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2013 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships preparations underway

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 18:14:51 GMT

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Sources [edit]

This article features first-hand journalism by Wikinews members. See the collaboration page for more details.

"U.S. Paralympics selects team for IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships" — US Paralympics, February 8, 2013

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Wikinews interviews former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 11:10:51 GMT

Monday, November 5, 2012

2012 United States Presidential Election

2012 U.S. Presidential Election stories

7 November 2012: World leaders react to Obama win
7 November 2012: United States re-elects Barack Obama
7 November 2012: Australian Broadcasting Corporation plans to call California for Obama before polls close
5 November 2012: Wikinews interviews former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party
5 November 2012: On the campaign trail, October 2012

With the U.S. presidential election looming, former New Mexico governor and current Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson spoke with Wikinews reporter William S. Saturn on an assortment of economic, foreign, and social issues. In the interview, Johnson makes his final plea to voters before they cast their ballots on Election Day, November 6.

Gary Johnson.
Image: Gary Johnson.

Though a member of the Libertarian Party in the early 1990s, Johnson was elected and re-elected governor of New Mexico in 1994 and 1998 as a Republican. During his governorship, he vetoed over 750 bills, more than all other then-governors combined, and left the state with a $1 billion budget surplus. He briefly ran for president as a Republican in 2011 before rejoining the Libertarian Party to seek its 2012 presidential nomination.

After winning the nomination this past May, Johnson has campaigned throughout the nation espousing the Fair Tax, spending cuts across the board, a repeal of Obamacare, an audit of the Federal Reserve, a non-interventionist foreign policy, an end to the Drug War, and legalization of same-sex marriage. He and his running mate, Judge Jim Gray of California, have attained ballot access in all U.S. states except Michigan, where he is a write-in candidate, and Oklahoma. Nationally, he has received four percent registered-voter support in the past two CNN/Opinion Research Polls that included him with President Barack Obama, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and Green Party nominee Jill Stein. It is the campaign's goal to reach five percent on Election Day, which will enable the party to receive ballot access and federal funding on par with the two major parties.

With Wikinews, Johnson discusses the federal budget, education, entitlements, the Syrian uprising, Mexican Drug War, same-sex marriage, the Libertarian Party, and his political future.

1 Economic matters
2 Foreign affairs
3 Social issues
4 Libertarian Party and political future
5 Related news
6 Sources

Economic matters [edit]

William S. Saturn:You say that as president, you would propose a balanced budget "not five or ten years down the road" but in 2013. Realistically can that budget pass, especially with a Congress hostile to your proposed spending cuts and tax plan?

Gary Johnson: I would suggest that if I'm elected president promising to submit a balanced budget to Congress in the year 2013, and also promising to veto any legislation where expenses exceed revenue, even though they would override my veto, I'm going to suggest to you that spending will be lower with those two promises kept than any other scenario you could possibly come up with.

WSSYou also propose decreasing federal education spending including decreases in Pell Grants and loans for college students. Is that correct?

Johnson: Well the reason being is that because of guaranteed government student loans that is the reason why college tuition is so high. It's an artificial market. It's not a market made up of supply and demand. And it's a market where kids are going to school because they're guaranteed a government student loan and because of that, the vast institutions of higher learning, colleges and universities are immune from pricing much much dramatically lower than they would have to price themselves at if government student loans did not exist. And of course you wouldn't cut students off that are currently receiving student loans. And that isn't to say that government student loans would go away. It's just that you wouldn't make government the guarantor of those student loans.

WSSSo it wouldn't be an immediate cut?

Johnson: Well it would be immediate...You know it's not really a cut because student loans are student loans. You can't escape a student loan even under bankruptcy. So these loans are going to get paid back but the argument is is that student loans, government-guaranteed student loans are a direct cause of tuition being as high as it is.

WSSOkay. I have a question here about entitlements: During the Tea Party Republican Party Debate on September 12, 2011, one of which you were not invited to, Wolf Blitzer [the debate’s moderator], he provided the following scenario to Ron Paul, this is what he said, he said:

"A healthy thirty-year-old young man has a good job, makes a good living, but decides, you know what? I'm not going to spend $200 or $300 a month for health insurance because I'm healthy, I don't need it. But something terrible happens, all of a sudden he needs it. Who's going to pay if he goes into a coma?"

Now Ron Paul answered that question. If you were at that debate, how would you have responded to that?

Johnson: Well, first of all, I think there are those who are truly in need. So you're talking about a thirty-year-old who doesn't have health insurance; there conceivably could be government step in and it would be state government, not federal government. I really believe that we have to slash Medicare and Medicaid spending; that Medicare is a program that you and I put $30,000 into in our lifetimes and we receive $100,000 plus benefits and by that whatever we contribute in we get back three times, more than three times what we contribute in. So it's not sustainable. Federally funded healthcare is not sustainable. So with that said, I would leave it to the states to draw new lines of eligibility and when it comes to this hypothetical kid that you're talking about that falls into a coma, I'm believing that state governments will come up with a program to address that kind of individual.

Foreign affairs [edit]

William S. SaturnLet's shift to foreign affairs. On your website, you say "America simply cannot afford to be engaged in foreign policy programs that are not clearly protecting U.S. interests." In the case of a humanitarian crisis as in Syria right now, does the U.S. ever have a moral obligation to intervene militarily even if it is not clearly in the U.S. interest?

Gary Johnson: No. To intervene in Syria...Look, we end up supporting a new dictatorship that takes over from the old dictatorship. The results are no better or even worse than the old. So we intervene in the name of humanity, and the result is like I say, more times than not, a situation that is worse, not better.

WSSLet's say it's like Hitler's Germany, would intervention be necessary then?

