Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 114, No. 303, Ed. 1 Sunday, January 6, 2013 Page: 4 of 15
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Viewpoints
Page A4 ■ Sunday, January 6, 2013
Sweetwater Reporter
DEDICATED TO PROUDLY DELI VERING LOCAL NEWSSINCE 1881
i—\ Sweetwater j
Reporter
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Sweetwater, Texas 79556
325/236-6677
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MEMBER
2012
TU
TEXAS PRESS
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EDITORIAL POLICY
The editorial section of the newspaper is a forum for
expression of a variety of viewpoints. All articles except
thoselabeled “Editorials” reflect theopinionsof thewrit-
ers and not those of the Sweetwater Reporter.
GUEST COLUMN
Time for bold
action on biofuels
President Obama's re-election paves the way for
him to actually pursue the "all of the above" energy
strategy he has promised. After a series of government-
backed green tech companies collapsed, the Obama
team smartly shifted away from its renewables-only
myopia and — at least rhetorically -- adopted a broader
energy approach more friendly to traditional oil and
natural gas.
Next year, the President should back up that promise
with bold action. As a first move, he should propose
reform to the nation's biofuels policy.
Already this year, a bipartisan group of eight gover-
nors and a coalition of the nation's livestock industry
requested that the biofuels mandate be waived. The con-
flict between drought year corn harvests and agrowing
ethanol industry are creating a food versus fuel crisis.
The Obama Administration denied that waiver request.
The biofuel hysteria, however, started back with
President George W. Bush. In 2007, he signed the
Energy Independence and Security Act, establishing a
national "renewable fuel standard" requiring domestic
refineries to mix a certain volume of biofuels every
year.
For 2013, that volume is 16.55 billion gallons. That
amount is set to increase substantially next year, and
every year until 2022, when the goal is 36 billion gal-
lons of biofuels. More than 25 percent of our current
total fuel use.
This goal is unattainable under the current system.
Corn supplies for conventional ethanol are stretched
to the limit, especially given this year's drought. And
given weather patterns and after effects of this record
drought, next year is not assured to be any better.
Domestic corn production hasn't kept up with the
sharp uptick in demand. In fact, since government
started dictating ethanol use, the amount of corn used
to manufacture fuel has jump 382 percent. Production
has not kept pace. Corn production has only increased
5.4 percent since ethanol mandates were instituted.
Fully 40 percent of our nation's corn supply goes to
ethanol. More corn goes to making ethanol than feeding
livestock.
When demand outstretches supply, the price of
corn and corn-dependent foods jumps-- dramatically.
Poultry prices are 3.4 percent higher thisyear compared
to 2011. Milk and dairy prices are up 9.1 percent, pork
7.5 percent and hamburger 10.4 percent.
Then there is the situation with so-called cellulosic
ethanol. By 2022, the RFS requires the use of 16 bil-
lion gallons of ethanol made from non-food source
feedstocks, such as switchgrass, wood fiber, and other
materials. This goal is also unattainable.
Distilling cellulosic ethanol is vastly more complex
than producing corn ethanol and is not yet commercially
viable. Over the last three years the RFS has mandated
850 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol, yet the US
Environmental Protection Agency has had to waive that
mandate each of those years. To date, only 20,000 gal-
lons has been produced, despite hundreds of millions of
dollars spent in federal grants, loan guarantees, incen-
tives, and a whole suite of potential subsidies awaiting
any commercial breakthrough. This inconvenient truth
has yet to be addressed.
For his second term, President Obama should discon-
tinuethis misguided policy of pouring massive amounts
of federal dollars into an unpopular and economically
destructive fuel product. Ethanol supports and man-
dates should be scaled back.
There are much smarter ways of boosting domestic
energy production that can also find support on both
sides of the political aisle. Crude oil production in this
country is up 11 percent since 2006. Private firms are
still finding new, massive oil reserves right under our
feet. Notably, there's the eight-billion-barrel-strong
Bakken Shale in North Dakota, the recent development
of which has created a state-level job glut and driven
unprecedented economic growth.
