When Mama ain't happy ...

[Political Waves]

The Supremes came down on the side of Gitmo detainees today in a decision that undercuts the years of Bush babble and has Scalia in a tantrum. This is gleeful news -- restoration of habeas corpus; the last article below gives the details.

We'll look at weather today -- although most of us only have to look out the window. Last year I wrote a weekly piece about weather changes and bemoaned the early arrival of the fireflies; I think that was mid to late June. This year, I caught site of an unexpected lightning bug on June 4th; six weeks before their traditional appearance. It's all going wonky; everything radical these days.

I was having dinner with a friend the other night, at one of the few remaining restaurants in the resort; many of them have closed up in this overly wet and dismal season. This particular eatery is fun because it floats on the lake and offers a view of the little island that serves as launching pad for July 4th fireworks; the island is under water now, with only the tops of the trees showing. As we waited for our food, the water in the harbor began to ripple and dance, the occasional whitecap appearing and sinking. The owner came to our table minutes later to report a tornado touchdown a few miles away; she was telling people to go home and find shelter.

We asked if the kitchen was open, she said yes -- we stayed. Going home in my area is as much a crap shoot as staying put. In this terrain, almost no one has the means to punch through the granite to make a basement; most of the homes are modular, or even more dangerous in a wind, trailers. We have neither sirens in this rural area or shelters to speak of. We're advised to lay in a ditch, which apparently can save lives; but me, I'd rather not meet my Maker laying face down in the dirt. We figured if we were going to be picked up and dropped somewhere, in the water was a better option than in a field.

CNN is reporting several wildfires in Northern California threatening life and causing evacuation; Sacramento and Santa Cruz areas. The heat wave in California moved to the East Coast last week; now it's dissipating to show up ... where? Not in the Northwest -- they've got snow issues; Colorado is keeping its eyes on microbursts and Aspen reopened.

Wisconsin is under water and Nebraska is scrambling to meet it's own weather emergencies; so is Minnesota and the Dakota's. Tornado's in Iowa have pounded a gathering of Boy Scouts, for God/dess's sake [... go ahead, rattle my bones and break my heart!] Kansas has been trounced by the appearance of over 50 tornado's leaving two dead ... that's just today, and it ain't over yet.

The Midwest has been hit particularly hard -- and that will effect food prices quickly. The upper Mississippi River in Iowa, Illinois and Missouri has been shut down for two weeks due to flooding; financial fallout to shipping will be considerable. Our crumbling infrastructure is apparent in shaky dams, levee's and bridges. Meanwhile, FEMA is preoccupied with trying to figure out what to do with donations that were stored for Katrina victims -- anybody need a toaster?

We're in extremis, dearhearts. Nothing can be projected from the norms -- life is immediate these days, as you can see in the pictures here and here.

Jude



Wide Range Of Weather Ills Plague U.S.
Midwest Floods, East Bakes, Washington Chilled
June 10, 2008
http://www.nbc5.com/news/16555860/detail.html

Some residents in Gays Mills, Wis., have to start from scratch again after a second devastating flood in 10 months washed away the progress they had been making.

All About Flooding

The swollen Kickapoo River spilled over its banks and engulfed nearly the entire town Monday, just as it did last August.
Click here to find out more!

On Tuesday, officials in Wisconsin and other parts of the Midwest were assessing the damage from storms that have now left at least 15 people dead.

A Wisconsin National Guard team was headed to Lake Delton to determine what equipment is needed to begin repairs at a man-made lake.

On Monday, an embankment gave way and unleashed a powerful current that ripped homes off their foundations before emptying into the nearby Wisconsin River.

The water washed away a big chunk of the local tourism industry.

Bill Pettit, who owns a 30-unit resort on man-made Lake Delton, said he's "out of business" because what he sells is the lakefront and "the lake is gone."

No one was hurt.

In Indiana, the White River was expected to crest Tuesday at 16 feet above flood stage at Newberry.