Johnson: Well yeah. The notion of...Well first of all, let me borrow from a Supreme Court Justice that was asked his definition of pornography. [He said] You know what, I can't give you a definition of pornography but I'd like to think that when I see it I recognize it. And so when you talk about humanitarian, when you talk about atrocities, when you talk about genocide, when you talk about the Holocaust, I don't think any of us want to stand by and watch something like that happen. How do you define that? Well as the commander-in-chief, I'd like to think I'd be the first one that would recognize it if it actually was occurring. And of course, as the leader of the United States, I would have to be articulate in that and make my case for intervention. If we were to intervene, first and foremost would be Congress vetting that and actually approving that, but look, I just think that we militarily intervene as a result of our military intervention, but I think we have hundreds of millions of enemies to this country that look for our military intervention that otherwise would not exist. We kill tens of thousands of innocent civilians in the countries where we militarily intervene. Our men and service women end up dying. Our men and service women come back with their limbs blown off.

WSSYou were the governor of a border state. As president, what would you do to prevent the violence in Mexico from spilling over into the United States?

Johnson: That violence is a prohibition phenomenon. If you legalize marijuana, arguably 75 percent of that border violence with Mexico goes away. These are disputes that are being played out with guns rather than the courts. Forty thousand deaths south of the border over the last four years. These are disputes that are being played out with guns rather than the courts.

WSSBut as president, would you increase border security or would you keep it the same?

Johnson: No. I would not build a fence. I think there would be less of a need for border security if we had a moving line for immigrants that would want to come into this country and work to get a work visa. So my pledge is I'm going to create a moving line for immigrants that want to come into this country and work to get a work visa. That would entail a background check and a Social Security card so that applicable taxes would get paid. I am espousing eliminating income tax, corporate tax, abolishing the IRS and replacing it all with one federal consumption tax: the fair tax. If we adopt the fair tax, taxes will not be an issue. Whether you're illegal, legal, a visitor to the U.S., or a U.S. citizen, nobody is going to avoid paying one federal consumption tax.

Social issues [edit]

William S. SaturnLet's get into social issues now. You criticized President Obama for his stance that same-sex marriage be left to the states. With the Tenth Amendment in mind, why should same-sex marriage be a federal issue and why should the federal government mandate that states allow same sex marriage?

Gary Johnson: Well I think that first and foremost that as president of the United States you take an oath to govern under strict adherence to the U.S. Constitution. I would espouse...I would suggest that marriage equality is a constitutionally guaranteed right of Equal Protection Clause that is on par with Civil Rights of the sixties. It's not a states issue, that it's a federal issue and that the federal government should be involved. If you say it's a state issue where 42 states have said that marriage is between a man and a woman. Effectively what you're saying is that 'I'm not going to do anything when it comes to marriage equality', and I take the position that marriage equality is a constitutionally guaranteed right so goes the federal involvement.

Libertarian Party and political future [edit]

William S. SaturnOkay I'm getting to my final questions here. I want to talk about the Libertarian Party. The first nominee of the Party was John Hospers, who died last year, and he was a supporter of Republican President George W. Bush. The next nominee Roger MacBride also left the party and went to the Republican Party. The 1988 nominee Ron Paul, as we all know, serves in the House of Representatives as a member of the Republican Party, and his son [Rand Paul] serves in the Senate as a member of the Republican Party. Both the 2008 presidential and vice-presidential nominees of the Libertarian Party: Bob Barr and Wayne Allyn Root have recently rejoined the Republican Party and have both endorsed Mitt Romney for president. In fact, until the end of last year, you too were a member of the Republican Party. So why does it seem Libertarians flock to the Republican Party?

Gary Johnson: I'm not so certain...I think that the tie-in is [libertarian] Republicans are fiscally conservative and socially accepting. That's the, I think, the heading under which most Americans are. I will just tell you that last night, although it did not happen, apparently the Democrats were going to come and protest my speaking at the University of Colorado at Boulder. I guess it was all those anti-gay, anti-immigration, pro-Drug War, pro-military interventionists that were going to show up and protest me.

WSSBut you admit that there are some Liberty Republicans and that Republicans make up a large portion of libertarians. Is that correct?

Johnson: Well, I think libertarians are libertarians. I mean, the largest political affiliation in the country right now is Independent and I think if you took the pulse of Independents, I think you'd find that majority of Independents are libertarians. I think libertarian-leaning, if you go to that category, if you include Democrats, Independents, and Republicans, I think the majority of Americans in some way, shape, or form describe themselves as libertarian-leaning.

WSSWell let's say someone is a libertarian-leaning Republican like Rand Paul in the Senate. Should such libertarian Republicans support you and guaranteeing their vote will go to you rather than voting Republican...Let me rephrase this question... Let's say that a Rand Paul Republican was considering who to vote for and they could choose between guaranteeing their vote would not go to the Republican, which they see as the small-government alternative in the duopoly, rather than voting Republican and ensuring their vote will go to someone who they believe is the small government alternative, should they still support you?

Johnson: Well yeah, because really Republicans aren't small government. I mean, if you go back to the [Vice presidential] debate the other night between [Republican vice presidential nominee Paul] Ryan and [Vice president Joe] Biden, Ryan says toward the end of the debate, he goes, hey, look we're going to increase spending by three percent, they're going to increase spending by four and a half percent, what's the big deal? I would echo that. What's the big deal? There's not a big deal between either one of them and if libertarian-leaning Republicans want to send a message to elected Republican leaders then vote for me that's how you're going to send a message. You're not going to send a message by voting in the status quo. The status quo being much to do about nothing.

WSSThis is my final question here. The OC Weekly website reported last week that your running mate, Judge Jim Gray remarked during an appearance at Tulane University that you two plan to run again in 2016. Can you confirm whether that is correct?

