A visit to the front in the war against rural America

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Monday April 21, 2014 · 5:56 AM PDT

2014/04/21 · 05:56

Cross-posted at Preserve the Beartooth Front

Last week I took advantage of the beautiful Montana spring weather to drive over to Belfry. There I could see for myself the site of the well that was recently permitted by the Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation (BOGC). It was one of those incredible Montana days when Winter and Spring intersect. The temperature was near 70, yet the snow was piled high in Red Lodge, where it was the end of ski season. As I dropped down 2000 feet into Bridger the snow disappeared and it was spring.

In Belfry the Beartooth Mountains dominate the landscape, standing watch from nearly 13,000 feet. In one direction I could see the ski runs above Red Lodge, and in another the breathtaking Beartooth Pass that leads to Cooke City and Yellowstone Park. On the clearest days the Grand Tetons lend their wispy beauty from 200 miles away.

It’s hard to imagine that this gorgeous scene could be the latest front in the war that pits the oil and gas industry against rural America. But it’s true: this is Ground Zero for the entry of fracking into southern Montana.

More below...

Katman

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Friday May 23, 2008 · 1:41 PM PDT

2008/05/23 · 13:41

Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with clear premonitions of events that will happen at some point in the future. My wife calls this "News of the Future," and I've been right often enough that she at least listens patiently before going back to sleep. Last night the News of the Future was frightening enough that neither of us could get back to sleep. Yes, last night I woke up with an advance copy of a Hillary Clinton speech lodged in my brain.

It is a sad commentary on the Katman’s life that he awakens with Hillary Clinton on the brain, but, as many of you know, the Senator has earned her place in my nightmares.

According to my premonition, below the jump is an advance copy of her speech at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on June 5, 2008. You will certainly understand why I was not able to get back to sleep after hearing it.

Katman

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Wednesday March 26, 2008 · 7:49 AM PDT

2008/03/26 · 07:49

This site is full of diaries calling for an end to the campaign. The inevitability of Obama's nomination has permeated the reality-based community. Everyone but Hillary seems to understand she's finished, but she continues on.

There are imprecations to anyone who will listen. Somebody needs to put a stop to this nightmare:

The superdelegates should rise up and smite down the Clintons. But the supers aren't monolithic. They've all got their own agendas, and they're not likely to step forward en masse until the primaries are over in June.

The Democratic leadership should tell the superdelegates to move. But let's tell the truth. The Democratic leadership hasn't been able to stand up to George Bush, let alone the Clintons.

Al Gore and John Edwards should call a meeting and broker an end. Get real. Not going to happen.

So what's the solution?

Katman

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Tuesday March 04, 2008 · 11:00 PM PST

2008/03/04 · 23:00

I'm sitting here in my hotel room in Madrid, eyes bleary from following returns all night. It certainly didn't go as I'd hoped -- I wanted tonight to be a knockout blow, but it's going to be more like death from attrition.

I've had the benefit of not being able to watch CNN or MSNBC. All I've got here is a pretty slow Internet connection and my own wits.

I can't believe all the whiny, defeatist diaries and comments I'm seeing tonight. Winning an election requires months and months of perseverance. Sometimes things go really well and you win 11 in a row. Sometimes you lose a couple. But all the bandwagon jumpers on this site have got to remember to keep their eyes on the ball. More below...

Katman

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Monday February 11, 2008 · 2:53 PM PST

2008/02/11 · 14:53

The MSM just can't get it right on delegate counts. Depending on the numbers they use, they've got Obama ahead by a few or Hillary ahead by a few more.

But you can't mix and match on the super delegates. Early endorsements mean very little, and many of the supers who have not endorsed are holding back waiting to see how this all plays out. It's really about the voters and who they're choosing.

The facts are pretty simple:

Obama has a pledged delegate lead of about 88 votes. That number is likely to go up to over 120 tomorrow. And the MSM meme about Clinton waiting for Texas and Ohio to get even is ridiculous. More below.

Katman

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Monday January 15, 2007 · 3:08 PM PST

2007/01/15 · 15:08

Al Gore will be the keynote speaker at Joint Venture: Silicon Valley's annual State of the Valley Conference at the McEnery Center in San Jose on Friday, Febrary 2. The event is Joint Venture's annual report card on the health of the Valley's economy and quality of life.

Gore's speech will be on "Thinking Green: Economic Strategy for the 21st Century." The event is CLOSED to the press, but enterprising bloggers may want to cover it.

More on Joint Venture and the event below, but the program includes a who's who of Valley luminaries from the public and private sectors. It's a bit pricey, but full of information not available elsewhere.

Register for the Conference

Katman

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Friday October 29, 2004 · 2:22 PM PDT

2004/10/29 · 14:22

Kentucky

Bunning Tries to Avoid Late Collapse in Kentucky Senate race
AP, October 25

This time, the Kentucky Republican's problem has been a series of embarrassing gaffes that have eroded his lead over Democratic long-shot challenger Daniel Mongiardo to 6 percentage points and produced editorials questioning whether Bunning, at 73, is mentally fit. First, he compared Mongiardo's appearance to one of Saddam Hussein's sons. Then he made an unsubstantiated claim that opposition staffers beat his wife "black and blue" at a political picnic. Most recently, he admitted he wasn't aware that a group of Army reservists had refused a convoy mission in Iraq, saying he watches only Fox News for information and hasn't read a newspaper in six weeks.

More states below the fold

RSS

A visit to the front in the war against rural America

News of the Future: HRC speech on June 5, 2008

PA Dems: Seize Your Moment!

Message from Spain: Keep your eyes on the ball!!

MSM has the delegate counts wrong

Al Gore in San Jose Feb 2

Some Senate Updates