Marijuana Abuse

Parents, here's an excellent example for your kids as to what long term Marijauna Abuse can do to your brain.

Saturday Garden Blogging

This is my largest garden area. My yard is chopped up a bit and bordered by fruit trees. I needed to leave space fvor the dogs to run and you can see their trails around the garden.


As I mentioned last year, I decided to try more trellising to get some vertical space ouf my garden. Along the fencing, I planted cucumbers, climbing beans, squash and tomatoes.

In the front I have leaf lettuce and cabbage. That's the faint greenery.

The rest is filled in with mostly bush beans, peppers and eggplant.

In the foreground here is more beans and cucumbers. In the center are thornless blackberries. I planted them this year. I expect them to take this section over in the future.

There's also a row of horseradish here that is just coming back up from last year.

In the back is corn, climbing beans, squash, melons and poke salat. Most of the greenery is vegetable leaf amaranth. This back section is intended partly to provide greens for my chickens.


Here's a shot of some of my birds. The rooster on the right is getting a bit too mean and may not survive the weekend.

Ok, I'm gonna go hang out in the backyard, and pretend out I'm living in the country, instead of a Dallas suburb... :)

Rat Poison / Anti-Cancer Drug In Pet Foods

According to CNN, rat poison was identified in the pet foods that have been killing so many cats and dogs of late.

Aminopterin is the culprit. Already Wikipedia has an update.

It seems that wheat used in the pet products came from China and the rat poison was probably applied there.

I assume that the wheat used in these pet foods went into a variety of other food products.

Time will tell.

More On Pet Foods

Update!!!!!

Peanut crops are being genetically modified to carry the toxin, Bt.

A Peanut Pest Showdown

Symptoms of Bt Poisoning.


**********************************************************************

Here's a link to the manufacturer's site.
They are now saying that it's the chunks in gravy style canned foods that are killing the pets. The 'binder' is the suspected culprit.

And that scares me quite a bit.

As FlyingMonkeyWarrior pointed out, Monsanto is under fire with the EU over their poisonous genetically modified potatoes. These potatoes have been modified to produce the Bt toxin. Its a pesticide produced by Bt Bacteria, that kills insects when they consume it.

Without doing any studies on the effects this natural pesticide has on animals or humans, Monsanto and the FDA agreed that it was safe to feed it to animals and humans. They assumed that this pesticide was safe to eat, probably because it is natural, like nicotine, cyanide or digitalis. Or maybe they just wanted to save money and skip testing.

The Bt gene has so far been introduced into canola, potatoes, corn, wheat and rice. It may well have been introduced into many other food plants.

Although Monsanta has recalled their potato seed containing the Bt gene, there is the real possibility that other potato crops have been contaminated. There is no way to know, as it is illegal to test crops for GM contamination. Monsanto was pretty smart in getting ahead of this issue and lobbying Congress to pass legislation that would protect them in the future, in case their experiments went wrong. If you can't legally prove that Monsanto genes have polluted your crop, then you can't sue them for polluting your crop.

Now what leads us to potatoes and the Bt issue? Well, Bt poisoning in rats is remarkably similar to the effects we're seeing here.

And the 'binder'? What is that? Well, typically its mostly made of starch. Starch is a natural glue and thickener, used in a huge array of food products. Starch is a common chemical found in plants. Plants use it to store energy in, that then later gets converted to sugars. Potatoes are loaded with starch and are a good source of this compound for the food market.

Starch also comes from wheat and corn. Both of which are also being polluted with the Bt gene in open pollination. Essentially, the gene goes where the wind blows.

So are we now getting Bt poisoning from starch? Are Chicken McNuggets laced with Bt? How about Chicken Fried Steaks? What items on our grocery shelves are now laced with Bt contaminated ingredients?

Or is it something else?

Frankly, I am worried about how this is going to turn out. Even if there is no GMO connection, there can still be a danger here to human health. Pet foods are made of the same stuff that human foods are made of. If a tainted ingredient is in a pet food, it's probably in a TV dinner or a can of soup also.

In the news, I've yet to see anyone point out, that this contamination could also be in food products intended for human consumption. But I imagine that many pet owners have already thought about this.

