Edwards: The Problem with Class Warfare

The AP is running an interesting story today about the hypocrisy that is John Edwards. Seems that a campaign spokesman for Edwards has taken offense at a video uploaded to the Internet by a student journalist, and they have been pressuring the student and school to pull the video from You Tube.

"I was completely shocked to get a phone call from the Edwards campaign saying that the story was straight from the Republican Party and that we needed to take it down," said student journalist Carla Babb, who produced the piece for a UNC-Chapel Hill student newscast. Babb stands by her story, stating she is just a student that is preparing for a career as a newscaster, and not a Republican political operative.

Babb's faculty advisor, C.A. Tuggle, had this to say of the Edwards campaign: "My gosh, what are they thinking? They're spending this much time and effort on a student newscast that has about 2,000 viewers. They're turning a mountain into a molehill."

The Scoop knows why Edwards wants to eighty-six the piece; it exposes the Herculean flaw of his class warfare message. If there are really two America's, it doesn't take much examination to determine the one that Edwards comes from, expolited to make millions, and that he'll represent.

You only have to look at his house. Or in this case, his campaign headquarters.

He can't even fool a twenty-three year old journalism student. And while we are on the topic, how many trees did he cut down to build his house? (pictured above) In Montana, we would call that a clear cut. Not at all out of line with his stance on global warming.

Anyways, in the event you want to make this molehill a little larger, here is the video.

Which currently has ~81,000 views on YouTube.

6 hour update: ~111,000 views, only 109,000 more than the student broadcast itself!

24 hour update: ~145,000 views and counting.

Neighbors In Need

As much as Montanans roll their eyes for what passes for normalcy in California, we can't forget that in tragic moments like this, we need to come together as Americans. I am sure many of you, who have lived through the big Montana fires, have been as stunned as the Scoop by the magnitude of the inferno consuming parts of southern California.

The figures are staggering: 500,000 people evacuated from 350,000 homes; 1,250 homes destroyed; another 68,000 immediately threatened; 65 mph winds moving fires up to a mile in a matter of minutes; 300,000 acres burned in a short three-day period.

It is by the grace of god that only two people have died.

Today I heard a story about a CNN reporter, who just yesterday afternoon was covering the fires about 15 miles from his San Diego residence. He returned home late last night to tell his family of the heart-wrenching stories about hundreds of families losing their homes. Less than twenty-four hours later, his family was evacuated and his house burned to the ground, as he watched and reported from street outside.

Soon enough the wild fires will give way to the political ones.

We'll question why so many people live in such a small area, and why they build their homes over oceans and cliffs and each other. Elected officials will point fingers at who is to blame, especially if anyone was more than two seconds to late to the scene of the fire. The government will undoubtly send in aid, probably with the same well-intended yet wasteful results as the Katrina clean-up. The global warming movement will take a break from their fire-line cheerleading just long enough to pin the blame on man-made CO2. A Hollywood celebrity will say something so mind-boggling stupid that some of us will wish the fire was still burning in Malibu.

Regardless of our political proclivities, most of us will end up thinking equally unproductive thoughts. But the real truth is that some people will never recover their homes or their loved ones.

The political aftermath of these events never brings out the best in people. Given this, let's try to set aside the political analysis for now...at least until we can take care of those most affected.

Let's also remember to reach out with our hearts and our hands...and pray that tomorrow brings more moisture and less winds.


The Red Cross Southern California Wildfire Response Website


THE WILDFIRES OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA - Fall 2007



THE FOREST FIRES OF WESTERN MONTANA - Summer 2003

Best Lines of the Florida Republican Primary Debate

The Scoop is just starting to tune into the race for the Presidency, and thinks that there were two really strong performers in the Florida Republican Debate, Rudy Giuliani and Mike Huckabee. For me, it is boiling down to supporting one of these two, as I can't stomach any of the Democrats.

Here are some of the more interesting quotes from the leading candidates, which I had to type quickly, so I am sure I got some words and punctuation wrong...but I'm also sure I got the point they were trying to make right.

The Scoop is interested...Who are you supporting?

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Fred Thompson

On Mayor Giuliani…
“Mayor Giuliani believes in federal funding for abortion. He believes in sanctuary cities. He's for gun control. He supported Mario Cuomo, a liberal Democrat, against a Republican who was running for governor, then opposed the governor's tax cuts when he was there. He sides with Hillary Clinton on each of those issues.”

