no. If anything, it means we need to get more fired up. And we will!
Our 5 Iowa staffers got here tonight, including the new Utah State Director.
I'll have photos and more detail tomorrow.
One question - what was with Edwards giving the same downer of a speech??
Here's a teaser photo of when Barack was giving his speech:
If you were there and have other photos, please send them to me!
Obama apparently placed 2nd, with 80% of the votes in last I heard. Did we wish he had come in first? Hell yeah. Does it mean anything bad? Hell, no. If anything, it means we need to get more fired up. And we will!
Our 5 Iowa staffers got here tonight, including the new Utah State Director.
I'll have photos and more detail tomorrow.
One question - what was with Edwards giving the same downer of a speech??
Here's a teaser photo of when Barack was giving his speech:
If you were there and have other photos, please send them to me!
New Hampshire Running Low on Ballots [Update]
According to Hotline on Call, Democratic ballots in New Hampshire are running low.
Apparently, they were already expecting 500,000 voters, which would be a new state record. I think the key factor here is that the Democratic Primary is very exciting. People from all campaigns are motivated in a way they either have never been, or haven't been in a very long time. Over on the Republican side, there's just not as much excitement for the average voter. Of course, there are people from each campaign who are staunch supporters of their candidate, but the most exciting one is Ron Paul, and he's got maybe 10% of the vote. So, it seems that, just as in the Iowa primary, the New Hampshire primary may be set to have record numbers of Democrats turn out to vote.
Wouldn't it be exciting to have record Democratic voters turn out for this primary here in Utah?
[UPDATE] Great minds think alike.
The New Hampshire secretary of state's office is in the process of locating extra ballots to ship to towns that have expressed concern that supplies are running low. The worry is primarily on the Democratic side, officials say.
"The towns that are calling now are experiencing heavy turnout, and see their piles of ballots starting to drop at a rate faster than they're comfortable with," said Dave Scanlan, deputy secretary of state. "They're also stating to us that it's the Democratic ballots that have them more concerned than the Republican ballots."
Apparently, they were already expecting 500,000 voters, which would be a new state record. I think the key factor here is that the Democratic Primary is very exciting. People from all campaigns are motivated in a way they either have never been, or haven't been in a very long time. Over on the Republican side, there's just not as much excitement for the average voter. Of course, there are people from each campaign who are staunch supporters of their candidate, but the most exciting one is Ron Paul, and he's got maybe 10% of the vote. So, it seems that, just as in the Iowa primary, the New Hampshire primary may be set to have record numbers of Democrats turn out to vote.
Wouldn't it be exciting to have record Democratic voters turn out for this primary here in Utah?
[UPDATE] Great minds think alike.
Lost Dog - Animal Control Blows It
Corbin is a beautiful male Rhodesian Ridgeback, whose owner, Jesse, is a soldier who has served twice in Iraq.
Last October, Corbin ran scared from a friend's house in Tuscon, AZ. Phone calls to shelters and other routes came back empty. Corbin was chipped, but that wasn't of help, either. Jesse, who lives in Phoenix, spends every weekend checking shelters and following up leads.
Local Utahns have been involved with the search for Corbin, including his breeder, Erin Coogan, and Beth Lockhart, who has made 2 trips to Tuscon to help find Corbin.
On January 6, Beth hit the shelters again, and was told there hadn't been any Ridgebacks in. When she pushed them, she was told about a Rhodesian Ridgeback found in the area (Irvington and Pantano) on November 25.
The Humane Society won't give her the information for the person who had called in the sighting, but they did try to call the person, and got no answer.
So, Beth headed over to the Pima Animal Care and Control to see if they had the same report about the Ridgeback. After some begging and pleading, they confirmed the same report on the same day.
So, Jesse called the Humane Society to beg for the caller's information. He was told that they had no such report of a Ridgeback. Apparently, that didn't make Jesse too happy, and he pushed. So, they found the information and wound up giving him a phone number.
They used reverse lookup to find the address, and Beth headed over to check it out.
They were able to confirm through pictures that it was Corbin, who had lived with the family for almost 3 weeks before goign missing again in the middle of December. Apparently, the family never took him in to check for a microchip, because they figured if the owner was looking, animal control would call.
Except no one called them. The family reported having found Corbin to Humane Society and animal control, and Jesse reported missing Corbin to these same places. Why didn't these places connect the dots?
There were ads placed on CraigsList and PennySaverUsa before Christmas about a dog having been found in this exact area, who is brown with gold eyes, a mohawk and a green collar, but apparently they were deleted. Erin was able to send an email to them before the ads were deleted, but has heard nothing. (Rhodesian Ridgebacks have a line of hair down their back that grows differently and so it stands up - that's the "mohawk")
So, we have a soldier, who is waiting for his dog to return home, instead of the other way around.
This is really sad, and I pray that Jesse and Corbin will be reunited soon. It's awful that both animal control and the Humane Society would let this slip through their fingers.
Dax and I have been trying to find a Rhodesian Ridgeback to adopt, and they are rather hard to find. There aren't many breeders for them, and they are very large dogs. If they aren't given training, they aren't happy dogs and can cause a lot of trouble. But, when they are given training, and lots of love, they are amazing creatures.
One thing I've found, since we've tried the Rhodesian Ridgeback Rescue and local shelters to find a puppy, is that there aren't a lot of stray Ridgebacks out there. They are very loyal animals, and I think that because of their expense, and the fact that their breeders usually take lifelong responsibility for them, most Ridgebacks that don't stay in their original homes go back through the Ridgeback Rescue or their breeders to find new homes. And breeders aren't likely to let their pups go to just anyone.
