The Olive Press - NEWSBRIEFS

Olive Newsbriefs

JClosed For Good                 Setting a highly depressing precedent to Olive residents south of the Ashokan Reservoir, Westchester County has agreed to the permanent closure of the roadway atop the Kensico Dam in Valhalla. Like Monument road over Olive's "lemon squeeze," the Kensico's West Lake Drive has been closed to traffic since 9-11, forcing a relatively short but congested detour by over 6,000 cars a day.
            Westchester's county government had threatened back in July to reopen the road, in an attempt to force New York City's DEP to produce hard evidence on the dam's vulnerability to terrorist attack using car bombs. But following the completion of a confidential US Army Corps of Engineers study on the subject and its release to Westchester County Executive Albert Spano, the County has accepted the city's position.
            "If the dam bursts, the devastation is incredible," said Spano, who described the impact of a 60-foot wall of water that would devastate the most densely populated region of his county. "The point here is that the people of Westchester look to me to verify. I can say now that I'm sure of it. If you're inconvenienced, I'm sorry," he said.
            About 90 percent of NYC's drinking water including the full output of the Ashokan basin, is piped through the Kensico reservoir.
            DEP spokesman Charles Sturkin said his agency was pleased with the county's decision to support the road closure. "I think what we needed to do was to give them the cover to say they had a so-called independent report that confirmed our findings," said Sturkin. "We're glad they saw it as we knew it."

More Trash Talk...
The Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency board has decided to establish new construction and demolition debris separation programs from consultants Clough, Harbour & Associates, at a cost of $12,000. Agency Executive Director Charles Shaw said the separation program would cost an estimated $2.5 million and involve the installation of equipment to sort construction and demolition materials. Components of the new system will include shredding equipment that officials estimated would save $303,000 if installed in 2005. And according to figures provided by the agency, the county would save $150,000 in landfill costs, $75,000 in fuel, $20,000 in wood grinding costs and a "conservative" estimate of $13,500 in overtime expenses once the new system is set in place. The sole no vote to the proposal, Kevin Roberts, said he saw no immediate need to update a study that has not been used since it was released in May 2002. Officials said the update would be ready in November and included in presentations to county and town lawmakers.

That Jail Again?
Ulster County lawmakers approved the spending of an additional $8 million for cost overruns and claims settlement caused by delays in work on the new county jail last week by a 24 to 3 vote, with Democrats Tracey Bartels of Gardiner, Richard Parete of Accord, and Brian Shapiro of Woodstock opposed on the basis of general opposition to the runaway nature of the entire project. At the same time, all in the legislature seemed to agree that final construction costs on the project will end up being at least double the approved amount. Current estimates put the $71.8 million project, which is roughly a year behind schedule, as much as $21 million over budget: $4.7 million to complete construction, and the remainder to settle claims and pay consulting and legal fees. Consultants Hill International had recommended appropriating $15.6 million to give them a pot of money from which to settle claims filed against the county by contractors who say they've incurred additional costs due to the project delays. Meanwhile the County is saying that they now expect to get back some of the overruns through litigation once the project is finished. There is ongoing dissension as to how such claims will be handled over the coming term, as well as how open any discussion of cost overruns need be.

Tech City∑
Ulster County officials recently reached a settlement of a lawsuit New York City developer Alan Ginsberg had filed over the town's assessment of 23 properties he owns at TechCity, the former IBM complex. County Treasurer Lewis Kirschner said the settlement between the town of Ulster and AG Properties calls for the assessment on Ginsberg's TechCity holdings to be lowered from more than $50 million to approximately $30 million, the figure previously offered by the town. Ginsberg had pressed for the assessment to be lowered to $20 million. The owner, who had owed $7.5 million in back taxes on the properties, must now pay $2.8 million in back taxes, with $1.4 million due by the end of December and the balance by May 2005. Under the terms of the settlement, the town will be required to pay $492,000 to the county, which by law had covered the town for the delinquent tax bills. The Kingston school district will also have to refund a portion of county funds used as reimbursement for back taxes. Ulster town Assessor James Maloney, who is facing removal from either that position or his role as a county legislator for conflict-of-interest matters involving the vote, declined to comment on the settlement.

