SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO

Nearly my entire life has been nomadic. Just since leaving home at age 18, I've had nearly forty addresses in nine states. Half of that time was in southern Arizona, in and around Tucson. Although the prospect of moving again now feels physically onerous, I don't see myself spending the rest of my life in Missoula. In regarding possible destinations, my short list includes places I've already experienced, as well as new places I'd like to explore.

Among the latter is Santa Fe, New Mexico. Sunday's NYTimes travel section featured an informative article on Santa Fe. It is one of a tiny number of U.S. cities which will soon be celebrating its 400th birthday. The attractions of living there include a lively arts community, a temperate climate, sweeping natural scenery, and the signature pueblo adobe architecture which the city adopted into its building code in the early 20th century. At an elevation of 7000 feet above sea level, winters are cool and summers warm, with neither tending to exremes. The city enjoys 300 or more days of sunshine per year. It is a wonderful place, with annual international folk art and indian markets, world-class opera and jazz, and a population almost evenly divided between Latino and gringo residents, with a sprinkling of other ethnicities. There is easy access to Albuquerque to the south, and Taos to the north. Santa Fe, and the Southwest in general, are steeped in history and culture. The Four Corners region is rife with ancient ruins and natural splendor.

One of my favorite references for learning about cities is the Places Rated Almanac. This encyclopedic reference examines nearly 400 U.S. cities within criteria which include cost of living, transportation, jobs, education, climate, crime, the arts, health care and recreation. Comprehensive tables make it easy to draw comparisons within any criterion of interest, as well as comparing the overall rating.

A useful online guide to individual cities can be found at city-data.com. Their entry for Santa Fe provides a quick, easy-to-scan overview of the city's features, comparable to the hard copy Almanac.

My short list includes other possible destinations, of course. My personal criteria for a livable place include a vital arts community, access to nature, a pleasing climate, a university, affordable housing, a decent airport with a first-rate flight training school, great restaurants, cultural and ethnic diversity, and ease of access to rail and air travel. Of course, PBS and NPR. Oh, a favorable ratio of women to men would be a nice addition as well. Hey, we all need a dream.....

THE RACISM CONTINUUM

As Karnythia points out in her blog post "Transcending Race...A History Lesson," there is racism and there is racism. MSNBC commentator [I hate that word -- one who comments is a commentor. A commentator is just an ordinary spud.], after hearing President Obama's State of the Union Address, rather famously remarked, "You know, I was trying to think about who he was tonight. And, um, it's interesting. He is post-racial by all appearances. You know, I forgot he was black tonight for an hour. You know, he's gone a long way to becoming a leader of this country and passed so much history in just a year or two." (To view a video of the complete State Of The Union Address, click here.)

Comedian and talk show host Jon Stewart was all over Matthews like white on snow, as was (more thoughtfully) Whoopi Goldberg. For the most incisive commentary, please check out Karynthia's blog post above. It is brief and to the point.

Bottom line, Matthews (who is more liberal than conservative, and who is mostly supportive toward Obama) forgot to put his brain in gear before putting his mouth in motion. Well okay, we all do sometimes. But when you're on national television, and especially when you're commenting on race, you'd be well advised to pause for just a moment and think about how this is going to really sound. Effect trumps intent every time. As Edward P. Jones expressed it in his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Known World, "The hitter can never be the judge. Only the receiver of the blow can tell you how hard it was, whether it woud kill a man or make a baby just yawn."

Racism is alive and well, even among those who are well-intentioned. Sometimes it takes a faux pas to generate discussion and refine our understanding of just how insidiously deep-rooted this virus really is. Ultimately, if we learn from our mistakes by honestly listening to each other, we take small baby steps toward the day when racism no longer poisons our perceptions, words and deeds. Racism comes in all flavors, and all degrees ranging from mild to severe. The one thing it uniformly is? ............. intolerable.

THE NAKED TRUTH

That being the byline for AARP online columnist Dr. Pepper Schwartz, the organization's "sex and relationship expert." While I have reservations about anyone considering him/herself to be an expert in sex and relationships -- the subject being emphatically subjective, depending on one's gender, cultural background, and education -- I was nevertheless intrigued by one of her articles, "Where Have All The Good Men (And Women) Gone?". One sees and hears this lament often, especially at social networking websites like Facebook, or at online dating services like Match.com or eHarmony.