Doesn't the shelter, or at least animal control, have any sort of obligation to come check the dog out? It seems very unjust that an animal that was micro-chipped would have a tale such as this one.
If anyone reads this and has information about Corbin, please contact Erin Coogan of Aegis Rhodesian Ridgebacks. Her web site will have the latest information.
Last October, Corbin ran scared from a friend's house in Tuscon, AZ. Phone calls to shelters and other routes came back empty. Corbin was chipped, but that wasn't of help, either. Jesse, who lives in Phoenix, spends every weekend checking shelters and following up leads.
Local Utahns have been involved with the search for Corbin, including his breeder, Erin Coogan, and Beth Lockhart, who has made 2 trips to Tuscon to help find Corbin.
On January 6, Beth hit the shelters again, and was told there hadn't been any Ridgebacks in. When she pushed them, she was told about a Rhodesian Ridgeback found in the area (Irvington and Pantano) on November 25.
The Humane Society won't give her the information for the person who had called in the sighting, but they did try to call the person, and got no answer.
So, Beth headed over to the Pima Animal Care and Control to see if they had the same report about the Ridgeback. After some begging and pleading, they confirmed the same report on the same day.
So, Jesse called the Humane Society to beg for the caller's information. He was told that they had no such report of a Ridgeback. Apparently, that didn't make Jesse too happy, and he pushed. So, they found the information and wound up giving him a phone number.
They used reverse lookup to find the address, and Beth headed over to check it out.
They were able to confirm through pictures that it was Corbin, who had lived with the family for almost 3 weeks before goign missing again in the middle of December. Apparently, the family never took him in to check for a microchip, because they figured if the owner was looking, animal control would call.
Except no one called them. The family reported having found Corbin to Humane Society and animal control, and Jesse reported missing Corbin to these same places. Why didn't these places connect the dots?
There were ads placed on CraigsList and PennySaverUsa before Christmas about a dog having been found in this exact area, who is brown with gold eyes, a mohawk and a green collar, but apparently they were deleted. Erin was able to send an email to them before the ads were deleted, but has heard nothing. (Rhodesian Ridgebacks have a line of hair down their back that grows differently and so it stands up - that's the "mohawk")
So, we have a soldier, who is waiting for his dog to return home, instead of the other way around.
This is really sad, and I pray that Jesse and Corbin will be reunited soon. It's awful that both animal control and the Humane Society would let this slip through their fingers.
Dax and I have been trying to find a Rhodesian Ridgeback to adopt, and they are rather hard to find. There aren't many breeders for them, and they are very large dogs. If they aren't given training, they aren't happy dogs and can cause a lot of trouble. But, when they are given training, and lots of love, they are amazing creatures.
One thing I've found, since we've tried the Rhodesian Ridgeback Rescue and local shelters to find a puppy, is that there aren't a lot of stray Ridgebacks out there. They are very loyal animals, and I think that because of their expense, and the fact that their breeders usually take lifelong responsibility for them, most Ridgebacks that don't stay in their original homes go back through the Ridgeback Rescue or their breeders to find new homes. And breeders aren't likely to let their pups go to just anyone.
Doesn't the shelter, or at least animal control, have any sort of obligation to come check the dog out? It seems very unjust that an animal that was micro-chipped would have a tale such as this one.
If anyone reads this and has information about Corbin, please contact Erin Coogan of Aegis Rhodesian Ridgebacks. Her web site will have the latest information.
Jon Stewart Explains the Writer's Strike
Watch as Jon Stewart explains the Writer's Strike, and in some weird combination of Bush and Guiliani, invokes 9/11 to explain the math.
If you're hungry for your Stewart fix, check out clips from last night's show here.
Did You Miss the Deadline for Voter Registration? No Problem.
If you missed the deadline to mail in your voter registration, it's ok. You can still cast your vote for Senator Obama (or someone else, if you insist) on February 5. You'll just have to put a little extra effort into it, that's all. You can register in person at your local County Clerk's office until January 29.
If you're already registered, you will need to re-register under the following circumstances:
- You've moved since your previous registration
- Your name has changed since your previous registration
- You are registered as anything besides a Democrat or unaffiliated, and wish to vote in the Democratic primary
- You are registered as anything besides a Republican or unaffiliated, and wish to vote in the Republican primary (note that unaffiliated voters will have to change to Republican in order to vote in the Republican primary, which can be done at the polling location)
If you are unsure of your information, some County Clerk's offices allow you to check online, as Salt Lake County does. Otherwise, you'll need to contact the County Clerk's office directly. You can get the web sites and the contact information on the State Elections web site.
When you register late, you will be more likely to need proof of residency and a photo ID in order to vote on election day. Check with your County Clerk's office for that information.
Early voting varies, depending on the County Clerk. Salt Lake County's early voting begins January 22, and I believe most others begin the same day. If you are registering late, you will not be eligible for early voting, so you'll need to cast your ballot on February 5. According to the sample ballot I looked at today, the names on the Democratic Ballot are:
- Joe Biden
- Hillary Clinton
- Christopher J. Dodd
- John Edwards
- Mike Gravel
- Dennis Kucinich
- Frank Lynch
- Barack Obama
- Bill Richardson
- Rudy Giuliani
- Mike Huckabee
- Duncan Hunter
- Alan Keyes
- John McCain
- Ron Paul
- Mitt Romney
- Tom Tancredo
- Fred Thompson
Monday, January 07, 2008
Hillary Just Killed Her Chances
Geekesque, of Daily Kos, tells us of Clinton's Big Mistake:
The context, of course, lies in Clinton's regrettable statement from last Saturday's debate:
"We don't need to be raising the false hopes of our country about what can be delivered."