Small Farms!
NYS Commission of Agriculture Nathan Rudgers will address the importance of small farm enterprises to the state and regional economies, and highlight the Northeast Small Farm Expo being held Sat. & Sun September 18th & 19th at the Ulster County Fairgrounds in New Paltz. Representatives from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Dutchess, Orange, Sullivan and Ulster Counties with staff from Cornell, Penn State and Rutgers Universities are hosting the press conference. The Secretaries of Agriculture for New Jersey and Pennsylvania have also been invited to attend. For more information about the Expo or press conference please contact Les Hulcoop, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Dutchess County at (845) 677-8223 or Lisa Berger, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County, 845-340-3990 or via email at lp41@cornell.edu.

Roundtable∑
            The Catskill Business Roundtable will meet Thursday, Sept. 16 at 10:30 a.m. at Catskill Watershed Corporation offices, 905 Main Street, Margaretville. The Roundtable consists of area business owners and economic development representatives who have been working to improve the business climate in the five-county Catskills region. The agenda for the Sept. 16 meeting includes an update on the development of a web site which will promote the Catskills as a place to do business. The site will also offer instant connection to the First Stop Shop compiled by the Roundtable and the New York State Department of State last year. The First Stop Shop provides information on services and guidance available to existing and start-up businesses from governmental agencies and non-profit organizations. It is available in print form by calling the CWC, but the web site will make the data searchable from computers anywhere. A progress report on the GIS network that is being developed will also be provided at the Roundtable meeting. To learn more about the Roundtable, as well as the CWC and its economic development programs, go to www.cwconline.org, or call toll-free, 1-877-WAT-SHED.

2nd Estimate            The Ulster County Legislature recently called for a second estimate of renovation costs for the Golden Hill Health Care Center in Kingston. Its Golden Hill Subcommittee voted to authorize Director Sheree Cross to spend up to $40,000 to retain a second architect to review plans and specifications for the proposed renovation of the county-owned nursing home. In April, county lawmakers were told that the 280-bed facility is at risk of a "major piping failure" at any time due to degradation of the water and sanitary sewer systems throughout the facility. Three options were presented: a $24.4 million renovation to replace just the water and sewer systems; a $44 million overhaul of the building; or building a new nursing home at a cost of roughly $81 million. A fourth option to close the facility altogether was unanimously rejected. The state recommended breaking the project down into several components because projects under $3 million are subject to a faster review and approval process than larger jobs. About 75 percent of the tab for the $24.4 million pipe-replacement proposal may be reimbursable by the New York State Medicaid program, leaving the county to pay about $6.1 million.

Depressed Drunk
            Scientists say they've identified a gene that appears to be linked to both alcoholism and depression, a finding that may one day help identify those at higher risk for the diseases and guide new treatments. Previous studies of twins and adopted siblings have suggested there likely are genes in common underlying alcoholism and depression, and that the two disorders seem to run in families. But the lead researcher of the new study says this is the first report of a specific gene that seems to increase risk for both disorders. Follow-up research might help reveal the underlying biology that makes some people susceptible to alcoholism, others to depression, some to both diseases, and others to neither. Scientists are saying that if the finding holds and is replicated by others, it will provide another potential target for developing new drugs to treat depression and alcoholism. Alcoholism affects 7.9 million American adults, and 18.8 million suffer from depression, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Civic Assembly
            On September 18, a number of area groups will be sponsoring a Mid-Hudson Valley People's Assembly, A "Social Forum about Reclaiming Democracy, Understanding and Acting on Local, National, Global Issues at the Central Valley Elementary School on Route 32 in Central Valley, across from Woodbury Common at the intersection of Exit 16 of the NYS Thruway and Route 17. The People's Assembly will focus on ways to create an informed and active civil society. The aim is to demonstrate and showcase what works in achieving a peaceful society that offers social, economic and environmental justice, to explore what distorts democratic procedures, and to learn what people can do together today and after the upcoming elections. The keynote speaker will be Scott Ritter, the former Marine who headed the UN's Iraqi weapons inspections program, and author of "Endgame: Solving the Iraq Problem Once And For All."                                                                               Other participants include Dr. Peter Montague, founder and director of the Environmental Research Foundation and the newsletter "Rachel's Environment & Health Weekly"; Ward Morehouse and Virginia Rasmussen, who will focus on "Corporations, Law and Democracy"; Prof. Emeritus Robert Engler, CUNY Graduate Center, and author of "Politics of Oil"; Ramapo College Professor Trent Schroyer, President of TOES/US; and Richard Kirsch, Executive Director of Citizen Action of New York. This assembly will begin to answer some very basic questions: What kind of future do people want for the Mid-Hudson Valley? For the nation? For the world?   For further information visit www.midhudsonvpa.org, email info@midhudsonvpa.org/ or phone 845.987.2321.

