Praying Raul Shows Up

Due to a bit of misinformation and disastrous result on a job, I find myself depending on the mysterious Raul to walk me through a particular process whcih may yet make this mess right. He showed once so he'll probably show again. I just know I need him more than he needs me in this instance.

I'd rather not describe it all in detail. No matter what I was told, I should have known better. There was nagging doubt. There wwas what my eyes told me, but no, they said, blablabla. When will I learn to obey that little hunch? It has happened before when I thought, "Maybe they know something I don't, but it doesn't quite make sense". Then I go ahead, and since I do the thing, I am responsible. Drat!

This time it may mean a job which would have paid rent rent ends up costing me more than I want to estimate.

At first the problem was all that was clear. What was there orginally, and how to fix it was a mystery. It is a stroke of luck, a miracle that through persistent inquiry we discovered that Raul was the guy who worked his specialized, secret process magic on this project. The real miracle is that he was actually located and met us at the scene of the crime. I felt he took pity on me as he assured me he'd help me out of this fix. I'd made it clear if I could do some or all the work to defray expense it would be a life saver.

He could have been insulting and uncooperative. Fortunately he seemed a good soul. He recognized my sincere respect for his work and interest in how to make this right.

I didn't think the project was that necessary to begin with. Had anyone known the real deal, Bringing it back to a better state would have been a simple thing. A maintenance process which ought to be done yearly. It has been four or five years.

This makes for early morning because I need to get some things done at fatcat house #1 and be in the area when Raul can get there. Could be I need to seriously find another line of work. Could be I'll learn something very good which can be applied to a range of items.

Boy did I sweat this out when the mystery phase was in full swing; hours of research, inquiries to every source I could find on the subject. Research did put me on the right track but I couldn't be sure of details. Inquiries to various outfits in the area yielded absolutely nothing.

Please, wood finishing gods, make sure Raul shows up and is in a benevolent mood. He holds the cards. Still, I need to recognize the stroke of good fortune that got me to this point, knowing some of what I'm dealing with and who is the master of such things. For that I do feel rather fortunate.

Another incident which reinforces what coworkers said about me long ago--for an unlucky guy, I'm the luckiest guy around.


This is less than a third of the overall deal.
It dried to a less hideous aspect than what you see here. Not that it was supposed to look good at this point. Had to do with ---never mind. It is what it is.

Yes, I know. I can be as big an idiot and nincompoop as anyone I ever called out for such buffoonery.

I've not slept all that well for a couple of nights. Maybe I could be a politician. You don't have to do anything right and when you screw up you just do things to make it worse then blame someone else.

Appealing to Emotion in Lieu of Reason

No way to escape all the heat over AZ making a law in response to the failure of the feds to manage immigration in an organized manner. The emotions run high with people who find their own farms and ranches to be unsafe, and those who feel crime against citizens result. Emotions also run high among people who want to be here, are here, and often have some family ties.

Then you get organizations which promote a little more fear and hatred than is warranted. They have their own agenda and it has far more to do with power than compassion. I'm sorry but I do not give credence to organizations based solely on the politics of race, rather than true freedom and equal treatment under the law. We are ending up with class hatred and racial polarization in the name of things which cloak themselves in half truths and which turn a blind eye to reality.

Finally I located the entire text of the AZ law. At least it is short enough that maybe those voting on it actually read it, unlike many federal laws. It is mostly full of things that one would think are standard operating procedure to begin with, however I can see some danger in it.

In my view AZ has the right to make laws instructing law enforcement to enforce laws. Even so, I am skeptical of long term value of the measure.

It is quite clear in reading this that AZ has a problem, and that problem is lack of support from the feds who are not doing their job in protecting borders. The big trouble is that many who cross the border illegally are committing crimes and burdening the social services of the border towns and beyond.

Federal entities have shown a lack of concern, at best, and even support, at worst, for the gang and criminal activity which relies on illegal crossing of the border. That makes it tough for those who are actually looking to do work where work is. The non-violent illegals will be dealt with more harshly due to the riffraff. If not for the crime and abuse of services, there would not be much worry about the others.

