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Columns Empathy
not a liberal issue
(June 12, 2009) As an unapologetic liberal, I didn’t know that. When I asked my left-leaning friends, they didn’t know that either. Guess we didn’t get the memo from Liberal Headquarters, which is apparently somewhere in California, probably San Francisco. Right-wing pundits Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly assert that in President Barack Obama’s nomination announcement of Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court, he used the word “empathy” as a code for his obviously liberal activist views: yet another proof that he’s a Socialist. No doubt, Limbaugh et al would have defined Obama as a Communist, but since the fall of the USSR, there are very few Communists to blame for anything. Calling someone a Communist only reveals how out-of-touch the caller is. Read more... CAFO
outcry comes from farmers
(May 29, 2009) It is all made up, a total fabrication, stemming from the fertile imaginations of public relations people in the employ of agribusinesses such as Smithfield/Premium Standard Farms, Tyson, Seaboard and MOARK/Land O’ Lakes. Read more... Cap-and-trade
requires strict oversight
(May 1, 2009) We’ve all heard the terms, and apparently the Obama administration will at some point propose this, but what exactly does it mean? Read more... Bulldozer
Academy faces backlash
(April 17, 2009) Now, there’s a backlash — one of their own making. But in their eagerness to assign blame, they’re pointing fingers at everyone else. Read more... CAFO
subsidies no help for rural economies
(April 3, 2009) AIG
execs take the money and run
(March 20, 2009) Another thing I know — thanks to national news coverage — is that employees who made “reckless and greedy” acts that led to their company hitting the skids are receiving anywhere from a thousand or so bucks to more than $6.4 million. Read more... Need
for new plant a powerful question
(March 6, 2009) No doubt, analysts in the employ of AmerenUE — the utility company that is proposing to build the plant — are examining very closely the demand for electricity. There is little doubt that, at present, the supply exceeds the demand. There are several older power plants relying on nuclear, coal, natural gas and hydro to generate electricity. Some of those plants are nearing the ends of their life expectancies and will be retired or upgraded. Will it be cheaper to upgrade those older plants or to construct a new one? Read more... Mayor's
letter to Ameren chief crossed line
(February 20, 2009) “We just couldn’t do it. The risk would be too great. We don’t think people would lend us the money. We don’t think our board of directors would approve it. And we don’t think our stockholders would think it’s prudent.” Read more... It’s
not safe to get in the water
(February 6, 2009) Panel
acts as if stream rules don’t apply
(January 30, 2009) Apparently, however, the Shannon County Commission views the Current River as "just another creek" in its destruction wreaked on a long section of Big Creek, a tributary of the Current River. The commission channelized about 1,000 yards of Big Creek, constructed several "wing dams" of dirt, rock and logs, and piled gravel about 20 feet high along the stream banks. All of this was done while working on a road or roads through private property (without permission of the owners). Read more... Columbia
needs a sustainability director
(January 23, 2009) But the council couldn’t come to an agreement on a definition (or job description) for this position, and eventually the notion was pushed aside. Read more... Repairing
Hinkson benefits everyone
(January 16, 2009) Over the past 10 years, there have been a number of fish kills resulting from spills and releases into Hinkson Creek, everything from floor stripper to raw sewage. Read more... Scientists
predict dramatic Midwest climate change
(January 9, 2009) As this is written, about a week later, the overnight temperature is predicted to be 25 degrees with a daytime high of about 37. Between then and now, the low temperature went down to around zero. Read more... Auto
industry bailout is capitulation at any speed
(January 2, 2009) Bush
rules must be questioned, changed
(December 19, 2008) "Clear Skies" was the name given to allow expansions of industrial facilities to exempt such expansions from provisions of the Clean Air Act. "Healthy Forests" was not at all healthy, unless it is assumed that clear-cut forests - with no trees whatsoever - are healthy. Read more... Next
DNR director has mess to clean up
