More Humane Treatment of NA's Wildlife

US Person asks why this country resorts to violence so readily, whether it be violence against other creatures or other human beings. (See, Governor shoots family dog and goat in gravel pit!) The frontier and its anything goes attitude has been gone for more than a century.  Does it not make more sense to expand park boarders to provide more space for wild bison that have suffered so much at the hands of man?  

TWIT: Citizen Trump on Trial

credit: C. Bok
BC Idonwanna sez: Or maybe Barron's graduation?

Latest: Justice Merchan held Donny the Mouth in contempt again, fining him the maximum $1000, bringing his total fines to $10,000.  Merchan directly warned him that the next contempt will result in jail for his "direct attack on the rule of law." In court, Monday morning was spent leading the jury through the granular details of accounting documents for reimbursement of Michael Cohen.  After occupying the White House, reimbursements came out of Trump's personal checking account rather than from his company, former controller Jeffery McConney testified.  Merchan also reminded Don Trumpilini  that his gag order does not prevent him from taking the stand in his own defense.

Update: It was only a matter of time before crocodile tears showed up on the witness stand. The photogenic former White House Press Secretary and campaign aide, Hope Hicks (not a Playmate!) filled in more details about the scheme to suppress damaging press during the campaign. She shed some tears before cross-examination. Her testimony on Friday made the connection between Don 'Legit' and the illegal payments clearer: he signed the blasted checks after all! She was especially impactful when describing the campaign panic created by the "Access Hollywood" grabbing videotape, which motivated the scheme to suppress salacious stories about the Boss. She inserted a dagger when she said that Trump told her he knew about the payments, but blamed them on his fixer.  She testified Cohen was not one to make such  large payments on his own accord. Michael Cohen, who facilitated the money transfer to Daniels by taking out a house equity loan, will supply the final links, but he is in for a blistering attack on his credibility. Defense attorneys will argue that because he did not get a White House or Cabinet job, he has a grudge to settle with his former Boss.  US Person is betting that the jury will be believe his story since he is so heavily corroborated by physical evidence.  One of those is an admission in court that Trump made the payment to Daniels by reimbursing Michael Cohen. (p20).

{02.05.2024} While we wait with abated breath for the Supremes to decide the obvious, that a President does not enjoy absolute immunity from criminal prosecution, Justice Merchan in New York decided to fine Don 'Legit' $9000 for his contempt of his gag order. It may be Trump change, but more fines may be on the way this week as Merchan hears four more contempt charges on Thursday.  In his decision he sternly warned Donny the Mouth that further contempt of court will result in his incarceration. 

At his criminal trial this week, a Beverly Hills lawyer who represented both Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels, described in detail the arrangement to pay both of his clients to keep their sexual encounters with Trump private. The National Enquirer bought McDougal's story for $150,000, but balked at paying Daniels. Pecker notified Cohen that Daniels was shopping her story. Lawyer Keith Davidson told prosecutors that Trump's go-between, Michael Cohen, "did not have the authority to actually spend any money", and it was his "understanding that Mr, Trump was the beneficiary of this contract."  His testimony and David Pecker's lays the foundation for the sensational testimony to come from Daniels and Cohen about the conspiracy to make illegal, in-kind campaign contributions by burying Daniel's sex story.

credit: M. Lukovich, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
BJ Idonwanna sez:  Jury not impressed!

Abrams M-1A1 Withdrawn From Battlefield

a captured Abrams on display in Moscow

The American super tank, Abram M-1A1, which earned its outsized reputation in Iraq by destroying T-72s at long range without losses to enemy fire has been withdrawn from the Ukraine battlefield.  AFU has lost five of its 31 Abrams to enemy fire.  As predicted here, the Abrams is too heavy (70+ tons) and lacks effective anti-aircraft defense to be effective in the mud-soaked, drone-filled theatre. {23.01.2023} Abrams has also proved vulnerable to Russian anti-tank missiles. A T-72B3 crew reportedly took out an Abrams with one shot in March near Avdiivka. The projectile was probably a Reflex ATGM fired at a range of 5k.  The twenty-five remaining 8-9 million dollar armored vehicles are withdrawn from the front pending a re-think of how they can be tactically useful in the current battle environment.  There are some complaints from American sources that the Ukrainians are not using the tank in suitable roles.  Ukrainians have been suing the Abrams in limited reconnaissance missions and single tank attacks supported by more maneuverable  M-2 Bradley IFVs.