Obama, not being a stupid politician, pounced.
Obama challenged Clinton's claim in a weekend debate that he was raising "false hopes" about what he could deliver for the country. Obama told his audience that hope made President Kennedy aim to put a man on the moon and Martin Luther King Jr. to imagine the end of segregation.
"If anything crystallized what this campaign is about, it was that right there," Obama said of Clinton's comment in the debate. "Some are thinking in terms of our constraints, and some are thinking about our limitless possibilities."
Well, Clinton had her chance to respond, and oh boy did she deliver up a doozy:
"Dr. King's dream began to be realized when President Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act. It took a president to get it done. The power of that dream became real in people's lives because we had a president capable of action."
Just how awful is this, on so many levels? "It took a President to get it done?"
Seriously, if you are going to click through on any blog today, and get the rest of the story, this is it. This is some serious desperation, folks. Obama's numbers have skyrocketed, and this mistake shows that she's running scared.
I can't imagine the media ignoring this. She just lost the "black vote", along with a lot of other people who admire Dr. King. On a political level, this amounts to blasphemy.
xkcd: Ron Paul Edition
Alt: Ron Paul wants to put the New Republic back on the Corusca gem standard.
By the way, you may have seen or heard the term "Paultard" here and on other blogs. In case you are the husband of the girl at my friend's birthday party Saturday night, you don't qualify (that I know of). To be a Paultard, you have to post obnoxious comments on blogs such as this, expressing your outrage that someone disagrees with you on the most holy of holy subjects, Ron Paul. It helps if you ignore rules of grammar, punctuation and/or paragraph breaks. The less sense you make, the more "'tarded" you are considered. But, you get the most points for thinking you're making sense while totally lying out of your ass. You choose.
Anyway I didn't call you a Paultard, no matter what your inebriated wife may have told you over the phone. But, if you'd like to post below to get the Paultard label, feel free.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
10 - 12 Point Lead In New Hampshire
Last Thursday over 100 of us gathered to watch as Senator Obama took Iowa. This Tuesday, it looks like we're going to watch him take a similar (if not greater!) victory in New Hampshire. Here's an article from Editor and Publisher with the latest polls:
I hope you'll join us on Tuesday, as we watch the results. If you can't, please consider hosting your own watch party.
Below is an email I received from Mark Gilbert. He's from Utah, and helped put together the Senator's visit to Park City last August. Mark is a member of Obama's Finance Team. Since August, he often sends us updates, and I thought you might be interested in seeing this email.
NEW YORK The first two poll results based on survey taken in New Hampshire after the Iowa caucuses both show Barack Obama opening up a double digit lead over previous leader Hillary Clinton.
The new American Research Group poll gives Obama a 12-point lead over Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire, 38% to 26%, a 16% swing since the previous poll. John Edwards moved up on Clinton, at 20%, gaining 5% from his previous percentage.
Most interesting detail deep in the ARG numbers: Hillary actually leads Obama 34% to 32% among confirmed Democrats, while he tops her 49% to 12% among independents, which may make up one-third of the tally.
Earlier today the new Rasmussen survey emerged showing a surprising, but now possibly confirmed, 10% Obama lead. Edwards trailed badly in that one.
The new American Research Group poll gives Obama a 12-point lead over Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire, 38% to 26%, a 16% swing since the previous poll. John Edwards moved up on Clinton, at 20%, gaining 5% from his previous percentage.
Most interesting detail deep in the ARG numbers: Hillary actually leads Obama 34% to 32% among confirmed Democrats, while he tops her 49% to 12% among independents, which may make up one-third of the tally.
Earlier today the new Rasmussen survey emerged showing a surprising, but now possibly confirmed, 10% Obama lead. Edwards trailed badly in that one.
I hope you'll join us on Tuesday, as we watch the results. If you can't, please consider hosting your own watch party.
Below is an email I received from Mark Gilbert. He's from Utah, and helped put together the Senator's visit to Park City last August. Mark is a member of Obama's Finance Team. Since August, he often sends us updates, and I thought you might be interested in seeing this email.
Hi - and Happy New Year!
Thursday night we beat the odds. We beat the cynics. We disproved the pundits who said we couldn't run a different kind of campaign.
As Senator Obama said:
"Sometimes, just sometimes, there are nights like this. A night that years from now when we've made the changes we believe in, when more families can afford to see a doctor, when children, when Malia and Sasha and your children inherit a planet that's a little cleaner and safer, when the world sees America differently, and American sees itself as a nation more united and less divided, you'll be able to look back and say that this was the moment when it all began."
When we began, we were 20 points behind. But as a result of hard work, we closed that gap and we proved the American people are ready for hope, ready for change.
If there was ever any doubt about the senator's experience or ability to put together a world class organization, our ground effort in Iowa, our historic fundraising success, and our development of a national field team put that to rest.
While Thursday night was wondrous, while we made history; it was the beginning, not the end of our journey. We have put together the best organizations in the primary states through February 5:
* New Hampshire: January 8th -- The largest field operation in the state has made nearly 1.6 million phone calls and knocked on 330,000 doors. Our campaign has been endorsed by both Democratic US Representatives, Paul Hodes and Carol Shea-Porter, and the latest Boston Globe/University of New Hampshire poll puts us in the lead.
* Nevada: January 19th -- We have the biggest organization with 11 field offices and more than 50 staff; we're gaining strength every day.
* South Carolina: January 26th -- Former Democratic chairman Donald Fowler praised our 55 staff members in 11 offices for running "the most methodical voter-canvassing project I have ever seen in South Carolina."