On Mitt Romney being to the political left of Senator Kennedy…
“I’m not sure there is room to the left of Senator Kennedy, but I’m not sure there is room on the right either.”

On lobbying for Planned Parenthood…
“It was my private law practice, as opposed to my public serve. My firm asked me to do a little work on it and make a few calls. After that, I went to the US Senate and voted against them on every bill that they supported, and now they are trying to defeat me.”

On 'No Child Left Behind'…
“I did vote for it, and some of those critics were right, and some of us were wrong. We don’t have the transparency and accountability we were expecting. If everybody makes 90% on the test, nobody is learning. Part of the problem in our education system is the societal breakdown going on in this country…we need more fathers to stay and raise their kids.”

Rudy Giuliani

On who is more conservative, him or Fred Thompson…
“I can’t comment on Fred. But I can tell you that George Will wrote an article where he said that I ran the most conservative government in the United States in the last 50-60 years. I think I had a heck of a lot of conservative results. I took the crime capital of America and turned it into the safest city in the country. I outperformed any expectation”

On Fred Thompson…
"I had the most legal city in the country. And I took the crime capital of America and I turned it into the safest large city in the country. The senator has never had executive responsibility. He's never had the weight of people's safety and security on his shoulders.” (On Fred Thompson)

"Fred was the single biggest obstacle to tort reform in the United States Senate He voted against $250,000 caps on damages, which they have in Texas. He voted against almost anything that would make our legal system fairer: 'Loser pays' rules, things that would prevent lawsuits like that $54 million lawsuit by that guy who lost his pants…Fred Thompson blocked tort reform over and over and over again, and that is not a conservative position?"

On Civil Unions…
I did 210 weddings when I was mayor of New York City. So I have experience doing this. They were all men and women. I hope. You have to give me some slack, it was New York City.

On Hillary Clinton…
"There are two things I agree with Hillary Clinton on. First we are both Yankee fans... I became a fan growing up in New York. She became a fan growing up in Chicago. Do you really believe that?"

"I've been very critical of her, but I want to tell her I agree with this one. Quote, Hillary Clinton, 'I have a million ideas; America cannot afford them all.' I'm not making it up…No kidding Hillary…American can't afford you."

On potentially alienating teachers by supporting education choice and ‘No Child Left Behind’...“What we need is choice. I love teachers, I think they are wonderful, there are some good ones, some bad ones…but what I really care about are the kids more…we should empower parents to decide. This is the single biggest civil rights issue we face in the twenty first century.”

Mike Huckabee

On how he will differentiate himself from the other candidates during the debate...
"I’m content to let you let them fight all they want tonight, shed each other's blood and then I'll be ready to run for president because I'm not interested in fighting these guys. What I'm interested in is fighting for the American people, and I think they're looking for a presidential candidate who's not so interested in a demolition derby against the other people in his own party."

On Hillary Clinton…
"You know, it's interesting, the most, I guess, wonderful reaction we've had in this entire room is when Hillary's name is mentioned. It gets louder than an Aerosmith concert. But I want to say this — you've asked: What's the difference? No matter which one of us is on this stage — and, look, I like to be funny, let me be real honest with you. There's nothing funny about Hillary being president”

On preserving life…
"When our founding fathers put their signatures on the Declaration of Independence, those 56 brave people, most of whom, by the way, were clergymen, they said that we have certain inalienable rights given to us by our creator, and among these life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, life being one of them. I still believe that”

On health care reform…
“We don’t have a health care crisis, we have a health crisis. Eighty percent of what we spend on health care in this nation is spent on chronic disease. If we don’t focus on prevention we will never get ahead of this problem. And when all the old hippies get wind of all the free drugs, just think of what that is going to cost us.

John McCain

On Mitt Romney…
"You've just spent the last year trying to fool people about your record. I don't want you to start fooling them about mine. I stand on my record as a conservative. I don't think you can fool the American people. I think the first thing you'd need is their respect."

“For twenty seven years I led…I didn’t lead for profit, I led for patriotism.“

On Hillary Clinton supporting a museum for the preservation of the Woodstock counter-culture concert, that took place in 1969, while he was being held as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. "Now my friends, I wasn't there. I'm sure it was a cultural and pharmaceutical event. I was tied up at the time.”

On getting advice on the War on Terror, as opposed to Mitt Romney …
“I don’t think we should call in the lawyers when we have a national security crisis…they are the last people I would call in.”

