Tuesday, August 19, 2014


News Clips For The Day


Emboldened by U.S. strikes, Iraq goes on offense
CBS NEWS August 19, 2014, 7:06 AM

BAGHDAD -- Emboldened by their tentative success in reclaiming the nation's second-largest dam from the Sunni Islamic militants, Iraqi military forces appeared Tuesday to be taking on the Islamic State of Syria and Iraq (ISIS) in the northern city of Tikrit.

A local official and a resident told the Associated Press clashes had broken out between Iraqi troops and militants on the outskirts of the city -- Saddam Hussein's hometown in the Sunni heartland, about 80 miles north of Baghdad.

ISIS, which has renamed itself simply the "Islamic State," and other militants occupied Tikrit and the northern city of Mosul in early June.

On Monday, President Obama said U.S. airstrikes against ISIS positions around the highly strategic Mosul Dam had helped Iraqi and regional Kurdish forces retake the sprawling compound from the militants.

CBS News' Charlie D'Agata, standing atop the Mosul Dam on Tuesday, reported that while Kurdish "peshmerga" forces were in control of the facility, they said they were going to need continuing U.S. air power to ward off any attempts by ISIS to launch a counter-attack.

Fighting resumed in the area around the dam complex on Tuesday morning, with U.S. jets seen in the skies above, but D'Agata and his team said it did not appear to be too close to the compound.

D'Agata said there wasn't much structural damage to the dam after the fight on Monday, but there were many signs of what went on.

The dam itself was littered with spent shells, and on the road to the sprawling complex there were bombed out cars; ISIS vehicles, CBS News was told, left barely recognizable. There were whole buildings that had been demolished and craters, presumably from airstrikes.

Iraqi army spokesman, Lt. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, said Tuesday that a "slow and gradual" push to retake areas around Tikrit is underway.

"There are still a lot of challenges and difficulties ahead of us," he said on state TV. "The war needs time, but we are determined to annihilate the Islamic State (group) and to liberate all the areas they occupy - even if we suffer heavy causalities, because we have no other choice."

The witnesses around Tikrit told the AP that clashes began early Tuesday morning on the southwestern outskirts of the city. Both spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing their safety.

Reports on Iraqi television channels corroborated the news of a new offensive around Tikrit, with anonymous security officials saying troops were advancing on the city from the south and west.

"Our forces are advancing from two directions with a cover from army helicopters, mortar and artillery shelling the positions of the Islamic State fighters in and around the city," the Reuters news agency quoted an army officer in the region as saying.

The two people who spoke to the AP said the Iraqi military had shelled militant positions inside and outside the city. There were no immediate reports of casualties.




“Iraqi military forces appeared Tuesday to be taking on the Islamic State of Syria and Iraq (ISIS) in the northern city of Tikrit.... D'Agata said there wasn't much structural damage to the dam after the fight on Monday, but there were many signs of what went on. The dam itself was littered with spent shells, and on the road to the sprawling complex there were bombed out cars; ISIS vehicles, CBS News was told, left barely recognizable. There were whole buildings that had been demolished and craters, presumably from airstrikes. Iraqi army spokesman, Lt. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, said Tuesday that a "slow and gradual" push to retake areas around Tikrit is underway.... The two people who spoke to the AP said the Iraqi military had shelled militant positions inside and outside the city. There were no immediate reports of casualties.”

This is encouraging news. The Iraqi forces are cooperating with the Kurds and no one is abandoning their weapons and running now. The simple fact that Iraq is fighting back is giving them some success, a sign that ISIS is not invincible. I thought it was interesting that the Pope has spoken out in favor of the need to “stop” ISIS. I think all Westerners are alarmed by this particular group as they rapidly overrun peaceful areas.





Background of prosecutor in Ferguson case has some questioning probe's credibility
CBS/AP August 18, 2014, 8:18 PM

FERGUSON, Mo. - The Missouri prosecutor overseeing an investigation into the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown has deep family roots among police: his father, mother, brother, uncle and cousin all worked for St. Louis' police department, and his father was killed while responding to a call involving a black suspect.

The connections now are being cited by some local residents and black leaders who question whether St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch can remain impartial. Brown, who was black, was fatally shot in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson on Aug. 9 by local police officer Darren Wilson, who is white.

