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Good Wednesday Morning,
I guess when you're going to break a heat wave you do it in a spectacular way and mother nature sure as heck provided that last night. Hopefully you were all outside watching the light show at about 9:30PM as a line of thunderstorms ushered in the cold front that promises to make today a stellar summer day. The air quality warnings of the pat few days are gone and the UV rating for today is a 9 so if you are outside for any length of time make sure you've got plenty of sunscreen with you.
 For those of you who read yesterday's NtM you read about the meeting held on Monday night in Putnam Valley, hosted by Assemblywoman Sandy Galef, Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi and business interests, to announce and explain findings from Mr. Suozzi's Commission charged with discovering ways to bring property tax relief to New Yorkers. You also read that the commission failed to do this yet is claiming victory over that monster, a myth that will surely come around to bite them all in their collective butts - if residents of the state are paying attention - and are not wowed by the traveling dog and pony show.
There's been a good deal of comment since that report yesterday with much coming from the anti-tax groups that were, until Monday morning, in full support of the Commission and its findings. They're in the process of back-tracking a bit and reexamining their positions but it's too late - for their previous support for the Commission, including press releases lauding it and a phone bank supporting its findings will be used as a hammer by the commission itself to show public support for their findings.
At the same time, thanks to the work Vic Tiship and I have been doing and our adamant refusal to work within the system, there is a growing backlash to the Commission's findings. The anti-tax groups are finally coming around, Sandy Galef was forced to admit that even though she slammed the Cahill model in her "questionnaire" that it's still the top choice of her constituents and people are organizing in support of a graduated income tax to replace the current method of education funding in New York State.
There's a lesson in here that needs to be explored. Many people do not like the way I fight for issues. Many believe I'm too stringent, that I expect too much, that I should work within the system. I carefully research and then choose a position - and stick to it. I don't believe in "first steps". I don't believe in lauding politicians when they look my way or voice support for my positions until after they've proven that support with actions and not just words. And when I'm told, "that's politically impossible" I simply redouble my efforts, dig my heels in deeper and fight even harder.
The results are out there for anyone to see. Whether it was Diversion or saving Mount Nimham from a ruinous logging project or the growing support for a graduated income tax in New York State, the truth of the matter is that the system as it is does not work, that politicians will say and do anything (short of actual action) to placate you and that you must make yourself a Royal-Pain-In-The-Ass in order to get anything done.
Too many citizens have become afraid to be that hard-headed. Too many fear repercussions and being labeled a "troublemaker" or that they'll be viewed as "controversial" - and they're right. You will feel the heat and you will take a beating and it will be painful and I can relate story after story some that sound too incredible to believe. But it's the only way to get anything done if government has other plans, ones which do not serve the citizenry but serve special, monied interests first and foremost. You end up fighting that and what's worse, you end up fighting those who should be your allies for they curry favor and stroked egos rather than actual, genuine and tangible results. Too many are willing to accept pennies when there's gold to be won.
Since September of 2001, governments from the national level on down to our towns and villages have passed laws that make genuine political action and advocacy difficult, even criminal, creating an atmosphere of fear and complacency. What with stunningly increased police powers, warrentless searches and wiretaps, strict rules for demonstrations and protests making them all but impossible, and laws concerning the very words you can write or not write. But I do not fear them and have always understood the risks and have been willing to take the hit for speaking my mind, for acting when it's necessary and for standing my ground.
The current political system is stacked against us. It's been crafted to perpetuate the status quo. It's been altered to maintain the power of a select class over that of the common man and we've let them do it - out of fear. Each time we begin to get a grasp on things, each time we climb another rung of the ladder, the powers that be force fear upon us. We are a nation of fear and a nation that lives in fear will always allow its government to trample civil and constitutional rights for an empty promise of safety and security. I'm not buying it and neither should you.
If you ever want to see our governments in the hands of citizens working for us, you're going to have to adopt a similar mindset or accept a life of servitude to the very governments you're supposed to be controlling. You're going to have to actually fight for what you believe in. You're going to have to take the chance that you will get hurt - and you will. In other words, you are going to have to set fear aside, buck the system and fight back. Yes, this is a call to arms and if we act now it's not too late.
