The Sky Is Falling...

Watch your heads, cast iron umbrellas perhaps? No, like Chicken Little, the doomsayers are wrong. From CO2 concerns to illegal aliens, there may or may not be real threats but most likely either public pressure, changes in behavior, or whatnot will in part care for the problem. No problem will ever be completely solved though. There isn't a magic bullet, and their won't be. Fear not, this is a condition that belongs in life.

If you are concerned that I am asking you to back down, change your mind, or quit, don't worry about that either. Even if you believe CO2 is the bane of the planet, a position I believe to be false, I want you to continue writing letters, talking, and reading about it. Continue crusading your causes. This will do several things. One, it will give you a sense of purpose. Though I don't care for "liberal" ideas, causes, or "logic", I do care for liberal people. Most of my family has fallen to that way of thinking. Another thing crusading does is to limit bad behavior. It forces Governments, companies, and people to stop and think about what it is they are doing. Oh, I'm sure the conspiracists just plan around it (or even use it). *laughs* I am sure Microsoft, the US Government, the EU, and the UN are conspiring to somehow use CO2 fears to create more Windows users right now, but they have to go around the little inconveniences brought about by public opinion.

Short term fixes for long term problems do not work well either. No fix works even less well, usually. The goal should be for longer term fixes, with adjustable variables built into the solution. Putting 6,000 guardsmen at desks so otherwise deskjockey border patrol can do more work is both short term, short of inspiration, and won't work. Building a fence won't work. Going after those who hire illegals won't work. Maybe all of these, a change in the birth right to citizenship, plus a hiring explosion of border and port (air and sea) control agents might help. Still, it will only help. What I don't understand (though I actually do) is why as the most hated nation on earth, we can't keep people out. Maybe if our lazy women would have babies, we might not have such a problem with finding workers (two fold ways, first we would have more people, second, the workforce would be dedicated to solid workers). Then again, we school them past their prime birthing ages by mandated schooling and wonder at our loss...

Anyway, don't worry. The world won't end, even if you, we, or I die. The world WILL change. There is nothing you can do about that. The world Will have problems. There is nothing you can do about that. What you can do is fight for your causes, realize your limitations (and the president's, congress's, and the Supreme Court's limitations), and relax.

Fishing and thinking work well together.

I suppose the combination of thinking and fishing is similar to peanut butter and chocolate, spaghetti and meatballs, or life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Of course, a fisherman cannot be bothered to think until his skills are adequate to allow his mind to wander a bit. After several days of fishing, my mind has become freed of the burden incumbent in the learning curve and now roams the open plain of the unconscious and the aware plains of thinking. The last two days of fishing have allowed my mind to unknot some thoughts and connect others as if tying line to a lure or detangling a backlashed spool.

The world is changing. The old terms, conservative and liberal, are being turned on their heads. Our current president is no more conservative than the president of Stanford. The senate is comprised mostly of slightly anti-communist democrats who changed parties, except for the continually devout commun... I mean democrats. The house of representatives is a mixed batch. Democrats are still communists and socialists (not the "useful idiots" who vote for them, just the bulk of national and state level apparatchik). In spite of that, the grassroots conservative groundswell continues and the grassroots of the left maintains it's psychosis as it shrinks into oblivion. The obvious disconnect with the national parties to their voters is a problem, especially since no third party has any real hopes of moving in or overtaking either party. Lets just say that the strings of the puppet masters are showing. The only solidly conservative I see potentially running for office is Newt Gingrich. He has no chance of winning. The parties are choosing our candidates, and keeping real conservatives out of the process.

In spite of the social difference the two parties seem to hold as differentiating from each other, the deeper issues that affect us more poignantly in the long run, are mutual to both parties. Shared world governance is one, and the most damaging one, that both parties are targeting. Imagine being ruled by the UN. If you think our bureaucrats are difficult to control now, wait until they aren't elected. Or, if you want a middle look, view how many laws are created and implemented by unelected bureaucrats right now here in America. There are 300 plus laws created every day by the various departments within the government. The size of the holes in cheese which allow it to be marketed as swiss cheese (or not) is among those laws. Nobody in the house or senate voted on that. The president didn't sign that bill. Yet it's law.