Grand jurors may begin hearing the case Wednesday, though it could be weeks before they decide whether to indict Wilson on state criminal charges. The U.S. Justice Department is conducting a separate civil rights investigation, which could also result in charges.

President Obama said Monday that he is dispatching Attorney General Eric Holder to Ferguson to meet with FBI agents and Justice Department personnel conducting the federal criminal investigation into the shooting.

A private autopsy, commissioned by Brown's family, was conducted Sunday. But CBS correspondent Bob Orr reported that it is not likely to be considered by prosecutors. Dr. Michael Bade, the pathologist who did the autopsy said he did not find gunpowder on Brown's body, which suggest the shooting was not at close range, but he couldn't be sure because Brown's clothes were unavailable.

He also did not see X-rays taken that would show exact bullet wound locations on the body. However, an autopsy done by St. Louis County will be used by prosecutors. But because of wide public distrust, the Justice Department will conduct a third autopsy on Brown.

McCulloch's spokesman, Ed Magee, said Monday that the prosecutor plans to remain in charge of the case, despite mounting pressure to step aside amid violent clashes between police and protesters demanding that Wilson be charged.

McCulloch, a Democrat who has been in office since 1991, referenced his father's death in his initial campaign. He survived a Democratic primary earlier this month and faces no Republican opposition in his re-election bid.

Protesters questioned his objectivity when grand jurors returned no charges against two officers who fired 21 bullets into a vehicle in June 2000, killing two black men during an attempted drug arrest.

But at the time, McCulloch said his father's 1964 shooting by a black man at a public housing complex was an "incredibly irrelevant facet" as he sought to "make sure everybody gets a full and fair hearing." McCulloch was 12 when his father was killed.

U.S. attorneys also reviewed the case and decided a year later not to bring any civil rights charges against the officers.

In Ferguson, a predominantly black suburb of St. Louis, many residents say they have long been harassed and intimidated by the police department, which has just three black officers on its 53-member force. They also have little confidence in McCulloch.

"He's not going to prosecute the police officers," said Robert Fowler, a 48-year-old electrician. "In the ghetto ... every police officer, he's letting go free. They call it justifiable homicide."

McCulloch recently told CBS affiliate KMOV: "I've been as fair and impartial and done as thorough of a job as we could."

Police allege that Brown failed to move out of the center of the street when Wilson asked him to, and a scuffle ensued before he was shot. Witnesses say Brown had his hands up as Wilson fired multiple rounds.

Wilson, a six-year police veteran who had no previous complaints against him, has been on paid administrative leave since the shooting. Associated Press reporters have been unable to contact him at any addresses or phone numbers listed under that name in the St. Louis area.

In some other prominent cases - most notably, the 2012 racially charged shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida - special state prosecutors have been appointed to determine whether to pursue charges. That at times occurred only after local authorities took no action.

But under Missouri law, it "would be highly, highly, highly unusual" for a prosecutor to step aside merely because of racial tensions in a high-profile case, said Peter Joy, a Washington University law professor who directs the school's Criminal Justice Clinic.

In Missouri, "the buck stops with the head prosecutor" in each county, Joy said.

Missouri law allows two avenues for outside prosecutors: The local prosecutor can ask for help from the governor, who can appoint the state attorney general's office to the case; or a court can appoint a special prosecutor if the elected one has a conflict of interest.

Police shootings don't automatically qualify as conflicts of interest and often are handled by local prosecutors.

"Just because the case is really hot and really controversial would not be a reason why I would seek a special prosecutor," said Eric Zahnd, a Kansas City-area prosecutor and past president of the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys.

But some black leaders - including U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay Jr., St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley and state Sens. Maria Chappelle-Nadal and Jamilah Nasheed - have called on McCulloch to consent to a special prosecutor.

Nasheed started an online petition that has gotten about 25,000 signatures in four days seeking a special prosecutor.

"In the past, justice has not been achieved in these types of police shootings," said Clay, who represents the area. "So I have no comfort with local-authority prosecution, the judicial system or even police conducting a thorough and conclusive investigation that delivers justice to the family of Michael Brown."

"Simply put: he has a natural bias," added Chappelle-Nadal. "My community doesn't trust him."




