Tuesday, February 28, 2012

First the loggers, now the other owls

I grew up in the tiny northern California town of Happy Camp. It started as a gold mining town in the early 1850s, but when the gold didn't pan out anymore, the dominant local industry quickly switched to logging. When I moved to Happy Camp in 1981, there were still several logging mills operating in the area; by the time I moved away to go to college in 1990, there was only one mill. Now there are none. No greater reason exists for this death of the local logging industry than federal logging restrictions that were put in place to protect the Northern Spotted Owl, a fragile bird that supposedly could only exist in old growth forests.

Now that the logging industry in Northern California has been killed off, it turns out that it may all have been for nothing anyway, as the Northern Spotted Owl is still dying off - to the tune of a 40% drop in numbers in the last 25 years. In fact, another species of owl is now being lined up for sacrifice much the same way the loggers were... all to save the Northern Spotted Owl.

The Washington Post reports that the Obama administration is all set to begin killing Barred Owls because they have been taking over the lands occupied by the Spotted Owl.

Judging by the tone of the Post piece, I get the feeling that the reporter is trying to soften the landing of this shoe being dropped. At one point the reporter tries to justify the killing of the Barred Owls by pointing out that in the past, the federal government has killed one species in order to save another species:
The plan to kill barred owls would not be the first time the federal government has authorized killing of one species to help another. California sea lions that feast on threatened salmon in the Columbia River have been killed in recent years after efforts to chase them away or scare them failed.
Here's the problem with that line of reasoning: We humans eat salmon, so there is a legitimate reason to beat back the onslaught of the sea lions. Spotted Owls, however, are not regularly on the menu... unless of course, as the old bumper sticker says, "I love spotted owls... especially fried in Quaker State!"

Happy Camp now relies on tourist dollars and swag from Uncle Sugar. I remember all the good people who moved away when the government caused the logging to dry up. What a shame that it turns out that this town was killed in vain.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

Monday, February 27, 2012

Attempt to poison your teacher, and you get "expelled"

Out of Fresno, California comes this all-too-typical story of an example of today's wayward youth:
Three California fifth-graders who confessed to using rat poison in attempts to harm their teacher are being moved to other schools.

The three students at Balderas Elementary School in Fresno admitted lacing the teacher's coffee and a cupcake with rat poison in two separate incidents, according to the Fresno Teachers Association and published reports.
First of all, the semi-happy ending:
Miraculously, the teacher never took a sip of the coffee or a bite of the cupcake.

One of the three accused students apparently had a change of heart and knocked the coffee cup out of the teacher's hand before she could drink from it.
Thank God.

Now the infuriating part, and yet another example of all that is wrong with our educational system:
All three students have been expelled and moved to other schools, according to KFSN. The two boys are being transfered to the Phoenix Academy, which does not sit well with at least one of its teachers.

"They should not be placed at another campus where now other staff and other students have to worry about," Phoenix Academy teacher David Coss told KFSN.

"Certainly like a campus like ours where these kids are going to be elevated to gods to many of our kids, they're going to say this is great 'maybe I can do something similar to a teacher or an adult.'"

The Fresno Teachers Association is also troubled by the case.

“This is but the latest example of the dangerous conditions that exist in Fresno Unified due to inconsistent enforcement of discipline and lack of consequences for students daily,” FTA President Greg Gadams told KMAS Radio. “Something has to be done and this is a prime place to start insuring teacher safety and student accountability.”
So many people don't realize this, but expulsion from school is not what it used to be. Nowadays, expulsion really isn't expulsion - it is really either a transfer to another school district, or an extended suspension that ends with the school year, and after a leisurely summer break, the student is free to return to the same school for the next school year. How do I know this? Duh, I'm a middle school teacher; this very thing has happened to me. I have watched students be expelled from my school, and then in August, at the start of the new school year, there they were, back at my school. Ah, but had they learned their lesson? Had they seen the light and cleaned up their act? Shee-yah, right.