Johnson: Well, we've created statewide organizations. There's a tremendous amount of interest. What is that going equates when it comes to votes? You know what, I don't know what that's going to equate to votes on Election Day, but I'll just say from my standpoint, William, there's just a whole lot of enthusiasm and I do think that this is the future of politics so I'm staying around here, I think the last thing anyone wants to hear is that I'm going to run again when, you know, this is an election that hasn't even taken place, and I mean the one on Tuesday. [There's] lots of time to be looking at those kind of options.

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Sources [edit]

This exclusive interview features first-hand journalism by a Wikinews reporter. See the collaboration page for more details.

"A vote for Liberty is not wasted" — Gary Johnson 2012, November 5, 2012 (date of access)
R. Scott Moxley. "Libertarian Presidential Duo of Gary Johnson & Jim Gray Plot 2016 White House Run" — OC Weekly, October 24, 2012
"Presidency2012: Ballot Access" — Politics1.com, October 22, 2012

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Felix Baumgartner jumps from stratosphere, breaks sound barrier

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:49:57 GMT

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Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Science and technology

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New Mexico desert
Image: John Phelan.

Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner, aged 43, performed a jump Sunday from 39 km above the Earth's surface using a full-pressure suit, a parachute canopy, a capsule, and a helium balloon. Baumgartner broke the sound barrier as his top speed reached 1342 km/h (834 miles per hour), exceeding the speed of sound, and landing in the New Mexico desert, United States.

The jump follows several days of waiting for atmospheric winds to decrease to make sure the jump would be safe, and the capsule would not be blown away.

A balloon with 850 megalitres (30 million cubic feet) of helium took over two hours to lift the Red Bull Stratos capsule to a 39 km altitude in the stratosphere, 2 km higher than expected, breaking a 1961 manned balloon record of 34.7 km (113,740 feet).

While the capsule ascended, a helmet faceplate heater failed. Exhalation fogged the faceplate and affected vision. Baumgartner proceeded with the jump anyway.

Baumgartner jumped with his head down to increase speed. A quick jump was essential to minimise the risk of spinning out of control which could make the skydiver lose consciousness.

Baumgartner's suit was equipped with devices to document the jump, including a camera. They also included tools to measure altitude, speed and location, and to report them to the mission control center.

After the successful jump, Baumgartner said, "When I was standing there on top of the world, you become so humble, you do not think about breaking records anymore, you do not think about gaining scientific data. The only thing you want is to come back alive. ... Sometimes we have to get really high to see how small we are".

The project was sponsored by Austrian Red Bull energy drinks company.

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Sources [edit]

Doug Gross. "The tech behind the Stratos jump" — CNN, October 16, 2012
AFP. "Felix Baumgartner breaks sound barrier as he jumps from edge of space" — AdelaideNow, October 15, 2012
AFP. "Austrian daredevil succeeds in space jump (LIVE webcast)" — PhysOrg, October 14, 2012

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Prison inmate wins 41% against President Obama in West Virginia primary

Thu, 10 May 2012 21:05:23 GMT

Thursday, May 10, 2012

2012 United States Presidential Election

2012 U.S. Presidential Election stories

7 November 2012: World leaders react to Obama win
7 November 2012: United States re-elects Barack Obama
7 November 2012: Australian Broadcasting Corporation plans to call California for Obama before polls close
5 November 2012: Wikinews interviews former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party
5 November 2012: On the campaign trail, October 2012

Federal prison inmate Keith Russell Judd, of Texas, won 72,459 votes (40.6 percent) in Tuesday's West Virginia Democratic presidential primary, behind President Barack Obama, who finished with 105,833 (59.4 percent).

Judd qualified to appear on the West Virginia ballot after completing a notarized certification of announcement and paying the required $2,500 filing fee. Although surpassing 15 percent of the vote qualifies him for a Democratic National Convention delegate, according to Democratic Party Executive Director Derek Scarbro, Judd did not specify a delegate slate and will likely not be awarded a delegate.

West Virginia Democratic primary by county. President Obama won the counties in black while Keith Judd won the counties in red.
Image: William S. Saturn.

Judd has run several unsuccessful write-in campaigns for mayor of Albuquerque and governor of New Mexico, and appeared on the 2008 Idaho Democratic primary ballot, winning 734 votes. He was sentenced to 210 months of prison in 1999 after being found guilty of "mailing a threatening communication with intent to extort money or something of value" at the University of New Mexico. He is currently serving his term at the Beaumont Federal Correctional Institution.

Though federal law prohibits felons from voting in elections, they are still eligible to run for office. Judd is not the first prisoner to run for president. In 1920, Eugene V. Debs of the Socialist Party of America ran a presidential campaign from prison after being prosecuted under the Espionage Act of 1917. He won nearly a million votes.

According to Democratic consultant Mike Plante, "most of the people who were casting a vote for Keith Judd, it was not a vote for him, it was a vote expressing dissatisfaction with the president." One West Virginia voter expressed this sentiment, telling the Associated Press that he "voted against Obama" because "I don't like him. He didn't carry the state before and I'm not going to let him carry it again." In 2008, Obama finished with only 25.77 percent of the West Virginia primary vote, losing to Hillary Clinton.

Though Obama has faced some challenges in the Democratic primaries, losing 18 percent to anti-abortion activist Randall Terry in Oklahoma, losing nearly 12 percent to attorney John Wolfe, Jr. in Louisiana, and having 18 and 21 percent of Democrats in Alabama and North Carolina vote "uncommitted", he has already won enough delegates to secure the Democratic nomination.