“The Missouri prosecutor overseeing an investigation into the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown has deep family roots among police: his father, mother, brother, uncle and cousin all worked for St. Louis' police department, and his father was killed while responding to a call involving a black suspect. The connections now are being cited by some local residents and black leaders who question whether St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch can remain impartial.... President Obama said Monday that he is dispatching Attorney General Eric Holder to Ferguson to meet with FBI agents and Justice Department personnel conducting the federal criminal investigation into the shooting..... McCulloch's spokesman, Ed Magee, said Monday that the prosecutor plans to remain in charge of the case, despite mounting pressure to step aside.... In Ferguson, a predominantly black suburb of St. Louis, many residents say they have long been harassed and intimidated by the police department.... But under Missouri law, it "would be highly, highly, highly unusual" for a prosecutor to step aside merely because of racial tensions …. 'In the past, justice has not been achieved in these types of police shootings," said Clay, who represents the area. "So I have no comfort with local-authority prosecution, the judicial system or even police conducting a thorough and conclusive investigation that delivers justice to the family of Michael Brown.'"

This news article is self-explanatory, but it does give a troubling history of how police shootings are handled in St. Louis. The police have the backing of the local courts in the case of conflicts, and special counsel is rarely requested on the basis of serious controversy or the fear of racial bias. The local population undoubtedly backs this complete trust of law enforcement, which goes along with the fact that Missouri, according to an article in Slate, was a swing state but now is a red state. Racism in the South has never gone away and is getting stronger today. The fact that a black man was elected to the presidency is really resented by those people, and any conflict between blacks and whites will be weighted in the scales on the side of the whites. Several statements by residents have confirmed that heavy handed policing has long been a problem there. Officer Wilson's hair trigger attitude is not new to the area. It remains to be seen whether the presence of Eric Holder and the FBI in Ferguson will cause a change for the city.






Hit by poverty, Ferguson reflects the new suburbs – CBS
By CONSTANTINE VON HOFFMAN MONEYWATCH August 19, 2014, 5:54 AM

The violent confrontations between police and citizens in Ferguson, Missouri, highlight the rapid demographic shift in the suburbs, which are now home to a majority of the nation's poor.

The nation's 100 largest metropolitan areas have seen dramatic growth in poverty in the suburbs that surround them, according to the Brookings Institution. The number of suburban neighborhoods where more than 20 percent of residents live below the federal poverty line more than doubled during the 2000s, the research organization found.

Not only did nearly every one of these areas see suburban poverty grow during that decade, but poverty also grew more concentrated in specific neighborhoods.

By 2012, 38 percent of poor residents in the suburbs lived in neighborhoods with poverty rates of 20 percent or higher, according to Brookings. For poor black residents, 53 percent lived in neighborhoods with poverty rates of 20 percent or higher.

"At the start of the 2000s, the five census tracts that fall within Ferguson's border registered poverty rates ranging between 4 and 16 percent," Brookings' analyst Elizabeth Kneebone wrote in a recent blog post. "However, by 2008-2012 almost all of Ferguson's neighborhoods had poverty rates at or above the 20 percent threshold at which the negative effects of concentrated poverty begin to emerge."

These effects include lack of access to jobs and health care, sub-standard schools and higher crime rates. "We find that suburban poor neighborhoods are more likely to be organizationally deprived than urban poor neighborhoods, especially with respect to organizations that promote upward mobility," Alexandra Murphy of the University of Michigan's National Poverty Center wrote in a report last year.

Ferguson itself is emblematic of the impact of poverty on America's suburbs. The town's unemployment rate has more than doubled in recent years, from less than 5 percent in 2000 to over 13 percent in 2010-12. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2012 about one in four residents lived below the federal poverty line ($23,492 for a family of four), and 44 percent fell below twice that level. Ferguson's per capita income of $21,000 ranks it 88th out of Missouri's 140 cities, according to BiggestUSCities.com, while its median household income of $36,645 is the state's 103rd highest.

"For those [Ferguson] residents who were employed, inflation-adjusted average earnings fell by one-third," Kneebone said. "The number of households using federal Housing Choice Vouchers climbed from roughly 300 in 2000 to more than 800 by the end of the decade."

Concurrently with the rise in poverty has been a shift in the racial composition of many suburbs around the U.S. This change has frequently not been reflected in the leadership of those cities and towns.

The clashes in Ferguson came in the wake of the killing of Michael Brown, an unarmed black man, by a police officer. Both the town's government and police force are overwhelmingly white, while the city's population is 67 percent African-American.