So I read the article, and it actually has some interesting alternatives to offer. There are a number of fairly obvious ways in which to meet people, the best being those which involve an activity which one already enjoys -- an adult evening class, a birding group, a hiking club, or a reading club, for instance. In such a group, if you don't happen to meet someone who takes your eye, you're still having a good time. The article has several suggestions for taking the initiative, which I recommend to those of us baby boomers who are over fifty and may have a hard time even locating singles in our age group. As a veteran of all the online resources listed above, I found it refreshing to come across new, non-traditional ideas for meeting intelligent, interesting people. And the good news for you younger readers? These ideas are relevant to you, too.

KARMA OR COMPLEXITY?

A follow-up to yesterday's post regarding the abuse and eventual death of a four-month old kitten -- today's Missoulian reports that the alleged animal abuser was indeed approached by police yesterday with a felony arrest warrant charging aggravated animal cruelty, at the man's home. After refusing to answer the door, he apparently took his own life. Police heard a single shot, called for backup, and the responding SWAT team discovered his body.

The man had a long history of clinical depression, possibly compounded by additional mental illness. He apparently led a solitary, isolated life.

I'm feeling sobered by the news, and saddened that the man's condition wasn't apparent to the animal shelter which allowed him to adopt the kitten. It is one thing to call for retributive or rehabilitative justice if the perpetrator is relatively mentally healthy. It is quite another matter when the individual is struggling with mental or emotional illness, the depth and extent of which we will never know.

This incident strikes a chord in me, because about ten years ago I lost a close friend to suicide. He too, was a recluse -- an intellect bordering on genius, artistically creative, but socially awkward. He was one of my two best friends in high school. We lost contact after graduation, and had resumed mail contact only months before he died. The details of his death are tragic, and out of respect for his memory I shall not recount them here, except to say that I'll always wish I'd rediscovered him sooner. The thought lingers that I could have helped him, could have been someone to turn to in his hour of direst need. Once again, we will never know.

ABUSED ANIMALS

This is not a pretty story. Tuesday's Missoulian reported a police response to screaming and yelling at the home of Gary Bassett. An animal control officer who accompanied police described the scene as something "out of a horror movie". They discovered a four-month old kitten whose owner had apparently stomped on her, shaved her head, then tried to drown her in the toilet. The kitten had a shattered pelvis, one eye hemorrhaging, was sopping wet, hypothermic and nearly comatose.

Animal Control workers named the kitten Mercy. One worker noted that in spite of her injuries, no one had the heart to consider putting her down -- when awake, she would purr and knead her paws whenever a human talked to her. Everyone who met her, fell in love with her. A call went out for donations to cover the cost of extensive surgery, and dozens of people volunteered to adopt her. Mercy was at the center of many conversations in Missoula, and around the country.

Alas, today's Missoulian reports that Mercy had to be euthenized. Her spine had been smashed beyond repair by the force of her owner's abuse.

As with any crime, in order to protect the constitutional rights all citizens, investigators must follow legal procedure in establishing probable cause before making an arrest, and must gather conclusive evidence in order to obtain a clear conviction. Chances are good that in Mercy's case, felony charges of aggravated animal cruelty will be filed, carrying a penalty of two years in prison and a maximum $2500 fine. In the meantime, Garry Bassett remains free.

The revulsion and outrage which his (alleged) behavior have aroused in the community cannot be overstated. Suggestions for punishment range from his having to clean animal shelter cages for a year, to hanging him. I well understand the grief and anger. If Bassett is guilty, I believe that the punishment should fit the crime. The retributive part of me thinks that he should undergo the physical pain and terror which he inflicted on Mercy. Another, more rehabilitative part thinks he should have to tend to abused animals as part of his sentence.

Whatever its shortcomings, this is why we are a nation of laws -- if we allowed emotion to rule when someone is wronged, we would descend into a downward spiral of vengeance and counter-vengeance. This does not lessen my feelings for poor Mercy.