State officials said they don't have an estimate on the damage or the number of homes and businesses destroyed by flooding.

Up to 11 inches of rain fell Saturday, and 2 more inches fell Monday.

Heat Is On

While the Midwest struggled with floods, the spring heat wave baking the East Coast continued Tuesday for at least another day.

It was expected to be a sauna again Tuesday from the Southeast to New England, where forecasters said the thermometer could top out near 100 degrees.

Dozens of schools in the Northeast that don't have air conditioning planned to close early for a second day.

Heat advisories were in effect from North Carolina to New Hampshire.

In Delaware, agencies asked people to donate fans and air conditioners for needy residents.

Officials were again urging people to avoid strenuous outdoor activity.

The operator of New England's power grid reported high electricity demand and a tight supply Monday, with expectations of a slightly tighter supply Tuesday in the six-state region.

It was 99 in New York City on Monday, and in the fifth inning of the Kansas City Royals-Yankees game, fans at Yankee Stadium cheered loudly when a cloud moved in front of the sun.

They booed moments later when the sun returned.

Relief from the heat is expected to arrived by midweek, forecasters said.

Weather Sends Chills

As the East sizzled, another part of the country was having wintry weather.

The National Weather Service said a fierce storm could bring 5 to 10 inches of new snow to Washington's Cascade Mountains, particularly in the higher elevations.

Winds gusting to 45 mph have knocked out power to thousands of homes and businesses in western Washington state. ++


4 dead, 48 injured as tornado hits Boy Scout camp
TIMBERLY ROSS, AP

1 hour ago
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jW-BndswWuhgPAPXOK4Q6TCQsANQD918IC480

BLENCOE, Iowa (AP) — Frightened Boy Scouts huddled in a shelter as a tornado tore through their western Iowa campground, killing four teens and injuring 48 others who had little warning of the approaching twister.

Tornadoes also raked Kansas on Wednesday, killing at least two people, destroying much of the small town of Chapman and causing extensive damage on the Kansas State University campus.

Iowa rescue workers cut through downed branches and dug through debris amid rain and lightning Wednesday night to reach the camp where the 93 boys, ages 13 to 18, and 25 staff members were attending a weeklong leadership training camp.

The tornado killed three 13-year-olds and one 14-year-old, said Lloyd Roitstein, an executive with the Mid America Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He did not release the names of the victims.

Roitstein said a tornado siren went off at the camp, but the scouts had already taken cover before the siren sounded.

The boys had been in two groups when the storm hit the Little Sioux Scout Ranch in the remote Loess Hills. One group managed to take shelter, while the other was out hiking.

At least 42 of the injured remained hospitalized Thursday morning, with everything from cuts and bruises to major head trauma, said Gene Meyer, Iowa's public safety commissioner. At least four of the injured were airlifted from the camp, he said, refusing to elaborate on their conditions or identify the dead.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and the families of the victims," Gov. Chet Culver said. "We continue to do everything we can to make sure those injured are going to recover."

All the scouts and staff were accounted for, Meyer said, adding that searchers were making another pass through the grounds to make sure no one else was injured. The camp was destroyed.

Thomas White, a scout supervisor, said he dug through the wreckage of a collapsed fireplace to reach victims in a building where many scouts were seeking shelter when the twister struck at 6:35 p.m.

"A bunch of us got together and started undoing the rubble from the fireplace and stuff and waiting for the first responders," White told KMTV in Omaha, Neb. "They were under the tables and stuff and on their knees, but they had no chance."

The nearest tornado siren, in nearby Blencoe, sounded only briefly after the storm cut power to the town, said Russ Lawrenson of the Mondamin Fire Department.

Taylor Willoughby, 13, said several scouts were getting ready to watch a movie when someone screamed that there was a tornado. Everyone hunkered down, he said, and windows shattered.

"It sounded like a jet that was flying by really close," Taylor told NBC's "Today" on Thursday. "I was hoping that we all made it out OK. I was afraid for my life."

