Comment Archives: stories: Opinion: Serraglio
Re: “Serraglio”
Thank you for an excellent article! Thank you for pointing out the utter absurdity and offensiveness of the pathetic security theater at airports. The TSA does zero, zip, to enhance safety. In fact, here's a list of the many ways TSA makes us LESS safe:
They irradiate vulnerable populations like pregnant women and toddlers.
They cause huge backups of people all at one spot near the security checkpoint which makes an attractive (and unscreened) bombing target.
They make women traveling alone targets by forcing them to say their names out loud where stalkers might hear.
They molest children. Really, they touch childrens' genitals; they even rub the crotches of minor girls traveling alone without their parents.
They steal our valuables out of our luggage.
They take bribes to assist drug dealers in getting packages past the checkpoint. By the way, how do the agents know it's drugs in the package?
They re-traumatize rape survivors by forcing them to relive the experience of unwanted strangers coercing or forcing them into sex acts.
They create naked images of children. Seriously, convince me this isn't a pedophile's dream.
Fight! I will never stop fighting to stop the TSA from abusing innocent people. And until then, I'll take Amtrak.
Re: “Serraglio”
Thanks for this informative comment. It provokes thinking about this evolving situation, which is a more serious matter than most of us are willing to admit.
RNHenderson
Re: “Serraglio”
"For true Tucsonans, the heat is our friend, chasing away pretenders and carpetbaggers—pardon me, "temporary residents"—and leaving the city to those who really appreciate it."
Hey, in some ways I totally agree with you....there is a noticeable decline in idiot drivers and some evenings it's so peaceful on my mid-town street (other than the occasional emergency vehicle), that I wonder if the world really did end 2 weeks ago!
The biggest problem about summer here (besides the insane heat, which I still haven't entirely embraced in my 30+ years here in the Old Pueblo), is that jobs seem to go when many of the "visitors" leave. Right now, I am an unemployed teacher... and I can't GIVE my skills and experience away, even on the most menial job postings. I'm willing to roll back 5 years to my pre-college wages, and still can't seem to catch a break. Hence, why I'm spending all my free time writing commentary.
"There is a magic gizmo, and it's called "common sense." You could start by redefining where you have to go. Is it really a good idea to live 20 miles from your job?"
Ha-ha! this is hilarious, because this is exactly why I HAD to leave my last position. I couldn't take the hellish commute to Green Valley (a misnomer, by the way).
Since I've been at home (about 2 weeks), I estimate I have saved about $80 in gas costs. I opt
to walk or ride my bike to the corner store (no small feat at 45 years of age).
So I guess there is something positive about summer in Tucson...you may be broke, but who needs to buy food, gas or clothes when you have no appetite, aren't going anywhere, and wear next-to-nuthin' all day?
Re: “Serraglio”
How about the two rattlesnakes I have found in the yard so far? Add in the gila monster and it is just a pleasant little party of summer critters around here. And the locusts "singing" in the background! What could be better?
Re: “Serraglio”
Quite the rant, Randy. I was reading for the "ample pleasures to be found in summer. " The four listed at the end sure don't do it for me. Oh, I forgot the buzzing locust! Count me in on that one. Maybe a reader contest for the "Pleasures of a Tucson Summer"??
Prizes, of course. A trip to the top of Mt. Lemmon?
Re: “Serraglio”
Here is a link to lots of fotos from the cameras on Aribabi on the SIA website:
http://skyislandalliance.org/camera-trap-p…
And videos on the same site:
http://skyislandalliance.org/wildlifevideo…
And the Aribabi Facebook page foto gallery:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=pa.…
And a news story that has the most recent jaguar foto, and a couple of ocelots, including one from the U.S.:
http://azstarnet.com/news/blogs/desertblog…
Re: “Serraglio”
I'd be interested at viewing the photos even with poor exposure. Got any links?
Re: “Serraglio”
It is worth noting that the New York Academy of Sciences itself has distanced itself from this work because of its lack of hard scientific data. I'm all for a civil, fact-based debate of the (de)merits of nuclear, but Serraglio's piece doesn't contribute to that. To fail to acknowledge the valid points that pro-nuclear advocates make--agree with them or not--is to be a thoughtless ideologue. Former founders of the anti-nuclear movement such as Stewart Brand and Patrick Moore have embraced nuclear power, and it is worth exploring the evolution of their positions. For a much more respectful, balanced and though-provoking debate between pro- and anti- nuclear positions, I highly recommend this podcast: http://longnow.org/seminars/02006/jan/13/n….
Re: “Serraglio”
nuclear power is simply not safe
------------------------
It is extremely safe even as human beings abuse it, and use very ugly handling procedures.
That plant was built in 1976 or so and while it is safer than it was, it has never had a real serious examination. If it had, the tsunami danger would have been upgraded a great deal. Other parts of the safety procedures would have been up graded also.
We need nuclear power or we don't have, and won't get, energy to keep us warm and run our factories, farm tractors and trucks, cars and pumps. If we don't have nuclear power.. we are running on empty. We are out of energy in a world of 6 billion people.
The solution is to gather the experts and find a way to use it, and safely. The solution is NOT to throw it in the waste bin.. but find the way to use it safely. And very frankly, that should not be to hard at all.
Re: “Serraglio”
A MILLION??!? REALLY??!? This is by far the highest estimate of Chernobyl deaths out of any analysis. Even Greenpeace, not known as a friend of nuclear power, estimates less than 10% that number.
Further, what about a comparison of the number of deaths in Japan due to the earthquake? The Tsunami? and the Nuclear Plant? Why rail against the distant third of these?
