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Interior Officials Release Rule Change to Allow National Park Visitors to Arm Themselves
The inalienable right to defend one's self is inherent to All Living Things humans included.
Would you outlaw a kittens claws until it has demonstrated it's restraint in their use ?
Would you outlaw the thorns on an Acacia tree until it reaches the age of maturity ?
How far will you let your fear of " fill in the blank " run your life ?
Why do you think your fears give you the right to try to run everyone's life ?The fact that We the People LET our elected officials violate the "Law of the Land" without consequences is how we find ourselves in the ridiculous situation we are in today.
Those who suggest that removing all of the [unconstitutional BTW] gun laws would result in a general blood bath are simply publicly stating that they Do Not Trust Any Other Human Being.
We don't need outside terrorists we have our own trying to foist their fears off on all of the population."Remove guns and we will all be safe." Hooey.
Do you actually think it is a coincidence that nearly all of the mass shootings we have had have happened in "Gun Free Zones" ?
Do you not realize that "professional criminals" do not follow any laws let alone the illegal "gun laws" ?I would like to see Open Carry become as common place as shoes in restaurants.
Hikers, Bikers and National Parks
The mountain biker in me want to respond one way, however the preservationist and organic act stickler in me is pulling in a very different direction.
To me there is very little argument about the purpose of National Parks. They are museums of the natural world. They protect the unique, the important, and the fragile. Most importantly they provide an avenue for the people of this and other countries to experience parks. Yet that must be done in a way that will forever maintains the quality of both the physical resources and the natural experience. In actuality, that is indeed impossible, as any interaction changes (sometimes only very subtly) a resource or experience.
In my mind those rules should be one way (perhaps the most important way) that new activities are measured and judged. Those that pass the test should move on the be judged in other ways.
In some ways, mtn biking in parks can pass that test. It gives visitors a powerful experience of the natural resource, however it does so in a way that impacts the resource in new ways. Further, it has the power to impact the experience of others. Managers do not need additional conflict and they don't need to stress their limited budgets to repair additional trail impacts (they have a hard time keeping up as it is).
To me this means that unless mtn biking is done only on resources that are highly resistant or resilient to impacts and where either time or place separate bikers from hikers and horseback riders, permitting bikes in parks will lead to problems.
Finally, how would this impact parks that are managing backcountry as though it were wilderness (sometimes where wilderness is considered to be only yards off main roads or developed areas)? Maybe it would spur on the wilderness movement in parks. Maybe, it would put a great deal of power in the hands of IMBA, making it harder for a park to manage its own land (just look at Yellowstone... its winter use is managed and influenced by an outside group).
Interior Officials Release Rule Change to Allow National Park Visitors to Arm Themselves
This isn't about the perception of personal safety; it's about the Constitution. I won't repeat those arguments here again, but think the following rewording of Kurt's argument is equally, if oppositely, important:
And really, is this a wildlife safety issue? As noted elsewhere in my comments, the NPS does not keep nationwide statistics on poaching.
Some perspective:
* Millions of animals are killed each year by automobiles.
* Some animals hit and killed by automobiles are endangered species.
* 45,000 people die a year from automobile accidents.
In light of that, will the anti-Second Amendment crowd refuse to drive cars in national parks?
Interior Officials Release Rule Change to Allow National Park Visitors to Arm Themselves
Slant numbers and use big words to confuse, but if your life comes down to being accousted on the trail or in your camp by a two or four footed animal(s), it doesn't make any difference, there is not ranger. Period! Bottom line!!! They are there to take a report and in my case the next day. I understand that. Incidentally, no need to shoot any wildlife unless they are rabid! It happens. About 8 times a year and rarely results in human death because someone has a gun. These aren't all nat'l park incidents. I read a lot and don't record everything.
Lot of crime in nat'l parks though. Don't won't the publc to know of course. I go to our nat'l parks to get away, but not to be victimized. Never mind the people that have no idea wha is going on around them. I'm a medical professional and carry a 22 pound first aid bag. My radio & pistol pouch is much lighter. I migh save your life!!!
Interior Officials Release Rule Change to Allow National Park Visitors to Arm Themselves
This current administration is masterful at manipulating legalese to justify it's own agenda. What a shame that you can't see through the DOI's wordy smokescreen. Or perhaps you don't mind how manipulative the Bush administration has become in it's final days because you happen to agree with this particular decision.
Again I ask, if this new rule is so necessary, why did the administration wait until late in it's own game to push it through? Because they know that the vast majority of elected officials and the general public don't want it and would not support it. Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but doesn't majority opinion rule in a democracy?
If this tangential extrapolation of the Second Amendment is so necessary, why did our Commander-In-Chief and his political appointees at the DOI publish this rule change in such a cowardly way? They published it on a Friday, when most folks turn off the news, during the last month of their reign of power, when the country is now focused on the incoming administration.
Why aren't the supporters of this rule change asking the Bush administration why it waited so long to make this change???
I guess when we win the game, asking how honestly we come by our spoils sometimes shines too harsh a light on the process...Why not let trained professionals handle "the criminals who are everywhere" and keep our personal guns at home?
I have been visiting national, state, and town parks my entire life. I have visited historic sites in small towns, and large urban parks in the largest cities in our country. And not once have I ever fallen victim to "the criminals who are everywhere".
(But I have been the victim of violent crime, right outside my own home, not in a national park... more on that later...)
It's interesting that the only "criminals" I have ever been aware of are visitors who have chosen to ignore established resource protection and safety rules because they felt their "personal rights" were in some way being violated if they couldn't walk wherever they wanted to walk, or do whatever they wanted to do, regardless of the fact that they implicitly agreed to said regulations when they entered the parks' boundaries.
I've seen visitors ignore posted warnings and go off trail into environmentally fragile areas. I've seen campers bring alcohol into campgrounds that do not allow it. I've seen other violations of established rules and regulations...
and EVERY time I've seen those people questioned by rangers or law enforcement they become argumentative and self-righteous about their actions. Could you just imagine if one of those people had a loaded gun? I shudder to think about the possibilities if the visitor with the loaded gun is having a bad week, suffering some stress, had a little too much to drink... and decides his gun is the best way to resolve the situation between himself and the ranger. I go to parks to get away from that level of human possibility...
Rather than waiting for the day you feel it necessary to defend yourself with your loaded firearm, why not become a law enforcement professional yourself and handle the folks "who are actually committing the crimes" in a lawful and professional manner?
And if you are unhappy with the current level of trained law enforcement within our National Parks, then I would suggest you lobby your elected officials to increase the budget of what has become the most woefully underfunded Federal agency.
A larger law enforcement budget that pays trained professionals to handle the marauding swarms of criminals that have apparently overrun our National Parks seems like a good way to handle the perceived safety problem. I trust law enforcement. Why don't you?Have you ever been the victim of a violent crime? As I mentioned earlier I have. It occurred on the street right outside my own home. Before the crime I never once expected police to be everywhere every moment of the day to protect me, and after the crime I've never once felt that a loaded handgun would have made the situation any different.
Most acts of violence, whether they be random or pre-meditated, are over in seconds, barely enough time to think about defending oneself. Having a loaded gun at the ready wouldn't really be more effective in defending oneself in that split-second of happening than using a fist, or the rocks underfoot on the trail, or a tree branch, or just running away. So I ask you: is carrying a loaded gun about self-defense, the perception of personal safety, or an unconscious hope that someday one might get to righteously use the loaded weapon he so proudly carries?Most folks in favor of this rule change seem to only want to discuss the personal rights aspect of the issue. Fine. (I understand the argument: I personally feel that every citizen should exercise their right to vote lest it be taken away from us.)
