On Texas;

Our province of Alberta is like your Texas. Oil and Gas revenues have allowed balanced budgets and a rainy-day fund, along with low taxes. This province can afford to attract business that doesn't come naturally from the concentration of energy companies.

When unemployment rises across the country, Alberta is always in better shape. That doesn't mean that things have been easy for all. The long-term conservative government has lowered taxes but imposes user fees on many services. They have the money to do things right but take the right wing corporate stance in environmental and social areas.

The point is, the success of Alberta or Texas is not due to the wizardry of their chief executives. These guys can screw up royally and still come out smelling like a rose in many ways. They are bragging about good management when really it is mainly fortunate geography and geology.

Sadly, our present Prime Minister is from Alberta. Otherwise, it is a great province.

Cheers,

Rick

Beware - Remember, there are powerful people who love and profit from:

War

Depression

Unemployment

Illegal immigration

Free trade

Election tampering

Cameron Todd Willingham case: Expert says fire for which father was executed was not arson

CHICAGO TRIBUNE August 25, 2009|By Steve Mills, Tribune Newspapers

In a withering critique, a nationally known fire scientist has told a state commission on forensics that Texas fire investigators had no basis to rule a deadly house fire was an arson -- a finding that led to the murder conviction and execution of Cameron Todd Willingham.

The finding comes in the first state-sanctioned review of an execution in Texas, home to the country's busiest death chamber. If the commission reaches the same conclusion, it could lead to the first-ever declaration by an official state body that an inmate was wrongly execute

Days before Cameron Todd Willingham went to his death proclaiming innocence, fire scientist cast doubt on his guilt

CHICAGO TRIBUNE June 25, 2011|By Steve Mills, Tribune reporter

In the days before Willingham was put to death, his lawyer filed with the courts a report from Gerald Hurst, one of the nation's most renowned fire scientists. His four-page report asserted for the first time in the case that the indicators of arson the investigators cited had been debunked by the scientific advances.

The fire, Hurst concluded, might well have been an accident.

"In death penalty cases, there's always paperwork filed at the last minute," Hurst said in a recent interview at his home in Austin. "Along comes a piece of work from an expert; they probably think experts are for sale. I expected to lose."

Perry reviewed the report and determined it did not present new information, although in fact it did. He also decided it did not merit a stay of execution, according to Lucy Nashed, a Perry spokeswoman.

Perry has declined to release a memo from state lawyers advising him on the evidence in the case. Willingham went to his death proclaiming his innocence.

The Tribune investigated the case in December 2004. As part of that investigation, the newspaper had experts review the evidence. Those experts agreed with Hurst, saying the arson finding was inappropriate. A short time later, the Texas Forensic Science Commission was formed to examine the use of forensic evidence and selected the Willingham case as its first investigation.

The candidate for the Presidency is a RECKLESS EXECUTIONER. The so called fire science used was the equivalent of actually using automobile advice for a 1967 Chevy Camaro on your 2010 Camaro.

In the first place, I believe it is in the Constitution that the President can request that the Treasury mint coins. Don't recall the one yet, but I have it written down somewhere. I'm pretty sure Thom Hartmann had it on his show during the debt ceiling debates when it was brought up that the President could request that 3 platinum coins valued at $1T ea be minted and problem solved. I believe that other metals, such as gold or silver can only be certain denominations. Maybe Rick Perry should read the constitution if he wants to seriously run for the office of President of the U.S.

Perry claims to be Christian, but if he is a true Christian, then I'm the Man in the Moon.

He makes a show of his religion.

I've been nervous about this guy since he began saying he might run. He's down-homey, smooth, and has that Elmer Gantry thing about him. He's got what it takes to sway a lot of people; and he has more charisma than Romney. I don't know any other Republican out there running that seems as dangerous to me as Perry. He is also like watching a composite of Bush2 and Reagan. Texas has tarantulas, but this guy is the biggest. Keep up the good work, Thom. We do not want this guy to make it.

Romney is bad enough, saying publicly that "corporations are people." That's believing in funny stuff, like Beck believing in Mormon prophecies. Here's what we need to demand now: A constitutional amendment to end money in politics.

I agree with you. Every time I think, "It will be a cake walk to beat someone so warpped and scary, I remember Bush and the puppetmaster, Cheny, and I tink we better have the "best" Republican we can get because there are a lot of warpped and scary people who ocassionally beat the radical middle who yawn and stay home on election day."

The Apathy Party is the fastest growing one, if they would raise there hands so we could count them.