We should further develop oil and natural gas depos-
its here at home. Doing so won't require any artificial
government supports or regulatory favoritism. And
it will create jobs and drive down energy prices while
avoiding the adverse unintended consequences of over-
reaching biofuel mandates. The volumes of biofuelsthat
can stand on their own economically will add to the
vitality of the energy sector.
Politically, there should be room for such a move. On
election day, voters sent a clear signal that they want
Congress and the President to work together to both
create jobs and cut down on excessive government
spending. Scaling back biofuel supports and expanding
domestic energy production does both, and helps the
President achieve his "all of the above" energy strategy.
Dave Juday is a commodity market analyst and
principal of The Juday Group.
POTPOURRI
The holiday hangover
About two weeks ago,
many of us resolved to
make changes in our life-
style for the coming twelve
months. We saw an article,
tried to put on an
article of clothing
that SHOULD fit, or
have a friend who
started working out
- or simply got on
the scale and real-
ized that we were
hauling around
more than we want
to. We decided to
make a change, and
resolved to eat bet-
ter and to work out
more.
Persons who
make use of gyms
claim it is easy to
spot a post holiday trend.
The first few weeks of the
year, the work out area and
cl asses are almost crowded.
People flock to all the gyms
with the intent to create a
new habit, lose the holiday
pounds, and reshape the
physique before the sum-
mer. By mid-February or
early March, however, the
classes are back to a pre-
holiday size, and silence is
common.
Keeping with a fitness
regimen is not easy. It
should include exercise as
well as renewed attention
to the foods that are eaten.
While some changes may be
called for, studies show that
sudden drastic changes are
rarely life long. A carefully
planned change, however,
can not only help with the
short term goal of shedding
holiday pounds, but with
the long term goal of mov-
ing against the national
obesity trend.
Most of us eat because we
like to, and because we like
GUEST COLUMN
the foods we are eating. A
sudden change that denies
consumption of sweets,
breads, and the like may be
adhered to for awhile, but
not for long. When
the dieter falls off,
the fall is likely
to be hard, with
binges and serious
overeating.
There are a cou-
ple of keys to suc-
cessfully changing
diet in a manner
that will last. First,
don't try to cut too
many calories at
one time. The body
has become accus-
tomed to a certain
number of calo-
ries, and it will try
to demand them. A dras-
tic reduction will be pain-
ful, and may be unhealthy.
Gradually cut the number
of calories consumed to
a number that will allow
you to gradually drop the
pounds. In the course of
cutting those calories, do
not eliminate fat. Most of
us like the taste of fat, and
when it is missing from our
diet, wecraveit. Eventually,
we give in, and splurging
can be the result.
Many experts now
believe that healthy eating
includes eating more than
three times each day. This
is not six meals, nor is it a
succession of sweet snacks.
Rather than allowing your-
self to become "starved",
eat sensible foods in a mod-
erate amount (about 150
- 200 calories) between
meals. Before a large meal,
whether a business lunch
or dinner with friends, eat
a snack that has a large
water content, such as an
apple, other fruit or veg-
etable. Dropping alcohol
from daily lifedropsa large
number of useless calories.
There is little or no nutri-
tional value in liquors, beer
or wine - and a large num-
ber of calories.
Taking the time to log
the foods consumed can be
quite an eye opener, espe-
cially if you also try to keep
an accuratetally of the asso-
ciated calories. (Generally
1800 calories a day will
maintain a 130 pound
woman at that weight) For
a couple of weeks, try to log
everything, from a breath
mint (normally about five
calories) to that extra piece
of fudge. In many cases,
once a log is started, con-
sumption habits change
without much more effort.
Once you become aware of
the calories you burn in a
normal day, and what you
consume, the periodic "big
meal" or splurge is not
nearly as guilt ridden!
Adding exercise to the
lifestyle is part two of get-
ting past the holiday expan-
sion. Many people who start
a program in reaction to a
new Years' Resolution find
a routine with which they
are comfortable, and do not
vary it. Two problems are
associated with this; the
body becomes accustomed
to it, thereby burning fewer
calories, and boredom.
Once the workout becomes
boring and the weight loss
levels off, exercise becomes
a chore rather than some-
thing that can be pleasant.
