Bill Maher explains why Jimmy Carter was right when he said the Bush Administration's Foreign Policy is the worst in the history of our republic.

Charlie Rose interviews the Rocky Mountain Institute's Amory Lovins.

Bill Maher interviews Ron Paul, the only Republican candidate for president that I might vote for. I voted for Ron Paul in 1988 when he ran for president with the Libertarian party.

Congressional Hearings on "Constitution in Crisis"

Impeach Gonzales

Prez Bush video: Please Impeach Me

YouTube: Impeach on Campus

The invasion of Iraq has set off what could be the largest oil boom in history: Baghdad Burns, Calgary Booms.

Palm Oil puts Squeeze on Endangered Orangutan.

The New Yorker: Guenter Grass: Explains, "How I Spent the War"

Video: Jason Leopold interviews David Iglesias, who believes that Rove will ultimately be implicated in the Attorney Scandal.

AntiWar.com: Why Are We in Iraq? Don't bother examining a folly, advised Ayn Rand – ask yourself only what it accomplishes…

The Republican Plan For 2008 Begins Today by Thom Hartmann

Andrew Sullivan: Verschaerfte Vernehmung, in other words, criminal torture is evil whether it is done by Nazis or by Bushevics... Bush/Cheney/Gonzales deserve to go to jail as war criminals. We as a nation need to reclaim the high ground.

WaPost: Fitzgerald points again to Cheney.

New Yorker: Repugs turn against Rove

Hullaballoo: The Truth will set us free

Video: Christopher Hitchens speaks out about his latest book, God is not Great.

NYT Book Review by Michael Kingsley

The Cheney-Bush Legacy and Open Society

How can people still be denying Global Warming?

Taps Buglers at Arlington National Cemetery

View from the top of the couloir snow field and below a rock outcropping I used to prevent the rocks John was kicking down from hitting me.

Dallas Peak Attempt, May 27th, 2007

We opted to do this couloir in order to save time. I had doubts (well-founded) about the rock block at the top of the snow field. Expert rock climber John Courtney gallantly ascended it and dropped a rope to me. When I followed I was amazed at his feat. Even being "top roped" I had to muscle my way up a difficult section-something I would never have done without protection. Later we turned around at 12,500' because the snow was turning too soft.

Relaxing in Ouray, Colorado after an attempt on the north face of Dallas Peak, at 13,809' the 100th highest peak in Colorado, but the most difficult.

Juan Cole: Isn't it Amazing? It isn't amazing that 61% of Americans think the US should never have invaded Iraq. What is amazing is that 35% still think it was a good idea.

China ramps up to produce cheaper solar paneling


Sibel Edmonds interview. She was fired from her job with the FBI’s Washington Field Office in March 2002. Her crime was reporting security breaches, cover-ups, blocking of intelligence, and the bribery of U.S. individuals including high-ranking officials. The State Secret Privilege has often been invoked to block court proceedings on her case, and the U.S. Congress has even been gagged to prevent further discussion.

The Washington Note: Cheney Attempting to Constrain Bush's Choices on Iran Conflict: Staff Engaged in Insubordination Against President Bush

Congressman John Conyers has some encouraging comments about the Monica Goodling hearing.

DailyKos: The Dark, Sticky Secret Behind Cheney's MidEast Visit.

Atheists with Attitude: Christopher Hitchens in the New Yorker

Orion Mag: The Thoreau Problem: When the route to Paradise leads through Prison by Rebecca Solnit

Al Gore in discussion over his new book, "An Assault on Reason". Very good intelligent talk.

Israeli/Palastein struggle about water? I'm reading a disturbing treatise on water, "When Rivers Run Dry". Wars will be fought over water throughout the 21st Century.

The social and cultural psychologist Jonathan Haidt talks with Henry Finder about the five foundations of morality, and why liberals often fail to get their message across. From “2012: Stories from the Near Future,” the 2007 New Yorker Conference. Excellent!

Margo Guryan "16 Words"

Must Read: Six Questions for Marc Lynch on Iraq, the “Surge,” and Al Qaeda.

Christopher Hitchens Dances on Falwell's Grave. Right on.

Andrew Sullivan on Falwell's Legacy

Juan Cole: How is the Surge doing??

Barr Trail run to A-Frame (highest run of the year on Pikes Peak's slopes)

Teresa and Neal Taylor, proprieters of Barr Camp ,
halfway to the summit of Pikes Peak on the Barr Trail. Bottomless Pit sign.

The Trail is not yet "in" from Bottomless Pit sign to A-Frame. I rate the trail "runnable" to Bottomless Pit sign and "hikable" to A-Frame at 12,000' elevation 3 miles above Barr Camp and 3 miles from the summit.

This trail leads to the "7.8 miles to go" sign on the Barr Trail up Pikes Peak.

Seldom seen view of Pikes Peak. Photo taken today from our epic adventure run of 4+ hours.

Democracy for Action videos: Dennis Kucinich on Climate Change and Iraq

Extreme Athlete Danelle Ballengee, Broken but not Defeated, is competing again.

Colorado Senators weigh options WRT AG Gonzales. Salazar says he must go, Allard leaning that way.

2 Million Iraqi Refugees, mostly in Jordan and Syria. 466 allowed into the US. Is that right?

Links for Thursday eve

YouTube: Richard Dawkins interviews the Bishop of Oxford

America's Long Iraq nightmare

Grist: Murdoch, She Wrote: An interview with Rupert Murdoch about News Corp.'s new climate strategy

Votevets.org

Noam Chomsky: Ethanol fuel subsidies in U.S. fuel revolution in Mexico.

