And this time we went RIGHT to the TOP!

So for the second time in 3 weeks I’ve climbed Mt. Arrowsmith, only this time I was with three other family members, Bill, Linda and Cliff, and we hiked all the way to the top of Mt. Coakley! It was awesome… a little hairy in spots, you’ll see some of the sections were we had to do a little clinging on the rock but it was only maybe 50 feet in the end, so it was well worth the temporary fright!

Enjoy!

Chris

Kevin Drum at the excellent Washington Monthly says:

So: if you do believe we can win in Iraq, let’s hear what you mean by “win” and how you think we can do it, and let’s hear it in clear and compelling declarative sentences. “Stay the course” isn’t enough. What Bush is doing now obviously isn’t working, so what would you do that’s significantly different?

Conversely, if you don’t believe we can win in Iraq, and you’re only suggesting we stay there because you can’t stand the thought of “looking weak,” then your moral compass needs some serious adjustment.

He has really hit the nail on the head.

I haven’t actually heard a definitive explanation of what “winning” in Iraq is for months… and I don’t think I’ve *ever* heard a concrete and detailed “plan” of how to do it besides “the Iraqi people will have elections and write a constitution”. That’s nice talk… but as we have seen over the past 2 years, it’s not quite enough.

And of course.. we knew this before, but for some reason the US Administration chose not to listen to us, or it’s own State Department.

The State Department officials, who had been discussing the issues with top military officers at the Central Command, noted that the military was reluctant “to take on ‘policing’ roles” in Iraq after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. The three officials warned that “a failure to address short-term public security and humanitarian assistance concerns could result in serious human rights abuses which would undermine an otherwise successful military campaign, and our reputation internationally.“

BINGO

It’s as if no one was listening.

So again, I ask. If you don’t believe the US must set a timetable to withdraw ALL of it’s forces in Iraq within the next year, then what, pray-tell is your strategy.

Average gas prices in Canada is currently over $1/L …. it’s 1.05/L in my town….

That’s equivalent to around $3/US Gallon….

In Europe it’s around $4/L.

The cause?

A Terrorist attack on US warships in Jordan.

Fires in Venezuela.

Unrest in Ecuador and Nigeria.

Can you believe Oil could also be at the root of the ongoing, and ignored, crisis in Darfur?

Of course the people in power know that much of the worlds problems stem from resource wars… but when will the people who SUPPORT those corrupt and dishonest government wake up to the fact that they are being lead astray? Or are they corrupt themselves?

…. stop to think about how that Gas got to your local station.

Take, for example, the current situation in Ecuador, where unrest in the oil producing regions has caused the government to send in the Army and stop all oil exports from the country.

Why the unrest? “Free Market reforms” that were supposed to “help” the Ecuadorean economy to modernize and grow have ended up benefit the rich rather than the poor. Imagine that.

Do we need any more reasons to start taking Alternative Energy research seriously?

No? Not enough, how about Nigeria? The largest oil exporter in Africa.

The US EIA latest report says,

Security problems in Nigeria increased with the exit of its military dictatorship

Whoda thunk?!

In December 2004, militants took 75 oil workers hostage in the Niger Delta region, attacking several oil flow stations and gasoline stations and calling for better infrastructure and welfare for the local population. In February 2005, Nigerian security forces killed up to ten unarmed Ugborodo protestors at the Escravos oil terminal. Members of the Ugborodo community entered the facility following failed negotiations with ChevronTexaco regarding employment issues.

Where do you buy your gas from?

It’s time for things to REALLY change… and more and more I think that the only way that WILL happen is for you and me, the real citizens of our respective countries to stand up like these brave people in far away and destitute lands.

Surely if they can do it on less than $1 a day we can do it… right?