I have mixed feelings about government, and the state of the republic. I essentially believe we have the best government money can buy. I dont watch commercial TV, or listen to commercial radio. As a consequence, for the last several election cycles Ive not heard or seen a political add of any sort. I also havent heard a used car commercial this entire century. After what Ive just said you might assume I dont vote, but in fact I do. One of the advantages of living in a small rural community is knowing the players who directly affect your life, and this is reason enough to cast my ballot. I actually love going to the polls, I know a lot of people and the interactions are fun and upbeat. The polling place where Becky and I vote is the elementary school my kids attended, and where I drove a school bus for one contract (thats all it took). Fortunately the weather kept the politicians away, so the smiles and handshakes were genuine, and there was no need to sanitize my hands afterward. I caught up with several friends and spread the word about the situation the forest is in. There were laughs and stories, and good feelings all around. I had an appointment to keep, so I bid my friends fare thee well and made my way back to the ranch. The weather yesterday can best be described as crappy. Cold, humid, and rainy, the gray sky stood in stark contrast to the newly naked trees. The word gloomy comes to mind. My attitude was far from gloomy as I hooked up with professor Bonnie and her student Daryl. We hit it off instantly. As I bombarded them with the facts surrounding the new forest plan, Daryl began taking a series of photographs and shot some video. The rain made it difficult to protect his cameras, but hes a seasoned pro and he had a couple of tricks up his sleeve. I have given them permission to have complete access to our property at any time they desire. Bonnie and Daryl were pleased with the views from the various vantage points I showed them, and we all agree this is a golden opportunity to show the effects of logging. They are journalists, the old school kind with integrity, and they have a rigorous protocol they must follow. I completely respect this, and Im glad to provide the platform. The thing is I wont have access to any of their material until the entire piece is completed perhaps months from now. They were kind enough to educate me on the ins and outs of their process and Im excited about the work theyre doing. Now that I understand their needs and methods, I realize I have to do some of my own video if I want to post images in real time. Im good with that. Any image I capture is mine to use as I see fit, so thats the plan. Words have power, but theres no substitute for a graphic image. Its all about pulling the curtain back and sharing the truth with the people of Indiana. We have a real chance to make the loss of this almost hundred year old forest meaningful, and I intend to do all I can to spread the word.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Nov 2014 14:32:38 +0000
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