Hail and stuff

Saturday once again. It’s currently 32° outside and so the heater is on and the inside thermometer is headed back up towards 68 degrees. And the forecast calls for more rain in the form of thundershowers today. We had one of those yesterday and we were certain that we were in for a repeat of last years disastrous hail storms. The sky grew ominously dark, the temperatures plunged and the rain fell. Within a few minutes the rain turned to hail, but soft hail. It turned the ground white but it didn’t come down with any velocity. I think everyone has seen hail bouncing as it strikes the ground; this didn’t happen. It simply fell onto the ground.

Last year, the hail cut the leaves from the trees and the roses, bruising and scarring the developing fruit buds. Blossoms and leaves were scattered all over the orchard, but this last storm seemed to leave no damage at all. Now if we can only be so lucky again today…and tomorrow.

I was reading the news this morning and I saw that there was a story about an oil spill from the Alaskan Pipeline. That’s the same pipeline that was going to monitored at all times and the likelihood of a spill was supposed to be minimal. So I guess one spill of 267,000 gallons is minimal. They say that internal corrosion caused the spill and I guess I have to wonder about the condition of the rest of the pipeline? Or was that just one isolated corroded spot and the rest of the pipeline is perfectly safe? I guess we could ask an oil expert. Maybe one of those experts that have been telling us that drilling for oil in the ANWR will be safe could take some time off from lobbying and check out the pipeline for us.

Don’t you just love “People in Denial”? The Pipeline Will Never Leak. Global Warming Is Bad Science. The Citizens Of Iraq Will Welcome Us. The World Is Flat.

And this story…
Muslim officials taking part in a Copenhagen seminar aimed at fostering religious dialogue in the wake of the Prophet Mohammed cartoons row on Friday urged Denmark's government to apologize for their publication.

"We want the Danish government to engage in a direct dialogue with Muslims in Denmark and the Muslim world. We would like an official apology and we would like to change the laws in Denmark and the European Union."

What is it about “Democracy” that isn’t understood here? Apologize? For what, for being free to have an opinion?

But, the Muslims have a good point and that is the fact that 14 European nations have laws providing for punishment of those who deny that the Holocaust occurred. That is not “Democracy” either. Democracy has to have room for all opinions or it’s simply not a viable form of government. Anyone who would deny your right to an opinion hates democracy.
And there is some good news for the environment…Gale Norton has resigned as Secretary of the Interior. Gale Norton was a protégé of James Watt, Reagan’s Interior Secretary and an embarrassment to most Americans. That was the same James Watt that banned the Beach Boys from appearing at a concert on the National Mall because they would attract an undesirable element.

Let me paraphrase James Watt, "I never use the words Republicans and Democrats. It's (liberals) conservatives and Americans." -- James G. Watt, 1982. That tells you what kind of a mind he has.