Gun rights, NRA and the diametrically opposed

Or used to be, anyway...

Writer, photographer and and avid bird hunter Pat Wray wrote a wonderful piece in this morning's Gazette Times newspaper that really resonated with me, in part because I used to be a long-time dues paying member of the NRA but have struggled in recent years with their fear-mongering and heavy handedness. I'm a strong supporter of our Constitution and the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms...but also believe the pendulum has swung too far, perpetuated in large part by the NRA's fear mongering and extremism. And I've long had difficulties resolving my support of the two seemingly opposite viewpoints.

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So when Pat's column came out this morning, and I realized what he was writing about, I sat transfixed, absorbing every word of his story. And I felt like FINALLY!, finally someone else feels like I do, sitting in both sides of the fence, if you will, on a contentious issue. And I was relieved. Relieved that someone else was able to put to words, in the form of a succinct, poignant, thought-provoking "phone conversation" (whether it was real or otherwise is of no consequence), two seemingly diametrically opposed viewpoints. Well done Pat Wray. Well done. I, for one, think you'd be an excellent candidate for the NRA board. So without further ado, here's Pat's column, in it's entirety, as it appeared in today's (Feb. 2, 2012) Gazette Times Outdoors section:

Outdoors: A phone call from the NRA. by Pat Wray. (as it appeared in the Corvallis Gazette Times Outdoor section, February 2, 2012.)

“Hello, Mr. Wray. This is John from the National Rifle Association. How are you doing tonight?”

“Fine, thanks.”

“Mr. Wray, as a Life Member of the NRA I know you are concerned with our right to bear arms. Are you aware of Obama’s under-the-radar effort to destroy our 2nd Amendment rights?”

“You mean President Obama?” 

“Yes, sir.”

“Say it.”

“President Obama.”

“Good. Now for the remainder of this conversation every time you mention his name the word President will precede it. Is that clear?”

“Yes, sir.” 

“Good. Now, what were you complaining about?”

“Well, er, President Obama is conducting an under-the-radar attack on our right to bear arms.”

“What makes it under the radar?”

“His administration is not talking about it.”

“Then how do you know what he plans to do?”

“Well, Mr. Wray, you have to look no further than his appointees. Consider that Attorney General Eric Holder is on record as supporting the re-establishment of the Clinton ban on assault weapons.”

“Holder brought that up within of month of his appointment three years ago and quickly was shut down by the President. Haven’t heard a peep, since. What else you got?”

“Um, he appointed two of the most rabidly anti-gun Supreme Court justices in American history, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. Given the advanced ages of several of the other judges, a second term may well give President Obama the chance to appoint three more justices.” 

“So, our liberal president appointed two liberal justices. What a surprise! You expected what, another Clarence Thomas? I guess we’ll have to hope that all of his appointees grow an independent streak and decide their cases according to our Constitution. Just like we always do. It’s hard for me to interpret Supreme Court nominees as an assault on my gun rights.”

“Mr. Wray, are you aware that this administration reversed long-standing American opposition and now supports an International Arms Trade Treaty that will ban or restrict our gun ownership in this country? O … er … President Obama knows he can’t get restrictive gun rules through the U.S. Congress so he’s going to come at us through the U.N.”

“You know, I’ve been seeing those emails and so I started doing some checking. It turns out that the U.N. treaty is aimed at restricting dealers who provide arms to insurgencies, rebellions and civil wars. There is specific wording in place, put there by the United States, to protect national sovereignty regarding firearms purchase and ownership.”

“Mr. Wray, our people have done extensive research into the administration’s goals and we know what President Obama is going to do.”

“Sure, you know because of what he said, except that all he’s ever said is that he supports the 2nd Amendment and has no plans to take anyone’s guns. You know because of what he has done, except that he’s made no move in any way to restrict gun ownership. In fact, he’s signed a law permitting guns in National Parks, signed another law allowing guns in checked baggage on Amtrak trains …”

“Those were just a diversion, Mr. Wray, a smokescreen to hide his true objectives.”

