Just wanted to spread the word to everyone that the name for the bear at CALM has been chosen and that name is Louie.

http://www.bakersfield.com/...

CALM judges have decided on a name for the Bakersfield zoo’s new bear.

The 1-year-old black bear will be named Louie, a tribute to his origins in San Luis Obispo County.

The zoo received dozens of suggestions from visitors who participated in the “Name the Bear” contest, according to a CALM press release.

The state Department of Fish and Game delivered him to CALM June 21.

“The judges felt the name was a good tie-in to his roots and would be friendly and easy-to-remember for visitors,” according to the release.

Thanks to everyone who participated and go check him out if you haven't already.

So aside from whether or not there is even a war in Iraq or whether it's an occupation, aside from partisanship, I have a very simple question for the blogging community:

If someone said we could gain peace in Iraq and have democracy and flowers and ponies for everyone, what would you be willing to spend to get it if we couldn't just put it on the credit card and had to pay right now?

How high would you be willing to raise taxes in order to make Iraq into a "Little America" in the Middle East?

For the sake of discussion, during WWII, the highest tax bracket was 94% for all money (no difference between income and cap gains) over 300,000/year.  Futher, FDR thought that was too low and proposed a 100% tax rate at that level.

How much money does a person need for themselves when their country is at war?  If "winning" is important to America's very survival, why aren't we acting like it?

Just wanted to give everyone a heads up that KGET TV-17 will be doing a story on Stephen Coal Bear tonight on the 5 o'clock news.  Be sure to tune in and check it out.

Also, big thank you to my friend Laurie, without whom this would not have been possible.  She stepped up in a big way.

I'll definitely repost the video when it goes up.  In the meantime, swing by the Friends of Steven Coal Bear Website and the Steven Coal Bear MySpace page.

And if you haven't already, head out to CALM or fill out their online form and send it in with a donation.

EDIT: Great story tonight.  Here's the link: http://www.kget.com/mediace...

Well, folks, I know I've been posting like a crazy person about the idea of naming the CALM bear Stephen Coal Bear for the last week.  After a tough week, all the pieces seem to be in place.  I've decided for tax reasons not to collect donations online though if someone out there has a functioning 501(c)3, let me know.  I've got all the the pieces lined up to go if you're interested.

For now, I'd like to announce the launch of the Friends of Stephen Coal Bear website.  If you have some pictures you'd like to contribute to the website or to the Stephen Coal Bear MySpace page, you can post them here or email me at (you guessed it) tom@friendsofstephencoalbear.org.  I got some great pictures by going out to CALM early, though I was told that Stephen (heh) goes out fairly often if you're willing to wait 15 minutes or so.

Going forward, I'll be relying on all of you to get the word out by calling your favorite radio DJs, writing LTEs, etc.  If you're not the kind of person who normally does this, this may be the time to start.  We all have a role in shaping the world we live in and anything you do (even for something as small and silly as this) can have profound impact down the road.
I still have a few tricks up my sleeve too, so we'll keep bringing the spotlight and no matter what happens, it's all to the good.

And speaking of the good, no post about Stephen Coal Bear should end without a link to the good folks at CALM.