If there's a take-home lesson, it is this: each year many thousands of abandoned or abused cats and dogs are euthenized because over-burdened animal shelters cannot possibly take care of them all. Animal owners, spay or neuter your pets. Further, visit your local humane society or animal control shelter. If you have a place in your home (and in your heart), and are a loving and responsible adult, adopt one or more of the animals you meet. You'll be saving a life, and your own life will be richer for the presence of your new furry friend. I adopted my own two cats from the local humane society, and I would not trade them for the world.

DIHYDROGEN MONOXIDE

A friend recently sent me a heads-up link to DHMO.org, whose research division is purportedly looking into dihydrogen monoxide (see molecular structure above, and actual photo images below -- click on images to enlarge), a pernicious and ubiquitous material capable of assuming solid, liquid or gaseous states. It has apparently been in human use for quite some time, for both innocent and nefarious purposes. Recent controversy, according to the DHMO website, has involved statements from groups including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control, Sandia Laboratories, the National Cancer Institute, Greenpeace, the Sierra Club, and something called the National Consumer Coalition Against DHMO. Conspiracy theories abound, on topics ranging from cancer to the government's failure to examine possible links to terrorism.

In the interests of public education, I urge all readers to familiarize yourselves with the presence and behavior of DHMO in your immediate vicinity, as well as regionally and worldwide. Requiescat in pacem.

Spoiler: I hope it's clear to everyone that DHMO = H20 = water. If you followed the links, you figured it out, no? NO?

JUPITER AND MENGER

Today is not-so-trivial trivia day.






















Item 1. The planet Jupiter, a gas giant planet whose diameter could contain eleven Earths lined up in a row with room left over, and whose volume could contain well over 13,000 Earths, has perhaps the most complex and visually arresting atmosphere in the solar system. Jupiter's banded layers of clouds and storm are so intricate that they appear fractal in structure. Above is an image of Jupiter taken from a position over the south pole by the Cassini spacecraft, and below is an image of Cassini itself.















The sheer scale of Jupiter boggles the mind. Just it's most prominent feature, the Great Red Spot (an anticyclonic storm south of Jupiter's equator which has lasted for at least 180 years, and possibly double that), could contain two or three planets the size of Earth. Below is a composite image for size comparison.



















Item 2. Speaking of fractals. here are several images of a Menger sponge, a type of fractal curve. Click on the link for more details, and (as always) click on any image for greater magnification.

THE YELLOWSTONE CALDERA

Today's NYTimes reports that over the past several weeks, an average of 100 small earthquakes per day have been recorded, clustered in a remote area of Yellowstone National Park. It isn't news that Yellowstone is an active tectonic and geothermal zone. Another swarm of over 1000 quakes struck the area last year, and the largest recorded swarm happened in 1985 -- 3000 quakes over a period of three months.

Though such swarms may be relatively common, geologists are paying close attention, since this one coincides with a significant rise in elevation of the plateau over the Yellowstone Caldera (see diagram above). Much of the park is occupied by the dormant crater of a once-catastrophic volcanic eruption which took place around 640,000 years ago. The eruption spread ash and debris over much of the western United States (see comparison chart and map below).

Like Hawaii, Yellowstone lies over a volcanic hot spot. As the tectonic plate on which each area is located slowly moves over the stationary hot spot, the landscape is altered in a recognizable pattern. In Hawaii, each of the chain of islands is the result of a hot spot eruption (see first diagram below). In Yellowstone, the magnitude of each supervolcano has been much greater, with traceable results. The supereruptions of 640,000 years ago, 1.3 million years ago, and 2.1 million years ago, each produced a distinct caldera visible from space, as well as reducing a once-mountainous region to the modern Snake River Plain, which lies west of Yellowstone (see second diagram below).

There is no reliable method for forecasting when the next supereruption may occur. It could be tomorrow, or it could be in 10,000 years. But like the next monumental earthquake along the San Andreas Fault, it is one thing ............. inevitable.

TET

In the early morning hours of 31 January 1968, North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Viet Cong (VC) forces launched coordinated, simultaneous attacks against more than 100 towns and villages throughout South Vietnam, including 36 of 44 provincial capitals, 5 of the 6 autonomous cities, 72 of 245 district towns and the nation's capital, Saigon. US and South Vietnamese Army (ARVN) forces were taken completely by surprise by the strikes, known collectively as the Tet Offensive since they occurred on Tet, the first day of the Vietnamese lunar new year.