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Sources [edit]

"West Virginia Primary Results" — Politico, May 9, 2012 (date of access)
"Eugene Victor Debs 1855-1926" — Eugene V. Debs Foundation, May 9, 2012 (date of access)
David Martosko. "Federal prisoner gives Obama run for his money in W.Va." — The Daily Caller, May 9, 2012
AP. "Federal inmate makes strong showing against Obama in West Virginia primary" — Fox News, May 9, 2012
Matthew Reichbach. "Federal inmate/presidential candidate has NM ties" — New Mexico Telegram, May 8, 2012
Richard Winger. "Texas Prisoner May be Only Opponent to President Obama on West Virginia Presidential Primary Ballot" — Ballot Access News, January 28, 2012

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Gary Johnson wins 2012 Libertarian Party presidential nomination

Mon, 07 May 2012 20:18:45 GMT

Monday, May 7, 2012

2012 United States Presidential Election

2012 U.S. Presidential Election stories

7 November 2012: World leaders react to Obama win
7 November 2012: United States re-elects Barack Obama
7 November 2012: Australian Broadcasting Corporation plans to call California for Obama before polls close
5 November 2012: Wikinews interviews former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party
5 November 2012: On the campaign trail, October 2012

Former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson received the 2012 presidential nomination of the U.S. Libertarian Party at Saturday's Libertarian National Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. Judge James P. Gray of California was selected as his running mate.

Former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson
Image: Gary Johnson 2012.

Johnson's association with the Libertarian Party stretches back to 1993, when he was a dues-paying-member for about a year. In 2000, the party recruited him to run as their presidential nominee, but he rejected the offer, saying, "I'm a Republican, and I'm not going to run for President."

As a Republican, Johnson was elected and re-elected as governor of New Mexico in 1994 and 1998. During his governorship, he vetoed over 750 bills, more than all other then-governors combined, and left the state with a $1 billion budget surplus. Since leaving office in 2003 due to term limits, he has advocated for marijuana legalization, climbed Mount Everest, and has entered into presidential politics.

During the 2008 Republican primaries, Johnson endorsed the candidacy of Congressman Ron Paul, the Libertarian Party's 1988 presidential nominee. In 2012, he chose to mount his own presidential campaign, seeking the Republican Party nomination on a platform of non-interventionism in foreign affairs and extensive cuts to the federal budget. Though he participated in two early Republican debates, Johnson was barred from most due to low poll numbers. As a result, in December, he decided to end his Republican campaign and return to the Libertarian Party.

After months of campaigning, Johnson edged activist R. Lee Wrights on the first ballot with 70 percent of the 595 convention delegates. Wrights received only 25 percent. In contrast, former Congressman Bob Barr took six ballots to secure the 2008 nomination.

Upon his victory, Johnson proclaimed, "I am honored and I just want to pledge that no one will be disappointed. We’re going to grow the Libertarian Party." He suggested the party nominate James P. Gray as his running mate, and they complied, choosing Gray as the vice presidential nominee. Gray is a jurist, who has served as a trial judge for Orange County, California since 1983. He ran for Congress as a Republican in 1998, and was the Libertarian Party's 2004 nominee for U.S. Senate in California. In his writings and media appearances, Gray has advocated against the War on Drugs.

In 2008, the Libertarian Party appeared on 45 state ballots with Barr winning 0.4 percent of the popular vote. A recent Public Policy Polling (PPP) survey shows Johnson with six percent national support in a matchup with President Barack Obama and the presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney. A PPP poll from December showed Johnson with 23 percent support in a three way race in New Mexico.

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Sister links [edit]

2012 Libertarian National Convention

Sources [edit]

"Candidate bio - Gary Johnson" — msnbc.com, May 7, 2012 (date of access)
"About - Judge James P. Gray" — judgejimgray.com, May 7, 2012 (date of access)
"LP Media Release: Gary Johnson Chosen" — Independent Political Report, May 5, 2012
"Judge Jim Gray of California Wins Vice Presidential Nomination of the Libertarian Party" — Independent Political Report, May 5, 2012
"Uh oh: Obama 47, Romney 42, Gary Johnson 6" — Hot Air (news site), April 19, 2012
Tom Jensen. "Obama cleaning up in New Mexico" — Public Policy Polling, December 16, 2011
"George Phillies confirms Lew Rockwell story about Gary Johnson campaign inquiry into switching to Libertarian Party" — Independent Political Report, September 8, 2011
Brian Bolduc. "2012: Year of the Libertarian?" — National Review Online, January 3, 2011
"2008 Official Presidential General Election Results" — Federal Election Commission, January 22, 2009
Michael Janofsky. "New Mexico Governor Resists Draft Efforts by Libertarians" — The New York Times, October 7, 1999

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U.S. presidential candidate Gary Johnson leaves GOP to vie for the LP nom

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 15:38:05 GMT

Thursday, December 29, 2011

2012 United States Presidential Election

2012 U.S. Presidential Election stories

7 November 2012: World leaders react to Obama win
7 November 2012: United States re-elects Barack Obama
7 November 2012: Australian Broadcasting Corporation plans to call California for Obama before polls close
5 November 2012: Wikinews interviews former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party
5 November 2012: On the campaign trail, October 2012

Gary Johnson in January 2011.
Image: Gage Skidmore.

Former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson ended his campaign for the Republican Party (GOP) presidential nomination to seek the backing of the Libertarian Party (LP). Johnson made the announcement yesterday during a press conference in Santa Fe. He remarked that it "was both a difficult decision - and an easy one...I have a lot of Republican history, and a lot of Republican supporters. But in the final analysis...I am a Libertarian - that is someone who is fiscally very conservative but holds freedom-based positions on the issues that govern our personal behavior."

Johnson, who supports abortion rights, gay marriage, and marijuana legalization, had trouble gaining support for his GOP candidacy. He remained low in the polls and was invited to only two of the fifteen presidential debates. His name was often not included in surveys, and he filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission after his exclusion from the November 12 CBS debate. He criticized the GOP establishment for failing to support his efforts. A switch to the LP had been expected for Johnson who argued that "the [GOP] process was not fair and open."