On health care reform…
“Make health care in American affordable and available, but don’t destroy it as the democrats want to do”

On being a maverick...
“I think every candidate should appeal to, but not pander to, every element of the Republican party.”

Mitt Romney

On being a true conservative…
“I was fighting against the liberal lion in the toughest state in the union. My legislature was 85% democrat, I fought to keep our taxes down…I fought for growth.”

On the Iraq War…
“This president went to congress. Hillary Clinton is trying to rewrite history, but this president went to Congress (and got approval for the Iraq war), let’s not forget that.”

On health care reform…
“I don’t want the guys who are responsible for the clean-up of Katrina to be responsible for health care in this country. Are we going to talk about health care and get people insured with private insurance? Yes we are. If you think health care is expensive now, wait until it is free."

Can I Have the Check Please?

An interesting guest column ran in the Missoulian print addition today, written by someone listed as simply “Richard Buley writes from Missoula"...an odd attribution since the Missoulian has a long history of disclosing the vocational background of editorial page guests.

So what has caused this noble citizen of Missoula to pick up his pen?

According to Buley, the poor of our country are poor because wealthy Americans don’t pay their fair share of taxes... and he urges Missoulian readers to do something about it.

Until the 98 percent of people who are subsidizing the top 2 percent demand that their representation work for them instead of their big donors, we’ll simply continue this downward spiral.

But is this really what is happening? Are the poor and the middle class really propping up the super rich?

To answer this question, you only need to look to a popular economic illustration comparing our tax system to ten men having a meal in a restaurant.

Let's put taxes in terms everyone can understand. Suppose that every day, ten men go out for dinner and the total bill for all ten comes to $100.

If they were to pay their bill in the same proportions American’s paid in FY200O taxes (according to figures from the IRS) the bill would be distributed something like this:

The first four men.....the poorest.....would pay nothing;
The fifth would pay $2:
The sixth would pay $4;
The seventh $6;
The eighth $8;
The ninth $13.
The tenth man.....the richest......would pay $67, or 67% of the bill.

There is also an equally revealing version of this simple story that illustrates the impact of a tax cut.

As you can imagine, liberals everywhere HATE these simple explanations, because they present numbers without the emotional smoke and mirrors of their partisan fog machine. Many have attempted to discredit this particular story by questioning the anonymous attribution of the writer but none can credibly question the math.

So, I ask each of you, does it make a difference that the author of this story is unknown? Or should the logic stand on its own?

Of course, anonymity does not allow partisan folks to partake in the character assassination that is the heart of many liberal political arguments. And, it will not extend to the press and academia the convenience excuse of thumbing their noses at your inferior pedigree.

And what about today's Missoulian guest column, cloaked in some partial anonymity? Does this guest column fall flat because we don't know the vocational identity of the writer?

Would it change your mind if you knew the author may be a prominent local trial lawyer? What if his relentless pursuit of personal injury cases helped create the same health care crisis that he credits with undermining our economic order?

The Scoop hopes that it would not.

The classic liberal mantra of full personal disclosure requires you to think the worst of people...that we all move only out of self-interest. It requires you to ignore the facts and instead focus on an endless hunt to expose the hypocritical self-interest that is the root of every argument.

Buley's arguments fail not because of his background, but because it does not match up with the facts. It fails because his logic doesn't follow the traditional common sense that you "don't bite the hand that feeds you."

In a world where the super rich can chose where to locate (and pay taxes), that is something we should all heed. This is especially true in Montana, were we seem to have an increasingly meth-like addiction to out-of-state tax dollars.

Anyways, what ever happened to having a little respect...for the rich AND for the facts?

I'll let you post either, anonymously or not, at the Scoop.
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BONUS SCOOP:

For the mini-economist in each of you, here are some interesting charts that show who pays...and who gets.

More Beautiful Fall Colors

I think I say this every year, but the Scoop doesn't remember a prettier fall color presentation than what we have seen in western Montana the last couple weeks.

Here is a picture from the top of the Glen Eagle area in Grant Creek, looking back at Snow Bowl.

Scoop vs. Rebecca (of 4&20) - A Must Read Global Warming Debate

One thing I dislike about Blogger is that great posts ultimately fade from view, sometimes when they are just getting good. I don't know how to put something back at the top of the discussion list.

I think this is true with my gobal warming post of a few days ago that outlined how evidence all around Montana shows that dramatic changes in global temperature have been occurring for millions of years. A fact that global warming alarmists don't like to emphasis, as it casts further doubt on an already dubious theory. It makes change look inevitable and out of human control.