The worst of it is that what all this is being used to do is to enlarge another voter block based on race, fueled by appeal to emotion rather than reason. That appears to be at least one motive for some of the insane reactions such as sanctuary cities and such. Those things open a door to the undesirable elements who are taking advantage of a system that increasingly punishes citizens while ignoring threats.

I would more allow the officers to determine legality when a stop is made rather than put them under a requirement. There are a lot of times when it would be better for them to let the guy go. It's a case by case thing. They check for a license anyway and that serves as enough documentation under the law. You get caught just floating around in the country without any legal status, then you run into some trouble. Isn't that already the deal?

Given the probability that a lot of the law enforcement personnel is Hispanic, just like the border patrol, I can't see this as a racially biased measure. If I got stopped with no ID and had the aspect of someone from Russia or even Ireland, I would be in the same boat as anyone else. In reality most people entering the country illegally into Arizona are from Mexico. That does not make race an issue. The issue is illegal entry, expense of those taking advantage of tax paid social services and crime, more than anything else.

Somehow the overall treatment of thing has not been working or there would not be people getting murdered on their ranches, setting up camp on private property, violence scaring the people, etc.

When the Mexican government complains, there is something way wrong. Just see how easy it is to gather a bunch of undocumented people there to protest in Mexico city. See how Guatemalans are treated sneaking across the southern border of Mexico. Their laws are far more strict and unyielding than ours. They are not nearly as nice to those who enter illegally. They have no right to say a thing, and it is insane that we give them the slightest credibility. They need to run their own country in a decent way so people aren't so desperate to escape, and so it is not so dicey for Americans to visit.

It looks like this thing has blown into a gigantic cloud of lies which provide fertile ground for demagogues and self serving groups to jockey for more power as they foment unwarranted hate and fear. It is not a sanctioned roundup of everyone of Mexican heritage, and it may be a slight door opener which may have other consequences. Mostly it only reiterates federal law but requires cops to enforce it.

If someone has committed some sort of infraction, he's always going to be scrutinized by cops. If this was a racial thing, I could see the fear of police creating excuses for stopping people to remain within the bounds of the law while actually harassing people. I've been subjected to that in Miami back in the old days and I have no faith in the benevolence of law enforcement in the long run.

That is the main danger of this law and many others; it could come back to bite innocent people minding their own business, down the road. And it won't be the ones who are now rioting and throwing rocks. Just like homeland security has managed to place innocents under more harassment in response to threats from others. Much like the war on drugs measures which suspended probable cause and the practice of setting up roadblocks making everyone show ID and prove innocence.

There must be a way to untie the hands of local authorities in communities which suffer from the spill over of violent gang and drug cartel activity without having race baiters incite riots and threaten citizens. Hatred of arrogant freeloaders and criminals is somewhat common. Hatred of people from Mexico and others of Mexican descent is far less prevalent. Hatred of gringos is becoming encouraged and widespread, simply by falsely convincing Hispanics that they are victims and under threat.

I still wonder how anyone can believe homeland security is actually concerned about keeping terrorists out when they do so little to keep criminal elements out. It does add to the confusion that many illegals are not really criminally motivated. Just a case in which they heard the thing to do if you can't wait out the red tape is cross over, make some money and live better. Plenty of second and third generation American citizens who find themselves in dire straits wish they had such a clear cut way to salvation.

I don't know. The law most reiterates what is already in federal law, and cites such. Not worth the flap. They do have a right to try to keep their community safe and their hospitals and schools affordable.

No other country I know of has as much leniency toward immigrants, legal or illegal. Mexico certainly doesn't.

Although I don't think the law will promote the rounding up of everyone who looks Hispanic, if some encouragement by law admin is put in place along the lines of traffic ticket quotas, it could be abused. I just find it hard to believe that in light of the problems caused by massive illegal entry, which are undeniable, that people support measures which make it impossible to combat, and that the feds totally play politics rather than curtail the problem.

Many people would rather get in an emotional frenzy rather that look at the truth, and then there are those who salivate at any chance to make an issue racial which isn't.

