Jim

Good question but a complicated answer is needed. There is a strong trail of stradegy from the first Bush admin to the current one. Paul Wolfiwitz, now second in command of the Pentagon, prepared a strategy paper in the first Bush admin that called for the US to use more of it muscle around the world and conduct preemptive strikes as needed. The Bush Sr. admin squashed that draft and it sat on the shelf until recently. George W. selected a team of throwbacks, all major hawks for his team: Rumsfield, Cheney, Wolfiwitz, Pearl (w/the Heritage Foundation but an adviser), and his cheif of staff whose name I forgot. All of these guys were pushing for Bush Sr. to crush Saddam the first time. Politics reigned, and the Bush Sr. admin decided that a brutal strongman was needed to hold Iraq together. Heavens, you would not want any democracy in place, that could be harder to control. So -fast forward to the present. Last year the Bush jr admin comes out with their stratetic policy paper (each admin puts one out) and lo and behold - Wolfiwitz's document has arisen - peemptive strikes are in there, the first time this has been America's official policy. Cheny, Wolfiwitz, Pearl, Rumsfield and company have been pushing this policy from the get go. Add to the mix Carl Rove, the master political strategist, with a weak economy, no Bin Laden captured, and Bush's admin generally adrift his ratings headed down, and you have a volitle mix. Oh yea - and add that you have a president who doesn't like to read, was generally a frat boy in school, had barely been out of Texas before he was elected, and you have someone illinformed about the world and without the intellectual capacity to critically challenge the drivel he is being spoon fed. Oh - did I mention the ties to the oil industy of Cheney and Bush. The country runs on oil so why not have oil men run the country.

Maybe it would have come to war anyway down the road, but here's a few reasons why this rush to it bugs me: 1) Saddam was our buddy for a long time. We armed him, we turned a blind eye when he gassed the Iranians and the Kurds, but now bring this up to show what a bad guy he is. 2) Daddy Bush made a consious decision in the Gulf War I to keep Saddamn in power and slaughter the Kurds. Can't have too much democracy ya know. 3) The war is a big push from holdovers from the Daddy Bush administration. Rumsfield, Pearle (now at the Heritage Foundation but a player), Wolfietz, and others. They've been grinding they're teeth that Saddam got away the first time. 4) Bush jr is an idiot. He doesn't have the mental capacity to hold his own against the hawks. He's a lightweight and is blowing in the breeze. 5) I'd feel better if there were sincere efforts made to reduce our dependcy on foreign oil. Instead Bush and Co. go after ANWR (total 2% of imported oil for 10 yrs and that's it) and will not make a move to increase fuel economy standards. 6) Using the war as cover for dismantling what should be bipartisan funding and loading up tax breaks for the rich. 7) Busting the budget and driving the economy into the toilet. 8) Lying to try and drum up war support. No Al Queda link, no meeting with Iraq and Al Queda, no nuke program.

Peter makes a good point of fighting for noble goals, but even in WWII the US made some very vicious decisions regarding civilian populations. Read some of the interviews from Dresden and Hiroshima. You can argue the weighing of moral measures in that case. More recently the US has less of a consistent track record. The argument that the bad things we do are unintended consequences of achieving "good" goals is often weak. Certain no one here (I hope) wishes bad things for "our guys". Let's hope the innocent fare as well.

Amen

Has a certain ring of familarity to it doesn't it. Rah Rah go team go.

Woo Hoo! Senate just voted down the proposal for drilling in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge.

Oh this is getting too funny. Notice that you saw no report of George Bush Sr. address at Tufts University last week regarding his take on the recent "coalition of the willing". The media in the US operates at such a narrow range of opinion. PP, you need to step out of those constraints a bit.

Thanks to those who provided suggestions. My fingers are ripped, I'm a bit achey, and I tweaked a muscle in my shoulder, but it was fun. I don't know the area well so it was good to have suggestions. Rubicon - arhhhh Touch and Go - ok overhang bypass - spooky heart and sole - liked this pope's crack - need to jam better, didn't finish lead. double cross - this is 7+? Aiguille de J Tree - couldn't find it!!!!

Just did some wildlife management planning/grazing plans for BLM/Reclamation out of Prineville and was there last week. Deer and elk move outta the Ochocos in winter down to the valleys including around Prineville reservoir. Nice juniper shrub areas, some volcanic tuff towers there but very brittle. Good golden eagle viewing.

Thanks for all the advice. I'm printing this out and then I'm off. Let you know what I flail on.

