Extinction, Anyone?

I just heard on the radio about US efforts to eradicate poppy fields in Afghanistan or someplace. Why do we want to do that? To beat the drug cartels. Why do we have drug cartels? Because the price of illegal drugs is so high. Why is the price of a naturally-occurring, cheap-, and easy-to-produce substance so high? Because the US government made them illegal, and crooks have to be well-paid for their nefarious activities to make up for the risk of prison. And because drug addicts will have their poison, no matter what it costs.

But isn't 'eradicate' something like 'to make extinct'? Has the US government decided that a plant that God created is not worth having around anymore? What happened to the Endangered Species Act? What happened to the Sierra Club, Greenpeace, and all those types? Where are they in all this?

Is there another solution to this 'problem'? What if we let the air out of the drug cartels' tires? We could do this by taking the profit out of the illicit drug trade. How? If these drugs were legal, other producers would enter the market at much lower prices. (Economics 101)

Let's attack this problem from the other end. Let's say a bunch of people have a problem. They like narcotics. Now, this is a medical problem. It could also be a moral problem, depending on your beliefs. Why also make it a legal problem? You deal with medical problems with treatment. You deal with moral problems with education. When you introduce the criminal justice system into it, then you have police, prosecutors, judges, jailers, smugglers, dealers, cartels, and a vast network of clandestine suppliers. You've created a whole new industry. An industry, by the way, which has cost the United States trillions of dollars over the past 70 years or so.

We even have a man in Washington in charge of US 'drug policy'. He probably makes a couple hundred grand a year to sit in an office and oversee the 'war on drugs', which we have been losing for 30 years or more. How many people do you know who make such a handsome salary for failure?

So we go out and try to 'eradicate' the plants that some really poor farmers in Afghanistan are raising so they can feed their families. You know this has been tried before, don't you? You know it failed before, don't you? And if we were able to eradicate all the poppy flowers, and all the coca trees, and all the marijuana plants in the world, we would have fewer species left in the world, and addicts (kids, too) would turn to synthetic drugs made in homemade labs. Oh, yeah, they've already done that.

Gun Rights the Answer to Crime

We just heard about a tragedy in Newark, NJ, where 4 young adults were lined up and shot during a robbery.

The mayor said a lot was being done to round up fugitives and help ex-convicts reintegrate into society. Both of these are fine things to do. However, if a single law-abiding citizen had been in the vicinity carrying a concealed weapon, this tragedy could have been stopped. If more law-abiding citizens were armed, these criminals would think twice about doing this.

Let's face facts. If New Jersey insists on keeping the vast majority of its population unarmed, the gangs and other criminals will feel safe to kill whomever they want. The police can't be everywhere. The largest deterrent to crime is the feeling among criminals that the next house they break into could lead to their death.

This is related to the 911 mentality. Many Americans are willing to give up all their civil rights so that the government can protect them. What they don't realize is that the government, the police, the Department of Homeland Security, cannot protect us all. Never have, never will. Self-defense is a fundamental human right in all societies.

You all need to wake up and smell the coffee.

Wow, is this guy ever going to write?

It's been a really long time since I've published. What with work being crazy, trying to do some drawing and painting, and scanning all my old sketchbooks into digital form, writing has been really far down my priority list. I'm going to start posting some sketches soon.

It's been raining almost every day for over a month. I lost track of how much we've had, buy my pond has been running over for a long time. We've just got out and mowed the pasture for the first time this year (still not finished - hay, just getting started) The flowering plants are as tall as the rear tire on my tractor in places, about 4 ft. or so. I was going to try to cut a dead tree off the back side of my tank dam, haven't been able to get near it. I think a machete and an ax are called for.

A friend of mine, Yarnmaven, turned me on to Mustang grape jelly, so I went out to the county road near my house and picked 4 gallons. We've made three batches of jelly.

Interesting

Your Life Path Number is 6

Your purpose in life is to help others You are very compassionate, and you offer comfort to those around you. It pains you to see other people hurting, and you do all in your power to help them. You take on responsibility, and don't mind personal sacrifice. You are the ultimate giver. In love, you offer warmth and protection to your partner. You often give too much of yourself, and you rarely put your own needs first. Emotions tend to rule your decisions too much, especially when it comes to love. And while taking care of people is great, make sure to give them room to grow on their own.

What Is Your Life Path Number?

Not Enough Time

There's never enough time to do all the things you want to do, plus the things you need to do, plus the things someone thinks you should do. Right now, my desk at home is piling up with bills and bank statements waiting to be entered. The cows need to be fed, the llamas need to be sheared, the hay man will be over in about a week, and dead wood is laying around my pasture. I need to catch some fish out of one of my ponds and transfer them to another pond, but usually it's too hot or I'm too tired. I've really gotten back into the flytying thing. I spent some time yesterday gathering up tools and door prizes for my classes. Saturday I spent some time at our local fair, and helped with a chili cook-off. That plus playing with our granddaughter, eating out Friday night, and watching a couple of movies, and it was a very full weekend.

As we get older, we realize how little time we have to do more things with less energy. There must come a point where we start to jettison some of our activities. It is a clarifying experience. I pity those who never reach that point.

Flytying class

On Wednesday I taught a flytying class for Camp Coca-Cola, to some 7-9th graders. Although teaching kids to tie flies is rather tedious and way less fun than teaching fly casting, it was curiously enjoyable. I think it was a combination of the drive, getting out of the office, the setting, and the young people. They were very nice.

I wasn't exactly late, but I wasn't early, and that cut into class time just for setting up tables, etc. I had planned to do some knot-tying, but skipped that. We finished one fly and then I rushed to give out door prizes. I think they all enjoyed it, and I got rid of some of my boodle. (Boodle - the stuff you collected years ago, and no longer have a need for. I don't know if that's a real definition, or I just made it up.)

The leaders of the camp were very nice, also, and after I signed out and was walking out the door, they gave me a "Camp Coca-Cola" baseball cap. I think I might do it again.

Save the Internet

I just wrote another letter to the FCC about the Internet. You can read my letter at http://www.savetheinternet.com/yourstory/280382. You should write one, too.