Self Hypnosis

I AM A NON SMOKER. I HAVE NEVER ENJOYED TOBACCO.
MY LUNGS ARE CLEAN, PINK AND FREE OF OBSTRUCTIONS.
I'VE NEVER SMOKED. I AM A NON SMOKER. I'VE ALWAYS
BEEN A NON SMOKER. I WAS BORN A NON SMOKER.
I HAVE AN AVERSION TO INHALING SMOKE. IT IS NATURAL TO
RESIST INHALING SMOKE. I AM NATURALLY SMOKE FREE.
I AM A NON SMOKER.

I HAVE NO COMPULSION TO SMOKE CIGARETTES
I'M COMFORTABLE BEING SMOKE FREE.
I'M HAPPY I AM SMOKE FREE, AND HAVE NO DESIRE WHATSOEVER TO SMOKE

I'M TOO SEXY FOR MY SHIRT,
TOO SEXY FOR MY SHIRT,
ETC.
ETC.

I Don't Get Earth Day

Really, I don't.

It only makes economic sense when you can re-use things, or if various products degrade easily once used. It costs money to deal with trash that doesn't go away. Lots of things can be incorporated into other materials used for building or whatever. It is nothing new.

The general tone of earth day seems to be self righteous sacrifice which is often meaningless. That is not to say things that can supply heat or power without buying consumable material like oil aren't desirable. But I do not sit in awe of those who have sworn off toilet paper or who want to use taxes to change behavior and skew the market.

The logical progression of things is toward methods and designs that get more use out of a unit of fuel and such as that.

I still can't help but remember when people who wanted to produce their own power by water power off the creek out back and by other means were once characterized and right wing militia types and forbidden from dong those things. Mills which once used a waterwheel to power the looms, then later used the wheel to power a generator were forbidden from doing so. They were required to buy the power from the utility companies.

Keeping those examples in mind, it could be said that government involvement and support of one group or company over another has actually slowed the progress of the development of renewable cheap energy. Why, now, would I want people who can't design anything to control the progress of such art? It has become an emotional movement which gets passionate and militant, often using half baked studies and dubious conclusions in a campaign against technology in almost any form.

The aspect to the day which induces goody-goody wannabes to behave in that "look at me and praise me, I'm picking up trash and not using toilet paper much", leaves me cold. Then again, most intentionally conspicuous "service" does that.

I saw a Mexican man in Alpine walking toward the corner where they gather in case someone wants to hire labor. Maybe illegal, maybe not. His garb, hat, and genral body characteristics left now doubt as to nationality. He was cool.

As he was walking, he would stop, wait for a clearing in traffic then go into the street and pick up trash he saw there. he also picked up plastic bottles and fast food bags off the sidewalk. There were no trash bags so he bundled it together and put in sort of off the sidewalk in a neat clump where it could be picked up by whoever might have a bag or something. It was an improvement.

I found it interesting that he did this as he went on his way. No sign suggesting everyone look at him. No group effort. No in your face approach looking for a pat on the back. Just a reasonable effort because he must have found the idea of trash in street aesthetically offensive. Now that kind of guy elicits more respect from me than those who try to tell everyone else how to live.

Information is good and I guess some use the earth day thing to disseminate some good knowledge. It is the political aspect that turns me off. And the self martyrdom for attention. There is a line that is usually politically incorrect to point out which often gets crossed "for a good cause", or "for the greater good". It always involves minding the business of others, or some sort of pushy tactics that suspend respect for personal territory, and usually promote more rules and regs.

I'm all for cheap energy, maximization of resources through better design and invention, but not through force of government which ends up promoting one person, group or company over another.

Anyway, I am usually suspicious of large groups and crowds pushing anything. I wonder if they'd get together and roll cars powered by a V8 or other huge power plant. That would be fun.

I saw a banner on a site asking what you will do for earth day. One example was not print out anything on paper. Geez. It must be like Lent. Later in the week that person will print out what did not get printed today, but it sure felt good and warm to refrain today.

I take the fun out of everything.