I believe that this story will be with us for a while.

**********************************************************************

P.S. For Mort

Here is the ingredient list for Jiffy Peanut Butter:

Ingredients

MADE FROM ROASTED PEANUTS AND SUGAR. CONTAINS 2 PERCENT OR LESS OF: MOLASSES, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL (SOYBEAN), FULLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OILS (RAPESEED AND SOYBEAN), MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES AND SALT.

Rapeseed is Canola. Its a crop that has been thoroughly polluted by Monsanto. Perhaps the Peanut Butter contains Bt from Canola Oil?

Here's a link to articles and videos about Perry Schmeiser, a farmer who was nearly wiped out when Monsanto polluted his canola crop, then sued him for allowing them to polluted his fields.

GMOs In Pet Foods?

Mass recall of dog and cat food after pets die

The cause of these deaths is still unknown. The current theory is that its something in the wheat.

Now over the last ten years or so, we seen a lot of changes in genetic engineering. And we've seen troubling legislation. It is illegal to test for GMOs and to report them in cases where cross pollination contamination occurs. We also know that an array of medications, some of which can cause liver and kidney failure, are now being grown in food crops.

Farmers have known for centuries that wheat and corn spread their DNA through wind blown pollen.

Is this the first huge scandal to come from this practice?

What People Who don't Fact Check, Believe....

This is an example of emails I get from family in Oklahoma. I got this one yesterday.

**********************************************************************

A New Direction Means What?

*The Democrats' new promise "A New Direction For America - Vote Democratic" **

**The stock market is at a new all-time high and America 's 401 K's are back. A new direction from there means, what?

**Unemployment is at 25 year lows. A new direction from there means, what?

**Taxes are at 20 year lows. A new direction from there means,what? **



**Federal tax revenues are at all-time highs. A new direction from there means, what? **



**The Federal deficit is down almost 50%, just as predicted over last year. A new direction from there means what?



**Inflation is in check, hovering at 20 year lows. A new direction from there means, what? **



**Not a single terrorist attack on US soil since 9/11/01. A new direction from there means, what? **



**Osama bin Laden is living under a rock in a dark cave, having not surfaced in years, if he's alive at all, while 95% of Al Queda's top dogs are either dead or in custody, cooperating with US Intel. A new direction from there means, what? **



**Several major terrorist attacks already thwarted by US and British Intel, including the recent planned attack involving 10 Jumbo Jets being exploded in mid-air over major US cities in order to celebrate the anniversary of the 9/11/01 attacks. A new direction from there means, what? **



**Just as President Bush foretold us on a number of occasions, Iraq was to be made "ground zero" for the war on terrorism -- and just as President Bush said they would, terrorist cells from all over the region are arriving from the shadows of their hiding places and flooding into Iraq in order to get their faces blown off by US Marines rather than boarding planes and heading to the United States to wage war on us here. A new direction from there means, what? **



**Now let me see, do I have this right? I can expect: **

**a.. The economy to go South **

**b.. Illegals to go North **

**c.. Taxes to go Up **

**d.. Employment to go Down **

**e.. Terrorism to come **

**f.. **Tax breaks to go Out **

**g.. Social Security to go away **

**h.. Health Care to go the same way gas prices have gone.



**But what the heck! I can gain comfort by knowing that Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Edward Kennedy, Howard Dean, Harry Reid, and Barak Obama have worked hard to create a comprehensive National Security Plan, Health Care Plan, Immigration Reform Plan, Gay Rights Plan, Same Sex Marriage Plan, Abortion On Demand Plan, Tolerance of Everyone and Everything Plan, How to Return all Troops to the U.S. in The Next Six Months Plan, A Get Tough Plan, adapted from the French Plan by the same name and a How Everyone Can Become as Wealthy as We Are Plan. Oh, and I almost forgot the No More Katrina Storm Plan. **



**Now I know why I feel good after the elections. I am going to be able to sleep soooooo much better at nights knowing these dedicated politicians are thinking of me and my welfare. **



**Please pass this good news along to all of your friends so they can also feel better.**





Subject:
Fwd: New Direction for 2007
From:
Charles Kosub
Date:
Sun, 14 Jan 2007 19:16:08 -0800 (PST)
To:
agrissom , Doyle Chapman , Davebetty48 , Dick Davis , Mike Davis , johnhardisty , rbwalk , Szczep Sr



Note: forwarded message attached.