For the record, just because I don't believe personal weapons are necessary when visiting a National Park does not mean I am against our legal right to own a gun. But our right to own a gun does not logically imply we have the right to take it wherever we want to, whenever we want to. ANY other belief to the contrary starts us down the slippery slope of anarchy. Is that what we're after here?If not being allowed to carry a loaded weapon on my person at all times means I will not fully enjoy my time spent in a National Park because I just can't stop thinking about how my personal rights are being violated, perhaps I should examine why I feel the need to take a loaded weapon into the parks in the first place.
While we figure this out for ourselves, let's keep our guns at home where they belong.
Interior Officials Release Rule Change to Allow National Park Visitors to Arm Themselves
Rick, I've been wondering where you've been lurking! I'm kinda disappointed with your comment, as I thought I did a fairly good job of sticking to the middle of the road on reporting Interior's decision.
Now, I'm not an attorney, so I can't give you 100 percent, iron-clad feedback to your questions, but there are a couple openings that I think park advocates will try to take in challenging this. One is that the rule came out less than 60 days out from the change in administrations, so the Obama administration -- if it were so inclined, and I don't know if it is, despite what Fred believes -- might simply try to quash this rule.
The outgoing Bush administration might think it doesn't need that 60-day window, as it doesn't believe there's a $100 million impact related to this decision and so 30 days notice is good enough.
What might prove more important, though, and what the park advocates might concentrate on, is suing on the grounds that Interior didn't follow NEPA in promulgating this rule. If they do, and they're successful, the rule will very likely die a slow, withering death. Until the political power shifts once again.
I think relying simply on what DOI's legal staff has concluded is a waste of time, particularly when you consider how the Justice Department has operated in recent years. And don't forget, it was a bit more than eight years ago when DOI's legal staff concluded that snowmobiles should be phased out of Yellowstone, and you know where that got us.
As for your contention that "the anti-gun comments here are still the stereotypical, bigoted, disparaging, emotional/hysterical, illogical, personal opinions," come on, read some of the pro-gun opinions. Some are off the wall. As for the Heller decision, correct me if I'm wrong (as I know you will), but didn't that opinion hold that the 2nd amendment most definitely applies to you in your home, but the federal government has the right to institute reasonable controls elsewhere in society?
If that is the correct interpretation (and I think it is), what would be your reaction if the next administration instituted such controls in the national parks? That's it's unconstitutional? That you'll pack wherever you please?
As for how the bulk of the comments came down, my information is from NPCA, the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees, Association for National Park Rangers, and the Park Ranger Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police. But I understand if you quibble with their counts. But then, it doesn't really matter, does it? After all, a majority of the 300,000+ comments filed in the Yellowstone snowmobile matter were for phasing out snowmobiles, and Interior officials ignored those comments as well (and went against what science recommended), so it seems that under the Bush administration democracy doesn't matter when it comes to public lands management.
And really, is this a personal safety issue? As noted above, according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Report, there were 1.65 violent crimes per 100,000 national park visitors in 2006. 1.65, Rick.
Some perspective:
* The U.S. murder rate is 5.9 per 100,000
* In 2007 more than 41,000 died in traffic accidents in the United States
* 36,000 Americans die from the flu annually
* 112,000 die from obesity
In light of that, will concealed weapons owners refuse to drive cars? Line up for flu shots? Go on a diet? Kinda seems the safest place they could be would be a national park.
So much vitriol is spewed -- much of it anonymously, which is somewhat curious -- on this issue. Don't we have better things to invest our time, emotion, and efforts on?
Interior Officials Release Rule Change to Allow National Park Visitors to Arm Themselves
Good blog! Been following this subject and glad common sense prevailed. Concealed weapons pemit holders are trained and have undergone a thorough background check. Obviously some of the writers here are just plain ignorant. I didn't say stupid, just ignorant. Remember, when seconds count ........ the ranger is just a phone call away. Oh yeah, your cell phone may not work, huh? Try prayer or Smith & Wesson.
Interior Officials Release Rule Change to Allow National Park Visitors to Arm Themselves
Kurt said,
"Despite the potential affect on national park wildlife and resources, the administration did not conduct an environmental review as required by law, and some believe that opens the door for a lawsuit to halt the rule change:
Tell me how your claim is more legally relevant than what Interior (legal staff) has concluded:
"...we have analyzed the final rule under NEPA and concluded that (i) the action is subject to a categorical exclusion under 43 C.F.R. § 46.210 since the final regulation is in the nature of a legal change to existing regulations, and (ii) no "extraordinary circumstances" exist which would prevent the proposed action from being classified as categorically excluded. !d. This decision is fully described in our decision 17
document dated November 18, 2008, which is available to the public at http://www.doi.gov/."I'm not surprised that the anti gun comments here are still the stereotypical, bigoted, disparaging, emotional/hysterical, illogical, personal opinions that completely ignore fact, Constitutional law (see Supreme Court Heller decision), 40 states' successful right-to-carry legislation and, essentially, have absolutely no merit or basis in truth.
Read the Interior Department documents that Lone Hiker has provided the link to above.
Kurt, you claim, "The administration received almost 140,000 comments, the vast majority of which opposed the proposal to allow loaded guns in national parks." Could you please provide data to support this?
Again, why don't any of the smug, holier-than-thou anti-gun posts express a single similar hissy fit concerning the criminals who are everywhere and who are actually committing the crimes?
Traveler's View: Concealed Weapons Have No Place In Our National Park System
I have a concealed weapons permit and carry a 9mm semiauto in my vehicle. I occassionaly have to travel over roads that pass thru a National Recreation Area on the way to courts in other counties (I am an attorney). It is not my intention to "visit" the Recreational Area--I could not care less if it was there or not. But, to obey the present law, I would need to pull over, remove the clip from by handgun, separate the gun from the clip, drive less than a mile thru the National Recreatonal Area, at which point I could legally then pull over and replace the clip in my gun. This makes no sense to me and encourages me to break the law.
Visitation to our National Park system has fallen for years, despite a growing population. After reading some of these remarks, I see why...
Interior Officials Release Rule Change to Allow National Park Visitors to Arm Themselves
Wow, this is really disappointing -- and unnecessary! I guess we'll have to see whether this changes the character of the parks in the coming months and years. Thanks for the update. Love your blog and the quizzes, too!
Interior Officials Release Rule Change to Allow National Park Visitors to Arm Themselves
I find those quotes perfect, but for a different reason than the above. Those who fear people who have concealed carry permits fit the quotes to the T. In most states you have to go through a thorough background check and training to get a permit. The ones people should be afraid(maybe catious is a better word) of are the crimanls who don't have permits. They don't get permits because they don't care about the laws, hence the name lawbreakers. If you beleive the people with permits are going to shoot up signs and wildlife, you are wrong. These are trained, safe civilians with healthy respect for the law, otherwise they wouldn't have the permit.
NPS Retirees Oppose Carrying Guns in National Parks
I hope those like Kilroi1 who worry about the extremely small risk of a bear attack will gather a some information before planning to use their concealed handguns to defend themselves against a bear. If you're really concerned about a bear attack, here are two suggestions: (1) educate yourself about proper outdoor behavior to avoid most problems with bears in the first place; (2) keep your handgun in a safe place and carry and know how to use bear pepper spray for the rare cases when defensive measures are needed.
An excellent summary of the subject is found in a U.S. Fish and Wildlife article, "Bear Spray vs. Bullets - Which Offers Better Protection?" The full text is found at this link, but here's an excerpt:
"When it comes to self defense against grizzly bears, the answer is not as obvious as it may seem. In fact, experienced hunters are surprised to find that despite the use of firearms against a charging bear, they were attacked and badly hurt. Evidence of human-bear encounters even suggests that shooting a bear can escalate the seriousness of an attack, while encounters where firearms are not used are less likely to result in injury or death of the human or the bear. While firearms can kill a bear, can a bullet kill quickly enough -- and can the shooter be accurate enough -- to prevent a dangerous, even fatal, attack?"
