Rapid City Journal posts fake discussion

At 10 AM today, Holly Meyer at the Rapid City Journal moderated a fake discussion online. The blurb for the "discussion" was:

Join us for a chat about synthetic drugs with Rapid City Police Department Senior Officer Paul Wathen. Wathen, a certified drug recognition expert [licensed to practice voodoo], will field your questions live.

I asked this question three times: "Perhaps if natural cannabis were legal, use of synthetics would diminish?"

Three times it appeared momentarily, then disappeared. That leads me to believe that Ms. Meyer is simply a front for the illegal drug pushers. She certainly didn't want a real discussion.

Update 31 Jan: I emailed the Journal, asking why. According to Justin Breen, Interim Editor, Holly claims she did not delete my question, which means that it was someone else (doubtful) or a cyberconnection mechanical failure (possible). That does not change my opinion of Ms. Meyer's agenda. She constantly fawns over copstuff in the Journal.

DEA deploys terrorism in Montana

From The Missoulian:

Diane Sands is used to having her name taken in vain.

That's just part of being a liberal from Missoula in the Montana Legislature.

But her name surfaced recently in a way that offended and troubled her at a profound level.

A possible witness in a federal drug investigation was asked whether Sands might be part of a conspiracy to sell medical marijuana. The questions came from Drug Enforcement Administration agents from Billings who were investigating medical marijuana businesses, and Sands learned about the inquiry from the witness' attorney.

"So now, if you're a state legislator who has been working on medical marijuana laws, you are somehow part of a conspiracy," said Sands, who represents House District 95 in Missoula and works as development director for the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula. "It's ridiculous, of course, but it's also threatening to think that the federal government is willing to use its influence and try to chill discussion about this subject."

and

DEA spokesman Mike Turner said the DEA is not in the business of making political statements through name-dropping in its investigations. "We're certainly not out there dropping people's names with the intention of doing them harm," he said. "We're not in the business of scaring people." [Newland says: That's right. They're in the business of supporting commodity prices for the most vicious businessmen on earth.]

Read more.

Dark-eyed Junco

I had to go to Custer and Hot Springs yesterday, so I drove 36 to Custer, along which I saw this group of Dark-eyed Juncos feeding at the edge of the road. I didn't know what they were until I found them in my Audubon book and on the internet. They have a variety of shading, from slate-gray to peach-and-brown. Strange. Cute.


Later, in Wind Cave Natl Park, I saw this coyote a couple of hundred yards off the road. If I had remembered to adjust my exposures, I'd have had some really nice shots, but what I have are grossly over-exposed. I managed to manipulate them in PhotoShop until they were at least viewable.



I also overexposed this shot of an eagle looking at the menu. The menu is also considering the eagle. The distance between the two is considerably greater than the foreshortening of the lens implies.

American Kestrel

From All About Birds: North America’s littlest falcon, the American Kestrel packs a predator’s fierce intensity into its small body. It's one of the most colorful of all raptors: the male’s slate-blue head and wings contrast elegantly with his rusty-red back and tail; the female has the same warm reddish on her wings, back, and tail. Hunting for insects and other small prey in open territory, kestrels perch on wires or poles, or hover facing into the wind, flapping and adjusting their long tails to stay in place. Kestrels are declining in parts of their range; you can help them by putting up nest boxes.

These shots were made about 1pm today about four miles west of Hermosa on Hwy 40.


After the one on the post (above) took off, I shot all of the following images in succession as the kestrel hovered in the wind. Since the background was so great, I had no problem combining seven exposures into two for the following special effects images.

Newland's Reading List

My favorite books are adventure stories, told well and with humor. Luis Alberto Urrea pretty much monopolizes that field at the moment. The first book he wrote that I read was The Hummingbird's Daughter. (Click images to see more about each book.)



Then I read By the Lake of Sleeping Children.



Then I read The Devil's Highway.



I just started Queen of America, a sequel to Hummingbird's Daughter.



Today, I ordered three more Urrea books. Fiction or non-fiction, he makes life the adventure story it is. Of course, most of his work entails documentation of lives more "interesting" than ours. If you like to read, I don't see how you can't like Urrea.

Flag bill annoys Newland

HB 1235 (read it here) proposes to ditch the current state flag design and replace it with one by Spearfish artist Dick Termes. (Rapid City Journal story here)

Based on Bob Mercer's blog, it appears that Bernie Hunhoff came into the capitol a few days ago and got co-sponsors to sign the flag bill. And he appears to have cut a wide swath through both chambers in acquiring them.

