Ah summertime. Fresh fruit, warm evenings, tourist and fishermen. Lining the shores of our lakes and rivers are men and women, armed with rod and reel, angling for that trophy trout. And each proudly displays, hanging from their hat or dangling from a strap around the neck, a valid fishing license issued by the California Department of Fish and Game. That’s the law! This is good. Fishing without a license can be hazardous. Somebody could get a hook in the little finger. Or if you mixed up your bait box with your lunch bag you might end up eating a worm. So before I put a little wire hook on a piece of monofilament and toss it into the water I better be sure I have the appropriate document pinned to my chest. The game warden can tell at a glance if I am legally qualified to engage in such a dangerous activity.
But I can get into a two-ton hunk of steel and glass and charge down the road at sixty-five miles per hour straight toward some other idiot in a two-ton hunk of steel and glass without offering anyone any proof of anything. Oh, the car has to show valid registration, which just proves you paid your $138 at the DMV. It doesn’t even indicate the car has passed a safety test and has brakes. The CHP is not allowed to stop a driver until there is an obvious infraction.
When is the last time you heard of a dangerous felon, wanted for armed robbery and assault with a fly rod, being apprehended after a routine stop for fishing without a license?
Friday, October 30, 2009
Hodge-podge
During this election season much has been written and said about same-sex marriage. There has been no discussion of a more serious issue. One which threatens to destroy our two party system. Mixed marriage. When republicans marry democrats. It is a disturbing trend that has fueled our growing divorce rate. The real tragedy is the children. With no clear political identity the offspring of these unnatural unions grow up confused and misguided. Some of the statements uttered by these people show how truly muddled their thinking is. "Nixon was a crook with a great foreign policy." "I am deeply religious but I don't believe disgruntled employees should have easy access to assault weapons."These young people grow up exposed to various points of view and are rendered totally incapable of seeing the world in black and white. They go through life in a gray fog. Unlike normal people they are unable to judge a candidate based solely on a single letter after his name. ie, J. Smith (D). They are forced to consider facts when deciding how to vote. No wonder so many do not register. Many suffer a worse fate, they become the "undecideds". Blasted on all sides by pundits, spin doctors, and attack ads. Their fragile psyches fractured by so-called facts, innuendos, misinformation and down right lies. By election day they are mere quivering masses of flesh barely able to muster the strength to use a touch-screen voting machine.I must confess, I to am the result of a mixed marriage. Mom was from Oklahoma, dad was Californian. Sometimes, late at night, when no one is watching I put sushi on my cornbread.
OWL
Oct. 30, 2009
OWL
Oct. 30, 2009
I know what they think.
"That will embolden the terrorist." "It will give hope to the evil doers." From the President on down to “letters” we are told how something done by American politicians or uttered by a plain citizen in Des Monies is going to make the bad guys jump for joy. We were told that if the Democrats won the November election the leaders of Al Queda would declare victory and institute a national holiday. It didn't happen. Anyone who would strap seventeen pounds of dynamite to their chest, walk into a crowded market place and press the button is irrational. Or so it would seem. Trying to apply logic to their ideology is a fool’s errand.
From John Robinson's letter (April 18th Union Democrat), concerning the actions of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, "Their continued forays into foreign policy decision making serve only to fuel the Islamic Extremists." This may be true, I don't know. But where did he get this information? Like all the statements of the kind it is proffered without a hint of proof. There are writings by radical Islamic groups all over the net, spouting their rhetoric and inciting their followers to violence. I have not seen these sources quoted or referenced in any statement where someone pretends to know how these people think. My search of Islamic web sites found no reference to Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid
Americans must do what is best for Americans. That includes encouraging rational public discourse. It does not mean using terrorism as a boogey man to scare others into sharing your point of view based upon what you imagine would motivate a suicide bomber.