"The question is not one of marksmanship or clear thinking in the face of a growling bear, for even a skilled marksman with steady nerves may have a slim chance of deterring a bear attack with a gun. Law enforcement agents for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have experience that supports this reality -- based on their investigations of human-bear encounters since 1992, persons encountering grizzlies and defending themselves with firearms suffer injury about 50% of the time. During the same period, persons defending themselves with pepper spray escaped injury most of the time, and those that were injured experienced shorter duration attacks and less severe injuries....a person's chance of incurring serious injury from a charging grizzly doubles when bullets are fired versus when bear spray is used."
"Awareness of bear behavior is the key to mitigating potential danger. Detecting signs of a bear and avoiding interaction, or understanding defensive bear behaviors, like bluff charges, are the best ways of escaping injury."
If this rule change for guns holds up, it would be both tragic and ironic if it leads to people being killed or injured in an extremely rare bear attack, simply because they used a handgun in a situation where it is not the safe or appropriate response. Are some people counting on a handgun to keep them safe from a bear attack? Read the previous comments on this site for the answer.
Another Look at Those GPS Rangers in the National Parks
If anyone is interested in a independent analysis of the GPS Ranger visitor experience I can provide it. In 2008 I completed my thesis titled "Interpretive Technology in Parks: A study of visitor experiences with portable multimedia devices" and it focused on the GPS Ranger. My data was collected in Cedar Breaks National Monument and is a qualitative study based on interviews with 27 GPS Ranger users. You can email me at Lee.rademaker at gmail . com (just properly format that address). Or you can try to find my thesis at the University of Montana's library website www.lib.umt.edu
Interior Officials Release Rule Change to Allow National Park Visitors to Arm Themselves
If you pay attention to the text, those allowed to carry a weapon into the park are only those who are already permitted to carry a Concealed Weapon. For whatever the reason they are permitted to carry, whether it be a threat to their themselves or their families or for professional responsibilities. The reason for those individuals carrying a concealed weapon don't end at the park gate. If they have been able to prove their need for a concealed weapon, they should be allowed to carry it at all times. Those "two-legged" predators referred to above don't care about the law and those intent on wrong-doing or harming others certainly don't leave their guns at the gate just because the law says they can't carry a weapon in the park. If folks thought they were safe from the criminal type just because they were inside the boundaries of a National Park, they were being naiive...very naiive.
In my opinion this law does little to change the activity that has been going on for years. Our National Parks often include some of the most remote terrain in the U.S. and law enforcement is not just a phone call away. We are not carriers of concealed weapons and won't be carrying, but it does not bother us in the least that licensed individuals will be.
Interior Officials Release Rule Change to Allow National Park Visitors to Arm Themselves
The dangerous, armed gun nuts we fear are already in the parks. Thinking otherwise is fooling yourself. This law doesn't change the inherit danger of guns in the park. People who follow the rules re: concealed weapons permits are not the folks we should be afraid of, it's the whack-nuts who already bring concealed weapons in the parks in some form or another.
I see no added risk by this ruling.
My travels through the National Park System: americaincontext.com
Interior Department To Be Sued Over Cape Hatteras National Seashore Plover Habitat Decisions
We are talking about the same vehicles, as they are at Hatteras. Where I am from, we call them ATVs. Although it is true, if what you are saying is that all Off Road Vehicles are not All Terrain Vehicles, and vice versa.
The point is no vehicles, 2 cycle or 4 cycle, should be allowed to impair the habitat and the resource.
Comment Now: General Gun Regulations for Areas Administered By the National Park Service
Now I see that my comments may be moderated or disallowed. Nothing like asking for comments and then disregarding freedom of speech.
NPS Retirees Oppose Carrying Guns in National Parks
The media is typically liberal and there is a good reason for it. Has to do with learning styles and the type of person that gravitates towards a job in journalism. Plain and simple and I wont' take the time to explain it now.
Kurt wrote"Will park visitation drop off if the gun regulations are rewritten to make weapons more available in the parks?" It probably won't. Most likely it won't affect it at all. And remember if there comes a time when there is a gun problem the law will be reversed almost immediately. So this is an question that is addressing the extreme. After all there will be people there with concealed guns anyway and highly likely they are career criminals just visiting and they too seldom use their guns but they have them just the same. And they truly are more apt to use them if the opportunity might arise. If we all can carry the guns, those opportunities to the criminal will become less because he's not going to know if the person he's interested in attacking is armed or not.
Kurt wrote:""That's a good question, one that needs to be thought through extremely carefully by the folks at Interior. But I fear they are driven too much by politics to think clearly. Personally, I don't worry too greatly about it because I head to the backcountry where relatively few others do. But if I was heading to a campground, where folks sit around campfires and drink, where kids get into things when their parents aren't watching, yeah, I'd probably think twice about it."""
You focus on the extreme and irresponsible scenario. This truly is rare. Gun owners that I know are so darned diligent about guns and the education of their children. I"m 61 and I remember in Wisconsin living on the farm that every one of our neighbors had a gun cabinet usually in the living room with all the guns and ammunition right there. We knew and we never touched them!!!! Because we knew!!!! We knew the dangers and we were responsible. And not once did I or any of my friends or did I ever hear of anyone of them suggesting we take a gun without permission and go out and shoot it. Not once!!! Because we knew and even as kids has a strong sense of responsibility about it. I detect you deal in fear mongering and your opinion of gun owners is completely wrong.Kurt wrote: ""Too, if you've read many of the comments that have been directed at me over this issue the past 2-plus years, you'd be rightfully concerned about the stability and focus of quite a few of the so-called good and law-abiding gun owners."""
This statement is a testimony of your perception of what a typical gun owner is. You are so wrong. I know you have never hung around gun owners or gone to a shooting range and become one of the members nor have you had a chance to mingle with them. I've had people come and visit that in some cases were against guns or some didn't know. And I would take them out to shoot and in some cases take them to a competition. It without exception changes their mind. The point is their source of education about guns has been the the news media and the perceived power of the guns on in the entertainment industry. Guns are now where as powerful as seen on TV.
\Kuet wrote:"""And what about the young adults who might have just obtained their CCW permit and head everywhere they go with their firearm? """
This tells me that you have a low opinion of young adults and believe they are irresponsible. Put yourself in the shoes of a young adult interested enough to get a concealed carry permit. I'm afraid you are driven by prejudice. That's a sad commentary on your thought process and what makes it worse is that you sent this message to others when you were in the media business and you are wrong. Shame on you.
Kurt wrote:"""What if they're hiking down a trail, figure they're far away from civilization and rangers, and decide to take some target practice? What if they miss their target and hit a hiker coming the other way that they didn't see?"""
This is an extreme case. Can it happen, certainly. However it's much more likely to happen with a person that is carrying the gun illegally. They are the ones that don't care after all the gun laws don't pertain to them.. What you don't understand or feeled compelled to research and believe is that when people take on responsiblities they respond in a positive way. Just think of all the killing in this country, how many of them are committed by people with legally owned or carried guns? I'll bet that probably 99% or more are committed by people who have the weapon illegally and couldn't own one legally anyway! Think about LA, I've lived there! And it wrong to know that when you walk the streets that only the police and the criminals are carrying. And we have to walk the streets essentially completely vulnerable.
Kurt wrote: """What about bluffing grizzlies? Many times they'll charge you to intimidate. Will a gun owner resort to pulling the trigger rather than taking more appropriate action and either wound or completely miss the bear and end up worse for it?"""
I have to chuckle here. Being a gun owner and knowing my guns, the last resort would be to pull a gun and shoot. And it's so for the vast majority of gun owners because they know their guns and the power they have. If I carried to ward off a grizzly it would be to make a lot of noise with. I would not shoot the grizzly. However I suspect that if you have a gun, and you were threatened that you would. You essentially state that. You aren't a gun owner and know little about them and it shows! And again you are creating an extreme scenario which is what people like you do. It sad that people resort to that type of persuasion tactic.