Ethan Hession, also 13, said he crawled under a table with his friend.

"I just remember looking over at my friend, and all of a sudden he just says to me, `Dear God, save us,'" he told "Today." "Then I just closed my eyes and all of a sudden it's (the tornado) gone."

Ethan said the scouts' first-aid training immediately compelled them to act.
"We knew that we need to place tourniquets on wounds that were bleeding too much. We knew we need to apply pressure and gauze. We had first-aid kits, we had everything," he said.

Ethan said one staff member took off his shirt and put it on someone who was bleeding to apply pressure and gauze. Other scouts started digging people out of the rubble, he said.

At a news conference Thursday, Culver praised the scouts for "taking care of each other" as emergency workers from several state and local agencies cut through debris to reach the camp.

 

Roitstein reminded reporters at the news conference that the Boy Scouts motto is "Be Prepared."

"Last night, the agencies and the scouts were prepared," he said. "They knew what to do they knew where to go and they prepared well."

The injured were taken to Burgess Health Center in Onawa, Alegent Health Clinic in Missouri Valley and Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha.

Burgess spokeswoman Beth Frangedakis said 19 victims arrived at the hospital around 8:30 p.m. They included children ages 2 months to 15 years, plus three adults.

Frangedakis said four were admitted to the hospital, one was taken by helicopter to Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City, Iowa, and the others were released. She wouldn't release the nature of the victims' injuries.

David Hunt, chairman of the Mid-America Boy Scout Council's Goldenrod District, which covers several eastern Nebraska counties, said he believed the boys were from eastern Nebraska and western Iowa.

The 1,800-acre ranch about 40 miles north of Omaha includes hiking trails through narrow valleys and over steep hills, a 15-acre lake and a rifle range.

The tornado touched down as Iowa's eastern half grappled with flooding in several cities. The storm threatened to stretch Iowa's emergency response teams even further.

Iowa Homeland Security spokeswoman Julie Tack said officials were confident the state's emergency response teams could handle the crisis because western Iowa had been largely unaffected by the recent flooding.

Along the Mississippi River in Missouri and Illinois, the National Weather Service was predicting the worst flooding in 15 years. Outlying areas could be inundated, but most of the towns are protected by levees and many low-lying property owners were bought out after massive flooding in 1993, officials said.

Meanwhile, a line of tornadoes cut a diagonal swath across Kansas, causing widespread damage.

Chapman, a Dickinson County town of about 1,400, appeared to be hardest hit. Sharon Watson, spokeswoman for the Kansas Adjutant General's Department, said more than 60 homes were destroyed and buildings were damaged. All three of the town's schools were damaged, and the high school gymnasium lost part of its roof.

Watson said one victim was found in a yard in Chapman. Homman said three people were critically injured and taken to a hospital. Geary Community Hospital in Junction City.

Electricity was out across town, and Homman said the search continued for other possible victims. "We're still going through methodically one residence at a time," he said.

The other Kansas victim was found outside a mobile home in the Jackson County town of Soldier, Chapman said.

The tornado that struck Kansas State University's campus in Manhattan destroyed a wind erosion laboratory and heavily damaged a fraternity house. Debris littered the campus, and classes were cancelled, but the university reported no injuries. ++

Associated Press writers Henry C. Jackson in Des Moines, Iowa; Anna Jo Bratton in Onawa, Iowa; and John Hanna in Chapman, Kan., contributed to this report.


Wisconsin Flooding Sweeps Away Homes Near Dells
Midwest Battered By Severe Weekend Storms
NBC local
POSTED: 8:16 am CDT June 10, 2008
http://www.nbc5.com/news/16557223/detail.html

CHICAGO -- A string of storms left behind massive flooding and tornado damage in Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana this week.

The most dramatic images came from Lake Delton, Wis., where a dam broke and washed away three homes.

Emergency crews evacuated thousands of homes and closed over 100 roads.

