TODAY'S SHOW: THURSDAY MARCH 27TH 2008
There are a lot of planes flying in US air space. At any given moment the only thing preventing them from crashing into each other is the air traffic control system. Unfortunately, that system is just another part of our crumbling infrustructure that's been allowed to rot from the inside out.
So on today's show Rachel talks to Michael Boyd, an aviation expert.
And then Rachel will be talking to Newsweek's Johnathan Alter about his latest political scoop and John Amato from Crooks and Liars about the compaint he filed against John McCain at the Federal Election Commission
MENTIONED ON TODAY'S SHOW
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, now searchable online
Bolivia's president Evo Morales signs on to a minor league soccer team
Iraqi spokesman is kidnapped
New semi-folks found
In Western Europe.
Note: usage of the term "hominin" seems to be slightly off. I believe the word the writers of the articles are looking for is "hominan". But regardless, it appears pre-people were getting around more than has generally been assumed.
Okay, TRMS-SAB (Physical Anthropology Subdivision) moment over; you can return to the more important subjects of trolls and booze. ;-P
I was raished here, an' dad gum it, I'm a'gonna die here; an' no sidewindin', bushwackin', hornswaglin', cracker-croaker is gonna ruin my biscuit-cutter!
Vietnam Memorial
Just checked out the Vietnam Memorial wall site - looking for my brothers name - super unfriendly site - took me 20 minutes to find a name. I'd prefer our government take care of our crumbling infrastructure, like controlling airspace!!!!!!
It would seem that that budding capitalist...
...that sold the bad ammo is really 22 now. Not exactly a kid, but surely not experienced enough in the field to be handling big defense contracts. Or even worse, from the standard predatory capitalist POV, smart enough to keep from getting caught.
Maybe the Capitalist Swine University needs to offer a course on "Bribes: who to offer them to, and when."
I was raished here, an' dad gum it, I'm a'gonna die here; an' no sidewindin', bushwackin', hornswaglin', cracker-croaker is gonna ruin my biscuit-cutter!
Interview with M. Boyd: "high standards, ethics, accountability"
From our government under this Administration?
Comedy returns to TRMS.
:lol:
Democratic contest dramatic cliffhanger? NOT!!! Yo Pretenders ..
The notion of the Democratic contest being a dramatic cliffhanger is a game of make-believe.
The 22-year old awarded $300m Pentagon contract www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/27/usa.afghanistan Efraim E. Diveroli, 22, selling Chinese-made ammunition to the military to supply Afghanis, president of AEY Inc., was arrested by Miami Beach police for driving under the influence and out on a $1,000 bond. ... www.miamiherald.com/459/story/472504.html ya think that would have made the FRONTLINE shrub's war "DOCUMENTARY?"
http://news.google.com/news?ncl=1146099204#u-AFrqEzd17MeNOap0B5UiUp9BUQH...
RM FYI:
The PORK BARREL FAA admin scam goes back at least to the 1st WTC NYNJPortAuthority "AlQaeda" bombing by the cell that the FBI had infiltrated, which is when it caught my attention.
www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a80sciablock#a80sciablock
www.snipr.com/fbiFAAconnectingDOTS
www.snipr.com/fbiFAAcoverUpTWA800
On the BOM-BOM FEC public finance FELONY, since Pelosi said NADA when Gouliani ran afoul of the law, she's afraid of being badmouthed by FAUXnoize as being on a partisan witch hunt that will further diminish her hoity toity SF base who are under siege by CodePink & Co. Nice try, NO CIGAR
The DEMS remain INVERTEBRATE!!!
Meanwhile MoveOn reloading. This is worth noting: www.airamerica.com/node/6602#comment-322942
FAA MICHAEL BOYD, T for C FED ACQ REG CLAUSE.
I worked at an FAA repair stn an did contract administration 1983-86., they used to insert a clause called T for C or Termination for Convenience of the government back in the day, if you got issued one of these, you would not only lose the contract, be denied further work, but they
the DOD could sue for triple damages, ie shut you down, Where did all the T for C's go?
thanks for everything Rachel!!
I went to the "Search Vietnam Vets" site
And checked on the guys from my hometown who bought it. Seventeen of them. First one I looked at was killed by "small arms fire". He was only 19.
I stopped looking.
I was raished here, an' dad gum it, I'm a'gonna die here; an' no sidewindin', bushwackin', hornswaglin', cracker-croaker is gonna ruin my biscuit-cutter!
Decompression
I'm not saying that they're the end-all of absolute truth, but the "explosive decompression" myth was tackled on MythBusters and they couldn't make a pistol or even a small explosive cause a pressurized airline cabin to explosively decompress. They took out an entire window and it wouldn't happen. They had to use a VERY large bomb to cause any sort of real damage. A bullet hole in the skin or window just caused air to rush out of the hole and make an annoying sound.
USAF Nuclear Reactors in New Mexico
Wow....here's a topic in which I have more than a passing interest. Rachel mentioned this quite briefly on the show, highlighting the SecAF comments, particularly about the security. I truly expected that they were talking about Kirtland AFB here in Albuquerque, but it seems they are discussing Cannon AFB, over by the Texas Border.
Here's the article I found
http://www.cnjonline.com/news/air_26599___article.html/force_nuclear.htm...
My son, David, was born on Cannon AFB when I was stationed there in 1980. David, by coincidence, has also been a licensed Senior Nuclear Reactor Operator, although I don't think that credential is current.
I served as the Environmental Coordinator at the base for about a year, and I can just imagine what my successor would be dealing with as they tried to jump through the environmental hoops (which probably don't exist any more, thanks to Reagan and the Bushes.) While I was there, we were doing environmental clearances for potential MX missiles, and for enlarging the nearby bombing range, and those activities were intensive.
So, here I am in Albuquerque, a couple of hundred miles east of Cannon (Clovis, NM), and should there be an accident, well, most of the time, we're upwind and with mountains in the way. Downwind, across about 100 miles of flat, are both Amarillo (ENE) and Lubbock (ESE)
It is very flat around Cannon, so maybe security could be upgraded fairly easily. (It was the flattest place I ever saw until I moved to Holland). I was also very glad to see that they are also considering Mountain Home AFB in Idaho. That's so flat and remote, they used to claim that if someone went AWOL, they didn't have to start going after them for 3 days, because they hadn't gotten out of sight yet.
BTW, I read the local papers every day, and I never saw a word about this issue in a New Mexico paper.
Hank in Albuquerque (also Hank in NM)
(pround owner of the separating sack)