Democratic strategist Stanley Greenberg argued that "almost any third party helps [President Barack] Obama." A recent poll from Public Policy Polling shows Johnson with nine percent national support in a three-way race with Obama and GOP candidate Mitt Romney. Johnson's presence in the poll erases Romney's two percent lead in a head-to-head match up with Obama, giving the president a two point edge. Johnson's 20 to 23 percent support in his home state of New Mexico splits the vote to give Obama an easy victory in the state.

Nevertheless, Johnson seems to believe he can win. In his announcement, he pointed to a survey showing that "sixty three percent of Americans said they wished there was a third choice for 2012." He maintains that he is that choice.

Johnson joins the field of nine candidates currently seeking the LP nomination including National Guard officer R.J. Harris and Libertarian activist R. Lee Wrights. The party will hold its nominating convention on May 5.

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Sources [edit]

Dave Cook. "Gary Johnson sets third-party pot bubbling as he quits GOP race" — The Christian Science Monitor, December 28, 2011
Kelly David Burke. "Gary Johnson Switches to Libertarian Party" — Fox News, December 28, 2011
"Obama trails Romney" — Public Policy Polling, December 20, 2011

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GOP presidential candidate Gary Johnson considers Libertarian Party run

Sun, 27 Nov 2011 14:37:47 GMT

Sunday, November 27, 2011

2012 United States Presidential Election

2012 U.S. Presidential Election stories

7 November 2012: World leaders react to Obama win
7 November 2012: United States re-elects Barack Obama
7 November 2012: Australian Broadcasting Corporation plans to call California for Obama before polls close
5 November 2012: Wikinews interviews former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party
5 November 2012: On the campaign trail, October 2012

Gary Johnson in January 2011.
Image: Gage Skidmore.

Former New Mexico governor and current Republican Party (GOP) presidential candidate Gary Johnson is reportedly considering a run for the Libertarian Party (LP) presidential nomination. Johnson feels "abandoned by the Republican Party", he told The Santa Fe New Mexican, due to his exclusion from nine of the eleven GOP debates and believes the LP would give him a fair shot at their nomination.

Johnson espouses libertarian views including marijuana legalization and defense budget cuts, which often run afoul of the GOP mainstream. Earlier this month, after filing suit with the Federal Election Commission and Federal Communication Commission for his exclusion from the November 12 CBS debate, he chastised the GOP establishment for failing to support him. The GOP agreed with the debate's inclusion criteria, which turned back candidates with less than three percent support in the Real Clear Politics average and third quarter fundraising receipts below US$1 million.

Johnson raised a little under US$240,000 in the third quarter and lately has not even been included in polls. He did appear in an August CNN poll, in which he led former Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and former Utah governor Jon Huntsman. Despite their standing, both Santorum and Huntsman have been invited to every debate.

Johnson believes his exclusion was a "boardroom decision" to protect the GOP's "status quo." But Republican party attorney John R. Phillippe Jr. says that without a minimum standard, "the debates would be utter chaos and unhelpful to Republican voters".

If Johnson decides to leave the GOP and seek the LP nomination, it would not be the first time a member of the Republican Party did so. In 2008, former Republican Congressman Bob Barr ran and was selected as the LP nominee. In the general election, he garnered 0.4 percent of the popular vote.

For 2012, the LP has achieved ballot access in all 50 states, and currently has nine presidential candidates, including National Guard officer R.J. Harris and Libertarian activist R. Lee Wrights.

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Sources [edit]

"Lew Rockwell Reporting that Gary Johnson will Seek LP Nomination" — Independent Political Report, November 25, 2011
Steve Terrell. "'Abandoned' by GOP, Johnson could seek Libertarian nod" — The Santa Fe New Mexican, November 24, 2011
Milan Simonich. "Former Gov. Gary Johnson underexposed in presidential debate coverage" — Las Cruces Sun-News, November 18, 2011
Alicia M. Cohn. "Gary Johnson files FEC, FCC complaints over debate exclusion" — The Hill (newspaper), November 15, 2011
"Gary Johnson 2012 Inc October Quarterly" — Federal Election Commission, October 14, 2011
"2008 Presidential Popular Vote Summary For All Candidates Listed On At Least One State Ballot" — Federal Election Commission, N/A

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Smoke from Arizona fire spreads to other states

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 18:13:59 GMT

Disasters and accidents

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Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Satellite image of smoke from the Wallow Fire.
Image: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

Smoke from eastern Arizona's Wallow Fire has drifted into New Mexico and Colorado, where officials have issued a health advisory. The wildfire in Arizona continued to burn Tuesday night when weather conditions settled down, although conditions will likely become worse Wednesday. Covering 365 square miles, the fire has created hazy conditions as far away as Iowa. Residents of small communities including Greer and Alpine have been warned to evacuate. The Wallow Fire is currently the nation's largest wildfire; another fire is burning in southern Arizona. So far, about 3,000 people have evacuated the area around the Wallow Fire.

Around 2,500 firefighters are working to combat the wildfire; around four buildings have burned so far while hundreds more are at risk. On Monday, Arizona governor Jan Brewer signed a state of emergency declaration allowing access to special funds. High winds up to 60 MPH have been reported, allowing the fire to continue to move north. Joe Reinarz, the firefighting operation's commander, said, "The bad news is it's supposed to pick back up all the way through Thursday." U.S. Highway 180 was closed by officials for around two miles because of thick smoke obscuring drivers' visibility. The wildfire is decimating the ponderosa pine forest in the area; Kelly Wood, a Pinetop Fire Department spokesperson, said, "Normally, you can see the forest for miles. Now, there’s just smoke."