OK then, if the school district won't do anything about these little miscreants, then at least they can face the long arm of the law for attempting to murder their teacher? Can't they? Sigh:
No criminal charges have been filed against the two boys and one girl, according to ABC's Fresno affiliate KFSN. The Fresno Police Department is continuing to investigate, but says there is little or no physical evidence remaining from the December incidents. The Fresno County district attorney's office will decide whether to press charges against the children.
Remember, we teachers are responsible for these kids' test scores.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

The miracle of modern technology

My sister-in-law is currently in India, staying the city of Chennai, which is in the southeastern tip of the country. She is there for ten days on work-related business.

Tonight, I watched my wife converse with her sister on Skype. My sister-in-law was on her iPad in her hotel room, and my wife was on our laptop in the office of our Sacramento home.

Web cams made it possible for the two of them to look at each other, and the sound was of such quality that it sounded like my sister-in-law was in the room. What really amazed me was the lack of delay. They were having an instantaneous, real-time conversation.

And she was in India. Absolutely amazing.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

Friday, February 24, 2012

Says the man who owed $26,000 in unpaid taxes

26 seconds of wisdom from our Treasury Secretary, Timmy Geithner:



The Obama-ites are really pushing this "rich need to pay their fair share" meme, aren't they? When Obummer has nothing else to run on, the class warfare card is about the only thing he can play.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

Thursday, February 23, 2012

President Obama "doubles down" on stupidity and racism

The hits keep on coming so "fast and furious" from our illustrious Dear Leader, that I can barely keep up. Think of this post as a clearing house of Obysmal's latest and greatest idiotic statements and actions... at least for the last three days.

First up we have this statement from The Chosen One regarding his obsession with spending government money (read: your money) on "clean" energy:
“A century of subsidies to the oil companies is long enough,” Obama said. “It’s time to end taxpayer giveaways to an industry that’s never been more profitable, and double-down on a clean energy industry that’s never been more promising.”
Did he really use the term "double down" in his speech to describe the spending of our tax dollars on his personal pipe dream? I most often hear the term "double down" used in describing gamblers who have just lost a boatload of money, but bet even more the next time because, by golly, this time they're gonna hit the jackpot! Technically, the term "double down" is most often used in the game of Blackjack when someone doubles their bet in return for receiving one more card in an effort to beat the dealer. If it pans out, you double your money; if not...? Either way, Obummer is using a gambling term in reference to the spending of my sweat and toil. Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy, doesn't it? And Obama's administration has been doubling down quite a bit lately. If you don't have time to watch the entire 4+ minutes of this CBSNews report, then watch just the first 45-seconds to get the gist of what I am talking about.



Next on the list comes Bam's blatant racial pandering to one of the most hilariously unnecessary political action groups in American history: African-Americans for Obama. This is not a joke. See for yourself:



I can think of some other groups along these same lines: How about Catholics for the Pope? Why not Fish for Water. Ski Resort Owners for Snow. The Toddler Coalition for New and Better Toys. I mean, seriously? Of course, the obvious question is what the reaction would be to Mitt Romney making a promo video for White-Americans for Romney, or Newt Gingrich promo-ing European-Americans for Gingrich. You know there would be hell to pay in the lamestream media. This Obama video, on the other hand? Meh. Even with his absolute amateur hour of a presidency, Barack Obama still enjoys his greatest support from black Americans. One would think that a group like African-Americans for Obama is just a bit of overkill. The basic message in Obama's promo you just watched is pretty simple though, is it not? Vote for me because I am black like you and I will give you free stuff that I have taken from other people.

I could write about this stuff all night, but I will limit myself to three examples this evening. The next stupid soundbite from our Dear Leader came today when he was mocking Republicans/Conservatives/Sane People who propose the shocking notion of increasing the supply of domestic oil out there as a way to bring down the price at the pump:
“Since it’s an election year, they’re already dusting off their three-point plans for two dollar gas. I’ll save you the suspense: Step one is drill, step two is drill, and step three is keep drilling,”
Straw Man much, Barack? Yes, that's all we call for is drill, drill, drill. First of all, you bet your a$$ that we call for that. We also call for the construction of more refineries. We also call for the importation of more oil through avenues such as the Keystone Pipeline that would have brought crude into the U.S. from Canada, who was more than willing to sell to us. Canada, if you recall, is not one of those desert-like countries in the Middle East that hates our guts and uses money from its oil profits to fund violent hatred of the United States. Hell, we even call for the private development of alternative energy solutions that work.