Jay Olsted, of the NBC affiliate in Milwaukee, told NBC5 that the "good news" is that the Fox River is expected to crest Tuesday afternoon, which will stem the raging waters currently rushing through the town of Waukesha, Wis.

The Department of Natural Resources in Waukesha County, Olsted said, is watching an area dam, for fear it will burst, causing even more extensive damage and hardship for residents.

Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle has declared a state of emergency because of heavy flooding in the southern portion of the state.

Authorities are asking residents and onlookers to stay clear of the area, as travel in the area is too dangerous.

A statement from Shannon McCarthy, a spokeswoman for Kalahari Resort, said, "... flood damage is isolated to areas around Lake Delton and more than 90 percent of area attractions (at the Wisconsin Dells), including Kalahari Resort, are open for business."

Floodwater threatened dams across the Midwest, and military crews joined desperate sandbagging operations to hold back Indiana streams surging toward record levels. Stormy weekend weather was blamed for 10 deaths, most in the Midwest.

While the Midwest struggled with flooding, the East was locked in a sauna. Heat advisories were posted Monday from the Carolinas to Connecticut, with temperatures topping 100 from Georgia to Virginia. New York City recorded a high of 99. ++


Midwest floods expose aging, weak protection
Years of neglect of dams, levees put many folks at risk
E.A. TORRIERO and TIM JONES, CHICAGO TRIBUNE

June 12, 2008
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080612/NEWS07/806120365

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- With rumbling force, the Cedar River on Wednesday ripped through the eastern Iowa city of Cedar Rapids toward a historic crest while unleashing floodwaters into businesses and homes.

With thunderstorms looming, thousands of people quickly evacuated the downtown area as state officials warned the levee barely holding back the river could burst overnight and inundate city streets with water for miles around.

Churning currents licked at the city's bridges, which were closed to traffic by nightfall and in danger of suffering crippled footings.

The worst flooding in the Midwest in 15 years has exposed the vulnerability of aging and weak dams, levees and bridges that seem barely able -- or in many cases are unable -- to hold back floodwaters.

Spectacular breakdowns happened this week in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin, leaving questions as to whether the region is prepared to handle such a disaster.

Up the Cedar River in Washburn, Iowa, Joann Vanee's farm was an island Wednesday after small-scale dikes failed to contain floodwaters.

Built by local residents to keep the river at bay at a 19-foot height, the walls were overrun by about five feet and turned acre after acre of choice agriculture land into a sea of misery. "There's nothing you can do when you get that much water," Vanee said.

In Wisconsin, where heavy rains loom, officials were monitoring dams that were filled to the brink and spilling over. The state was trying to figure out how a wall of earth crumbled, leading Lake Delton to empty out and become nearly dry.

Many places are oblivious

The severity and frequency of flooding in the Midwest have alarmed floodplain managers and others who monitor the effects of raging water on the public infrastructure.

A December report from the Association of State Floodplain Managers warned that "millions of citizens and hundreds of communities neither recognize their flood risk nor accept responsibility for reducing that risk."

Experts say the increasing frequency of severe storms and flooding is undermining the integrity of aging levees, bridges and dams that were not designed to withstand the water flow and pressure that contributed to destruction like that at Lake Delton.

Barry Drazkowski, director of GeoSpatial Services at St. Mary's University in Winona, Minn., said the idea of normal heavy rainfall is changing.

"If we look over the past 100 years, it is not normal to get so many large amounts of rain like those we've seen in such a short period of time," he said.
Some new, but too much old

At a flood policy forum last fall in Washington, officials warned that climate change, dramatic population increases and the destruction of natural ecological protections, such as wetlands, would add to the existing strain on aging infrastructure.

"We as a nation have ignored our infrastructure for the past 50 years. We haven't gone back to maintain the old roads and bridges and we just keep building new ones," said Larry Larson, executive director of the floodplain managers group, which is based in Madison, Wis. "We've given up the public safety of existing structures in the name of economic development."

Even before the recent flooding, federal officials were wary of aging levees.