Sounds like Rubicon is a lead for my friend. I'll look these up.

Hadn't heard that, but can't say I dwell on wildlife infectious diseases either. This has been more enlightening than the French-fry bashing thread.

I think France has been officially changed to Freedom by the frequent posters.

Off for a long weekend to JTree. I've climbed here a few times but really don't know it well and have mostly climbed in Hidden Valley and at Echo Rock. Seems the ratings are stiff down there so I feel comfortable up to 5.9 lead but can claw my way up a 10.c as second. Going to meet a friend on Friday afternoon who has never been there but can lead to 11a. So - suggestions on leads up to 10 say? Any good multipitch routes?

I think the answer is yes - here's a site on chronic wasting, with one hurtin' elk picture. http://www.cwd-info.org/ Also for anyone intrested - one of the best comprehensive reviews of the scientific literature regarding grazing impacts: http://www.onda.org/library/papers/index.html Don't buy that crap about "grazing as a tool" on your public lands.

That's a weird thing. MT Fish and Game has put out guidlines on how to field dress elk so not to contract chronic wasting from the critters. yuk.

Yep. Anyway you read it generally cows is no good on public land. There are some ways you can graze them on land responsibly but it's not done on public land, takes too much input. Elk will browse and graze depending on where they are and what is available. Coast range - mostly browsers, plains - mostly grazers (true fejas), cascades - depending on season.

Yea, go with the small beef producers if you can find them. Internet is helpful. And the cows do screw up the habitat for deer, elk, fish, etc. Intermountain areas (west of Rockies) did not evolve with large herds of grazers so the plants are particularly susceptible to cow damage. Elk and deer are primarily browsers (think shrubs) not grazers (think grass) and they never approached the density of the buffalo on the plains. Ecologicaly a bad idea.

I'm not sure if your serious - but no, grazing cattle on public land is no bargin, for the public anyway. Over 90% of cattle are stockyard raised these days at a lower cost. There are problems with that of course - take a read of "Fast Food Nation" and you'll never eat ground beef again. Private ranching for grass-fed cows. No problem. Just get the public land leaches off our land.

That's the issue. I don't want them on my land - my land (and yours) run by the Bureau of Land Mismanagement or the US Forest Circus.

On your way to the peaks you may have to deal with more cow patties. I often work with these issues and this is another bad proposal by the Bushies. BLM, which admisters 262 million acres of federal land has announced new rules to "streamline" the grazing permit process. Currently grazing fees on federal lands bring in less than $6.5 milion per year while the costs of administrating the same grazing cost $63 million. The new rules would lower the fees for grazing on federal land from $1.43 per animal unit month (AUM) to $1.35. The costs of administering the grazing does not cover the cost of grazing to upland, wetland, and riparian habitats, aquatic systems, fish, etc. One of the bigger problems with the program is that the fees do not match market rates in the private sector, i.e. - a subsidy for ranchers, more environmental damage, and money out of your pocket to run the program. The proposed rules also would allow grazing permitees to hold title to portions of public (your) land and would significantly reduce the ability of the public to appeal decisions. The comment meeting schedule and proposed rule changes can be found at: www.blm.gov/nhp/news/regulatory/index.htm

Like shooting fish in a barrel.

Haven't seen much from DFA lately so here's some items for discussion. There was an interesting editorial by Jimmy Carter in the NYT on Sunday, reprinted in one of the Seattle Papers today. It laid out what he considered criteria for a "just war". Here's the criteria: The war can be waged only as a last resort, with all non-violent options exhausted. The war's weapons must discriminate between combatants and non-combatants (sic) (narrative explains more about use of weapons) Its violence must be proportional to the injury we have suffered. The attackers mus have legitimate authority sanctioned by the society they profess to represent. The peace it establishes must be a clear improvement over what exists. In another column by Thomas Friedman he concludes that a war on Iraq is not a necessary war, but that we should do it anyway, for the list of reasons we've heard from the administration.

I'll say. Timing is everything. It's whiteout or 40 degrees. Still haven't been to Bachelor when the summit chair is open.

Woo-hoo. Was up at gappertimmy land for the amazing dump on Friday. Excellent backcountry practice as nothing was groomed and the average was knee deep. Over at Outback it was hip-deep. I stayed with the tele-gear though it would have been perfect for a board. It must have warmed up a few degrees on Saturday as the snow was noticebly denser. Spent Sunday morning dragging myself up a few routes at Smith before flying home (courtesy of work).