(December 12, 2008) He has submitted his resignation and, as reported in The Kansas City Star, will be gone by Jan. 12. Chances are that he will be gone before that - most likely by the end of this month - but the exact date of his departure is unknown. One thing is for sure: DNR has been politicized as never before. Read more... Mercury
rules are needed
(December 5, 2008) It affects the central nervous system - hence the term "mad as a hatter," since hatmakers once used mercury to cure hats. It is especially detrimental to the developing nervous systems of fetuses and young children. It is also an airborne toxic contaminant that federal and state governments refuse to regulate. Read more... Wind,
sun can best serve energy needs
(November 28, 2008) Effects
of Bootheel uranium search costly
(November 21, 2008) All that is known at this point is that a consulting firm - Gustafson Inc. of Boulder, Colo. - is doing some exploratory work for the U.S. Department of Energy and the Bendix Corp. Apparently, the engineers and geologists at Gustafson think that underneath all that rich topsoil deposited over thousands of years by flooding from the adjacent Mississippi River, is uranium. Read more... Fiscal
conservatism clearly has failed; it’s time to try something
else
(November
14, 2008) Our economy is in the tank, the U.S. environment is trashed (Healthy Forests Restorative Act? Clear Skies Initiative?), our status in the world is lower than dirt, and the president (your man, George W. Bush) has an approval rating in the mid-20s. Read more... Clean
coal is a dirty lie
(November
7, 2008) First, consider how coal is obtained. Either it is dug out from underneath the ground, endangering human health and presenting risks to human life, or it is obtained by extracting the coal after removing the "over-burden" (soil, grass, trees - anything on top of the coal). While the former has immediate problems of risk to human lives and health and long-lasting problems of subsidence and underground fires, the latter is more harmful and probably even longer-lasting. Read more... Even
‘unclassified’ streams merit protection in Missouri
(October
31, 2008) Neither does Brush Creek, which flows through Crown Center in Kansas City, nor River Des Peres, which originates at the zoo in St. Louis. There are similar nonexistent creeks and rivers in Springfield (Sequiota Creek), Joplin (Turkey Creek) and other urban areas of this state. There are literally hundreds of streams in rural areas that, as far as the classification system is concerned, don’t exist. Read more... Observations
have solid scientific sources
(October
17, 2008) Congress’
bailout is really a sellout
(October
10, 2008) That is not to say some sort of assistance from Congress wasn’t needed. Perhaps dealing with the root of the problem would have been time-consuming and maybe even more costly, but as can be observed by the continued ills of the stock market, throwing money at Wall Street did not resolve our monetary crisis. Read more... DNR
grasps at straws to guard CAFOs (October
3, 2008) Such was the case when Judge Patricia Joyce, a senior judge on the Cole County Circuit Court, ruled Aug. 25 that the Missouri Department of Natural Resources had shirked its constitutional duty to protect state parks and historic sites from the ill effects of concentrated animal feeding operations. The judge also ruled that DNR should permit no CAFO within 15 miles of a state park or historic site and that, in some situations, even a 15-mile "buffer" might not be sufficient. Therefore, she retained jurisdiction. Read more... City
shouldn’t have dived into Philips Lake
(September
26, 2008) This documents that Philips Lake is officially "waters of the state" and "waters of the United States." It is not a farm pond, where all of the waters are contained within one property. Rather the waters of Philips Lake drain from across Highway 63 and into Clear Creek - both well beyond the boundaries of the Philips Tract, now owned by Jose Lindner. Read more... CAFOs
have no science to stand on
(September
19, 2008) No one needed to do scientific studies to tell us hogs didn’t smell like roses. But the scientific studies have now been done that confirm what our noses - and stinky clothes - told us on that Illinois farm about 50 years ago. The only difference is that now some of the compounds causing the unpleasant aroma have been identified, and some of those compounds, according to public health studies, cause human health problems, from flu-like symptoms to severe asthmatic attacks. Read more... Despite
assurances, Columbia’s water is unfit to drink
(September
12, 2008)
