Thoughts from the Middle of Nowhere

Well, we found out what "as soon as possible" means to the Democrats in the Senate now haven't we. I told everybody not to get to excited about a seat on the Appropriations Committee for Jon Tester. Politicians are to slippery to take at their word. This whole thing is really just funnier than hell to me. The Democrats of the state were all excited about it and now have to make excuses why it didn't happen.

Ideas are elusive, slippery things. Best to keep a pad of paper and a pencil at your bedside, so you can stab them during the night before they get away. Earl Nightingale

Japan making ready to resume U.S. beef imports in July

The Japanese government on Friday began to make preparations for the resumption of U.S. beef imports in July, paying particular attention to how it will deepen communications with consumers still worried about mad cow disease.

At a three-day working-level meeting between Japan and the United States, which ended in Tokyo Friday, the Japanese side recognized that there is no major problem in quality management at the 35 U.S. meat-processing facilities that are licensed to ship beef to Japan, based on inspection reports submitted by U.S. officials.

Japanese officials requested that the United States allow Japanese government inspectors to check U.S. meat-processing facilities before the resumption of imports and inspect those facilities without prior notice after the ban is lifted. The request was accepted by the U.S. side.

The headline and beginning of the story almost sound like this is going to happen. It's almost enough to get your hopes up, until you read this little bit at the end.

If no problem is found during the inspections, U.S. beef will return to Japanese store shelves as early as July.

So, what kind of "problems" will Japan find now to delay opening their markets to US beef? A plant worker sneezed on a carcass, a freezer colder than it should be, what? I am sure they will manufacture some excuse to keep US beef out of their market. They have so far very effectively so I don't suspect anything will change.

A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes. Mark Twain

'Man of this land' wants to fight for rural America

As Conrad Burns hurtles along U.S. 87 in a Chevy Silverado truck at 80 mph, he makes a grand gesture toward the miles of unbroken prairie south of here.

"I'm a man of this land," says the three-term U.S. senator from Montana. "We are in my element right now. These people need the shot."

If "these people need the shot," why doesn't Burns step aside so they can? Trying to cite his accomplishments just doesn't cut it after taking bribes from Abramoff. I've never liked the man but what really sealed the deal for me was when I heard from him recently that he supports the USDA's NAIS Plan. Yes, Conrad Burns supports the plan that will put many small ranchers out of business, drive the people that "need the shot" off their land, and enrich the meat packing companies. It makes me wonder how much the agribusiness companies have paid Burns to sell out the farmers and ranchers of Montana?

A hypocrite is the kind of politician who would cut down a redwood tree, then mount the stump and make a speech for conservation. Adlai E. Stevenson

Consul: Japan beef deal near

Japanese and U.S. officials are in the final stages of negotiating an end to a ban on American beef imports to Japan, the Japanese consul general in Seattle said Friday.

"I can't say when, but it's only a matter of time," Kazuo Tanaka said during a visit to Billings.

I've been hearing enough mealy mouthed platitudes from Japanese officials about opening up their market to US beef, I call Bullshit on this one. I'm tired of their lies and deceptions. They are no interested in opening up their markets. They're just confusing the issue further. Kazuo Tanaka probably has brown eyes he's so full of shit.

QUIT LYING TO US. Either open it or say it will never happen. I'm tired of the game.

Like 81 percent of the American public, I am growing tired and weary of the Republican majority and the priorities of this administration. Corrine Brown

There is an interesting story in the Gazette about the problems of re-injecting Coal bed Methane water. If you are interested in the whole CBM development it is very interesting, otherwise I'm sure its as dry as dirt. One really interesting thing jumps out at me from the article though.

The Tongue River layer is perhaps the best option for re-injection because it is nearest to the surface and would allow the injected water to be tapped by wells.

The Tongue River layer ranges from 750 feet thick near the edges of the basin to 3,000 feet thick. This layer contains the gas-bearing coal seams that producers want to drill. The coal seams also provide water for stock and domestic wells.

The whole time the CBM advocates have been talking about development they have been telling us that what they are doing will not affect the ground water we drink and use for cattle water here in Eastern Montana. But look at the sentence above, "The coal seams also provide water for stock and domestic wells." So, if they de-water the coal seam to extract the methane where does it leave those of us living in the area. No water for our houses or our livestock since this is the water we use now.

How can they tell me it won't affect me when it is now obvious it will affect me. Lie about something enough and people will start to believe what you are saying and this is a perfect example of it. The industry claims it won't affect groundwater and it will. Are they also lying when they say that dumping the water into our streams will not affect the water quality? You bet your ass they are lying, lying to exploit Eastern Montana's resources for minimal costs.