* The 22 February 5 states -- We have 32 offices open in 17 states, including states like Alaska, Alabama, and Utah where we're the only campaign up and running.
But even though we have the best organizations in those states, we need your help to meet our financial challenges. But we need your help now. Please consider making a contribution to the campaign now. You can contribute online at: https://donate.barackobama.com/page/contribute/give_again (please excuse the wording on the form - we have not had time to update it since Iowa), or you can call me at 561-350-5030.
Senator Obama and Michelle are in New Hampshire where polls show us slightly ahead. But, like they did in Iowa, Washington insiders are pouring huge amounts of unregulated money into the state. In Iowa, they spent millions on baseless negative attacks against the senator. We cannot let these tactics go unanswered. We need your help in New Hampshire and beyond.
We are close - but an enormous task lies before us. As Senator Obama said Thursday night:
Years from now, you'll look back and you'll say that this was the moment, this was the place where America remembered what it means to hope. For many months we've been teased, even derided, for talking about hope. But we always knew hope is not blind optimism. It's not ignoring the enormity of the task ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path. It's not sitting on the sidelines or shirking from a fight. Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it, and to work for it, and to fight for it.
We have that courage. The American people have the courage.
We need your support and your friendship now more than ever.
Thank you - thank you for your support - and please forward this to your friends and family.
Mark Gilbert
561-350-5030
Thursday night we beat the odds. We beat the cynics. We disproved the pundits who said we couldn't run a different kind of campaign.
As Senator Obama said:
"Sometimes, just sometimes, there are nights like this. A night that years from now when we've made the changes we believe in, when more families can afford to see a doctor, when children, when Malia and Sasha and your children inherit a planet that's a little cleaner and safer, when the world sees America differently, and American sees itself as a nation more united and less divided, you'll be able to look back and say that this was the moment when it all began."
When we began, we were 20 points behind. But as a result of hard work, we closed that gap and we proved the American people are ready for hope, ready for change.
If there was ever any doubt about the senator's experience or ability to put together a world class organization, our ground effort in Iowa, our historic fundraising success, and our development of a national field team put that to rest.
While Thursday night was wondrous, while we made history; it was the beginning, not the end of our journey. We have put together the best organizations in the primary states through February 5:
* New Hampshire: January 8th -- The largest field operation in the state has made nearly 1.6 million phone calls and knocked on 330,000 doors. Our campaign has been endorsed by both Democratic US Representatives, Paul Hodes and Carol Shea-Porter, and the latest Boston Globe/University of New Hampshire poll puts us in the lead.
* Nevada: January 19th -- We have the biggest organization with 11 field offices and more than 50 staff; we're gaining strength every day.
* South Carolina: January 26th -- Former Democratic chairman Donald Fowler praised our 55 staff members in 11 offices for running "the most methodical voter-canvassing project I have ever seen in South Carolina."
* The 22 February 5 states -- We have 32 offices open in 17 states, including states like Alaska, Alabama, and Utah where we're the only campaign up and running.
But even though we have the best organizations in those states, we need your help to meet our financial challenges. But we need your help now. Please consider making a contribution to the campaign now. You can contribute online at: https://donate.barackobama.com/page/contribute/give_again (please excuse the wording on the form - we have not had time to update it since Iowa), or you can call me at 561-350-5030.
Senator Obama and Michelle are in New Hampshire where polls show us slightly ahead. But, like they did in Iowa, Washington insiders are pouring huge amounts of unregulated money into the state. In Iowa, they spent millions on baseless negative attacks against the senator. We cannot let these tactics go unanswered. We need your help in New Hampshire and beyond.
We are close - but an enormous task lies before us. As Senator Obama said Thursday night:
Years from now, you'll look back and you'll say that this was the moment, this was the place where America remembered what it means to hope. For many months we've been teased, even derided, for talking about hope. But we always knew hope is not blind optimism. It's not ignoring the enormity of the task ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path. It's not sitting on the sidelines or shirking from a fight. Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it, and to work for it, and to fight for it.
We have that courage. The American people have the courage.
We need your support and your friendship now more than ever.
Thank you - thank you for your support - and please forward this to your friends and family.
Mark Gilbert
561-350-5030
Friday, January 04, 2008
Happy Birthday, Utah
Sadly, it took Bill in Portland Maine to tell me that today is Utah's birthday.
Anyway...Happy Birthday, Utah! Since you're the most depressed state in the nation, I hope all the candles don't add to it.
CHEERS to coming in 45th place out of 50. Happy 112th Birthday to Utah--- also known as the "Beehive Hairdo State"---which entered the union on January 4th, 1896. Here's a fun fact that'll dazzle your friends: horses were invented in Utah. Really! I have iron-clad proof right here. I love it when history comes alive.Apparently, I don't watch enough tv to have seen this iron clad proof.
Anyway...Happy Birthday, Utah! Since you're the most depressed state in the nation, I hope all the candles don't add to it.
Iowa Watch Party at Obama Utah HQ
I'll update this with other photos as they come in, but here are the ones I have so far, from Kasi.
Mark Rothacher
Aaron, our local director, and his daughter who is apparently helping him drink.
All told, we had over 100 people there last night. We're doing it again Tuesday for New Hampshire. Won't you join us?
Mark Rothacher
Aaron, our local director, and his daughter who is apparently helping him drink.
The Speeches
As I mentioned last night, I really saw a difference in the speeches between the candidates.
Over at Third Avenue, he says of Obama and Huckabee:
Having spent the first 8 years of my life as a Southern Baptist, I don't think Huckabee sounds anything like a Southern Baptist minister. I'm not just saying that because he didn't promise hellfire and damnation if he isn't the next POTUS, but I didn't think he was very impassioned.