The interesting development with the post is that I have been engaged in a full-on, healthy and mostly respectful debate in the comments section by Rebecca of 4&20 blackbirds fame. And it is doesn't look like it is about to quit anytime soon!

While it will be obvious we are on different sides of the argument, I can't argue with the fact that Rebecca is a great spokesperson for the global warming crowd. She is a talented debater and writer.

I just happen to think she is horribly misinformed about science and the facts (or lack of facts) concerning the global warming hysteria.

I encourage anybody who is on the fence about global warming to take a read. The conversation is both educational and informative. It clearly reveals how the liberal-progressive mind works, and how it holds us captive to our personal emotions, wishes and dreams. Not a good thing when it comes to forwarding science or winning wars. Of course, Rebecca probably has something equally damning to say about my logic (which is totally ok).

This post is something you don't always see here, or anywhere, as diverse views do not always chime in on a particular topic.

You are even invited to post a comment if you think you can add to the discussion.

Pet Lovers Rejoice!

The mama Scoop sent this video via e-mail today, and it reminds me of our cat Mr. Fur. It is very funny if you have an intelligent, really high maintenance pet.

I love the bed surrounded by a sea of pet toys and a scratching post.

How true...how true.

Mainsteam Unites! Huerta Endorses Nicholson

Since the Missoulian is only writing puff pieces about their liberal-progressive buddies on the city council, the Scoop thinks it’s important that all Ward 2 voters know that Dave Huerta, a candidate in the primary that opposed incumbent Don Nicholson, has endorsed Nicholson over liberal-progressive jewelry artisan, Pam Walzer.

Dave Huerta, a city resident and local leader in the Pleasant View neighborhood, has the following to say about Nicholson.

“Going into the campaign season, I had only known of Don Nicholson from afar. After sitting with him at speaking engagements I learned to know the man who represents myself and fellow citizens of Ward 2.

What I learned was Don Nicholson is a man of honor, integrity and a hard worker. He understands the business of city inner workings and how to get things done- for the citizens of the city of Missoula and Ward 2 – in a fiscally sound manner. He truly understands that city dollars are scare and spending should be soundly justified.

For this hard work, caring and understanding by Don Nicholson I am putting my full support behind his campaign. I strongly encourage my supporters and fellow Ward 2 voters to VOTE FOR DON NICHOLSON FOR WARD 2 CITY COUNCILMAN.”

Liberal-progressive activists are working hard to take-out Nicholson since he asks for too much transparency into city management…like how our city spending grows at 5-10% a year while our population is only growing at 1%. He actually has the gall to suggest that the city spend money to fill pot holes and build and maintain infrastructure.

It is important that mainstream Missoula votes, and that each of us inform our centrist friends that don't necessarily pay attention to politics. Nicholson may lose if the silent majority does not speak.

If you support balanced growth, transportation and housing policies, vote for Nicholson and other mainstream candidates.

If you like our council spending six months debating the issue of chickens* and the Iraq war, vote for Walzer and other liberal-progressives. I’m sure they already have more liberal cause-celebs to roll out if they win.

They are probably working on a list via e-mail right now.

*chickens are a necessary part of communal living.

Montana Evidence Suggests Climate Change is Natural, Inevitable

BREAKING NEWS: The best parts of this post are in the comments. I welcome yours.

-- Original post --

While the Scoop is a big fan of conservation activities that help keep our environment clean, I don’t see joining the alarmist global warming movement as a logical extension of this activism.

Missing are the facts and evidence that suggests man has any meaningful role in driving global climate change.

In actuality, it appears there is more evidence to show that global warming and cooling is what has been occurring for many, many millions of years…far before man appeared on earth. For me, the evidence needs to be more than the presence of an Academy Award or a Nobel Peace Prize.

But that has not stopped some of my well intentioned friends from declaring this week a major victory in the global war on warming. Especially dear to their hearts is UM Professor Steve Running, a member of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a group that was a co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore.

My friends tell me that if I only would take time to hear Dr. Running speak, I’d immediately see the error of my ways.

But the truth is, the Scoop HAS HEARD Running speak, and while he is a great speaker and sharp academic, I don’t see where his theory is any more grounded than Gore’s. Both make the huge assumption that coincidence equals causation.