“So, even when President Obama does exactly what you guys want, signs laws that you had a hand in writing, you still don’t give him credit. Did all of you intern at Pravda, or what? Here’s what I think, John. I am worried about gun control. I’ve been in Great Britain and Australia and Canada and talked with the people there who’ve had their guns taken away. I know it can be done. I also know there are people here who want to do the same thing. That’s why I’m a life member of the NRA. But the way NRA people simplify and demonize and lie about things — the way you create crises where there are none is abhorrent to me. The NRA singlehandedly created the mass hysteria following President Obama’s election that resulted in ammunition and reloading supplies disappearing off the shelves for more than a year. You did that. And all you can say now is ‘This time he’s REALLY going after our guns! Trust us!’

“Sorry, John. Somehow the words NRA and trust don’t fit together very well for me.”

So what do you think about all of this? Do you have different, similar, or conflicting views on gun control and the right to bear arms?

And to end on a curiosity note, here are some cartoons, images, and pictures relating to these issues that I found particularly interesting. Enjoy!

Origins and the Moral Ethic

A few weeks back, I was listening to an incredibly fascinating episode of This American Life. It dealt with issues of technology and Apple, labor practices and social (in)justice. Mr. Daisey and the Apple Factory contains a remarkable monologue from actor, author, commentator, playwright, and general layabout Mike Daisey. I know what you're thinking - "Great! Just what I need...a boring monologue." It is, however, anything but boring. If you're even halfway interested - heck, in ANY way interested - in where your gadgets come from and under what conditions they are manufactured (and we all should be), I beseech you to listen to this hour-long episode. It will grab your attention and start you thinking about things that may make you uncomfortable. And that's OK. You can't help but think! Maybe you will even go out and get tickets to one of Mike's performances (I sure wish there were some in my area). You can even grab it as a podcast and listen to it on your uber-techy iPod or smart phone on your bike/bus/train ride or walk to work! It's well worth the listen. 


After you listen to it, let me know what you thought about it? Will you change your consumer buying practices? And if so, how? Will I change my practices? I sure like that new Android smartphone and have been lusting after the new iPad for some time...but I'm not sure I can pull the trigger. Would buying it used make any difference, from an ethical standpoint, that is? Does it matter that all these electronics, when they've worn out their newness and the latest gadget comes along, get recycled...but not in the way you think? Shouldn't we, as consumers, be more concerned about all of this? And change our purchasing habits? After all, would you want the waterway in front of your house to look like this one in Nigeria? I sure wouldn't. 

I have to go now...and ruminate on how I can change my buying practices whilst still keeping up with the Joneses and the latest and greatest gadgets (I'll probably have to come to the realization that it may not be possible). I'd love to hear your thoughts, too...

Johnny Scofflaw - a caption contest

A photo came up the today on the Facebook page of a popular copper moonshine still manufacturer (Clawhammer Supply). It was for a photo caption contest that had some pretty creative caption entries. Perhaps because I was a Bear Cub, Cub Scout, Webelo, then Boy Scout, I immediately thought of the various 1950's era images we were surrounded with during my time in scouts and decided to go with the Boy Scout project theme. A few seconds later, I came up with this a caption for the image...

And with this one project, Johnny thought for sure he'd qualify for no less than seven Boy Scouts of America merit badges (American Heritage, Art, Chemistry, Cooking, Inventing, Metalwork, and Plumbing). Little did he realize that his Climbing, Hiking, Orienteering, Shotgun Shooting, Weather, Wilderness Survival, and Law merit badges would all serve him well as he eluded BATF agents in the ensuing raid.

I think there may be at least a few more merit badges that qualify...but I'm not sure the Boy Scouts of America would agree with me.

Have a caption you think fitting? Add it to the comments, below.

Long live fermentation science, creativity and the ingenuity of the human spirit!

An obituary

Extinguished Candle by Flickr user diannna-art

I was recently asked to help write an obituary for a friend (more of a family member, really) that recently moved up in the grand scheme of things. I was both honored and...somewhat terrified. Would I be up to the task? Would I cover everything that should be covered? Would my writing of the obituary be clouded(?) by my own particular and unique view of her (and our friendship)? Would I forget to include one of her relatives? Would I offend someone by including or excluding things about her life? Would the family like what I wrote?