I know I'm biased here, but when Huckabee mentioned God in his speech, I had flashbacks to his "Phone Call to God", which, as I've said before, offends my faith greatly. When Obama spoke of God and faith, it was soothing, and didn't feel like he was wearing his faith on his sleeve, but rather that it was a natural statement from him.
I was struck by the difference in tone between the Democrats. Hillary and Edwards gave speeches about themselves, while Obama gave a speech about "us". On top of which, Edwards made me feel like I needed anti-depressants when he spoke of the problems in America. Which was a nice setup for Obama speaking of the same problems, but in a tone of fixing them. Edwards wound up getting to the point of fixing the problems, but he was pulling the fear mongering trick to make us afraid, while Obama gave us hope.
Hillary nauseated me when she began her speech and seemed to be pretending that she'd won Iowa. I left the room, so I really don't know what she had to say.
I watched Edwards' speech first, then Hillary (which as I said - didn't watch), then Huckabee, then Obama. I didn't see any of the others.
One other thing that I found interesting was that Oprah didn't appear onstage with Obama. I think that was a smart choice. While he did use her star power to reach more voters, he's not running a campaign around it. I think I paid more attention to Chuck Norris behind Huckabee than I did to Huckabee himself. (Side note: is Norris going to the same plastic surgeon as Hillary? That frozen smile on his face was kind of horrifying)
Here are the speeches, all in one place, for your viewing pleasure (or displeasure, as the case may be).
John Edwards speaks in Des Moines after the Iowa caucuses. Change won, the status quo lost, and the fight is on to see if we're going to have the kind of change we need to save the middle class.
Note: That text was what the Edwards campaign had describing the video. Does it seem odd to anyone else that Edwards says Change won, when Change in Obama's platform and Obama won? Of course, most of us at Obama HQ were cheering Edwards during last night's speech, but the statement above could almost be read as endorsing Obama. Not that everything he said last night could be taken that way.
Alternatively, you can read the transcript for Hillary's speech, which I found while looking for the video.
I also found Obama's transcript on his blog.
Obama's campaign included the Salt Lake Tribune in their blog showing the front pages of papers this morning across the nation. Which is rather interesting, because the Trib didn't send a photographer down (that I know of) like the Deseret News did. The Trib covers Obama on a national level quite regularly, but at times like this you'd think they'd want the local story, too. I haven't seen the front page of the Deseret News, but they did feature a shot of Obama's Utah HQ party in their online article.
Oddly enough, Mike Huckabee had lots of video on his blog, but I couldn't seem to find the Iowa Caucus speech, so I had to go directly to YouTube, where his campaign hadn't posted the video, but had "favorited" someone else's posting of it.
It's interesting to me that Mitt Romney's campaign apparently asked Fox 13 not to show video of the Romney Utah HQ reaction to his "Silver Medal".
Fred Thompson doesn't have his own web site? In looking him up, all I could find was the "Friends of Fred" site. Odd.
John McCain's web site seems to be stuck in April '07, so I had to head back to YouTube again for this one. (No wonder he isn't winning)
I stuck around the YouTube site to look for Ron Paul's video. I had a difficult time finding one because, even though I sorted by time added, there were a ton of videos added in even the last few hours both for and against Paul. But, going back through the videos in the last 24 hours, I wasn't able to find anything except the MSNBC post-caucus interview. So, I decided to go over to his web site for it. It wasn't there, either. So, here's MSNBC's coverage.
I'm still a bit surprised the Giuliani didn't bother to show up in Iowa. I'm more surprised that he didn't bother addressing supporters after Iowa's results came in. The only video even closely related was of his Town Hall speech in New Hampshire, which is what he was doing during the Iowa Caucus.
Sadly, here is Chris Dodd's withdrawal speech after the caucus. I got the following email from Dodd just before 9:30 last night:
That was a good man that just dropped out of the race. I have faith that he'll continue doing fine things for our nation, though.
Here's Biden's post-caucus speech. He loves you. He really does. And Dodd. And Obama. Sadly, this was also a withdrawal speech.
For some reason, Mike Gravel is still in the race, and pretty pissed that it was reported otherwise. From how his web site frames the situation, I think that's what he would want me to post, instead of his apology for not showing up in Iowa on Caucus Day. I'm pretty sure there wasn't a post-caucus speech by him.
Over at Third Avenue, he says of Obama and Huckabee:
And listening to Barack Obama's speech later in the evening, I was struck by how similar the two were.
Both talked about working with the other side, about the little guy, about DC powerbrokers, and the establishment, and how "they" were wrong and underestimated them. Both spoke in positive hopeful, and unifying terms. Obama talked about health care, education, and the war. Both spoke like ministers. Huckabee is actually an ordained Baptist minister, Obama just sounds like one. It was very effective.
Having spent the first 8 years of my life as a Southern Baptist, I don't think Huckabee sounds anything like a Southern Baptist minister. I'm not just saying that because he didn't promise hellfire and damnation if he isn't the next POTUS, but I didn't think he was very impassioned.
I know I'm biased here, but when Huckabee mentioned God in his speech, I had flashbacks to his "Phone Call to God", which, as I've said before, offends my faith greatly. When Obama spoke of God and faith, it was soothing, and didn't feel like he was wearing his faith on his sleeve, but rather that it was a natural statement from him.
I was struck by the difference in tone between the Democrats. Hillary and Edwards gave speeches about themselves, while Obama gave a speech about "us". On top of which, Edwards made me feel like I needed anti-depressants when he spoke of the problems in America. Which was a nice setup for Obama speaking of the same problems, but in a tone of fixing them. Edwards wound up getting to the point of fixing the problems, but he was pulling the fear mongering trick to make us afraid, while Obama gave us hope.
