mattp

I'm with you there, Bill. I pointed this out at the time - that the pipeline prospect may have been at least influenced our war plan if not been a more important goal than catching Bin Laden. The conservatives on this board scoffed at such a notion. I don't understand your last post, though.

Again, Sobo, you have declined to answer my question. I didn't ask if you supported existing welfare programs or their expansion. That is the question you have answered twice. I asked if you had the choice between a dollar going to the Iraq war or that same dollar going toward healthcare or welfare, where would you rather it went. A or B. Iraq or Social Programs. You made it clear in your first post on this topic that you'd rather send that dollar elsewhere besides welfare. I get that. But are you SO against welfare that you actually support Iraq war spending more than social programs?

That wasn't my question, Sobo. I specifically listed wellfare because I know that many folks get all bent out of shape by anything given that label. I have seen Obama make no proposal to increase any traditional wellfare program but, even if he did, wouldn't you rather see a dollar spent in that fashion (say, an increase in the TANF benefit for needy children) rather than in continuing the war in Iraq?

The one with the diagonal banding is Del Campo. The face pictured, the NW Face, is in my opinion one of the best easy ski mountaineering day trips I've done that are close to Seattle. The time to go is as soon as the Mtn Loop Highway opens to the bottom of that Sunrise Mine road. From the notch at upper right, there is a short and mildly exciting pitch to the summit.

I don't know what DNC talking points Fairweather refers to, but I just listed the first three of those Republican slogans that I'd like to see abandoned forever. I agree with some of Billcoe's skepticism that Obama is really going to change everything, but would't it be a step in the right direction, Bill, if he simply traded cuts in military expenditures for increases in social programs? I agree that the deficit is a huge problem, but wouldn't you rather have money spent on healthcare and welfare than the Iraq war?

Aha. You missed the fairly good (diagonal) last pitch of Gastroblast/The Kone which is all on clean rock with cool features.

Yup. And for access to the reservoir itself, they propose to continue to allow boating but in order to do so they will deactivate and regrade about 4 miles of road and replace it by reconstructing a mile or so of road switch-backing down a steep hill, with roadbed that has in places nearly filled in and has overgrown for fifty years so it looks like woods not road to somebody like you and me. This will include removal of the bridge over the South Fork of the Sulton River (just short of where we turn off the "South Shore Road" to start in the spur road being discussed here) and they will remove many more culverts. Dru and Rat are at least partly right: the presentation I attended focused on the fact that they just didn't have the money to upgrade the road to comply with new fish standards, but the overall tone of what I heard suggested a real hostility toward recreation.

What's up with the Republicans trying to steal the entire election. You down with that? Ranting about Acorn is a cover up for purging voters from voter roles to suppress the vote.

The present plan is to cut the road back to Olney Pass so the trip to Static Point is only going to get longer. Meanwhile, there is a coming Issaquah meeting regarding the recreation rules for DNR lands in general. 7 p.m., November 5, 2008 at the King County Library Systems Service Center, 960 Newport Way in Issaquah. The rules: text of rules Some info: DNR Site This meeting has nothing to do with Static Point in particular, but recreational management policies are being revised in general. Changes include what I believe are greater restrictions on campfires on DNR lands and there are new rules regarding trail building or maintenance. The public comment period runs from October 15 to November 10, 2008.

That's what I'm talking about, Fairweather! If your cockamanie ideas are cast on the garbage heap, I'm dancing! I don't honestly think we're there yet, but I'm hoping Obama is right: "yes we can."

I bet the spur toward Static Point received NO maintenance dollars over the last fifteen years, and I have heard absolutely nothing to suggest that protecting the water supply quality has had anything to do with these particular management decisions regarding recreation in the Spada Reservoir area. That point was NOT even hinted at in the presentations on this whole Spada area planning process that I attended. As before, I invite somebody who may have information on these matters to add information. I mean no disrespect, Curt and Dru - I am only asking questions because I don't know the answers - but I don't have any information to suggest your speculations are valid. I am willing to cede, if given information, that decommissioning of this road was a good idea. I just don't have information to suggest so at present. What did it cost? Did the road actually threaten endangered fish? Did this particular decommission project actually help anything? Was the small amount of recreational traffic thought to threaten water supply quality?