Introduced by: Representatives Hunhoff (Bernie), Abdallah, Blake, Brunner, Conzet, Cronin, Deelstra, Dennert, Dryden, Elliott, Fargen, Feickert, Feinstein, Gibson, Greenfield, Hansen (Jon), Hawley, Hickey, Hoffman, Iron Cloud III, Jones, Killer, Kirkeby, Kirschman, Kloucek, Kopp, Liss, Lucas, Lust, Magstadt, Miller, Moser, Munsterman, Novstrup (David), Olson (Betty), Perry, Rausch, Romkema, Rozum, Schaefer, Schrempp, Scott, Sigdestad, Sly, Solum, Street, Stricherz, Tornow, Tulson, Turbiville, Van Gerpen, Verchio, White, Wick, Willadsen, and Wismer and Senators Holien, Bradford, Brown, Buhl, Cutler, Frerichs, Fryslie, Gray, Hansen (Tom), Hundstad, Johnston, Juhnke, Kraus, Krebs, Lederman, Maher, Nelson (Tom), Novstrup (Al), Peters, Putnam, Rampelberg, Rave, Schlekeway, Sutton, and Tidemann

This is what annoys me. Hunhoff is known and knows people statewide. He knows there are many talented graphic artists in South Dakota. He is well-acquainted with the common custom of submitting a proposed change to a public icon to a call-for-artists, then submitting the entries to a committee chosen by, say, the governor, and letting the best design win.

I don't think Dick Termes would object to a competition. It could be that his design would win in the end. I think it's worthy, but I haven't seen any other suggestions (except mine, a few posts below).

I just don't get why Bernie would go about trying to change the state flag design the way he did.

House State Affairs will hear testimony on the bill in a couple of days. As of this moment, it has not yet been scheduled.

You've probably seen this...

...but if you haven't...

What we have to look forward to

None of us should be surprised by this, the most recent Mitt Romney ad in heavy rotation in Florida.

There are slivers of truth in this ad, but a good deal of it goes WAY over the line of credibility. Check out the ABC News piece from Jonathan Karl's "Spinners and Winners" bit.

If this is the kind of tactic that Mitt Romney (this is Romney, not his Super PAC) a fellow Republican, is willing to place in the media, just imagine what the Democrats will do if Gingrich is the nominee.

Gov. Mitch Daniels (Ind.), in my opinion, should have been the Republican nominee. He chose not to get into this nasty fray. He is calm, smart and articulate. Watch his response to President Obama's State of the Union Address.



Instead, we are about to be treated to a blood-letting, the likes of which Republicans have not seen for some time. Whomever the nominee eventually is, will be a tired and battered foe for a refreshed, heavily armed and wealthy incumbent.

Loggerhead or Northern? Or not a Shrike at all?

I think this is a Loggerhead Shrike, maybe a Northern Shrike. I shot this with a 28-200 zoom with a doubler, so I had the lens racked out to 400 mm, and you're still seeing less than half of the original image area. That's why its a little soft. It's either lost its tail or it was flicking it and my lens didn't pick it up because of the motion. It only rested on the wire for a moment, but I think I saw a tail when it flew. From tip to tip the bird is about 9 inches. Shot on Battle Creek 5 mi. west of Hermosa.


I didn't know we had Shrikes here until I compared my image with those on bird websites. Here's a description of the bird:

A small gray, black, and white bird of open areas, the Loggerhead Shrike hardly appears to be a predator. But it uses its hooked beak to kill insects, lizards, mice, and birds, and then impales them on thorns to hold them while it rips them apart.

Okay, then.... Nice birdy. Good birdy.

You can't see it in these pictures, but its upper bill (if it's a shrike) has a wicked hook on the end, like an eagle's, but more like a precision needle.

Here's a picture of one of the murderous little bastards with a horned toad. And he's perching ON BARBED WIRE!

More pictures here.

Would Jesus Have Booed Ron Paul's "Golden Rule for Foreign Policy?

by Jim Babka for the Downsize DC Foundation

Excerpts below (read the whole letter here):

This is an open letter to my fellow Christians. If it moves you, please share it with other believers. It is intended to be a chain letter, to spread and cause discussion.

Here is The Golden Rule as expressed by Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ . . .

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you..." And in this instance its "golden" because it "...sums up the Law and the Prophets." [Matthew 7:12 (NIV)]

On Tuesday, January 17, 2012, in the South Carolina Republican debate, candidate Ron Paul said the following...

My point is, if another country does to us what we do others, we're not going to like it very much. So I would say that maybe we ought to consider a golden rule in foreign policy. [loud boos begin to drown out Paul] Don't do to other nations what we don't want to have them do to us. [indecipherable angry shouts can be heard]

Jesus advocated The Golden Rule. Ron Paul advocated applying The Golden Rule. But the Christian crowd booed the words "golden rule."

Consider what some call the hardest verses in the Bible, Matthew 5:38-42. They come from the Sermon on the Mount . . .

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away."

And these thoughts are echoed in Romans 12:17-20 (see also Proverbs 25:21-22) . . .

"17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."

Is this how we conduct our foreign policy? Is this how we defend ourselves? Or is it possible that Jesus knows more about true security than either our politicians or that Christian crowd in South Carolina?

By now, you know if you want to read Babka's letter further. Here it is.

So, they're thinking of adopting a new state flag...

Really. They are. Here's the current flag.


Here's what they're suggesting we use instead.



Here's my suggestion for the new SoDak state flag.


I'll post your suggestions if you send 'em to me.

Kurtz proposed the Ba'ath flag. I added something to make it a little more germaine.

When it comes to cynical business names...

..."Liberty Income Tax Service" probably can't be beat.


Shot 23 January 2012. Could have been any afternoon at St. Pat and St. Joe from Christmas to May.