Hillary nauseated me when she began her speech and seemed to be pretending that she'd won Iowa. I left the room, so I really don't know what she had to say.
I watched Edwards' speech first, then Hillary (which as I said - didn't watch), then Huckabee, then Obama. I didn't see any of the others.
One other thing that I found interesting was that Oprah didn't appear onstage with Obama. I think that was a smart choice. While he did use her star power to reach more voters, he's not running a campaign around it. I think I paid more attention to Chuck Norris behind Huckabee than I did to Huckabee himself. (Side note: is Norris going to the same plastic surgeon as Hillary? That frozen smile on his face was kind of horrifying)
Here are the speeches, all in one place, for your viewing pleasure (or displeasure, as the case may be).
John Edwards speaks in Des Moines after the Iowa caucuses. Change won, the status quo lost, and the fight is on to see if we're going to have the kind of change we need to save the middle class.
Note: That text was what the Edwards campaign had describing the video. Does it seem odd to anyone else that Edwards says Change won, when Change in Obama's platform and Obama won? Of course, most of us at Obama HQ were cheering Edwards during last night's speech, but the statement above could almost be read as endorsing Obama. Not that everything he said last night could be taken that way.
Alternatively, you can read the transcript for Hillary's speech, which I found while looking for the video.
I also found Obama's transcript on his blog.
Obama's campaign included the Salt Lake Tribune in their blog showing the front pages of papers this morning across the nation. Which is rather interesting, because the Trib didn't send a photographer down (that I know of) like the Deseret News did. The Trib covers Obama on a national level quite regularly, but at times like this you'd think they'd want the local story, too. I haven't seen the front page of the Deseret News, but they did feature a shot of Obama's Utah HQ party in their online article.
Oddly enough, Mike Huckabee had lots of video on his blog, but I couldn't seem to find the Iowa Caucus speech, so I had to go directly to YouTube, where his campaign hadn't posted the video, but had "favorited" someone else's posting of it.
It's interesting to me that Mitt Romney's campaign apparently asked Fox 13 not to show video of the Romney Utah HQ reaction to his "Silver Medal".
Fred Thompson doesn't have his own web site? In looking him up, all I could find was the "Friends of Fred" site. Odd.
John McCain's web site seems to be stuck in April '07, so I had to head back to YouTube again for this one. (No wonder he isn't winning)
I stuck around the YouTube site to look for Ron Paul's video. I had a difficult time finding one because, even though I sorted by time added, there were a ton of videos added in even the last few hours both for and against Paul. But, going back through the videos in the last 24 hours, I wasn't able to find anything except the MSNBC post-caucus interview. So, I decided to go over to his web site for it. It wasn't there, either. So, here's MSNBC's coverage.
I'm still a bit surprised the Giuliani didn't bother to show up in Iowa. I'm more surprised that he didn't bother addressing supporters after Iowa's results came in. The only video even closely related was of his Town Hall speech in New Hampshire, which is what he was doing during the Iowa Caucus.
Sadly, here is Chris Dodd's withdrawal speech after the caucus. I got the following email from Dodd just before 9:30 last night:
Dear Misty,
I count the past year of campaigning for the presidency as one of the most rewarding in a career of public service.
Unfortunately, I am withdrawing from that campaign tonight.
But there is no reason to hang our heads this evening -- only the opportunity to look towards a continuation of the work we started last January: ending the Iraq War, restoring the Constitution, and putting a Democrat in the White House.
I know a lot of you came to this email list through a shared desire to return our nation to one that respects the rule of law, and I want to make one thing clear to all of you:
The fight to restore the Constitution and stop retroactive immunity does not end with my Presidential campaign. FISA will come back in a few weeks and my pledge to filibuster ANY bill that includes retroactive immunity remains operative.
You've been an invaluable ally in the battle, and I'll need you to stick by my side despite tonight's caucus results.
So, one more time, thank you for all of your efforts throughout the course of this entire Presidential campaign.
We made a real difference in shaping the debate, and we'll continue to do so in the coming days, weeks and years.
I'll never forget you, and what we've fought for, together, over the past year.
Chris Dodd
That was a good man that just dropped out of the race. I have faith that he'll continue doing fine things for our nation, though.
Here's Biden's post-caucus speech. He loves you. He really does. And Dodd. And Obama. Sadly, this was also a withdrawal speech.
For some reason, Mike Gravel is still in the race, and pretty pissed that it was reported otherwise. From how his web site frames the situation, I think that's what he would want me to post, instead of his apology for not showing up in Iowa on Caucus Day. I'm pretty sure there wasn't a post-caucus speech by him.
Obama Won! (And some thoughts on the rest of it, too)
So, I'm guessing that even considering the title of this blog, it's no news to you, gentle reader, that Obama won the Iowa caucus. (Yay!)
But, there's a slight possibility that you might not know that Dodd dropped out. Or that Biden dropped out. I hope to see Dodd for...well, something, because he rocks. And when Kucinich drops out then...Kucinich for Constitution Czar. I'm sure Biden is worthy of something, but I think I'll leave that to JM Bell (who I hope someday might see reason and come back over to the Obama camp). [See update below]
Anyway, I'm putting on a pundit hat, and telling you that I figured out why Huckabee won the Iowa Republican vote! I bet you're still scratching your head over that one. Or, well...I was, till I figured it out.
See, as I predicted earlier, there was a record number of Democrats that turned out.