The Scoop is frustrated with the new loosy-goosey form of earth science employed by most of the global warming advocates I follow. While they often make strong points, it appears to me that they do so in a vacuum, ignoring the evidence of hard sciences that are more familiar; like biology, chemistry, and geology. It also bothers me that these scientists speak with such certainty without having successfully proven their theories using basic scientific principles, like the scientific method.

But Running is not the only one at UM with solid scientific credentials to have an opinion. The Scoop recently heard two other UM professors speak on the issues of global warming, at two unrelated events. One was a leading geologist, the other a leading paleontologist.

While neither of these researchers spoke with the certainty of the global warming alarmists, they both said that they did not believe that the evidence in their fields proved anything out of the ordinary was happening.

In fact, they stated the opposite: global warming and cooling has been happening for millions of years. And to prove it, you only have to look at the mountains of evidence around us in Montana.

Literally, the evidence is in the mountains around us… and on the plains.

EXHIBIT ONE: GLACIAL LAKE MISSOULA

The first is in the evidence left by Glacial Lake Missoula, which was a huge lake that filled the valleys of most of northwest Montana. The water was so high in Missoula, Mount Sentinel and Mount Jumbo were islands. If you look closely, you can see the various water lines that represent the lakeshore at different levels. At the lakes highest point, most of the city of Missoula was 500-1000 feet under water. The lake was created as the climate warmed, the huge northern ice sheets melted, the valleys filled with flood water, and the water failed to find an eastern or southern drainage route.

So what ever happened to the lake? Per the prevailing theory, global temperatures continued to warm, causing the northern ice sheets to continue to melt. Consequencially, the large ice dam (located near present-day lake Pend Oreille, outside of Spokane) that held back the water of this huge lake failed. In essence, it started to float in the warming waters itself, like a melting ice cube pops up in a glass of water.

The contents of Lake Missoula suddenly found a downhill direction to flow.

Most geologists believe that this happened quickly, causing a catastrophic flood that helped wash out most of eastern Washington and etched the now famous Columbia River Gorge. Interestingly, Scientists at UM have hard evidence that the lake filled and emptied up to 30 times, as the climate cooled and warmed repeatedly, over hundreds of thousands of years.

EXHIBIT TWO: THE SPECTACULAR FOSSILS OF EASTERN MONTANA

Fossilized dinosaurs also contain some clues about climate change. The main question: How did these fossils end up in the dirt of eastern Montana? (…and I’m talking about the Jurassic type, not any of the current Republican members of the Montana Legislature).

It appears that eastern Montana was actually a coastal plain, covered with lush vegetation…a prefect breeding (and dying) ground for dinosaurs looking for food and water.

But last time I looked, eastern Montana was closer to being a desert than a lush coastal plain. Was the geography of eastern Montana at one time different?

The evidence suggests it was. In earlier geologic periods, during warming trends when the polar ice caps would melt and send our oceans to the high water mark, the middle section of North American would turn into a vast seaway, connecting the Artic Ocean with the Gulf of Mexico. The land mass of North America would itself turn into three much smaller islands.

Science is uncertain how many times this occurred, but it appears to have happened less and less as plate tectonics lifted the coasts and plains of North America out of the reach of the warm period high water mark.

These two bodies of evidence make the comment of Phillp Stott, professor emeritus of biogeography at the University of London, even more relevant.

“Sadly, the idea of a sustainable climate is an oxymoron. The fact that we have rediscovered climate change at the turn of the Millennium tells us more about ourselves, and about our devices and desires, than about climate. Opponents of global warming are often snidely referred to as 'climate change deniers'; precisely the opposite is true. Those who question the myth of global warming are passionate believers in climate change - it is the global warmers who deny that climate change is the norm."

The Dog Who Ate Rasor's Homework

It looks like local Democrat State Representative and candidate for Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Holly Raser is riding the razor's edge of campaign finance laws.

The Billings Gazette reports that she not only made a boo-boo on her last campaign finance report, but that she may have inadvertently exposed how she has been laundering large loans from wealthy family members into potentially illegal campaign donations.

Here’s what happened:

On Friday, Raser filed her quarterly campaign finance report, listing an $11,000 loan to her campaign from her stepfather, Robert L. Moore of Laguna Niguel, Calif., and a $5,000 campaign loan from her sister and treasurer, Vicki Thornton of Arlee, for a total of $16,000.

Under state law, loans to campaigns are considered contributions. For the race for superintendent of public instruction, the maximum that can be donated or lent to a candidate is $250 for the primary election and $250 for the general election campaigns.

