(Blogged by Brad on the road...in the woods...on 8/10/04 at 8:43p PDT)

Not sure when this item will get posted, as I'm writing from site #25 at the Aspen Point campgrounds in Lake of the Woods, Oregon.

The sun is all but set now, though the lake still shimmers from the remains of the day as Desi builds a fire, and I peck out a Blog Item to be posted whenever the Internet and I shall next meet.

The weather here has been exceptional. Each day in the 90's and pushing 100 near the water's edge. But here amongst the towering Ponderos pines, many of them 200 feet or more, (think Styx's Grand Illusion cover meets Stephen King's Any Book That Takes Place in the Woods meets Dirty Dancing) it stays dry and cool all day long.

Our one night stay here has turned into four nights when our calculations determined that we could be here with a great view of the night sky on the night of the 11th, morning of the 12th when the Perseides Meteor Shower is predicted to be in fine and stunning form.

Lake of the Woods is in the Southern part of Oregon's Cascade Mountain Range. A chain of currently-dormant and spectacular volcanic peaks, cone and lava fields that have left a wonder of a summer playground for those Americans (and otherwise) clever enough to take advantage of them.

Today's day trip took us forty or so minutes north to the breathtaking Crater Lake National Park which has mostly inspired this evening's twilight entry.

For a measly $10 to the shamefully underfunded National Park System we were able to enjoy the entire day slowly working our way around the 33-mile rim road that encircles yet another natural American Marvel. In this case, one I didn't even realize existed until it found it's way onto our imagined path Northward smack dab in the middle of our well worn 2001 Rand-McNally Road Atlas.

Formed some 7700 years ago, when the former Mt. Mazama blew it's literal load and collapsed into itself forming a six-mile wide sinkhole surronded by towering peaks of molten lava, this awe inspiring site spent the next several thousand years collecting rainfall and snowmelt to become the bluest and deepest lake in the United States. And it's such a rich, vibrant --- even unnatural --- color of blue, such as I don't recall seeing before that the only comparison we could come up with was an overdose of Tidy Bowl. Hopefully you get the drift.

Reservations were unavailable for the Restaraunt (with mouth watering menu!) in the elegant old Crater Lake Lodge at the end of the day. So appetizers in the firelit Great Room would have to suffice. And so the day's journey ended at dusk sipping an excellent Red Crater beer (from the great local Deschutes Brewery) and munching on inspired appetizers overlooking the lake a few thousand feet below us.

The inspiration for this entry is not so much to share today's adventure with you, but to once again share some of the news that it took me, personally, and to my own shame, some three decades to discover; The extraordinary National Park and National Forest System that we have in this country.

If you're not taking advantage of these National Treasures whenever possible, you're out of your mind. If you're not doing everything you can to support these "local" Wonders of the World, then you simply must be unaware of their unparalled majesty.

I've heard America described over and over as "the greatest country in the world", but often wonder --- particularly when you hear something like that outta the mouth of the current Resident of the White House, who'd never even travelled across an ocean before becoming installed as "President" --- exactly what it is that makes us so "great".

I know it ain't our "freedoms" here, as many countries I've visited seem to be far "freer". It's certainly not the education or health of our citizenry. Other countries are much "greater" in both of those regards. We've had great victories in war, but also shameless failures in that same regard. We're technologically very clever, but have given up much of our lead in those areas as well. With our current Administration we are losing all sorts of ground in the area of science "greatness". Our economic system is certainly "great" as every country in the world seems to measure theirs against ours, though the seperations between the Have's and Have More's continue to widen and even the International Monetary Fund is taking us to task for our current Tax Cut and Spend Blowout. (Even Warren Buffett is chosing to invest in the Euro, instead of the Dollar! And for good reason!) Our system of government might have been considered "great" until the Stolen Election of 2000 and all the inequalities it revealed.

So what can we regard as "greatness" indeed? The still-mostly-protected wonders of our National Parks and Forests. Why any national politician could fail to see and protect with all their might the greatest of earth's miracles that we've inherited as a nation is far beyond me. The price is so small, given the rewards they present to every strata of American Society.

Teddy Roosevelt knew this of course, when he declared Crater Lake the country's 6th National Park back in 1902, long before there was any danger of Wal-Mart hoping to open up a new super-store on the rim, and even before the Logging Companies had figured out how to "save our forests" from devastating fire by clear-cutting them. FDR continued to understand the importance of these National Icons by pouring funds into them to protect, develop and make them family friendly through many CCC projects that still stand today as testament to a forward thinker and a great American.

I've rambled on enough, the light on my keyboard is gone, and the gnats are now migrating towards my computer screen, so I suppose that's more than enough for this evening.

