Where fort art thou Cederford?

Me thinks Scott Adams hast been hanging out at Vox’s.

Given his blog; I’d say, “The Lady dost protest too much”.

Legends of the Fall

When you explore wild country you expect to encounter animals that can kill you. Lions, bears and now wolf packs are abundant and are a constant threat to the wilderness explorer. Other less dramatic threats are common. You can sprain an ankle and not make it back to your truck or shelter, hypothermia can take you.

In the 1994 movie Legends of the Fall, Tristan Ludlow meets his death hunting in grizzly country. If I get a choice that’s how I want to go; I want to die a man’s death in the midst of a grand adventure, meeting my end defending what I know to be noble would be a good second choice.

Three years ago I lost 95% of the hearing in my right ear and 10 to 15% of the hearing in my left ear. Prior to that, I used to have excellent hearing, well above average. I loved being outside because of the quite and being able to hear things in nature. As a kid I discovered that I picked up on the natural world better than most people and I like being immersed in it. I miss having that connection.

Today I had a job out of town near a section of mountains that I like to hunt. I did the assignment and headed up to hunt deer. The day was beautiful, the air clean and crisp. I drove to the end of the trail and started hiking up the mountain. After several miles I heard a fluttering sound, like a cross between a bee and a grasshopper. Looking around I couldn’t find what was making the noise. Only hearing out of one ear makes it hard to locate sounds.

I took another step turned and couldn’t see what was making the sound. Then I started looking around on the ground in front of me, nothing. I made it up onto a large section of rock. No more noise. Then I saw him. There was a small rattlesnake about 14 inches long. He had two little buttons on his rattle that barley made any sound. He was keeping his head under his body and wasn’t likely to strike. He wanted me to not step on him. I obliged.

I don’t know what the deal is, in the last month I’ve come across more venomous snakes than in the last 16 years. I hope one day to die in the mountains, in the open air, under a big sky, but not from snake bite.

My buddy Bill’s dad got that wish this year. At least close to it, at 80 some years old he died in his sleep in elk camp after spending one last great day in the splendor that is Jackson Hole. A hospital ward or an old folks home is a miserable ending. I’d rather go on the crapper than sick in bed, at least there’s a laugh in that and your buddies will snicker while they lift a glass in your memory.

Rong

Do you remember your first video game?

How about the first video game?

Pong in the round is a new take on an old game. It’s perfect for wasting your employers time when you could be doing something more productive.

Giver a try: Round Pong = Rong

Wyoming Politics

It’s that time of year again, “If I’m elected…blah blah blah”. One candidate says the other guy is the spawn of Satan and the other candidate says the same about the first guy. They’re both right. That will likely be the only truthful thing either one of them say.

It’s not as bad here as it is some other places. I get a kick out of it. Our current governor is a democrat, he’s running on a platform of having kept his promises, and good economic times. He’s got the AG suing the feds on the wolf issue, he got sales tax removed on food purchases and now he’s pushing a tax holiday on the portion of property taxes devoted to paying for public schools. Gov Dave, as his campaign refers to him, is a republican, he just doesn’t know it yet.

I bet he wins.

Wyoming has one congress critter. Barbra Cubin (r) or Babs as almost no one calls her, is a mostly harmless party hack whose main accomplishment is not being one of those godless democrats. In Wyoming that’s generally good enough. This year some POS New Yorker who lives in the peoples republic of Jackson hole is running against her. His strategy is new and innovative, he’s running to her right. Normally this wouldn’t fool anybody, but if the Bush years haven’t accomplished anything else, they proved that republicans govern as democrats given the chance. Gary has Babs worried and the race looks closer than the normal republican landslide. If Babs wins it’ll because electing a New Yorker to Congress is just plain wrong, and we still know better.

In the senate Craig Thomas (r) is up again. Thomas is an out of touch old fart that doesn’t posses enough gumption to lead in any meaningful way. So far he’s doing everything we sent him to Washington to do. My guess is he’ll get reelected.

That’s it for political news. Washington doesn’t matter, so who cares which one we send? We’ve got no income tax, no sales tax on food and a proposed property tax cut, we’re suing the feds on wolfs and maybe on grizzlies soon, and we’re running a BILLION dollar state budget surplus.

Wyoming is, what America was.

An Open Letter to Rick Baxter

Blog readers: Your help in editing this would be appreciated. Post or email your suggestions to me.