Amid public condemnation following the failure of gulf coast levees during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers moved to evaluate about 2,000 levees under its purview.

Officials in metro St. Louis were stunned to learn last summer that its levee system, which stretches 83 miles south from Alton, Ill., was suffering from underground seepage and rusting mechanics.

More than 175,000 residents, plus businesses with about 50,000 jobs, are in danger if the levees fail. Officials also fear environmental disaster because a major refinery and oil transmission pipelines are just yards from the levees.

Acting quickly, local officials decided to levy a quarter-cent sales tax to pay for a share of the $180 million needed for upgrades. Work is set to begin this summer.

But with raging waters from the Upper Midwest set to dump into the Mississippi in coming days, the river could rise past levels seen during the last major flood in 1993. ++


Fire, Flooding And Fronts Hit Colorado
Cold Front Cools Colorado; Fire Danger And Flooding Still Concerns
Scott Mace, Meteorololgist
ABC local
June 11, 2008
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/weather/16569682/detail.html

DENVER -- A morning cold front brought rain and snow to western Colorado and cooler temperatures to the Denver area.

Hitting 93 degrees on Tuesday, Denver nearly tied the record high temperature of 97. The heat didn't last for long as a cold front made its way through the state on Wednesday.

High temperatures on Wednesday were forecast to be below normal in the low 70s. The frontal passage also brought a chance for isolated showers and thunderstorms across much of the state.
Click here to find out more!

Chilly overnight temperatures in the high country made it possible for light snow in places like Meeker and Walden.

The southeastern plains remained unaffected by the cold front with expected high temperatures in the 80s and 90s. Unfortunately, this means critical fire danger due to the warm temperatures, low relative humidities, and breezy conditions.

A *RED FLAG WARNING* was posted from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Wednesday for the San Luis Valley, the Southeastern Mountains, and the southeastern plains.

Warm temperatures were also responsible for snowmelt and flooding along some western Colorado rivers. A *FLOOD ADVISORY* has been in effect for the Eagle, Crystal, and White rivers due to minor flooding. ++


U.S. Supreme Court backs Guantánamo prisoners' right to appeal
Associated Press

June 12, 2008
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/12/america/gitmoruling.php

WASHINGTON: The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that foreign terrorism suspects held at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, have rights under the U.S. Constitution to challenge their detention in civilian courts.

The justices handed the Bush administration its third setback at the high court since 2004 over its treatment of prisoners who are being held indefinitely and without charges at the U.S. naval base in Cuba. The vote was 5 to 4, with the court's liberal justices in the majority.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the court, said, "The laws and Constitution are designed to survive, and remain in force, in extraordinary times."

It was not immediately clear whether this ruling, unlike the first two, would lead to prompt hearings for the detainees, some of whom have been held more than six years. About 270 men remain at the island prison, classified as enemy combatants and held on suspicion of terrorism or links to Al Qaeda and the Taliban.

The administration opened the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to hold enemy combatants, people suspected of ties to Al Qaeda or the Taliban.

The Guantánamo prison has been harshly criticized at home and abroad for the detentions themselves and the aggressive interrogations that were conducted there.

The court said that not only do the detainees have rights under the Constitution, but also that the system the administration has put in place to classify them as enemy combatants and review those decisions is inadequate.

The administration had argued first that the detainees have no rights. But it also contended that the classification and review process was a sufficient substitute for the civilian court hearings that the detainees seek.

In dissent, Chief Justice John Roberts, a conservative, criticized his colleagues for striking down what he said was "the most generous set of procedural protections ever afforded aliens detained by this country as enemy combatants." ++

 

 

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"So keep fightin' for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don't you forget to have fun doin' it. Lord, let your laughter ring forth. Be outrageous, ridicule the fraidy-cats, rejoice in all the oddities that freedom can produce. And when you get through kickin' ass and celebratin' the sheer joy of a good fight, be sure to tell those who come after how much fun it was."
~ Molly Ivins, 1944 - 2007

 

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