The short-term effects are not well-known and not as well-documented but are potentially more harmful than the long-term impacts. A study in California shows miscarriages (medically known as "spontaneous abortions") were almost doubled in women drinking water containing trihalomethanes as contrasted with water that was absent of such. Other short-term effects are gastrointestinal flu-like symptoms and "interruptions" of the central nervous system. Read more... More
oil drilling is not the answer
(September
5, 2008)
While I marveled at the wizardry that enabled all these platforms to drill and to pump up oil, I was taken aback by the amount of debris that had washed up on the beaches near the platforms. Some of this had clearly been discarded by workers on the platforms - water bottles, candy wrappers and beer cans. Some consisted of the usual debris found on coasts everywhere - ropes, parts of nets, floats. Read more... Save
nature from developers, politicians
(August
29, 2008)
State
turning blind eye to water issues
(August
15, 2008) Although most people believe that the state departments of natural resources and health are there to protect us, such is not the case. After all, when was the last time DNR or the health and senior services department issued an advisory about how contact with the water in some local swimming hole might be hazardous to your health? Yet, every day, pollution pours into our streams, rivers and lakes, and waters in this state become fouled and unhealthy, filled with germs and other nasty things. Read more... The
people should dictate death lab site
(August
8, 2008) Consider that it has recently been revealed that the existing Level 4 biodefense labs - of which Plum Island is one (although it is actually called something else, it is indeed a biodefense lab or a quasi-military establishment) - haven’t been quite as secure as the Department Homeland Security or the U.S. Department of Agriculture had touted. Read more... Missouri’s
streams are not open sewers
(August
1, 2008) In
the end, we’re all environmentalists
(July
25, 2008) Not-so-objective reports on, say, Fox News refer to "radical environmentalists." It is almost one word - sort of like DamnYankees in the Civil War era. Read more... Bicyclists
must also heed regulations
(July
18, 2008) This sign appears at several locations on the MKT Trail and, as bicycle enthusiasts know, is just common sense. Organized bicycle groups routinely give a warning when passing a bicyclist or pedestrian, and it is passed along the group when large numbers of riders are participating. Only those who are amateurs, or who ride only occasionally, fail to give such a warning. Read more... Local
food might soon be a necessity
(July
11, 2008) There are, to be sure, several reasons for this choice: less air and water pollution, supporting family farms and the rural economy, and health concerns. There are less objective issues such as taste. Those who support local foods claim that moving produce from hundreds or thousands of miles away reduces the taste as well as adding to the costs. This has some validity, as fresh fruits and vegetables must be picked while not fully ripe. Read more... Big
Oil not solely at fault for high prices
(June
27, 2008) Although it is only human to want to blame someone, such as "greedy oil companies" or "environmentalists," the fact is we all are to blame. We have used oil and oil products, such as gasoline, as if there were no tomorrow, prodded on by our president, vice president, multinational oil and gas corporations and oil-producing nations. Read more... Radioactive
waste is nuclear plants’ top pitfall
(June
20, 2008) That problem? Radioactive waste. Since making such waste nonradioactive would violate the laws of physics, some safe place must be found to store this high-level radioactive waste product. Although "spent fuel" would seem to indicate the rods are no longer emitting much, the opposite is true: It is highly radioactive - it becomes so "hot" that it cannot be used in nuclear reactors. The rods are "spent" because they are no longer useful. Read more... Service
can’t see forest for the trees
(June
13, 2008) And by another congressional mandate - the Weeks Act - the U.S. Forest Service is charged with managing the national forests for multiple public uses. That means eliminating all the messy stuff. Read more... Reality
of living near CAFOs stinks (June