It's Our Cage, Too: Torture Betrays Us and Breeds New Enemies
By Charles C. Krulak and Joseph P. Hoar: Charles C. Krulak was commandant of the Marine Corps from 1995 to 1999.Joseph P. Hoar was commander in chief of U.S. Central Command from 1991 to 1994.

Rick and Paul posing at Lightning Point and running on Barr Trail.

Runners taking a break at Barr Camp this morning. At 10,200' Barr Camp is about six miles up the Barr Trail from Manitou Springs and about six miles from the summit of Pikers Peak.

Cameron's Cone

View of Cameron's Cone from the junction of Longs Ranch Road and Bob's Road, elevation 9,000', midway between the town of Manitou Springs, Colorado and Barr Camp.

Pikes Peak from the top of Longs Ranch Road, ele. 9,000'. I ran from Manitou Springs to Barr Camp via Longs and Bob's Roads this morning.

Mike Gravel for President

Ralph Nader: More Like Cicero Than Quixote, The People's Crusade of Mike Gravel

Team CRUD members, Rick Hessig, Paul Dewitt, Jim Dewitt, Judy Dewitt on our 22-mile fun run.

Pikes Peak from this morning's 22-mile romp in the Ramparts, west of Palmer Lake.

Truthdigger of the week: Mike Gravel, Candidate for President. Truthdig.com interviews him.

Nancy Pelosi, Mother Speaks out on meaning of Mother's Day

What a splendid post by the honorable Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi on the upcoming Mother's Day. Speaker Pelosi addresses the historical roots of this day, founded as it was by a mother who wanted to reclaim the sanctity of motherhood from the depths and depravity of our (un) Civil War. Julia Ward Howe spent the latter years of her life condemning the commercial travesty of future Mother's Days.

Ali Eteraz

I discovered Ali Eteraz today on Huffington Post.

What a powerful post.

Follow his links. Crushing.

Especially Samira Bellil, a Muslim in the suburbs of Paris who was raped at age 14 by Muslim dogs, then rejected by her family because of it. She died in 2004 at age 31 of stomach cancer. Fortunately we have her book: Dans l'enfer des tournantes (In the Hell of Rapes).

Monterrey, California Apr 28th

You may be brainwashed by Corporate Media if you believe

Rocky Anderson, Mayor of Salt Lake City debates Sean Hannity. Here is a link to his opening remarks in which he lays out the case for impeachment of Bush/Cheney on the basis of their lying us into a disastrous war. This is an excellent review of the last four years of deception and lies.

GOP candidates asked

"Who doesn't believe in evolution"

Brownback, Tancredo and Huckleberry Hound. From Crooks and Liars.

They are the fools willing to admit their ignorance...

Mike Gravel for President!!!!

Mike Gravel is now officially my favorite candidate for president. I just watched his stellar performance on The Colbert Report.

I am liking Mike Gravel more and more

Gravel criticized the President as a “lousy and immoral” commander in chief, but also levied criticism at Democrats for only passing a non-binding resolution to end the war. Nor does the former senator believe simply cutting off funds would work. “I filibustered to end funding in the Vietnam War, but it was not successful,” he recalled.

Instead, Gravel revealed a novel plan to bring about an end to the Iraq War, impeachment, or possibly both—and perhaps even land the President 'behind bars.'

“I have drafted a law that says we must get troops out of Iraq in 60 days,” he said. “Leave all the equipment behind…The President must certify that he took troops out. If he violates this law he should go to jail for five years with no parole, and pay a $1 million fine. It says so right in the law.”

He believes he could muster enough support in the House to pass the bill. If the Senate filibusters, he would urge Reid to call for a cloture vote daily. “The media will feed on this like maggots,” said Gravel, who predicts the measure would pass and that a veto could ultimately be overridden. If the President and Vice President then refuse to enact the law, he concluded, “once you have them breaking the law, now you impeach.”

Big Sur International Marathon, April 29

The Big Sur International Marathon is advertised as the “most scenic marathon”. Yes, it is spectacular as it winds along the rugged California coast from the pseudo-town of Big Sur northwards for 26 miles to the art gallery mecca of Carmel. Viewing the coast and the spectacular homes and occasional beaches in slow motion for better than three hours one gains a splendid appreciation its beauty. Though I’ve now run 83 marathons, the marathon distance is still daunting and though it was as close to sea level as one will ever get the repetitive rolling hills took its toll… I ran the entire distance, but the final six miles were in excess of 7 minutes each with at least one poking above 8 minutes. There was one overly long uphill that took us from about mile 11 to the halfway point on the famous Bixby Bridge. To add to the fun we ran into a stiff headwind on this 2-mile uphill. Fortunately I found someone willing to trade drafting advantages up this long slog. I had bought a $25 pair of sunglasses in the expo which is about the high end of what I will willingly pay for sunglasses because they were advertised as “anti-fog”. Well, let me tell you in the fog and low clouds we ran through on this Sunday they fogged up and I had to stash them in my back pocket.

Rebekka and I rounded out our “mini-vacation” with a wonderful two days with miles of walking in San Francisco, including up and over Nob Hill, Russian Hill, Telegraph Hill (Coit Tower) and along the Embarcadero and China Town then back to Cathedral Hill.