Re: “Serraglio”
Anyone who believes nuclear power plants in the U.S. are any safer than the Fukushima plant has not been paying attention. The nuclear industry and their pimps here seems to think they are god-like, that they can keep their radioactive garbage out of the environment for the tens of thousands of years necessary to prevent catastrophe, that they can predict that the disaster that hit Japan is a "once-in-a-millenium event." What hogwash, what arrogance. They've been lying to us for the past 40 years.
Re: “Serraglio”
Let's have some reasonableness and common-sense, please. Fukushima's design was at least 40 years old and it was hit by a once-in-a-millenium event. Chernobyl was essentially designed to be unsafe so it could fulfill a dual-use purpose of making military-grade plutonium. Yes, they could have been largely or entirely mitigated by simple things such as protecting back-up generators from flooding, having robust containment structures, etc, etc. I think you will find that U.S. nuclear power does not suffer from these simple, obvious in hindsight, problems--but how about finding that out and reporting on that instead of characterizing the entire industry here in the U.S. based on the two most extreme disasters in the world?
Re: “Serraglio”
I'm sorry Randy had to drink the water in Adelaide. Those of us that know Adelaide well know that its the home of the Barossa Valley; the McLaren Vale; and the Adelaide Hills, three excellent wine regions of Australia. Drink the wine Randy, not the water! Matt Welch, Australian Tourism Centre
Re: “Serraglio”
Nice work, Randy.
Your story makes me think that a trip to Australia (or at least to AZ to take one of Brad's courses) may be in order. We, in Idaho, could benefit from more extensive use of relatively simple water solutions. Thanks!
Wendy Pabich (www.waterdeva.com/blog/)
Re: “Serraglio”
I am not sure where you got your figures for Border Patrol deaths, but here is the actual list of deaths:
Aguilar, Luis-January 19, 2008
Blue, John- October 4, 1973
DeBates, George- December 19, 2004
Duran, Roberto- May 6, 2002
Epling, James- December 16, 2003
Fritz, Karl- October 4, 1973
Greenig, Nicholas- March 14, 2006
Haynie, Lester- June 14. 1985
Kirpnick, Alexander- June 3, 1998
Lugo, Richard- May 14, 1967
Magsamen, SEan- March 28, 2005
McKee, William- April 23, 1926
Ochoa, Victor- March 11, 1983
Parker, Lon- July 25, 1926
Pringle, George- December 28, 1940
Roberson, David- June 1989
Webb, David- November 3, 2006
That is seven deaths in the last ten years. However, Border Patrol is not the only agency to loose men along the border.
U.S. Customs:
Bokinskie, Charles- April 24, 1974
Bristow, Clyde- January 12, 1932
Daniels, William June 9, 1885
Dixon, Lewis- April 24, 1974
Friedli, Gary- March 4, 1998
Miles, Glen- February 21, 1986
Nielson, Robert- June 18,2002
Trask, Jewel- April 9, 1947
and
DEA Agent Richad Fass- killedJune 30, 1994 by Mexican drug dealers
U.S. Immigration Agent Wiliam Phillips January 7, 1970
U.S. Parks Ranger Kristopher Eggle killed by drug smugglers in the Organ Pipe National Park on August 9, 2002
These are only the officers who died in ARizona, you should also add in California, New Mexico and Texas.
You should research your facts before throwing out numbers to justify your position on the law enforcement danger along the border. You can find all these officers and 290 more listed in my book "The Last Full Measure: Law Enforcement Deaths in Arizona. There are even more officers' whose deaths are a direct result of undocumented aliens in this country.
Re: “Serraglio”
Do you think I was talking about the other side of the line? I read the pathetic article that is just plain hot air from someone sitting at a desk listening to Janet Girl... she couldn't do the job when when she lived in AZ and she sure isn't doing anything to keep our nation safe, from DC! And I'll challenge you to how much time I've spent on the border... in the layup areas... watching incursions as they go done... and I wasn't talking about the "poor migrants"... and if you think for one moment that the violence isn't on the US side of the Border then you must live on another planet... and, yes, everyone in the Tucson Sector, please sleep well tonight... after all... it's all safe out there!
Re: “Serraglio”
Less disparity of wealth will happen when a Guest worker program is the law. And drugs are legalized with treatment centers available to addicts.
Re: “Serraglio”
Hey LawelessBorders... the piece was on border violence on the U.S. side... not about desperate people on your doorstep. Did you even read the piece? The reality of relatively and surprisingly low amounts of violence on the U.S. side is fact. Yes, there are lots of starving, freezing and hurting migrants... nobody is disputing that.
I bet I've spent way more time on the border than you... I've seen plenty of Narcos with guns in Sonora... loads of drugs... Ten of thousands of migrants.... this is reality. No amount of Border Patrol or walls will stop it. The only thing that will stop the drugs is if you stop buying them. The only thing that will stop migrants is less disparity of wealth.
Re: “Serraglio”
OK, so the Tucson sector shouldn't worry, since there are border problems in ALL the border cities, and it isn't a border problem at all, after all.
And it is all 'politically charged hot air' - so we don't need any of these proposed laws and enforcements, since there is no real problem anyway. BUT! Imagine if congress wanted to pass a law against Martians peeing on the capitol building. Where there ARE NONE! What harm could such a law cause? If there really ARE NONE??!?
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Re: “Serraglio”
Thanks Randy. Being disabled (and about to embark on a cross-country flight), I am reminded why I haven't done so in several years.