What is Obama's solution to high gas prices? I refer you back to my first item, which involves "doubling down" on the "clean energy" industry with our hard-earned tax dollars.

How anyone can continue to support this joke of a president is beyond me.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

ABC's Jake Tapper questions Obama administration's integrity; NPR flunky shows her displeasure

What a classic piece of video this is. Jake Tapper of ABC News is one of the few reporters in the lamestream media who is known to actually question the status quo that is the federal government and some of the corrupt practices in which they engage; practices that are carried out in great part because the Obama administration can be quite confident that they won't be questioned by the lamestream media.

Watch as Jake Tapper asks Obama press flunky Jay Carney about a bit of hypocrisy being committed by the administration. The questioning of Carney is entertaining enough, but the look of shock and disdain on the part of the female reporter who is sitting behind Tapper's left shoulder says all you need to know about the lamestream news media. That female reporter is Mara Liasson, who works for National Public Radio (NPR) and is a contributor on Fox News. It is quite evident that she did not appreciate listening to Tapper bite the hand that feeds her:

video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player

Don't you just love the faux-intellectual elitist look with her glasses perched on the tip of her nose? Remember folks, your taxes pay her salary!

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

My son, the right-wing ad man

I had Friday and Monday off for the Presidents Day/Washington's Birthday weekend, but my wife and kids have this entire week off.

When I got home from work this evening, my wife handed me a piece of paper upon which my 7 year-old son had written the following during his afternoon Quiet Time:


That's my Boy! I guess the apple didn't fall far from the tree, eh? I guess he has been listening when I go off on my frequent politically oriented rants.

Oh, and bless his heart, but for the record that's www.buckhornroad.blogspot.com

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Update time: And the girl was suspended for how long?

A couple posts back, I told you an all-to-typical story of an encounter I had with an 8th-grade female student in the hallway outside my classroom where she slung the F-word at me and refused to identify herself to me. Just to refresh everyone's memory (BAD LANGUAGE ALERT!):
...The student refused to give me her name. I repeatedly instructed the student to not walk away from me and to tell me her name. The student repeatedly refused. In all, I asked the student at least 15 times to tell me her name, and she refused. The only things she said in response to my request was, “Get away from me,” and “I ain’t tellin’ you my fuckin’ name.” By this time, the student was walking down the outside stairwell on west end of the building. I couldn’t follow her, as my classroom door was open and my 8th period students had already begun to enter. As the student continued to walk down the stairs away from me, I informed her that her refusal to identify herself to a staff member at this school could get her suspended, and her response was to tell me, “I don’t care; fuckin’ suspend me then!”
In that post, I mused about what would have happened to this girl in American schools decades ago, and what her likely punishment would be today. I hate how right I was.

The punishment this student received was... wait for it....

One (1) day of suspension.

One day. People want to know what is wrong with our educational system today? That about sums it up.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Republican dogs once again spit out the Romney pill

I have always found Democrat strategist and former Clinton crony James Carville to be a repugnant human being. I do have to give him kudos for the best description yet uttered about how conservative Republicans feel about perennial presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Carville had to this to say after Romney barely won (and has since lost) the Iowa Caucuses while receiving fewer votes in 2012 than in 2008:
I think there’s one screaming huge story here tonight, and that is these Republicans just don’t want to vote for Mitt Romney. I mean, it’s like you’re trying to give a dog a pill that keeps spitting it out.
After Romney won the primaries in New Hampshire, Florida, and Nevada (and for awhile looked like he won in Iowa), so many Rockefeller Republican cheerleaders were ready to hand Romney the nomination already (or fellate him; it's hard to tell).

