It seems that what we now consider corrupt, the doling out of public resources and assets to special interests and supporters, was actually the norm until some time after the Second World War, when the responsibilities of public officials, especially our Representative in Congress, to actually serve the public interest were re-enforced by a series of civil rights laws and accountability measures.

So, in a sense, we're not far removed from the establishment of popular rule and the realization of public servants who actually serve the public. Which probably accounts, in large part, for the persistence of the old pattern of Congress allocating funds on the basis of political considerations and their continued inability to get annual appropriations done on time.

And no, it's not going to be fixed by firing the two top guys, Michael Wynne and Michael Mosely, for failing to be properly attentive to the disposition and storage of our nuclear arsenal. Indeed, the response, getting rid of personnel, may well be symptomatic of the real problem--an increasing reliance on machines and electronics in preference to people on the ground.

Calling Guam a Pacific Paradise is perhaps a bit over-blown. This island, at the southern end of the Mariana chain, is reported to have lost much of its native fauna to the predations of the brown snake and one third of its territory is already under the jurisdiction of the United States military. But it could be a paradise, especially if future military activity is more protective of the environment than it has been in the past. We surely don't want to see a repetition of what's happened to Tarawa, one of the 24 small islands that make up the Republic of Kiribati.

SOURCE: Air Force Space Command Public Affairs

Gen. Kehler visits "impressive" Airmen at New Boston Air Force Station

by Ed White

Air Force Space Command Public Affairs

5/29/2008 - NEW BOSTON Air Force Station, N.H. -- During a visit to the 23rd Space Operations Squadron, May 19 and 20, Gen. C. Robert Kehler, commander, Air Force Space Station, took some time to sit down and talk to the Airmen running the station about a number of issues. Quality of life, the future need for space expertise and physical fitness requirements were issues on the mind of the workforce.

BY: Bob Perry, Dem Rep for Strafford, Dist. 3

My seatmates in the house are Naida Kean, Chair of the House Science, Technology and Energy Committee; and Bill Chase, member of the same committee. It has been my pleasure to share the floor of the house for two session years with such good and committed Democratic state representatives who have worked in concert to succesfully pass important environmental legislation. Naida invited me to tour the above-entitled facility knowing of my lifelong interest in environmental matters. It is safe to say green technology is booming around the globe, in no way attributable in the United States to the leadership of Mr. Bush, but driven only by the record-high cost of crude oil, offering enormous opportunities for employment and profit in green technologies. The tour consisted of a slide show and physical tour of the new plant.

Valley News editorial published 4/27/08:

Self-Service In Concord
Restricting the Voter List

Democrats and Republicans in the New Hampshire Legislature don't agree on much, but the spirit of bipartisanship is alive and well when it comes to securing privileges for themselves at the expense of the public.Witness the hijacking of the statewide voter list that unfolded recently in Concord, where everyone seems to agree that political parties, committees and candidates are entitled to information that is denied to ordinary citizens. This is self-service, if not public service, at its finest.

The House and Senate have now agreed on legislation that seeks to remedy the defects in an earlier attempt to expropriate this data for partisan purposes. That earlier version provided access to the centralized voter registration database only to major political parties -- that is, Republicans and Democrats. Libertarians took exception, and in November a Merrimack County Superior Court judge agreed that it was unconstitutional, although not before the state Democratic Party had resold the list to presidential candidates for $65,000 each.

CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE — A clear majority of New Hampshire voters favor legislation to reduce the penalties for the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use, according to a recent poll. The poll of 625 registered voters was conducted by telephone April 7 to 8 by Mason-Dixon Research for the Marijuana Policy Project and NH Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy.

By a resounding 53-34 percent margin, New Hampshire voters support "a change in the law to provide for a $100 fine without jail time for those who possess an ounce or less of marijuana for personal use."

Current New Hampshire law is one of the harshest in the nation, carrying the potential for a year in jail and a $2,000 fine for small quantities of marijuana. By contrast, driving under the influence of alcohol in New Hampshire does not carry the possibility of jail or prison time for the first offense.

A bill to reduce penalties for possessing one-quarter ounce or less of marijuana passed the New Hampshire House but faces uncertainty in the Senate, based partially on the opposition of Gov. John Lynch.

SOURCE: Foster's Daily Democrat

Making the prison prosper: Developers of defunct Navy facility convene in closed forum

By ROBERT M. COOK

Article Date: Tuesday, April 15, 2008

DURHAM — Luxury condominiums, a high-tech office park or even a new correctional facility represent some of the potential new uses for the 100-year-old prison at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine.

As many as 40 to 50 prospective developers from the Seacoast and elsewhere will converge Wednesday on the New England Center for an all-day forum where they can learn more about lease process, according to Deputy Shipyard Commander David Kelly.

As you may have noticed, it's my impression that the Air Force is an agency in search of a mission. Playing baby-sitter for our nuclear weapons is turning out to be a drag and "driving" drones carrying bombs and missiles over Iraq from consoles in Nevada doesn't seem to be particularly exciting either.