Kuet wrote: ""Why are ranger groups and police groups opposed to expansion of CCW regulations?""" Is it because they're macho organizations that want to consolidate firepower, or do they have legitimate concerns over the frightening array of loosely written CCW laws and the increasing availability of weapons?""" The heads of these organizations are frequently anti but the people within aren't. I know. The chief of police in a town is probably more than not an anti gun person. The reason being is that the politicians that promote these people will mostly likely only put into that position a person of the same conviction. The vast number of police or members though are pro gun. That's just plain the truth and comes from one that's been there. The head seldom reflects the opinion of his subordinates.
Kurt wrote: """I don't question that the majority of gun owners no doubt are responsible and conscientious. It's the minority that worry me"""
So what are we going to do, take away our rights because of the minority? And yes the minority scare me too and they aren't the ones that are going to go for concealed carry laws because they can't legally own a gun anwway!!!! Do you think for one second that any gang member in this country can get a concealed carry permit? Somewhere along the line you have to make a sincere differentation between the rights of law abiding citizens and the rights of criminals. It's not fair to take away our rights because of the behavior of criminals.Suppose we use your logic when it comes to cars. There are those people that insist on driving drunk and they kill people. Many of them can't and don't have a valid drivers license. But because people are killed by drunk drivers I know that we can eliminate the killing of innocent people by outlawing the use of cars. We will ban all cars. Then no one can kill them. In addition statistics show that the peak for safe drivers is around 55 years of age. So let's thing about taking away the right to drive for those older than 55. If this logic sound foolish, it's because it is. But this is essentiall what so many people do with guns.
One more thought. If and I think it will probably happen that guns will be eventually outlawed. I will guarantee you that a new business will be established in the form of an illegal market for guns just like the drugs. The only problem will be that the only one dealing in guns will be the criminals. And as every business goes, this one would grow and eventually I'm confident that it would include military weapons. Weapons far more dangerous than what our criminals have now.
Well that is my answer to you. If you ever took the time to be honestly involved in a gun club and get into organized competitive shooting you would come away with a completely different opinion of guns. And if you did and get good enough to compete at the Nationals in Camp Perry, you would be amazed at the people and their professionalism. And your image of the typical American gun owner would be forever changed. You typical view of an American gun owner would become one of them being the exception.
thanks for the time you take to read this
Comment Now: General Gun Regulations for Areas Administered By the National Park Service
The Second Amendment prohibits something as insignificant as an infringement on the right to keep and carry a weapon. Banning a weapon anywhere is a darn sight more than an infringement and therefore illegal. The fear of those who disregard the Second might as well disregard the entire Bill fo RIghts, rights being the operative word. The will of "the people", the parks retirees, Diane Feinstein and Schumer be damned. The original Bill of Rights is sacro-sanct. It cannot be changed or altered or cancelled. The fear of guns is based on ignorance. The fearsome think that if the honest people can't carry then all is safe. They think that the bad guys always follow the law. They think that a person who has gone through the effort of obtaining a concealed weapons permit(itself and infringement)is somehow going to go crazy and shoot them. If this isn't crazy, stupid, ignorant and closed minded then nothing is. Grow up people. If you don't want to defend yourself, so be it. You don't have to have a weapon. But yoiu have no right to subject me to danger because of your lack of common sense.
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Interior Officials Release Rule Change to Allow National Park Visitors to Arm Themselves
NPS Retirees Oppose Carrying Guns in National Parks
Hello all
So very few people understand the issues guns and safety. We have those that are totally opposed and only have or use certain data to back up their beliefs and we have those for that do exactly the same. Well I look at it completely objectively.
First it's sad that we need to carry guns to begin with. But there is a climate in this country that makes is so that some of us feel safer if we have it.
When I go out in the wild I carry one but never with the intent of killing anything but rather just protection in case some situation comes up. That's all. I also am far more apt to carry one if I have my family or friends with me. You simply never know what might happen. It can be looked at as an insurance policy if you like.
Now about concealed guns in our national parks. Let's face it, they are being carried today and have been for years. There is that segment of our society and it's much larger than you think that carry concealed guns where ever they go. Whether you walk the streets of LA or are out in some park makes no difference, the ones who have them now are the ones that are truly dangerous and have a superior feeling or power knowing that it's highly unlikely that an ordinary citizen has one because the law says they can't. So the criminal has the advantage and knows it.
Now something that few people know is the fact that criminals are afraid of people that carry guns or have them in their homes. A prison psychologist once told me the reason that home invasions are rare is because they are afraid of being shot by the homeowner. The point is that when law abiding citizens can carry concealed guns the criminals become hesitant about randomly targeting people. Florida is a prime example of that. They adopted the concealed carry law, people against it predicted dire consequences which didn't happened and in fact just the opposite happened. Shooting went down.
The truth is that all people whether they carry or not will be safer in parks and the streets. Law abiding citizens are just that, they will always be law abiding, carrying a gun doesn't make them stupid. That concept is relegated to the movies. This is only one point of many I want to make about carrying guns, owning guns, etc. Learn about the issue OBJECTIVELY and HONESTLY and keep your emotions out of it and stop making these statements that invoke fear, you aren't selling life insurance. BE HONEST about it and we'll do just fine.
Side note here: Now do you want to honestly do something about violence then get rid of the violence in the entertainment media, TV, movies, games! Stop teaching our children, young people and adults to be violent. The violence in this country comes as no surprise certainly not at the levels we have now. I'll add one more thought. Gun violence in this country and the globe for that matter is truly at this point a cultural and ethnic problem. I'm yes I don't believe in political correctness. Political correctness is nothing more than avoiding the truth.
nuff said and it probably doesn't matter a bit anyway. This country over all is getting to darn dumb on all issues.
Interior Officials Release Rule Change to Allow National Park Visitors to Arm Themselves
Anonymous: Excellent quotes selected! That's exactly what the NRA platform is built on--plain FEAR with a touch of PARANOIA to blend!
Interior Officials Release Rule Change to Allow National Park Visitors to Arm Themselves
I think the following quotations on fear are appropriate, because in strongly felt beliefs, such as those that this issue is based in, are often based in fear.
"In politics, what begins in fear usually ends in folly."
---- Coleridge"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear."
--- H.P. Lovecraft"One of the things which danger does to you after a time is -, well, to kill emotion. I don't think I shall ever feel anything again except fear. None of us can hate anymore - or love."
---- Graham Greene - The Confidential Agent (1939)"What we fear comes to pass more speedily than what we hope."
---- Publilius Syrus - Moral Sayings (1st C B.C.Courage is not the lack of fear but the ability to face it."
---- Lt. John B. Putnam Jr. (1921-1944)"Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is."
---- German Proverb"Fear is a tyrant and a despot, more terrible than the rack, more potent than the snake."
---- Edgar Wallace - The Clue of the Twisted Candle (1916)"Fear - jealousy - money - revenge - and protecting someone you love."
---- Frederick Knott - Max Halliday, listing the five important motives for murder, Dial M for Murder (1952)"What are fears but voices airy?
Whispering harm where harm is not.
And deluding the unwary
Till the fatal bolt is shot!"
---- Wordsworth"The only thing we have to fear is fear it'self - "
---- FDR - First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1933 -
Interior Officials Release Rule Change to Allow National Park Visitors to Arm Themselves
I am so sorry to see this ruling come about. I have hiked and backpacked in parks for years and felt safe. This is a most unfortunate turn of events and to be expected from an outgoing president. Carrying a firearme does not mean you won't be overpowered by two legged predators. It may mean the gain access and use it on you. I do not look forward to seeing bullet holes in signs and structures all over the park.