OWL
Oct. 30, 2009
From John Robinson's letter (April 18th Union Democrat), concerning the actions of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, "Their continued forays into foreign policy decision making serve only to fuel the Islamic Extremists." This may be true, I don't know. But where did he get this information? Like all the statements of the kind it is proffered without a hint of proof. There are writings by radical Islamic groups all over the net, spouting their rhetoric and inciting their followers to violence. I have not seen these sources quoted or referenced in any statement where someone pretends to know how these people think. My search of Islamic web sites found no reference to Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid
Americans must do what is best for Americans. That includes encouraging rational public discourse. It does not mean using terrorism as a boogey man to scare others into sharing your point of view based upon what you imagine would motivate a suicide bomber.
OWL
Oct. 30, 2009
EXTRA! EXTRA!
Someone is cutting down trees on their own property! Call a reporter! Make those nasty people stop! I live near the property where 50 oak trees are being cut down. (Union Democrat, Feb. 8). The clearing of this property has been going on for several months and I am glad it is being done. It sits in the middle of a densely populated area and is overgrown with oak, pine, willow, blackberry, poison oak, brush and dry grass. Some may describe it as "pristine". I prefer the term "fire hazard". There are some fine old oaks there but you have to look hard to see them from the road. So it does need cleaning up. Should I tell the owner how I want that done? If it is not done to my liking should I get the county involved? Should I make a new law so I can tell you what to do or not do with your trees? Maybe. Or maybe if I wanted to save these trees I could just buy the property in question. I live in a house where oak trees once stood. The property I manage was parkland years ago. The store where I buy my groceries stands on what was once a meadow. Etc. So if I really wanted to save the trees in Tuolumne County maybe I could just move somewhere else. Let a newcomer from Oxnard have my house, and office. I've enjoyed the foothills long enough, time to give some one else a chance. Or I can shut the gate at Jamestown and tell the rest of the world, "I got mine. Go away!"
OWL
Oct. 30, 2009
OWL
Oct. 30, 2009
heart by-pass
Bypasses on the road of life
Driving down the bypass the other day it hit me. I’ve been here to long. Nothing looks familiar anymore. Who remembers when J. C. Penny’s was downtown next to the only stop light? Vic’s at the north end of Washington was one of half a dozen gas stations in town. Across from the Red Church the “ 76” station closed down and the lot became the locus of a bitter custody battle between the Southland Corp. and the Tuolumne County Hysterical Society. Southland prevailed and Seven/Eleven moved in. Now they too have moved on. Greenley and Sanguinetti Roads were once quaint shortcuts. Now they have stoplights of their own. The Plaza and Junction Shopping centers stand on plots where the grass was once green late into the summer. The old movie theater played its last feature, and even the new cinema has given way to the Signature Ten. A new hospital has replaced the old and in Tuolumne a casino looms large on the horizon.
And now this ugly scar, the result of the emergency East Sonora gastric-triple-by-pass surgery. An operation which promises to relieve severe congestion and prevent bloating of the county coffers for years to come. Straight and level it runs. Looking as if it were carved by a race of space aliens, with no feeling for earthly aesthetics, for landing their intergalactic transport vessels. Are they coming to take me away?
Seventy million dollars to transform the beauty of our county into this? Maybe if they hadn’t moved quite so much dirt the new HI-WAY would not have cost so much
and could have fit a little better into the landscape.
OWL
Oct. 30, 2009
Driving down the bypass the other day it hit me. I’ve been here to long. Nothing looks familiar anymore. Who remembers when J. C. Penny’s was downtown next to the only stop light? Vic’s at the north end of Washington was one of half a dozen gas stations in town. Across from the Red Church the “ 76” station closed down and the lot became the locus of a bitter custody battle between the Southland Corp. and the Tuolumne County Hysterical Society. Southland prevailed and Seven/Eleven moved in. Now they too have moved on. Greenley and Sanguinetti Roads were once quaint shortcuts. Now they have stoplights of their own. The Plaza and Junction Shopping centers stand on plots where the grass was once green late into the summer. The old movie theater played its last feature, and even the new cinema has given way to the Signature Ten. A new hospital has replaced the old and in Tuolumne a casino looms large on the horizon.