Shut Down
            The Iraqi government shut down Al-Jazeera's Baghdad operations indefinitely recently, extending a one-month closure order imposed after the pan-Arab channel was accused of inciting violence. Officials at Al-Jazeera, the Arabic world's leading cable news outlet, reacted with outrage, but did not say how it would respond to the order. Iraq's Ministerial National Security Committee said in an e-mail statement sent to The Associated Press that it had decided to extend a suspension ordered Aug. 5 because al-Jazeera failed to offer an explanation of its editorial policies. Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said last month that the government had convened an independent commission to monitor Al-Jazeera's daily coverage "to see what kind of violence they are advocating." Iraq's now-disbanded Governing Council, in place during the U.S. occupation, banned the station's reporters from entering its offices or covering its news conferences for a month in January because it had reportedly shown disrespect toward prominent Americans and Iraqis. The network has been criticized by a number of senior U.S. officials for its coverage of the war on Iraq and for being an outlet for al-Qaida terror network by broadcasting videotapes and audiotapes purportedly from Osama bin Laden or his aides. Al-Jazeera has denied the allegations.

Bad Energy
            In a new rate-setting tactic for the electric-utilities industry, TXU Energy of Texas plans to impose a bigger rate increase for its customers with the lowest credit scores, which are numeric rankings of credit-worthiness that take into account a customer's history of paying electricity, telephone and cable bills. TXU defends the use of credit scoring as an accurate predictor of future payment performance. But the additional increase for customers with bad credit will wipe out the 8% to 10% savings TXU had offered as incentives to sign up for service. And consumer advocates warn that the practice eventually could lead to even greater differences between the rates charged to different groups of consumers and could tempt energy suppliers in other deregulated states to follow suit. A state-funded consumer advocate in Texas said her office intended to file a formal complaint with the Texas Public Utility Commission asking it to issue an emergency order preventing TXU, which is both the biggest utility and biggest competitive supplier in the state, from implementing the rate changes. Many states have laws restricting the use of credit scoring, including New York, where insurers can't deny coverage based on low scores.

How Long Now?
            When asked recently how long the U.S. military is likely to remain in Iraq, Senator John McCain replied "probably" 10 or 20 years. "That's not so bad," he said, adding, "We've been in Korea for 50 years. We've been in West Germany for 50 years." If Senator McCain is correct (and the belief in official Washington is that he is), then boys and girls who are 5 or 10 years old now will get their chance in 2015 or 2020 to strap on the Kevlar and engage the Iraqi insurgents.