I snatched this off of an earthday site. These are comments in which people boast about their wonderful efforts to Save the Earth. I'm sorry. What these people should be worshiping is not the earth but the people who invent better ways of dealing with it. Without them, humans would have a much shorter life span and a far more painful existence. Of course many people use good invention to promote pain and worse. I credit the worship of government and its resistance to performing its proper functions for much of that
Here you go:
TAKE ACTION

View all
I'll use my outdoor clothes line from spring to fall and set up an indoor one in the basement for winter.
When I walk along trails, beaches, rivers, lakes, or parks - I pick up trash others have left, and I yell at smokers who throw their butts on the ground or in sewers.
I will use a reusable water bottle ...
stop banging so many girls :D
gathered greens from the flower shop I work at and composted them

Saturday Benefit Gig

Bands do benefits primarily because they aren't booked elsewhere, and to see if a crowd who is otherwise occupied will receive them well. Then there is the matter of actually wanting to contribute to whatever effort the event is promoting. The motivation is generally ranked in that order.

All those acts you see in various high profile benefits are primarily there for the recognition. That is not bad, but it is fun to watch them pretend altruism. I'm not positive there actually is such a thing as altruism. You may feel it is the right thing, and the right thing satisfies a desire which is based on some form of reward; eternal life, parental approval, self esteem, something positive that involves the individual.

I play whatever the band wants to play. I'd be hesitant to play a political rally and unlikely to play a particular candidate's picnic, although if the person was as radically inclined as I am, I would consider it.

The gig Saturday is a benefit for a type of cancer and specifically to raise money to help a young person afflicted in that town. These are horse people and the festivities include an equestrian event. I'm predisposed to a fondness for horse people and ranchers. My great uncles were ranchers and I've found something in that culture to be uplifting and honorable. It feels like a lost part of me even though I don't care to eat cows and I have rarely ridden horses.

I just hope that by the time we play the horses are secured where the harmonica won't freak them out. I'd hate to be responsible for a thrown rider, stallions and mares all of a sudden finding themselves driven to mate in uncontrollable frenzy, or other inconvenient behavior. Then again, maybe some of that would be cool. If the humans were so affected, I'd have done my job quite well.
'
Perhaps I can get some of it on video. The trouble is I have yet to find anyone who doesn't get bored or confused to the point of poor result when filming. Either the visual is primarily of the sky or the ground, or the sound is bad because they park themselves off to the side or behind the speakers so all you hear is them talking on the phone or conversing with passers by.

This little group has become better, I think. We are sort of countryish folkish. I used to not like folk at all but I've found some is good and allows for interesting back up playing. It has been quite a challenge to adjust and not go the wrong way when anticipating chord changes. It is a diferent way of playing than rock/blues, and I am sure it has expanded my scope.

The fun thing for me is that we are now doing a song I wrote for the Memphis band, but we do it as an instrumental. Mostly I just play a long and unusual solo with guitars trying to manage the rhythm. They've been doing well with it and I appreciate how they have found good parts to put in. They wanted to come up with something that allowed me to get as crazy as I want. Finally, I have a chance to let go in a minor key and play whatever I want. I'm never overly happy with what I do but it seems to go over well.

Otherwise the group is vocally oriented. The other three have good voices and make interesting harmony. The singing is rather good. I also like their guitar work and the girl's use of shakers and tambourine to create good rhythm help. I'm too erratic to make a shaker sound right. She's got it down. I get to play background and accent--my preferred role. Being a front man has not been my goal unless I was the guy doing the crowd chatter between songs. That has rarely happened, but it should have.

Another satisfying thing about that song is that I heard the old band is still doing it. In their case I doubt it is much of a harmonica based lead situation. No doubt the guitar carries it and now that they have a keyboard, he probably rocks it. I'd like to hear their current take on it. The bass player filled me in on the info that they have done it lately to great crowd response. If they were making any real money from it I'd be demanding a cut.

The picture up top is off of an equestrian place in Ramona. Maybe that is where we'll play. It will be something similar. It has to be because Ramona is not a huge place.

I'll bet they have had some snow the past couple of days. I'm hoping the weather service is right that it will be sunny by Saturday.

Where Not Seeing the forest for the Trees Strips Freedom

Just to get one point out of the way, I am all for anyone who does a good job and upholds their induction oath for serving in the military. I do not think race should be an issue. I don't care if you are gay. Those things should not be used as an issue by the individual or the institution.