And now this ugly scar, the result of the emergency East Sonora gastric-triple-by-pass surgery. An operation which promises to relieve severe congestion and prevent bloating of the county coffers for years to come. Straight and level it runs. Looking as if it were carved by a race of space aliens, with no feeling for earthly aesthetics, for landing their intergalactic transport vessels. Are they coming to take me away?
Seventy million dollars to transform the beauty of our county into this? Maybe if they hadn’t moved quite so much dirt the new HI-WAY would not have cost so much
and could have fit a little better into the landscape.
OWL
Oct. 30, 2009
wooden nickles
In the article headlined "Lowe's is a go", Union Democrat, Dec. 6, 2007, quoting city administrator Greg Applegate, "We are losing half a million dollars a year." The article goes on, sales tax alone is a $414,000 a year loss, he claims. Is this a new level of governmental incompetence? We are losing almost a half million dollars a year of sales tax that hasn't been collected on items that haven't been sold at a store that has not been built? And the amount we're losing is know so accurately?
I'm not really in favor or opposed to Lowe's. I'm opposed to public officials forgetting that they are not in business to make a profit, not putting the people first and mostly using language like "losing" to sway public opinion. Whatever their title, city administrator, tax collector, treasurer, chief petty parking enforcement dude or purveyor of the public trust, these people seem to think they have a right to our money. If there is a way to get more of it and they are not doing so, well then, "we are losing money". We are also losing money by not operating toll roads or taking a share from the gambling rooms and public houses on South Washington, which I understand were once quite numerous and a major contributor to the city coffers. I wish Greg would look into his crystal ball and tell me how much I am "losing" by not playing the lottery.
I really didn't understand what they meant by "losing" till I looked up "lose" in the dictionary: to fail take advantage of.
OWL
Oct. 30, 2009
I'm not really in favor or opposed to Lowe's. I'm opposed to public officials forgetting that they are not in business to make a profit, not putting the people first and mostly using language like "losing" to sway public opinion. Whatever their title, city administrator, tax collector, treasurer, chief petty parking enforcement dude or purveyor of the public trust, these people seem to think they have a right to our money. If there is a way to get more of it and they are not doing so, well then, "we are losing money". We are also losing money by not operating toll roads or taking a share from the gambling rooms and public houses on South Washington, which I understand were once quite numerous and a major contributor to the city coffers. I wish Greg would look into his crystal ball and tell me how much I am "losing" by not playing the lottery.
I really didn't understand what they meant by "losing" till I looked up "lose" in the dictionary: to fail take advantage of.
OWL
Oct. 30, 2009
Revoked
The Merits of A Drinking License
We have been attacking the problems of Drunk Driving from the wrong
perspective. Since a Motor Vehicle License becomes a de facto " drinking
license" at the age of twenty-one (eighteen in some states) this needs to
be clarified and strengthened by the institution of a " revocation of
drinking license" sentence. When a drinking person is convicted of
driving while under the influence, especially if they have an otherwise
clean driving record, it makes no sense to revoke or suspend their
driving license, driving isn't their problem. Their problem is alcohol
related and taking away the privilege of buying and consuming alcohol
would be a more logical solution. Simply stamp or imprint "May not
purchase alcohol" on their driving license.
Since not everyone is affected in a negative manner by the
consumption of alcohol, prohibition on a grand scale does not work.
However, the revocation of their "drinking license" would keep those
unable to control their use of this drug from becoming a threat to
society. This punishment would be in addition to fines, jail, probation,
and/or suspension of driving privileges.
This law would require the checking of ID for ALL sales of alcohol,
no matter the age or appearance of the consumer. Anyone allowing an
unlicensed person to buy or consume alcohol could be held legally and
financially responsible for the person's subsequent behavior. This
should not be construed as relieving the alcohol consumer of their
responsibility for their own behavior. By admitting that we are selling
a dangerous and potentially deadly substance and requiring a checking of
each "drinking license" we could attack the cause of the drunk driving
without destroying the person's ability to support himself and his
family.