If adding a half mile of walking to Static Point will help a few members of an endangered species, Rat, I'm all for it. However, at the meeting that I attended, I got the distinct impression that the DNR guy who may be making decisions about access in the Spada Reservoir area was very unfriendly to recreation more than he was concerned about Bullheads. He looked at an entire room full of people that included conservation groups, land manager types, and recreational users and said: I don't have to provide recreational opportunities and I'm not inclined to do so. I have not paid enough attention to really know, but I can well imagine that the decommissioning of that road might be about politics, money, and control more than it is about saving Bullhead. I'd like to know what other's may have to say about this, because my paranoid thoughts may be entirely unjust.

The pundits are saying that McCain is likely to lose because he has followed the traditional Republican play book. Is it possible that some fundamental ideas in American politics are changing? If the big three Republican mantras are discarded after this election cycle, we will all be better off. Think about it: 1) government is inherently bad for you; 2) trickle down economics will benefit the little guy; and 3) intelligence/science/knowledge should not underly public policy. These are the tenets of the Republican party ever since Reagan. If the election goes as predicted, can we celebrate the coming of more common sense in American politics? I sure as hell hope so.

Anybody who suggested Bush for assassination whth Cheney as vice president wasn't keeping their eye on the prize - if they had any liberal bent.

Gastroblast is good, but Tidbits even better. For a long time I've wanted a shot of climbers on Gastroblast as viewed from somewhere over toward the base of Till Broad Daylight. I've never been so lucky as to be up there when anybody else was on Gastroblast. Cool anti-knob feature on Gastroblast, too, eh? Did you end up doing a single bolt rappel or two?

News from Afghanistan, too. Gunfire brings down US helicopter in Afghanistan

Obama's proclaimed he would attack "suspected al queda strongmen?"

U.S. attacks al queda in Pakistan and Syria today. Interesting timing.

If only that were true, Fairweather.

Fall color found! It was looking pretty drippy in Darrington this morning, but it turned out OK! Thanks, Jimbo, for another day of climbing.

Yes, Miller was the lead case on this issue until 2007. Do you guys think the first twelve words of the amendment have no meaning? I agree that it is not clear, and the Supreme Court has mostly sidestepped the issue but if you, Fairweather, are going to proclaim that "the debate is over" I think you may be disappointed. As much as STP may complain, the interpretation and application of our Constitutional interpretation IS an evolving matter. My guess is that STP likes it that way when that evolving interpretation conforms to his way of thinking. Did the founding fathers consider whether a fetus has a right to life? Is it really only the Congress who can declare war? Do those accused as terrorists have rights? Does internet discussion enjoy free speech? We've argued about the meaning of the second amendment plenty of times but either way I don't think Obama is likely to try to take your Bushmaster "hunting rifle" away. I posted this in another thread where you subsequently posted but chose not to prognosticate about what you think Obama may or may not do if elected. What do you think? Is he going to push for broad changes in firearms regulation?

Sunday is the better forecast but Saturday is my day. Squire Creek Wall? The biggest piece of granite in the state (well maybe aside from the Stuart Range), and gnarly. This is a shot of Not Fred Beckey's, taken from a spot that is about 7 pitches up from where you rope up.

When in good condition, Yokum Ridge is not necessarily a terribly difficult or dangerous climb.

Until the last decision, the Supremes were saying that the 2nd Amendment DID NOT impart an individual right to bear arms, giving meaning to the first ten or so words of the Amendment. You (Fairweather) may proclaim that your interpretation is decreed by the Supreme Court, but although it is the current interpretation I'd venture a guess that it is only tentative at this point.

I'm just getting over 6 months of being an invalid and looking for some fall color up at Darrington. One possible scenario involves a bit of route maintenance at 3:00 rock. Any takers?