The Gazette State Bureau verified with the political practices office Friday that the loans exceeded legal limits and called Raser's treasurer, Thornton, to inquire. She was out of town.

Raser sent an e-mail to the State Bureau over the weekend saying she had faxed a revised report to Unsworth's office. She said the $16,000 loan from her relatives should have been made to her personally instead of the campaign, and then she would loan the same sum to the campaign.

On Wednesday, Raser said she assumes she will have to return the two checks for $16,000 to her sister and father.

"If they choose to loan me the money, I would put it in my personal account," she said, and not in the campaign account.

The Scoop agrees with GOP executive director Chris Wilcox, who labels this "an egregious violation of both the letter and the spirit of the law" and "a blatant violation of the public trust from a sitting legislator."

Whether or not the Office of Political Practices rules this as against the law or not, Rasor has violated the principles of transparency in reporting the source of campaign donations that is the fundamental intent of campaign finance laws.

Candidates should not be able to accept personal loans from family or friends, and then list them as their own personal loans to the campaign, hiding from the public the true source of the money.

How is this any different from weathly individuals skirting donation limits by giving money to friends and family to contribute under their own name?

And Rasor's excuse?

Raser, reached later, said she made an unintentional mistake when filling out the latest campaign finance report and takes full responsibility. She said she completed the report because her treasurer and sister was out of town.

The Scoop thinks that by claiming ignorance, Rasor is using the political equivalent of the "dog ate my homework" line.

A stunning response for someone wanting to be the top education leader in our state, and an even more mystifying comment from a candidate who has run many times in the past.

The Scoop wonders how many previous Rasor campaigns included large personal donations, as her comments seem to indicate this laundering technique may be business as usual.

It's Getting a Little Warm in Here

AJ Tooley shared a post last week that reveals a hugh problem for the alarmist global warming movement: when both sides of the global warming argument are clearly presented, alarmists lose.

In the debate, a team of global warming skeptics composed of MIT scientist Richard Lindzen, University of London emeritus professor of biogeology Philip Stott, and physician-turned novelist/filmmaker Michael Crichton handily defeated a team of climate alarmists headed by NASA scientist Gavin Schmidt. Before the start of the nearly two-hour debate, the audience of several thousand polled 57.3 percent to 29.9 percent in favor of the proposition that global warming is a "crisis." At the end of the debate, the numbers had changed dramatically, with 46.2 percent favoring the skeptical point of view and 42.2 percent siding with the alarmists.

That is a titanic shift of more than 16%; a sea-change in polling terms.

Tooley, and the articles author, correctly theorizes that this is why Al Gore is dodging invites from a bevvy of world leaders, including Czech President Vaclav Klaus, who want to debate him on the topic face-to-face.

This is typical of liberal-progressives, who are the driving force behind the overblown climate change crisis. They pretend to support healthy debate and free speech, but really prefer closed and controlled forums where they can present a lop-sided argument without challenge. If you thoughtfully disagree, you are either naive, a pawn of big business or truly evil.

Slowly, it seems, science is kicking the legs out from Al Gore's overblown Inconvenient Truth.

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BONUS FEATURE:

The Scoop did a little research on the three person panel that handily beat NASA alarmist Gavin Schmidt, since author and filmmaker Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strain, The Lost World) was the only familiar name. I added Wikipedia links to all the participants, which makes for some educational reading.

I especially like a comment made by Phillp Stott, listed in his Wikipedia bio:

"... the global warming myth harks back to a lost Golden Age of climate stability, or, to employ a more modern term, climate 'sustainability'. Sadly, the idea of a sustainable climate is an oxymoron. The fact that we have rediscovered climate change at the turn of the Millennium tells us more about ourselves, and about our devices and desires, than about climate. Opponents of global warming are often snidely referred to as 'climate change deniers'; precisely the opposite is true. Those who question the myth of global warming are passionate believers in climate change - it is the global warmers who deny that climate change is the norm."

Incredibly well said.

How to Solve a Rubik's Cube in 9.86 Seconds

Did you know that the world record for solving a 3x3x3 sided Rubik's Cube is 9.86 seconds?

According to Yahoo News it's true...and this record may be on the line as cubers gather this weekend in Budapest, Hungary, for the Rubik's Cube World Championships.

The Scoop fudged a little with the headline. The challenge of coming up with new, enticing headlines for the Montana Dextra Feed is just too great.

I actually have NO IDEA how something this complex can be solved so quickly. I got one for Christmas last year and it took me about five minutes just to get it out of the plastic-molded packaging.

