The Left Hates Police...
Sgt. Crowley is an honest guy, just trying to do a very difficult job.
Police Report
Photos, experiences, and thoughts from the Pacific Northwest: Mountain biking, climbing, MMA, big-game and bird hunting, and Chesapeake Bay Retrievers. Oh, yeah, I might mention politics from time to time.
Sgt. Crowley is an honest guy, just trying to do a very difficult job.
Police Report
Posted by Gregory Wall at 10:57 AM 0 comments
Gov. Palin resigns
This is an interesting development. Many people, wrongly in my opinion, have a low opinion of Governor Palin. I believe that this has been mostly crafted by the mainstream media, who will always side with Liberalism, and against Conservatives. I think she has a role in the future of conservative American politics; I hope that she will take this time to fill in the holes in her experience base.
I wish her, and her family, the best.
GW
Posted by Gregory Wall at 2:11 PM 0 comments
When I wrote about my first trip down the Stafford Creek drainage here, http://tinyurl.com/stafford-creek, it was just a matter of time before I returned to finish what we glimpsed on our last trip: an additional 1.2 miles of trail dropping 1,000-feet.
I arrived back in the Teanaway in the early afternoon, and scored a nice camp spot near the trailhead. I gave the dogs time to run around, setting up camp and doing a final check on the bike. I pedaled off towards the trailhead at about 3:00.
I noticed a lot of cars in the parking lot and wondered if all these people were on my descent route. Well, it was late in the day and most of them would be out by the time I came screaming past. I rode all the trail I could and pushed through the gnarly rock gardens. At times I resorted to packing the bike on my back, which was actually easier than pushing. I kept moving higher, passing exiting hikers, wondering what this new stretch of trail would hold.
When I reached the junction, I took time to rest for a few minutes and look around. Within the tumbling roar of snowmelt-laden Stafford Creek, I could hear the lilting burble of small seasonal runoffs entering the trail. The day was sunny but cool, with a breeze that removed the sweat quickly and prevented me from really wanting to linger for very long. After a shot of energy gel, I moved off into unknown territory.
As I climbed, I studied the trail, looking back often to gauge lines of descent through certain obstacles. Surprisingly, I encountered two parties coming down the trail; we exchanged pleasantries and moved in our separation directions. The terrain began to flatten out, and I wondered if I was near the top. However, I did not feel the telltale breeze or see the mountains I expected to be able to see from the vantage point I was seeking. Upwards through a rock garden, the terrain revealed a neatly hidden alpine meadow about 1.5-acres in size. I heard voices, and saw a party camping at one end. My path skirted around the opposite side and upwards onto an open barren slope. At the top of this slope, I changed directions, crossed a small gully and climbed to the ridgetop.
From this pass, I could see the Stuart/Enchantment Range: McClellan Peak, Little Annapurna, Dragontail Peak, Colchuck Peak, Argonaut, and Sherpa. Mt. Stuart was mostly obscured by Sherpa Peak and clouds. I drank it in for 10 minutes and prepared for the descent.
Riding solo in alpine environments always brings with it an air of caution: the trail holds plenty of objective dangers, there is no one to rely on in case of injury, it is a long way to anywhere. I was glad I had decided to wear my T.H.E. full-face helmet, as it was going to be difficult to hold back in attacking this beautiful trail. Pushing off, the trail delivers right off the bat with a quick buff track, a short climb, and smooth fast hardpack interrupted by a few smooth turns before dropping into a technical rock garden. Shooting out along the meadow, I built up speed, took a hard righ-hander, scrubbed some speed into a left-hander and dropped into an alpine pinball machine.
The rest of the trail, down to the junction, was a mixture of rock gardens and buff alpine trail. A good time, for sure. After the junction, I pointed it downhill and enjoyed the sweet singletrack. I passed a few hikers and had to repair one flat, but it was a good ride.