Reality is, we once drafted people for something they did not want to do. In the current climate that could happen and the gays fighting the present set up are removing the exemption for the many gays who wouldn't want to go. I do not really care. It is an interesting twist and I hope those same people will fight against a draft if it comes up.

That all relates to being a subject of the state as opposed to a free citizen to whom the state is accountable. The reason for a constitution is to limit powers of the the government, leaving most power to the individual and to localities--theoretically in the US.

Issues like marriage and abortion fool people into subjugation without seeing it. Rather than fight for gay marriage, I'd fight to keep the state out of marriage altogether. The only reason they are involved is for tax purposes and the tax system is insane, unintelligible, abusive and wrong. There are better, simpler ways which both bring in the dollars and leave people alone. It is about control over people. Someone makes money and secures power that way, but it is a corrupt setup.

That control is what allows a state to dictate those things. Otherwise people would work it out with various churches or whatever. The purpose of marriage was probably to make sure you didn't run off and leave the other and/or offspring in a lurch. Like most things involving big governments, it got more screwed up the more it became under the auspices of the tax man and his pals. There is nothing in the way our constitution was written which indicates there is any point in the feds being involved in it.

Republicans pretend to think parents should have control of their children, and the state should not seek ownership of them, as many current programs effectively seek to do. Yet they generally tend to think the state should take responsibility from conception by opposing leaving the choice of termination to the mother. Why they get so wound up, I am not sure. Until it is out and breathing, let her do what she wants, right or wrong. Anything else opens the door to micro management down the road of your children. It simply is not a case in which strangers, or the state ought to interfere. Have agencies offering alternatives if you like, but forget forcing and intimidating people. Have your own damned babies.

Democrats tend to think it is up to them to dictate how to raise children once they are here. From conception on there are political people who want to decide the fate of your brat. Now they want to decide what you feed the kid. I've noticed that what is pushed in the world of diet changes regularly.

When I was a kid, if the same sort of people had their way who like to dictate things now, I'd have been put in child services for not eating meat, not much milk, and rarely, white bread. Now they want to force the kids to eat pretty much how I was fed.

I find these things bizarre. I guess the reason state interference in marriage and birth is not fought is because people fear freedom. That accounts for a lot. The motivation behind that gets more complicated and tangled in egos as well as deep dark corruption. The useful puppets see narrow benefit from the intrusion on various rights depending upon their position. Economic or social freedom. Some people see a separation and think you can have one and not the other.

I see no real mass movement which actually is not afraid of freedom. They draw the line somewhere; abortion, interference abroad, generosity with the wealth of others, truly having no racial preference or barrier, you name it.

We've developed laws which favor one industry over another, certain groups over others, etc. Equal protection, equality under the law lost meaning. Maximum freedom requires it.

The fact that so much is going on and I know the information blasted out is largely false traps me as well. Just that I would sit here trying to put what I think I know in words regarding all these causes and oppression of the majority and of the government, implies that I am not seeing what is free and spending my time on that. There is real life and I'm falling into the trap of not getting the most out of it. That makes me a useful puppet as well. That is no good.

Besides it is like banging my head against a wall. I should talk about women and coyotes and what's for dinner.

4-20 Yesterday, Today The Weather is Odd: Coincidence?

All across the country people smoked pot in public, sometimes making the air smokey on purpose without regard to climate consequences.

They all exhaled in unison in Boulder, as shown in the picture above. Where are the eco-police? What about the ban on tobacco in the open air in places like San Diego?
Or San Francisco. People were polluting the air by the Golden Gate Bridge. This has to be horrible for earth's fever.

I know it is affecting the weather because, here it is late April and it snowed within 20 miles of me. I drove through sleet on the way home, and past an electronic police sign on the highway which warned of winter storm conditions.

Now I know why. All them pot heads celebrating the annual day of civil disobedience in support of decriminalizing the lovely weed. The photo proves it. First that, then today, this.

If only people in this country would refuse to cooperate with some other things as well.

Somehow I suspect that many of these people are the same ones who want to control what you drive, ban smoking where it hurts no one, and believe that all things derived from oil are evil, etc. Probably big on the rights of bears to eat you up, too.

