Dear Mom - Letters to Heaven

Friday, July 31, 2009

Doc Watson & David Holt Way To Be!



Doc and David are an example of what is good about this country, this world and people in general. Their thirst for knowledge, discovery, sharing of knowledge and pursuit of new experiences, vistas and vantage points, their positive outlook, their creativity and their ability to overcome obstacles, their good nature, their talent, their openness, kindness and their honesty is the root of real enlightenment and strength, and fulfillment. They are examples of how to be as people - let alone musicians.

Long live that spirit of cooperation, humbleness, kindness and strength. The strength in knowing you can let the other guy be number one. The strength in the confidence and integrity of your own being even if the other guy is singing lead is essential to collaboration both personally, musically, in business and among nations, and leads to a sum greater than it's separate parts. This is the lesson and the vision in which we all need to achieve our greater goals and live the lives our creator, any creator would want for their creation.

The chest thumping short sighted, short term, bravado of me first is a losers game that ends in destruction as aptly demonstrated time and again by nations, leaders and people from all walks of life.


Paul Burke
Author-Journey Home

Doc & David Interview

Friday, July 17, 2009

Energy is a National Security Issue - Bigger Than Oil, Coal and Nuclear's Self Interest

The hold out legislatures on Capital Hill need to get with the program. Big Oil had one hundred years of profit taking and subsidies and the last eight years of complete free reign to use our government, treasure, and troops any way they wanted. Their little free for all set us back mightily.

The talking heads on Fox (Fixed) News need to shut up, wake up and stop whoring themselves out to an old set of arcane ideas that have outlived their usefulness.

The Status Quo needs to get with the program or get out of our way.

Solar energy is coming and the leading proponent is the Pentagon!

Hey all you chicken hawk haters of the environment, haters of clean water, air and food, all of you greedy over fishers and spoilers of the planet, all of you extractors of minerals and polluters of drinking water, and all of you tree tearers and animal slaughterers I've got news for your thick skulls and damned souls - YOU COULDN'T BE MORE WRONG about everything.

You are looking at the world and yourself completely backwards.

You are destroying your own selves (along with the rest of us) by thinking you're above it all, and by all I mean what was put here not by your hand. You have no idea what you are doing or talking about because your premise is all wrong. Your starting position from your thought process is completely 180 degrees backwards. Me first is wrong. I'm just one person so what does it matter is WRONG.

I know, I know you are all so impressed with your manly accomplishments. The pyramids, big deal make a planet, your glass enclosed office buildings, make an Eco- system, your guns, create a sun.

Your ego is so out of whack you don't realize you barely control your own actions. Having trouble putting that drink down Mr. Big Shot? Cheating on your wife Senator enjoy the divorce? How's that cigarette taste want another one? What whacking off again, road rage, molesting children Bishop? You can not even control your own miserable little lives and behavior none of us are all that.

We need to dial it down quick and get some global humility in the face of the actual reality we live in, and the precarious nature of our existence. Our Earthly orbit goes off a degree or two, slows down, or moves slightly closer to the sun we are cooked, literally. We need to be walking around with a helluva a lot more respect for our place in the Universe and on this planet and with each other. We couldn't be farther off base with our attitudes than we are now today!

The premise you geniuses, you captains of industry should be operating from is that we are on a tiny speck of rock with a thin layer of air in an enormous and beyond vast, infinite universe, surrounded by billions and billions of universes with no other means of survival than this tiny, infinitely small and remote barely there planet.



You guys don't see the big picture at all. It's laughable if it wasn't so STUPID. Do you all still think we are the center of the Universe? Hell we aren't even the center of our solar system.

Look you morons think grain of sand, speck of dust. That's our Earth and that's what sustains us not your giant corporation, your bank account, your dick, or your dogma. How stupid do you have to be not to realize that any pollution is wrong, any pollution is a step towards self destruction through cancer and toxins in our water ways and then in our blood streams. If it pollutes our Earth it pollutes our bodies. Every action has repercussions. You idiots think you are separate from nature, lord dominion over the beasts, we don't operate in a vacuum. WAKE UP!

Oil, Coal, Nuclear are all archaic, outdated, and poisonous forms of dirty energy. Their by products are cancer, war, and global warming. If the phrase global warming sets you all a twitter try the concept called POLLUTION. Dirty energy sources do not mix well with our survival and health as a species or our survival as a Country or our regional survival dependent on tourism.

That's right tourism you idiots. It's a huge economic driver and generator.