6, 2008) A few hogs stink a little; thousands of hogs stink a lot. If some way could be found to make hog manure not smell bad, chances are that much of the opposition to the factory-like concentrated animal feeding operations - CAFOs - would go away. There would, to be sure, still remain a lot of problems. But those problems don’t manifest themselves immediately. It takes awhile for streams to become polluted by spreading the waste products from CAFOs onto adjacent fields year after year; at some point, the fields will become saturated and runoff from manure and urine will foul local streams. But that takes several years. Likewise, it takes awhile for the rural economy to become distressed, for local banks and savings and loan agencies, grocery and hardware stores and farm implement dealerships to go belly up. Read more... Science,
faith should be kept separate
(May
30, 2008) Many years ago,
clever people learned how to propel vehicles by means of the internal
combustion engine. All of a sudden, horse-drawn vehicles and buggy
whips became things of the past. Now, most of us get around in and
on various vehicles dependent upon that scientific invention. Likewise,
when we wash our face, we don’t use lye soap. Tooth-brushing
with sassafras twigs and baking soda was replaced with toothbrushes
and toothpaste. The Internet replaced, well, nothing. Bridge
blame spans state, federal offices
(May
23, 2008) As reported in this newspaper May 11 ("Bridge for Sale?"), Union Pacific had previously submitted (in 2005) an application to the Coast Guard in which Union Pacific made it clear that materials - entire spans, actually - from the Boonville bridge would be used to construct the much-needed railroad bridge over the Osage River. Then, in response to a request by the Coast Guard that the application be resubmitted addressing only the Osage River bridge, Union Pacific did so. In the second application, there is no mention of the source of the materials. The Coast Guard insists it has no authority over the source of the materials and that was the reason for the "divorce." Read more... Think
twice before turning on the tap
(May
16, 2008) And, the Columbia water utility folks say, trihalomethanes are not harmful. This was reported in this newspaper and in a letter that was sent to all Columbia water customers. Being somewhat suspicious of this claim and placing it in the same category as statements by disgraced politicians - "I am resigning to spend more time with my family" - I did a bit of searching. Read more... Other
cities aren’t run by developers
(May
9, 2008) A former Columbia city councilman took me aside at a gathering and suggested the answer might be found in the makeup of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors and that if I looked around at other communities in this state and similar communities in other states, I would see that developers were either not represented at all or were in a minority. Read more... City
recycling program adds to trash
(May
2, 2008) Right?
Wrong. This is not a small problem. On my cul-de-sac, everyone puts out their blue bags, along with paper grocery sacks, to be picked up by the recycling truck. Multiply that by the number of folks who place their blue bags out by the curb, and each week there is an astounding number of blue bags ending up as trash. Given that there are about 35,000 households in Columbia, and given that most households participate in the recycling program, it means there are about that many blue bags. Read more... Objectivity
missing in news report on CAFOs (Apr
25, 2008) It turns out, however, that the person who did this alleged news story is a Farm Bureau Youth Ambassador, a public relations employee for Monsanto and a Brownfield (as in Derry) intern. In short, the pieces done by KOMU were nothing but propaganda for the agribusiness industry. Read more... If
ignorance is bliss, critics are smiling (Apr
18, 2008) Unless those representing agribusiness interests - Kristin Perry of the Missouri Clean Water Commission and Charlie Kruse of the Missouri Farm Bureau Federation - know something more recent than an April 2 EPA report, they are whistling past the graveyard. While there is controversy about how much is coming from each state in the Mississippi River Basin (which includes the Missouri River and its valley), there is no doubt that it is runoff from fertilizers containing nitrogen and phosphorous that is the cause of the "Dead Zone" in the Gulf of Mexico. Every federal agency that has examined this issue has deemed that to be so. Read more... Development
doesn’t drive area’s economy (Apr
11, 2008)