Bush Leagues
At the largest annual convention of American Muslims, a pro-Bush booth recently stirred anger among attendees who believe the president's actions since Sept. 11, 2001, have hurt more innocent Muslims than terrorists. The display was funded by Muhammad Ali Hasan and his mother, Seeme, who recently created the group "Muslims for Bush." Seeme Hasan said in a phone interview that she and her husband Malik, a Colorado physician who earned his wealth in the health care industry, have donated more than $1 million to Bush and Republican causes since the 2000 campaign.
Muslim leaders say the domestic war on terror and the USA Patriot Act, which extended controversial law enforcement powers, have cast so wide a net that all Muslims and their institutions have become suspect. Many also saw the war in Iraq as the extension of a misguided U.S. policy in the Mideast that foments terrorism instead of stopping it. Leading American Muslim organizations endorsed Bush in 2000 over Democrat Al Gore, expecting the Texas governor would be more sympathetic to their concerns. But Muslims have said since that they regretted their decision.
Recent surveys of U.S. Muslims indicate a majority will vote for Kerry, even though they fear he will not go far enough in repealing parts of the Patriot Act.

Stay Fit!
            When it comes to heart disease, being fit may be more important than being thin, according to a study of more than 900 women published recently. When analyzed by categories of weight and activity, women who were at least moderately active were less likely to develop heart disease or related problems than women with low activity scores, no matter which weight category they were in. The American Heart Association endorses at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity for women on most or all days of the week.
A second study published at the same time, however, found that being overweight is a bigger risk factor than inactivity when it comes to adult-onset diabetes among women. "Because physical activity is a significant individual predictor and has a beneficial effect on body mass index, it remains an important intervention for diabetes prevention. Our study suggests that to further reduce the risk of diabetes with physical activity, it should be performed in conjunction with achieving weight loss," the study said.

Not Medicare!
            The Bush administration recently announced, late on the Friday afternoon before the Labor Day holiday, that older Americans will have to pay about 17 percent more next year for their government-run Medicare health insurance, the largest increase in Medicare's history. Starting in January, the elderly will pay $78.20 per month for non-hospital services, up $11.60 from $66.60 this year. Most of the increase will cover the program's new prescription drug coverage and preventive services, including an initial physical exam and other tests. The remaining amount, about 25 percent, will be used to help build up Medicare's trust fund, with the government saying that the higher upfront costs will "help save money elsewhere." Robert Hayes, president of Medicare Rights Center, called the increase "a body blow to millions of older Americans living on fixed incomes" and blamed it on poor management. The Congressional Budget Office estimated the bill would cost less than $400 billion over 10 years. But after the bill was signed by President George W. Bush, the administration revealed that its own expert put the cost at $534 billion. Last year, Medicare premiums rose about 13 percent from $58.70 to $66.60, the second largest hike. People have questioned the timing of the administration's annual announcement, which since 2001 has come in October but this year came late on Friday before the Labor Day holiday weekend and just as Hurricane Frances was hitting Florida, home to many retirees.

World Poll∑                                                The world wants President George W. Bush out of the White House, according to a poll released on Wednesday that shows in 30 of 35 countries people preferred Democrat candidate John Kerry. Kerry was particularly favored in traditionally strong U.S. allies and beat Bush on average by more than a two-to-one margin, 46 percent to 20 percent, the survey by GlobeScan Inc, a global research firm, and the University of Maryland, said. The only countries where Bush was preferred in the poll of 34,330 people that was conducted mainly in July and August were the Philippines, Nigeria and Poland. India and Thailand were divided. Asked how the foreign policy of Bush has affected their feelings toward the United States, a majority or plurality of respondents in 30 countries said it made them feel worse about America, while in three countries more respondents said they felt better. The survey's margin of error was plus or minus 2.3 to 5 percentage points.