The large amounts of smoke have started to take a toll on area residents. Director of the local White Mountain Regional Medical Center Jerry Campeau said, "It’s very irritating. The first symptom is sinus pain. Then the throat gets irritated, sometimes so badly you can cough up blood. When you start to have tightness in the chest, then it’s serious." Patients have been taken away by road, as the smoke prevented any air transportation. The blaze began May 29 in the Bear Wallow area and has become the second largest in Arizona's history. National Weather Service meteorologist Kyle Fredin said a large area of high pressure was causing smoke to be blown eastward. He said, "These fires have been going pretty good for the last four to six days, and with the dry conditions, they’re burning hot right now."

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Sources [edit]

Bob Christie. "Ariz. wildfire sends smoke, haze into other states" — The Associated Press, June 7, 2011
Marc Lacey. "Residents Told to Flee as Arizona Fire Spreads" — The New York Times, June 7, 2011
BBC News. "Arizona Wallow Fire triggers more evacuations" — BBC News, June 7, 2011
The Associated Press. "Wildfire becomes 2nd largest in Ariz. history" — CBS News, June 7, 2011

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Passenger flight diverted to New Mexico after 'security threat'

Sun, 08 May 2011 22:22:23 GMT

Sunday, May 8, 2011

United States

Sources [edit]

"Possible Security Threat Diverts San Diego-Bound Plane to New Mexico" — Fox News, May 8, 2011
"Flight diverted to NM over 'security threat'" — Associated Press, May 8, 2011
"Flight Status for DL 1706" — Flightstats, May 8, 2011
Elisha Anderson. "Nothing suspicious found on Detroit Delta flight, officials say" — Detroit Free Press, May 8, 2011

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Microsoft releases Windows Phone 7 to manufacturing

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:22:09 GMT

Science and technology

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Friday, September 3, 2010

Microsoft Windows Phone 7
Image: TECH cocktail.

On Wednesday, Microsoft announced that the next version of Windows Mobile OS series, Windows Phone 7, had been released to manufacturing after more than 6 months of its development. The announcement outlined some of the changes in this version, and was generally positive about the milestone.

The term "release to manufacturing", also known as "going gold", is a term used to indicate that the software has reached a point that it is ready to be provided to the customer. After the event, Windows Phone 7 code has been locked down. The work in progress is the testing of Windows Phone 7 on other hardware, software, and networks. The structure of the system itself is not expected to be changed any more before the final release. "We are ready," Terry Myerson said.

"Today is the day that the Windows Phone team has been driving towards, and we’re very excited to say that we’ve reached the biggest milestone for our internal team – the release to manufacturing (RTM) of Windows Phone 7", Terry Myerson announced in a post on the official Windows Phone Blog.

The internal testing of the system had been finished. It included usage of the operating system by the development team itself on regular basis, and millions of hours of automated tests daily, as Terry Myerson said: "We had nearly ten thousand devices running automated tests daily, over a half million hours of active self-hosting use, over three and a half million hours of stress test passes, and eight and a half million hours of fully automated test passes."

The system is now named "Windows Phone" instead of "Windows Mobile", with a redesigned user interface and a changed development environment, which is called "Windows Phone Developer Tools". It features a combination of Silverlight, XNA technologies, and Visual Studio 2010 to make use of these possible in the applications developers create.

Microsoft did not confirm any planned commercial release date, calling October as an optimistic estimate.

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Sources [edit]

Uzair Ghani. "Microsoft: Windows Phone 7 is Ready. Set. Go." — Redmondpie, September 2, 2010
Ionut Arghire. "Windows Phone 7 RTM'd" — Softpedia, September 1, 2010
Terry Myerson. "Windows Phone 7 – Released To Manufacturing" — Windows Phone Blog, September 1, 2010
Brandon Watson. "A Developer’s Roadmap to Windows Phone 7 Launch Timing" — Windows Phone Developer Blog, August 23, 2010

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FDA warning on pistachios after salmonella contamination

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 02:57:17 GMT

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Health

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Pistachio(Pistacia vera L., Anacardiaceae or sometimes Pistaciaceae')
Image: marcodisce.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a recall on Salmonella contaminated Pistachios for 31 states in the United States.

"Our advice to consumers is that they avoid eating pistachio products, that they hold onto those products, that at this stage they don't throw them out, they simply hold on to them as we're learning more about them to determine if they're part of the recall," said Dr. David Acheson, associated FDA commissioner for food. However, it is expected that the recalled list may grow as the investigation continues.

Kroger Co. is recalling shelled pistachios called Private Selection Shelled Pistachios in a 10-ounce container with UPC code 111073615 and the sell dates of December 13 or 14 on the packages. Setton Farms based in California, the pistachio supplier, is voluntarily recalling their pistachios.

Products containing pistachios have not yet been recalled, but are under investigation. The salmonella contamination was discovered by Kraft foods during routine testing last Tuesday, before any illness were reported. They notified the FDA and the FDA notified Setton Farms. So far the source of contamination has not been revealed.

The 31 states initially affected are: (in alphabetical order) : Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.

Signs of salmonella include fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Those most vulnerable are the young, the elderly or those with an already compromised health condition.

This recall follows the long list of recalled peanut related products, peanut butter and candy bars which caused a salmonella outbreak at the end of January.

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Sources [edit]

Daniel J. DeNoon. "1 million pounds of pistachios recalled" — ABC, March 31, 2009
Daniel J. DeNoon. "FDA: Stop Eating Pistachios, Salmonella Feared" — WebMD Health News, March 30, 2009
Garance Burke. "FDA says to avoid pistachios amid salmonella scare" — The Associated Press, March 30, 2009
"Kroger recalling shelled pistachios over salmonella worries" — Dayton Business Journal, March 30, 2009 Arkansas

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US military says 'fireballs' spotted over Texas are not related to satellite collision

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 13:39:10 GMT

Monday, February 16, 2009

Space

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The United States military Strategic Command (STRATCOM) has said that the 'fireballs' spotted over areas of Texas in the United States on Sunday February 15, are not related to the collision of a U.S. and Russian satellite in space. According to spaceweather.com, NASA says the object was a meteor.