text: Deaf! Canada x Reader: You'll be in my HeartHe stood there trembling, he had been walking his way back home, but now as he stood on a sad desolate corner on the edge of town. He decided it was time to end it. He was just given a hand gun to go with his new handgun license. He removed the revolver from his book bag he carried. It was enough now he'd had enough. His best friend had killed himself just a few weeks previous and Matthew was quite distraught losing the only other person who shared what he saw as a disability. He was the only other one who he knew that was deaf, losing him was hard...He knew now that he had nothing to live for. He truly didn't. Today, his life would change, to escape the abuse Matthew decided that killing himself was the only way out, his get out of jail free card. For a moment he wondered how his older brother Alfred would feel, he'd probably lose it too... He was too full of himself to do what Matthew was plotting."Matthew?" you asked behind him, though you knew it was probably useless knowing he w

subset: commoncrawl


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Product Number: | DRCHR10 |
Item Price: | $11.49 |
Availability: | Currently Out of Stock, click the alert icon to be notified when product is available. |
Shipping Weight: | 0.34 lb. |
Fixed handle rod with chamber brush make quick work of cleaning this critical area, 8/32 Female Thread.
Customers who bought this item also purchased


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Create a Calendar: August
What does your kid like to do in August? Help your preschooler wrap his head around the idea of passing time by encouraging him to fill out this cute calendar sheet. Part counting and handwriting practice, part coloring fun, it's more than just a calendar. As he writes in all the dates, he'll practice counting from 1-31 and learning the days of the week.
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A dynamic Bristol-based ensemble (formerly known as the Emerald Ensemble) which includes some of the finest young musicians in the country giving performances of great style and conviction combined with virtuosity.
Top class ensemble, exquisite performance' (Bristol Evening Post).
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text:
WholeFoods Magazine SourceBook: The Natural Products Directory
Lviv, Ukraine—Data from a recent clinical trial show some promise for the use of probiotics to help those with atopic dermatitis (AD), an inflammatory skin disease.
Wageningen, Denmark—In a recent study conducted by Top Institute Food and Nutrition in Wageningen, researchers discovered that probiotic bacteria found in yogurt drinks change once in the intestines, thereby supporting digestive health.
Ithaca, NY and Augusta, GA—New studies have shown that maternal intake of the nutrient choline during pregnancy can have a positive impact on the neural functions of children born with Down syndrome, as well as those whose mothers consumed alcohol during the first trimester. Choline, found in egg yolks, liver, nuts, broccoli and cauliflower, is part of several major phospholipids that are critical for normal membrane structure and function according to the Journal of Nutrition Web site. This nutrient is also present in numerous brain support supplements.
A new study published in the gastroenterology and hepatology journal Gut indicates that curcumin may be a viable option for slowing down liver damage and cirrhosis.
A study completed at Iowa State University's Nutrition and Wellness Center found that a diet supplemented with flaxseed significantly lowered high cholesterol levels in men.
Washington, D.C.—A new legislative bill is on the table that would give dietary supplement makers the ability to reference additional scientific information about the health benefits of their products.
New York, NY—Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center will launch a phase-II trial to study Maitake mushroom as a treatment for Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), a category of blood diseases. Maitake has been studied previously for its effects on immune system function.
Boston, MA—Consumers are familiar with product labels touting the heart healthy benefits of eating oats. They most famously lower blood cholesterol and are an important part of a heart-healthy diet. An expanding field of research into oats and their benefits is shedding light on reasons for oats to impress even more enthusiasts.
Tours, France—Another health application of omega-3 fatty acids has been identified, this time proving a beneficial component in helping women undergoing breast cancer treatment. Specifically, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) was found to increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy treatment for certain cases of breast cancer. The findings were published late last year in the British Journal of Cancer, and may present a means to better combat breast cancer for the millions threatened by the disease, which is the most prevalent form of cancer in women. The research was led by Philippe Bougnoux, of the Henry S. Kaplan Cancer Center in Tours.
Washington, D.C.—In the wake of the filing of a lawsuit against fish oil manufacturers over alleged polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination in their products, the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), based here, released a statement defending the practices of these companies.
I have become so accustomed to seeing negative headlines...
all products


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January 7th, 2013 1:07pm
It Came Tumbling Down
La Big Vic "All That Heaven Allows"
The feeling of La Big Vic's second album Cold War is not far off from that of Destroyer's masterpiece Kaputt, but whereas Dan Bejar's voice can't help but magnify the ironies and aesthetic tensions at the heart of the music, Emilie Friedlander's vocals are way more ambiguous. She's the first singer I've ever encountered who splits the difference between Nico/Mary Timony/Liz Phair cool-indie-girl phrasing and Mariah Carey-ish melisma. She doesn't come close to Mariah's range or technique, but she does approximate one of her most recognizable tricks – an airy, wordless, trebly squeal that signifies a sort of ecstasy – and pushes it to hazy abstraction. (Grimes does this too sometimes.) I'm not sure if there really is an "irony" in La Big Vic's music – everyone involved is far too young to be inclined to want to in any way distance themselves from this sort of purely pleasurable sound like the ultra-Gen X Bejar – but there's a slight unease through the record. The best I can describe it is that it's like the feeling of going to a really nice place and feeling too poor or underdressed to feel comfortable, even if the point of the place is to be extremely comfortable.
Buy it from Amazon.


