January 24, 2017

A woman wanted to march. Weeks later, many millions did. Let us learn...

Who here has not dreamed of setting off the largest direct action event in the history of the human race? That is what happened last week end.

The legend (and it should be) has it one woman said she wanted to march in protest to the election of tRump. We have seen the public manifestation of her wishes, and of course reports of all the motivations, emotions, and rational reasons are still coming in. What ALL of us should do now is Learn how this came about, the people, networks, means of communications, the messages sent.

My god! millions in the street within a few weeks! That is some organization. Let better minds than mine report in on how it was done. It is our future.

January 24, 2017

The Demonstrations: Dispelling the bad air of hep-cat political neutrality...

For some years, I and several friends have despaired over the newcomers to Austin who have worn their un-involvement on their sleeves. These Militant Apathetics seemed to glory in their status, even as they prowled their new Austin environs, looking for some elusive authenticity, stopping only to piss on the political foundations that drew them here in the first place. Things changed last weekend.

I talked with just 3 folks who were in the 50,000k march, or the earlier Unity March. Each said it was their first demonstration, each said they had never been involved in politics before, each said they were NO LONGER AFRAID.

There is a lost alchemy in direct action and protest actions. Certainly this alchemy puts paid to hours of philosophical sophistry and silence. But it also rejuvenates the soul. All the talk of fear, of being scared, and of anxiety (sublime music to the ears of bullies) is suddenly, roundly pissed off in the sweat of a few miles and the shoutings of 50,000 marching beside you. Now, perhaps, the bullies and swaggering barroom fighters will listen to another refrain, from us, "the children of the night."

If there is a yin yang to politics, we saw it last week end. And we need more of it.

December 15, 2016

And a Second deer has managed his way into my freezer...

Last week end was cold and drizzly, but if the wind is low (and it was) that won't deter deer movement. Being in Uvalde County, the rut runs a little late (first part of December), and the guy I shot was clearly sniffing the ground obsessively. I even spooked him 2 hrs earlier, but he wouldn't leave the area. Since the wind was favorable, I sat at the base of a big live oak, whose canopy stretched out like a sagging tent, and faced into a gentle breeze. Sure enough, old cold nose came snuffing along.

He wasn't big, but he had a "deformed antler set" (4 points on one side, a large fork on the other side). This usually indicates an injury earlier in his life. I don't know if that would affect his abilities to pass on good genes, but Uvalde has no antler restrictions, and the land-owner said there were a lot of young bucks prowling the area. So I took him, and left the dressed carcass in Uvalde for skinning and processing.

I saw several axis deer, but could get no clear shot. In fact, one crossed the trail of the buck I shot, looked around, then reversed course away (I have seen more white tails noshing with Rio Grande turkeys than with axis, though they pay attention to each others distinct warning snorts).

Topping off my freezer allows me to give away Christmas gifts of venison; so far, I have distributed 8 packets.

My friend has invited me on another hunt in Christmas, but I may have to beg off.

November 20, 2016

After 2-yr. lull, I finally get a deer....

Last Friday, I finally took a nice buck in Coryell County, Texas. I had to move from two previous posts due to changing wind direction. Finally got a decent spot overlooking an intersection of jeep trails and oak mott. There I enjoyed the golden early evening light and many monarch butterflies, after spooking at least three deer in the process. But the rut is a forgiving time for clumsy retirees. With less than 30 mins. left of legal light, I caught movement over my "off side," which turned out to be a nice doe. My intent was to shoot her, but she wove through brush and trees and went out of sight before I could maneuver around and get a brace on the oak I was sitting against. I kept my eye on where she first emerged, and sure enough, a legal buck slowly revealed himself.