"There is no correlation between the debris from that collision and those reports of re-entry," said STRATCOM military spokeswoman Major Maj. Regina.

"It's a natural meteor, definitely," said Bill Cooke, an astronomer at NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office.

On Tuesday, February 10, the American civilian communications satellite Iridium 33, launched in 1997, and the defunct Russian military communications satellite Kosmos-2251, launched in 1993, collided over Siberia. On Friday February 13, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued an alert for falling debris from the satellites, following reports of "explosions and earthquakes" along with "flashes in the sky" in Jackson and Louisville, Kentucky.

Then again on Sunday, calls to 9-1-1 began to come in to Williamson County, Texas sheriff's office around 12:30 p.m. (Central time) that burning debris and fireballs were seen falling from the sky onto parts of Austin, Houston, Waco and San Antonio.

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"The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported to local law enforcement on Friday that these events are being caused by falling satellite debris. These pieces of debris have been causing sonic booms, resulting in vibrations felt by some residents, as well as flashes of light across the sky," said the NOAA on Friday in an public information alert posted on their website. The FAA says the burning material over Texas is not related to this alert.

"We don't know what it was [over Texas]," said Roland Herwig, a spokesman for the FAA on Monday. The alerts still remain in effect in Kentucky until further notice.

Residents in Texas reported their homes and windows shaking and large explosions on Sunday morning. After a search of several areas, the Williamson county sheriff's office reported that no debris or impact sites were found. Earlier unconfirmed reports had said the debris could have been the result of a small plane exploding.

There was previous speculation was that the object in Texas could have been a meteor. Doctor Marco Ciocca, a professor at Eastern Kentucky University told WKYT on Sunday that it's too early for the debris from the satellites to be reentering the planet's atmosphere. "[It could] be months" before any of the satellite wreckage enters the earth's atmosphere. "The debris doesn't simply fall out of its orbit. It will either vaporize or stay in orbit for some time before falling into earth's atmosphere."

However, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) said on February 12 that the debris could have taken 10 days or less to reenter over portions of the planet.

"Within 24 hours of the collision, the U.S. space tracking system had identified 600 pieces of debris. This large number suggests that the collision must have been relatively head-on. If the two satellites hit head-on, rather than a glancing blow, the energy of the collision would completely disintegrate both satellites into clouds of debris," said the UCS in a statement on their website who also added that the collision took place in "the same region of space where China destroyed a defunct Chinese weather satellite with an anti-satellite (ASAT) weapon" in 2007. "That January 2007 test created a massive amount of debris." There have been at least eight major satellite collisions since 1991.

The satellites, both of which had a mass in excess of 450 kilograms, and were traveling at approximately 17,500 miles per hour (28,150 km/hour), collided 491 miles (790 km) above the earth. Scientists say the explosion caused by the collision was massive. They are still trying to determine just how large the crash was and how the earth will be affected. STRATCOM continues to track the debris. The results of a plotting analysis will be posted to a public website.

Sources [edit]

Associated Press. "Military says reports unconnected to satellite collision" — CBS47, February 16, 2009
Susan Carroll & Jennifer Latson. "Military denies link to 'fireball' reports, satellite collision" — Houston Chronicle, February 15, 2009
"Mysterious fireball streaks across Texas sky; military says unconnected to satellite collision" — Hartford Courant, February 15, 2009
David Wright. "Colliding Satellites: More Space Junk in Exactly the Wrong Place" — Union of Concerned Scientists, February 12, 2009

External links [edit]

Space Weather (Article in relation to fireball on front page. Retrieved: February 16, 2009 at 9:06 a.m. EST.

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Burning debris from satellites spotted over several US cities

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 20:02:57 GMT

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Science and technology

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On Tuesday, February 10, the American civilian communications satellite Iridium 33, launched in 1997, and the defunct Russian military communications satellite Kosmos-2251, launched in 1993, collided over Siberia. Five days after the collision, reports have surfaced that burning debris from the collision has been spotted over several U.S. cities from New Mexico to Kentucky.

Calls to 9-1-1 began to come in to Williamson County, Texas sheriff's office around 12:30 p.m. (CT) that burning debris and fireballs were seen falling from the sky onto parts of Austin, Houston, Waco and San Antonio. Residents reported their homes and windows shaking and large explosions. After a search of several areas, the Williamson county sheriff's office reported that no debris or impact sites were found. Earlier unconfirmed reports had said the debris could have been the result of a small plane exploding.

Iridium satellite.
Image: ideonexus.

Steve Thornton, a resident in Austin told KEYE-TV that he "saw something burn up in the atmosphere going east to west at 40 degrees in the horizon looking north" which was "about the size of a half moon and as bright as a welders torch". Other residents reported to KEYE-TV that they saw an "egg-shape with an orange center and bluish outer aura; a silvery-white tail." Some report the incident lasting about 10 minutes.

On February 13, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued an alert following reports of "explosions and earthquakes" along with "flashes in the sky" in Jackson and Louisville, Kentucky. There were no injures and authorities could not locate any damage.

"The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported to local law enforcement on Friday that these events are being caused by falling satellite debris. These pieces of debris have been causing sonic booms, resulting in vibrations felt by some residents, as well as flashes of light across the sky," said the NOAA in a public information statement on February 13. The FAA also warns that the debris could cause damage to aircraft in areas reporting falling debris.

"Aircraft are advised that a potential hazard may occur due to reentry of satellite debris into the Earth's atmosphere. It is critical that all pilots/crew members report any observed falling space debris," said the FAA on February 13. Both the NOAA and FAA alerts are in place until further notice and cover an area from New Mexico to Kentucky.