But, there's a new venue on the horizon. Cyber space. The Air Force is going to extend its dominion over land, sea, air and outer space to cyber space. And, the headquarters may be coming to a base near you, soon.

The New Hampshire High Technology Council is one of the regional groups working on the Hanscom proposal.

“The New Hampshire High Technology Council would welcome the center as another indication that New England is the premier technology sector in the country,” said Fred Kocher, president of NHHTC. “Right now, we are competing with Silicon Valley, the Triangle in the Carolinas and Austin, Texas, for that honor.”

Somehow I think when I post diaries here they ought to be connected to New Hampshire. So, in response to a question the other day about why I focus on the Air Force, let me explain why I pay attention to what's going on up in the air.

When we lived in NH year-round back in the '70s, Pease was still a SAC base, the "Peace is our Profession" guys who took a mushroom cloud with wings as an icon of their mission. Once a year we took our kids to the open house at the base so they could get a closer look at the planes that seemed to consider our fields as the landmark where they turned for their practice landings, especially on the weekends.

CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE — A letter from Manchester mayor and likely gubernatorial candidate Frank Guinta shocked political observers after being reported in today's Union-Leader. In the letter, Guinta asked State Rep. David Scannell (D-Manchester) to resign from his position as spokesman for the Manchester school district after voting in the 193-141 majority for HB 1623, a bill reducing the penalty for possession of one-quarter ounce of marijuana to a violation punishable by a $200 fine.

According to the Union-Leader, Guinta said it was inappropriate for Scannell to support the bill because "he interacts with kids on a daily basis." This logic caused many to wonder if Guinta realizes that most of the 193 legislators who voted for the bill have children of their own, and if he thinks these individuals are now unfit to interact with their own children.

"I'm pretty sure none of these 193 representatives considered their vote to be a vote in favor of marijuana use," explained Matt Simon, executive director of the New Hampshire Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy. "And in fact, 40 of these 193 representatives were Republicans, three of whom represent Manchester — did Mayor Guinta take time to ask any of these individuals what prompted them to support the measure?"

What They’re Saying: The International Community on the U.S.

The Chinese report cites rising violent crime in the US as posing a serious threat to the lives, liberty and personal security of its people.
The foreign ministry said the US should stop posing as a rights watchdog and concentrate on its own problems.
“Stop exercising double standards on human rights issues and wrongly meddling in the internal affairs of other countries,” said ministry spokesman Qin Gang.
Sudan also rejected the criticism from the State Department
Sudan accused the United States of hypocrisy over the rights report, citing Guantanamo Bay, the Abu Ghraib prison scandal in Iraq and the suppression of “racial and religious minorities and the Muslims” in the United States as examples of U.S. abuses.
And so did Russia.
The ministry said the report reflected the “double standards” of a country it claimed uses human rights as a “foreign policy tool” while balking at scrutiny of its own actions.

Michigan and Florida in Modern Times
by Bob Franken, March 10, 2008 |

Actually, by "We", I mean "Me" but what the hell. By "Opportunity" I mean the chance to be unbound by the old-fashioned ways of solving this idiotic dillema.
About the most adventurous idea they're discussing beyond the traditional voting booth or caucus is a postcard primary.

Wowee-zowee! Is that edgy or what? Actually the word that more comes to mind is "timid". Isn't it time we started thinking outside the ballot box?

Actually, there are some alternatives in plain sight, particularly if you watch Fox network during primetime.

I'm thinking, of course, of American Idol. Instead of a debate, each candidate performs his and her song-and-dance. Rather than passing judgement, Randy, Paula and Simon get to ask some dumb followup question. Following that, the residents of Michigan and Florida vote by phone.
Each must press in a registration number, which is used one then disabled to prevent duplication.

This email was forwarded to me from a Florida Dem County Chair, and I thought it would be of interest, so am passing it along. I'll add a copy of the referred-to attachment as well (excerpt).

Dear Democrat:
If you haven't already received this it will make you real mad. Open up the attachment and then open the link to Democratic Rep Ron Gelber's exchange. The importance of this it gives us a true picture of the attitude of the Republicans in Tallahassee. You will hear the Republicans mock and laugh at Rep Gilber as he pleads with them not to move the Presidential Primary to January 29. Remember it was a Republican Legislature and the Republican Governor that made this happen. Please forward this to your friends; we need to get the word out.

Chair, Hernando County Democratic Executive Committee
Spring Hill, FL 34611

NEWS FROM THE FLORIDA DEMOCRATIC PARTY
For Immediate Release: March 7, 2008
re: Crist's Concern for Dem Voters

TALLAHASSEE - While Florida's governor plays the role of nonpartisan leader on television, he's a true partisan Republican in real life. During his week-long media tour to "help" Democrats, Crist seems to have conveniently forgotten that he vowed to veto legislation proposed by Democrats to move the primary to February 5th.