Point of it all: Hit the roads, enjoy the parks and all that America has to offer. Skip the airplane, bust out an atlas and pay attention to those areas highlighted by a thick purple or red boundary line. They are the best that a Great America has to offer.

And while I'm at it, don't stand for any politician slacking off in their role as temporary proprietor of these Majestic Wonders!

Now back to my campfire. And back to your regularly scheduled fire fight.

UPDATE: Click here to easily send a letter giving your opinion of the Bush Administration's recent opening of National Forests to the Logging Companies!

UPDATE 8/30/04: Here's me blogging the entry above at Lake of the Woods!

More pictures from Crater Lake and the rest of the Road Trip here!

(NOTE: guest blogged by jaime)

(Guest blogged by jaime)

Last month, the Democratic National Convention in Boston proudly boasted minority delegates that exceded 40 percent of the total count. The Republicans boast "the most diverse delegation in their history to the Republican National Convention". The GOP points out with fancy facts, figures, and graphs how much more diverse they are than their counterparts.

Percentage Increase Of Ethnically Diverse Delegates between the 2000-2004 National Conventions

What many would miss in this graph is not how much less yellow there is than blue, but the fact that the Seventy actually represents the percentage increase in minorities. The actual numbers tell a vastly different story.

Now recent statistics show us minorities make up thirty percent of the American populace. The Republican party's leaps and bounds are old news to the rest of us. We learned from the 2000 Convention that they are willing to go through extraordinary lengthe to hid who they are and whose dog wags whose tail. The tactic of herding up every minority they could find and position them oh so slyly in front of network camera banks highlight their lack of shame.

In contrast the 2004 Democratic National Convention, whatever else you want to say about it, reflected not only what America is, but what it will be. It may have crafted a message of "unity" and "hope" that seemed disengenuous to some, but it was unafraid to hide its true character with such liberal progressive voices as Hillary Clinton, Howard Dean, Dennis Kucinich, and Al Sharpton taking the platform in or near prime time.

Now the Republicans would have the electorate believe that THEY are the face of moderation trotting out such GOP all-stars as John McCain, Rudy Guiliani, and Ah-nuld himself.

The conservative christian base is now ticked off because the purse strings that put Bush in power are no longer welcome. The Republicans are taking great care to hide it's true nature. Uninvited Pat Robertson told reporters:

Ah-nuld and Guiliani are both decidedly liberal on social issues, yet their Prime Time speaking slots they posses are designed to fool the undecided as to who really pulls the GOP strings. When Representative Jim Kolbe spoke in their 2000 Convention many in the audience bowed their heads, turned their backs and walked out.

Whether Bush is certain his base will follow lockstep or the "mushy middle" will be shocked and awed by his convention smoke and mirrors, all of us on the left know that the face of the Republican Party is less Guiliani and more Robertson. The platform, which will include, Anti-gay amendments to the Constitution, Pro-Choice rollbacks, Blurring of Separation of Church and State, Pro gun laws, Anti-Environmental bills, and the quelching of requested Stem-Cell research funding are the antithesis of the positions of main stream America. But with a little help from his friends Bush may fool some of the people all of the time and...wait...all of them some of the people time...can't get fooled again.

(NOTE: This entry guest blogged by jaime)

(NOTE: This entry guest blogged by jaime)

General Tommy Franks (ret.), has managed a two-fer of sorts. he has both taken one for the team and ruffled feathers.

In promoting his new book AMERICAN SOLDIER Gen. Franks has upset the right by completing the trifecta of Republican no-no's by 1) Considering John Kerry 'Absolutely' qualified to be Commander in Chief 2) Refusing to condemn Michael Moore or Farenheit 9/11 and 3) being unable to pledge his allegiance to George W. Bush's re-election campaign. Days later, like the good soldier he is, Gen. Franks takes Dubya off the hook for the Mission Accomplished sign. From AP:

A staunch independent, Franks has rocked the boat which will undeniably lead to attacks by those unwilling to turn him into a tool. The good General becomes the newest battlefield in the world of election year politics. The right can not count on him to be their go to guy and he is already "spending more time with his family" we can only sit and wait to see how the Democrats and Republicans spin this one.

(Blogged by Brad on the road...)

While driving the scenic mountain byways at dusk up here near the California/Oregon border, we always must remind ourselves to be very careful of deer who enter the road and become transfixed by our headlights.

Hope you'll do the same this summer. Here's your reminder...

(Blogged by Brad on the road...)

Our trek through three battleground states (Nevada, Oregon and Washington), helping to influence the electorate to do the right thing, takes us back into Northern California for 24 hours or so and man is it glorious up here!

Not only are the folks smart enough to vote against George W. Bush without any efforts on our part, they get to look at stuff like that mountain you see on the right. It's Mount Shasta and it was outside our motel room window last night. Very lucky us.