Thank you for your consideration of this matter, I am certain that
the technology is available to make this a more workable solution than the
present "non-solution."
OWL
Oct. 30 2009
We have been attacking the problems of Drunk Driving from the wrong
perspective. Since a Motor Vehicle License becomes a de facto " drinking
license" at the age of twenty-one (eighteen in some states) this needs to
be clarified and strengthened by the institution of a " revocation of
drinking license" sentence. When a drinking person is convicted of
driving while under the influence, especially if they have an otherwise
clean driving record, it makes no sense to revoke or suspend their
driving license, driving isn't their problem. Their problem is alcohol
related and taking away the privilege of buying and consuming alcohol
would be a more logical solution. Simply stamp or imprint "May not
purchase alcohol" on their driving license.
Since not everyone is affected in a negative manner by the
consumption of alcohol, prohibition on a grand scale does not work.
However, the revocation of their "drinking license" would keep those
unable to control their use of this drug from becoming a threat to
society. This punishment would be in addition to fines, jail, probation,
and/or suspension of driving privileges.
This law would require the checking of ID for ALL sales of alcohol,
no matter the age or appearance of the consumer. Anyone allowing an
unlicensed person to buy or consume alcohol could be held legally and
financially responsible for the person's subsequent behavior. This
should not be construed as relieving the alcohol consumer of their
responsibility for their own behavior. By admitting that we are selling
a dangerous and potentially deadly substance and requiring a checking of
each "drinking license" we could attack the cause of the drunk driving
without destroying the person's ability to support himself and his
family.
Thank you for your consideration of this matter, I am certain that
the technology is available to make this a more workable solution than the
present "non-solution."
OWL
Oct. 30 2009
STP
I have heard many people here in the foothills express a desire to save our old growth forest, protect the environment, prevent the damming of free flowing rivers and tear down existing dams. Although these goals may be difficult they can be achieved if we reduce the demand for water and electricity in California. Here are ten simple steps you may take to help. 1. Don’t buy fresh fruits and vegetables. Most of the fresh produce sold in California is grown on land irrigated with water that was once stored behind dams. 2. Don’t drink wine. It takes thousands of gallons of water to make one gallon of wine. 3. Don’t flush! Go out into the forest that you love so much and bring a shovel. But don’t let the environmentalist see you. 4. Don’t do or say anything to get your name in the newspaper. Paper is made from trees. 5. Don’t ask the government to study anything. Government studies require tons of paper. 6. Stop communicating. Phones and computers use electricity. 7. Give up your car. Take public transportation, walk or ride a bike. This may not save water but no one is going to believe that you are serious about conservation when they see you idling at a stoplight, alone. 8. Get out of California. Less people, less demand for limited resources. 9. Leave the country. Move to a poor village in South America where there is no electricity or running water. Tell them how terrible it is to dam the rivers. 10. And the most helpful thing you can do to save the environment. Stop emitting hot air!
OWL
Oct. 30, 2009
OWL
Oct. 30, 2009
just a little ring
I have a telephone answering machine. This is a handy little device that allows friends, family and clients to leave messages for me when I am unable to come to the phone. Unfortunately it has only a limited memory and can take only a finite amount of messages. Now just imagine what is going to happen if every political party, self interest group and dime bag politician running for office leaves a message on my machine. It will become useless for its intended purpose and I will be forced disconnect it and throw it away. Recently two messages have been left on my machine in support of the current governor of Kalifornia which makes me want to wrap it up, drive down to Sacramento and put it some place warm and dark. Sideways. However this plan is not practical because Arnold is much larger than I am. And he has bodyguards. I digress. The practice of using peoples answering machines for advertising purposes, political or otherwise, must be discouraged. The fact that nether of the actual organizations involved, the California Republican Party or the California Chamber of Commerce, left a phone number, physical or email address to reply to was insulting. They invade our space with television and radio advertising, campaign signs and endless piles of junk mail. Then the message they leave on your phone seems to imply “Don’t call us, we’ll call you”.
OWL
Oct. 30, 2009
OWL
Oct. 30, 2009
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