The primary and caucus elections last night in Missouri, Minnesota, and Colorado, where Rick Santorum swept those elections, have certainly shown that Romney is not the lock that his sycophants in the GOP and in the media want you to think.

To that, I say Thank God!

Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum ended up winning in Iowa over Romney, and has now added Missouri, Minnesota, and Colorado to his swagger stick. Do I support Santorum for the nomination? No. Would I choose him over Romney? In a heartbeat. Would I vote for Santorum over Obama in the general election? Yes. Would I vote for Romney over Obama in the general election? No. Would I vote for Obama instead? Hell no.

Confused yet?

I know I am but one lowly blogger, but I am also a voter. Here is my official endorsement:

Of the Republican candidates still in the hunt, my preferences from first to worst are as follows:

Ron Paul
Rick Santorum
Newt Gingrich
Mitt Romney

The line I hear from many of my Republican friends is that they agree with Ron Paul on economic issues but they disagree with him on foreign policy. At issue is the question of what exactly our foreign policy is supposed to be. Our country's current foreign policy has strayed from our traditional foreign policy so far and for so long, that many have forgotten, or don't know, that the policy has been anything but what we have now and have had since the 1890s (with a slight timeout from 1920 to 1940). Ron Paul's belief is that we can no longer afford the expense and ill-will that we often cause from sending our troops all over the world to fight. As such, he is often accused of blaming the United States when we are attacked, such as on September 11, 2001.

What I have never heard addressed is that if our foreign interventions elsewhere had nothing to do with 9/11 and we would have been attacked that day regardless, then why not dispense with our foreign interventions and still deal with attacks like 9/11 when they happen, rather than wasting blood and treasure on foreign interventions that do not concern the security of the United States? That is Ron Paul's position. The more dishonest types out there have tried to paint Representative Paul as some pacifist peacenik who would never fight any war at all. That simply is not true. Paul simply adheres to the constitutional requirements of our foreign policy such as a declaration of war from Congress before our military is sent out to fight. When was our last officially declared war? World War II. How many U.S. troops have we lost in undeclared wars since the end of World War II? About 120,000. Paul believes in the constitutional role of our military, which is to defend our country from invasion, and protect American interests abroad, such as when Thomas Jefferson asked Congress for permission to send the U.S. Navy to the Mediterranean to protect American shipping from the Barbary Pirates. Notice though that when our Navy was sent to the Med, it was to protect the interests of the United States. When Clinton sent U.S. troops to the former Yugoslavia (I served 6 months with the United Nations in Macedonia) what exactly was our interest there? And why exactly are we still in Afghanistan, and have been since 2001? We removed the Taliban from power and defeated al-Qaeda in the caves of Tora Bora in early 2002. Why have we been there ever since? What exactly did we accomplish in Iraq? We got rid of Saddam? There are murderous strongmen all over the world. Why are they still in power?

Just like government programs never go away, even after they have outlived their usefulness, our wars seem to follow the same pattern. After all, we still have troops stationed in Germany and South Korea, and probably would still have them on the border of South Vietnam had we not folded up our tent and let the North Vietnamese take it over.

Do I agree with every one of Ron Paul's views? No. I think he underestimates the resolve of hardcore Islamists in the middle east with their desire to spread Sharia law throughout the world, but he does not underestimate the responsibility of the President to protect our shores from that kind of encroachment. And to tell you the truth, I am more worried about the loss of my liberties from my own government in its response to possible Islamic terrorism, than from Islamic terrorism itself. As talk of expanding TSA authority to our roads and railroads marches on, and my inability to carry a concealed or unconcealed weapon continues in my beloved state, I have a lot more immediate concerns here at home.

If you disagree with me on my views on Ron Paul, that is fine. However a debate we cannot have if Mitt Romney is preordained as the Republican nominee even before the state primaries have gotten into full swing.