Thanks

Rick I trust that all is well with Erica and the kids. I hope to presume upon our family’s long time friendship and offer some comments on my concerns for the state of Michigan. I have gotten over my initial shock that Michigan elected a Canadian to govern, but any state that allows Geoffrey Fieger to run as a serious candidate for governor deserves what it gets. When I saw Granholm’s comment about you being a traitor to the state for criticizing her for running off 20,000 non-automotive jobs in the WSJ, I laughed.

My concern today is no laughing matter. I recently read that the legislature is considering requiring all 6^th grade girls to have a vaccine for HPV a virus that is a sexually transmitted disease. This is a brief excerpt from the article I read:

Michigan may require cervical vaccine

September 13, 2006
LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan girls entering the sixth grade next year would have to be vaccinated against cervical cancer under legislation backed Tuesday by a bipartisan group of female lawmakers.

The legislation is the first of its kind in the United States, said Republican state Sen. Beverly Hammerstrom.

The vaccine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in girls and women and has been hailed as a breakthrough in cancer prevention.

A government panel said that ideally the vaccine should be given before girls become sexually active.

Some conservatives have expressed concern that schools would make the vaccine a requirement for enrollment. They have argued that requiring the vaccine would infringe on parents' rights and send a message that underage sex is OK.

AP

Have you people gone completely off your rocker? This proposed legislation is morally repugnant on so many grounds that I don’t know where to begin. It’s bad enough that the state feels free to intrude on the civil liberties of its citizens by requiring vaccinations to attend school. At least some of those vaccines are design to prevent communicable dieses. In this case you’re trying to force little girls, who have no business experimenting with sex, get a shot designed to protect them from an STD!

I recognized years ago that Michigan was a cesspool of socialist meddling, Marxist economics, and moral decay in which no decent person should live. Consequently I fled the state in 1994. I realize that this was long before your political career began and it makes it impossible for me to complain to you as one of your constituents, or even as a resident of the state.

As one father to another Rick, this is bad public policy. Its bad for civil liberties, its bad for public morals, it’s bad for parental authority. I urge you to work to put a stop to it.

If Only the Nation Would Convert

Apparently the Amish are causing big problems in Ohio.

A 2005 report detailed the Amish influence on food-stamp participation rates across Ohio. In Geauga, one in five eligible families was found to be Amish and unlikely to use the benefit. In Holmes, it was almost one of every three.

"No matter how much we do, the Amish won't sign up," Taylor said. "It's not something they endorse."

Here’s to hoping their beliefs will catch on.

My First Sports Post

Apparently it’s happened.

The Detroit Tigers made it into the series, the first time since 1984 if memory serves.

Christians Divorce and Remarriage

I received a “Christian” magazine from a friend to read. One of the articles touched on divorce. Apparently there is a group of folks that believe that marriage is something that once entered into can never be over looked in the eyes of God. Lets call it OMAM once married, always married. According to these folks once two people are married, if they ever divorce and remarry they are living in a state of eternal adultery, therefore they must divorce their current spouse and remarry their first spouse or they will burn in hell. They use Matt 5:32 as their proof text for this teaching.

My take:

1. God hates divorce, He said so.
2. The New Testament is of no use to anyone except Christians. I believe the world will be judged by it, but for purposes of living on earth it is only binding on believers.
3. I see different categories of people when it comes to divorce; unbelievers, mixed marriage of a believer and a nonbeliever, two married Christians.
4. I see different time frames for when a divorce happens, either prior to becoming a Christian or after one is a Christian.

According to the OMAM crowd if a divorced person remains divorced and celibate they can be a Christian but they can never remarry someone else until the first spouse is dead, otherwise they live in a state of continual sin and if they die they will go to hell.

As I see it:

1. Nonbelievers go to hell anyway, that’s what happens to nonbelievers in Christian doctrine. Is hell somehow hotter if they were divorced and remarried? Must be you spend eternity with the divorce lawyer and your mother in law.
2. The subject of believers that are married to nonbelievers and what they can do about divorce/remarriage is addressed in Corinthians. OMAM goes against this section of scripture.
3. A Christian married to another Christian according to the verse above may only divorce for marital unfaithfulness as cited in Matt 5.

From where I sit: scripture condemns divorce no doubt about it. It doesn’t teach that a remarried person can’t be forgiven for breaking their vows, or that they can’t be saved latter in life, or that they have to remarry their first spouse to be ok with God.

I’m still working this one out so feel free to pipe in with your 2 cents and anything you think applies.

