I’ve always been a little hesitant to talk about how good life is. On the one hand, I know that life has ups and downs. I’m glad to be up but don’t want someone who is down to feel worse. And, I’m almost superstitious, thinking one asks for trouble saying how good things are going.
On the other hand, I don’t mind telling Johnny_Mango has it good right now (and has known the ups and downs before). Vibrant and bright and capable of connecting with anyone (even me), he heads out each day to see, to listen, and to note.
Years ago I had the depressing realization that living by example, showing people the way to live, is completely lost on most people. We don’t have the time or interest to observe and learn through observation. We’ll buy millions of self-help audiotapes and instant-better-life-juice, but we won’t spend a minute learning from anyone but the self-anointed experts.
Jon’s too smart to set himself up as an expert and to offer you the 7 Secrets to Living in 5 easy installment. And yet, he’s a map to the good life. Pay attention. mjh
Oh, The Payne
Greg Payne makes a big deal about Eric Griego’s campaign’s failure to include occupations of donors. Isn’t it odd that a state rep doesn’t know that the Campaign Reporting Act only requires occupations for donors of $250 or more (http://www.sos.state.nm.us/pdf/campaign.pdf, page 9)? I wonder what Payne’s paperwork looks like (http://www.docs.sos.state.nm.us/, click ETHICS Login). mjh
Freedom of the Press
“Let it be impressed upon your minds, let it be instilled into your children, that the liberty of the press is the palladium of all the civil, political, and religious rights.” — Junius
Please read my column on the local struggle over a free press at www.dukecityfix.com. mjh
Chaco Canyon Home Page
Seeing an entry on Chaco Canyon at www.dukecityfix.com makes me point you to my Chaco Canyon Home Page. Lots of links, photos, maps, etc.
And it makes me start to worry about the hive mind we’re growing at TheFix. mjh
Wolf Haters
Boo-hoo for the poor wolf-haters who couldn’t get adequate representation in public meetings like the one held in Reserve, in Catron county, not a liberal hotbed. But, fortunately, they didn’t need public meetings if politicians will rush to kiss their asses.
The late Joe Skeen was a tireless wolf opponent. Steve Pearce may feel the same way, or he may just realize how valuable those non-conserving conservative supporters can be. Money buys access to power. mjh
ABQjournal: Wolf Recovery Plan Update on Hold By Tania Soussan, Journal Staff Writer
Efforts to update a recovery plan for endangered Mexican gray wolves have been put on hold indefinitely, delaying decisions about whether to relax rules of the Southwest’s wolf reintroduction program.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service suspended meetings of the recovery planning team and has no date set to resume the work, said Tracy Scheffler, a recovery biologist and primary liaison for the team. …
[E]nvironmentalists also are criticizing the Fish and Wildlife Service for sending high-level staff to meetings called by Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., to discuss a five-year review of the wolf program.
Pearce’s staff organized the meetings in Glenwood and Socorro for ranchers, hunters and guides who said they couldn’t express their concerns and opinions adequately at earlier public open houses held by the wolf recovery team.
Dave Parsons, a biologist and former leader of the wolf program, said the meetings gave wolf opponents access to higher-level decision makers than other members of the public got at the open houses.
Craig Miller of Defenders of Wildlife said the meetings illustrate the “sweetheart relationship” between the livestock industry and the Bush administration.
Oklahoma City
I remember the day after the bombing of Oklahoma City, I was at the Y. Two guys near me discussed loudly how likely it was that the government (read, “Democrats”) had blown up the building as a pretext to a coming fascist movement. I could only listen to so much of this madness before I said they were nuts. One of the two virtually exploded on the spot, pounding the adjacent stairmaster. “Do you want to take this outside?!,” he bellowed in rage. No thanks.
After he calmed down a bit, he sought me out to help me see the coming threat. “You see those little cameras above the traffic lights?” I felt sorry for him at that point, a little less afraid of him.
This guy was no liberal wacko. I doubt he voted for Kerry 9 years later. But he probably hates the Patriot Act even more than I do. Common ground in uncommon places.
Oklahoma City showed us the correct response — what we didn’t get right after 9/11. After OK City, we got the perpetrators (some of them). We did NOT turn the country into a frightened fortress. I still think the greatest threat is within. mjh
Domestic terrorism threats continue
Domestic terrorism threats continue By Frank Davies, KNIGHT RIDDER
As the nation marks the 10th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing today, the threat of domestic terrorism is being overshadowed by foreign terrorism, even though domestic terrorists have greater access than ever to knowledge they could use to kill large numbers of people. …
The cases of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh and Eric Rudolph, the anti-abortion terrorist who pleaded guilty last week to four bombings, demonstrated that “lone wolves,” with little help and loose ties to organized groups, can wreak havoc and even inspire copycats.