This writer was stationed at Fort Gordon, Georgia at the time, completing his Army training in radioteletype (RTT) school before deployment to .... you guessed it, the Vietnam War. Hearing about Tet was one of those events in life which etch themselves in your memory -- you always remember where you were when you first heard the news, much like the JFK and Martin Luther King assassinations, or the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. The news sent paradoxical shivers of uncertainty and anticipation through those of us headed for the war. Little did we know what awaited us.

Tet was a turning point in the war. It demonstrated to the world that US forces fighting a conventional war strategy were no match for local VC iinsurgents fighting guerrilla warfare, nor for NVA forces organized in more traditional units -- simply because our Vietnamese opponents were motivated by their perceived defense of homeland against a foreign intruder, much like American rebels were motivated against the British during the American Revolution. Further, Tet tipped already-wavering American public opinion against the war over the edge. Mass public protests, riots and marches against the war were staged on a scale we haven't seen since. People from all walks of life, all economic and social and racial backgrounds, were united in their opposition.

I turned 21 two weeks after arriving in country. At that age, I was an old man compared to most of those around me -- the average age of the American GI in Vietnam was 18 or 19. Naive when I arrived, I was radicalized against the war within weeks, in spite of the inundation of propaganda received during my training. I take no pride in having served in an unjust war. My pride lies in having done my job well, in connecting with a small number of South Vietnamese civilians, in overcoming my upbringing and making friends with blacks and Latinos, and in surviving. I was rocketed, mortared, and (as one of four types of soldier with a bounty on his head) was sniped at as well. I slept outdoors in monsoon rains and in underground bunkers, narrowly missed being bitten by a cobra, and worked 12 hours a day, 7 days a week -- except when I was in the field, when I was on call 24/7. I came home physically intact, but with PTSD which lingers to this day.

And yet, perversely, I would not trade that experience for anything. A year in a jungle war zone changes you forever. You learn that it is not patriotism or country that matters most, but helping the men beside you to survive. You learn that what you once thought to be your limits were illusory. We can adapt to all manner of physical and emotional hardship. We can unlearn the crippling racism with which we grew up. Most critically, we can learn that it is not only permissible but mandatory to question authority. Even in war. Sometimes especially in war.

Forty-two years ago today.

GLEN CANYON DAM

The first time I laid eyes on Glen Canyon Dam (image below, looking downstream) was in the summer of 1969, during my migration from northern Montana to southern Arizona. It happens that U.S. Route 89 crosses an arch bridge just on the downstream side of the dam. Even to my naive eyes, untutored in the ecology and politics of the Southwest, this 710 foot tall concrete arc looked jarringly out of place in the redrock canyonlands of southern Utah and northern Arizona.

The dam was the object of controversy from its inception. Supporters pointed to the hydroelectric power it would provide, to the impoundment of water for agricultural irrigation, and to flood control, especially during Spring runoff. But environmental groups strongly opposed it, on two fronts -- upstream, it would flood miles of precious and beautiful canyons, ultimately creating a reservoir (Lake Powell, satellite image below) that is 186 miles long, an average 25 miles wide, and 132 feet deep, fed primarily by the Colorado, Escalante and San Juan River watersheds. And downstream, the habitat in the Grand Canyon would be inescapably altered by (a) the introduction of much colder water, since the dam releases water from the lower (and colder) depths of the lake, and (b) the removal of the seasonal floods' scouring and replenishment of sand bars along the river bottom, to be replaced by moderating controlled releases from the dam (which would allow non-native species to invade that delicate ecosystem).

This is a vastly oversimplified summary of the debate, which raged between agricultural interests in four states, whitewater touring companies, naturalists, energy-hungry cities, lake recreation advocates, and of course the designers and contractors who would profit handsomely from the dam's construction. See this link for a more thorough presentation of the issues.