The Scoop has only solved the cube once, probably by accident. I am guessing one of my brothers set it down a few turns from victory.

Anyways, I'd guess that 99.999% of us would be humbled by the kid in the following video. He can solve the cube in a scant 20.09 seconds, with only ONE HAND.



And if that didn't make you feel dumb enough, here is 3 year old who solved one in 114 seconds, while sitting in her highchair on national television.



And for those of you that have been avoiding the thing since it's trendy 80's debut, YouTube even offers a half dozen tutorials, including this one.

But I don't think being a cuber is in my future. The Scoop can't get through the tutorial without wanting a drink...or some asprin.

The False Promise of Zero Email Friday

The Scoop has spent part of the day pondering the idea of "Zero Email Friday," which is, according to USA Today, a new liberation movement sweeping corporate America.

The concept? We are so overwhelmed by email that we need a full day to catch up on the “real” work we should have done the other four work days when we were reading our email.

And since electronic communications can be a crutch, we would all benefit from a weekly opportunity to practice our in-person charm skills.

Friday, in effect, would be an email no-fire zone.

At first blush, I thought this would be an interesting, and possibly productive change. But then I started to think about the real problems I have with email, like the fact that some people do not reply in a timely manner (or at all), many only use the medium as an electronic form of ass-covering, others copy me on items I don't EVER care to know about, a lot write poorly, a smaller number always come across as unprofessional, rude or offensive, a special few send blindingly useless announcements to ENTIRE distribution lists and an even more recalcitrant minority send boatloads of pesky SPAM.

So would taking off Friday really stop any of these time-consuming annoyances?

Or will I still hear in real-time when the third floor printer in the human resources department, on another continent, gets a new magenta toner?

The Scoop thinks it is not only unlikely, but totally improbable.

When it boils down to it, you can’t end stupidity, unreliability or disrespect by simply banning the particular medium in which it is expressed.

People who use the “your email must have been caught in my SPAM filter” excuse to cover their own arses will just find new ways to let you down. On Fridays, they’ll perfect the art of weaseling out IN-PERSON.

And what about those really challenged folks that use email to hurl missives from their self-imposed caves? The Scoop thinks most of these people are in caves for a reason, and it is better for humanity that they stay there Monday through Friday. Especially if they are like this guy.

And what about our friends the spammers? Will they accept this new form of “casual communications” Friday?

The Scoop thinks they are about as likely to stop sending junk email as the liberal-progressive majority on the Missoula City Council.

Some people won’t change after having their names and embarrassing habits splashed across the front page of the local newspaper.

Declaring an end to email one day a week doesn’t get to the root of the judgment problem that is the heart of each of these offenses.

These offenders will simply find another medium in which to express their “art”, while the rest of us will just become a little less productive.

Beautiful Fall Foliage & Wacky Weather

I love the autumn! Here are some pictures from our current vacation. The Family Scoop has been taking the week off from heavy-hitting topics...my most recent posts are for the family crowd.

A picture of our half lilac, half something else hedge. You may remember a photo of this hedge from earlier this year, when it was in full bloom.

A view of our backyard hedge, which turns a bright orange in the fall. The lake, in the background, is getting colder and choppier as the fall rolls on. Yesterday was mostly whitecaps.

A view up the lake shore, which is already down a little more than two feet. There has been a pretty heavy breeze and lots of wave action this week. The log in the foreground had to be cut in two, as a huge storm turned our front row beach seating into a battering ram.

High waves created quite a water show as they crashed against our neighbors breakwall.

Hodge's barge, a floating construction platform that has been navigating the shores of Flathead Lake since I was born, takes shelter from the storm in the cove just up the lake.

Mr. Googles after a game of toddler croquet. (This is the version where you throw the ball with all your might onto the stone covered sidewalk, looking to see what breaks first). If you answered the sidewalk, you answered correctly.

A Deer in the Headlights...Literally

Each fall, as winter approaches, our furry friends in nature shift into high gear to prepare for the cold weather, migration or hibernation. In my neighborhood, this means we get more of nature in our backyards, and in some cases, more of our backyards in nature.

Last week, there were odd sightings all over my part of town about a deer with something caught in it's antlers. Some thought it was a lawn ornament. Others a lawn chair. But the deer moved so quickly, nobody could tell. It has been something of a little mystery.

But as of this morning, all the guessing is over...or is it?

While the Scoop was able to catch this mysterious deer on film, the question as to what is caught in his antlers is still a mystery to me.