According to a study by the American Communities Project at American University, "In 2000, the urban suburbs were 67 percent non-Hispanic white, 12 percent African American and 13 percent Hispanic. By 2012, the non-Hispanic white population had dropped to 59 percent , the African-American population had climbed to 13 percent and the Hispanic population was roughly 18 percent."

Nationwide, the poor have lower participation rates in elections and this appears to be the case in Ferguson as well. While the city has about 15,000 residents 18 or older, only about 1,350 votes were cast in last April's mayoral election, in which Mayor James Knowles III ran unopposed. Furthermore, in the last city council election held in 2013 there were about 1,500 votes cast. In 2011, one city councilman won his seat with a grand total of 72 votes.




The violent confrontations between police and citizens in Ferguson, Missouri, highlight the rapid demographic shift in the suburbs, which are now home to a majority of the nation's poor. The nation's 100 largest metropolitan areas have seen dramatic growth in poverty in the suburbs that surround them, according to the Brookings Institution. The number of suburban neighborhoods where more than 20 percent of residents live below the federal poverty line more than doubled during the 2000s, the research organization found.... For poor black residents, 53 percent lived in neighborhoods with poverty rates of 20 percent or higher..... These effects include lack of access to jobs and health care, sub-standard schools and higher crime rates. 'We find that suburban poor neighborhoods are more likely to be organizationally deprived than urban poor neighborhoods, eFerguson itself is emblematic of the impact of poverty on America's suburbs. The town's unemployment rate has more than doubled in recent years, from less than 5 percent in 2000 to over 13 percent in 2010-12.specially with respect to organizations that promote upward mobility,"... in 2012 about one in four residents lived below the federal poverty line ($23,492 for a family of four), and 44 percent fell below twice that level.... "For those [Ferguson] residents who were employed, inflation-adjusted average earnings fell by one-third," Kneebone said.

According to the census, suburban neighborhoods across the country, once lily white, are becoming more heavily populated by black and Hispanic families rather than white. In Ferguson this is true, and while the population is 15,000 over the age of 18, only about 1,350 votes were cast in the last local election. That is shocking. The article doesn't say whether voter suppression is the cause of this, or the simple failure of many to register and participate. Many poor neighborhoods house lots of depressed individuals who have a lack of civic pride and interest in life. There is a particular need to increase voting and participation in their government in this case, because all the offices are occupied by white people, though 70% of Ferguson are black. It is no wonder that the Ferguson residents have reacted with such rage, but what they need to do is group together to improve their conditions and outvote the whites. I hope this uprising of intense feeling will lead to action.






10 ways school is different than the working world – CBS
By SUZANNE LUCAS MONEYWATCH August 19, 2014, 5:00 AM

Today is the first day of school in my town, or as parents like to call it, "The most wonderful day of the year!" As I sent my cute little first-grader into the big school for the first time, I hope that his teachers work to prepare him not just to do schoolwork but for a career (in the very distant future!).

Then again, in many ways even the best schools can never fully prepare you for life on the job. Here are some key differences in how employers think compared with school.

1. If you can't do the work, you're out. In school, they bring in specialists to help, and parents hover and work with you to bring grades up. Some bad parents (yes, I said it) simply demand that the school change a grade so that their little darling doesn't suffer any adverse consequences. In the workplace, we simply fire you. Sometimes we'll give you a 90-day performance improvement plan, but that's about it.

2. We grade on a curve. That is, we limit the number of people who can get the workplace equivalent of an A. Sometimes you will be an awesome worker, but your evaluation is still low because you're not as awesome as your co-workers. For promotions, only one person can get it, so again, you'll be compared to your co-workers. It's not just about being good at what you do -- it's about being better than everyone else.

3. We have far more variety than school. Common core? Ha! Different businesses offer so very differently there is something for everyone. All companies have to follow federal, state, and local laws, but that is where it ends. If you're a night owl, there's a job for you. If you're an early bird there's a job for you. If you're creative, we have possibilities. If you're not creative, we have possibilities for you too. There's something for everyone except...

4. We hate slackers. If you are a slacker and don't want to straighten up, you better darn well be a genius. Otherwise, we don't have a place for you. In school, you can find teachers who will call your parents and hold meetings and make plans to help you not be a slacker. Figure that out before you leave school, because we're not so nice.