So the idea of blasting mountain tops into streams that would be better used for fly fishing and drinking than a waste dump and a cesspool is a bad idea.

The idea of oil rigs spewing waste water, decimating fish populations and disrupting and poisoning our food chain is a bad idea.

Drill baby drill spilling oil onto our beaches and turning our water brown is a bad idea, ignorant, stupid and decidedly last century. Any further development and subsidies given to those industries is just hush money until we come online with solar thermal.

Hey idiots North America's largest solar thermal array is housed at Nellis Air Force Base. You would know that if you had clicked on the link you just skipped over.

Just like the government spearheaded the development of the internet by investing in it Solar Thermal and Soar Energy are finally, finally, finally on it's way thanks to the PENTAGON and the common sense of the hippies. Yes the hippies who know where they live (on a planet not a Country Club) and aren't driven to self destruction by a blown up malfunctioning ego and over sense of self.

That's right boys and girls your government realizes that corporations don't have our back or our best interest at heart. Unclogging the log jam of whores in Congress from big Texas Oil and the legacy of the Nazi money launderer Prescott Bush, the genius who not only gave us Nixon, but his retarded cowboy son the Pentagon has finally taken the bull by the horns because it's a national security issue you freakin' idiots.

We're going to have solar energy and it's coming to a town, orbit near you. Hey corporate geniuses and sycophants with your alarming lack of vision I'll throw you a bone. You might want to INVEST ... NOW...morons.

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7/15/2009 - BROOKS CITY-BASE, Texas (AFNS) -- By 2015, solar thermal energy will provide at least 30 percent of the hot water in new and heavily renovated federal buildings.

For the Air Force, it will be the job of officials at the Brooks Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment, as managers of the service's military construction, or MILCON, program, to ensure that its facilities comply with the provisions of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Read More

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Corporate Media Controls Your Opinions




You may think that you arrived at your own opinions on your own but with a land, sea, and air attack that rivals any science fiction novel big corporate media has got you by the (eye)balls.

Just FIVE COMPANIES control what we watch, hear and read EVERY DAY. Disney, Time Warner, News Corp, GE/NBC and CBS Viacom (Sumner Redstone).

It's not an accident and happened while you were ummm distracted by Brittney, Michael, and Dancing With The Stars. The Corporate game plan for your mind sprung into action a long time ago, and it's going to take a big effort to undo their consolidating, conglomerate monopoly on your opinions.

Don't get mad at yourself for being so gullible. Education has been dumbed down so far that you aren't even sure how your brain works. The marketers know. Remember when you were in kindergarten and you learned by repetition and memorization. Some called it the old boring method. Repeat slowly after me your opinions are not your own. They are repeated mantras seeped into your being by the wallpaper and noise that is our media outlets the TV, Radio and Newspapers going 24 hours a day.

Stop and think about that and imagine if the content was different, classical music, visual arts like Monet and Van Gogh and public forums like C-Span playing all the time - and all the other stuff disappeared. Imagine if movies were less violent in fact no guns at all. Imagine if meat wasn't whats for dinner. It's all advertising folks and what we absorb into our brains needs to be monitored by our own selves or we just become dupes and minions of the powers that be.

From CEO's huffing and puffing the latest RNC Fixed (FOX) news spin to Washington D.C. lawyers quoting the Heritage Foundation and Middle America repeating verbatim what they see and hear on TV - independent thought has gone out with independent media. Say it ain't so Joe!

The people clamoring for power (politicians) are whoring themselves out to the big money corporations who own the media, who control the content and greatly influence a very pliable, overstimulated and glued to the tube populace. Turn off the TV and go to a PTA meeting would be my advice.

It is the media fueled by a handful of Corporations who own media conglomerates who control the content of your newspaper, television, and radio. They promote their own interest to the detriment of the Country. Country First my ass!

Let's go over some facts:

The average american spends over 4 hours a day watching TV
93 percent of american adults listen to the radio every week
88 percent of online americans say the internet is a part of their daily routine
The average teenager spends more hours per year watching TV than in School
On average an american child will view 40,000 commercials per year

Those stats are quite frankly obscene.

And from Lowry Mays past CEO of Radio giant Clear Channel Communications I quote, "If anyone said we were in the radio business, it wouldn't be someone from our company. We're not in the business of providing news and information. We're not in the business of providing well- researched music. We're simply in the business of selling customers products."

It's pretty sad that our national public airways serve no greater purpose than to hawk the snuggie.