Now, step back a second though. We like to think there can be a world with no puppeteers. That is not going to happen. We like to think we can do pretty much anything we like. That isn't practical and their are some serious issues with that too. I suppose the question should be, can we choose the puppeteers to some extent? Can we guide those who guide the world (or at least the one we live in)? If you believe in America and the real American dream, you have to answer yes. Now, how much control can we really expect?

Fishing has been great this last week. I have landed 40 or more fish. Of those 15 to 20 were keepers, but since I didn't catch them in large enough groups at a time or was uncertain about their species when I caught them, I only kept 3. I will eat them this afternoon and think about my next fishing trip while doing so. I will also remember to thank God for the gifts. He has a great taste in nature, in every way you can imagine that sentence to mean.

Fishing In Iowa

Ok, so Iowa isn't one of the top ten destination states for fishing. As a fact, we might not even be in any rankings, anywhere, regarding fishing. That is ok with me. Fewer fishermen to contend with. As well, since I don't have to travel to fish in Iowa, for me, this is where fishing starts. And, fishing has started.

I haven't fished as an adult. Trying to remember back to the last time I fished, I can only guess it was in my mid-teens. My skills, if I had any, must be gone. That is fine, perhaps if I take my time now, I can learn to fish more correctly. I've purchased 3 reels and rods, tackle box, line, hooks, etc. ad nauseam. It was fun to make the purchases but information overload was a constant hazard during the process. The types, manufacturers, and styles of everything from hooks to reels to line is beyond the belief of the uninitiated tackle shopper. As well, when one finally settles on a list of pieces and parts, finding those exact items online or in the store is an incredible feat, even with a relatively short list. Still, with patience, a few dollars, and a little time, it has been done.

The reels I have (the open face reel is on the way) are bait-casters. I had heard such wonderful things about them. I have watched the pros get them out, rig them, and cast. Oops, not quite that easy. The first day out (yesterday, Wednesday May 3), my cousin and myself did a great job with our new bait-casters, of making birds nests out of fishing line that is. Neither of us brought our owner's manual for the reels. Looking over the device in my hand I began to crunch some numbers somewhere deep down. Just a few switches, buttons, and dials, I knew there was a solution. So, a little experimentation, a few practice throws, a few more messes, a few adjustments, and voila, I was fishing on my first day. So, I cast a few times and was having a bit of fun. My cousin was not.

My cousin is younger, and young for his mid-twenties sometimes. This was one of those times. He had no patience and less luck. I tried to help him, but he is a do it yourself (or no dice) type of guy when he gets into a contesting mood, so that didn't pan out. While I'm trying to set his reel, I allow him to use mine. That wasn't a great idea. I tell him how it works, show him how to cast, hand it to him, then watch as he messes my rig up, almost perfectly. Oh well. After a bit of working on my reel, he finally gets a few throws in but it is time to go. Frustrated yet exhilarated, we go home. His reel was removed as soon as we got home and he put on an old open face reel he had. I'm sure his bait-caster is pretty much doomed. *hmmm, perhaps a bargain is in the works... an extra bait-caster so they can each be pre-set for specific rigs... hmmm, perhaps all is not lost for that reel*

Today, we went again. This time we both cast many times. We both also caught several fish. I hooked the first two, and I thought he was going to cry, pout, or something. I changed to a larger rig to try for bigger fish and he went to my little kit. None of the bigger fish where biting, and the little ones kept feeding. I ended up going back to the smaller tackle so I wouldn't miss out on some of the fun. I ended up with 5 fish, he reeled in 7. All 7 to 10 inch crappie. We didn't keep a single one. The "book" he had indicated that the crappie needed to be 15" or longer to keep. Not so, there is no limit on size. Still, we did have fun and we are just learning. As I like to say, it's all good.

Deer hunting last winter, fishing this summer, and perhaps rabbit, squirrel, duck, and goose hunting this fall, my personal hunger for the outdoors and the sports thereout is being satisfied. I'm not getting to everything as fast as I would like, and I missed ice fishing this last winter. This autumn I may miss one or all of the seasons. Still, bit by bit, a piece at a time, I'm getting the gear, information, experience, and (most importantly) the confidence to go out and try something new or risk failure in familiar activities.

I hope you are able to begin stepping out and up to the challenges which interest you. It makes life a lot more interesting. It also seems to fill some void. And you never know, you just might find exactly what you've been looking for to complete your life experience at this point in your fall from the womb to the heavens.