Obviously, we have much more going for us than clearing land for strip malls and subdivisions filled with McMansions. We are a vibrant, dynamic community, with an enthusiastic following of our symphony orchestra, a growing number of oil-and-water artists, a literary community and a number of people - including me - who have written books. Downtown and area businesses don’t depend one whit on developments on the outskirts of town. If not one shovelful of dirt were moved - but then, who uses a shovel? - it is doubtful that our locally owned businesses would even notice. Read more... University
thumbs nose at Earth Hour
(Apr
4, 2008) I looked around our neighborhood, and it seemed that everyone had gotten the message. Every house was dark. Read more... Dirt
dumping leads to odd alliance (Mar
28, 2008) Indeed, the EPA has levied fines and penalties on developers for allowing excessive amounts of sediment to pollute Hominy Branch. Sediment is harmful to aquatic life in streams where spawning areas get covered. Ozark streams are particularly susceptible to pollution from excessive sediment, mostly because they are typically very clear. But that’s not to say there aren’t "natural" levels of sediment. When rainfall occurs, streams turn muddy and brown from sediment loads. Just about every spring, when hard rains fall and before vegetation slows down runoff, Ozark streams run high and muddy. Read more... EPA
ozone policy likely to stay ‘mobile’
(Mar
21, 2008) Many years ago, I was the Jefferson City lobbyist for the Sierra Club, trying to get the Missouri General Assembly to pass bills that would protect - or at least not harm - the environment. Being brand-new in 1994, I was somewhat flattered that a group representing St. Louis industrial facilities wanted the Sierra Club to join them in supporting what is now called Inspection and Maintenance standards on "mobile sources." This sounded as if it was a good idea, and the environmental members of the Missouri House and Senate were adamantly in favor of the bill. Indeed, a person whose environmental credentials were impeccable sponsored the Senate bill. Read more... Crosscreek’s
biggest mistake is destruction
(Mar
14, 2008) Ultimately, the decision on the new plan was to reject it, but not until after almost nine hours of public comments and debate by the council. Read more... DNR
proving itself to be worst ever
(Mar
7, 2008)
Ethanol
growth is a losing game
(Feb
29, 2008) But now, with
a growing demand for ethanol made from corn - spurred by "government
incentives," which are nothing more than another form of subsidy
- corn prices are rising, from a many-years’ average of about
$2 per bushel to today’s $5.44. If you raise corn, that’s
good news. Action
is essential, even if we’re doomed
(Feb
22, 2008) Although the United Nations’ prestigious Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a dire warning that we had maybe two or three years to turn things around by making dramatic changes, more and more climatologists are convinced the time for action is past. They claim what we have done is irreversible. Just as it takes decades to foul the upper atmosphere, it will take an equal amount of time for greenhouse gases to return to a normal level. Read more... Damning
with semantics turns forest into weeds
(Feb
15, 2008) Well, if you believe Almeta Crayton, that’s what it is. She said in the Columbia City Council discussion about adding an automobile dealership to the Crosscreek project that what was there before looked like "weeds" to her. Read more... Stronger,
not weaker, land restrictions needed Although the latter statement is clearly logic-impaired - there’s not much required to support trees and grass - the former statement is likely shared by a number of people who believe that we have "gone too far." Read more... Katy
Trail’s KC extension very much in doubt
(Feb
1, 2008) Maybe not. As usual, the devil is in the details, and the details in the proposed settlement agreement bode ill for any extension of the Katy Trail to the Kansas City area. Read more... Blunt,
Childers and CAFOs
(Jan
31, 2008) This was quite unusual. It is almost unheard of that a Governor visits a newspaper and meets with the editorial staff. While there were a number of issues on the table – educational funding, tightening Medicaid requirements, the state budget – Governor Blunt and Director Childers went down to Joplin to talk about…Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, otherwise known by the acronym CAFOs. Read more... City
needs tough, long-term solutions (Jan