Long story short, the dam was built, floods were controlled, electricity was generated, water was diverted for farming and for urban use via the Central Arizona Project (originating at Lake Mead) -- resulting in the predicted alterations to Grand Canyon ecology, and one further ripple of consequence -- the Colorado River is sucked dry by the time it reaches the U.S.-Mexico border. It no longer flows to its historic mouth at the Sea of Cortez (the Gulf of California).

Environmental groups ranging from the moderate (the Sierra Club) to the radical (Earth First!) have denounced this desecration of the desert Southwest to no avail. Writer Edward Abbey famously proposed a number of (hypothetical) means for destroying the dam. Even those who were initially persuaded to support it, later came to regret that choice -- including David Brower and Senator Barry Goldwater. Sad, sad, sad.

This story is only one part of a much larger pattern. There are well over 8000 major dams in the United States (see map below). Many of them no longer serve a useful function. Further, many of them actively interfere with the migratory routes of native salmon and other species, threatening their extinction. On a tiny scale, steps have been taken to remove a few of these dams. It is my contention that we should remove most, if not all of them, and allow nature to reclaim her own rhythms. What about floods, you ask? How about this -- have a little common sense and don't build your house or farm in a flood plain. Would you plant a house atop a dormant volcano, hoping that it wouldn't erupt? Would you build on a known tectonic fault line? Many people do -- denial (in the buyer) and greed (in the seller) run deep in the human psyche. Whatever happened to forethought?

I realize that my suggestion may amount to sedition in the minds of some. Oh well. We'll save the discussion for re-introducing wolves to New York City's Central Park for another time.

THE MAN WHO PLANTED TREES

Jean Giono's The Man Who Planted Trees is one of my absolute favorite books -- a gentle, allegorical story about a lone shepherd's effort to single-handedly re-forest a desolate valley in the foothills of the Alps near Provence, thoughout the first half of the 20th century. First published in 1953, the book's dual messages of renewal and the power of a single, determined individual are even more relevant in today's world of environmental degradation.

I first discovered this enchanting tale on television, as James Earl Jones narrated an animated version of the simple, inspiring life of the widowed shepherd, Elzeard Bouffier. I've been unable to locate a video of Jones' resonant narration, but did find a version voiced by Christopher Plummer. The half-hour story is broken up into three parts -- here are links to Part One, Part Two, and Part Three. Enjoy !!

FRINGE

To lighten the mood a bit from the past week's posts -- in yesterday's mail I received my 500th rental movie from Netflix. For perspective, I became a subscriber in September 2006. Just about half of that rental total has taken place within the past year, when I was forced into early retirement by work-related injuries.

Film number 500 was a set of three episodes from season 1 of the TV series Fringe. The series takes its title from "fringe science", studies which depart significantly from orthodox academic disciplines or theories. I wonder if a show which combines the unusual (transgenics, psychokinesis, teleportation, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, precognition, dark matter, cybernetics, suspended animation) with FBI investigation of terrorist acts using fringe tactics, qualifies as a guilty pleasure?

With the resounding exception of PBS, I am not normally a fan of most broadcast TV (certainly not a fan of Fox, where extreme right-wing political ideology masquerades as news), nor even a fan of the paranormal (being a scientist by both training and inclination). I do include Fringe among my favorite cutting-edge shows with highly talented ensemble casts -- Hill Street Blues, The West Wing, NYPD Blue, Firefly, Battlestar Galactica, and The Wire come to mind. The common threads are intelligent, original scripts combined with stellar acting and directing. In short, Quality with a capital Q.

INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY

On this day in 1945, Auschwitz-Berkenau, the largest Nazi death camp (image above), was liberated by Soviet troops. Here is a link to an informative holocaust survivors remembrance website concerning Auschwitz. In 2005 the United Nations General Assembly Designated January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the first universal commemoration in memory of victims of the Holocaust.

Below is a map (click on images to enlarge) showing the extent of Nazi Germany in 1943, under the leadership of Adolf Hitler (center image). It is important that we always remember the cancerous evil to which humans are capable of descending, in the name of national pride or economic power or religious righteousness. For survivors of such evil, the aphorism "time heals all wounds" does not apply. The wounds may scar over, may become numb, but the memory of such pain will always linger.