Subject:
New Direction for 2007
From:
CLAYREED1@aol.com
Date:
Sun, 14 Jan 2007 15:05:21 EST
To:
2birds@ruraltel.net, rabuntin@verizon.net, Falliniii@aol.com, JMGuenther@aol.com, FEWAHILL@aol.com, RGHOCH@ieee.org, thhoover@charter.net, suzanne_knight81@msn.com, ckosub@sbcglobal.net, MAMGPM@aol.com, lomarino@yahoo.com, MAAPLEAF@aol.com, 2MEADS@GBTA.NET, hankott@msn.com, Soaplake24@aol.com, MartinRinghofer@aol.com, rossman_73401@yahoo.com, mshadid@outdrs.net, PASJS3@NETZERO.COM, MllyTodd@aol.com

SOMEBODY PASSED THIS ON TO ME.

(DEFINITELY A REPUBLICAN)

BUT SOME INTERESTING OBSERVATIONS.

A New Direction Means What?

*The Democrats' new promise "A New Direction For America - Vote Democratic" **

**The stock market is at a new all-time high and America's 401 K's are back. A new direction from there means, what?

**Unemployment is at 25 year lows. A new direction from there means, what?

**Taxes are at 20 year lows. A new direction from there means,what? **

**Federal tax revenues are at all-time highs. A new direction from there means, what? **

**The Federal deficit is down almost 50%, just as predicted over last year. A new direction from there means what?

**Inflation is in check, hovering at 20 year lows. A new direction from there means, what? **

**Not a single terrorist attack on US soil since 9/11/01. A new direction from there means, what? **

**Osama bin Laden is living under a rock in a dark cave, having not surfaced in years, if he's alive at all, while 95% of Al Queda's top dogs are either dead or in custody, cooperating with US Intel. A new direction from there means, what? **

**Several major terrorist attacks already thwarted by US and British Intel, including the recent planned attack involving 10 Jumbo Jets being exploded in mid-air over major US cities in order to celebrate the anniversary of the 9/11/01 attacks. A new direction from there means, what? **

**Just as President Bush foretold us on a number of occasions, Iraq was to be made "ground zero" for the war on terrorism -- and just as President Bush said they would, terrorist cells from all over the region are arriving from the shadows of their hiding places and flooding into Iraq in order to get their faces blown off by US Marines rather than boarding planes and heading to the United States to wage war on us here. A new direction from there means, what? **

**Now let me see, do I have this right? I can expect: **

**a.. The economy to go South **

**b.. Illegals to go North **

**c.. Taxes to go Up **

**d.. Employment to go Down **

**e.. Terrorism to come **

**f.. **Tax breaks to go Out **

**g.. Social Security to go away **

**h.. Health Care to go the same way gas prices have gone.


**But what the heck! I can gain comfort by knowing that Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Edward Kennedy, Howard Dean, Harry Reid, and Barak Obama have worked hard to create a comprehensive National Security Plan, Health Care Plan, Immigration Reform Plan, Gay Rights Plan, Same Sex Marriage Plan, Abortion On Demand Plan, Tolerance of Everyone and Everything Plan, How to Return all Troops to the U.S. in The Next Six Months Plan, A Get Tough Plan, adapted from the French Plan by the same name and a How Everyone Can Become as Wealthy as We Are Plan. Oh, and I almost forgot the No More Katrina Storm Plan. **

**Now I know why I feel good after the elections. I am going to be able to sleep soooooo much better at nights knowing these dedicated politicians are thinking of me and my welfare. **

**Please pass this good news along to all of your friends so they can also feel better.**

The Second Commandment Republicans

Hat tip to Atrios.