text:
This page offers information about cheats for game Test Drive Unlimited 2 for Xbox 360, tips on how you can unlock secret level, features, find hidden areas and such. This page also provides video trailer and game information.
Read »- Show Prep
- Listen to FTL
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- Support FTL
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text:
Life Extension Integra-Lean Irvingia 150mg, Vegetarian Capsules
60.0 ea
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Ship to you only - {{productModel.rebateText}}
- Supports weight management
- Promotes metabolic wellness
- Contains no artificial sweeteners
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In stores Not sold in stores - {{receiveingOptions.inventoryData.pickUpChargeThresholdMsg}}
Not sold in stores
Dietary Supplement
African Mango
Supports Weight Management and Metabolic Wellness*
Life Extension® ~ For Longer Life®
This product contains no milk, egg, fish, peanuts, crustacean shellfish (lobster, crab, shrimp), soybeans, wheat, yeast, or gluten. Contains no artificial sweeteners, flavors, colors, or preservatives.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Take one capsule twice daily with or without food, or as recommended by a healthcare practitioner. This supplement should be taken in conjunction with a healthy diet and regular exercise program. Results may vary. Store tightly close in a cool, dry place.
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Shipping Weight (in lbs): 0.12 Product in inches (LxWxH): 2.1x 2.1x 3.8
Item Code: 263624
Contains tree nuts, corn and rice. Keep our of reach of children. Do not exceed recommended dose. Do not purchase if outer seal is broken or damaged. When using nutritional supplements, please consult with your physician if you are undergoing treatment for a medical condition or if you are pregnant or lactating.
Maltodextrin , Vegetable Cellulose , Brown Rice Flour , Stearic Acid , Magnesium Stearate , Silica
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Serving Size : 1 Capsule Serving per Container : 60 |
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Integra Lean Proprietary Extract 150 mg |


text:
Monthly Archive for August, 2012
ESPN renews with MLB for eight years (updated again)
ESPN officially announced this afternoon that it has reached an eight-year contract extension with Major League Baseball, an agreement that will run through 2021. The most significant part of the new deal is inclusion of one wild-card game, alternating between National and American League each season, beginning in 2014.
[Read More]
Your Capital Region guide to the 2012 NFL schedule
As we did last year, our analysis of the NFL schedule, as it pertains to Capital Region viewing, follows. All schedules are subject to change, especially as the season moves along, but here are the best guesses to which games we'll see, week by week (games likely to be available in the Capital Region, including […]
[Read More]
Time Warner announces high school football schedule
Time Warner Cable's Albany division announced its first six high school football matchups, including one from Section IX. The other selections all are from Section II. The schedule:
[Read More]
'Fox NFL Sunday' turns to Riggle for comic relief
Fox Sports announced this afternoon that Rob Riggle, "one of America's most popular comedians," will join the "Fox NFL Sunday" pregame crew, replacing Frank Caliendo. The announcement was made on the air during Fox's coverage of the 49ers-Broncos preseason game.
[Read More]
WNYA (My-4) has weekly ACC college football games
WNYA (Ch. 51, a.k.a. "My-4″ will be part of the Atlantic Coast Conference network again this season for football and basketball. The football schedule (after the third week, matchups will be determined after the conference obligations with ABC and ESPN are fulfilled):
[Read More]
Major League baseball national telecasts through Sept. 4
Here are the upcoming nationally televised Major League Baseball games that have been announced for the next couple of weeks (Capital Region gets MLB Network backup game, listed in parentheses, whenever Yankees or Mets are scheduled): Friday, Aug. 24 7:00: St. Louis at Cincinnati (L.A. Angels at Detroit), MLB Network
[Read More]
2012 ESPN college football schedule
Ninety-eight games, some previously announced, comprise the early schedule of college football games on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN Classic released today by the networks. As is usually the case, teams involved in many of the telecasts won't be determined until 6-12 days beforehand. In fact, for the first time in memory, ESPN didn't […]
[Read More]
ESPN Classic to air Clemens' minor-league game
ESPN Classic will air the Atlantic League minor-league baseball game between the Sugar Land Skeeters and Bridgeport (Conn.) Bluefish at 8:05 p.m. Saturday in Sugar Land, Texas. The game marks Roger Clemens' return to organized baseball. He will start the game for the Land Skeeters, who are managed by former major league Gary Gaetti.
[Read More]
Manning signs with WFAN for weekly interview
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning signed a multi-year agreement to do a weekly interview on WFAN Radio (660 AM) in New York, the team announced today. Manning will be heard at 5:05 p.m. Eastern time the day after Giants games (subject to change) throughout the regular season and postseason with host Mike Francesa.
[Read More]
Fox Media Group announces college football matchups
The Fox Sports Media group announced several early-season college football matchups for its various networks (all times Eastern: FCS=Fox College Sports):
[Read More]
Show More


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The Larry & Carla Laber Home PageUpdated September 5, 2000 |
Carla's Maiden name was Miller, orginally from Amidon NDLarry's home was on a farm in Sykeston ND |
Carla Laber 382 Knopp Vly Dr Winona, MN 55987 United States 5777 |
The content shown on this page has been submitted by a Genealogy.com customer, and is not subject to verification by Genealogy.com. Neither Genealogy.com nor its affiliates are responsible for the accuracy of any information contained on this page. The opinions expressed on this page are the author's alone and not the opinions of Genealogy.com.
© 2009 Ancestry.com |


text:
Registration for District residents will begin on Monday, February 23, at 12 pm.
Registration for non-District residents will begin on Monday, March 23, at 12 pm.
Sites open for registration are as follows:
For more information, visit DPR Summer Camp Website
See All Online Services >>
More Services for New Residents >>
Ask the DC DMV Director.
Under a Cold Emergency, additional services and supports are put in place to protect homeless residents. Learn more about a Cold Emergency.


text:
Passion Parties shoud not be excluded from community events & promotions
Passion Parties, established in 1994 empowers more than 28,000 Independent Business Owners that host more than 10,000 in home parties every month. Passion Parties supports the Susan G. Komen Cancer Foundation and many other charitable foundations. If you would like Passion Parties to receive the same respectable treatment, recognition and opportunities as other Huntsville Businesses please sign this petition and forward the link to all of your friends.
Recent signatures
brian slaughter, United States
5 years ago Comments: any thing that helps find a cure for breast cancer i all for it. It should not matter were the money comes from
Kathy Beam, United States
5 years ago Comments: I love this business cause of the support and the potential that is available to you unlike any other job.
sandra kegler, United States
5 years ago
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text: § Computer Tools that Support Learners - Rod Corbet, Coordinator of Educational Technology Integration in their Academic Development Centre at Mont Royal College in Calgary, is "working on developing a list of educational technologies that real teachers and real students can easily access and use to help them be successful." He has compiled this list of over 100 computer tools that students can access and use. Most of these are free downloads or free web-based applications.


text:
Witness the excitement of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race across Alaska! Extending for over 1049 miles through some of the roughest, toughest country in North America, mushers and their dog teams race from Anchorage to Nome. The mushers face an incredible journey, bitter cold, fierce winds and long, lonely hours of darkness. Our Iditarod tours include the race start and an official trail check point, allowing you to experience an unforgettable Alaska adventure in the winter.
We offer a wide selection of our tours that make you part of this spectacular event, from fully guided adventures to independent packages. The 2015 Iditarod race starts March 7.
Experience the official start of the world famous Iditarod Race. Every year hundreds of people come out to line the start of the race and cheer on the mushers and their dogs as they begin their long journey north. Share this exciting experience with the added comfort of a warm up tent and hot food, drinks and snacks. Tour includes: Roundtrip transportation from Anchorage to the starting area on Willow Lake, access to a warm up tent and hot food and drinks.


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We want to ensure that making a return is as easy and hassle-free as possible! If for any reason you decide that your purchase just isn't for you, simply return the item within 30 days of receipt and we'll cover the return shipping when you choose our FREE Pre-Paid Return Shipping Label. Learn more about our return policy.
Shop now and get Free Value Shipping on most orders over $49 to contiguous 48 states, DC and to all U.S. Military APO/FPO/DPO addresses.
When you're shopping for Barnes items, this needs to be your starting point. To help make your browsing experience simpler, we have constructed this page to give you several options for sorting through our Barnes Assortment. We always try to expand the number of items we stock, so you will no doubt love the sorting options available . One great way is through pages like Barnes Books, Barnes Reloading Equipment, Barnes Reloading Dies and Die Accessories, which offers you a filtered subsection of the items you see here. From there you can decide to just see the Barnes products that fit your price range. And looking through our Top Rated Pages is a great idea because you can see only those items that shoppers like you gave their thumbs up to. If you have any questions, feel free to email or call us so we can help you navigate our options by Barnes.


