Somewhere today...

Somewhere today, in the here and now, in the world as it is, a soldier sees he's outgunned, but stands firm to keep the peace. Somewhere today, in this world, a young protestor awaits the brutality of her government, but has the courage to march on. Somewhere today, a mother facing punishing poverty still takes the time to teach her child, scrapes together what few coins she has to send that child to school -- because she believes that a cruel world still has a place for that child's dreams.

Let us live by their example. BH Obama, 12102009

My NRA membership

Those who know me know that I am a student of the Constitution. I believe in the concept of a Constitutional Government based upon the enumerated rights contained in this document. This includes support for the Second Amendment. That being said, the Supreme Court has made the fact that State and Local Government may implement reasonable policies regarding the right to bear arms.

To the point, I have been a member of the National Rifle Association for a number of years. Like many Americans, I believed that they were the “keeper of the Constitutional Flame” regarding the Second Amendment. It is my opinion now that they are simply an extremist organization with an unreasonable approach to Gun Control. Their answer is "no control". In my opinion, that's just not a good answer anymore. While I believe that the Constitution protects every American’s right to keep and bear arms, I no longer believe that weapons should be necessarily easy to obtain on a walk-in basis or difficult to track. I now accept the analogy that if I need a license to drive a car or motorcycle, fly a plane, or even own a dog... perhaps I need a permit and training to own a gun.

I have been pondering this issue for a number of years. Yesterday’s shooting incident at Northern Virginia Community College was the catalyst for resolving my moral dilemma. A young man simply walked into a sporting goods store (while it wasn’t named, it was easy to guess… I shop there regularly) four miles from the college campus and then drive directly to the campus with the intent to kill a teacher. I have read too many stories about people purchasing firearms in the heat of passion with the intent of immediately using the weapon to kill someone. Because of the destructive power of modern weaponry, mass killings are a rather common occurrence.

The problem of easy access to weapons with incredible destructive power and lack of traceability of weapons (IMHO) contributes to gun violence in the United States. I believe that a policy of reasonable controls on the purchase, sale and possession of firearms are important to the protection of society and the maintenance of a civil society. Something as simple as a waiting period between the decision to purchase and delivery of a weapon would allow the heat of passion to pass for those with criminal intent. I am open to reasonable registration and would like to see the science of “bullet fingerprints” perfected and applied.

I was a professional soldier for twenty-two years. Weapons are designed for defensive purposes and principally intended to kill people. I am an active shooter. Like many folks at the range, one of my favorite targets is a human figure (to remain "qualified"). While I certainly appreciate the sportsman hunter walking through the woods with his Model 94 looking for meat on the table, I'm not so sure I apply this same feeling towards someone shooting an AR15 in semi-automatic mode at a human figure target any more.

For the first time in many years, I threw my NRA membership renewal in the trash. It is my opinion that they are no longer part of the solution. Next, the stickers come of my cars.

Merrimac Farms, Prince William county, VA right after the snowfall on 6 December 2009

(Above) Stone spring house at Merrimac Farms.

(Above) Tree behind Stone House.

(Above) Bluebird house

(Above) walking to Stone House in the snow.

It was a snowy weekend in Northern Virginia. I decided to take my camera out to Merrimac Farms to take a few pictures yesterday (Sunday, 6 December 2009). The results are avove. If you would like to learn more about Merrimac Farms, click here.

My cabin in the snow.

Here is a picture of my Cabin taken at 2:00, 5 December, 2009 (today). It's a great day to be inside by the fire!

Water, water, not everywhere and getting hard to find...

I saw these one after the other today and realized I had a great screenplay for an end of the world movie. It really doesn't matter why the climate is changing, it matters that it is changing. We must do what we can to understand the closed system we live in and do try to understand how to reverse or at least slow down the trend. Otherwise, we are part of the sixth extinction...

The Tragedy of the Himalayas

Glacier threat to Bolivia capital

The next war won't be about oil, it will be about water.

Regional Activity Centers

I regularly follow Charlie Grimes blog on the Prince William Conservation Alliance website. He always has some thoughtful ideas on the environment in general and development issues. I commented on today's entry,If We Do Nothing Different… Why Should We Expect To Get Better Results? and thought I would share it on my blog.

I agree with everything you say about regional activity centers. From a transportation and environmental perspective they are a "no brainer"; however, there's only one "flaw". The reason developers buy up farms and fields is because that's where many people want to live. Policy alone doesn’t necessarily drive development, the free market drives development. Developers build what people want to buy or what commercial companies want to build (which is driven by where people want to shop). If people naturally wanted to live in densely populated activity centers, the builders would fall all over one another creating this housing and business option.

The fact is, choices are often driven by income. It has been my observation that the more income one has, the more land and privacy they want. A drive to stores or the market is a “feature”, not a “problem”. Since Prince William County is now one of the richest County's in the Country, we are obviously attracting folks who like a bit of space. I'm not sure policy alone can address this issue. These people vote (and donate to campaigns). I’m guessing they are also among that small population that reliably show up at the polls. It is the nature of Democracy that our Supervisor's consider their opinion.

There is a demographic consideration that might have policy implications. First, as our population ages, the demand for housing might change to more convenient regional activity centers that offer many advantages to this demographic. Second, I have read several studies (which I can’t reference off the top of my head) that say the current (“younger” generation) likes the regional activity center concept (smaller living spaces near shopping and transportation). Perhaps it’s about who the county attracts in the future (the right mix)?

As always, the “problem” with policy driven housing decisions that border a bit on a social experiment is unintended consequences. As are all things in life, it’s a math problem.

Afghans Offer Jobs to Taliban Rank and File if They Defect

Now, THIS is creative thinking... and the quickest way to close the Afghanistan chapter of our history. Most Taliban rank and file are simply in it for the "money". It's a job. It's cheaper to give them better jobs than field our own troops at $1,000,000 per troop per year.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/28/world/asia/28militias.html?partner=rss&emc=rss