The Second Commandment Republicans

Thursday, Mar. 15, 2007 By JOE KLEIN

"I'm a 'grace' Christian," Huckabee told me over lunch recently, "not a 'law' Christian. The Second Commandment--do unto others--is the basic tenet of my faith. And so I believe that life begins at conception, but I don't believe it ends at birth. I believe we have a responsibility to feed the hungry, to provide a good education, a safe neighborhood, health care ... That's why I talk so much about the need for music and art programs in our schools. I know some conservatives think it's foolish, but I just believe it's necessary to build whole, creative individuals."


Who knew that the Golden Rule was the second commandment? This is earth shattering news. Someone alert the Pope?

And why would he even consider that life ends at birth? Does this say something about the Republican psyche?

I can imagine a Republican saying to a newborn, "Dude, congratulations on being born. I hope you enjoyed your stay in womb. But now, you belong to Emperor Bush. You life is over. You'd better grow up fast, there's a pair of National Guard boots with your name on them, just waiting to get soaked in the blood stained sands of the Middle East."

I guess its a good thing that unlike other Republicans, he doesn't think life ends at birth.

Local News

This fatal shooting occurred a few houses down the street from where I live.

My street was blocked off when I got home.

My wife asked an officer what was up, "Is there anything to worry about?" He replied, "No Ma'am, just a man walking around with a gun."

My wife said he was parked in front of our house a for a time, and when she went out with the dogs to take down his license number, he drove off.

The story we first heard, was that he was a hispanic high on drugs, wandering the neighborhood. I think that rumour said a bit about the neighbor who made it up...

James Knodell Leaps Upon His Sword!

I think this guy will be the next contestant in the game show, "Who's That ScapeGoat?!"

Also, Valerie Plame testifies about the day her cover as a Covert Officer for the CIA was blown by the White House.

The happenings today have been so good, I've forgotten a couple of times, that my wife will be cooking up Corned Beef and Cabbage tomorrow.

Not even work has been able to distract me from thoughts of spicy boiled cabbage, beef, carrots and potatoes, all smothered in mustard and horseradish with a side of cornbread and a Guinness Stout to wash it all down with.

And if you drink to much tomorrow, remember that the line, "May the road rise up to meet you." is referring to the notion of safe and easy travels. It doesn't mean those times when you're so pissed its smacking you in the face.

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Halliburton And Dubai

As you all know by now, Halliburton is moving to Dubai. Soon an Arab Based Corporation will be paid billions to support US troops in a war against Arabs.

I looked for negative commentary on the CNN web site and didn't find any. I did find an article entitled, Halliburton opening Dubai headquarters.

David Lesar says, "At this point in time we clearly see there are greater opportunities in the Eastern Hemisphere than the Western Hemisphere." Well no duh! They've already sucked the US dry. All parasites leave a dead host.

And lets not forget that there are no extradition treaties between Dubai and the US.

Add in this little comment, "In contrast, a slide in natural gas prices in the United States has prompted investor concern that oil and gas companies might cut back on spending in North America.", and we can see the writing on the wall.

The Carlyle Group moved to Dubai in November 2006. KBR is rumored to have moved to the Carribean.

I think its clear now that if you're rich, there are better places to be than in the US. If you're doing international business the place to be is in the Arab World. Western Nations are not as good as Arab nations.

In the US over the last few years, we've lost DOW, DuPont, and many others. We're seeing the meltdown of the lending and mortgage industry happening before our very eyes. Without debt based casino style financing industries, the US doesn't have a lot going for it. GM and Ford are even now swirling the toilet bowl.

I wonder how long people will continue to shout that we have the best country ever? At this point, I'm not seeing it. And clearly, most international corporations don't want to do business here either. Business travelers now rate the US as one of the worst nations in the world to meet for shows and conferences because of extreme hassles at our airports and the fear that they will be taken away to be tortured. So European, Asian and Middle Eastern cities are now becoming the favored places to meet, even for US businesses. People no longer come to us, we have to go to them. In other news , travel for tourism in the US is down 17%. Who wants their vacation interrupted by a secret flight into Libya to be tortured for six months?

In my search, I did find articles on the CNN web site telling me what wonderful places there were to visit in the United Arab Emigrates. Evidently, Dubai and the surrounding cities are heavenly places. CNN is in love.