The Scoop's best guess is that the PVC pipe was being used to hold up some netting to protect flowers. The deer decided to go in for a quick bite and...you get the rest.

But, the Scoop has to be certain. Do you know what is caught in his antlers? He does look a little like me when I was making my God's Eye.

And another common questions among neighbors: is the animal ok, and is there someone you call with these types of issues if the animal needs help? The common thought is this will fall off and the deer will be fine, but I'm no expert.

In addition to our decorated deer, here are a couple of other fun nature photos of bears, one in Missoula, the other a national news story you may have already seen.

A picture of a bear sitting and eating apples in a tree up Grant Creek earlier this week, sent to me by a friend of a friend of a friend.


An amazing photo of a bear that somehow got trapped on the side of a highway bridge outside of Lake Tahoe, CA. The bear was successfully saved by animal control authorities after they purchased a huge net at an army surplus store and used it to catch the bear after shooting it with a tranquiliser dart.


This is what the inventive net system looked like...


Lastly, the bear after being lowered and released.

The Best Movie Line Ever

The Brother Scoop showed me this clip this morning and I have been quietly chuckling ever since.

Bob Hope had the quickest and smartest delivery in comedy, something he held onto late into his long and distinguished career. I miss his TV specials, which used to be on NBC when I was growing up. I particularly miss his Christmas specials where he would sing a multitude of holiday standards with his famous guests.

It is also nice to learn after all of these years that he may be responsible for the funniest movie line of all time.

Childers Takes Ball Away

According to a report this morning in the Missoulian, it appears that our City Council President Ed Childers has totally missed the point of the whole e-mail scandal that has made our liberal-progressive dominated council the talk-of-the-town.

After kicking off Monday night's Missoula City Council meeting...Council President Ed Childers read some rules for councilor behavior during the meeting in light of a current controversy about councilors sending private e-mails during public meetings.

Childers' rules included no e-mailing, no whispering, no hand signals, no caucusing and no leaving to go to the bathroom during the session. Childers, who has said e-mail isn't the only form of communication taking place during meetings, called the rules “crazy.”

No whispering? No hand signals? No leaving to go to the bathroom?

Give us a freaking break!

The public is not mad about council members occasionally whispering or asking each other a side-bar question. The outrage has not been about council members holding a secret meeting in the men's or ladies room during the council meeting.

It's been about a group of council members with a voting majority using e-mail as a way to conduct a secret meeting-inside-a-meeting; covertly discussing controversial city business outside of the view of the public and press.

Oh, and using these computers to call voters "morons" has not gone over very well either.

It is obvious what Childers and his liberal-progressive counter parts are doing: they are attempting to deflect blame and punish the members of the council that spoke out against their abuse of power. And they are laying in wait for the first person who attempts to use a hand signal!

The Real Scoop: Childers is acting like a two year old who has been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He responded by throwing a tantrum and taking his ball away.

This is why folks like Childers, who may be a great guy outside of the public square, need to go.

He has fallen into the mistaken assumption that he has some right to conduct business based on his own personal expectations and emotional reactions, rather than to simply conduct the meeting for the goodwill of the community.

And what did long-time council member Jack Reidy have to say about the whole e-mail affairs?

“It's making us a laughingstock of the whole city of Missoula,” Reidy said.

The Scoop agrees. And as long as Childers and other remorseless members on the council continue to deflect blame and act like a bunch of unsupervised second graders at recess, that image will continue.

How about issuing a simple apology? How about just closing the laptops and having a productive meeting where you focus on something else other than chickens, the Iraq War or the pledge?

The obvious is no longer evident for members who have turned this into a personal jihad of one sort or the other. We need a change.

It is incumbent on mainstream voters that we support candidates that have pledged to make a change and are not partisan foot soldiers of a political ideology.

We need to end the rancor on our city council so they can get back to the business of governing the city.

------------UPDATE---------------

Holy crap! It's worse than I thought. Read the "Live" coverage over at Missoulapolis, where Childers now defines any negative comment as one that includes a fellow councilpersons name.

That is one way to keep the public from knowing who does what at these meetings.

What a total joke that they jump on councilman John Hendrickson for mentioning another persons name while TALKING ABOUT ISSUES. How dare he!

Hendrickson is the guy who helped bring the e-mail issue to public attention. You can see the retribution against him in live blogging action!

Thanks Carol. (and next time, pay better attention to the mean coffee lady)