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I recently ordered Butter Coin by Alex Lourido. When it came I was horrified to see I had gotten a defective product. I contacted MJM, and they were...Read More ->
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2. Your Past
There's logic behind jokes about old football injuries and other past trauma to the body. A childhood fall, a broken bone that wasn't reset properly, a car accident, even how you came out of the womb can permanently alter how you carry yourself. Any subtle but seemingly locked-in change in your posture can introduce inefficiencies to your running form that can increase your risk of developing repetitive-strain injuries.
More obviously, if you lived a typical sedentary Western lifestyle for many years before you started running, the body you bring to running could increase your injury risk. Excess weight places tremendous strain on joints, tendons, and ligaments. Inactivity reduces muscular strength and efficiency.
What To Do About It: As with your inherited physical traits, take as complete an inventory as possible of past insults to your body. Look at photos for patterns of holding one shoulder higher, or one hip lower. When you've identified imbalances from past trauma, work to correct them with targeted strengthening. If you're carrying excess weight, take a long-term approach to getting to a good running weight that will lower your impact forces.


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Now that everyone has had some time "behind the wheel" of the Droid DNA, what are some of your favorite features of the handset? Screen? Processor?
I think having both front and rear led notification is very innovative.....and a first for smart phones. Its a shame there are no cases that allow the rear light to show...(at least that I know of).
I bought one of the cases from Verizon, it is black. While it doesn't have an opening for the light, I can clearly see the light since it is somewhat translucent.
I don't really see the usefulness in having a rear notification light, why would I ever put my phone face down and risk scratching the display?
Well,one reason if its in a case/ holster with screen facing in one would be able to look down at their phone and see the blinking light without having to remove phone.
I'm getting the DNA today, and one feature I really appreciate is that the DNA is ready for inductive charging, out of the box! I think I'll LOVE having inductive charging, and having to spend $$$ to get a replacement back, and/or having to have your device larger to allow inductive charging wasn't too appealing. I'm currently using a Razr original, and the battery life sucks. I find myself in my bedroom, with my Razr plugged in and charging at the end of the day, and the phone rings! (We got rid of our house phone about a year ago) Now I have to unplug it, have my conversation, then plug it back in again. This happens several times throughout the evening, and frankly, is a pain! Now... I can simply pick the phone up, talk, and when I'm done with the conversation, set it back down on the inductive charging mat! May sound like a simply thing, but I'm glad HTC included it!
I picked up a inductive charger today and am trying it out now. Heads up it was on sale and with my discount it was $40 OTD.


text:
And yet, in 2011, the era of the literary-genre hybrid novel has undeniably arrived. I spoke with three literary genre writers—Whitehead, Cronin, and Benjamin Percy—whose werewolf novel, Red Moon, comes out next year—about the reasons why.
1. Our day-to-day lives are becoming more science-fictional.
Every day, newspapers—sorry, handheld tablets—produce more headlines from the frontiers of modern science. A government-backed initiative has built protein-eating war-bots that could conceivably power themselves off human flesh. A renowned paleontologist is trying to reverse-evolve chickens into dinosaurs. And the world of personal computing makes leaps forward with every passing month. Dick Tracy's two-way video wristwatch—unfathomable in the 1950s—is now no further away than somebody's iPhone.
Of course, with these advances come anxieties about Faustian bargains and Pandora's boxes. "It's always been the case that the greatest horror stories are tapping into cultural anxieties of the time," Benjamin Percy told me, by phone. "Take a look at [Mary Shelley's] Frankenstein and the Industrial Revolution. Or [Bram Stoker's] Dracula and Victorian prudishness. Or Invasion of the Body Snatchers and the Red Scare. And if you look at what's been on bookshelves since 9/11, there's been an abundance of apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic narratives. All of them have to do with our fear of disease, our fear of environmental devastation, our fear of nuclear annihilation. Maybe because the end of the world has never seemed so possible."
2. For writers, pop culture influences are now as important as literary influences.
There was a time in recent memory when writers took their cues primarily from the literary figures that came before them. But in 2011, our literary, media, and entertainment landscapes are unprecedentedly vast and various. Not only that, but appropriation has become an important artistic currency—seen in everything from hip-hop sampling, to Internet remixing, to literary mashups like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. We define our current cultural moment in terms of media consumption, and we try to reflect our varied interests in our art. In the hands of pop culture wizards like Jonathan Lethem or the late David Foster Wallace, you're likely to see prose equally indebted to Catwoman and Catullus, Star Wars and Keats' "Bright Star."
Colson Whitehead told me that he thinks we're seeing the first tremors in a seismic shift of influences. In his view, novelists and short-story writers working today are no longer afraid to embrace the pop cultural influences that excited them as kids. He remembers growing up when VCRs were a hot new thing, and renting horror movies on Friday nights was a part of his childhood education. For him, writing genre acknowledges influences that were always there—his love for comic books as well as literary books.
"I think that people of my generation are more comfortable making the foray into genre," he said. "Because of macabre books, Stephen King, and probably cable. Culture changed in the '70s and '80s [...] Look at the phenomenon of the blockbuster, whether it's an adventure like Indiana Jones, or something like Star Wars and Star Trek. You're exposed to that pretty early. And you're supposed to walk away because you start reading Ernest Hemingway? It's just one of many influences that makes you into the writer you are today."
Justin Cronin agrees. In an interview on KRUI Radio in 2010, he told me that he enjoys genre works like Larry McMurty's Lonesome Dove every bit as much as literary novels. For him, writing The Passage was a way of interpolating two different types of influences. Like Chabon, he feels that both literary fiction and genre fiction are more robust when they cross-pollinate.
"There are indeed books that are clearly [genre] or clearly [literary], and it would be disingenuous of me to say that's not true," he said. "But the middle is really large. And the middle is where I've always found the books that were most captivating to me."
3. Literary tastes are increasingly global.
American literature has diversified as a broader pool of voices, within the country and without, gain mainstream cultural recognition. Latin American magical realism, as well as Japanese horror and science-fiction have already had substantial effects on American art; in recent years, Roberto Bolano (Chile) and Haruki Murakami have especially increased the writer's sense of novelistic possibility. The increased availability and viability of contemporary works in translation also opens up new avenues for innovation and exploration.
4. Stories with mythic dimensions are timeless.
We've been telling monster stories (Scylla and Charybdis) science-fiction stories (the Tower of Babel), superhero stories (the Epic of Gilgamesh), horror stories (Oedipus Rex), and apocalypse stories (the Book of Revelation) for a long, long time. Maybe the appearance of modern myths in mainstream publishing is not so new--in a sense, it's a return to form. Cronin insists that this is good for literature, and that the best mythic archetypes will continue to appeal to new generations of storytellers. In his view, they're just too good to leave alone.
"The traditional vampire story is a story of a magical creature, but I wanted to base mine in a sort of plausible physical and biological reality. That was my version of the story,
which is the best thing about these stories: you can go back and—not only can you, but you have to—make them your own."
5. Financially—and aesthetically—genre pays.
It would be naive to say that modern writers aren't aware of the potential financial gains of embracing genre. What starving artist, underpaid and under-read, hasn't at least once looked at J.K. Rowling's massive royalties—and throng of adoring readers—with envy?
But Cronin rejects the idea that serious writers are simply cashing in on short-lived, Twilight-spawned trends.
"You will not remember this," he told me, "but there was a vampire soap opera on television in the late '60s and early '70s called Dark Shadows that everybody in my generation went home and watched after school. Vampire comic books, the original Bram Stoker, this stuff has never gone away. It never will. It's great material, and it's constantly reinventable."
Whitehead agrees, insisting that readers can tell hack work from honest engagement with a form or meme.
"To me, [Zone One] is just another book," he said. "I was aware that Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was a huge bestseller, but I thought that when I finished my book this brief trend would probably be over. I mean, I was wrong. But given that it takes two or three years to write a book, I assumed I was not going to be part of some larger cultural conversation. I think if you do your job, then people will come to it--whether it's about elevator inspectors, or John Henry, or zombies."
Percy goes even farther, saying that literary writers can unleash new power in their work by tapping into genre conventions. In his view, people respond positively to books like The Passage not just because there are vampires in it; for him, works that balance readability with literary complexity have a hybrid power beyond what's typically seen in either form.
"If look at the best of literary fiction," he told me, "you see three-dimensional characters, you see exquisite sentences, you see glowing metaphors. But if you look at the worst of literary fiction, you see that nothing happens. Somebody takes a sip of tea, looks out the window at a bank of roiling clouds and has an epiphany."
Genre fiction, by itself, can be just as fallible.
"In the worst of genre fiction, you see hollow characters, you see transparent prose, you see the same themes and archetypes occurring from book to book. If you look at the best of genre fiction, you see this incredible desire to discover what happens next."
"So what I'm trying to do is get back in touch with that time of my life when I was reading genre, and turning the pages so quickly they made a breeze on my face. I'm trying to take the best of what I've learned from literary fiction and apply it to the best of genre fiction, to make a kind of hybridized animal."
A hybridized animal, a healthy body implanted with a ballistic, foreign gene--sounds like a mutant to me.
Genre will always have its critics. As a 1969 New York Times review of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five acknowledged, "You'll either love it, or you'll push it back into the science-fiction corner." This is a matter of taste; some will audiences will bristle at the strange or otherworldly scenarios that other readers instinctively seek out. The same can be said for any book that contains readily identifiable character archetypes—detectives and spacemen, cowgirls and zombies.
Still, if widespread genre cross-pollination results in a new breeds of literary chimera, our literature will benefit. Establishment writers will open up new worlds of possibility, and gain an ability to explore myth and magic without marketing stigma. And genre writers with undeniable literary merit will earn a less tentative place in the annals of literature.
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Saturday, January 19, 2013
UniBank donates $2,369 to Uxbridge library for job training program
Jane Granatino, director of the Uxbridge Free Public Library, displays the Learning Express Library with Doris Hamburger, vice president and branch manager of UniBank's Uxbridge branch. The library was able to purchase this resource through a donation made by the bank. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)
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UniBank recently announced that a $2,639 donation has been made to the Uxbridge Free Public Library to fund the purchase of The Learning Express Library, a remote training resource.
This resource helps students prepare for a wide range of career-oriented licensing and certification exams in health care, education, civil service, and homeland security. It also provides opportunities for individuals to create résumés, polish interviewing techniques and improve business communication skills.
Additional features include interactive tutorials to help users improve basic skills in reading, writing and math, as well as prepare for the GED, ACT and SAT tests.
The library voiced enthusiastic appreciation for UniBank's donation. Library Director Jane Granatino stated, "This comprehensive software will provide a tremendous opportunity to so many individuals in Uxbridge. We are so grateful to UniBank for this donation."
UniBank proudly supports the efforts of the library because they coincide with the bank's commitment to enhancing the quality of life for residents in Central Massachusetts.
The program will be ready for use onsite or from home using a valid Uxbridge Library card on Feb. 1. For more information, visit
or call (508) 278-8624.
UniBank, with assets of $1.4 billion as of Dec. 31, is a full-service, mutually owned community bank with branches in the Blackstone Valley, Milford, and Worcester. A full-service, state-of-the-art branch is scheduled to open in Grafton in 2013. UniBank has been one of Massachusetts' fastest growing banks for the last five years and is dedicated to contributing to the overall quality of life and economic health of the communities it serves, while maintaining a high level of financial soundness and integrity. UniBank is a member of the FDIC and DIF. The company website is
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text:
God is in control,it's the people that are out of control
Someone for most to blame when things are not going their way
.............always with us.
.. suspiciously unwilling to do astounding miracles as he used to.

