Information from the current Whitewater-Baldy Complex InciWeb Page.

This is the largest fire in New Mexico history and is occurring to the East of the area burned by last year’s Wallow Fire, the largest fire in Arizona history. Much of the activity is in Catron County, New Mexico, which was singed by the Wallow Fire. It begin as two separate lightning-caused wildfires in remote areas that merged to form the Complex.

Currently the fire is about half the size of the Wallow Fire, but the terrain is so rugged in the Gila National Forest that firefighters have to set up outside of the fire area and back-burn to create effective lines. It would be too dangerous to directly attack the fire.

The area has been drought-stricken and the daily humidity is remaining in single digits. There is so much dry fuel available that when the wind picks up, the fire makes a run.

It is probable that the fire will not really be under control until the rain starts in July, if it does this year.

• Date Started: Baldy 5/9/12, Whitewater 5/16/12
• Location: Gila National Forest, New Mexico
• Cause: Lightning
• Size: 255,024 acres [398.5 miles² 1032 km²] based on infrared data
• Number of Personnel: Approximately 1,191 including 14 hotshot crews and 12 hand crews
• Equipment: 7 dozers, 63 engines, 30 watertenders
• Aircraft: 10 helicopters
• Incident Commander: Tony Sciacca, Southwest Area Command Team
• Percent Contained: 18%
• Fuels Involved: Timber, mixed conifer, ponderosa pine, piñon/juniper and grass fuels are within the fire perimeter along with heavy concentrations of down and dead fuel.

[For the latest information click on the Fire symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Fires” for all of the posts related to wildfires on this site.]

Defenders of the Catholic Church complain that people don’t talk about all of the ‘good things’ that the Church does, and emphasize the problems. The majority of the ‘good things’ are projects by Nuns, and the Church leaders obviously don’t think they are very important or they wouldn’t be attacking the Nuns.

As CNN notes the American Nuns are not going down without a fight:

(CNN) – The leadership representing most of America’s nuns came out swinging Friday against the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church, in the face of charges from the Vatican that the nuns are espousing “radical feminism” and straying from church teaching.

The Vatican’s criticism of the American nuns has “caused scandal and pain throughout the church community, and created greater polarization,” the Leadership Conference of Women Religious – which represents about 80% of American nuns – said in a statement Friday.
…

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious said Friday that the assessment “was based on unsubstantiated accusations and (was) the result of a flawed process that lacked transparency.”

“Moreover, the sanctions imposed were disproportionate to the concerns raised and could compromise (the nuns’) ability to fulfill their mission,” the statement continued.

As Digby notes the Vatican anti-abortion stance allows no exceptions, even for the life of a nine-year-old. In the Church’s official judgement, raping your step daughter can be forgiven, but not saving the life of your daughter.

Charlie Pierce noted that newly public documents revealed that Cardinal Dolan, the current leader of US Bishops, paid priests who molested children up to $20,000 to leave the priesthood while Bishop of Milwaukee. Of course, the Church doesn’t excommunicate child-molesters.

Steve Bates noted that at least one Bishop is saying that Catholic hospitals will limit themselves to serving only Catholics, if they are required to abide by US laws and regulations.

Ellroon notes that some are already following that path as a Catholic hospital in New Jersey denied a gay man his HIV medication because he was ‘going against G*d’s will.’

The majority of my first cousins, and my niece and nephews were all nominally Catholic, but almost none of them are still in the Church. A lot of them are still very Christian, but it doesn’t involve the Vatican.