I got a sight picture, but the buck was single-mindedly dogging her same path. Then he stopped. He never turned his head, toward me or anything else. Somewhere ahead and out of sight, he was fixed on that doe who probably was sniffing out my old scent trail along the jeep lane before signaling to the buck all was OK. Most of his body was obstructed by brush, save for the front quarters and antlers. I just managed to get the cross-hairs over his right lower shoulder as he stood transfixed on the invisible doe. At the shot, he leapt backwards and disappeared. The only movement was the re-emerging doe who flashed into the open, then back into brush.

I was somewhat confident of my 100 yd. shot through the little "tunnel" I had for visuals, so immediately struggled up, grabbed my pack, and traced a bee-line for where I last saw him. Sure enough, he lay on his side only a few feet from where he once stood, with a lung through-and-through. He trembled his last, and I thanked him and bade him farewell. Then the work began. A week later after red neck aging in the ice chests, I finally had him boned out and dropped off at Hudson's Processing in the heart of hep-cat South Austin. God, I think this may be the last kitchen sink de-boning job I do! But 52 pounds of sweet, solid, well-trimmed meat will be returned as breakfast sausage, burger, link sausage, ham steaks, etc. It's a relief in many ways.

Happy hunting to all of you who deal with eating straight up.

November 16, 2016

A silver lining for Democrats regarding the gun issue...

With a federal concealed-carry reciprocity act in the offing, and with the prospect that Trump will appoint more 2A-friendly justices to SCOTUS, the so-called "gun rights" movement may be topping off at the bountiful victory banquet it has noshed at for some 20 years. (If there is a dessert out there, I don't know what it is.).

Now would be a time for the Party to seriously look at just what it aims to accomplish with its gun control outlook. No need to belabor the many arguments for or against this proposal or that; we've done it many times before. The greater question is why continue on with a culture war by proxy when it has resulted in complete policy failure, and very damaging consequences to the Party and liberal/progressive causes in general? The election results strongly point to the fact that, over the long term, Americans want to put-paid to this miscast issue, and the Party should take heed, turning instead to very real reform. With the NRA, et al no longer able to marshall some millions of now single-issue voters to the polls, the political effect of what is now a defacto arm of the GOP will be lessened. Further, Democrats will no longer have to drag a peculiar smell into the garden party of U.S. politics.

The Party should take advantage of this opportunity.

November 15, 2016

Winner Most Ironic Essay Title: "Gun Control Can Swing the 2016 Election."

(January, 2016 New Republic.)
_______

A certain swing state voted over 71% to legalize medical pot, a state taken TWICE by a black man to win the presidency. Perhaps in the future a Democratic presidential candidate less politically tone-deaf will not venture to Ft. Lauderdale to deliver a gun control address.

November 7, 2016

If a poll watcher talks to you, report this illegal action to the Election Judge!

From CNN's Steve Vladek in the on-line article "What are poll watchers and what are they allowed to do," posted on Saturday, 10-29-16:

"Every state makes it illegal to intimidate a voter... For example, an individual's [watcher's] actions designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by QUESTIONING THEM OR CHALLENGING THEM..." (my emphasis)

As a former election judge in Texas, I can say this statement by Vladek is true. Poll watchers MUST report any concerns to the Election Judge, and not otherwise interrupt the voting process.

Tell the Judge when a watcher is talking with you, and do so immediately immediately!

October 26, 2016

Dove still persistently flying into degraded sunflower patch...

Even on an overcast, windy, rather cool day, dove were still flying into an oat field with a "perennial" patch of sunflowers. Durable, late afternoon field! Got six with 12 shells, fired from an IC choked Rem 870, all on the fly. Funny, how your shooting improves over the season!

In a peculiar twist, general gun deer season opens on November 5, while the first half of the long dove season overlaps to Nov 6. I have not seen that before, so I may try for a deer, and if everyone else gets one on the fifth, go for a few more dove on the sixth. What a treasure to hunt both species on well-kept land.

October 25, 2016

35,000 vote in Travis Co. first day. My line was 30 mins, so I sped it up...

by voting straight Demo.