5. You have to fight for recognition. In a perfect world, we'd make careful evaluations of everyone and offer you promotions and new opportunities when you deserve them. In reality, everyone is really busy, and lots of people want to do lots of different things. If there is a path you want to go down, professionally, speak up.

6. We really, really, really want you to be able to write properly. Please, teachers, make writing a priority. I know you do -- and get out the red pencil and correct. (And now I've just exposed myself to angry comments pointing out my errors. I deserve it.)

7. We really, really, really want you to be able to do math. And by doing math, we don't mean trigonometry for all. We need you to understand how numbers work and the logic behind math. Yes, it's possible that you may go through your entire career without ever doing Euclidean Geometry, but it's highly unlikely that you can get into a good career without being able to think logically. Many jobs that don't require "math" do require you to think logically. Math will help you with that.

8. We really, really, really want you to be able to do math, part 2. We need people who can do advanced math. We need engineers and computer programmers and statisticians. As an even bigger plus, if you can do math and write well, you can practically write your own ticket.

9. We don't care about your self esteem. Sorry. We care about making the business succeed. Whether that's wrong or right, you can't expect managers to be concerned with how you feel about anything. We care about your end results.

10. If you can't make money for us, we won't hire you. We don't hire to give people chances. We don't hire to train, although we will sometimes hire interns for that purpose. We hire people because we want to make more money. If you can explain how you can make a business more money, we're interested in hiring you. (Saving money also falls into this category, as some tasks just don't bring in money, but are required for legal or business reasons.)




Now here is an article that doesn't pull any punches. It also strikes me as being fair. The truth is, businesses die if they don't make money, and unless someone lives in a completely communistic society they will not be given work simply because they need money. It makes a possible argument for a raise, but even then it may not work. Also, in a communistic society, if the government gives you a job (because they are feeding you and require you to work), they will force you to travel to wherever the job is and you won't have a choice about what you do.

So, despite its shortcomings, I like being in America. I have been without a job and been worried, but I always managed to pay my rent and find something to eat. One time I did collect food stamps and I've been paid once by Unemployment. I have now, gratefully, come to my final reward – I get a monthly pension from Social Security, and my “work” is my blog.

I try to do my best, but I don't have to answer to anybody about how I do it. I do sit down almost every day and try to select interesting news articles, then I read them closely and think about what I've just read. Sometimes there are gaps in the article, at which point I will go to the Internet to find some explanations or fuller information. My rewards are that I get to state my opinions, explore some new ideas, read some interesting news and hopefully provide some entertainment or possibly knowledge to the reader. Thank you for reading my efforts.







Border Patrol killings face renewed scrutiny
By ANNA WERNER CBS NEWS August 18, 2014, 7:16 PM

DALLAS -- Drug shootings are common along the border. But 16-year-old Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez was not gunned down by Mexican criminals. He was shot eight times in the back by a U.S. border patrol agent who fired from behind this fence.

"What were they doing?" a Mexican dispatcher asked.

"They were throwing rocks," a border patrol agent told her.

But other witnesses said Rodriguez was just walking by.

Since 2010, 28 people have died at the hands of border patrol agents.

Reviewing those fatal force cases was part of Jim Tomsheck's job as head of internal affairs for Customs and Border Protection

"I am familiar with several incidents where the persons appeared to be fleeing and were shot in the back or the side at some distance from the border patrol agent when the shots were fired," said Tomsheck.

He calls seven of those shootings "highly suspect." But he told CBS News his bosses ignored his concerns and he did not have authority to punish agents. He was reassigned in June.

"There were certainly many cases where border patrol agents or certainly CBP officers engaged in excessive use of force or abuse of migrants at the border that should have resulted in discipline where it did not," Tomsheck says.

One of those not disciplined is the agent who shot Rodriguez. He remains on the job.

Rodriguez was one of 12 reportedly unarmed people shot by border agents. Autopsies on three of them show they were shot in the back, or the back of the head.

Gil Kerlikowske is the new commissioner of Customs and Border Protection.

When asked if he was willing to admit the number of shootings is too high, he replied, "I'm willing to say that I am more than open ... to look at all of these cases. ... Those that haven't been adequately answered or that the questions are left, need to be resolved."

Kerlikowske blames problems with investigations in part on what he calls "antiquated" computer systems.

"We have trouble tracking the complaint numbers because the systems were put together from a variety of agencies," says Kerlikowske.