The older M1-A1 was delivered in January 2023, but not put on the front lines until February. Thenewer M1-A2 was held back by the Pentagon for fear of possible secret technology transfer. All of the western MBTs have proved to be vulnerable to portable ATGMs, and especially to low-cost UAVs, which are effective against various types of targets. These developments were not yet available on the Iraqi battlefield. [photo credit: AFP].

Some pundits are claiming the tank era in warfare is over, but US Person thinks these speculations are premature. Effective air defense weapons such as laser-guided auto-cannons and jamming equipment mounted on tanks could minimize the drone threat. Establishing close air support would also help. Armor is constantly being improved against ATGMs. The role of the MBT supporting infantry in offensive operations is still needed on the modern battlefield; the tank ended attritional trench warfare on the western front in 1918.

Texas Oil Companies Ready to Dump Waste Water

Texas oil and gas companies are finding it more difficult to dump waster water from fracking operations after the Texas Railroad Commission limited the amount of waste water that can be injected back into the ground,  Injection on a large scale caused localized earthquakes.  Now, companies want to dump treated waste water, called 'produced water" by the industry into rivers and creeks.   One proposed site is the Pecos River where the company Texas Pacific Water Resources is seeking a permit to dispose of 840, 000 gallons a day of oil field waste water.  Federal regulations governing disposal of this type of waste are not robust.  Texas' Environmental Quality Commission has already issued permits for dumping in the Eagle Shale Basin and is reviewing another. 

A wide range of chemicals have been detected in produced water since fracking operations use a multitude of chemical lubricants, hydrocarbons including benzene toulene and naturally occurring substances dislodged from the ground.  These substances include radioactive minerals and PFAS known as "forever chemicals".  Texas joins Pennsylvania and Wyoming in allowing the disposal of produced water into the environmnent. Colorado has authorized fourteen discharge permits. These are all have major oil and gas sectors.  New Mexico has decided to wait until more scientific information is available about the effects of these discharges.  Pennsylvania State researchers found elevated levels of salt and radioactive chemicals related to the Marcellus Shale deposit in rivers downstream from discharges. 

West of the 98th parallel the EPA allows states to set their own standards for the discharge of produced water.  EPA numerical standards only cover oil and grease in produced water discharges.  Texas water quality agency, TECQ has received four discharge application during 2023-24, granting two.  It is still reviewing applications.  In Texas the EPA has delegated its authority to issue discharge permits east of the 98th parallel.  The first discharge application in this area was granted to a company in Harris County.  Texas politicians back produced water discharges as a solution to forecasted water shortages.   The legislature created the Texas Produced Water Consortium to research reuse of produced water. Current research has identified over 1,100 chemical constituents of produced water,  EPA has established standards for only 90 in public drinking water.  

The Galapagos Drowning in Plastic Waste

A jewel of world-wide conservation efforts, the "mysterious isles" visited by naturalist Charles Darwin in the 19th century have a 21st century problem: plastic waste.   Plastic waste washed ashore by wind and currents is building up and posing a threat to indigenous wildlife unique to the island archipelago. [photo above] The shallow bays on windward islands are habitat for seals,  pelicans, penguins and marine iguanas.  Sea turtles nest here.   Research has shown that plastics have entered the food chain. Microplastics, partially degraded particles, are especially toxic since they can cause genetic damage from zooplankton to humans, and are often contaminated with chemicals.  A recent study found sea turtles have up to 86% plastic debris in their excrement.