African Oil Soon after arriving in Equatorial Guinea in 1991, the U.S. ambassador discovered an unusual arrangement involving the country's despotic president and the first successful oil company operating in the poor, West African nation. Walter International Inc. was paying to send the president's son to study at Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif., company employees told the ambassador, John E. Bennett. The staff of the Houston company told Bennett about the arrangement, grousing that the son was "spending at will," bringing the tab for a year in Southern California to at least $50,000, the former ambassador said. But after Walter Inc. lured some of the biggest names in oil to drill off the shore of a country the size of Maryland, they expanded their graftm according to new reports. The companies paid for scholarships for children of the country's leaders, formed business ventures with government officials, hired companies linked to the president and rented property from government officials and their relatives, according to a U.S. Senate report released in July that reveals the companies' operations in striking detail. A current Securities and Exchange Commission investigation includes the three companies with the largest presence in the country ˜ Exxon Mobil Corp., Amerada Hess Corp. and Marathon Oil Corp. ˜ along with ChevronTexaco Corp., Devon Energy Corp. and CMS Energy Corp. Such activities were thought to have beem outlawed in 1977 under the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, after SEC investigations led more than 400 U.S. companies to admit that they had made questionable or illegal payments in other countries. The act outlaws payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or keeping business. But officials at the Justice Department and SEC, both of which are responsible for enforcing the act, will not provide statistics on the number of oil companies that have been accused of violations. And Senate staff members would not say whether they referred any possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act to the Justice Department for investigation, citing policy not to disclose such information. The oil companies named in the Senate report have since declined to answer specific questions about operations in Africa or did not return phone calls.

Defense Noir The Defense Department spent $70,500 to produce a Humphrey Bogart-themed video called "The People's Right to Know" to teach employees to respond to citizen requests for information. But when it came to showing the tape to the public, the Pentagon censored some of the footage, saying they did so because they were worried the government didn't have legal rights to some historical footage that was included. Citing the U.S. Freedom of Information Act, The Associated Press asked the Pentagon for a copy of the video nearly 18 months ago. The Defense Department released an edited version of the tape and acknowledged the irony of censoring a video promoting government openness. The 22-minute video features a trenchcoat-clad narrator resembling Sam Spade, the detective played by Bogart in the 1941 classic "The Maltese Falcon." The narrator follows mysterious characters known only as "veiled lady" and "large man" as he describes Pentagon rules under the open records law, which mandates disclosure of most federal documents, e-mails, photographs and videotapes. "Releasing or denying access to records can be a tricky business," the narrator says, impersonating Bogart. "In the end it will be up to you to do the right thing and provide as much help as you can. And remember, I'll be looking at you, kid."

Rising Taxes∑ Œ'Taxes are going up next year no matter who wins the presidency in November,'' says conservative economist Bruce Bartlett, who advised both Ronald Reagan and the first President Bush. Œ'It's out of the hands of politicians,'' Bartlett said. He goes on to note that the annual $400 billion deficit leaves little room to maneuver. The shortfall was exacerbated by two earlier tax cuts as well as rising costs for Iraq, Afghanistan, homeland security and a major expansion Medicare. Furthermore, the Federal Reserve has embarked on a course of raising interest rates from their recent 40-year lows. Higher interest rates combined with a continued weak dollar will put more pressure on the government's balance sheet.
County Trash? An Oct. 6 public hearing has been set on a proposed $14.85 million Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency budget that would increase county taxpayers' subsidy of the agency by more than 28 percent. The operating budget portion of the plan totals $11.92 million shows a hike up from $9.3 million this year. The balance of the spending plan is set aside for debt service. Overall, the proposed budget is up 34.64 percent. Under the proposal, the county would pay the agency $3.21 million for its services in 2005, an increase of $713,176, or 28.55 percent. Agency Executive Director Charles Shaw attributes the increase to higher gas prices, which have driven transportation costs higher for both the agency and its contractors. The second big cost increase is the New York State Retirement System. The cost of the agency's contracts with private trash haulers are expected to increase by $574,830, or 38.75 percent, to $2.62 million. The agency's own transportation costs are projected at $732,839, an increase of 106.62 percent, or $378,164. At the same time, the proposed budget projects a 17.57 percent decrease in landfill fees the agency pays to dump county trash at the upstate Seneca Meadows landfill. That's a reduction of $438,670, for a total of cost of $2.06 million. The agency has projected a decrease in landfill fees because it expects to be separating more waste for recycling markets, including construction and demolition debris. Also included in the budget are:* $3 million in personnel expenses, an increase of $372,865, or 14.19 percent.* $752,438 in insurance costs, an increase of $126,215, or 20.15 percent. Public comments on the budget will be taken at 2:30 p.m. Oct. 6 at the agency's headquarters at 999 Flatbush Ave., state Route 32 in the town of Ulster.