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And yes, there is more going on in the world around us!
- Mahopac woman has staring contest with bear in her garden
- Saving the Putnam Rail Line right-of-way still pays dividends
- The Best Bad Fuel News Yet
- U.S. Forest Service Encourages Kids to Get Outdoors
- 2 Energy Bills, Including Windfall Tax, Stall in Senate
- "Green" job market bucks credit crunch gloom
- North America tomato industry reeling
- Kucinich Introduces Impeachment Articles Against Bush
Mahopac woman has staring contest with bear in her garden Susan Elan
The Journal News
A Mahopac resident who was weeding her garden off West Lovell Street came face to face with a black bear Monday.
Adele Rubino, 66, was on her hands and knees in her flower beds when she heard an animal rustling through the woods behind the home she shares with her father and sister. What Rubino thought was a dog turned out to be a bear that stood 5 feet tall on its hind legs and weighed more than 200 pounds, she said.
"The bear looked at me, and I looked at it" with a mutual stare that Rubino estimates lasted two minutes.
Then, remembering warnings not to exhibit fright, Rubino slowly walked the 80 feet from the garden to the house.
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Saving the Putnam Rail Line right-of-way still pays dividends Phil Pepe
Mention the old Putnam Rail Line to those of a certain age in communities along the line from Yonkers north, and they invariably have a nostalgic recollection to share. Riding the train as a child, waiting for someone at a picturesque commuter station, watching freight cars pulled by mighty locomotives thunder past their home. I loved the reminiscences. As a train buff and in my professional work, consulting in transportation and railroad issues, I always regretted arriving in Yonkers too late to witness that era firsthand. I feel fortunate, however, to have had a hand in the safe transition of the "Put'' from railroad to recreational pathway.
What now bears the soulless label of the "South County (and North County ) Trailway," as though it had no prior history, is in fact the right-of-way of the former Putnam Division of the New York Central Railroad. As a commuter and freight railroad, the Put shared railroading fame and a parallel history with the demographic and industrial growth of Westchester County for a century. The Put may be gone, but it is not forgotten and, in new ways, is still relevant.
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The Best Bad Fuel News Yet Biodiesel Industry Suffers Through a Shortage of Garbage Grease While the country's attention is focused on the skyrocketing cost of gasoline, early adopters in the Pacific Northwest are looking at the cost of their biodiesel fuel rise even more quickly, according to the Oregonian. The reason: A shortage of waste frying oil. The biodiesel revolution began in earnest a few years ago, as home brewers and a few larger outfits started gathering oil used to fry fries, egg rolls and gordita tortillas from fast food joints. They filtered, altered and burned it as fuel, making a valuable commodity out of a waste product. That's a brilliant vision of the future: Taking waste from something we like (junk food) and turning it into something we need (fuel) rather than throwing it away.
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U.S. Forest Service Encourages Kids to Get Outdoors Sponsors National Get Outdoors Day to Attract Diverse Communities June 14
WASHINGTON, June 10, 2008—In an effort to reconnect kids with nature and attract new diverse communities to outdoor activities, the U.S. Forest Service has partnered with state, local and federal land management agencies to celebrate 'National Get Outdoors Day' on June 14. More than 45 locations nationwide are providing a variety of free recreational events designed to introduce children and new segments of the American public to the great outdoors while fostering a deeper appreciation for natural resources.
"We want every child in America to have the opportunity to experience the great outdoors, whether it is in a remote mountain wilderness or a city park," said Forest Service Chief Abigail Kimbell. "More so now than at any other time in history, our children are experiencing a disconnection from nature. Our hope is to reverse that trend while instilling a curiosity about nature and a deeper appreciation of precious natural resources."
National Get Outdoors Day is co-sponsored by the Forest Service and the American Recreation Coalition. The new annual event has been designated to better engage urban and multicultural youth in nature-based activities and to attract first time visitors to public lands.