More facts:
1 billion dollars is the amount the communication industry has spent to lobby congress since 1998 ...100 million a year.
39 Million - the amount AT&T has given in campaign contributions to members of congress over the past ten years
453 Billion - the estimated worth of the publicly owned airwaves that are used by broadcasters for free - no cost - zero, zilch, nothing back to the american tax payers.

More facts
Since 1975 two thirds of independent newspaper owners have disappeared
99 percent of all residential broadband connections(99%)are provided by incumbent cable or telecom companies

When radio first began a third of all stations were run by nonprofit groups. Many others sold airtime to citizens for their own use. Less than 5 percent would be considered commercial but once the Federal Radio Commission was formed nonprofit stations have dropped to 2 percent and advertising went balistic from a marginal activity to being huge in just a few years.

Federal policies shaped the system and that's how it can change.

Do you want to help bring freedom of thought, independence and democracy back to the airwaves? Do you want a more thoughtful population bringing democracy and the people back to the "table" - that right now is a limited reserved seating affair for the wealthiest 1% who control our democracy and legislative process? Do you want America of the people, by the people, for the people?

If your answer is yes click here to visit the "Free Press" Home Page for more information and ways you - yes YOU can help.

Your Country Needs You - get active, participate today!


Paul Burke
Author - Journey Home

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

New Revelations About Reintroduced Wolves

I'm the one who's Fair and Balanced - not Fixed (FOX) News - the propaganda arm of the RNC. The article from Wyoming Hunting Today in the link above is informative and written from the hunters point of view. As an environmentalist and a person with an open mind who thinks for themselves I want to hear opposing view points. Consensus can be reached. Practical common sense and vision can solve problems.

After reading the above article I left a lengthy comment on the hunting web site. Hey I've got guts these guys have guns I hope I didn't get them mad...(just kidding). Basically the article discusses the Elk population in Idaho and it's demise. Wolves are getting blamed but man is accountable for his own actions whether he likes it or not. In response to the article let's pick up the thread here...
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Look it is a question of balance and you hit the nail on the head with this comment.

"How can F&G convince a judge that wolves must be killed because they are killing adult female cow elk whose numbers are below the minimum management objective, when F&G is allowing hunters to kill those same cow elk instead of protecting them?"

I'm one of those far out Defenders of Wildlife people, but that includes all wildlife - including man himself. I don't see humans as a part from nature. We are as essentially integrated into the total environment as Elk, Bears, Wolves, honeybees, and Eagles to name a few. What we do and how we live has the most significant impact. What we can control most successfully is our own actions.

I agree completely that non-residents should be restricted from hunting outside of their local. Airplanes, helicopters and high powered rifles and scopes were made by man and not part of the natural landscape. You want to hunt Elk in Idaho establish a full time residency, pay taxes, and contribute to the economy there.

15,000 people can shoot Elk but we are blaming 250 Wolves for their decline? On the face of it those numbers don't add up. Let's stick to some common sense.

Trophy hunting ought to be banned except to cull the herd, and that privilege should cost a lot of money. Encroachment of the suburbs ought to be regulated with offsets. 5000 acres go up to development - 5000 acres somewhere in the vicinity have to be permanently protected. You can not take man out of the equation.

The right to kill Elk is not a god given right. It's a product of invention, sophisticated hunting gear, equipment to make it easier, and an abundance of spare time our modern lifestyle has given us. What we do with that time matters. We can visit sick children in the hospital or kill wildlife - our actions define who we are. Calling it a way of life is just making an excuse for custom and habits - just because its an old custom doesn't make it currently appropriate, smart or intelligent for our constantly evolving situations and world.

Most of the hunting isn't for survival or harvest. Maybe Ted Nugent eats his kill but he hardly needs to. It's a form of entertainment another distraction and recreation and it includes the consumption of alcohol. Dick Cheney rammed that point home for us blasting a hunting partner in the face a few years ago. Well done Dick.

If we are concerned about the elk population stop shooting them.

I know, I know it's a big business but if we let big business dictate everything we do and profit margins are the sole arbitrator of all our decisions our Country and World will just be one big giant cesspool. The big dollar wild game industry caters to millionaires with time on their hands.

Who can afford a trip to Alaska to fly around in a helicopter burning fossil fuel unnecessarily shooting wolves from the air? Big, fat, lazy, rich dudes that's who - hey I call em as I see em.

I totally support eliminating non-residents from hunting in locals other than their home region, putting bounties on or charging large fees for big game like Bear that have grown beyond the natural surrounding areas ability to sustain them or removing them to other more sustainable locals, and fencing and preventative measures to protect livestock.