There is some criticism of Halliburton moving to Dubai, but I expect it to calm a bit. What;s the big deal in paying out gigantic military contracts to an Arab Corporation to aid us in killing Arabs? Why does it matter? They can keep records on all of our US Servicemen just as easily on computers in the Arab world as at home. Folks that need to can still access those records over the Internet, right? Why shouldn't Arabs be given full access to our military service records? Why shouldn't Arabs know intimate details of our logistical operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and soon, Iran?

Mortgage Imploder

This site was linked on CFN. i thought I'd repost it here, so I can remember it.

The Mortgage Lender Implode-O-Meter

The Walter Reed Solution...

The Army is ordering injured troops to go to Iraq

At Fort Benning, soldiers who were classified as medically unfit to fight are now being sent to war. Is this an isolated incident or a trend?

By Mark Benjamin

March 11, 2007 | COLUMBUS, Ga. -- "This is not right," said Master Sgt. Ronald Jenkins, who has been ordered to Iraq even though he has a spine problem that doctors say would be damaged further by heavy Army protective gear. "This whole thing is about taking care of soldiers," he said angrily. "If you are fit to fight you are fit to fight. If you are not fit to fight, then you are not fit to fight."

As the military scrambles to pour more soldiers into Iraq, a unit of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Benning, Ga., is deploying troops with serious injuries and other medical problems, including GIs who doctors have said are medically unfit for battle. Some are too injured to wear their body armor, according to medical records.

continued...

Change In Seasons

The first signs of spring are here. Garlic left from last year has resprouted. My asparagus is beginning to show. I enjoyed a wonderful and warm weekend, in which to continue my gardening. Tonight we're expecting thunderstorms! Perfect!


Here's a pic of my pear tree.


This is my peach tree.

What We Are

Thank You FlyingMonkeyWarrrior!

Binding Resolution

SENATE DEMOCRATS ANNOUNCE JOINT RESOLUTION TO TRANSITION THE MISSION IN IRAQ

Washington, DC — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid today joined Assistant Democratic Leader Dick Durbin, Democratic Conference Vice Chairman Charles Schumer, Democratic Conference Secretary Patty Murray, Senator Russ Feingold, and Senator Evan Bayh to announce a new Joint Resolution to revise U.S. policy on Iraq. Iraq has fallen into a bloody civil war, and as conditions on the ground have changed so must U.S. policy change to meet them.

The Reid Joint Resolution builds on the longstanding Democratic position on Iraq and the Levin-Reed Amendment: the current conflict in Iraq requires a political solution, Iraq must take responsibility for its own future, and our troops should not be policing a civil war. It contains binding language to direct the President to transition the mission for U.S. forces in Iraq and begin their phased redeployment within one-hundred twenty days with a goal of redeploying all combat forces by March 31, 2008. A limited number of troops would remain for the purposes of force protection, training and equipping Iraqi troops, and targeted counter-terror options. A full description of the Reid Joint Resolution is attached to this release.

"The President's strategy in Iraq is not working, and Congress must decide whether to follow his failed policies or whether to change course," said Senator Reid. "Democrats believe, as does an overwhelming majority of the American people, that the time has come to transition the mission of U.S. forces in Iraq. Hopefully, Senate Republicans will now join Democrats and the American people in calling for a change in course. They must put doing the right thing above protecting the President."

"Democrats are united when it comes to changing our mission in Iraq," said Senator Schumer. "What's happened here is that Iraq has devolved into a Civil War. And that's not what we bargained for. That's why Democrats believe we should change the mission from policing a civil war to focusing on counter-terrorism. We want 2007 to be a year of transition. The focus should now be on our own plan to focus on counter-terrorism. Our goal is to ratchet-up the pressure on the President to change course."

"Democrats are united in our commitment to changing course in Iraq. We heard the American people and our military leaders. We heard our troops and their families. It's time to plan to end a war that this Administration has failed to effectively prepare for and execute. I urge our Republican colleagues to stand united with us in changing course in Iraq," Senator Murray said.

