State Parks District Superintendent Pam Armas signed a posted order for a smoking ban at the South Yuba River State Park on July 10. Signs have been posted at all park entrances. Bureau of Land Management banned smoking at the beginning of summer. "The fire danger is so high right now it’s really dangerous to be smoking on trails," said Jeremy McReynolds, Lieutenant supervising ranger for the South Yuba River. McReynolds said that People are allowed to smoke in their vehicles in a parking lot. Violators of the posted order are subject to a misdemeanor citation with fines up to $1,000,. He further stated that Smoking includes any smoking device or cigarette that is ignited with an open flame or any device capable of lighting a fire. I assume this rather pompous statement refers to a pipe. A similar smoking ban was issued on the Tahoe National Forest where people must be in a vehicle, a building or a cleared three foot by three foot area.

Several curious faucets to this article: lets examine the article. Supervising ranger states reason for the ban is that its dangerous to smoke on trails. No argument there, but is it dangerous to smoke on the rivers beaches? Surrounded by non combustible sand and flowing water? Apparently so, as you will obviously get cited and fined for smoking there. this in spite of tahoe nat forest more sensible ban which allows smoking within a cleared 3x3 ft area. Its hard to escape the conclusion that this state park smoking ban, under the guise of fire prevention, is actually a means for the state park rangers to hassle river goers smoking cannibis.

Next item: global warming-man made? David icke doesn’t think so. Here is his take: Of course pollution is not a good thing, but it is NOT the cause of global warming - the Shadow People just want us to think it is to trigger all the benefits for them in justifying more central control of the planet.

  Temperatures have been rising because the Sun has been releasing more solar radiation and this can be seen in the corresponding increase in sunspot activity - enormous explosions of energy on the Sun's surface that can be as big as the Earth, some as big as Jupiter.

Increased solar radiation has two main effects on the Earth's temperature. Firstly the obvious one, a 'hotter' Sun means a hotter Earth. Secondly, increased solar radiation reduces the amount of so-called cosmic rays reaching the Earth and it is the interaction of cosmic rays and water vapour that form clouds. The fewer clouds, the more heat from the Sun gets through.

The graphs of sunspot activity, high and low, and cosmic rays, high and low, to the corresponding rise or fall in the temperature on Earth are blatant confirmation of the fundamental relationship between the two.

  For example, sunspot activity rose from long before the Industrial Revolution until 1940 and then fell to 1975 before increasing again from then until now. The Earth's temperature went up until 1940, fell until 1975, and has been rising ever since.

  In fact, during that period up to 1975 when the temperature was falling there were television documentaries about fears of a new Ice Age!

  Other planets, like Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are experiencing rising temperatures because of the increased solar radiation and how can their climate change be explained by human-generated carbon dioxide? Or escaped Freon from the refrigerators they don’t have, or any other of the human causes blamed for our presently rising temperatures?

Next item: I have a complaint with this morning shows host, brian Compton. He rightfully observed that corporate media seems to focus on such riveting items as the latest harry potter news, and how some aging soccer stars once almost famous wife is adjusting to life in America, but then brian didn’t tell us the details. Come on now brian. How am I supposed to make it thru today without my harry and Victoria fix? Life can be so cruel.

Next item: hey, do you hear much about ron paul, one of the republican presidential candidates? This might be why. The following is from a speech he made recently in silicon valley: I talked about all our ideas:  marching out of Iraq just as we marched in; no more meddling in the Middle East; bringing the troops home, from hundreds of expensive bases all over the world, so that we could have the money we need for the transition to freedom in social programs, and to abolish the personal income tax and the IRS.  They are not compatible with a free society. In a Ron Paul administration, we would also repeal the Patriot Act and the Military Commissions Act, restore habeas corpus and stop the spying on Americans.  No more eavesdropping on our emails and bank accounts, our phone calls, home and businesses. No national ID -- just the bracing freedom of the Constitution. We must have sound money, and not a giant counterfeiting machine called the Federal Reserve that causes recessions and inflation.  We must have private property rights, with no pollution or other attacks on property.  We should enforce the Second Amendment, and all the Bill of Rights.  We can have privacy for us, not secrecy for a corrupt bureaucracy. It is all within our grasp, the restoration of the republic and our sovereignty—no UN, no North American Union, no Nafta, no WTO, no World Bank, no IMF.  Just federalism, free enterprise, peace, prosperity, and the kind of future we all want for our families, ourselves, and our fellow Americans. The dream can be a reality.  You can help make it so.   Instead of wars and inflation and spying and poverty, we can have peace and freedom and the blessings for our children and grandchildren of doing better than we have, of secure retirements and childhoods.  No more theft -- of our savings or our liberty.

That’s ron paul, the republican candidate you wont be hearing about from your friendly corporate media.

On the democratic side of the puddle, dennis Kucinich is still trying to get dick cheney impeached, and you don’t hear about his efforts either. Ah well, democracy and a free press, alas, we hardly knew ya.

Next item: Secretary of Defense Gates, briefed the President this morning. He told Bush that three Brazilian soldiers were killed in Iraq. To everyone's amazement, all of the color ran from Bush's face, then he put his head down onto his desk, head in hands, grief stricken, visibly shaken, whimpering. Finally, he composed himself and asked secretary Gates, "Just exactly how many is a brazillion?"