Posted by Gregory Wall at 11:14 AM 0 comments
Senator Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) wrote an Op-Ed today about his plan for Government Healthcare. What is miraculous about Mr. Gregg's plan is, it will not increase the size of goverment. You know how I know? It says so in the title of his article.
Senator Gregg has the 'R' behind his name, but I am guessing he is not too much on the Conservative side of the Party. He calls his plan 'CPR' (for Coverage, Prevention, and Reform). Cute, right?
CPR—Coverage, Prevention, Reform—is a plan I have proposed that sets up a system where every American will be required to purchase meaningful health insurance...For those who may not be able to afford this plan, you will have assistance getting coverage. [emphasis mine -ed.]
Further, by rewarding employees for taking part in employer-sponsored programs, which often include programs to help people quit smoking, fitness club membership options, and affordable access to programs like Weight Watchers, CPR creates incentives that will motivate Americans to take control of and improve their personal health.
Reform starts with paying for quality, not quantity. According to a study at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, as much as $750 billion is spent each year on procedures or health-related services that don’t necessarily help patients get better. For example, when discharging patients, hospitals have an obligation to provide patients with a care plan to ensure they don’t end up readmitted. However, Medicare pays more to hospitals when a patient ends up back in the hospital. And physicians are paid more when they order more tests, procedures and office visits, whether you need them or not.
We can respond appropriately to the health care crisis that faces millions of families by focusing on providing coverage for everyone, ensuring prevention becomes part of your health care plan, and reforming inefficiencies in the system at the same time we address the future economic security of this country.
Posted by Gregory Wall at 8:12 AM 0 comments
This photograph makes me laugh: Mrs. President Obama ought to know by now that cameras are ALWAYS on her. You cannot let the mask slip, 'Chelle. I have always said that Michelle Obama was one angry, racist, individual (okay, I didn't use 'individual').
Posted by Gregory Wall at 4:59 PM 0 comments
I was impressed by the clarity and succinctness of Sultan Knish's take on the current drive for "peace." Check it out.
If you believe the current regime of diplomats and pundits, peace is something that can be obtained for the right price. Where peace once meant the mutual cessation of war, peace has now become something that can now be bought and sold.
...
We live now in the era of the prostitution of peace. Love doesn't enter into it. Brotherhood doesn't enter into it...No, peace has become something that the brute, the thug and the monster offers to the civilized world in exchange for weapons, power and international stature...
The pimps pander, the prostitutes pose with their weapons and bombs and the tricks put up everything they have certain that this time it will be different. A toast is made. "To peace!" Peace in our time. Peace in no one's time.
Posted by Gregory Wall at 3:32 PM 0 comments
I found it interesting that these two articles came out on the same day:
Obama Administration looking at VAT
"With budget deficits soaring and President Obama pushing a
trillion-dollar-plus expansion of health coverage, some Washington policymakers
are taking a fresh look at a money-making idea long considered politically
taboo: a national sales tax....
'There is a growing awareness of the need for fundamental tax
reform,' Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) said in an interview. 'I think
a VAT and a high-end income tax have got to be on the table.'
"A VAT is a tax on the transfer of goods and services that ultimately is borne by
the consumer. Highly visible, it would increase the cost of just about
everything, from a carton of eggs to a visit with a lawyer...'Everybody who understands our long-term budget problems understands we're going to need a new source of revenue, and a VAT is an obvious candidate,' said Leonard Burman, co-director of the Tax Policy Center, a joint project of the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution...'It's common to the rest of the world, and we don't have it.'"
"It [VAT] punishes spending rather than savings, which the administration
hopes to encourage. And the threat of a VAT could pull the country out of
recession, some economists argue, by hurrying consumers to the mall before the
tax hits."
Most lawmakers are still looking for "a painless source of revenue" to overhaul
the health-care system and dig the nation out of debt, Burman said.
"For example, 6 million people lost jobs in the 12 months ended in April — and that means far fewer dollars from income taxes. Income tax revenue dropped 44% from a year ago."
Posted by Gregory Wall at 8:03 AM 0 comments