So, here's a bit of punditry. I think that Huckabee won the Republican vote for one reason. Republicans and independents deserted, to have a choice in the Democratic nomination, because the Republican party has disgusted them, as of late. That meant that the "evangelical candidate" (Huckabee) still got the hardcore votes, while the rest of the votes went over to the Democratic side.
My next prediction is that McCain takes New Hampshire.
Now, it's really late and time for me to head to bed. But, I have to point out one thing to any of you who watched the speeches that were made after the results came in. There was a distinct difference between the speeches of Edwards and Clinton versus Obama's speech. Clinton got cheesy and tried to pretend she won, which made me want to throw up, so I ran for another room. I like Edwards a lot, but his speech disappointed me more than anything else he's done. He went for the Democratic version of fear mongering, telling us how bad the healthcare system is. How hopeless it is, since a young girl who needs surgery dies just as protesters convince the insurance company to pay for the surgery, and about 15 or 20 other stories just as depressing.
The other thing about both of their speeches was the number of times "I" was used. Their speeches were about themselves.
Obama's speech was so completely opposite! He talked about "we", "us" and "you" a lot, and rarely used "I". In addition, he talked about fixing the system, and said it could be done, and offered ways of fixing it. Edwards made must of us feel like it was time to check into the suicide ward, because things are just too broken and too horrid.
Ok, one other thing, and then I'm off. We had about 40 people sign up for the Watch Party, and had over 100 show up. WOW! There was a huge amount of energy in the room the entire time. Tuesday's New Hampshire Watch Party is going to be amazing! (We're having parties for all 4 early elections, as well as Super Tuesday)
If anyone has photos, please send them to me. Let me know if you need an email address.
Fired up! Ready to go!
[Update] Boy, late night blogging doesn't become me. My reference to Biden and JM Bell above should be read more as I don't know what cabinet position Biden would be best suited for, but since Bell likes him so much, he probably would have better advice on that number.
But, there's a slight possibility that you might not know that Dodd dropped out. Or that Biden dropped out. I hope to see Dodd for...well, something, because he rocks. And when Kucinich drops out then...Kucinich for Constitution Czar. I'm sure Biden is worthy of something, but I think I'll leave that to JM Bell (who I hope someday might see reason and come back over to the Obama camp). [See update below]
Anyway, I'm putting on a pundit hat, and telling you that I figured out why Huckabee won the Iowa Republican vote! I bet you're still scratching your head over that one. Or, well...I was, till I figured it out.
See, as I predicted earlier, there was a record number of Democrats that turned out.
So, here's a bit of punditry. I think that Huckabee won the Republican vote for one reason. Republicans and independents deserted, to have a choice in the Democratic nomination, because the Republican party has disgusted them, as of late. That meant that the "evangelical candidate" (Huckabee) still got the hardcore votes, while the rest of the votes went over to the Democratic side.
My next prediction is that McCain takes New Hampshire.
Now, it's really late and time for me to head to bed. But, I have to point out one thing to any of you who watched the speeches that were made after the results came in. There was a distinct difference between the speeches of Edwards and Clinton versus Obama's speech. Clinton got cheesy and tried to pretend she won, which made me want to throw up, so I ran for another room. I like Edwards a lot, but his speech disappointed me more than anything else he's done. He went for the Democratic version of fear mongering, telling us how bad the healthcare system is. How hopeless it is, since a young girl who needs surgery dies just as protesters convince the insurance company to pay for the surgery, and about 15 or 20 other stories just as depressing.
The other thing about both of their speeches was the number of times "I" was used. Their speeches were about themselves.
Obama's speech was so completely opposite! He talked about "we", "us" and "you" a lot, and rarely used "I". In addition, he talked about fixing the system, and said it could be done, and offered ways of fixing it. Edwards made must of us feel like it was time to check into the suicide ward, because things are just too broken and too horrid.
Ok, one other thing, and then I'm off. We had about 40 people sign up for the Watch Party, and had over 100 show up. WOW! There was a huge amount of energy in the room the entire time. Tuesday's New Hampshire Watch Party is going to be amazing! (We're having parties for all 4 early elections, as well as Super Tuesday)
If anyone has photos, please send them to me. Let me know if you need an email address.
Fired up! Ready to go!
[Update] Boy, late night blogging doesn't become me. My reference to Biden and JM Bell above should be read more as I don't know what cabinet position Biden would be best suited for, but since Bell likes him so much, he probably would have better advice on that number.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
327 Days and Much Hard Work
327 days ago, on February 10, many people, like myself, awaited the official announcement from Barack Obama that he would run for President of the United States.
We've done a lot in those 327 days to support Senator Obama's run, as have many other people in supporting their candidate. I've written over a hundred blogs on my.BarackObama.com about things like when Utah for Obama had it's first meeting, walked in a parade, Walked for Change, got organized, made front page news for bringing Obama to Utah, launched one of the nation's first chapters of Generation Obama, helped open the first 2008 Presidential campaign office in Utah, and so much more! (I haven't had a chance to blog about how we're making 500 to 1,000 calls a day or more)
And so, tonight, in mere hours, every ounce of work that Utah for Obama has done will show the very first fruits. We will watch from Utah Headquarters as the results of Iowa's Caucus begin to come in. I'm getting goose bumps just thinking about it!
The Iowa Watch Party begins at 6 PM, with results likely starting between 6:30 and 7, and continuing throughout the evening. Please join us at 1747 South 900 West. (You can optionally bring snack food or drinks, if you like)
Come watch history happen with us!