So I was glad to have a partner-in-writing. In truth, my partner carried more of the writing load, something I was (perhaps?) oddly OK with - playing a more supportive rather than lead role. I set about my task with a near-religious fervor that rather surprised me. Perhaps it was because I was helping write it in relative obscurity. Or perhaps it was because the bulk of the writing fell to someone else. Regardless, it felt good to put together lists of people, career highlights, quotes, words I thought described or characterized her, and remembrances of her from others. From this, I was able to craft out a few paragraphs that had me feeling pretty good about it and that I felt (hoped) honored her. My partner-in-writing also crafted some wonderful text (better than I could ever have written) and, after we pulled it all together and put the finishing touches it on it, sent it off to the family for review.

And that's when my nerves really set in. Did they like it? Did they think it honored her enough? Would they think differently of me? Did the few words we laid down do her life justice? I said a quick prayer of tranquility and was suddenly bathed in the knowledge that it would be OK. They would like it. It was honorable and complete. It was as it should be.

I'm sure there are all kinds of hints and how-tos out there for writing obituaries. But I didn't want to find them. I just wanted to write what came from my heart. And trust that the (my) truths and understandings of who she was would come across correctly and be honorable.

And the one truth that really struck me was this: her family (our family) wanted us to write about her life...because they trusted us. And loved us. And we loved her (and them). And that was all that mattered. And in the end, that was all that mattered. The words came and fell together. We shared. Were trusted and trusted in return. And loved. And are loved. And we honored all of that. And in doing so, honored her and her life. And it was as it should be.

So if you are ever asked to write an obituary for a friend, I would just offer these few snippets: it will be emotionally trying. It will consume you for a bit. You will doubt. But hear - and believe - this: trust in those that asked you. Trust in their confidence in you. Trust in your knowledge of and relationship with that person. And trust your heart. For if you do that, everything will certainly turn out as it should.

Holy doppelganger! I found my (apparent) twin!

Have you ever had someone stop you, then realize who they thought you were, actually wasn't? And it's usually followed by some exclamation about how you have a twin roaming around (perhaps an evil twin). Ever had the feeling you may have been adopted? Have you played with that Facebook app, FaceDouble® Twins Doppleganger or other fun doppelganger games? My wife apparently has a twin...who lives about 20 miles from us in Alsea, Oregon. And it must be true. The guy at John Boy's Alsea Mercantile said so...after talking to her for a few minutes thinking she was someone else...while my wife just stood there incredulously thinking, "this is really strange...but so interesting!"

Some months back I happened across my apparent twin whilst doing water-related research on the web! His name is Chris Perceval. He lives on the East Coast in the Washington, DC metro area and works for the World Resources Institute (WRI). While he appears to be my twin, he can't be my doppelganger because he's apparently doing good things, right?! Anyway, I posted his WRI pic on Facebook to see how many of my high school friends and family also saw the similarities. Most couldn't actually believe it wasn't me!

I've searched around for the web for some late high school photos of myself and could only come up with one (pictured below), but I know I have one nearly identical to Chris'. Once I find it in my cedar chest of old pics, I'll scan and post it. For the time being, here's a pic of me in middle school and one of me in high school. They aren't dead ringers but the resemblance is uncanny.

Jeremiah or Chris? (It's Chris, BTW)

Jeremiah or Chris? (It's me, BTW)

Me in middle school. Both lower left pics.

While not dead ringers (I have one somewhere!), I find the resemblance somewhat chilling. Do you seemingly have a twin, too? Care to share the story or pics? I'd love to hear them. Comment away!

Strange lines (a poem)

Time isn't linear.
We now know that...
(or do we?)
But what is it?
And how does a singular life
follow along it?
In haste?
Fleeting, flooding, continuous(?)...
for a time.

Time.
Perhaps it's not surprising
that time had a beginning...
but an end?
Acutely aware
that life has an end
at some point in time.
But that life provides a stamp in time
that is lasting.
Affecting.
Unwavering?

