Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Tangible v. Intangible
Tangible v. Intangible: Knowledge
July 30, 2014
By Julie Kay Smithson Some things are tangible, and the advertising industry knows only too well that visual and audio stimulation entices people to buy billions of dollars' worth of tangibles each year.
Other things are intangible, and as such, require much more creativity to market. Knowledge, for example, is often something you can acquire, but cannot actually wrap your fingers around, like a ripe peach or juicy burger.
Knowledge is what guides you in life. It is at your beck and call, in your brain, there to assist you in countless ways.
Once upon a time, my workdays were spent doing something tangible: I was holding a steering wheel and piloting a semi-truck, pulling two trailers down the road behind me, on my way from origin to destination. The intangible part was the knowledge that enabled me to do that safely for twenty-seven years and 3.1 million miles.
Now I pilot a computer keyboard and a plethora of printed books, tangibly researching property rights and natural resources issues for an average of seventy hours a week, every week. The intangible part is the knowledge my work shares with subscribers to my efforts. This knowledge is sent via email, and is like a mixed box of chocolates in its subject matter: water, farming/ranching, property rights, conservation easements, litigation, access, roadless, innovations, and much more. The fruits of my labors are shared with people that not only appreciate my efforts, but are also keenly aware of their worth when transferred into their own brains. Hosea 4:6 clearly states: My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Living requires enough tangibles to keep us healthy, hydrated and happy. Being knowledgeable requires enough intangibles to make a well-rounded life possible. Donating to my efforts is a tangible that helps you maintain the life you enjoy. Its your brain and your life. Both need tangible and intangible food. Thank you for considering the possibilities that will be opened to you by subscribing! A dollar a day can help you live so much better!
Julie Kay Smithson, property rights and natural resources subscriber
213 Thorn Locust Lane
London, Ohio (OH) 43140
propertyrights@earthlink.net
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
P.S.
P.S.
July 30, 2013
By Julie Kay Smithson, property rights / natural resources researcher
Poster Species. Most of us have heard of one or more of them at some time in the past decade or two. From the "northern spotted owl" to the "Arkansas River Shiner" -- and from the "Preble's Meadow jumping mouse" to the "Indiana bat -- private property owners nationwide have been blitzed by a bewildering array of "endangered," "threatened," "candidate," "keystone," and a plethora of other descriptions employed to make us feel as though, in some mysterious way, we 'humans' have been responsible for the 'precipitous decline' of a vast array of 'species' of plants and animals. The operative word is 'feel' -- the actual facts almost always differ almost 180 degrees from the publicized 'need' to 'save' whatever, wherever, whenever -- and our intellect has been largely paralyzed by mere words, shuffled into what often amounts to total deception, until we come to 'feel' that we are somehow guilty of 'snuffing out' thousands of 'species' of flora and fauna.
Guess what? Most of the 'facts' being trotted out like a Trojan Horse with newly forged shoes, are far from the bedrock basic truth. The truth is that species -- like trees, people and other things -- have a life expectancy.
In order to have "evolution," one must accept the theory that things do not remain static, but rather, that they continue to change, morph, evolve. In other words, there is no frozen moment in time, as we are told to believe -- such as "pre-European settlement" -- when all was nirvana, with no species going extinct for other reasons than at the hand of 'humans.'
People have evolved, too -- look no further than the size of shoes or clothing from a hundred years ago. People were smaller. A better diet, better work environment, and a host of other improvements have yielded quite a bounty. We live longer. Our overall health -- sans our own poor food/drink choices -- has significantly improved. While the mayor of New York City seeks to ban a particular food or drink size, most of us have flourished without his restrictions!
Language deception has long been used to get people to buy things that may be displayed in an eyecatching manner or location, but are not really 'on sale'. "Buy one, get one free" is fifty percent off ... the retail price. Are humans really so bad for 'species' that we must continue to restrict our living/working/traveling until we are free no more?
The "Endangered Species Act" never mentions that people are a species, too, and that we are being removed from "all or part of" our historic range. What to do about all this? Pay attention! Look beyond the touchy-feely words that paralyze our intellect and twang our emotions. What can "The Nature Conservancy" do for land/water that we can't? It can receive gazillions of taxpayer dollars to do what it wants with land and water, including the very things it insists are not being done on private property that it doesn't own or control. It cannot give the personal touch to land/water that a farmer, rancher, homeowner, etc., can and does give.
P.S. - Beware "poster species" that are used to remove private property from people. People are, in fact, good for 'the environment' and all the species within!
July 30, 2013
By Julie Kay Smithson, property rights / natural resources researcher
Poster Species. Most of us have heard of one or more of them at some time in the past decade or two. From the "northern spotted owl" to the "Arkansas River Shiner" -- and from the "Preble's Meadow jumping mouse" to the "Indiana bat -- private property owners nationwide have been blitzed by a bewildering array of "endangered," "threatened," "candidate," "keystone," and a plethora of other descriptions employed to make us feel as though, in some mysterious way, we 'humans' have been responsible for the 'precipitous decline' of a vast array of 'species' of plants and animals. The operative word is 'feel' -- the actual facts almost always differ almost 180 degrees from the publicized 'need' to 'save' whatever, wherever, whenever -- and our intellect has been largely paralyzed by mere words, shuffled into what often amounts to total deception, until we come to 'feel' that we are somehow guilty of 'snuffing out' thousands of 'species' of flora and fauna.
Guess what? Most of the 'facts' being trotted out like a Trojan Horse with newly forged shoes, are far from the bedrock basic truth. The truth is that species -- like trees, people and other things -- have a life expectancy.
In order to have "evolution," one must accept the theory that things do not remain static, but rather, that they continue to change, morph, evolve. In other words, there is no frozen moment in time, as we are told to believe -- such as "pre-European settlement" -- when all was nirvana, with no species going extinct for other reasons than at the hand of 'humans.'
People have evolved, too -- look no further than the size of shoes or clothing from a hundred years ago. People were smaller. A better diet, better work environment, and a host of other improvements have yielded quite a bounty. We live longer. Our overall health -- sans our own poor food/drink choices -- has significantly improved. While the mayor of New York City seeks to ban a particular food or drink size, most of us have flourished without his restrictions!
Language deception has long been used to get people to buy things that may be displayed in an eyecatching manner or location, but are not really 'on sale'. "Buy one, get one free" is fifty percent off ... the retail price. Are humans really so bad for 'species' that we must continue to restrict our living/working/traveling until we are free no more?
The "Endangered Species Act" never mentions that people are a species, too, and that we are being removed from "all or part of" our historic range. What to do about all this? Pay attention! Look beyond the touchy-feely words that paralyze our intellect and twang our emotions. What can "The Nature Conservancy" do for land/water that we can't? It can receive gazillions of taxpayer dollars to do what it wants with land and water, including the very things it insists are not being done on private property that it doesn't own or control. It cannot give the personal touch to land/water that a farmer, rancher, homeowner, etc., can and does give.
P.S. - Beware "poster species" that are used to remove private property from people. People are, in fact, good for 'the environment' and all the species within!
Monday, September 10, 2012
IMSATO - In My Studied And Thoughtful Opinion
IMSATO - In My Studied And Thoughtful Opinion
September 10, 2012
By Julie Kay Smithson, researcher propertyrights@earthlink.net
I don't use drugs (including alcohol or tobacco), but recognize that a "War on Drugs" or a "War on Terra" (the way G.W. Bush pronounces "Terror") is profit motivated, with no intention of "winning" an actual war.
There must also have been a "War on Education" and a "War on Common Sense" -- because both were surely lost while shoving gazillions of greenbacks at "studies" to figure out what was wrong, thereby creating vast wealth and power, both of which were unearned.
For those who have tasted Liberty, Freedom has a Flavor that the Protected will never know -- and that's the truth. It means using one's backbone for something functional, not decorative.
In my studied and thoughtful opinion, what is wrong lies in the mistaken belief that "both" political parties sleep in different beds in D.C.
Cher's song, "Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves" perfectly described the hooligans that profess to "lead" while selling out the very tenets under which our beloved country was forged.
I am neither conservative nor liberal; I am independent, with a free-thinking mind that is not paralyzed by emotion.
Language deception is the stalking horse of liberty, the kiss of death of our Republic, and a way to bring a country and her people to their knees 'without firing a shot.' For those who have tasted Liberty, Freedom has a Flavor that the Protected will never know -- and that's the truth.
Friday, August 17, 2012
Neighbors, no matter what
Neighbors, no matter what
August 17, 2012
Thanks to the blessing of Facebook, a dear Oregon friend shared one of Stephanie Falck's photos of the 500-ton, 17-semi truck hay donation.
Here in Ohio, thirty years ago, a dear Amish friend -- himself a farmer with Limousin beef cattle -- had a bumper crop of top-notch alfalfa hay. That same summer, farmers in the Carolinas experienced a terrible drought. Jonas shipped a railcar load of hay to those farmers, with the stipulation that the recipients only know it came from "a friend."
This is how neighbors are. It does not matter the distance from their driveway to yours. It might be a half-hour from your kitchen table to theirs, or it could take two or three days' travel to put your feet under their table -- you're still neighbors.
During this summer of drought, wildfires and other trials & tribulations, please know that people all over our great country (and beyond) hold you close in prayer. We are grateful beyond words for the kindness that is inherent in good people to simply do good things. Recognition is not sought. Heroes don't view themselves thusly. Anyone would do it, they say.
God is alive and well in the hearts of such people -- the donors, transporters and recipients of such kindnesses. Let's let that take center stage in our lives and push the 'gristle' to the back of our plates. Good still prevails in the face of adversity!
~~~
Julie Kay Smithson is a property rights / natural resources researcher in west-central Ohio's Amish and Mennonite farming country. She lives with Good Boy, a blue heeler who depends on her to be his 'seeing eye person' -- and the sweetest memories of Wiggles Blue Heeler, who was at her side for more than a dozen years of rural living.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Choices
Choices
July 6, 2012
By Julie Kay Smithson, west-central Ohio propertyrights@earthlink.net
Firefighter or arsonist
It's much more difficult, at first blush, to be a firefighter. After all, these poor souls lug heavy survival packs, work in the front lines of heat that melts plastic and cooks lungs, and fight fires -- even when their own homes, left behind to fight for those homes and businesses of others, burn to the ground. Not so hard to be an arsonist? All that's needed is the siren sound of a fire crackling, the mesmerizing attraction of returning to the fire and watching others put their lives in danger -- or even lose their lives. How easy is that? This is an addiction with no cure. It is something that steals the soul from what appears to be a person. If there's a choice, pick firefighter!
Volunteer or looter
As this is being written, we are in the middle day of the three hottest days of this historic heat wave. Yesterday's record high broke the old record set in 1911. Today and tomorrow will break records. The weather outside is dangerous for me -- I've had four heat strokes in my almost sixty years of life -- so my efforts must needs protect self from illness or worse. However, there is still much that can be done for others! A few phone calls to check on friends ...
Bring relief or undermine hope
Virtually all of us have more in our pantries than we need. Even one can of soup, box of pasta, jar of peanut butter, or jug of water, can mean the difference between a place I've never been -- being hungry or thirsty, with no way to find food or drink -- and hope restored to someone in need of having his/her/their soul healed. What a choice: to be able to make a difference on the positive side by donating something -- your time, extra food, even writing a check to help!
Real patriot or armchair politician
Each morning, each of us awakens. We have a day spread out before us that we can make beautiful with our commitment to making our country stronger with one or more simple actions. Call someone and check on his or her health and well-being. Take a friend without transportation, to an appointment, or buy them a meal. While doing things for others, consider how much our founding fathers -- and their faithful wives -- did for others when they forged this still-great Christian Nation of America: for all of us that followed! Christian or not, it is imperative that all those living in America, respect the Christian Nation that America was founded as and still is, in spite of the actions of some to derail our heritage. Each step we take can be a way to thank God or shun Him -- a choice that's most clear, because not thanking Him, not honoring Him, is shunning Him. Being a real patriot is defending our heritage with our lives -- every day of our lives!
Copyright 2012, PropertyRightsResearch. May be shared only if in its entirety, with no changes made or information removed.Websites: http://www.propertyrightsresearch.org/ http://propertyrightsresearch.blogspot.com/ http://wigglesblueheeler.blogspot.com/ & http://tips2ussavethem.blogspot.com/ Also: http://ourcommunitynewspaper.com
Friday, March 30, 2012
Having Quite A Day!
Having Quite A Day!
March 30, 2012
By Julie Kay Smithson propertyrights@earthlink.net
I'm having quite a day today, dealing with acronyms and abbreviations, as well as upper- and lower-case word spellings -- all in one article, or in this case, two, articles!
One, from an Arizona newspaper, referenced SARA Park, which I researched in order to learn that "SARA" means "Special Activity and Recreation Area" and is land owned by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), but managed by Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Wait until the BLM's "Travel Management Plan" comes to town!!!
I phoned the editor of the Arizona paper for clarification of the meaning, and even she didn't know! Thirty minutes later, I phoned her back and explained that I'd found the meaning. Imagine how readers of this article must feel -- especially those that may vacation in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, or other nearby places -- when they read something that looks like someone's name in "ALL CAPS"!
The other article, from North Dakota, refers to SAM (South America), HRS (Hard Red Spring - wheat) and HRW (Hard Red Winter - wheat), as well as "hedges" and "stocks," which -- in the case of this particular article, are stock market trading terms. Also used without explanation -- or being first spelled out -- were "ND," "TX" and "NOT." In the first two, what was meant was North Dakota and Texas; in the third, the word was "not" and had been capitalized for emphasis rather than italicizing.
The reason given by someone in the North Dakota publication's office was: "We only have so many words available for each article, so we shorten things up as much as possible." That's great -- if readers know what is meant by such acronyms, abbreviations and words emphasized by "ALL CAPS," but sure thwarts a fully-understood article to many others.
There is a handy website for deciphering some of these buggers: http://www.acronymfinder.com -- but even that website does not offer a comprehensive list, especially when some acronyms and abbreviations are created and used only by locals, but are not in the national vernacular.
Please, if you desire to have your writing understood, and not have readers scratching their heads like they're making a commercial for a dandruff shampoo, always spell things out the first time you use them, spell check and check for correct grammar (to, too, two; your vs. you're; lose vs. loose, etc.). After all, you not only want others to read what you've written -- you also want them to understand!
Monday, March 5, 2012
That's the sound of the men, women and children working on the chain gang ...
That's the sound of the men, women and children working on the chain gang ...
March 5, 2012
By Julie Kay Smithson propertyrights@earthlink.net
Begging the late, great Sam Cooke's pardon, the classic song he and Charles Cooke co-wrote may soon be revised to reflect twenty-first century servitude.
With barely a whimper, America -- and many other world nations -- has joined a march that is reminiscent of this great 1960 pop song. Those in charge of "fiscal spending" have been so eager to skim AMAP (as much as possible) under several guises, have created a scenario eerily similar to Great Depression days.
Today's unemployed may not 'ride the rails' -- after all, the heavily subsidized railroads no longer pass through rural neighborhoods where kindhearted folk dare share meals with hobos whose presence may signal something far more ominous than a simple meal in the offing.
As the number of acres planted to food- and fiber-growing crops in America shrinks -- but is expected to grow more per acre to feed/shelter more consumers per acre -- the regulatory burden on America's farmers, ranchers, lumberers, etc., increases exponentially. The average age of resource providers is, itself, aging, as America's youth seeks another means of making a living, one that barely resembles the dreams and goals of just a generation or two ago.
Like the doctor of old, who did not specialize in any one facet of medicine, but who practiced most -- resource providers no longer "just farm" or "just ranch." Instead, many of today's rural families boast several children and grandchildren with a variety of college degrees in many areas of expertise. Just managing the farm finances means having a savvy set of eyes trained on that one area of knowledge. Another might be the health and well-being of the farm's livestock. A third could be the marketing arenas in which the farm competes.
Meanwhile, in distant Washington, D.C., the wheels of government still grind. Unfortunately for many, those wheels seem to be forcing the outsourcing of natural resource utilization to other countries, countries whose bar is not set by federal agencies enforcing legislation like the "Endangered Species Act," "Clean Water Act," "Clean Air Act," etc.
One example is Energy Recovery, Inc., whose March 5, 2012, article, touts two major mining plants in Chile where "The mining industry in Chile is growing. We are pleased that, to date, ERI has been selected for the vast majority of desalination projects in Chile for mining applications." http://www.wateronline.com/article.mvc/ERI-Wins-Two-Desalination-Contracts-For-Major-0001
As the American tax base is further eroded by land leaving the tax rolls -- in the form of more national parks and other non-producing resource areas -- American camels (taxpayers) feel the straw burden steadily increasing, expecting them to 'take up the slack.' There is little wiggle room left.
"The news" reports almost daily of the staggering number of homes in foreclosure, their owners set out like non-paying renters. Where does this leave a growing number of people -- who owe debts, but no longer have homes, jobs, etc., to show for their labors?
Enter the modern-day version of the chain gang -- low-wage, little-or-no benefits jobs that are snapped up by those in dire straits, needing "almost any job" just to keep the wolf pack from the rented door. Plastic -- in the form of credit cards -- has been made so easy to use that record numbers of people are now ball-and-chained to the owners of their cards.
Is there a cure for this situation and the ever-mounting debt burden impinging upon every man, woman and child, and all "future generations"? I believe in miracles, though these hurdles may seem insurmountable. One requirement is to learn how to climb from that hole in which many of us find ourselves. It seems simplistic, but the sage advice: "Stop digging!" is a great start. People do not need government to coddle them and wrap them in unrealistic safety measures. Instead, people need to dust off those overtaxed brains and engage them in optimistic, independent, 'strait and narrow' goal-setting. We do not need a 'nanny state.' We need far less than we've come to think is required in our lives.
One excellent way to show the difference between continuing down the slippery slope to "future third world country" is to make two lists. One list shows the things we actually need. The other -- and the one most painful to face -- itemizes the things we merely want, or thing we must have.
The old Sam Cooke song may be easy to sing along with, but it's not a scenario we'd want to live. In the fifty years since the song, "Chain Gang," first hit the radio airwaves, we've been on a collision course with that chain gang. It's time to decide whether to put our entire families to work on the 'chain gang' -- or to learn to live a different, better way.
795 words.
March 5, 2012
By Julie Kay Smithson propertyrights@earthlink.net
Begging the late, great Sam Cooke's pardon, the classic song he and Charles Cooke co-wrote may soon be revised to reflect twenty-first century servitude.
With barely a whimper, America -- and many other world nations -- has joined a march that is reminiscent of this great 1960 pop song. Those in charge of "fiscal spending" have been so eager to skim AMAP (as much as possible) under several guises, have created a scenario eerily similar to Great Depression days.
Today's unemployed may not 'ride the rails' -- after all, the heavily subsidized railroads no longer pass through rural neighborhoods where kindhearted folk dare share meals with hobos whose presence may signal something far more ominous than a simple meal in the offing.
As the number of acres planted to food- and fiber-growing crops in America shrinks -- but is expected to grow more per acre to feed/shelter more consumers per acre -- the regulatory burden on America's farmers, ranchers, lumberers, etc., increases exponentially. The average age of resource providers is, itself, aging, as America's youth seeks another means of making a living, one that barely resembles the dreams and goals of just a generation or two ago.
Like the doctor of old, who did not specialize in any one facet of medicine, but who practiced most -- resource providers no longer "just farm" or "just ranch." Instead, many of today's rural families boast several children and grandchildren with a variety of college degrees in many areas of expertise. Just managing the farm finances means having a savvy set of eyes trained on that one area of knowledge. Another might be the health and well-being of the farm's livestock. A third could be the marketing arenas in which the farm competes.
Meanwhile, in distant Washington, D.C., the wheels of government still grind. Unfortunately for many, those wheels seem to be forcing the outsourcing of natural resource utilization to other countries, countries whose bar is not set by federal agencies enforcing legislation like the "Endangered Species Act," "Clean Water Act," "Clean Air Act," etc.
One example is Energy Recovery, Inc., whose March 5, 2012, article, touts two major mining plants in Chile where "The mining industry in Chile is growing. We are pleased that, to date, ERI has been selected for the vast majority of desalination projects in Chile for mining applications." http://www.wateronline.com/article.mvc/ERI-Wins-Two-Desalination-Contracts-For-Major-0001
As the American tax base is further eroded by land leaving the tax rolls -- in the form of more national parks and other non-producing resource areas -- American camels (taxpayers) feel the straw burden steadily increasing, expecting them to 'take up the slack.' There is little wiggle room left.
"The news" reports almost daily of the staggering number of homes in foreclosure, their owners set out like non-paying renters. Where does this leave a growing number of people -- who owe debts, but no longer have homes, jobs, etc., to show for their labors?
Enter the modern-day version of the chain gang -- low-wage, little-or-no benefits jobs that are snapped up by those in dire straits, needing "almost any job" just to keep the wolf pack from the rented door. Plastic -- in the form of credit cards -- has been made so easy to use that record numbers of people are now ball-and-chained to the owners of their cards.
Is there a cure for this situation and the ever-mounting debt burden impinging upon every man, woman and child, and all "future generations"? I believe in miracles, though these hurdles may seem insurmountable. One requirement is to learn how to climb from that hole in which many of us find ourselves. It seems simplistic, but the sage advice: "Stop digging!" is a great start. People do not need government to coddle them and wrap them in unrealistic safety measures. Instead, people need to dust off those overtaxed brains and engage them in optimistic, independent, 'strait and narrow' goal-setting. We do not need a 'nanny state.' We need far less than we've come to think is required in our lives.
One excellent way to show the difference between continuing down the slippery slope to "future third world country" is to make two lists. One list shows the things we actually need. The other -- and the one most painful to face -- itemizes the things we merely want, or thing we must have.
The old Sam Cooke song may be easy to sing along with, but it's not a scenario we'd want to live. In the fifty years since the song, "Chain Gang," first hit the radio airwaves, we've been on a collision course with that chain gang. It's time to decide whether to put our entire families to work on the 'chain gang' -- or to learn to live a different, better way.
795 words.
Jobs, Votes and Economic Climate Change
Jobs, Votes and Economic Climate Change
March 5, 2012
By Julie Kay Smithson propertyrights@earthlink.net
Oil sands and hydraulic fracturing (aka "fracking") corporations may offer employment, but at what cost? The pros and cons of such work/jobs as those being dangled like carrots in front of people -- whose former good jobs were outsourced to the other side of the world -- should be carefully screened to discern if your potential employer is offering you FCH (future compromised health).
If more people had known that coal mining result in black lung, would they have been so eager to let the wealthy mine owners get rich off the forsaking of others' health? Who are those "future generations" to which career politicians so glibly refer? It seems that it is during desperate economic times (engineered by the most vulgar greed at the 'highest' earthly levels of human power such as Rupert Murdoch and others of his ilk. Your life (health) is your ultimate property right!
Desperate people will take jobs out of desperation, jobs they would never consider, were America's economic times better.
I note, on Election Day Eve, that career politicians whose nests in Washington, D.C., are deeply feathered from the plucking of many good, honest, hardworking folks in their constituencies -- that they continue to parrot the same old political placating phrases "I'm going to 'change' Washington" is but one.
No one currently running for office as a state or Washington, D.C. encumbent -- and by so doing is absent with pay from the very job he/she promised voters to do well -- should receive a single vote.
Political contributions to such career politicians, from those offering such jobs, should be a major consideration before casting one's vote.
273 words.
March 5, 2012
By Julie Kay Smithson propertyrights@earthlink.net
Oil sands and hydraulic fracturing (aka "fracking") corporations may offer employment, but at what cost? The pros and cons of such work/jobs as those being dangled like carrots in front of people -- whose former good jobs were outsourced to the other side of the world -- should be carefully screened to discern if your potential employer is offering you FCH (future compromised health).
If more people had known that coal mining result in black lung, would they have been so eager to let the wealthy mine owners get rich off the forsaking of others' health? Who are those "future generations" to which career politicians so glibly refer? It seems that it is during desperate economic times (engineered by the most vulgar greed at the 'highest' earthly levels of human power such as Rupert Murdoch and others of his ilk. Your life (health) is your ultimate property right!
Desperate people will take jobs out of desperation, jobs they would never consider, were America's economic times better.
I note, on Election Day Eve, that career politicians whose nests in Washington, D.C., are deeply feathered from the plucking of many good, honest, hardworking folks in their constituencies -- that they continue to parrot the same old political placating phrases "I'm going to 'change' Washington" is but one.
No one currently running for office as a state or Washington, D.C. encumbent -- and by so doing is absent with pay from the very job he/she promised voters to do well -- should receive a single vote.
Political contributions to such career politicians, from those offering such jobs, should be a major consideration before casting one's vote.
273 words.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Career Politicians good for ...
Career Politicians good for ...
November 20, 2011
By Julie Kay Smithson, property rights and natural resources researcher, London, Ohio propertyrights@earthlink.net
Expecting a clique of career politicians -- steeped in the toxic, corrupt brew that exists within the Washington, D.C., Beltway -- to 'achieve' a trillion-dollar cut in America's budget is like trying to sew a dress with no needle and no material. It's just not going to happen. This is the same cadre that gifted three-quarters of a trillion dollars to their banking and manufacturing pals, remember? This is also the same bunch that thinks honorably immigrating and becoming honest, naturalized citizens, is the same as illegal entry and residence. Doing drugs is not somehow less distasteful if you "didn't inhale."
Career politicians seem to take regular, hardworking, honest Americans not only for granted, but also, apparently, as someone not worthy of respect. In truth, honest, hardworking Americans are far more deserving of respect than those that would sell us 'down the river' for ... what? Is controlling many global entities engaged in commerce -- often to the considerable detriment of both the 'workers' in those countries as well as those in countries where those 'sweatshop' goods are sold -- really worth treating other human beings like chattel? Look to those purporting to "represent" you in Washington, D.C., for your answer. The 2011 election is over, so the masquerading, posturing and 'political promises' can now be viewed as the mirages they were.
Career politicians and elected officials are neither interchangeable nor synonymous, though they can be. Those that make a career of politics -- spending decades in the confines of Washington, D.C. -- are different from those who venture into the Beltway with the hope and moxie to make a positive difference.
I've tried to honestly consider just what, exactly, career politicians are good for. After much thought, very little comes to mind. This is a group of folks whose 'beliefs' can often be purchased by the highest bidder, who sway in the political wind like a hurricane ravaged palm tree, and who are so distanced from the real world of the public that they don't pump their own gas, mow their own yards, or answer their own phones.
In almost sixty years of life, I've phoned and spoken to only a handful of politicians, and none of them were 'career politicians.' Of those, all but one are no longer living, but those I could call and speak with, directly, were: Alabama Governor George Wallace, U.S. Congresswoman Helen Chenoweth-Hage (R-ID) and Oregon Senator Doug Whitsett. That a person does not find it necessary to distance him or herself from the public, is a character trait I admire, no matter what the 'political party.'
Being in touch with, and available to, the public, is something that keeps people in touch with reality. No one should expect to be able to hold a lengthy conversation with an elected official, but having the ability to communicate -- and be respected by that elected official -- is crucial to the health of America.
Perhaps we should be changing what a career politician is and does by settling for nothing less than what we, ourselves, would do, were we in that position. Would we have the backbone and moral fortitude to be what we are in the 'private sector'? Would we simply make excuses for our transgressions and seek to 'move on' past our criminal actions, or would we 'rise above it' and not go there, where so many have gone before us? It's easy to say, "Beam me up, Scotty!" and leave it all behind in a starship bound for another galaxy, but what would we do when there's no Scotty and no transporter?
While we are preparing for our seasons of thanksgiving, reverence and festivities, let's take time to consider how much we have to lose by letting our great nation continue on its current 'slide' -- and how much we have to gain by stooping to offer her a hand back up to the wonderful Christian nation she still is. Let's clean up our act and our country and not leave the cleanup tasks to those that have soiled her in the first place. Neglect is abuse, also. If career politicians are good for something, let them be an example of how things were once done in America!
706 words.
November 20, 2011
By Julie Kay Smithson, property rights and natural resources researcher, London, Ohio propertyrights@earthlink.net
Expecting a clique of career politicians -- steeped in the toxic, corrupt brew that exists within the Washington, D.C., Beltway -- to 'achieve' a trillion-dollar cut in America's budget is like trying to sew a dress with no needle and no material. It's just not going to happen. This is the same cadre that gifted three-quarters of a trillion dollars to their banking and manufacturing pals, remember? This is also the same bunch that thinks honorably immigrating and becoming honest, naturalized citizens, is the same as illegal entry and residence. Doing drugs is not somehow less distasteful if you "didn't inhale."
Career politicians seem to take regular, hardworking, honest Americans not only for granted, but also, apparently, as someone not worthy of respect. In truth, honest, hardworking Americans are far more deserving of respect than those that would sell us 'down the river' for ... what? Is controlling many global entities engaged in commerce -- often to the considerable detriment of both the 'workers' in those countries as well as those in countries where those 'sweatshop' goods are sold -- really worth treating other human beings like chattel? Look to those purporting to "represent" you in Washington, D.C., for your answer. The 2011 election is over, so the masquerading, posturing and 'political promises' can now be viewed as the mirages they were.
Career politicians and elected officials are neither interchangeable nor synonymous, though they can be. Those that make a career of politics -- spending decades in the confines of Washington, D.C. -- are different from those who venture into the Beltway with the hope and moxie to make a positive difference.
I've tried to honestly consider just what, exactly, career politicians are good for. After much thought, very little comes to mind. This is a group of folks whose 'beliefs' can often be purchased by the highest bidder, who sway in the political wind like a hurricane ravaged palm tree, and who are so distanced from the real world of the public that they don't pump their own gas, mow their own yards, or answer their own phones.
In almost sixty years of life, I've phoned and spoken to only a handful of politicians, and none of them were 'career politicians.' Of those, all but one are no longer living, but those I could call and speak with, directly, were: Alabama Governor George Wallace, U.S. Congresswoman Helen Chenoweth-Hage (R-ID) and Oregon Senator Doug Whitsett. That a person does not find it necessary to distance him or herself from the public, is a character trait I admire, no matter what the 'political party.'
Being in touch with, and available to, the public, is something that keeps people in touch with reality. No one should expect to be able to hold a lengthy conversation with an elected official, but having the ability to communicate -- and be respected by that elected official -- is crucial to the health of America.
Perhaps we should be changing what a career politician is and does by settling for nothing less than what we, ourselves, would do, were we in that position. Would we have the backbone and moral fortitude to be what we are in the 'private sector'? Would we simply make excuses for our transgressions and seek to 'move on' past our criminal actions, or would we 'rise above it' and not go there, where so many have gone before us? It's easy to say, "Beam me up, Scotty!" and leave it all behind in a starship bound for another galaxy, but what would we do when there's no Scotty and no transporter?
While we are preparing for our seasons of thanksgiving, reverence and festivities, let's take time to consider how much we have to lose by letting our great nation continue on its current 'slide' -- and how much we have to gain by stooping to offer her a hand back up to the wonderful Christian nation she still is. Let's clean up our act and our country and not leave the cleanup tasks to those that have soiled her in the first place. Neglect is abuse, also. If career politicians are good for something, let them be an example of how things were once done in America!
706 words.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
My Official Public Comments on what is misnamed "Klamath Restoration Draft EIS/EIR"
My Official Public Comments on what is misnamed "Klamath Restoration Draft EIS/EIR"
November 15, 2011
Julie Kay Smithson, property rights and natural resources researcher, 213 Thorn Locust Lane, London, Ohio 43140. propertyrights@earthlink.net
It is said here: http://klamathrestoration.gov/home that "This is the official website of the Department of the Interior, and other federal and state agencies that are involved in carrying out obligations set forth in the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement, including the Secretarial Determination on Klamath River dams. Use this website to stay up to date on issues surrounding the Secretarial Determination and the environmental analysis that will be conducted pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)."
Instructions for submitting "feedback" (one can only believe that "feedback" is synonymous with "comments") are located here: http://klamathrestoration.gov/Draft-EIS-EIR/feedback
Any schemes to remove any of the four dams on the Klamath River -- in Oregon and/or California -- are just that: schemes. If there were any validity to claims touted by those involved in CLOSED DOOR 'negotiations' regarding the Klamath Basin and its four dams, those claims were rendered null and void by the few years of secretive and selective clique of "interested parties" involved. The very fact that -- in order to "have a seat at the table" and be included in these highly suspect "negotiations" -- one had to agree "in principle" to the scheme, makes it more rotten than Denmark! While those living and working in the Klamath Basin may, by virtue of their proximity to the "forest," not be able to see it for the "trees," I am in Ohio and can clearly see the intent of these schemes, and the power behind them, pushing the Trojan horse at the gates of economic independence as though the power brokers were merely arriving for an afternoon tea!
Nothing that seeks to destroy the entire economy and culture of the Klamath Basin for the past hundred years, can be called an "agreement" or "agreements." Both the "Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement" (208 pages) and the "Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement" (378 pages) are nothing more than stalking-horses: decoys. Neither settles anything other than which fox gets to dine in the hen house first! Even the number of people originally adamantly against any such things as would steal their ability to do one or more of the following: own and utilize private property as they have done so in the past; have a home, job and future in the Klamath Basin that is of their own accord; raise their families and contribute to a vibrant place in the Pacific Northwest through the fruits of their endeavors; rest and die in peace, knowing that their families, friends and co-workers will have a place, too, in their beloved Klamath Basin; grow and harvest food and fiber in the Klamath Basin, whether it be the plethora of food crops, fish, timber, minerals, livestock, or hunting/fishing opportunities that abound -- have been ground into the dust of the Basin by the forces aligned against their very existence.
Rocket science is not needed to know that the people of the Klamath Basin -- living and working in this area of northern California and southern Oregon -- are good people with multigenerational experience and expertise. No one coming from distant Washington, D.C., Portland, Oregon, or Sacramento, California, governmental locations, has any right to erase promises made to good people, war veterans and their families. No one anywhere has the right to sway people by the mirage of promises made, knowing that the intent is to rid the Basin of its very lifeblood. NO ONE. The Klamath Basin is a wonderful place to live, work, farm, ranch, hunt, fish, etc. -- not in spite of its inhabitants and private property owners, but BECAUSE OF THEM!
I look askance at people who have been downtrodden by this sham, which purports to somehow be a good thing for anyone or anything in the Klamath Basin. From the farmers and their families to the livestock, animals, wildlife and waterfowl of the Klamath Basin, these "agreements" bode ill for the entire Klamath Basin. An ill wind blows upon the Klamath Basin, and the thought that one "secretary" of a federal agency -- who obediently does the bidding of his bosses and lets people think of him as a "rancher" -- plans to make a "secretarial determination" about the four dams that have been part of the underpinning of the Klamath Basin's economic independence and freedom for almost a hundred years, makes my stomach turn. Ken Salazar is not an expert on the Klamath Basin, its dams, people, water, flora, fauna, and economy!
My gut feeling -- which stood me in good stead for the twenty-seven years during which I drove semi-trucks safely on America's highways -- is that these schemes are the death knell of the Klamath Basin as those that love this special, blessed place now know it.
Rather than allow themselves to be litigated into extinction or cowed by such a wooden decoy with a bellyful of armed forces, I pray for those in the cross hairs of these "agreements" to realize what is happening in time to stop it. How? Stop it the same way you would stop any trespasser trying to steamroller what rightfully belongs to you.
Would you allow someone to steal your home? Children? Car? Bank account? Family history? Future? How is this scheme any different? It is all of these things, and more.
I may not live or work in the Klamath Basin, but its potatoes, horseradish, and other crops contribute to my health and well-being. Its people are my friends. Its history is part of my country's history. I depend on its economic and cultural health as I depend on my nearby neighbors' efforts to grow, harvest and market what may look to some like items on store shelves, but that, to me, look like freedom and heritage! Stop the destruction of the Klamath Basin via the very real reason that Ken Salazar and his “interested parties” have no right to steal your -- or my -- future! Tell him so! You would not venture into the part of Colorado owned by him and his kith and kin and tell them that you were going to make a “determination” that would put them immediately out of reach of the property rights, past, present and future that they'd built!
1,070 words.
November 15, 2011
Julie Kay Smithson, property rights and natural resources researcher, 213 Thorn Locust Lane, London, Ohio 43140. propertyrights@earthlink.net
It is said here: http://klamathrestoration.gov/home that "This is the official website of the Department of the Interior, and other federal and state agencies that are involved in carrying out obligations set forth in the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement, including the Secretarial Determination on Klamath River dams. Use this website to stay up to date on issues surrounding the Secretarial Determination and the environmental analysis that will be conducted pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)."
Instructions for submitting "feedback" (one can only believe that "feedback" is synonymous with "comments") are located here: http://klamathrestoration.gov/Draft-EIS-EIR/feedback
Any schemes to remove any of the four dams on the Klamath River -- in Oregon and/or California -- are just that: schemes. If there were any validity to claims touted by those involved in CLOSED DOOR 'negotiations' regarding the Klamath Basin and its four dams, those claims were rendered null and void by the few years of secretive and selective clique of "interested parties" involved. The very fact that -- in order to "have a seat at the table" and be included in these highly suspect "negotiations" -- one had to agree "in principle" to the scheme, makes it more rotten than Denmark! While those living and working in the Klamath Basin may, by virtue of their proximity to the "forest," not be able to see it for the "trees," I am in Ohio and can clearly see the intent of these schemes, and the power behind them, pushing the Trojan horse at the gates of economic independence as though the power brokers were merely arriving for an afternoon tea!
Nothing that seeks to destroy the entire economy and culture of the Klamath Basin for the past hundred years, can be called an "agreement" or "agreements." Both the "Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement" (208 pages) and the "Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement" (378 pages) are nothing more than stalking-horses: decoys. Neither settles anything other than which fox gets to dine in the hen house first! Even the number of people originally adamantly against any such things as would steal their ability to do one or more of the following: own and utilize private property as they have done so in the past; have a home, job and future in the Klamath Basin that is of their own accord; raise their families and contribute to a vibrant place in the Pacific Northwest through the fruits of their endeavors; rest and die in peace, knowing that their families, friends and co-workers will have a place, too, in their beloved Klamath Basin; grow and harvest food and fiber in the Klamath Basin, whether it be the plethora of food crops, fish, timber, minerals, livestock, or hunting/fishing opportunities that abound -- have been ground into the dust of the Basin by the forces aligned against their very existence.
Rocket science is not needed to know that the people of the Klamath Basin -- living and working in this area of northern California and southern Oregon -- are good people with multigenerational experience and expertise. No one coming from distant Washington, D.C., Portland, Oregon, or Sacramento, California, governmental locations, has any right to erase promises made to good people, war veterans and their families. No one anywhere has the right to sway people by the mirage of promises made, knowing that the intent is to rid the Basin of its very lifeblood. NO ONE. The Klamath Basin is a wonderful place to live, work, farm, ranch, hunt, fish, etc. -- not in spite of its inhabitants and private property owners, but BECAUSE OF THEM!
I look askance at people who have been downtrodden by this sham, which purports to somehow be a good thing for anyone or anything in the Klamath Basin. From the farmers and their families to the livestock, animals, wildlife and waterfowl of the Klamath Basin, these "agreements" bode ill for the entire Klamath Basin. An ill wind blows upon the Klamath Basin, and the thought that one "secretary" of a federal agency -- who obediently does the bidding of his bosses and lets people think of him as a "rancher" -- plans to make a "secretarial determination" about the four dams that have been part of the underpinning of the Klamath Basin's economic independence and freedom for almost a hundred years, makes my stomach turn. Ken Salazar is not an expert on the Klamath Basin, its dams, people, water, flora, fauna, and economy!
My gut feeling -- which stood me in good stead for the twenty-seven years during which I drove semi-trucks safely on America's highways -- is that these schemes are the death knell of the Klamath Basin as those that love this special, blessed place now know it.
Rather than allow themselves to be litigated into extinction or cowed by such a wooden decoy with a bellyful of armed forces, I pray for those in the cross hairs of these "agreements" to realize what is happening in time to stop it. How? Stop it the same way you would stop any trespasser trying to steamroller what rightfully belongs to you.
Would you allow someone to steal your home? Children? Car? Bank account? Family history? Future? How is this scheme any different? It is all of these things, and more.
I may not live or work in the Klamath Basin, but its potatoes, horseradish, and other crops contribute to my health and well-being. Its people are my friends. Its history is part of my country's history. I depend on its economic and cultural health as I depend on my nearby neighbors' efforts to grow, harvest and market what may look to some like items on store shelves, but that, to me, look like freedom and heritage! Stop the destruction of the Klamath Basin via the very real reason that Ken Salazar and his “interested parties” have no right to steal your -- or my -- future! Tell him so! You would not venture into the part of Colorado owned by him and his kith and kin and tell them that you were going to make a “determination” that would put them immediately out of reach of the property rights, past, present and future that they'd built!
1,070 words.
Names don't make it so
Names don't make it so
November 15, 2011
By Julie Kay Smithson, property rights and natural resources researcher propertyrights@earthlink.net
Calling a litigious outfit an "environmental group" is like trying to make a silk purse from a sow's ear. Where is the proof that litigating almost every natural resource plan in America to a halt -- or forcing "mitigation" in the form of vast acreage offered up at the altar of "habitat" -- has actually made a positive difference to any specie of flora or fauna? Where are these self-proclaimed "environmental" organizations when America's border with Mexico is piled high with human excrement, bales of marijuana, discarded water containers, etc., ad nauseam? The selfsame "environmental" organizations -- including, but far from limited to -- the Audubon Society, Sierra Club, "The" Nature Conservancy, etc. -- are strangely mute during conflagrations that incinerate millions of acres of that "habitat" which they proclaim to the public is in dire need of "protection."
Someone holding a chain saw is no more a forester than the litigious groups -- milking the "Equal Access to Justice Act" (5 U.S.C. § 504; 28 U.S.C. § 2412) http://uscode.house.gov/uscode-cgi/fastweb.exe?getdoc+uscview+t05t08+23+1++()%20%20AND%20( for all it's worth -- are "environmentalists."
In my carefully studied opinion, a farmer, rancher or master gardener -- whose private property has been responsibly stewarded for many generations and is still productive, fertile and healthy -- is more qualified to be called an environmentalist than those cloaking themselves with that word.
Monday, June 7, 2010
It's not an "immigration" problem; it's a criminal invasion problem
It's not an "immigration" problem; it's a criminal invasion problem
June 7, 2010
By Julie Kay Smithson propertyrights@earthlink.net
If you get caught driving too fast, you're a speeder, not merely an illegal driver. You've broken a law that is in place to keep our highways safe.
If you get caught invading my country by entering it illegally, you are an illegal alien, a criminal, and not someone that belongs here.
Why, if you invade my country by entering it illegally, should anyone give you the coveted title of immigrant?
Immigrants I know have become naturalized American citizens. They don't skulk about, bent over under a bale of marijuana, entering my country via the paid assistance of lawbreaking criminals engaged in international terrorism that are nicknamed "coyotes." What is so honorable about paying one criminal to get you across an international, sovereign border into a country, just so you can skim its cream, send money home to another land and trash its border with your waste products?
I will never refer to you as "immigrants." You are not. You are what you know you are: In America illegally, with malice aforethought and no intention of becoming Americans. You drop "anchor babies" in the "harbor" cities whose leaders have had their allegiance bought with the promise of cheap labor and other favors.
Harboring an alien is a crime. Harboring an invading, illegal alien is a crime, too. Stop pretending to be something you're not. Either come here legally, honorably, with the intention of becoming an American citizen, or go back to the country of your birth -- and stay there.
Just because America, like your own nation, is rife with crooked politicians and faceless power brokers who trade in human labor, blood, sweat, and tears, does not mean Americans will welcome you.
Sure, there are jobs here that you can do, but you're not a migrant worker.
You don't work in the fields, tending and harvesting crops. You seek out places where you will blend in with others and where you buy false "papers" or steal the papers of others. You boldly harvest the spoils of your time here, knowing if you get caught, you can blithely just turn around and infiltrate my country again. We both know that the census will not county you, because you exist below the radar of such things.
America is a melting pot of a country, but it became great through the blending of people from other countries that sought our shores to become Americans -- not "hyphenated" Americans, but real Americans. These legal, honorable, hardworking, honest, Christian people immigrated to America to become Americans. They renounced their citizenship with their lands of birth. They were no longer Dutch, Swedish, Russian, Japanese, Italian, Sudanese, Moroccan, Brazilian, or Polish.
They became -- and were proud of the hard-earned honor of being called -- American!
God bless our naturalized Americans, our born-and-bred Americans, and those working to achieve that status. To the others: go away. Don't come again another day. Stop murdering our border ranchers, our Border Patrol and other good people who do honest work for a living.
505 words.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
The Difference between man and plants/animals
The Difference between man and plants/animals
Tis the blending of bone and sinew,
Brain and the use of said,
Which make man, man,
And plants/animals, thread,
The interwovenness that makes,
Of earth a heav'n or a hell,
In man's brain alone
Doth those two dwell.
- Julie Kay Smithson, June 5, 2010
Tis the blending of bone and sinew,
Brain and the use of said,
Which make man, man,
And plants/animals, thread,
The interwovenness that makes,
Of earth a heav'n or a hell,
In man's brain alone
Doth those two dwell.
- Julie Kay Smithson, June 5, 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
The wonder of weeds and weeding
The wonder of weeds and weeding
June 1, 2010
By Julie Kay Smithson propertyrights@earthlink.net
People often refer to undesirable things as the bane, or harm/ruin of their existence. How weeds came to be so loathed is beyond my understanding. Weeds, after all, are simply plants that grow where we would rather they didn't. When weeds sprout and thrive in our flower beds or lawns, they actually offer us positive opportunities!
The view when one is bent over or on one's knees, weeding, is different. Things may be seen at that angle or level that are invisible from the standing position, be they insects, tiny new leaves, or the colors of the dirt in which we are working. Fragrances, too, offer a smorgasbord for our sensory sniffer, as some weeds smell pungent, others aromatic, and still others, sharp or without discernible smell.
There is something about sitting on the ground that replenishes a corner of the soul. Though we don't usually see it thus, part of us is kith and kin to the earth: our physical makeup. We are spun of wonderful cloth, but our feet are still bound to the clay and firmament. Is there an essence given us by the very act of finding and plucking weeds? I don't know, but it soothes me and gives my all a time of calm, when the frenzied pace of highway or shopping area are as removed as if on Mars. Weeding helps my body remain supple, keeps my fingers and eyes in sync to work as a team with my muscles, bucket and helper tools at hand. My fingers, no longer young and straight, but sculpted by living, offer themselves to me to consider and appreciate as I weed.
As children play in the mud and dirt, we often see only future laundry contributions and cleanup duties. Should we contemplate the connections that bring children to their knees, eyeing something from that special vantage point that we return to when we weed? Weeds bring us chances to glimpse -- or revel in -- moments of peace and harmony with nature. To enjoy our gardening time may be our best times to "go child" again and find the wonder of weeds!
355 words.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
An Acquired Taste: OES
An Acquired Taste: OES
May 27, 2010
By Julie Kay Smithson propertyrights@earthlink.net
British Petroleum is diversifying. Its newest global venture is OES: Oil-Encrusted Seafood. Soon to appear on the menus of restaurants desirous of trying something new, OES may be listed as an appetizer (served with an oil-based dipping sauce), a main course or a flambeau-style dessert.
Rather than take an antacid before trying OES, diners may want to consider something that soaks up excess oil, such as shredded wheat. OES is doubtless going to make its mark as a memorable experience, but whether it lasts long enough to become an acquired taste is another thing entirely. BP should not despair, however. It's not the first to market "sliders"!
107 words.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Making History
Making History
April 25, 2010
By Julie Kay Smithson and Wiggles Blue Heeler (From Us To You column, Our Community weekly paper, Madison County, Ohio)
History is something that should be in every good life cook's recipe box. It is an amazing concoction, a participatory collage of sight, sound, aroma, and taste that flavors life. History, when made well, begs us to take note of it, record it for future life cooks, and savor its multiplicity of ingredients.
Starting with plans for something is an essential ingredient. Add the action needed to bring those plans to fruition -- whether it be taking a trip, giving a speech, taking part in a class, or many other things -- and stir thoughtfully. After all, you may want to make history more than once!
Condiments are important to this recipe, though they will not be found in any kitchen pantry. Such things as a dash of goodwill, a pinch of zest, a goodly portion of devotion, a couple of shakes of eagerness, and the folding in of a measure of tact, will help you make history of which you can be proud.
History can be made in many places and on a number of fronts. It can be brought along slowly and adjusted to fit a myriad of scenarios in life, from wartime to peacetime and from the earliest school years through the years when many are steeped in marriage and children, or marinated in the blend of seasonings that occur when lives are lived solo or with pets.
You'll usually know history when you see it, though it can take place just below the radar of one's life and be visible only to others, or only after one has shed the trappings of earthly life. History is not always confined to the pages of books; though it can be recorded thusly, it then becomes prime for the author's perception and recollection.
History is etched in our faces, hands and gait. We travel through life at many paces, sometimes spent, and feeling, like we've been in a marathon, others seemingly outstripped by a snail's pace. Our heads may be held high, with clear vision and cheerful demeanor. They may also be bent by the weight of real or perceived loads, carried in such a way that our eyes remain downcast and never see the rainbows. Lost love can help make history better, through learning that the love of our life may not always love us in return -- or we can be jaundiced by it to the point where our lives seem to stop at that moment. Joy and love walk hand-in-hand, and being ready to risk having the recipe turn out differently than we had planned, is worth the drawing in of breath and the leap of faith.
For each of us, history is in the making every day of our lives. Will we make it with courage and kindness? Will we doubt our ability to make it at all? Just for today, make your own history with a different ingredient or two, something that's been gathering dust on the back shelf of your mind's pantry. The results may astound you and make the lives of others better. Make some history today -- you may be delighted with the results!
523 words.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
The Fight to Save Nevada's Ag Future and CABNR
The Fight to Save Nevada's Ag Future and CABNR
By Julie Kay Smithson, property rights researcher, London, Ohio propertyrights@earthlink.net http://www.propertyrightsresearch.org and http://propertyrightsresearch.blogspot.com
The University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) is one of America's 74 land-grant institutions(1) and the only one in the Silver State. A proposal announced March 1, was made to close one of UNR's ten colleges -- the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources, or CABNR -- and reorganize remaining programs under the College of Science, in order to trim $11 million. The UNR is the sum of its parts: College of Agriculture, Biotechnology & Natural Resources; College of Business; College of Education; College of Engineering; Division of Health Sciences; College of Liberal Arts; College of Science; Extended Studies; Reynolds School of Journalism; and the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.(2) In the current difficult economic climate, the need to downsize is understandable, but one college taking a forty percent hit is lopsided.
CABNR is one of UNR's ten academic units, but is "paying its own way" in many important areas (3), including an internationally preeminent publication, The Journal of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, February 2010 issue, which cover features the Department of Animal Biotechnology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, article titled: "Clinical and molecular characterization of a re-established line of sheep exhibiting hemophilia A" (4) which was developed at the Main Station Field Lab. Major strides in research are being made at CABNR. The value of stem-cell research alone is a jewel in CABNR's crown.
Part of the Academic Planning Process offers this justification for the authority to take such drastic action: 1. An administrative unit, project, program or curriculum may be discontinued, reduced in size, or reorganized for bona fide reasons pertaining to the University’s mission as a consequence of the Academic Planning Process, which has been approved by President Glick. ... 7. Any department that is the subject of a Proposal shall review the Proposal and, through the Department Chair, submit any data or other documentation supporting or challenging the Proposal (the Department’s Response) to the appropriate Dean and the Provost by March 26, 2010. 8. ... The College Review Committee’s recommendation and the results of the vote of the college faculty shall be sent to the Faculty Senate Chair and the Provost by April 9, 2010.(5)
The proposal's timeline:
1. The curricular review proposal is released Monday, March 1, 2010.
2. Units respond to proposed program closing by Friday, March 26, 2010.
3. Colleges respond and vote on the proposal by Friday, April 9, 2010.
4. The Faculty Senate reviews the proposal and other supplied information and makes a recommendation to the President and Provost by May 7, 2010.
5. The President and Provost make their final decisions and propose appropriate program closures to the Board of Regents by May 14, 2010.
6. The Board of Regents decides on program closures in early June.
7. Employees related to closing programs are notified of their termination by June 30, 2010, and provided with rights of reconsideration and notification.(6)
Provost Marc Johnson said that determining which programs or departments to cut was based on factors such as the number of degrees granted, enrollment in the major, scholarship productivity, external scholarship grant awards, how important they were to the university's mission and their national and international uniqueness.(7)
A March 12 telephone interview with Regent Dorothy Gallagher was troubling. She stated that it’s a misconception that agriculture programs at UNR could be completely eliminated. Rather, they may be restructured.(8)
Nevada's economy is fueled by "the big three" -- gaming, mining and agriculture, of which the number two and three are doing well, though gaming has suffered.(9) CABNR, with its structure of teachers' budget-based pay supplanted by grant awards, means the ag college truly does help pay its own way, a “gift that keeps on giving” in the form of research that benefits Nevada, the nation and the world.
The importance of CABNR to social networking websites was immediate: two Facebook Groups were established with a total over 4,000 members.(10)
Arguments about CABNR's safety being set forth in the Nevada Constitution -- ARTICLE 11, SECTION 4 Sec: 4. Establishment of state university; control by board of regents. The Legislature shall provide for the establishment of a State University which shall embrace departments for Agriculture, Mechanic Arts, and Mining to be controlled by a Board of Regents whose duties shall be prescribed by Law. . . . ARTICLE 11, SECTION 8[...] And the Legislature shall provide that if through neglect or any other contingency, any portion of the fund so set apart [for a college for the benefit of Agriculture[,] the Mechanics Arts, and including Military tactics], shall be lost or misappropriated, the State of Nevada shall replace said amount so lost or misappropriated in said fund so that the principal of said fund shall remain forever undiminished[.](11) -- are compelling, but the proposal appears to attempt to skirt that.
Interviews
Interviews with students, alumni, parents, and Nevada's ranching community brought forth many reasons to oppose closing CABNR.
Tessa Sustacha, Senior in Animal science with a minor in wildlife ecology:
I have applied to Washington State University and Colorado State University Schools of Veterinary Medicine and am waiting to hear back from them about acceptance. I wish one day to practice as a veterinarian in a rural area, helping producers with herd health, wildlife disease issues as well as public health aspects of veterinary medicine. I chose CABNR for many reasons including that my dad, uncle and mom went to the University and CABNR. I also served as the Nevada State FFA secretary as a freshman and began my education at UNR. ... To me the college was affordable, offered the opportunity for scholarships and research, small class sizes and had a very well known pre-veterinary program with a reputation for turning out well-prepared successful applicants to graduate and schools of veterinary medicine. I am a 4th generation native Nevadan and I grew up in the Elko area. I was involved in 4-H since I was 9 years old and strongly believe in the power that 4-H has and the importance of the services that cooperative extension and the University provide to rural communities. ... Agriculture has always been a huge part of my life and I believe that the agriculture industry faces serious issues in educating the public due to the disconnect that is created in this country through the availability of a safe and affordable food supply. This is ... seriously put in jeopardy if agriculture is not included in the curriculum at institutes of higher education. For this reason alone -- and the fact that Agriculturists must be provided with support and education, as well as the overall importance of agriculture to Nevada -- I care a great deal about CABNR.
Erin Hourihan:
I graduated from CABNR in 2007 with a bachelor's in Forestry and Rangeland Management. I returned to CABNR in the spring of 2009 to get a Masters in Animal Science. ... As a Master's student ... I am understandably outraged and appalled by the decision to eliminate the entire college. CABNR contains an abundance of degree and research programs, some of which are internationally renowned. At UNR, researchers in the Department of [Animal] Biotechnology have made significant advancements in the area of stem-cell research. The Department of Resource Economics has also gained international recognition for many significant publications. ... I feel a very strong connection to this university and this college. The economy of the small town I'm from, Challis Idaho, is completely dependant on agriculture and natural resource-based industry. There are farmers and ranchers, loggers and miners. Growing up, I saw how land management decisions -- made by people with no connection to the land -- affected these people and it greatly influenced my higher education choices. My mother is from a longtime ranching family in eastern Nevada. I chose to attend college in her home state for a variety of reasons. I knew I wanted to study natural resources; Nevada provided the perfect place to do this. As a master's student, the Great Basin provides unlimited research opportunities that are second to none. If the powers that be succeed with their plan to close the CABNR at UNR, a vast amount of learning opportunities will be lost. I am deeply saddened by the collateral damage that has already occurred as a result of President Glick's decision. Many well-regarded professors are looking for employment elsewhere, because they don't feel the University values their talents. This is not to say that all the good professors are leaving! I am very grateful to those that are staying, taking the risk, because they have no way of knowing how long they will have a job. ... It is imperative to stress the multidisciplinary focus of a degree in Forestry or Rangeland Management. The ability to gain employment after graduation is not dictated by the institution at which you choose to study, but a list of qualification standards determined by federal government land management agencies. These standards include specific course requirements. In addition to 18 course hours in specialized range management classes, the course requirements explicitly require 15 credit hours of courses in directly related plant, animal and soil science. Classes that fulfill this requirement include plant taxonomy, plant ecology, livestock production, and animal nutrition. Due to the fact that UNR has a severely limited plant science department, Range students rely heavily on the animal science department to meet the qualification standards for professional and scientific positions. The proposed curricular review states that one range ecology position will be moved into Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences in order to preserve the range management program. However, a degree resulting from a program void of all animal science related courses will be inadequate and will therefore do a disservice to its students. The systematic attack on CABNR will not just affect students studying animal science, pre-veterinary medicine and resource economics. It will also make getting a valuable degree in Range Ecology or Range Management impossible in a state where approximately 46 million acres of rangeland is facing habitat sustainability, urban sprawl and invasive species issues. Currently students wanting a degree Range Management from UNR are limited in their options. As a graduate student conducting research in Range Ecology, my major appears on my transcripts as Animal Science. This is because the majority of the Range professors on campus, teach in the department of Animal Science. This should speak to the interrelatedness of the two disciplines. Streamlining should not include destroying the positive elements of what currently exists. Instead we should focus on irrelevancies that could be eliminated and additions that will improve the degree program drawing students to this university ... This college has been an important part of my life for the last eight years.
