And to answer your assumption, bike lanes and wilderness do mean something to me, they signify things bargained for with human lives. Earl never would have won those had he mentioned impeachment. Earl and many people think it was not strategic to stop an illegal war that killed 600k people.

Jonathan's story is about Earl being enraged that Mr. Will made mean comments about Portland. Earl wants action, he wants to debate it. Funny that Earl would not even respond to the full crowd at the Hollywood theatre who showed up to debate him on impeachment. He had other engagements and left without any debate.

Joe, apparently a few bike lanes and a section of Mt. Hood wilderness don't mean much to you. I think to a lot of people, those things mean a lot.

Who that is available, do you think could have done a better job in Blumenauer's place? Not just someone that has an inclination to make a stronger support for mountain bike access, but that could actually do a better job of getting things done in Washington?

Ok, Earl has done a few small good deeds, but he has also made some very costly mistakes by his lack of action. One good deed does not undo a huge pile of neglect.

What good are a few bike lanes and a section of Mt. Hood wilderness? Earl is supporting the 12 lane $4 billion bridge. It's the bridge that will need a 12 lane freeway down the road, the path to making Portland into Houston.

ps: Earl and Nancy knew about torture and that's why they never dared to suggest impeachment or an end to the $600 billion war. They're all guilty.

Nobody has ever provided any kind of statement from Blumenauer or any other supporter of the bill that would suggest they had that intention. To secure this new section of forest land around Mt Hood as wilderness yet make an exclusion would have required a rewriting of the original...70's era, I think...wilderness bill. Whether or not he has been asked to make efforts to do this is what MBkrs should be asking themselves.

Buckley was racist, homophobic, and an anti-Semite. Three things that also denote a lack of intelligence.

Just because a person is articulate does not make them smart.

None of this means that everyone has to agree or swear allegiance to his views. He's a high profile figure, so he's fair game for criticism by anyone that doesn't agree with him. I realize that on this weblog and other places, people are inclined to blow off steam and so on, but wishing people's death upon them, etc., etc., is not a healthy thing for anyone.

The least that people disagreeing with him and others they disagree with, might try to do is keep the presentation of their remarks on a level of civility at least as high as that of the person they disagree with.

And to those that would rather just ignore people like George Will...well go ahead, at your own peril. Don't expect others that want to know what's going on in this world to follow your inclination.

Vance #45, you made some good points in your comment.

Yes, the recent Mt Hood Wilderness Act CLOSED 57% of the trails we legally were allowed to ride. 5 short years ago he LOVED mountainbiking, now he has changed his tune. A flip-flopper if I ever saw one.

Read the following quotes:

Speech of HON. EARL BLUMENAUER of Oregon in the House of Representatives.
From the Congressional Record: October 7, 2004:
"Mountain biking is a growing activity around the United States. In my State of Oregon, over 400,000 people participated in mountain biking last year. Bike Magazine identified the area around Hood River, Oregon, just to the east of my district, as some of the finest singletrack in the mountain bike universe, lying within an 80-mile radius of Hood River, incorporating all of the area that I represent.
It is important not just to fitness and recreation. It is also important to the economy. Overall, bicycling and mountain bike tourism is important to local and State economies. We are finding across the country cycling activities are gathering tourists for organized rides, for touring and for mountain biking. In our State, tourism is a $6.1 billion industry, and we are watching as bicycling is becoming an ever-increasing part of that effort, programs like Cycle Oregon that bring together 2,000 people from around the country every year.
It also is the source of a growing industry just in terms of cycle manufacturing and sales. There are thousands of small businesses across America that are part of the bicycling industry and specifically mountain biking. We just found this last year in Oregon the Chris King Precision Components relocated from California to Oregon because of the local support for mountain biking.
And they join one of dozens of companies that are a part of that effort, creating a critical mass in terms of the component, manufacturing, sales and service.
For all of these reasons, in terms of celebrating the spirit of mountain biking, the importance of promoting fitness, particularly among our youth, because it is so important in areas like tourism and small businesses, I rise in support of this resolution and urge my colleagues not just to support it, but find ways that they can translate this back home to their communities to make a difference."