All my years in Southern California, and I've never made it North of San Francisco until now! What was I waiting for?!

Hoping to find a beautiful campsite on the shores of one of the many lakes up here, and into Oregon (near Klamath) where we plan to end up shortly. Just thought I'd quickly check in to say hello, from this friendly wireless coffee shop. And happy to see that johnhp was already on the Hypocrital Keyes issue!

So it turns out that Keyes doesn't have the moral integrity he seemed to have enjoyed acting like he had in the past, and that it turns out it's power he craves after all, as he is willing to represent the people of Illinois as a Maryland resident (see John's previous post for more details).

It's good to be out of the catfighting for a few days, though with news cycles happening every two hours these days, I'm always eager to check in. Hopefully our Fake Conservative friends, Paul and Ed will come back in to let us know how the Libs here are all wet! It's always fun! And in all seriousness, I'm very impressed, for the most part, at the level of honest discussion and debate that has occurred here over the last few weeks. With things as hot as they are now, most similar discussions quickly degrade into hostility and name-calling. For the most part, I'm glad to see BRAD BLOGGERS have avoided that quicksand. For now, anyway

See you all at the next available Internet Outpost! And thanks again to Johnhp, Jaime and Bryan for keeping the fire lit under the lying liars!

Alan Keyes has decided to take up the conservative cause against Barak Obama in Illinois. The Republicans offered him the spot even though the Republican primaries had several contestants. In their matrix, the Republican rank and file seems to count for nothing other than donations.

You all may remember Keyes from his entry into the Republican Presidential primaries. Mr. Keyes was there to promote the boot strapping darwininsm and the strict personal responsibility issue that distinguish serious neandercons from compassionate neandercons. Of course, this doesn't apply to Mr. Keyes. Let's look at his responsibility record.

Mr. Keyes ran for Senate in 1992. During this race his campaign garnered a debt of 45,000. He refused to pay this debt until even though he raised more than 34,000 during this time. This is not entirely accurate. He did pay off a little more than 41,000 during 1997-1998 BUT still managed to add more than 15,000 in debt to the 1992 Senate camapaign. Explaining to a reporter about the debt, Keyes said, "I personally do not owe the debt that was owed by the campaign."

But the really telling information comes from his presidential bid:

Inadequate name and occupation disclosures totaling 73,666.

During 1996, three authorized committees did not file disclosure reports as required. In addition, a fourth committee never registered with the Commission and never filed any disclosure reports for 1995.

Reviews of contributions from individuals received by the Primary and Exploratory Committees identified unresolved, excessive contributions totaling 69,271

Disbursements totaling 94,469 were identified which lacked adequate supporting documentation, or for which no canceled check or other payment device was maintained.

Federal Elections Commissions

As important as his fiscal irresponsibility, are Keyes previous statements on carpetbagging:

In 2000, conservatives courted Keyes to drop his presidential bid and run against Hillary Rodham Clinton for U.S. Senate in New York, but Keyes condemned the idea and ripped Clinton.

"I deeply resent the destruction of federalism represented by Hillary Clinton's willingness to go into a state she doesn't even live in and pretend to represent people there. So I certainly wouldn't imitate it," he said on Fox News on March 17, 2000.

Speaking of his probable entry into the race, Keys said:

"I do not take it for granted that it's a good idea to parachute into a state and go into a Senate race," he said before entering meeting the Republican leaders. "As a matter of principle, I don't think it's a good idea."

Keyester Flip

So, if Keyes thinks such action destroys federalism and that he doesn't think its a good idea, why is he running? More importantly, will he stand for his principles and vote against himself?

(NOTE: This entry guest blogged by jaime)

TO WHERE?

(NOTE: This entry guest blogged by jaime)

Well, we've had quite a hullaballoo over this "non-partisan" swiftboat veterans for truth. Besides the obvious problems I have with that site and the book they are hawking, I am truly suspicious of certain authors Jerome Corsi and John E. O'neill.

Now most people know Mr. O'neill as underling to Nixon lackey Charles Colson. But who is Jerome Corsi? Really? Thanks to a free virtual press I have uncovered a Media Matters article that details the ties between the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and **cue scary music** Freerepublic.com.

I mention this site only rarely. This time it is to highlight jrlc or Jerome Corsi in the virtual world. This amazing defender of truth is also one grade A slimeball. The one tasked with doing the RNC's dirty work is a true dirtbag himself as evidenced by his thought provoking posts on the site.

Media Matters details his many enlightening posts and points directly where they can be found. Congratulations Republicans, you have learned two valuable lessons. The first is...Be careful what you put out into the ether; you never know what will be uncovered. Number two be careful who you get to carry your flag. They may wind up leaving you twist in the wind.

UPDATE: The Vast Right Wing Conspiracy is broken down in greater detail here.

(Blogged by Brad on the road...)