A listing of all national site locations is attached. More information on National Get Outdoors Day and Kids in the Woods can be found at:
www.nationalgetoutdoorsday.org and www.fs.fed.us/kidsclimatechange.
The mission of the USDA Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land and is the largest forestry research organization in the world.
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2 Energy Bills, Including Windfall Tax, Stall in Senate By DAVID STOUT
WASHINGTON — A Democratic proposal to impose heavier taxes on big oil companies stalled in the Senate on Tuesday as Republicans and Democrats offered different ideas on how to deal with soaring energy costs.
A bill that would have rolled back some $17 billion in tax breaks on Big Oil and pressured the companies to invest in new energy sources by hitting them with a windfall-profits tax if they did not failed to get enough votes to move forward. Fifty-one senators voted to bring the measure up for consideration, but that was nine short of the number needed under Senate rules. Forty-three senators, most of them Republicans, voted “no.”
The oil-tax proposal was one of two energy-related bills that failed to advance. The other was a proposal to amend the Internal Revenue Code by providing “incentives for energy production and conservation, to extend certain expiring provisions, to provide individual income tax relief, and for other purposes,” as the measure to promote new energy sources was officially described. The vote to take up that legislation was 50-44, or 10 “yes” votes fewer than necessary.
The votes were against a backdrop of $4-a-gallon gasoline and oil prices that have gone over $139 a barrel just at the start of the summer vacation season.
“I remember when gas was about a buck, 40 cents,” Senator Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat whose constituents often have to drive long distances, lamented before the votes.
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"Green" job market bucks credit crunch gloom Mon Jun 9, 2008 12:52pm EDT
By Michael Szabo
LONDON (Reuters) - The 'Green' job market is thriving despite lay-offs across the financial and property sectors caused by the global credit crunch, environmental recruiters said on Friday.
With concerns over global warming climbing the corporate agenda, the number of climate change specific roles has near tripled in the past 12 months as business looks to cut its carbon footprint, UK-based Acre Resources said in a statement.
The environmental sector, or so-called 'green collar' jobs, including roles in renewable energy and corporate social responsibility, has seen some 20 percent growth in same period.
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North America tomato industry reeling Tue Jun 10, 2008 5:14pm EDT
(Updates with FDA clearing Florida tomatoes)
By Jane Sutton
MIAMI, June 10 (Reuters) - Tomato growers in Florida, California and Mexico are having trouble selling their crops as U.S. regulators hunt the source of a salmonella outbreak linked to certain tomato varieties, growers said on Tuesday.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday added parts of Florida, the No. 1 U.S. tomato producer, to its cleared list of states not associated with the outbreak.
But it was unclear whether the move came in time to salvage $40 million worth of Florida tomatoes that an industry official said were in danger of rotting after picking and packing were halted on Saturday.
"The stuff that should have been harvested over the weekend won't survive more than another day or so. The stuff we have in storage is getting riper every minute and at some point it will have to be disposed of," said Reggie Brown, executive vice president of the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange.
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Kucinich Introduces Impeachment Articles Against Bush Tuesday 10 June 2008
by: Christopher Kuttruff, t r u t h o u t | Report
Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) enumerated examples of "high crimes and misdemeanors" as justification for moving forward with impeachment proceedings against President George W. Bush late Monday on the House floor.
Kucinich, a former contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, pointed to "high crimes and misdemeanors" committed by the Bush administration, including misrepresenting intelligence in the lead-up to the war, violating domestic and international laws against torture, illegally spying on American citizens, obstructing justice and governmental oversight, and dozens of other violations.
The impeachment resolution came four days after a June 5 Senate Select Intelligence Committee report that vigorously challenged statements made by the Bush administration regarding military intelligence in the runup to the invasion of Iraq. Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee John D. Rockefeller said in a press release, "Before taking the country to war, this Administration owed it to the American people to give them a 100 percent accurate picture of the threat we faced. Unfortunately, our Committee has concluded that the Administration made significant claims that were not supported by the intelligence."
"It is my belief that the Bush Administration was fixated on Iraq, and used the 9/11 attacks by al Qa'ida as justification for overthrowing Saddam Hussein," Rockefeller noted.
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