Senate Republicans have twice blocked the Senate from even debating the President's policies in Iraq and have given a green light to the President's escalation plan. Last November, the American people made a clear call for a new direction, and Democrats are committed to bringing stability to Iraq and bringing our troops home from a civil war.

Wasted?

Buried inside of this article, McCain Announces He'll Run for President we find, "In February, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama described the lives of troops in Iraq as having been "wasted" but then apologized a day later for making what he called "a slip of the tongue" that he said was not meant to diminish their sacrifice."

There's been much ado over McCain's announcement that he's going to announce an announcement of his intention to run for the presidency.

But this bit on Obama taking back his comments on wasted lives, seems a bit like pandering.

I understand that the families of our slain veterans don't want to hear that their loved one's lives were wasted in this war, but is that better than saying they died for an unspecified 'Noble Cause'? What 'Noble Cause'?

If you give money for a product or service you don't receive, then generally you will agree that your money has been wasted.

Our young people in uniform are dying and being maimed, and we don't even know why. The 'Noble Cause' that they are dying for, has no definition. It's just two words strung together to form an empty phrase.

Its not clear how the US even benefits from the ongoing war in Iraq. So how can we even say they are dying for their country? They aren't. They are dying as part of a joint mercenary venture, to protect Halliburton's colonial interests in Iraq.

Our boys and girls are not dying for a noble cause, they are dying to slake the greed of rich men that don't give a fuck about them.

Then again, maybe I'm being harsh. Cheney and friends are making money off their deaths. So Cheney wouldn't exactly say their lives were wasted. He's at least able to enjoy lobster dinners and fine wines, in return for their sacrifices.

The Markets Soared!

From CNN yesterday we learned that the DOW soared 100 pts, but closed a bit down. How many points? The DOW rose 52 points.

Not bad, the PPT got things back under control, though it looks like they really had to work at it.

In other news, the White House was only kidding when they circulated rumors that they might try diplomacy in limiting the violence in Iraq, by opening up talks between Syria and Iran.

Its classic White House propaganda. They float a hint out there, that they are going to try to move in a positive direction, then pull the rug, while blaming someone else for their unwillingness to change. Our White House doesn't do diplomacy. They never will. They like the war too much. But rumors are good delaying tactics. They have a lot of them left.

And Finally, something that causes discomfort. Crooks and Liars posted a link to this photo and started a small controversy.

Some say that these people should not be exploited or their picture shared. But if we dig deeper we learn that the couple themselves posted the pictures. That they entered the pictures into a photo competition. They won in the World Press Photo Awards for 2007.

Some say the photographer should've been fired for taking the photos. Others say that they feel uncomfortable with the photos, so they shouldn't be post on the internet. Some say its wrong to use such photos to show the cost of war.

If these photos make you feel uncomfortable, how do you think this couple feels? That young man sure felt discomfort when he was burning alive. He'll feel discomfort, all the rest of his life. Why should we, who sent him off to his fate, be comfortable?

When our nation rallied for war, this is what they wanted. Its not a fucking video game. When you holler for war, you want this to happen to our boys. You want American Soldiers to be killed or maimed. Our nation collectively decided that maiming this man was worth it.

Some might rationalize their love for war and tell us that they aren't supporting the bad parts of war, just the good parts. Dammit, Ty Ziegel shows us that war doesn't have good parts. War is all about try to beating a nation down while thousands or millions of people die or end up like Ty Ziegel. What happened to Ty Ziegel is the point of war.

War is not a fucking buffet where you pick the parts you like. Its a package deal. If you want war, you want more Ty Ziegels.

Now I don't know how you could even keep Ty Ziegel hidden away for ever. His picture may make you uncomfortable. But even if we had a law that said that our wounded veterans could not be photographed, we'll still see them at restaurants or in line at the supermarket. Though I suppose that managers could refuse to serve them.

If Ty's picture bothers you. Get fucking used to it. Bush is working to make sure that the world has many more Ty Ziegels for you to look at for the rest of your life. They will be everywhere you go.

And if you support the war, next time you see a maimed veteran, tell him or her that you wanted this to happen to them. Because that's what you asked for, when you asked for war.