He used to part seas to help whole nations escape - and now, he makes his face appear on toast in some redneck hick town.

He appears to be lacking enthusiasm and ambition.
God is a concept,

By which we can measure,

Our pain,

I'll say it again,

God is a concept,

By which we can measure,

Our pain,

I don't believe in magic,

I don't believe in I-ching,

I don't believe in bible,

I don't believe in tarot,

I don't believe in Hitler,

I don't believe in Jesus,

I don't believe in Kennedy,

I don't believe in Buddha,

I don't believe in mantra,

I don't believe in Gita,

I don't believe in yoga,

I don't believe in kings,

I don't believe in Elvis,

I don't believe in Zimmerman,

I don't believe in Beatles,

I just believe in me,

Yoko and me,

And that's reality.

The dream is over,

What can I say?

The dream is over,

Yesterday,

I was dreamweaver,

But now I'm reborn,

I was the walrus,

But now I'm John,

And so dear friends,

You just have to carry on,

The dream is over.

John Lennon.
The ex<x>pression of the wishful thinking of human beings
God is real God is love God is good all the time
Pure mythological fiction.
god is a mere word created by man. NOTHING MORE.

If there was any truth to this myth the very notion would not divide instead of unifying.
.......not real.
God- The compassionate, most merciful, soverign, holy, all peace, giver of peace, protector, mighty irresistible, superb, creator, maker, shaper, forgiving, dominant, all- giving, provider, opener, all-knowing, seizer, expander, aba<x>ser, exalter, honourer, humiliator, all-hearing, all- seeing, judge, just, subtle, all- aware, Clement, mighty, forgiving, appreciative, sublime, great, protector, sustainer, reckoner, majestic, generous, watchful, one who answers all, All- embracing, wise, loving, glorious, resurrector, witness, true, trustee, most strong, firm, supporter, praiseworthy, counter, originator, reproducer, giver of life, creator of death, alive, self-subsisting, perceiver, unique, one, eternal, able, powerful, expediter, dela<x>yer, first, last, manifest, hidden, governor, most exalted, righteous, acceptor of repentence, avenger, pardoner, one with extreme mercy, Eternal Owner of Sovereignty, Lord of majesty and bounty, equitable, gatherer, self- sufficient, enricher, preventer, distresser, propitious, light, guide, incomparable, everlasting, supreme inheritor, guide to the right path, patient

This is God
A sick bastard.
*Omniscient

*Loving

*Our Heavenly Father

*Merciful

*Just

*All-knowing

*One person, along with his son and the spirit, each a distinct being

*The judge
Dog spelled backwards. Yes that is all. Amazing. I think so.
a three letter word.
...death ...so that we might live on and on and on
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text: FILE - In this July 10, 2014, file photo, IndyCar driver Jack Hawksworth speaks during an interview at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. So much has changed for the 24-year-old IndyCar driver in such a short time. Last season, he didn't even have a ride until March. Now he's attending conventions and auto shows after joining A.J. Foyt Racing in the fall to drive the team's second car. It is quite the follow-up to a promising rookie campaign. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)


text:
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