Vary the routine a little,
and work with someone
who knows a little about
workouts to set up a circuit
training routine, as well as
just trying to sweat off the
pounds.
Discouragement often
leads to a decision to stop
working out. Most people
are aware that their rate of
weight loss will not be con-
sistent; it will level off from
time to time. When these
"plateaus" are reached,
there are some tricks that
can get the process started
again. Manystudiesindicate
that alternating strength
training with cardiac work-
outs is not only a good way
to avoid osteoporosis, but
also will burn morecalories
than the same amount of
time spent in either cardiac
or strength routines.
Become aware of the
number of steps taken dur-
ingtheday.Chartsareavail-
abletoconvert thisinto cal-
ories burned. Studies show
that once people become
aware of the relationship,
they start parking a little
farther from the door, and
taking the stairs instead of
the elevator!
Many of us did not grow
up with an appreciation of
athletics or physical activi-
ty; we preferred the compa-
ny of a good book, needle-
work, or a chance to work
in the kitchen. One result
of this is a national obesity
crisis. Another result is the
plethora of "I'll get fit" res-
olutions that will be made
on Thursday. This year,
skip the effort of making
the resolution, and instead
makethetimeto look at the
habits of your lifestyle - and
to change those that are
harmful to you.
Lisa Peterson is the
County Attorney for
Nolan County. Comments
about this column may be
e-mailed to editor (^sweet-
water repor ter. com.
w
Lisa
Peterson
Gun free zones can be fatal
Because the main stream
media mostly ignores mur-
ders involving small numbers
of people (unless that is, the
murdered people,
or person, were/
was killed with an
"assault rifle" or, bar-
ring that the dead
person is a teenager
who reminds The
Barack of what his
mythical son would
have looked like),
this week I wanted
to talk about some-
thing that happened
in the community I
live in. While defi-
nitely newsworthy, I
seriously doubt it will
make the national
news, or for that matter even
the news in the nearest large
media market. I don't know
what the minimum number
of fatalities is before Senator
Feinstein (what a ghoul)
becomes interested, but I'm
sure the body count in this
instance won't be high enough
to attract her.
On Christmas day, in the
town I live in, a local woman
was at home with her two
children when her ex-boy-
friend, who was reportedly
shouting death threats at
her, started breaking into her
home. Luckily, when he real-
ized the aty police had been
called, hefled before he could
do any injury to her or her
children. Additionally, either
because he had fled, or maybe
it was because there wasn't
enough to hold him, he was
not arrested and detained (I'm
not clear about whether or not
the police caught up with him
Christmas evening).
According to local media
reports in the days follow-
ing this incident, the ex-boy-
friend had a criminal record
which contained two arrests
for aggravated assault. Not
only that but it has also been
reported that the police had
been called by the woman up
to a dozen times because of
the ex-boyfriends aggressive
behavior.
Sadly, even though the boy-
friend left or was driven away
from the house on Christmas
evening (doesn't all of this
sound like a great way to
spend Christmas?), he came
back sometime in the early
morning hours after mid-
night.
So, according to media
reports, what we have is a
single mother (don't forget,
the left normally deifies single
mothers) at home with her
two children. Reportedly, one
of those children was sixteen
years old and the other was
an infant. Instead of her and
her kids enjoying a peaceful
Christmas together and then
going to bed in their own
home in safety and comfort,
they had a day that
could probably be
best described as
"tumultuous". Then
later that night, they
were awakened by
the ex-boyfriend
breaking into their
home with murder-
ous intent. Since
reports say he had
already told her he
was going to kill her,
there couldn't have
been a lot of doubt in
their mindsabout his
intentions when he
got inside the house.
When these poor people woke
to find the man already inside
the house, they had to know
what was coming.
How many stories like this
have all of us heard or read
about? We all know how this
ends; the ex-boyfriend kills
the mother and then the
children, or kills the children
and then the mother. Either
way, it's a horrible death for
all concerned and it always
happens before the police can
get there to protect the fam-
ily. Apparently the police had
protected her and her kids
many times before, but in a
case like this, not being quite
quick enough onetime will be
onetimetoo many.