Customs and Border Patrol receives $13 billion each year. Kerlikowske admits some of that money could have been used to fix the system to track the complaints.

Kerlikowske's agency is now reviewing 67 excessive force cases including the Rodriguez shooting.

The Rodriguez family recently had filed papers to learn the name of the officer that killed their son.




“Gil Kerlikowske is the new commissioner of Customs and Border Protection When asked if he was willing to admit the number of shootings is too high, he replied, 'I'm willing to say that I am more than open ... to look at all of these cases. ... Those that haven't been adequately answered or that the questions are left, need to be resolved.' Kerlikowske blames problems with investigations in part on what he calls 'antiquated' computer systems. 'We have trouble tracking the complaint numbers because the systems were put together from a variety of agencies,' says Kerlikowske.”

This story is like the one about law enforcement in Ferguson. In both cases they represent situations when men who have been entrusted with a pistol and maybe a rifle have no one watching them as they “enforce justice.” Some days they feel like killing those illegal immigrants rather than bothering to arrest them and fill out all that paperwork. Jobs like this tend to erode whatever human compassion the men were born with. An endless stream of illegal immigrants approach the border and try to sneak across. I think more often than not they succeed, but sometimes they get caught. This article says that “Since 2010, 28 people have died at the hands of border patrol agents.” I feel sure that 28 is a much smaller number than those who made it into the US to disappear into the sandy countryside. On such a long border, there aren't enough agents to police it all. Sometimes, unfortunately, they die from lack of water and food. I would like to see more of them apprehended and fewer of them killed. We could use more Border Patrol Agents who are much better trained and supervised. The way it is today, it's just sad.





Owl enters 10th story apartment, kills pet in Idaho – CBS
AP August 18, 2014, 3:38 PM

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho - An owl flew into a 10th story apartment in Coeur d'Alene, apparently opened a bird cage and killed one of two canaries inside, the residents said.

Sue Sausser said she awakened Sunday to find bird droppings and feathers all over her apartment, the Coeur d'Alene Press reported.

Sausser found the brownish, yellow-eyed owl between the wall and the chest of drawers on which the bird cage sits. It flew out the door and perched on their balcony railing long enough for them to take a few pictures. Don Sausser estimated the owl was 6 to 8 inches tall.

Sue and Don Sausser found one of their canaries dead in the cage. The other seemed jumpy and anxious, they said.

Beth Paragamian, wildlife education specialist with for Idaho Fish and Game and the Bureau of Land Management, said it's strange that an owl would be flying so high in an area without many tall trees and surprising that it would enter a residence, much less open a bird cage.

"That is very unusual," she said.

Don Sausser said they'll likely still leave their sliding glass door open on warm summer evenings, but plan to use twist ties to secure the door on the bird cage.




I wonder if this is another one of those cases of wild animals entering the domain of humans because their natural environment has been invaded by the creeping suburbs of some city. Two days ago a wild pig was on the news digging up a Jacksonville yard, raccoons and foxes are numerous – too often carrying rabies – and alligators and rattlesnakes are seen at least once or twice a year. A family was in the news today somewhere in Florida for killing a 15 foot alligator that weighed 1,000 pounds. Local alligators are famous for eating people's dogs and cats. I wouldn't want to live on the river as some people do, because of the animals alone, much less the tendency for such areas to flood.

This story of an owl being smart enough to open a bird cage surprised me. Most birds aren't very bright, but some are – crows and ravens, parrots and parakeets, and apparently also owls. The article didn't say what the Saussers did with the owl – hopefully the took him to a wildlife refuge. In Jacksonville we have one specifically for birds called “Beaks.” I've always meant to go see it to look at the birds, but never have made the time to do it. Now that I'm retired that would be a good thing for me to do.





Oklahoma Wind Power Companies Run Into Headwinds – NPR
by JOE WERTZ
August 18, 2014

Oklahoma is the nation's fourth-largest generator of wind energy. But wind developers in the northeast corner of the state, where the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve lies, are up against stiff opposition from an unlikely pair of allies: environmentalists and oil interests.

Bob Hamilton, director of the Nature Conservancy's Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, has been fighting to block construction of a 68-turbine wind farm.

"It's a real estate issue — location, location, location," says Hamilton. "So, where you put industrial wind development can be a tremendously critical decision, especially if you're talking about at-risk species and ecosystems that are at risk."