25, 2008) I suggested following in the steps of others to make this community a more pleasant place - to plant trees rather than ripping them out and burning them or converting them to mulch. My suggestion was not to eliminate crime (that might well be impossible), but by making this community more "green," crime hopefully would be reduced to a more reasonable level. Oaks do take a long time to mature, but there is no indication that mature trees are necessary to reduce crime. Besides, there are trees that do grow rapidly and provide a pleasant environment in only a few years. Certainly, planting trees is much less immediately satisfying than taking revenge - but who says we can’t do both? Read more... Neighbors
win battle over Crosscreek development (Jan
18, 2008) This ill-conceived auto-dealership notion now goes to the city council for consideration, and I hope the council follows the Planning and Zoning Commission lead. When the Stadium/63 LLC developers first met with the neighborhood associations, an auto dealership (complete with outside display area, service department and used car lot) was one of the things specifically excluded. Read more... Neighbors
win battle over Crosscreek development (Jan
11, 2008) This ill-conceived auto-dealership notion now goes to the city council for consideration, and I hope the council follows the Planning and Zoning Commission lead. When the Stadium/63 LLC developers first met with the neighborhood associations, an auto dealership (complete with outside display area, service department and used car lot) was one of the things specifically excluded. Read more... Clinton’s
CAFO tie narrows choices
(Jan
4, 2008) Planting
trees could save lives (Dec
28, 2007) Sure enough, the crime rate in Columbia has risen. Not just the number of crimes, which might be expected - more people mean more crimes - but the rate has increased. There’s more crime per capita and more break-ins, vandalism, misdemeanors, felonies and, yes, murders. The latter had been confined in the past to what is termed "domestic violence": crimes of passion, usually involving people who were related to one another or who knew one another. No more. It is now people killing other people for drugs, money or, as Johnny Cash sang, "just to watch him die." Read more... Shortsighted
leaders pave road to energy ruin
(Jan
21, 2007) "Daddy?" "Yeah, I’m right here." "I’m hot, and I can’t see you in the dark." "It is a bit warm." "No, it’s hot and it’s dark and I can’t sleep." "We can’t turn on the AC because there’s no electricity. Same thing with the lights." "Why ain’t there no electricity?" "Don’t say ‘ain’t.’ But there’s no electricity tonight because the government ordered all the power plants that burn coal to shut down because of all the global warming problems." Read more... Missouri
should follow Dade County’s example
(Jan
30, 2007) By imposing strict regulations on concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), they acknowledged the many scientific studies showing harm to human health. CAFO proponents seize on the fact that no study has yet documented a direct link between a CAFO and a human death. They claim that just because a CAFO goes in next door is no indication that you’re going to die from the emissions. Read more... Twisted
analogy doesn’t make coal plant right
(Nov
16, 2007) But that is exactly what one of the supporters of the proposed coal-burning power plant of the Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. (AECI) said. The Associated Press article, published in this paper Wednesday, quoted the AECI board member as saying, "There are those who contend we shouldn’t build any more fossil fuel plants. This would be similar to proclaiming that we are destroying our land by producing food, so we shouldn’t produce any more food." Read more... Attacks
can’t disguise or disgrace the facts (Nov
9, 2007) Reliance
on meat plants keeps county down
(Oct
26, 2007) But there are many counties in this state where things are much worse. Occasionally, I venture outside of Boone County, if for no other reason than to partake in the company of other miserable folks. Read more... With
Farm Bureau friends, you don’t need enemies
(Oct
19, 2007) Are you opposed to most government regulations but supportive of more government money? Are you supportive of corporate agribusinesses (large corporations that own the animals in concentrated animal feeding operations)? Are you in favor of nuclear energy and nuclear fusion? Are you in favor of doing away with the federal office of education? Do you believe that someone in a Washington, D.C., agency of the U.S. government should be establishing laws and regulations for our state and that the state should not be allowed to go beyond those? Are you opposed to minimum-wage laws applying to teenagers? If
you answered "yes" to all of the above questions, then
you are probably a Missouri Farm Bureau Federation member. Didn’t
know that? No surprise there. |