However, Dr. Marco Ciocca, a professor at Eastern Kentucky University told WKYT in Kentucky it would "be months" before any of the satellite wreckage enters the Earth's atmosphere. "The debris doesn't simply fall out of its orbit. It will either vaporize or stay in orbit for some time before falling into Earth's atmosphere."

The satellites, both of which weighed in excess of 1,000 pounds, and traveling at approximately 17,500 miles per hour, collided 491 miles above the Earth. Scientists say the explosion caused by the collision was massive. They are still trying to determine just how large the crash was and how the Earth will be affected. The United States Strategic Command of the U.S. Department of Defense office is tracking the debris. The result of plotting analysis will be posted to a public website.

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This story has updates

See US military says 'fireballs' spotted over Texas are not related to satellite collision

Sources [edit]

"Homes Shake, Windows Rattle As Satellite Debris Crashes To Earth Here" — KWTX, February 15, 2009
Tommy Witherspoon. "Space debris may be raining on Central Texas" — Waco Tribune, February 15, 2009
Wendy Enneking. "Scientist Weighs In On Space Debris" — WKYT, February 15, 2009
Phil Plait. "Fireball over Texas" — Discover Magazine, February 15, 2009
"Burning debris falls from the sky, reports from Austin to Dallas" — KEYE-TV, February 15, 2009
"Officials say burning debris falling from sky" — News 8 Austin, February 15, 2009
sleepingcobra1. "Loud Boom Rocks Southern Kentucky" — Rapture Ready, February 14, 2009
"Public Information Statement : Jackson, Kentucky" — NOAA, February 13, 2009
Chris Rodriguez. "Watch out for falling satellite debris, seriously" — Denver Aviation Examiner, February 13, 2009
"Satellites Collide; Debris Seen Falling Over Kentucky" — WKYT, February 13, 2009

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New Mexico-based charismatic leader fails to predict doomsday, again

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 17:49:05 GMT

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Crime and law

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Wayne Bent, leader of a controversial United States religious group based in New Mexico, the Lord Our Righteousness Church, failed again to accurately predict doomsday. Bent had made a prediction that Judgment Day would occur on October 31, 2008. Bent had previously made a prediction reported on in the documentary film End of a World Cult that the world would end on October 31, 2007.

Wayne Bent in a May 2008 booking photo
Image: Clayton Police Department.

	We don't anticipate any future beyond Oct. 31.
—Jeff Bent, son of Wayne Bent

Sarah Montoya, a lawyer representing Bent, said in a statement to the Albuquerque Journal that members of the group were disappointed when Bent's prophecy failed to come true, "but they understand that life goes on".

Members of the Lord Our Righteousness Church, based in Strong City, New Mexico, believed that they were going to go to heaven on Friday night. "We don't anticipate any future beyond Oct. 31.," Bent's son Jeff Bent had told the Albuquerque Journal in a telephone interview last Thursday.

According to The Santa Fe New Mexican, the 45 adult followers of Bent in Strong City recently ended a two-week long fast whose purpose was to protest charges against Bent of child sexual abuse. The Associated Press reported that Bent himself has not eaten food since October 16, and a post on the organization's website stated he began a "no water or food" fast Thursday after he was taken from the group's compound.

Bent was arrested last week on failure to appear at a court hearing. New Mexico State District Judge Gerald E. Baca issued a bench warrant after Bent failed to appear in court, and he was arrested last Thursday by Union County sheriff's deputies.

He stands accused of sex crimes against female members of his group. Bent was arrested in May 2008, and faces indictments on four counts: two of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor. In an October hearing, Judge Baca ruled against a defense request for an evidentiary hearing where two girls would have described naked encounters with Bent. The judge instead ruled that the girls can tell their story to a jury in the upcoming trial, which is set to begin on November 17.

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Sources [edit]

Learn more about Lord Our Righteousness Church and Doomsday cult on Wikipedia.

"Cult disappointed in lack of doomsday" — The Santa Fe New Mexican, November 4, 2008
"Cult Members Disappointed About Judgment Day" — KFDA, November 2, 2008
Associated Press. "NM cult thought Friday was Judgment Day" — KVIA, November 2, 2008
Associated Press. "Apocalyptic Church Leader Arrested for Failure to Appear in Court" — FOX News, October 31, 2008
Associated Press. "Cult leader's case will go before a jury" — KDBC, October 21, 2008
"Cult leader's case headed to jury" — KOB-TV, October 21, 2008

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Julie Ditty wins ColemanVision Tennis Championship

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 22:41:16 GMT

Monday, September 22, 2008

Julie Ditty

Rossana de los Rios

Julie Ditty won the singles title of the ColemanVision Tennis Championship in Albuquerque, New Mexico, defeating No. 1 seeded Paraguayan native Rossana de los Rios 6-4, 7-6 (3). It was the first singles title of the year for Ditty, the No. 2 seed from Ashland, Kentucky.

In the first set, Ditty started strong, leading 4-0 and later 5-2. However, de los Rios rallied, closing to 5-4. Ditty then broke de los Rios’s serve to close out the set. Throughout the match, de los Rios had the more powerful groundstrokes, but Ditty adopted a strategy featuring numerous lobs and moonballs that drove de los Rios back nearly to the fence surrounding the court and neutralized her power.

Ditty took a 5-2 lead in the second set, then failed to convert on six match points before de los Rios fought back to tie the match at 6-6, sending the second set to a tiebreak. Ditty lead throughout the tiebreak and eventually won it 7-3, on a double fault by de los Rios.

Later in the day, Ditty and American teammate Carly Gullickson, the tournament’s No. 2 doubles seed, defeated the No. 4 seeded team of Jorgelina Cravero and Betina Jozami, both from Argentina, by a score of 6-3, 6-4.

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ColemanVision Tennis Championship tournament website

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2013 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships preparations underway

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