The Galapagos were declared a World Heritage Site in 1978.  This designation and a marine reserve established by Ecuador has helped preserve the incredible biodiversity of the island chain.  97% of the islands remain uninhabited.  Located at the intersection of three major ocean currents that are responsible, along with prevailing winds, for bringing life to the originally barren volcanic land mass.  The Humboldt Current is the largest.  It brings cold nutrient filled water from the Antarctic sweeping along coast of South America before turning west to the islands.  These currents are now bringing plastic debris. About 40% of the debris come from Ecuador, Peru and China.

a refrigerated Chinese mother ship

China is a source because its giant industrial fishing fleets operate offshore of Ecuador's 200 mile exclusive economic  zone.  The ships used to fish much closer, but Ecuador took steps to push the fleet farther away.  China has built the largest fishing fleet in the world, numbering some 3,000 ships in the last few decades, after depleting its own coastal waters.  Their big ships operate non-stop, dwarfing the catch of other nations fishing in unregulated international waters.  In the summer of 2020 nearly 300 Chinese fishing vessels hugged the 200 mile limit to such a degree that satellite mapping outlined the boundary zone.  The Chinese accounted for 99% of fishing near the islands. This unsustainable exploitation of marine resources is not likely to stop given China's growing population and prosperity.  The illegal dumping of plastic waste from fishing vessels is a constant problem according to the national park's environment manager.  

squid fishing off Galapogos

The waste is recent since it is devoid of attached marine life like barnacles. Twice a week the reserve
conducts waste clean ups on the inhabited islands,  The debris is shipped 600 miles to Guayaquil, Ecuador where it is recycled or put in a landfill.  Last year 13 tons were collected.  The effort is not logistically easy, or inexpensive.  The more remote  islands can take up to 15 days to reach.  Weather conditions make it impossible to clean up from May to November.  If the debris are not collected, the plastic will partially breakdown into microplastics.  Birds use shredded plastic debris as nest building material.  National laws are not enough to reduce the problem, international agreement and enforcement is needed.  [photos: The Guardian]

COTW: Arizona Indicts Trump Conspirators

More: The five-man Team Trump on the Supreme Court made it perfectly clear that they intend to further delay the criminal prosecution beyond the election at the oral argument about Trump's absurd absolute immunity claim on Thursday.  The Court already has caused at least six months of delay by scheduling argument for the last day of oral arguments in the current session, and refusing to take Trump's appeal directly from the DC District Court.  The Court has done this in other high-profile appeals (US v. Nixon, Pentagon Papers). Their questioning of appellate counsel did not concern the facts of the case before them, but rather scenarios involving "official" criminal acts.  At one point in the argument Justice Alito told the government's attorney that he was not interested in the facts of the case, but rather answers to his hypotheticals.  One respected law professor labeled the Trump Team's speculative questioning a "shameful display" of partisanship.  Apprarently they heard Trumpillini's 2am post for HELP!

The Boss' unprecedented attempted coup involved a string of acts related to his presidential campaign for life; these facts were pointed out by Justice Jackson. In fact the DC Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in Blassingame that campaigning is not part of the president's official duties in a civil context. There is no need to create new jurisprudence concerning criminal immunity for official acts.. As originalists should know, the Court is supposed to address "cases" and "controversies" before it under the Constitution Article Section 2, NOT create a "rule for the ages"--a phrase coined by Justice Gorsuch. A remand to sort unnecessary factual distinctions in federal district court will take time, pushing trial beyond the election. Court observers do not expect a Court decision until at least the end of the current session in June. One silver lining to a remand order: the Special Prosecutor could publicly reveal evidence of Trumpilini's culpability not available to the January Sixth Committee at a lower court fact-finding hearing before the election. 

{25.04.24}The historic criminal trial of a former president got under way this week. The first witness was David Pecker, former publisher of the National Enquirer. Testified to an agreement between his tabloid magazine and Don Legit to "catch and kill" unfavorable stories about him before the election. A meeting took place in 2015 between Trump, Cohen and Pecker to discuss the arrangement after a Trump Tower doorman touting a story about Trump fathering an illegitimate child with a Tower maid. The prosecution emphasized in its opening address to the jury that the case is not about paying hush money to a porn star, but about falsifying business records to influence the election outcome.  Falsifying business records is a felony offense in New York if the records are used to commit other crimes.  In this case the other crimes are violations of campaign finance laws.

The prosecution has promised to submit corroborating evidence of how pay-offs were made to look like routine payments for legal fees from Michael Cohen.  Alan Weisselburg, former CFO of Trump.org took handwritten notes concerning the scheme to coverup the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels.  Cohen took out a home equity loan in order to advance the sum to Daniels.