WTW – Airline (lack of) Security

Mrs. Ipsa wants to take the boy on show off tour to friends and family out of state. She thinks she wants to fly instead of drive. I’m opposed to the whole idea for lots of reasons. This week I got a glimpse of what happens to the best and brightest TSA employees, they get promoted to new jobs, like these two:

Wisdom of Solomon

Two women came before wise King Solomon, dragging between
them a young man in a three-piece suit.

"This young lawyer agreed to marry my daughter," said one.

"No! He agreed to marry MY daughter," said the other.

And so they haggled before the king until he called for silence.

"Bring me my biggest sword," said Solomon, "and I shall hew
the young attorney in half. Each of you shall receive a half."

"Sounds good to me," said the first lady.

But the other woman said, "Oh, sire, do not spill innocent blood. Let the other woman's daughter marry him."

The wise king did not hesitate a moment. "The attorney must marry the first lady's daughter," he proclaimed.

"But she was willing to hew him in two!" exclaimed the king's court.

"Indeed," said wise King Solomon. "That shows she is the TRUE mother-in-law."

Can You Relate?

I bought a box of self-improvement tapes-- "How To Handle Disappointment."

I got it home and the box was empty.

"Just because nobody complains doesn't mean all parachutes are perfect."

-Benny Hill

When a customer left his cell phone in my store, I scrolled through his saved numbers, stopped at "Mom" and pushed send. His mother answered, and I told her what happened.

"Don't worry," she said, "I'll take care of it."

A few minutes later, the cell phone rang. It was "Mom."

"Martin," she said, "you left your cell phone at the convenience store."

WTW – Quarter Recall Notice

White Trash Wednesday this week is a little late, better late than never.

Hang on to any of the new State of Alabama quarters. If you have them, they may be worth much more than 25 cents.

The U.S. Treasury announced today that it is recalling all of the Alabama quarters that are part of its programfeaturing quarters from each state.

"We are recalling all the new Alabama quarters that were recently issued," Treasury Undersecretary Jack Shackleford said Monday. "This action is being taken after numerous reports that the new quarters will not work in parking meters, toll booths, vending machines, pay phones, or other coin-operated devices."

The quarters were issued in the order in which the various states joined the U.S. and have been a tremendous success among coin collectors worldwide.

"The problem lies in the unique design of the Alabama quarter, which was created by an Auburn University graduate," Shackleford said. "Apparently, the duct tape holding the two dimes and the nickel together keeps jamming the coin-operated devices."

Hard Choices, Hidden Blessing

Ever have someone that you were friends with, that you cared about and genuinely like that you had to fire? I’ve been struggling with that exact situation for over 2 years, yet no one had the guts to say “lets pull the plug”. This summer situations came to a head and things started coming together that made termination a forgone conclusion. Things were so dismally bad with my friend’s job performance, and he refused to make any adjustments to his performance or behavior that everyone knew it was only a matter of time.

When the time came to make the decision I did my best to protect the organization I represent and the man. In the end we offered a choice of resignation or termination, with the resignation came an extremely lucrative severance package, including relocation to his home town.

Sunday my friend, who has disowned me and has rejected all attempts to talk with him, suffered a near fatal hart attack. The doctors have said that had he been living in Wyoming, or even a few minutes farther away from the hospital (they specialize in hart disease) than he was, he wouldn’t have made it. As things stand now it doesn’t look like he will live much longer, but his kids, grandkids and extended family will get a chance to say goodbye.

Mark Foley Doesn’t Surprise Me

When King George the Younger ran for his first term as a “compassionate conservative” he identified two issues that the largess eager public viewed the Republicans as week on, education and health care. So GWB embraced the age old strategy of scoundrels seeking election, he promised to give the soccer moms what they wanted. Bush was elected and he kept his promise, not to those who voted for the so-called “conservative” platform, but to those who wanted the “compassion”. America got the short end of the stick, and the largest demand side socialist wealth redistribution scam since LBJ’s great society.