Strange lines,
life
and time.

Planning for Extreme Weather Events

As I was sitting in the office one fine June day in 2009 watching a severe weather cell steamroll its way through the Willamette Valley, I couldn’t help but marvel at its awesome, enveloping presence and destructive potential. My officemates and I were first alerted to its impending arrival by the rapid darkening of the skies to the East and South of us. Then, almost imperceptibly at first but rapidly building to a crescendo, the riparian songbirds began filling the skies in what can only be described as a frenzy. The office was abuzz with nervous excitement as we all watched the wind begin whipping the waterfront vegetation – gently at first but rapidly increasing to “violent storm” and “hurricane” force winds (literally; 3-4 categories stronger than “gale force” winds on the Beaufort Wind Scale). According to the NOAA Severe Storm Alert for the area, winds had already been measured in excess of 70 mph and a tornado watch was issued for some of the surrounding areas (rumor had it that one had touched down about 5 miles east of us; it was later confirmed by the National Weather Service). And the excitement level in the office was fed by alarming statements in NOAA’s Tornado and Severe Thunderstorm warnings for the area:

DOPPLER RADAR SHOWS CIRCULATING WIND PATTERNS THAT…MAY PRODUCE TORNADOES.

and

PREPARE IMMEDIATELY FOR DAMAGING WINDS...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...AND DEADLY CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING.

But what I was most struck by (no, not lightning), was how these sorts of extreme weather events are becoming more commonplace in the Willamette Valley (throughout all of Oregon, the Pacific Northwest, and beyond, really). Indeed, tornadoes touched down in Oregon about 8.5 times per decade from 1950 through 1989, but touched down at three times that rate (~32 per decade) since (see below; data from NOAA’s National Climate Data Center). The trends look similar for Oregon’s extreme wind and precipitation events.

Number of tornadoes, by decade, that touched down in Oregon.

But extreme (think “outlier”) weather events are certainly not unique to Oregon. Globally, extreme weather events are cropping up with alarming regularity. One has only to watch the news for a couple of days to see a new high temperature “record setting day” in this place or that. Moscow, Russia, typically known for its cool (alright, cold) climate, had its first 100 degree Fahrenheit day last July. In fact, it had several 100 degree days this summer while dozens of other countries were also setting record high temperatures (see below). Los Angeles, California just set an all-time record high temperature (113 degrees F) while Seattle, Washington came one degree shy of setting an all-time record high September dewpoint (see an animation of the “moisture river” from October 2010, here).

Countries that set record high temperatures in 2010.

Climatologists indicate “extreme” weather events (think, 100-year flood event or the like) may become more commonplace as our planet experiences climatic changes. And extreme events can play a dramatic role in influencing a suite of biological and economic processes. One has only to search the web to find scores of examples (see some here, here, and here). Unfortunately, many of our biological and economic models do a relatively poor job of incorporating “infrequent” (and/or catastrophic) events. Partly as a result (see "The Black Swan"), natural resource management plans largely overlook these events when estimating future abundance and distribution of species. And disaster management plans are often ill-equipped to deal with large, catastrophic events that occur relatively frequently (project ARkStorm is a notable exception).

What is becoming increasingly clear is that as climate variability increases, the interval of “infrequent,” extreme events is decreasing. Is this novel in recorded human history? Not necessarily (think 1930’s US “Dust Bowl” droughts). We just happen to have recently been through a relatively stable period. But the importance of preparing for more frequent “extreme events” – both from a biological and economic perspective – should follow suit…but with enough urgency to put us ahead on the planning curve. Shouldn’t we at least have a sense for how the natural world might adapt to increases in frequency of these “extreme” events? Granted, extreme events are by their very nature, unpredictable. But we have smoke detectors and fire extinguishers in our houses in calculated anticipation of (and preparedness for) “the event,” even though the probability of it actually occurring is quite low. Shouldn’t we also be planning for these climatic, biological and economic low-probability, extreme events? Are we – as natural resource and economic managers – going to be prepared? Or are we going to maintain the status quo (e.g., crisis management) and be forced to shift our conservation efforts to “managed retreat”?