Well, I guess I am encouraged at any sort of rebellion at this point. I just wish the principle involved meant something.

Whatever they are, I think this picture is better evidence than any hockey stick that the weather in southern CA is the fault of hippie wannabes in Boulder and elsewhere, all blowing their hippie smoke in the sky at 4:20 Pm on 4/20.

Darn it. Where was I? I should have driven by the parks and campuses for closer investigation. I may have been able to trap enough of the smoke in my car to prevent this man made weather crisis. I could have been a hero.

What Are the Possibilities:accounting for morons in blogosphere

Either people cannot read or, if they can, they can't follow a thought, or I am unable to express a cogent clear thought in writing.

Besides being kind of funny, in an odd way, I thought the idea that doing away with don't ask don't tell sets a huge group of people up for the draft whenever it is reinstated (and I think that day will come) was a clever view of the situation.

It is one of those damned if you do, damned if you don't. However there is enough acceptance at this point that gays can easily serve in the military, even though they have to keep the private life low key.

At the other blog which often mirrors this those who read and commented never even got what I was saying. They thought I was concerned with whether gays are soldiers or not. What idiots.

If someone can at least disagree with me based on what I say I'd appreciate it. Over there when someone disagrees, they totally ignore the content.

I guess that is why I sometimes tread that PC line, especially in the title. It is like the scuzzier of talk shows. They read enough to count for a sound byte, then they give their sage opinion, never knowing what the hell they are addressing.

It's a sad aspect of current day society. Knee jerk reactions and labels but not even the courtesy to listen or to read a thing through before attacking it.

Maybe it is KCL. It could be the site is loaded with nincompoops, or people who see themselves as victims so they lash out at anyone nervy enough to think out loud without skirting around all the things that we pretend aren't what they are.

Militant Poofs are Crazy

Here's a case in which people think they are getting something special but it could be disaster: Doing away with Don't Ask- Don't Tell

If I was gay, I'd push to keep the status quo. Anyone who remembers the dark days of the draft ought to understand. They herded guys between 18 and 26 (I think) into the marines and army so they could then fight a limited war in Vietnam. Limited means we play by narrower rules than the enemy and put our own people in more danger than we should, while dragging out the entire operation for far too long.

Limited war means most us probably don't know with certainty and conviction what we are doing there and what we intend to accomplish. Many officers had plans which would have changed the course of that war, but politicians nixed all but the least effective. It was not a good thing. Kennedy and LBJ got that ball rolling. Nixon eventually said to hell with it and we had a messy withdrawal.

No matter what you think of that, being forced into the military according to how your birthdate was drawn in a lottery, or under any conditions, is not a pleasant thing if you had other plans for your life, and saw no pressing danger to your country which would motivate you to fight. In the old days if you proclaimed that you were gay, you weren't taken.

The draft changed many a life, even if you didn't get drafted. You were not the master of your life or future. No choice. If the war was a good idea, few could argue that the way it was conducted was a good plan. How can you send people into these things then limit your ability to succeed on purpose? Criminal.

Now you can serve if you are gay, but you'd also be able to avoid the draft if it went into effect right now. Arguing against this setup just puts you under the boot if they decide to go back to that involuntary servitude set up.

I don't care who serves, but if I were gay, and young enough to be in their crosshairs, I'd be careful about losing my emergency exit plan. Women could be in the same boat as well. It is good that anyone is free to pursue a chosen career, but the fewer people eligible for legal enslavement, the better.

You absolutely cannot trust the legitimacy of any police action or war, declared or not, that this government might initiate. I understand that gays want to be considered like everyone else, except that they want crimes against them to carry heavier penalties and such. Hate crime madness aside, I think they should take a good look at the present system which may discourage strutting their sexual preference in the military, yet it affords special treatment should forced service come about. Ad that is not a far fetched possibility.

Oh well. I just hate to see anyone unknowingly put themselves under any sort of involuntary servitude. And that's the other side of changing don't ask-don't tell.

Over the years my view of that whole thing changed. At first it was "when my country calls, I must answer". Now I believe that those doing the calling are self serving evil lunatics and they take advantage of the patriotism of the masses. They lie, and deceive in order to have citizens do their dirty work. If it comes to true defense the story may be different.