Ultimately, if Mitt Romney ends up as the Republican nominee, I will vote for neither him nor Obama. I will vote for Ron Paul. If Santorum continues to surge and ends up with the nomination, I will think it over. Not that it matters anyway; the chances of Obama losing California's popular vote and 55 electoral votes are slim to none, no matter which Republican's name I mark. If you actually read up on Romney's positions, you will ultimately not see much of a difference between his and Obama's anyway. Whether we are talking health care, minimum wage, or taxes, do you honestly think we would see much of a change? Ask yourself: Do you think a President Romney would roll back the mess that Obama has created? He might stop (or more likely merely slow) the forward progress, but roll it back? Sheee-yeah, right. The same goes for Gingrich and Santorum. They will merely slow down the inevitable. Only Ron Paul talks about truly cutting the size of government, and abiding by the original intent of the Constitution. Based on his 40-year voting record, you know that he means it.

I endorse that.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

Saturday, February 04, 2012

Fun with Guns

My son and I spent today with a friend and his son at my friend's 2000+ acre family ranch located in the Sierra foothills between Sacramento and Stockton. We caught lots of bass at one of the many ponds located on the ranch, ate lunch, then shot guns; lots of guns. I don't often get the chance to find a place to really stretch the legs on my SKS, but today was one of those opportunities. Watch:



By the way, my aimed shots were fired at some huge floating grapefruit that we tossed in the water, and for the record, that pond is not the same one in which we fished!

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

Wednesday, February 01, 2012

Just another day at the asylum...

I thought you all would find enlightenment from this email I sent to the administration. All names have been changed or deleted to protect the innocent and not-so-innocent. Be warned that bad language follows... none of it uttered by me:
Good Afternoon,

During the passing period before the start of 8th period, I heard a commotion right outside my classroom that sounded like a fight brewing.

I got out in the hallway just in time to see the potential fight beginning to subside, but the two girls who were having words were still facing off at each other. I identified one student as *****, who I have as a student during 3rd period. I did not know the other female student with whom ***** was facing off. As soon as I got between the two students, ***** turned around and walked away without a word, but the other student continued to taunt *****, saying over and over again something to the effect of, “That’s right, Bitch,” or “You better walk away, Bitch.”

Due to her profanity and her efforts to make a fight still happen, I walked up to this student, showed her my ID tag, and told her to come with me. The student refused and began walking away from me. I followed her down the hallway and again identified myself as a staff member at this school and then asked her to identify herself, as I didn’t know who she was. The student refused to give me her name. I repeatedly instructed the student to not walk away from me and to tell me her name. The student repeatedly refused. In all, I asked the student at least 15 times to tell me her name, and she refused. The only things she said in response to my request was, “Get away from me,” and “I ain’t tellin’ you my fuckin’ name.” By this time, the student was walking down the outside stairwell on west end of the building. I couldn’t follow her, as my classroom door was open and my 8th period students had already begun to enter. As the student continued to walk down the stairs away from me, I informed her that her refusal to identify herself to a staff member at this school could get her suspended, and her response was to tell me, “I don’t care; fuckin’ suspend me then!”

As I entered back into the west side of the third floor, I met up with Mr. *****. I asked him if he knew this student, but he said he hadn’t caught a glimpse of her. At that point, he ran down the west end stairwell in an attempt to catch up with her. On my way back to my classroom, one of my students told me that the student with whom I had been dealing was named “*****nique.”

This was later confirmed by many other of my 8th period students, and then Mr. ***** himself, who confirmed that the student’s full name is *****nique ********.

*****nique’s repeated refusal to identify herself to me (in spite of the fact that I repeatedly identified myself as a staff member at this school), and her use of profanity directed toward me and the other student with whom she almost fought is absolutely unacceptable, and per CA Education Code Section 48900(k), I request an appropriate punishment be administered to *****nique *******; namely an out-of-school suspension.

Regards,

W.R. Chandler
Social Studies Teacher
Nameless Middle School

When I describe hostile encounters with students like this one, my standard rhetorical question is to ask what would have happened to this student in, say, 1959, if she had exhibited the same behavior that she did to me yesterday? It's called EXPULSION! No ifs, ands, or buts. In today's topsy-turvy, largely responsibility-free world, I will be astonished if this student actually gets even one day of the out-of-school suspension that I requested she receive.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson