The movement of autumn into winter is a joyous sight to behold. Birds of all sorts are packing their bags in preparation for their voyage south. Large herbivores are rapaciously devouring forage in an attempt to gain weight and avoid starvation in the lean months of winter. Predators, both avian and terrestrial, are preparing to evict their offspring and devote more time to the search for prey. Deciduous vegetation is alive with color fluctuation and conifers remain steadfast in green. The earth is alive with movement.
Waterfowl are the symbol of autumn. Their airborne skeins etch beautiful patterns across the sky. Specklebellied and snow geese have begun to congregate in the Klamath Basin. Further south, marsh birds such as the ibis and avocet have taken up residence in the Sacramento Valley. They will need to enjoy the relative silence of October for their raucous neighbors to the north are soon to follow.
The impish grey squirrels who call our backyard home have been busily stashing their hoard of conifer nuts. It is quite hilarious to watch their antics as they scamper to and fro, scold our dogs, drop pine cones on our roof, and look into our windows just to annoy the cats.
The Cascades have begun to adorn themselves with their winter mantle of white and spend much of their time obscured behind cloud cover. Deer and elk have begun their slow trek downhill with the snowline in fast pursuit. The rains of the season are fast approaching the Coastal Range and will soon enshroud them in a vaporous veil of obscurity. Alpine lakes and streams will become dormant as ice encapsulates their surfaces and the resident aquatic life becomes dormant.
For our part, my wife and I sit in the den and relax amongst the aromatic smell of slowly burning seasoned juniper. Our oldest cat, a true senior feline citizen of 18 years, maintains an omnipresence in front of the woodburning stove. All in all, everything is upright in our personal universe and if we remain grounded by observing life's minute details, the travails of the world will not become oppressive and we will endure. Besides, we all have to get ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Factionalism: Friend or Foe?
As the upcoming mid term elections draw near, political opponents have drawn lines in the sand and disparaging remarks are flying through the air from both sides of the aisle. Supporters of their candidates have also joined the fray. Such is the nature of American politics. Some of the most renowned political pundits on the air have called for a return to a more civil approach to political discourse. Unfortunately, civil political debate has never been a dominant presence on the American landscape. Others call for unbiased reporting from the predominant newspapers and periodicals available to the public. By looking back in time, one can quickly come to the conclusion that these publications have never been unbiased in their reporting. From the founding of our country, journalists have always been the loudspeaker for their respective factions.
Several newspapers vehemently attacked the policies of President George Washington's administration. Many of them accused him, even with the absence of supporting facts, of a monarchic form of government. Of course, in today's world, he is revered as the father of our country. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison corresponded frequently over the fear of a developing carnivorous factionalism within our fledgling republic. Madison's Federalist #10 dealt specifically with this problem. Jefferson felt that a revolution now and again was a healthy antidote for renewing the viability of democratic governing. Factionalism reached new heights during the presidency of John Adams. Our founding fathers initially felt that we had no need for the presence of political parties in our system of government. Reality quickly gave way to the development of political parties. Vice President Jefferson covertly campaigned against the policies of President Adams. Jefferson's activities led to the formation of the Democratic-Republican Party. This political party became the counter political force to the Federalist Party of Adams. Adams was vehemently attacked by the Democratic-Republicans during his bid for reelection. Pejorative remarks were leveled at him by political operatives and newspapers. These activities directly led to his defeat and the ascent of the Democratic-Republicans. The enmity between Jefferson and Adams lasted for over a decade. At the urging of Abigail Adams, the two men reestablished their friendship and remained so until their deaths on the Fourth of July in 1826. Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr epitomize the more deadly aspects of carnivorous political factionalism. Their pernicious political diatribe led directly to the duel at Weehawken in 1803. As we all know, Hamilton paid for his hatred of Burr with his life.
Looking at the early years of our country, one could quickly come to the conclusion that factionalism was noxious for our country. Is this assumption correct? The years leading up to the Civil War were filled with political compromise. Two great statesmen represent this era of factional suppression. Senator Daniel Webster of Massachusetts and Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky valiantly attempted to avoid the inevitable Civil War. They fought for common ground. As factions for the North and South grew in opposition to each other, Webster and Clay held us together. Unfortunately, their joint efforts were doomed to fail. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 are two examples of an attempt to find common ground. Webster and Clay supported these legislative measures. Their oratory in both the House and Senate held our country together as we tread through the murky waters of slavery. Would our country have dissolved prematurely if these two men had not practiced legislative civility? Nobody can know for certain but, did the suppression of factionalism only delay the inevitable explosion of the Civil War? The real issue these men bring to light is that we can, as a nation, not devolve into rampant salacious political dialog.
As we approach these elections we need to remain informed. All of us bring preformed opinions to every issue. Regardless of how open minded we attempt to be, all of us are products of our environment. As the old adage goes, "birds of a feather flock together". We all should practice the golden rule and treat others in the same manner as we desire to be treated. We need to politely listen, observe, and read the opinions of others. When afforded the opportunity, we need to state our case and support it with relevant facts. If your opinion doesn't carry the day and the electorate heads in a different direction, we need to support those who have been elected by recognizing the fact that they are now in power. If required, we should re-analyze our position on specific issues and provide a relevant, well informed, fact based opposition to their governmental policies. Just as assuredly as the ocean tide floods and ebbs, the political party in power comes and goes. The polite and informed disagreement amongst the electorate will have a direct impact on the form of political diatribe to be found in Washington D.C. Factionalism is neither friend nor foe. It merely mirrors the civility, or lack thereof, amongst the populace.
Several newspapers vehemently attacked the policies of President George Washington's administration. Many of them accused him, even with the absence of supporting facts, of a monarchic form of government. Of course, in today's world, he is revered as the father of our country. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison corresponded frequently over the fear of a developing carnivorous factionalism within our fledgling republic. Madison's Federalist #10 dealt specifically with this problem. Jefferson felt that a revolution now and again was a healthy antidote for renewing the viability of democratic governing. Factionalism reached new heights during the presidency of John Adams. Our founding fathers initially felt that we had no need for the presence of political parties in our system of government. Reality quickly gave way to the development of political parties. Vice President Jefferson covertly campaigned against the policies of President Adams. Jefferson's activities led to the formation of the Democratic-Republican Party. This political party became the counter political force to the Federalist Party of Adams. Adams was vehemently attacked by the Democratic-Republicans during his bid for reelection. Pejorative remarks were leveled at him by political operatives and newspapers. These activities directly led to his defeat and the ascent of the Democratic-Republicans. The enmity between Jefferson and Adams lasted for over a decade. At the urging of Abigail Adams, the two men reestablished their friendship and remained so until their deaths on the Fourth of July in 1826. Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr epitomize the more deadly aspects of carnivorous political factionalism. Their pernicious political diatribe led directly to the duel at Weehawken in 1803. As we all know, Hamilton paid for his hatred of Burr with his life.
Looking at the early years of our country, one could quickly come to the conclusion that factionalism was noxious for our country. Is this assumption correct? The years leading up to the Civil War were filled with political compromise. Two great statesmen represent this era of factional suppression. Senator Daniel Webster of Massachusetts and Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky valiantly attempted to avoid the inevitable Civil War. They fought for common ground. As factions for the North and South grew in opposition to each other, Webster and Clay held us together. Unfortunately, their joint efforts were doomed to fail. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 are two examples of an attempt to find common ground. Webster and Clay supported these legislative measures. Their oratory in both the House and Senate held our country together as we tread through the murky waters of slavery. Would our country have dissolved prematurely if these two men had not practiced legislative civility? Nobody can know for certain but, did the suppression of factionalism only delay the inevitable explosion of the Civil War? The real issue these men bring to light is that we can, as a nation, not devolve into rampant salacious political dialog.
As we approach these elections we need to remain informed. All of us bring preformed opinions to every issue. Regardless of how open minded we attempt to be, all of us are products of our environment. As the old adage goes, "birds of a feather flock together". We all should practice the golden rule and treat others in the same manner as we desire to be treated. We need to politely listen, observe, and read the opinions of others. When afforded the opportunity, we need to state our case and support it with relevant facts. If your opinion doesn't carry the day and the electorate heads in a different direction, we need to support those who have been elected by recognizing the fact that they are now in power. If required, we should re-analyze our position on specific issues and provide a relevant, well informed, fact based opposition to their governmental policies. Just as assuredly as the ocean tide floods and ebbs, the political party in power comes and goes. The polite and informed disagreement amongst the electorate will have a direct impact on the form of political diatribe to be found in Washington D.C. Factionalism is neither friend nor foe. It merely mirrors the civility, or lack thereof, amongst the populace.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Narcissism in America
Do not let the title of this blog run you off. It is not intended as a pessimistic outlook for the future of our society. It is merely a collation of interactions with other Americans. Have you noticed how often many of us seem preoccupied with getting ahead? You can observe this in traffic, at stores and, the workplace. When does getting ahead of others lead down the path to a cultural form of rudeness? As a society, have we lost the capacity for consideration or, are we like the seagulls in the animated feature "Finding Nemo"? Do we scurry about shouting "Mine" instead of politely saying, "excuse me"?
I spend countless hours traveling down the highways of America. The manner in which people drive often indicates a sublte form of narcissism. Yes, there are indeed rude truckers however, it is often the common personal vehicle which operates in an inconsiderate manner. I've lost track of the times that I've changed lanes for a merging car and have had to suffer the aggravation of that small vehicle as it either travels alongside me or, races ahead to cut in front of me. When did the highway departments remove the yield sign from highway merge ramps? During rush hour in major metropolitan areas it is common practice for cars to rush ahead of you, pull in front of you and then hit their brakes as they try to squeeze into the already full exit ramp. I wonder if they didn't notice the empty stretch of asphalt behind my truck? A couple of months back, I was heading northbound in Denver on I-25 during morning rush hour when a gentleman flipped me off because he had to slow down to exit speed and exit behind my truck onto I-270. He was angry because I was traveling in the far right lane and he couldn't safely cut in front of me. He was driving a black BMW SUV from Boulder, Colorado. He had two bumper stickers on the vehicle. One read "Peace", whilst the other stated to "Celebrate Diversity". He is either a hypocrite or he simply forgot to read his bumper stickers before getting into his BMV for the morning commute.
I am a hunter. This activity is my passion and every autumn finds me in the backcountry in an annual attempt to return to the essence of human nature. Buried deep within each of us are the hunter-gatherer traits of our ancestors. You do not dominate the backcountry. You either integrate into the natural flow of life or, Mother Nature is likely to provide you with an experience you'll not soon forget. The taking of game is ancillary to the total experience of living outdoors. You hunt to watch sunrises and sunsets, listen to ravens, laugh at the cocky chipmunk as he scolds you for daring to sit on "his" log, smell the sage and pine and, try to keep Clark's Nutcrackers from telling the world, "Hey, here he is."
In an attempt to reap the rewards of this experience, I choose to hunt in areas where vehicular travel is restricted. The US Forest Service utilizes a green dot marking system for the unimproved road network in the forests. Vehicles can only travel on green dot roadways. During my deer hunt, two hunters abused the system. On the night before opening morning an ATV barreled by my campsite and roared up the canyon I was going to hunt. The very next day, a hunter in a Toyota pickup drove up this very same canyon. I had walked 90 minutes into the canyon for a quiet hunt. When I informed him that he was in a green dot area, he stated that he didn't see the sign which clearly identified this region as a restricted travel area. He thanked me for telling him that he shouldn't be there in a vehicle however, he came back the same afternoon with his vehicle. I took great joy when I saw him later that evening with the forest ranger in tow. Being selfish cost him $300.
So there you have it, rude people live on the highways and in the backcountry. All is not dire however, because there is always a considerate individual on the periphery who re-validates the basic goodness of the human spirit. Oftentimes, people wave a "thank you" when I move over to let them merge and on the last day of my hunt, a party of five hunters waited patiently by their trucks as they watched me making my descent down the ridgeline towards my pickup. When I got to my truck, we exchanged pleasantries and a soda pop. For every rude, self absorbed person out there, somewhere on this planet is their polar opposite. Such is the yin and yang of life.
I spend countless hours traveling down the highways of America. The manner in which people drive often indicates a sublte form of narcissism. Yes, there are indeed rude truckers however, it is often the common personal vehicle which operates in an inconsiderate manner. I've lost track of the times that I've changed lanes for a merging car and have had to suffer the aggravation of that small vehicle as it either travels alongside me or, races ahead to cut in front of me. When did the highway departments remove the yield sign from highway merge ramps? During rush hour in major metropolitan areas it is common practice for cars to rush ahead of you, pull in front of you and then hit their brakes as they try to squeeze into the already full exit ramp. I wonder if they didn't notice the empty stretch of asphalt behind my truck? A couple of months back, I was heading northbound in Denver on I-25 during morning rush hour when a gentleman flipped me off because he had to slow down to exit speed and exit behind my truck onto I-270. He was angry because I was traveling in the far right lane and he couldn't safely cut in front of me. He was driving a black BMW SUV from Boulder, Colorado. He had two bumper stickers on the vehicle. One read "Peace", whilst the other stated to "Celebrate Diversity". He is either a hypocrite or he simply forgot to read his bumper stickers before getting into his BMV for the morning commute.
I am a hunter. This activity is my passion and every autumn finds me in the backcountry in an annual attempt to return to the essence of human nature. Buried deep within each of us are the hunter-gatherer traits of our ancestors. You do not dominate the backcountry. You either integrate into the natural flow of life or, Mother Nature is likely to provide you with an experience you'll not soon forget. The taking of game is ancillary to the total experience of living outdoors. You hunt to watch sunrises and sunsets, listen to ravens, laugh at the cocky chipmunk as he scolds you for daring to sit on "his" log, smell the sage and pine and, try to keep Clark's Nutcrackers from telling the world, "Hey, here he is."
In an attempt to reap the rewards of this experience, I choose to hunt in areas where vehicular travel is restricted. The US Forest Service utilizes a green dot marking system for the unimproved road network in the forests. Vehicles can only travel on green dot roadways. During my deer hunt, two hunters abused the system. On the night before opening morning an ATV barreled by my campsite and roared up the canyon I was going to hunt. The very next day, a hunter in a Toyota pickup drove up this very same canyon. I had walked 90 minutes into the canyon for a quiet hunt. When I informed him that he was in a green dot area, he stated that he didn't see the sign which clearly identified this region as a restricted travel area. He thanked me for telling him that he shouldn't be there in a vehicle however, he came back the same afternoon with his vehicle. I took great joy when I saw him later that evening with the forest ranger in tow. Being selfish cost him $300.
So there you have it, rude people live on the highways and in the backcountry. All is not dire however, because there is always a considerate individual on the periphery who re-validates the basic goodness of the human spirit. Oftentimes, people wave a "thank you" when I move over to let them merge and on the last day of my hunt, a party of five hunters waited patiently by their trucks as they watched me making my descent down the ridgeline towards my pickup. When I got to my truck, we exchanged pleasantries and a soda pop. For every rude, self absorbed person out there, somewhere on this planet is their polar opposite. Such is the yin and yang of life.
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