We've done a lot in those 327 days to support Senator Obama's run, as have many other people in supporting their candidate. I've written over a hundred blogs on my.BarackObama.com about things like when Utah for Obama had it's first meeting, walked in a parade, Walked for Change, got organized, made front page news for bringing Obama to Utah, launched one of the nation's first chapters of Generation Obama, helped open the first 2008 Presidential campaign office in Utah, and so much more! (I haven't had a chance to blog about how we're making 500 to 1,000 calls a day or more)
And so, tonight, in mere hours, every ounce of work that Utah for Obama has done will show the very first fruits. We will watch from Utah Headquarters as the results of Iowa's Caucus begin to come in. I'm getting goose bumps just thinking about it!
The Iowa Watch Party begins at 6 PM, with results likely starting between 6:30 and 7, and continuing throughout the evening. Please join us at 1747 South 900 West. (You can optionally bring snack food or drinks, if you like)
Come watch history happen with us!
Goodbye, Nerve Gas. Tooele and it's sheep won't miss you. (Now with photo)
This U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency news release (PDF warning) came out the day after Christmas (emphasis my own):
The Wired Danger Blog covers the story here.
I guess the real question is - how many other toxic substances are out there, and are they all being disposed of, and in what kind of timeframe?
Original caption: A Basque sheepherder carries a living sheep out of a brush area in Tooele County's skull valley while acdead animals lies in the foreground. Ranchers here shot 600 suffering sheep too weak to move and starving to death, March 24th (1968), bringing to about 7,000 the total number of sheep killed in the last ten days. A Utah veterinarian charged that had the Army admitted earlier that it was testing lethal nerve gas in Skull Valley, many of the sheep could have been saved.
It's rather scary that White Rocks is one of my favorite places to go camping.
U.S. Army Destroys Entire Stockpile of VX Spray Tanks
Final VX spray tank destroyed in Umatilla marks another milestone
for the Chemical Materials Agency
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. – The U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency (CMA) announced the safe destruction of the last VX nerve agent-filled spray tank in the U.S. chemical stockpile. The last of the stockpiled spray tanks were destroyed at the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (UMCDF) in Umatilla, Ore., on Monday, Dec. 24, 2007.
Spray tank disposal operations first began at the Tooele Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (TOCDF) on July 23, 2004. Out of the 1,018 original stockpile spray tanks, TOCDF was responsible for the disposal of 862 tanks. On Nov. 23, 2007, the UMCDF began to safely destroy the last 156 spray tanks which were stored at the Umatilla Chemical Depot.
CMA’s Acting Director, Dale Ormond said, “In June 2006, the last sarin-filled MC1 bomb in the U.S. stockpile was destroyed. The elimination of yet another deadly weapon, the VX TMU-28 spray tank, from the stockpile demonstrates the Army’s commitment to ridding the country of chemical weapons; and doing it safely and efficiently.”
Conrad Whyne, CMA Deputy Director added, “The Army’s hard work and dedication is once again impeccable. The people at the Umatilla Chemical Depot, Deseret Chemical Depot, TOCDF and UMCDF have been outstanding in eliminating the last of the VX spray tanks. This is a major accomplishment and an important milestone for CMA and for the country.”
The TMU-28 VX nerve agent spray tanks were bulk agent containers designed to distribute the liquid agent in an aerosol form—as a fog or mist—from an aircraft onto battlefields. They were constructed with four major components: the agent container, aircraft suspension system, tail cone section and dissemination nozzle. Each tank could hold up to 160 gallons of VX nerve agent. The U.S. military never used the VX spray tanks, or any other chemical weapons, in combat.
Mr. Ormond stated, “CMA is committed to the continued safe destruction of the remaining U.S. Stockpile—safe for our workers, the public and the environment. We are doing it right!”
The Wired Danger Blog covers the story here.
I guess the real question is - how many other toxic substances are out there, and are they all being disposed of, and in what kind of timeframe?
Original caption: A Basque sheepherder carries a living sheep out of a brush area in Tooele County's skull valley while acdead animals lies in the foreground. Ranchers here shot 600 suffering sheep too weak to move and starving to death, March 24th (1968), bringing to about 7,000 the total number of sheep killed in the last ten days. A Utah veterinarian charged that had the Army admitted earlier that it was testing lethal nerve gas in Skull Valley, many of the sheep could have been saved.
It's rather scary that White Rocks is one of my favorite places to go camping.
Veteran Spook's Wish List for Prez Candidates
After what feels like a thousand years of campaigning, the presidential election kicks off in earnest today, with the Iowa caucuses. Michael Tanji, who spent nearly two decades as an intelligence officer, tells us what he'd like to see in a candidate...
- Vetoing defense spending bills that contain (or directing agencies to ignore) any earmarks. At the start of the long war would be a good time to send a strong, clear signal to a pork-crazed Congress that this is indeed war -- and that we're going to make war-related spending decisions based on what the troops need and what their leaders feel is essential; not what some constituent-contractor back in the home district thinks will boost the bottom line.
- Purging the intelligence community of long-time incumbents and golden-handcuffed dinosaurs. The people who presided over the greatest intelligence failures of the last generation and who continue to prepare for wars that will never come need to make way for the baggage-less generation. No one has led these communities through an intelligence-driven war, so their departure is no
loss.
There are quite a few of them posted over at Wired, but this is my favorite (I think):
- Protecting what is truly secret and dispensing with what is not. Over-classification and abuse of the classification system is rampant, which means we spend too much time protecting information of dubious value. Enlarge the Information Security Oversight Office and enhance their capability and authority to produce and enforce a sensible and effective classification policy.
To this list, I would have to add:
Restoring the Constitution is vital to America's health. With the "changes" that Bush has made, America is no longer "Land of the free, home of the brave." A specific plan detailing what restoring the Constitution is a must.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