Fat Like Dad Apart from upbringing and environment, scientists are discovering that genes and biology are more important in the fight against obesity than previously believed. Experts are investigating couch potato genes, stop-eating genes, can't-resist genes, and even the possibility of a party platter gene - which turns people into opportunistic eaters, who eat whenever they are offered food. Each person has a unique profile of genes, biology and lifestyle; a slight tweak in any of those influences could make the difference between fat and thin, experts say. Where they disagree is over how powerful each individual factor is alone. "There are about 340 genes involved in weight control. Most of them increase the likelihood of your being fat, but there are actually genes that protect against being fat," said Dr. Stephan Rossner, head of the obesity unit and professor of health behavior research at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. "You can have muscles that react just a little slower; a mental setting that makes you just a little more prone to use food for comfort or a body temperature that is just one-tenth of a centigrade higher. If you have 20 of these factors all going in one direction - but still each and every one of them is normal - that can explain why people who live in the same environment weigh different amounts." While the laws of physics - which dictate that you cannot get fat unless you eat more calories than you burn - are inviolable, a person's genetic makeup influences the decisions made about eating and exercising, experts say. Eating increases the levels of the calming brain chemical dopamine. Brain scans have indicated that obese people have a lower concentration of dopamine receptors in their brains than lean people do. "It's possible that some people need to eat more to get the same level of pleasure," said Dr. Kishore Gadde, director of obesity clinical trials at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina. There is also growing evidence that fatty high-fat foods might dull the appetite control signals in the brain. Yet it is still unknown whether the appetite threshold is raised by a lifetime of overeating or whether the overeating is due to the threshold being higher. However, scientists believe it could be linked to chemicals in the gut that are stimulated by fatty food and signal the brain when the belly is full.

Judgements∑ A third federal judge ruled recently that the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act is unconstitutional, saying it fails to include an exception when a woman's health is in danger. U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf of Lincoln said that Congress ignored the most experienced doctors in determining that the banned procedure would never be necessary - a finding he found "unreasonable." "According to responsible medical opinion, there are times when the banned procedure is medically necessary to preserve the health of a woman and a respectful reading of the congressional record proves that point," Kopf wrote. "No reasonable and unbiased person could come to a different conclusion." The abortion ban was signed last year by President Bush but was not enforced because three federal judges, in Lincoln, New York and San Francisco, agreed to hear constitutional challenges in simultaneous non-jury trials. Last month, U.S. District Judge Richard C. Casey in New York said the Supreme Court has made it clear that a banned procedure must allow an exception to preserve a woman's health - even as he called the abortion procedure "gruesome, brutal, barbaric and uncivilized." In June, U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton in San Francisco also found the law unconstitutional, saying it "poses an undue burden on a woman's right to choose an abortion." The three rulings are expected to be appealed to the Supreme Court. The federal law bars a procedure doctors call "intact dilation and extraction," or D&X, and opponents call partial-birth abortion.

More Pre-emption Russia is prepared to make pre-emptive strikes on "terrorist bases" anywhere in the world, the Interfax news agency cited the country's chief of staff as saying in the wake of the recent school kidnappings and killings. General Yuri Baluyevsky said: "With regard to preventive strikes on terrorist bases, we will take any action to eliminate terrorist bases in any region of the world. But this does not mean we will carry out nuclear strikes." Already coined as Russia's September 11 by various Russian pundits and editorials, the tragic slaughter of hundreds of innocent people in a middle school in Beslan has the potential to trigger a major tremor in the foreign policy charted by President Vladimir Putin, perhaps even as far as heralding a new chapter in US-Russia relations, much to the chagrin of the so-called Eurasianists around Putin who have for a long time been advising him to steer clear of the US's "war on terrorism". In his first post-Beslan interview, Putin, in a tone reminiscent of President George W Bush's post-September 11 behavior, has declared Russia to be in a "war" with enemies that his defense minister, Sergei Ivanov, has branded as "unseen" and "borderless". Meanwhile, Time Magazine recently noted that a leading Pentagon hawk has hinted that the doctrine of pre-emptive war could soon apply to potential new targets. During a private Aug. 19 conference call with Capitol Hill aides from both parties, sources say, senior Pentagon policy official William Luti said there are at least five or six foreign countries with traits that "no responsible leader can allow." An outspoken proponent of the Iraq war, Luti had declared at an October 2002 conference that the U.S. has "the right to ... hold accountable nations that harbor terrorists." In his recent call, Luti did not name the nations he had in mind but said they are led by dictators with weapons-of-mass-destruction programs and close ties to terrorists. His remarks suggest that the Administration is looking well beyond the current "axis of evil," which includes Iran, Iraq and North Korea; this might put countries like Syria in the spotlight. A Pentagon spokesman declined to release a transcript of the call, saying Luti was stating "well-established official policy," not advocating pre-emptive strikes.

No Recounts Election officials said a new rule barring hand recounts in 15 Florida counties with touchscreen voting systems will remain in place until after Tuesday's primary ˜ despite a judge's invalidation of the rule. In April, Secretary of State Glenda Hood issued a rule preventing manual recounts. Hood has said the machines don't require a paper trail. A coalition of government watchdogs and other interest groups sued, however, arguing state law requires provisions for hand recounts in every county no matter what voting technology is used. Administrative Law Judge Susan B. Kirkland agreed, invalidating Hood's rule. Kirkland wrote that state law clearly contemplates "that manual recounts will be done on each certified voting system, including the touchscreen voting systems." The state hasn't decided yet whether to appeal, said a spokeswoman. Florida's voting system has been under scrutiny since 2000, when it took five weeks of legal maneuvering and some recounting before Republican George W. Bush was declared president over Democrat Al Gore. Further election problems arose during Florida's close 2002 Democratic gubermatorial primary.

Hidden Costs At least two documents that seem to confirm long-standing suspicions that the Bush administration's foreign policy is being driven by the dictates of the energy industry recently emerged. Documents recently obtained from the task force as the result of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by public interest group Judicial Watch indicate Cheney and his colleagues had their sights on the black gold under the Iraqi desert well before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. In July 2003 the Commerce Department finally turned over records that included "a map of Iraqi oilfields, pipelines, refineries, and terminals, as well as two charts detailing Iraqi oil and gas projects, and ŒForeign Suitors for Iraqi Oilfield Contracts,' " according to Judicial Watch's subsequent press release. There were also similar maps and charts for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The documents were dated March 2001. Meanwhile, former Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Bob Graham of Florida asserted that the general who ran the war in Afghanistan said more than a year before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq that his resources were being shifted in preparation for taking on Saddam Hussein. Graham said Gen. Tommy Franks told him a year before invading Iraq that he thought the United States knew less about the situation in Iraq than did some European governments, and the Bush administration should ask them for advice. Graham said on NBC's Œ'Meet the Press'' that his meeting with Franks was at the general's headquarters, Central Command in Tampa, Fla. Œ'He laid out a very precise strategy for fighting the war on terror,'' Graham said. Œ'First, we should win the war in Afghanistan. Second, move to Somalia, which as he described was almost anarchy but with a substantial number of al-Qaida cells; then to Yemen. And that we should be very careful about Iraq, because our intelligence was so weak that we didn't know what we were getting into,'' Graham said.