Often after a horrific event
like this, the local community
will cometogether, and some-
times a small "shrine" will be
created. This will be a place
where people can come to
light candles, leave commem-
orative items, pray, commis-
erate with friends and rela-
tives of the deceased, and just
generally express regret and
outrage at the events that led
to the untimely deaths of the
victims.Sadly,whilel thinkall
of that showsacaring commu-
nity, it of course does nothing
to bring the murdered people
back, or even prevent similar
episodes in the future.
But guess what? It didn't
quite go that way this time
around. The usual end to this
kind of event didn't happen.
And you know why? Because
the woman in question had
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armed herself with a gun (I
assume it was a handgun, but
since reports I have seen and
heard have not been clear
about that, it could have been
a rifle of some kind). When
shefound herself and her chil-
dren being assaulted in the
middle of the night, in her
own home, by someone who
had dearly stated his intent to
kill her, she used that gun to
shoot him, and the attack was
stopped.
Fortunately for her, and our
local community, instead of
her family becoming another
sad crime statistic (and com-
mentary on our soaety) she
had the foresight to avail her-
self of her second amendment
rights. Now, instead of our
community lamenting that
her children had their futures
cut short, they are still with us.
Because their mom was will-
ing and able to defend them,
her children still have both
their mother and their lives.
Oh, by the way, when the
police showed up, they didn't
have any trouble finding the
suspect, since he was col-
lapsed in thefront yard.
Before I go on, for those of
you that may have the idea
that I don't have enough sym-
pathy for the man who was
shot, all of this was by his
choice. This wasn't a "heat
of the moment", emotional
event that "got out of hand".
You don't show up at some-
one's house in the middle of
the night, after being chased
away by the police, by acci-
dent. All that would have had
to happen for this shooting
to not take place would have
been for the ex-boyfriend to
just not comeback, break into
thehome, and try to kill hisex.
Seems simple enough to me.
Thelocal policemadeapoint
of stating that the gun this
woman used to defend herself
was legally owned. Because
gun laws are much stricter in
places like Washington D.C.
and Chicago, I have to won-
der how this story would have
worked out in those bastions
of progressiveness. Actually,
I don't have to wonder about
that, anything which would
have prevented this woman
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from acquiring the weapon
she used would have pre-
vented her from successfully
defending her family.
Dianne Feinstein, who
seems to be drawn to large
numbers of deaths (some-
thing likeavulture), and other
leftists are out on thespeaking
circuit right now campaigning
for stricter, or more, gun con-
trol. Whileat themoment they
are somewhat content mainly
discussing "assault weapons"
(which by the way is a mis-
leading, incorrectly applied
term), I think their real goal is
thetotal elimination of second
amendment rights.
I n the minds of people like
Dianne Feinstein, Barack
Obama, Charles Schumer,
Joe Biden, and others, a bet-
ter United States of America
would be a place where the
woman I wrote about above
would not have been able to
defend herself.
The mainstream media
makes sure we hear plenty
of news concerning guns and
how badly they are used.
However, instances where
people use guns to defend
themselves and others seem
to get very little notice.
Stories where guns save
lives seldom, if ever, seem to
makethenational media. This
isn't because those stories
aren't newsworthy, they are.
It's because the main stream
mediaisfirmly in thegun con-
trol camp.
Bruce Kreitler is the
author of Obamageddon (the
CulminationoftheProgressive
Looting of America) and
posts this and other articles
at BruceKrdtler.com.
Correction Policy
Editorial:
As a matter of policy, the
Sweetwater Reporter will
publish corrections of errors
in fact that have been print-
ed in the newspaper.
The corrections will be
made as soon as possible
after the error has been
brought to the attention of
the newspaper’s editor at
236-6677.
Advertising:
Publisher reserves the right
to reject, edit or cancel any
advertising at any time with-
out liability. Publisher’s liabil-
ity for error is limited to the
amount paid for advertising.
DEDICATED TO PROUDLY DELIVERING LOCAL NEWS SINCE 1881
-❖-
Sweetwater
Reporter
Bruce
Kreitler
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Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 114, No. 303, Ed. 1 Sunday, January 6, 2013, newspaper, January 6, 2013; Sweetwater, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth851699/m1/4/: accessed May 9, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Sweetwater/Nolan County City-County Library.