If what you say is true, then they should all have their licenses pulled. The media certainly is entitled to an opinion if it is in fact reported as an opinion. What they are not entitled to is to created and report their own facts. Should they do so, they should lose their licenses to function as a news organization. A perfect example would be reports by news organizations saying Obama will not be reelected if unemployment does not get below 8% or Obama is criticized for not creating more jobs. I could write a book on why both of these examples are ridiculous. To be brief, Obama did not create the unemployment. Republicans and corporate America did. Obama did not shut down 50,000 manufacturing operations and export 5 million jobs. Corporate America and the REpublicans did. If anyone should know where the jobs are, it is the Republicans. They helped export the jobs with tax subsidies to companies exporting jobs. Obama did not allow Wall Stret and banks to self regulate, The Republicans did. We almost got a Second Great Depression as a result with many losing jobs, homes, etc. Everytime a REpublican asks where are the jobs on television, the reported should ask about the 50,000 manufacturing operations closed and exporting of 5 million jobs. If you are unwilling to fairly report the news, find another profession. When a Republicans lips move you will know they are lying.

Rick Perry is digging a hole to place his own casket as a candidate. This man is too extreme to serve as president of the United States. The more often he speaks so imprudently the sooner his campaign will be buried. Only insane people will chose to follow this man. He is a male version of candidate Michelle Bachmann. How can a man who suggests that it would be good for Texas to secede from the United States run for president? People will not forget the imprudent comments he makes to get his name in the news. These terrible statements reveal the way he thinks; most Americans are better than he is and will reject his candidacy. He only succeeded in Texas because he got so much money from Texas billionaires . . . they apparently want to purchase another man in the White House as they did with George W. Bush. This time it will not work.

Philip Henderson, Ethical Magician

Frankly, I don't think we should pay any more attention to Perry that we should to Bachmann, Palin, Paul or Cain. I think they are all off the wall. The Repub establishment lets them yammer away and shoot themselves in the foot which they do every day. And when it gets really stupid, they put a little check on them. Even Rove opened his mouth today about Perry. I guess he can take Bachmann's faux pas about Presley on tomorrow, although that was so brainless it isn't even worth mentioning. They are all just a bunch of clowns.

Gee, it so easy to be a fascist! Remember Franco, Mussolini, and Hitler? These are the heroes of the Right Gone Wrong . . . and, today,

Rick Perry is the Star Fascist of the States of America (sorry folks the mask is off, we are no longer United . . . sad). Watch him climb and watch his following . . . best that you know your enemy . . . as my wise latino grandfather always told me:

"TELL ME WHO YOU HANG AROUND WITH AND I'LL TELL YOU WHO YOU ARE"

You are a fair poet Sketicrat. I wonder though why you didn't plant your roots in Texas whilst hitchhiking thru. There must have been something you did not like about those "fiercly independent freedom-loving constituents of Texas".

I believe Perry answered your question - Texas is the world's 13th larget economy - so they's dropped 4 ranks since your hitchhiking days. Outsourcing?

If Texas somehow managed to secede, they would most likely be reclaimed by Mexico. Texas would no longer benefit from the largest economy in the world, hence the US Military would not defend a turn-coat "lone wolf country". Of course when those Texans tried to escape into the United States of America - they would now be illegal aliens. hopefully the states bordering Mexico (Texas) would lock 'em up for a number of years without due process and eventually send 'em packin'.
Better Houston to have taken Mexico - but the gov't said "No - just disgrace them" and set a line at the Rio Grande.

FreeDictionary:
The United States has no specific law on secession, but the federal government and state governments maintain laws that punish Sedition and other forms of insurrection against the government. On the federal level, for example, chapter 115 of title 18 of the U.S. Code Annotated identifies Treason, rebellion, or insurrection, seditious conspiracy, and advocation of the overthrow of the government as criminal offenses punishable by several years of imprisonment and thousands of dollars in fines. These are the types of crimes that can be charged against persons who attempt to secede from the United States.

I am curious though - are you in favor of a second civil war? You know the first one killed more Americans than alll other wars combined.

Peace!

This guy and the extremists he represents are not joking, and they WILL try to do what they say!

The good people of Texas (I almost married one, she and her people are real Americans) are helpless because ever since Karl Rover used Dubya's cuteness to rob Ann Richards of the governor's office, the state has been divided and sold to the lowest bidder. The laws are so altered that no citizen's effort seems possible, and the state supreme court is full of activist appointees of the perry.

These people hate and fear everything to do with America while wrapping that steaming pile in the flag. The Dominion Theology they would subsitiute for the Constitution is a mix of Caveman's superstitions and the Wild West/Railroad Baron era of the 1880s. Their "stone the virgin/revenge/holy war" mentality really predates the Old Testament (eg:, "an eye for an eye" replaced "kill his whole family" as a more measured response) and has the strange ideal that if you are born poor God must be punishing you for (whatever reason) so it's your fault. And if you are born of rich parents you must be one of the Elect, and a rightful ruler of the world.

They really want to take us back to an era when a black man could by lynched for "looking at a white woman"; when the black or the woman could not vote, own property, choose his or her lifestyle; when the Mexican, the "heathen Chinee", the Irish, the Italian, the Polish, the Peurto Rican, etc. were easy targets for an employer or a town to push around and use, etc.

Boy, you guys are bitter. If all the republican candidates are ALL so bad, why worry about them? Stop talking about them and just push all the great things that obama has done in his three years in office. He should be ellected in a heartbeat.