Justice Merchan has not yet ruled on whether the Ochre Menace should be held in contempt for violating his gag order that prohibits the defendant from speaking about jurors and witnesses.  A show cause hearing was held on Tuesday morning.  Apparently just hours before his attorneys argued in court that their client had not violated the order, the defendant taped an interview with an ABC reporter in which he criticized Michael Cohen as a "convicted liar without credibility".  Prosecutors have counted 16 instances of Donny Mouth violating the court order.  At the maximum fine of $1000 per violation, that is $16,000--  a healthy sum even for Donny Rich Kid.

In Arizona, a grand jury has indicted 18 supporters of the would be dictator including former chief of staff Mark Meadows, Trump lawyer Rudy Guiliani, Boris Epshetyn, and John Eastman.  Trump is described as an unindicted co-conspirator as is Ken Chesebro. Chesebro is known to have cooperated with the Arizona AG's investigation.  Eleven named conspirators are the those party activists who posed as electors for Trump despite Joe Biden's narrow victory in the state.  The indictment includes felony charges for fraud, forgery and conspiracy similar to what has been charged in Georgia.  The charging document says, “Defendants and unindicted coconspirators schemed to prevent the lawful transfer of the presidency to keep Unindicted Co-conspirator 1 in office against the will of Arizona’s voters."  It is unlikely that any of the defendants will go to trial before the election in November, although some may decide to plea guilty. 

credit J. Heller

Cats Down Under

Readers know that US Person is a "cat person":  he is the devoted father of his neutered Burmese.  But he is sympathetic to conservationists in Australia who face a huge feral cat problem. Cats kill an estimated 459 million mammals every year in Australia. The clever, resourceful little hunters are eating pocket-sized marsupials at an alarming rate.  An ecologist at Charles Darwin--yes, that guy--University told The NY Times that cats pose a catastrophic problem  because Australian "frana have not evolved to cope with cats."  Feral cats have been declared a "nationally significant pest" and has declared war on them more than once.

Even Australians who admire the predatory prowess of cats are coming to the conclusion that they need to be reduced by any humane means available.  Cats are too entrenched to be eradicated entirely.  There are two sides to the predator-prey relationship, so a partial solution may be to equip prey such as bandicoots, bilbies and bettongs with some survival skills besides trapping and shooting cats.  Most Australians support controlling feral cat populations, but lethal methods are still controvesial since cats enjoy a close relationship with man.

Bettongs died out on the mainland in the 20th century and now only live in predator-free, fenced reserves or on coastal islands.  Researchers see reserves as only a temporary measure, the goal being to establish a balance in the greater ecosystem.  Research has revealed that most of the killing is done by larger toms who are often serial killers.  Given this information, one approach is to subcutaneously  implant a toxin capsule that dissolves in the stomach of a killer cat.  Another is the traditional and less gruesome one of improving traps, but the best hunters are the most difficult to trap.  Cats are very reluctant to feed on human scraps that bait a trap, preferring their own fresh kills.  The Felixer is an AI-aided trap that senses the proximity of a feral cat and sprays it with a toxic gel that the fastidious animal will clean of fits fur by licking.  In one six week trial one Felixer appeared to kill thirty-three cats.  Two hundred have been deployed across the Outback.  

releasing a bilby

Dr. Katherine Moseby proposed an unusual idea. [photo credit NY Times]   She decided that since native fauna is naive when it comes to hunting cats, she would experiment with training prey to avoid their feline predators.  She put five feral cats into a fenced paddock with the bittongs and bilbies to see if they would learn.  After two years the prey species became more cautious than counterparts living in protected areas.  After five years the bettongs had larger heads and feet.  Apparently, selection is driving this development since cats are more likely to prey on smaller animals.  Dr. Moseby thinks reintroducing protected small marsupials to native quolls, a carnivorous marsupial, may help sharper their avoidance behavior against cats. Will these adaptive changes be enough to save the marsupials from eventual extinction?  No one knows at this point. No approach appears to be foolproof against the stealthy, intelligent and deadly Felis catus.