	Bush Republicans	Democrats
On Economics	Demand and Supply Side Socialists	Clinton/Blair Third way socialist
Governing Philosophy	Bigger is better	Bigger is best
Constitutional Philosophy	“how do I know what the constitution means I’m not a Supreme Court Judge”	Living document means what the courts tell us
Abortion	Good fund raiser issue	Good fund raiser issue
Civil liberties	Constitution is a “God damned piece of paper”	Only for blacks, gays, women and other victims
Family Values	Crap we talk about to get votes from Christians	Crap we talk about to get votes from Christians
Reforming Government	McCain Feingold, Brilliant incumbent protection	Why reform something that works so well?
Taxes	Lauffer Curve is a great way to increase tax revenues to spend more $ and keep buying votes	Tax and spend buys votes and power

When someone like Mark Foley comes along and does the “flaming fag looking to score” thing, I’m not surprised. This, like all other issues embraced by the republicans, is just a cheap knock off of something the democrats have all ready done. When Barney Frank had his sex scandal, he at least paid another guy for sex and let him run a whorehouse out of his apartment.

Ah, the Republican Party or as I like to call them “Democrat lite”.

WTW - Fish Story

With thanks to Water Boy...

A guy who lives at Lake Conroe (50 miles north of Houston) saw a ball bouncing around kind of strange in the lake and went to investigate.

It turned out to be a flathead catfish who had obviously tried to swallow a basketball which became stuck in its mouth!!

The fish was totally exhausted from trying to dive, but unable to because the ball would always bring him back up to the surface. The guy tried numerous times to get the ball out, but was unsuccessful. He finally had his wife cut the ball in order to deflate it and release the hungry catfish.

You probably wouldn't have believed this,

if you hadn't seen the following picture...

Near Misses

Sunday was opening day for rifle deer and antelope in several areas of the state. I have two out of state hunters that I took out to guide this year. The first hunter is a former SSGT USMC DI and retired GM equip operator. The second guy is a machinist shop rat. Both are good guys that I’ve know for a few years. I’ve know the ssgt and been friends with him for years. I’ve known shop rat by association off and on for awhile, and went to college with his sister in law. Both have wanted me to take them hunting and they’ve been planning this trip for over a year. I know both of these men through church, this will be important latter in the story.

On Friday we were doing a little scouting and my hunters were near despondent over the amount of state land they had to hunt on since the whole area was mostly private ranch. They were thinking that I had royally miss lead them about the hunting.

Sunday 7 am, Shop Rat pops a dandy 13 ½ inch antelope buck with an awesome spread and great forks with just a touch of ivory on the horn tips. 12 hours latter SSGT popped a decent antelope at 388 yards. Not too shabby a day.

Near miss number one.

I intentionally left my rifle in the truck all day. The guys had paid a bunch for their tags and the trip out to hunt and I didn’t think I needed to compete with them for game. We toped out on a high ridge and Shop Rat said he saw a nice mule dear that had ran to cover under some scrub oaks. The entire rest of the area was short grass and they could have seen it if the deer had went anyplace else. I volunteered to scale down to the shelf where the deer should have been, in hopes that I would kick it up and they would get a shot off.

I made the walk down and across, no deer. But I did see a nice antelope out on the flats. Using the international sign for “get your butts down here right now” (waving my arm like a windmill in a hurricane) I tried to get the guys to come to me. They decided to stay put and glass the empty grass.

My arm waving was more then the 5 point whitetail buck could take. (In the west we count the points on one side of a rack, a 5X5 is a 10 point buck for you poor eastern folks) This bucks rear tines were over 20 in high and he had a good 26 or 28 inch spread at the front. He waited just long enough for me to discover that a revolver carried in a vertical shoulder rig is very comfortable way to pack a gun but a very slow way to get it into action. Then he bounded away.

Eventually we left the ridge and headed back to the truck. I was walking with the SSGT, who is incredibly curious. Which leads us to:

Near Miss Number two.

The SSGT asked me “what kind of hole is that”? I took a step up towards the hole and saw a prairie rattlesnake rear back his head to strike. I did three things simultaneously. 1.) said “Oh Shit” 2.) jumped two feet backwards to where I had just been standing 3.) grabbed the butt of my revolver and realized for the second time that a cross draw is a darn slow way to get a gun into play.

FYI rattlesnakes don’t always rattle, had I taken half a step closer to the hole I would have got bit without ever hearing a warning. Rattlers like to hibernate in winter dens, I found one. The snake that almost got me was a little guy only 18 inches or so. The snake just inside the hole was a 3 footer over 2 inches thick. Had I got bit by one I’m sure the other would have got me too. I didn’t see the rest of the snakes but as soon as one started rattling the rest joined in and they got real loud. The SSGT saw several go down into the den, we didn’t get a count but I think it’s a small den.

Just my luck, I mess up and cuss in front of someone, it has to be somebody that knows me from church.