I propose the local hunters and outdoors men think about careers in wildlife management and forestry, and put down their guns as sport and use them only when necessary. Just because we can doesn't mean we should.

Trust me just like overfishing hunting for pleasure and the industry that supports it and the industry that promotes it is going to go out of business - it's multi-billion dollar industry is tied directly to the time line and fate of endangered and extinct wildlife.

Man needs to learn how to control himself adapt and recalibrate his assumptions, habits and behavior because none of us want the wildlife to go extinct. Why can't we hunt the elk with non-toxic paint balls that wash off in water. Let's think creatively!

Paul Burke
Author-Journey Home

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Global Warmings 10 Most Outrageous Claims



10 Outrageous Claims
As the House debate heated up, so did the hyperbole.

We already knew that climate action opponents were, shall we say, special.

They've spent years denying the reality of global warming and doing everything possible to delay action. But, last week's floor debate put their tortured reasoning in the Congressional Record.

We've compiled 10 of the most outrageous comments from the floor last week.

Yes, they're bizarre. But, it's important to keep in mind that we are very likely to see much more of this as the bill moves to the Senate.
10 Outrageous Claims

10) "Wake up, America. There hasn't been any global warming, which is what we heard over and over and over again – there hasn't been any global warming for 10 years." – Rep. Dana Rohrabacker (R-CA)

No warming for 10 years? Well, not exactly true. 1998 was the 2nd hottest year on record while 2008 was only the 8th hottest. So, if you only look at those two years, you might assume there hasn't been any warming. But, 2005 was the hottest year on record and the warmest decade on record is 1998 through 2008. The trends are clear. The planet is warming. Period.

9) "You want to talk about a massive new welfare program for energy? It's in here too… It's a whole new welfare program for energy." – Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR)

If you want to talk welfare, what about the hundreds of billions the oil, gas and coal industries have received in subsidies and tax breaks over the years?

8) "God has put us on this Earth as responsible stewards of these resources, and we ought to use them responsibly. This bill does not do it. In fact, it does nothing good. The only meaningful thing that it might do is provide a relatively meaningless photo op for our President in December in Copenhagen as he stands to brag about what America has done while the leaders of India and China laugh at us behind his back." – Rep. Mike Conaway (R-TX)

We look forward to working with Rep. Conaway to strengthen this bill and to fight for the strongest possible international global warming treaty later this year.

7) "Energy producing states like Oklahoma will be economically punished and devastated." – Rep Tom Cole (R-OK)

Rep. Cole should have a look at climate models showing that Oklahoma could spend nearly the entire summer with 100+ temperatures by the end of the century. Talk about devastating.

6) "We should not be the first lemming to jump off the cliff." – Rep. Doc Hasting (R-WA)

That's an interesting point given that the U.S. is the only industrial country in the world that never ratified the Kyoto global warming treaty and that much of Europe is operating under a carbon cap right now.

5) "[For some, this bill is an] economic death sentence." – Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA)

As opposed to the current economy in which we are held hostage by our reliance on foreign oil and in which only last summer we saw gas prices exceed $4/gallon.

4) "The whole point of cap-and-trade is to make fossil fuels, or 85 percent of the energy we consume, more expensive." – Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA)

No, the point of this bill is to cap global warming pollution, put Americans back to work building out our clean energy future, and free us from our dangerous dependence on foreign oil.

3) "Do you want to throw away the economic prosperity for nothing, because that's what this bill does. And for what, to satisfy the twisted desires of radical environmentalists." – Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA)

With millions of Americans out of work and the economy in recession, it might not be the best time to talk about "throwing away our economic prosperity" or to support the status quo.

2) "[This will bring us back to] hunting and gathering." – Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI)

Yeah, when we look at solar panels, hybrids and windmills, that's exactly what comes to mind – hunting and gathering societies.

1) "The idea of human induced global climate change is one of the greatest hoaxes perpetrated out of the scientific community. It is a hoax… We need to be good stewards of our environment, but this is not it, it’s a hoax!" – Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA)

A global conspiracy involving thousands of scientists taking tens of thousands of measurements on everything ranging from ice core samples to the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere to sea level rise, hundreds of governments around the world working to address global warming pollution, dozens of science academies that have endorsed the reality of global warming and urged action, as well as hundreds of millions of people around the world who have joined the movement to promote global warming action.

And, we're all coordinating our activities to push this hoax because…?

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Courtesy of the Environmental Defense Fund