We'll be moving Northward very shortly on our great trek and thus leaving the mysterious wireless access that reached us in our 10th floor hotel room at the Sands in Reno. I don't know when I'll get net access again. Could be tomorrow, could be two weeks. So until I'm able to revisit, here's a couple of (possible) parting thoughts for a while...

From my hotel room, I've been able to watch the line reach around the corner each day starting at around 11am for the Soup Kitchen next door to our hotel. I know that Bush and Rush and BRAD BLOG Commenter Paul have told us that this is "the best economy" in twenty years. So all I can assume is that those men (and they are all men) who are lined up around the block do so because they are lazy and they enjoy waiting in line in the blistering 95+ degree desert heat for 45 minutes each day. Either that, or the food at the soup kitchen is really good.

As the latest Zogby poll shows that Kerry is now leading in 13 out of the 16 "battleground states", I can conclude only that he must have gotten Nevada wrong by leaning it towards Bush. Since I have been in Nevada, I have seen two political bumper stickers. Both for Kerry. Therefore, using Fox News' "some people say..." logic, or Paul's "I have a co-worker who believes..." logic, it's clear that Nevada will instead be going to Kerry as well, since "every bumper sticker I've seen in Nevada is now supporting Kerry".

Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for the Rush and Fox News reports that tear Sen. Richard Shelby a new one for leaking classified information while the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, as Johnhp mentioned here previously. And I imagine I'll be waiting a while. Shelby is, unlike Sandy Berger --- who's been accused of nothing --- a Republican after all. So different rules of "outrage" apply.

I'm also waiting for the Bush Administration, as John McCain demanded of them, to condem the scurrillous allegations by Veteran Bush Supporters that Kerry fabricated the stories of his bravery in service in Vietnam and caused self-inflicted wounds to receive Purple Hearts. I'll likely be waiting a while for that too, I guess, since the White House has refused to condemn that group and their ads to that effect which are now airing in swing states.

Thanks to Johnhp, Jaime and Bryan for their great Guest Blog contributions! And to everyone else for supporting the BRAD BLOG! Go buy a ticket to see Springsteen and Fogerty and the Dixie Chicks and REM and Pearl Jam this October as they fight for all that's good in America! And use that Email it to Someone! button on each item to bring in more folks (on the Right or the Left!) over here so --- as the Jesus Loving Abortion Clinic Bombers on the Right might say - the Good News keep spreading!

(NOTE: This entry guest blogged by jaime)

In a stunning piece of journalism, The Boston Globe has uncovered a long history of ties between former Liberian dictator and U.S. ally, Charles Taylor.

American intelligence and United Nations investigators had detailed many meetings with Al Qaeda operatives and Taylor's government even after September 11, 2001. Some in the U.S. even considered taking action.

-Boston Globe, Aug 4, 2004

Liberia's big business, diamonds, were a top earner for Al Qaeda and their various acts of terrorism.

-Boston Globe, Aug 4, 2004

These revelation are stunning enough, but what is even more appalling is not just fact that Mr. Taylor was on the C.I.A. payroll, or that it took a great public outcry to get him removed from his post as President of Liberia, or that Christian Pharisee/ Mullah Pat Robertson derided the outcry against his blood money partner because President Bush was "undermining a Christian, Baptist president to bring in Muslim rebels", no...

The Terror Warriors in the Bush adminstration pledged to dismantle the terrorists and the nations that harbor them in September, yet ignored the CIA asset that funded the terrorists and the nation that harbored them. So, Mr. President? What happens when a Dictator is both with us AND against us?

(NOTE: This entry guest blogged by jaime)

In a stunning piece of journalism, The Boston Globe has uncovered a long history of ties between former Liberian dictator and U.S. ally, Charles Taylor.

American intelligence and United Nations investigators had detailed many meetings with Al Qaeda operatives and Taylor's government even after September 11, 2001. Some in the U.S. even considered taking action.

Liberia's big business, diamonds, were a top earner for Al Qaeda and their various acts of terrorism.

These revelation are stunning enough, but what is even more appalling is the not just fact that Mr. Taylor was on the C.I.A. payroll, or that it took a great public outcry to get him removed from his post as President of Liberia, or that Christian Pharisee/ Mullah Pat Robertson derided the outcry against his blood money partner because President Bush was 'undermining a Christian, Baptist president to bring in Muslim rebels', no...

The Terror Warriors in the Bush adminstration pledged to dismantle the terrorists and the nations that harbor them in September, yet ignored the CIA asset that funded the terrorists and the nation that harbored them. So, Mr. President? What happens when a Dictator is both with us AND against us?

(Blogged by Brad from the road...)

"They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."
- Your Commander-in-Chief, today, speaking about terrorists.

Smoking Gun has the video for posterity.