This grassland once spanned 140 million acres across 14 states. Today, less than 5 percent remains.

Hamilton says a wind farm — even if it's miles away — could destroy the habitats of birds and grouse, like the greater prairie chicken, and fragment the wide open prairie.

Joe Bush, a landowner in Oklahoma, says it's not that simple.

"They talk about fragmenting the prairie and such, but it doesn't fragment the prairie any worse than oil wells fragment the prairie," he says.

Bush has welcomed the wind industry with open arms. He has already leased out land for two wind farm projects, including the one the nature preserve is fighting.

Bush says no other landowner should be able to tell him what to do with his property.

"Stay on your side of the fence. That's not how we do things in America," Bush says. "It's capitalism, it's America. Private property is our heritage."

Wind farms are common in western parts of the state, but they're new to the northeast region. There has always been some local resistance from residents who don't want their views ruined by spinning turbines, but Oklahoma's wind energy debate is magnified in Osage County. That's the slice of prairie that Joe Bush and the nature preserve share.

Osage County is also home to a powerful opponent of wind farm development.

"The site is the problem," says Everett Waller, a tribal leader with the Osage Nation. "It's not the alternate energy, the wind energy, anything of that fact."

While the tribe is worried that wind farm construction could hurt wildlife and disturb native remains and artifacts, one of its biggest concerns is oil.

While many nontribal residents — like Bush — own land in Osage County, the tribal members own most of the mineral rights.

Waller says aboveground wind farms could block drilling and pumping the oil and gas below ground.

"I have a job as chairman of the minerals council to protect my shareholders," Waller says. "This is a business. We're in the oil business."

Oklahoma isn't the only state trying to balance an economically vital oil and gas industry with a promising wind industry.

Texas is the country's top producer of oil and wind energy. Rod Wetsel, an attorney and professor at the University of Texas who wrote the book on Texas wind law, says property rights in petroleum states were written with the oil and gas industry in mind.

"That's a doctrine that's really hard to explain to wind companies that are from Europe or being financed by lenders in New York, that, 'Hey, you better watch out because these oil companies might be able to interfere with your building of the project,' " says Wetsel.

Right now, state regulators have started discussing whether Oklahoma should have stricter rules for wind projects. But Wetsel says even oil and gas states have resisted regulating the wind industry because, ideally, they'd like to find room for a turbine and an oil well.




“Bob Hamilton, director of the Nature Conservancy's Tallgrass Prairie Preserve... says a wind farm — even if it's miles away — could destroy the habitats of birds and grouse, like the greater prairie chicken, and fragment the wide open prairie. Joe Bush, a landowner in Oklahoma, says it's not that simple. They talk about fragmenting the prairie and such, but it doesn't fragment the prairie any worse than oil wells fragment the prairie,' he says. Bush has welcomed the wind industry with open arms. He has already leased out land for two wind farm projects, including the one the nature preserve is fighting. Bush says no other landowner should be able to tell him what to do with his property.”

Everett Waller, a tribal leader with the Osage Nation is concerned about their mineral rights. He says the wind farms on the top of the ground interfere with the pumping of oil, their source of income. "I have a job as chairman of the minerals council to protect my shareholders," Waller says. "This is a business. We're in the oil business.".... Right now, state regulators have started discussing whether Oklahoma should have stricter rules for wind projects. But Wetsel says even oil and gas states have resisted regulating the wind industry because, ideally, they'd like to find room for a turbine and an oil well.

Personally, I would prefer for wind farms to be more common and coal and oil production less so. Wind is simply cleaner than carbon-based energy. It's all about the CO2 problem. I don't see how a wind farm could kill enough birds to cause them to go extinct. See the following article from Science on windmills and birds: http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/wind-turbine-kill-birds.htm. Apparently windmills are getting safer nowadays. Modern designs have larger blades which don't have to whirl as fast in order to generate electricity, and they are being placed farther away from bird migratory paths, many offshore. Bird conservation societies have begun to favor wind farms, but regulate how fast the blades spin and where the farm is located. The article says that many more birds are killed by cats and by flying into windows than by windmills. The windfarm at Altamont Pass in California has given wind farms a bad reputation by having narrower blades with a laticework structure which attracts raptors as a place to perch, and the blades spin very fast, plus it is located on a raptor migratory path. Bad all the way around.