We've gone with these vague wars with unclear goals and definition for so long, I'm not sure the public would recognize a real threat worth fighting against. I'm not convinced totally that we are actually fighting crazy terrorists over there so we don't have to fight them here. We've armed most of our enemies over the years, before they became our enemies. The routine is flawed in my opinion.

Whatever. I thought gays were supposed to be brighter than average. Begging to be in the loop when the slave state comes down does not reflect much intelligence.

It may be a little simplistic, but if you look at it, democrats have been pushers of slavery, while republicans have been quick to put a patriotic spin on it. The Vietnam draft really ramped up under Kennedy and Johnson, and republicans at the time wanted to shoot those who didn't comply--an exaggeration, but for effect. Now they want forced community service and insurance purchase. I'm nt sure what republicans want. They sometimes say what makes sense then manage to do the opposite.

This is one case in which the cause may be opposite of what those fighting for it think. Unless they trust that they'd only be drafted for the noblest of purposes. I have no such trust in the powers that be.

My Kind of Cat

There have been two sightings of mountain lion(s)--it could be the same one--in my area in the last 10 days or so. One lady saw one "leap across the road" as she was driving on the paved road at the bottom of ballistic mountain, and some other people saw one cross the dirt road almost up to Ballistic Cabin (or Kabin, if you are into kamping lite, like myself)

Considering all the rabbits I see running around when I drive in at sundown, the eating should be good for all the local predators. I'm hoping to see a cougar vs coyote showdown in my backyard sometime. So far that hasn't happened. As swell as the coyotes are, I'll be on the side of the cat. If I am feeling particularly disconnected with reality when this event occurs, I'll jump down with my machete and help the cat. A pack of coyotes can be a troubling foe for any animal.

My brother has cautioned me several times not to think coyotes are safe to feed and pet. Such is the family's view of my level of common sense and general knowledge. I'll refrain from expressing my views about the mountain lion vs coyote scenario for that would surely elicit a lecture regarding the deadly nature of being eaten by wild animals with big teeth.

I've seen one bobcat since living here, and I hope to see a mountain lion, but not with any part of my body in its mouth or claws.

Cougars are less annoying than bears because they don't raid coolers looking for sandwiches and deviled eggs, while the park service lays down impossible rules for defending against them. Bears have all the rights. They are as smart and sneaky as lawyers. I have no idea how you can carry or eat any food without a bear sensing it. Because they know how to get into cars and coolers in CA and even know what containers likely yield food--even without their keen sense of smell, I'm reluctant to go places I'd like due to my fear of bears. Not to mention over aggressive squirrels.

The whole thing started when supposed animal lovers thought it would be cute to feed the furry creatures in the parks. Over the years it has become a huge problem, yet some people still do these stupid things. Now you have entitlement minded squirrels, bears, raccoons, and in Florida, alligators. No surprise that you have people in Florida dumb enough to feed gators. I knew plenty of that sort when I lived there.

Anyway, I think one should be able to have some sort of serious deterrent when venturing into the wilderness. Most of the things I'd suggest would never meet the approval of those who think "bears are people, too", or "they were here first, so we are trespassing on their land". Show me a single animal who gives a damn about what is yours and what is theirs unless certain ass kicking results from intrusion.

OK. So, mountain lions generally leave you alone. They don't steal much, they just attack or not. And even the forestry service advises you to fight them off or throw rocks if they appear aggressive and you can't easily get away. Don't turn your back or they might jump on you and sever your spinal cord with a single bite. That's how they do it. Let them bite your nose instead.

Bears, on the other hand, can be more complicated. There was a kid with a scout group who tossed a rock at a bear who was confronting him and his buddies. They were trying to shoo it away. the kid got in a lucky shot and it killed the bear---a one in a billion chance, I think. What happens? The kid got arrested!! he's probably still on probation. That was out west somewhere. Not sure if it was California. I wonder if they tacked on a little extra, labeling it a hate crime.

This has been a public service bulletin from Ballistic mountain.

I wonder if there is a connection between these sightings and the recent lack of coyote activity.