Kaley Volk, CABNR student and the to-be-cut Animal Science Major:
I am a freshman trying to obtain my Animal Science and Pre-Veterinary Medicine (dual) major here at the University of Nevada, Reno. ... My hope is to one day be a large animal veterinarian, perhaps starting with the USDA and eventually working my way to opening up a private practice. ... UNR is the only school in the state of Nevada to offer agriculture and animal science programs (in relevance to a degree) and agriculture is in the top three list of income for the state to casinos and mining. CABNR's closing is purely based of student numbers, and because there are less students in the ANSC (Animal Science) programs and CABNR, they are letting go the wrong people on a matter of numbers. It is not about the quantity, but the quality. And seeing that Nevada needs specific students trained in agriculture and (especially) large animal veterinarians, in a few years down the road we will no longer have local people to fill those much needed positions, but have to look outside our own state and recruit others in, costing more money and time. The major financial cut of CABNR is taking its biggest hit on students in the field right now, who either have to change their life goals now or move elsewhere.
Doug Busselman, Executive Vice President, Nevada Farm Bureau Federation:
The contributions of Nevada farm and ranch families, economically, socially and in all other fashion, is part of not only the heritage and value structure of rural Nevada, we are also going to play an instrumental role in the future of what Nevada will become. Although UNR officials believe that we are insignificant enough to be disregarded as part of their future, we refuse to accept their rejection as mattering. ... Nevada agriculture does matter!
Harvey Barnes, Barnes Ranch, Jiggs, Nevada:
"I'm not speaking for the rest of the board, but as a rancher and a graduate of the College of Agriculture a long time ago. I realize the economic situation of our state, but I think the proposal to close a complete college such as CABNR is going way overboard. ... If they close the college of agriculture, the properties and the facilities on them in the Reno area will be gone. The Valley Road facility is very close to the campus. The Main Station Farm is just a couple of miles away and I think that was a real plus for the UNR Ag College students. ... At the meeting on March 11 ... I was a little disappointed in what [Provost Marc Johnson] had to tell us. I gathered that his mind was made up. ... Agriculture, with our processing industries, some farming, and cattle ranching, we're still a $2 billion industry."
Kelly Cook-Bell:
I wonder if anyone has taken into account how this type of decision will weigh on our numerous FFA organizations in Nevada? What is this decision telling our kids and agricultural families in Nevada?
Jean (last name withheld by request):
I received a MS from the Resource Economics Department in 2000 when I was 45. It has been an invaluable degree for me, raising my income significantly and allowing me to work as an economist for the USDA. I first worked for the Economic Research Service where several colleagues were aware of the faculty at UNR. While a small department, the faculty is top notch and their reputation is probably how I got the job. Now I work for the Farm Service Agency's national office. I'm allowed to sit in California and telework every day because of my good skills learned at UNR.
Sharon Hay:
I'm shocked this extremely important aspect of the college is being closed, especially when ecology, biofuels, etc. is a highlight of the Obama administration, our nation & the world. ... I hope the university alters its stance.
Mike (last name is withheld by request):
With this decision, we are not just losing students, but also renowned research professors and the notoriety they bring. ... My brother, my wife and I all attended UNR. If this decision is final, I will be looking for other institutions to send my three children.
Mike (last name withheld by request):
My daughter is a freshman in the Pre-Vet CABNR program. She has thoroughly enjoyed her education and college experience. Her end goal is to attend a school of veterinary medicine, which we felt UNR gave her an outstanding chance to do. It is still unclear to me what level of education she will be losing based on this proposal. ...My assumption is she will miss out on the true hands-on experience of working with animals and she will miss being taught by experienced pre-vet teachers. She will now be attaining a general science degree that she can get at almost any university. If this is the case, and with ultra competition to be accepted into Vet school, we soon will be considering other colleges to meet her goal. This is very unfortunate for all involved.
What you can do
An immediate letter-writing campaign to the two individuals below is needed. Mailing addresses, fax numbers and email addresses have been provided. State your reasons for keeping CABNR open, being sure to mention your affiliation with CABNR, including CABNR graduates whose careers are an enhancement to their communities and Nevada's economy. Each family member should write his/her own letter; the numbers must prove the importance of CABNR to Nevada.
Dr. Milton Glick, Office of the President, University of Nevada, Reno/001, Reno, NV 89557-0016. Fax: 775-784-6429 president@unr.edu
Marc Johnson, Provost, University of Nevada1664 N. Virginia St., Reno, NV 89557-0208. Fax: 775-784-6220 marc.johnson@unr.edu
At stake, from the proponents' view: A savings of $11 million, plus over 1,000 acres of prime real estate in the Main Station Farm, a possible underlying motivational factor.
At stake, from the opponents' view: Custom and culture, the only agricultural education in the state, a small -- but nationally and internationally significant -- degree program, and much more. The plan to close CABNR would have an immediate and irreversible impact on Nevada and agriculture; the two are inextricably woven into the state's economic and educational fabric.
Footnotes:
1. The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) formerly the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC) http://www.aplu.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1199 and "About the Land-Grant System" http://www.wvu.edu/~exten/about/land.htm
2. Office of the Provost, University of Nevada, Reno http://www.unr.edu/provost/
3. Letter from Acting Dean Pardini, College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources, University of Nevada, Reno http://www.ag.unr.edu
4. "Clinical and molecular characterization of a re-established line of sheep exhibiting hemophilia A," The Journal of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, February 2010 http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/bsc/jth/2010/00000008/00000002/art00010
5. Academic Planning Process, Application of NSHE Code Sec. 5.4.6 http://www.unr.edu/provost/StrategicPlan/academic-planning-process-03012010.pdf
6. Curricular Review Proposal http://www.unr.edu/provost/StrategicPlan/curricular-review-proposal-03012010.pdf and Timeline http://www.unr.edu/provost/StrategicPlan/curricular-review-timeline.pdf
7. Media Announcement, March 1, 2010: Colleges, Programs Subject to Academic Planning Process notified today - University begins process to meet mandated 6.9 percent cut of state-funded budget http://www.unr.edu/president/budget/media_announce_curricular_review_030110.pdf
8. "Regent Gallagher Appears Before Elko Co. Commission" KENV Channel 10 Elko, March 12, 2010 http://www.kenvtv.com and http://www.kenvtv.com/newscasts/wmvdorothyag.wmv and "Locals weigh in on possible ag cuts", Elko Daily Free Press, March 13, 2010 http://www.elkodaily.com/articles/2010/03/14/news/local_news/doc4b9bb4b72181f266719820.txt
9. NevadaWorks - Community: Nevada Jobs and Nevada Workforce Development http://www.nevadaworks.com/community/ and Nevada Division of Water Planning: Nevada State Water Plan, Summary, Section 4: Socioeconomic Assessment and Forecasts http://water.nv.gov/WaterPlanning/wat-plan/PDFs/sum-sec4.pdf
10. Facebook Groups: Save CABNR (both groups have the same name) http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=338361652366&ref=ts and http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=331883620793&ref=ts
11. The Nevada Constitution http://www.leg.state.nv.us/Const/NVConst.html
Article citation: "First published in the April/May 2010 issue of Progressive Rancher Magazine" on pages 18-19.
3,069 words.
Article may be reprinted / posted so long as it remains intact, including all links. Three interviews were not included in the article, but have been left intact (above).
Thursday, March 18, 2010
The Hairy Reed - Satire
The Hairy Reed - Satire
March 18, 2010
By Julie Kay Smithson propertyrights@earthlink.net
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) has received a petition to list the hairy reed as an artificial species under the Artificial Species Act of 2010 (ASA).
The petition was submitted by a representative of the Lake Las Vegas Deepwater Marina Authority and stated, in part, that the hairy reed is often "in over its head" when dealing with environmental issues.
Baking in the Clark County summer sun is a possible habitat behavior that may be contraindicated by the species' single recognizable specimen and its tendency to inhabit a seemingly contradictory habitat: The District of Columbia.
The hairy reed may be recognized by its propensity to sway in the wind, but also has certain characteristics reminiscent of predatory plants like the Venus flytrap, opening for fresh meat and then slamming shut. Such activity usually goes on behind closed doors, so is, at best, only suspect behavior.
Sightings of this species include press conferences, photo-ops, and political events, the latter being the most probable place to successfully spot the hairy reed, especially during election years.
Whether NDOW will seriously consider listing the hairy reed as an artificial species remains a mystery.
The ASA mandates that a bovine excreta study (BES) be done to determine whether the hairy reed should be listed. Several universities have, however, applied for grant funding to monitor and track the hairy reed.
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Smithson is a property rights researcher living with her Blue Heeler dog, Wiggles, in the Amish and Mennonite farm country near London, Ohio. Visit her websites: http://www.propertyrightsresearch.org http://propertyrightsresearch.blogspot.com http://tips2ussavethem.blogspot.com Contact her at propertyrights@earthlink.net
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