Motley Blog

"Salus Populi Suprema Lex" (The Health of the People is the Supreme Law)

-Marcus 'Tully' Cicero

This quote, cited frequently during the overthrow of European Monarchies in the 17th and 18th Centuries, says it all, yes?

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Utah Governor Gary Herbert hosted a 'Rocky Mountain Roundtable' with Governor Otter of Idaho and Mead of Wyoming, all Republicans, last Friday April 27. Designed to loosely build political support for Utah challenges of Federal regulations and land ownership the event was more of an extended free form press conference than anything, and in that, it succeeded.

Personally, I think there is a non-partisan balance point on Western Federal land issues, but it will be difficult to reach.

(Little Death Hollow is a long side canyon of the Escalante River that builds slowly to superb narrows and a heavenly, nearly two mile long, slot section near its mouth. The Escalante region of southern Utah was the last to be mapped in the lower 48 States and this canyon is about as far as you can get from regular highways in a two wheel drive vehicle in the United States - in dry conditions!)

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I am a Jealous God and you shall put no other Canyon before Little Death Hollow, my home. You shall not say my name for any bad purpose or to any bad person. I am male, but my home is female. If you had needed climbing ropes to access me I would have given you the glands of a spider. I am here now, but I may leave at any time, especially after a flood.

Continue reading "The Ten Commandments of Little Death Hollow" »

I've been having some very detailed discussions regarding Ron Paul over on Facebook, the most revealing and productive in response to a Ralph Nader endorsement of Mr. Paul on my own page.

The details of Ron Paul's issues are important - even if you do disagree with 40% of what he stands for, and, perhaps tragically, above the head of most Americans these days. A sorry testament to the true effectiveness of our educational system.

If you are in fact open minded, and care about the future of this country, read this.

I've had an obsession with Bret Easton Ellis for sometime, once minor, but slowly growing, perhaps now to dangerous levels with the meta-fictional work 'Lunar Park'.

The movie version of 'American Psycho' (2000, based on a 1991 book), a genius critique of Reagan era Wall Street all the more relevant today, was what first garnered my serious attention. But it was his relatively minor 1987 work 'Rules of Attraction' released to the big screen in 2002 that began the obsession - based loosely on his time at the small radical college Bennington the story reminded me closely of my own experience at the very similar Hampshire College. The fact that I had been involved in a personally impactful triangle that included a Bennington student as a third in a fashion not unlike those of the book sunk that particular 'hook'.

Continue reading "Book Review
'Lunar Park' by Bret Easton Ellis (2005)" »

Occupy Portland is establishing itself as one of the smartest, and effective, mass 'occupy' movements - take note of their protest strategy, as many others have done, including with over 15,000 shares on FaceBook. The basic idea here is not one of resistance, but of a fluid response - appropriate for this rain soaked pinnacle of Pacific Northwest ecological urbanism.

And this fluid 'Occupy' response is now going exactly where it should, to the Courts.

After all, we are constitutionally guaranteed recourse against our government, no?

Now leading the Republican pack in Iowa Ron Paul has become the focus of media scrutiny, most of which is focused on whether his anti-government approach equates to racism. Alex Jones summarizes these efforts nicely, and I, personally, am reminded of the Gingrich attacks against Bill Clinton in the 1990's.

As always attempting to stay one step ahead of the media machine Motley Tools asks, is Ron Paul anti-gay?

For the full story on this Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat) moment in the movie Bruno, see the full story here.

Seriously, I do believe this is an important subject for debate - and personally, I do believe that we need government involved in establishing basic protections such as in 'civil unions' - for everyone. Marriage should go further than these basic protections, but that is up to the couple themselves, and any church they choose, or choose not, to associate with...

How is Ron Paul doing in Iowa, whose caucuses are scheduled for January 3rd, immediately after the upcoming holiday season? It looks like Paul may well be nudging out both Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney by a whisker.

Russia Today, an increasingly relevant source of global news claims Paul is winning, citing a study from Public Policy Polling, an organization I know nothing about.

I am aware that Glenn Beck has been pumping Newt Gingrich as of late, and this would explain Newt's recent surprise bump in the polls, a bump that now may be deflating.