I understand that the whole CBM movement, which will strip our easily accessible water away forever, will never stop but we need sensible development that minimizes impact. Hopefully Thursday the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will enact regulations that minimize the impact to our water quality that the developers want to pollute for their short term gain. Hell, even the Billings Gazette agrees that the DEQ should do this so I ain't the only one. I anxiously await with baited breath the decision of the DEQ.

Lying is the same as alcoholism. Liars prevaricate even on their deathbeds. Anton Pavlovich Chekhov

So what is my favorite organization to hate, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), up to now. First they say they are abandoning the private database concept of National Animal Identification System (NAIS) when talking to the foes of NAIS and then turns around and tells the U.S. Animal Identification Organization, the people who are setting up the private database, to continue it's work to build a consolidated database of all animals as envisioned. Sounds like they are trying to blow smoke up my ass if you ask me. Tell the foes of it what they want to hear and then continue on just as you are doing.

This whole NAIS issue needs to stay on the front burner where it can be seen by everybody and I am doing all I can to do this. NAIS does not mean food security. It means the death of small farmers and ranchers every where who can't afford the cost and abuse this system will bring to all of us, big and small. Remember, an ear tag, ID number, or premise ID, never stopped a disease. Proper health and nutrition by caring people, not factory farms, provide disease prevention.

The trouble with lying and deceiving is that their efficiency depends entirely upon a clear notion of the truth that the liar and deceiver wishes to hide. Hannah Arendt

I see over at New West they are "reporting", I use that term loosely here, that Idaho has lost its brucellosis free status. This peaked my interest as stories that involve cattle do so I looked into it. The "reporter", Bill Schneider, uses as source material for this report a website called Ralph Maughan's Wildlife Reports for this information.

On this website it states, "Now brucellosis has been spread by feedlot elk to Idaho cattle, and Idaho has most its brucellosis free status, accompanied by deafening media silence, a sure sign of heavy politics." The only documentation on this website for this information is the same source the New West story uses. One is a story from KIFI that states Idaho has lost its brucellosis status and is dated Dec. 23, 2005. The other is a story from the Sublette Examiner dated Dec 29, 2005 that says;

The Idaho State Department of Agriculture announced late last week that it has learned that Idaho will likely lose its brucellosis-free status and will join Wyoming in its class A status.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is expected to publish a public notice of the status change in early January 2006.

I will point out that this report states that it is going to happen but has yet not happened.

Since I have not found anything definite yet in these reports I decided to look a little further to see if I could find any information if Idaho has lost, at the present time as being "reported," its brucellosis free status. The logical first stop is The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) since they are the ones to deal with this kind of situation. Looked around and searched far and wide and could find no announcement on Idaho and its brucellosis status. Next I searched the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) website for any information on the issue. I again struck out.

Logically the next place to look was the Idaho State Department of Agriculture website. If there was a change in brucellosis status it would defiantly be located here. I struck out yet again. Lots of rules and regs about cattle and Brucellosis but nothing on the status being changed at this time. Running out of ideas I went to the State of Idaho web site. At this point I didn't feel I was going to find anything and guess what? I didn't.

So we have two published documents that aren't even in agreement as to the status of Idaho and its brucellosis status and a lot of negative findings, by me, on any other reports of Idaho's status yet the on-line Journalistic Endeavor New West emphatically states, "Idaho Loses its Brucellosis Free Status." I'm just a dumb cowboy but this doesn't seem very "Journalistic" to me. Sensationalistic maybe, but journalistic, no. I thought reporters were supposed to check there stories out a little better than this. Not just grab sketchy information from a website and report it as "news" because it fits an agenda they like. The tag line to the story in New West is "IDAHO PRESS NOT INTERESTED." Maybe the Idaho press checks its facts.

There should be truth in thought, truth in speech, and truth in action. Mohandas Gandhi

P.S. As a cattleman and knowing the situation in Idaho I do not doubt they will lose their brucellosis free status. But it seems negligent to me to report it as fact when there is very little information backing it up. If anybody can direct me to a governmental press release on this I would appreciate it. I can't find anything saying that it's happened from an official source, just conjecture and only from the sites listed.

UPDATE: I see the New West added some information on the article listed that explains yet again that Idaho will lose it's brucellosis free status but it has not happened yet as anybody that follws such stories all ready knows. The title of the article remains the same and misleads people into believing that it has all ready happened. What a wonderful job they do over there misleading the public with their "style of journalism."

I got my bill in the mail for water rights. I find the statement that a persons bill could be up to $400 dollars a laugh.

Individuals can expect to pay $20 per water right every two years for the next decade. People with multiple water rights will pay up to $400.

My bill comes to just under $600 for two years. Almost $3000 dollars over the ten years. Thirty three percent more than the article quoted would be the maximum. I love the way they, the government, lies about these things. It makes things sound better I guess. Just another way to tax farmers and ranchers to death.

You don't pay taxes - they take taxes. Chris Rock