There is a fast growing movement to make sure Florida and Michigan voters are not disenfranchised. Since my own mother is one of Florida's disenfranchised voters, I have strong feelings about this. (as does she!)

Please read, sign and forward the petition below.

Please keep these facts in mind:

The Florida Democratic primary election ballot had all Democratic presidential candidates listed.
Florida Dems have been disenfranchised, through no fault of their own.
HB537 was written by a Florida Republican to change Florida's primary date.
The Florida legislature has an overwhelming Republican majority.
The state of Florida has a Republican Governor.
HB537 was passed by the Republican-ruled Legislature in May 2007 & legislatively changed the Florida primary date.
The Florida Democratic Party did NOT change this date.
The citizens of the state of Florida did NOT vote on this date change.
This date was, and still is, unalterable by the Florida Democrats.

Passage of Florida legislative bill HB 537 has caused 2.6 Million voters to become disenfranchised. Democrats made up the bulk of those, with 1.7 million voters, an all-time record-breaking turnout. This may have been a manipulation of the legislative process to intentionally influence the outcome of a presidential race. Please help us reinstate the voting rights of Florida Democrats. How you can help:

copied from My Direct Democracy (mydd.com)
Clark County (NV) Democratic county convention recesses without electing delegates
by desmoulins, Sat Feb 23, 2008

Massive turnout statewide for Democratic county conventions in Nevada today (see excerpt below). In all-important Clark County, the county party lost control of the credentialing process (see excerpt below) resulting in a recess without delegates being elected (and potentially jeopardizing the Nevada delegation to the national convention).
I'll post some MyDD-specific analysis from the floor here tomorrow but here's some some detailed local blog coverage .

My Silver State
Where Progressive Nevadans Unite

Clark County Convention: botched beyond recognition
by: Greg Brown
Sat Feb 23, 2008

The Clark County democratic convention fell apart this afternoon, as problems with credentialing of delegates and an inability to ensure ballot integrity resulted in a recess of the convention without any of delegates being elected.

FL Delegate Tempest Could Give State To The GOP
by Ron Levitt,

Florida Democrats, at first "just angry" over the Democratic National Committee's refusal to accept its Jan. 29 Florida primary results, are now engaging in infighting that could put the Sunshine State in the Republican column in November, and that, once again, might mean the presidency.

Even the state's leading newspaper, which rarely editorializes on intra-party political decisions, entered the fray Friday calling the DNC's decision to blacklist Florida's delegates a "kamikaze tradition" which will benefit the GOP.

The newspaper editorial, titled Time to Fix the State's Primary Mess, noted that the 1.7 million record Democratic turnout would be disenfranchised if not counted the same as other states, and "the party stands to lose any claim they have to the loyalty and support of the voters of this state."

"We will not sit on the sidelines and see our votes ignored," said one Democratic activist. She recalled that it was only a handful of ballots that cost Al Gore Florida's electoral votes and the loss of the 2000 election. "The DNC is now doing it again with its ridiculous punishment."

Here's some background on DNC rules, and this research (by Andre Walker) covers those rules pertinent to early primaries. Of course, the devilish details are not reported in the big newspapers or covered by major television news programs. Doesn't anybody in the media check the facts anymore? The DNC has a Convention Credentials Committee and anyone concerned about Election Integrity should be contacting them as well as the Rules Committee. (We're talking over 1.7 million Dem voters in Florida -- an all-time record-breaking turnout -- who have been disenfranchised by its own Party).

Note to the DNC: Apply the rules equally & fairly
by Andre Walker (andrewalker08, firedoglake)

As a prelude to this diary, I am serving notice to anyone who may feel the need to opine about how the Florida & Michigan delegations should not have their voting rights restored at the Democratic National Convention; and how it is breaking the rules by seeking to have those two states' delegations votes count in Denver; notice is hereby given that before you hit that "submit" button to post your comments, you better make damn sure that what you're saying is consistent with the Charter & Bylaws of the Democratic Party of the United States, the Call to the 2008 Democratic National Convention, the 2008 Delegate Selection Rules for the Democratic National Convention, and the Regulations of the Rules & Bylaws Committee for the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

On March 13-14, a conference unlike any other will take place in Pittsburgh, PA. The event will launch a nationwide dialogue about moving our country rapidly toward leadership in promoting the benefits of a new green economy. Good Jobs, Green Jobs: A National Green Jobs Conference will bring together advocates representing local, state and federal policy makers; labor; business; the environment and public health; economic and workforce development specialists; investors; and scientists and technology experts.
We envision a confluence of big ideas and innovative strategies to help jump-start a nationwide green economic renaissance. Participants will share best practices about how we can revitalize our manufacturing sector, drive green building, promote safer chemicals, and realize the economic benefits of global warming solutions.
Join us.
http://www.greenjobsconference.org/site/c.rvI3IiNWJqE/b.3820537/