Tuesday, March 1, 2005

Eureka Republican Women Federated Welcomes Dr. Alistair McCrone

How can we best utilize our natural energy resources?

Did you know that Japan has 29 liquefied gas receiving stations - we have 4?

Listen to a scientist, who will give us a world wide picture of THE HYDROCARBON AGE: Oil, Natural Gas and other Energy Sources. Don’t miss our next meeting on Friday, March 11th, when Dr. Alistair McCrone will address us on the above issues. Let us stay informed on a subject which is of vital concern to the world populations!

Dr. McCrone is the immediate past President and Professor of Geology at Humboldt State University (1974 to 2002), and has been widely recognized for his research and contributions in the field of geology.

He started his career as a well site geologist with the British American Oil company, and then became field geologist and Field Party Chief with Shell Oil Company in northwestern Canada. His
numerous awards and recognitions have included presiding over the New York University Chapter of Sigma Xi, the science honorary association; the 2000 Erasmus Haworth Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Kansas, and the Golden Dozen Award from Humboldt State University.

In his retirement Dr. McCrone continues as an active member of science-related and civic organizations. He reads avidly especially matters relating to his field of expertise, and history. He enjoys playing golf. Dr McCrone’s wife, Judith, is a member of ERWF. Their three adult children, two sons and a daughter, and their four grandchildren all reside in Seattle.

President’s Message March 2005

FREEDOM! Over the course of the first two months of this new year, I was reminded in so many ways of our blessings of freedom - on the faces of our brave young troops defending our freedom and security, in the emotional, first-hand account of growing up in Saddam Hussein's regime by our January guest speaker Mr. Haider Ajina, in the smiles of Iraqis as they voted in their first real election in half a century, in the school children's celebrations of Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays with construction paper hats and cotton ball beards, and in the fact that anyone can still say anything in America without fear of being jailed or literally losing their head. As an educator, the abuse of this last one hits close to home. The pseudo Native American
professor from Colorado has the protected freedom to spew his insidious venom wherever people are dumb enough to buy it. One of my heroes, Ronald Reagan, described this particular freedom thirty-two years ago on February 13, 1973, when he said, "Freedom should be the right to be stupid if you want to be."

We must never take for granted the most basic of blessings we have inherited as Americans, FREEDOM! It is not free. It was and is being earned for us by three centuries of young Americans willing to put themselves in harm's way for us. Please, please, don't ever take this blessing for granted. Stand up when our leaders are degraded for having the strength of character to do what is right, instead of doing what is popular. Politely, but firmly correct the misguided when they publicly or privately state something that you know is not true. Teach your children our true history. Do not blindly rely on our public school system to do it. As a teacher, I know this one inside out. I must look long and hard to find accurate material to use with my students, and most often I create my own. Sadly, because of time restraints and perhaps just not knowing any better, most teachers, I believe, rely on the politically (in) correct version that has infiltrated most of our public school textbooks and the minds of many in authority. When your child comes home with some outrageous statement about our country or leaders, find out the source (textbook, misguided teacher, etc.) and address it. If you don't, who will? All great worthwhile movements started with one, then a few, and finally many doing the right thing. In the children's story, the Little Red Hen (do you think it was any accident that she was Red?) and her little (Republican?) chicks worked hard for the food (substitute
"freedom") while the lazy Dog, Pig, and Cat (feel free to substitute any Blues that come to mind, except Zel Miller, or any Greens), wanted the food (substitute "freedom"), but were just too lazy to work for it! ... Be a Little Red Hen! She's overworked and could use your help! There are enough (substitute "too many") Blue and Green Dogs, Pigs, and Cats!

And be ever mindful - "The only force powerful enough to stop the rise of tyranny and terror, and replace hatred with hope, is the force of human freedom."
....President George W. Bush, State of the Union Speech, February 3, 2005
Sheryl Fearrien