Patriot's Day - September 11th, 2023

I spent some time out on the range today. It's a great place to clear my mind. I spent time thinking about that fateful day 22 years ago when everything changed. After avoiding the devastation of two World Wars, America learned in a single morning that oceans are no longer enough to protect us in a globalized world. Maybe if we had sealed our borders, the hijackers couldn't have carried out their plans. Instead, the Twin Towers came down (and Building 7), the Pentagon was hit, and we watched fighters head north out of Andrews before a fourth plane went down in Shanksville. So much has changed since then. We exchanged our sense of security for the Patriot Act, fought a war in Iraq over non-existent weapons of mass destruction even though the hijackers came from Saudi Arabia, and we've watched a continuous assault on our Constitutionally enumerated rights of privacy and free speech ever since.

But my mind kept drifting to the current situation in New Mexico. The Governor has suspended the 2nd Amendment for 30 days because she claims violent crime has made Albuquerque too dangerous. She is taking away the right of law-abiding citizens to defend themselves in a city she's personally declared unsafe. That doesn't make any sense. If she was worth her salt, she would order law-abiding citizens authorized for concealed carry to report to the nearest sheriff's office ... to be deputized and deployed on the streets until the city is safe again. New Mexico's patriots are protesting, and law enforcement says it won't enforce the executive order. America watches and waits.

There are a lot of people alive today who were born after September 11th, 2001. They have only experienced the world they've lived in. They will never fully understand what America lost on that day. It's up to us old folks to teach them what we remember while we still can. It's been almost six years since I've posted to my blog. Today seemed like a good day to make an entry.

Pedantry - Part 4

It's really cold here on the East Coast. It was 5 degrees Fahrenheit on my hike to the bus stop today, and the wind chill was below zero. To fight the cold, my wife went out and bought some of those fancy knitted leggings:

You just can't make this stuff up.
 

Zen and the Art of Scottish Snare Drumming

"Geez, this drum sounds like shite!"

"It's not the hardware, my friend. The sound of the drum is the soul projecting through the hands and sticks."

... awkward pause ...

"Gawd, that was beautiful. Can I use it in my blog?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I didn't know you had one."

"I don't, but I might make one just for that!"
 

A Visit from an Old Friend

He walked into the edge of light around me and said "Hey!"

I haven't seen him since he passed away nearly twenty years ago. He looks younger now, and happier too. He said he's glad the Band is doing well; and not to worry, there are new players coming out in February.

We exchanged pleasantries for a moment. And then I awoke.

The Space Invaders - Part 2

The economic cost of invasive species to these United States is staggering. According to a 2005 article from sciencedirect.com: "Invading alien species in the United States cause major environmental damages and losses adding up to almost $120 billion per year. There are approximately 50,000 foreign species and the number is increasing. About 42% of the species on the Threatened or Endangered species lists are at risk primarily because of alien-invasive species." I won't spend time fact checking that claim. Feel free to do that on your own. One thing I am sure of, it has only gotten worse since then.

English Ivy, Garlic Mustard, Northern Snakehead, Zebra Mussels, Ferril Hogs, Nutria, Norwegian Rats, Burmese Pythons, Stink bugs ... the list goes on and on. For me, the worst is the Asian Tiger Mosquito. It is a fierce hunter; and this time of year, I can't go out in my yard without a can of insect repellant. I spray it on exposed skin to keep from getting bitten ... and then I like to spray it on Flying Tiger Mosquitos. It doesn't kill them, but it fills them with self-loathing - a cerebral victory if nothing else.
 

The Space Invaders - Part 1

There is a space in our yard - which once was grass - that we dug up to put in a modest rose garden. It flourished for many years; but over time the crabapple tree grew up, and that spot became too shady for roses to grow. My wife replaced the roses with other plants more tolerant of shade, and they also did well for many years. But the crabapple tree got bigger and bigger, the grass under the tree died, and the plants in the old rose garden began to suffer. Then from nowhere, English Ivy began to grow. It took over the old rose garden and grew under the tree where the grass had withered away. The Ivy had no trouble thriving in the shady environment ... and nature seemed to be in balance once again.

But my wife was not happy. The Ivy was squeezing out her flowers and she decided to fight back. She took the trimmer and cut the ivy down to the dirt. She says English Ivy is an invasive species and has to go. But something has to grow there. You can't have a big brown patch of dirt in your yard. Well, in about a month the Ivy came back as vigorous as ever. Eradicating an invasive species - once it has established itself - is not an easy thing to do.
 

1729

I'm a numbers guy at heart, and numbers guys have a tendency to look at life from a numbers point of view. It's a very different viewpoint than the one non-numbers guys use to view the world. I recently watched two movies about numbers guys: Rainman, and The Man Who Knew Infinity. Both good movies in there own right, but each with a very different take on the illness and genius of numbers and their place in the human mind. Watching them reminded me of the brief period I spent volunteering with the Montgomery County Association for Retarded Citizens. It was a great experience working with Staff and Volunteers helping fellow Citizens enjoy the fullness of life available to us all. But I had to give it up because I started having trouble deciding who was who.