Unfair Spending World Bank President James Wolfensohn, a longstanding critic of excessive global military spending, says he cannot comprehend why the world spends only 50 billion dollars on development aid annually while it squanders a whopping 950 billion dollars on its armed forces. If the world's rich nations spend the 950 billion dollars to really fight poverty and disease, he argued in recent interviews, they would not need to spend even 50 billion dollars fighting wars. Wolfensohn's argument is based on the premise that the root causes of some of the world's political problems ˜ including ethnic conflicts and civil wars ˜ are primarily due to economic and social deprivation. Concurring with this view, Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, told representatives of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) at the United Nations that the United States was one of the worst offenders as far as military spending and development aid was concerned. "This year," he said, "the United States is spending 450 billion dollars on the military and 15 billion dollars for all development assistance." "If life was so devalued," Sachs asked, "how would it be possible to win a war against terrorism?" He also said that nothing was more important for global security than for the rich world to finally follow through on the 0.7 percent pledge for development assistance. "A safe world would come when everyone's lives were taken seriously," he added. According to World Bank figures, one-sixth of the world's six billion people own about 80 percent of the world's wealth, while another sixth live below the poverty line of less than a dollar a day.

Reaching Goals One of al Qaida's aims in its September 11 attacks on the US three years ago was to draw the west into military conflict on Arab soil, Prime Minister Tony Blair's former envoy to Iraq acknowledged recently. Sir Jeremy Greenstock's said the allies had "suffered the consequences" in Iraq of al Qaida's determination to exploit the opportunities presented by a war on Arab soil. He added that the West could not defeat bin Laden's terror network by military means alone, but must adopt policies to reduce resentment in the Muslim world. If the allies failed to help Iraq put an end to its current instability, they would be left "worse off than when we started", he warned. "I think it was one of the objectives of Osama bin Laden and the al Qaida leadership originally to draw America into conflict on Arab soil as close to Saudi Arabia as possible," Greenstock said. "Iraq is not yet a failed state. We are in a transition period, which has got considerable difficulties. But if Iraq ends up as a failed state and we leave it in that state, then we are worse off than when we started."

Judgment Call...
            Citing the "diversity of expert opinion" raised at the recently-ended Belleayre Resort issues conference, the Ulster County Legislature overwhelmingly passed a resolution last Thursday supporting "the full adjudication of all issues " now before Department of Environmental Conservation Administrative Law Judge Richard Wissler. The move, which essentially mirrors the position taken throughout the conference by the eleven member groups of the Catskill Preservation Coalition, passed by a vote of 27-3. Support for the resolution was unanimous from Route 28 corridor legislators Brian Shapiro and Michael Stock from District 2 and Richard Parete, Peter Kraft, and Robert Parete from District 3.
            While noting that "the Ulster County Legislature will not take a position in favor or opposition to the project until a thorough review of all environmental issues" has been completed, the resolution also notes the resort's potential impacts on the local community, water quality, and other issues as well as the county's historical support for the protection of its open space and natural resources. According to the resolution, its intention is "to ensure a thorough review that protects the quality of the Watershed drinking supply, the rural character of the Catskill region, and the residents of Ulster County and New York State."
            County Legislative Chairman Richard Gerentine, one of only three lawmakers voting against the move, explained that "The resolution asks the judge to adjudicate all issues connected with the resort. That's something I would hope he would do; it's his job anyway. I agree that (DEC) should carefully adjudicate all of these issues, but I feel it was a little offensive to the judge."
            Also voting against the measure, legislator Frank Dart said he thought it was "unnecessary legislation", and that "most of the people who voted for it didn't realize the ramifications of what this means and didn't realize the roadblocks it might throw up" or the possible cost in litigation for the developer.
            Gerentine's second-in-command, majority leader Mike Stock however voted in support of it, calling a "a memorializing resolution." "I believe the judge is going to do the right thing," said Stock. "If everything falls into compliance, then I think people will be a little more comfortable with the project."
            Responding to the County's resolution in a brief written statement, the project's developer, Crossroads Ventures, said that "There is a lengthy and quite rigorous process now going on to elicit information and testimony that will enable a NY State Administrative Law Judge to determine what issues, if any, are substantive and significant enough to warrant additional review by state regulatory agencies.