FRANK SERPICO

Yesterday I advocated taking a stand with regard to endangered species. By coincidence, yesterday's NYTimes featured an article about Frank Serpico, who famously took a very different kind of stand -- against rampant police corruption in New York City. This, in spite of repeated threats (and one near-fatal attempt) on his own life by his fellow police officers. Serpico's ethical stand against all odds was famously portrayed in the 1973 film Serpico, directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Al Pacino. I highly recommend the article.

Frank Serpico ultimately testified before the Knapp Commission against the systemic corruption within the police department, as well as the threats and intimidation directed against him from all levels, which culminated in his being shot in the face during a drug bust. Three accompanying officers intentionally allowed the shooting to happen before coming to his aid. Following his testimony, Serpico retired from the force and moved to Switzerland for ten years to recuperate from his injuries -- though his PTSD persists to this day. He now lives in upstate New York, where he is writing his memoirs, and occasionally consults with police officers who themselves are conflicted by the corruption within their own departments.

Here is a link to the video included in the Times article, "Watching Serpico with Serpico". Watching him speak, and watching him view and comment on the movie for the first time, you realize that here is the real deal, a genuine human being who speaks with candor, intelligence and integrity. Someone I would like to know, someday.

JUAGUAR KILL -- ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW

In today's NYTimes, zoologist and writer Alan Rabinowitz offers an alternative perspective on the issue of jaguars in the U.S. Rabinowitz is president and CEO of Pantera, a wild cat conservation group. The core of his position is that while the American West was historically a part of the jaguar's range, at present only nomadic individual cats stray across the border from Mexico. Human presence on the American side is, according to Rabinowitz, simply to pervasive to allow jaguars to attain a population foothold. He maintains that our resources would be put to better use by focusing on those areas of Mexico, Central America and South America where jaguars have a realistic chance for survival. [See the core species range map borrowed from the Pantera website -- green represents the current range of jaguars, yellow for lions, orange for tigers, and purple for snow leopards. Click on map to enlarge.]

While I am in agreement with Rabinowitz about the need to focus attention and resources where they will do the most good, I am in respectful disagreement with him concerning his criticism of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's decision to designate critical habitat for the endangered jaguar. I take what I consider to be a longer view -- yes, we must use our conservation resources wisely. Let's call this the moderate stance. As in any controversial effort to effect change in our world (the civil rights movement, the feminist movement, the antiwar movement, to name a few), in order to achieve deep and lasting change, both moderate and radical voices are needed, working within the system and outside it. Thus in the environmental movement, there is a need for moderate organizations like The Nature Conservancy and The National Audubon Society, as well as a need for more activist groups like Greenpeace and Earth First! .

This writer holds that we absolutely must, as Rabinowitz asserts, support conservation efforts in all nations in which big cats, in this case jaguars, live in the wild. This includes not merely setting aside minimal islands of habitat as refuges, but large tracts of continuous and contiguous habitat in which human presence is limited to research, conservation and minimal ecotourism.

At the same time, it is vital that we push the envelope, as we did successfully in re-introducing gray wolves to portions of their former range in the northern Rockies. The gray wolves' return was (and remains) controversial, but controversy is no reason to shy away from doing what is right. The wolves and jaguars and bison and mountain lions and bald eagles were here long before European settlers arrived. It is my contention that all native flora and fauna should have legal standing, with legal representation on behalf of their interests in all decisions which affect them. If that means putting a crimp in human presence or activity, so be it. Human overpopulation lies at the heart of just about any instance of environmental degradation you can name. We must take responsibility for limiting our own numbers to a level which the planet can sustain.

It is long past time to take a stand, for the sake of our own future, and for the sake of the furred, feathered, scaled and leafed creatures which inhabit the planet with us. They do not belong to us. We belong to them.

FACEBOOK ALERT

For those who, like me, use the social networking website Facebook, a heads-up. The NYTimes reports that FB has insidiously reset the privacy settings of many users to allow access to personal information by anyone -- repeat, anyone. Apparently there was a cleverly-worded announcement made prior to the reset, employing the term "default settings", which sounds harmless enough, but which should in fact have been labeled "revised open access settings."

Thankfully, there are two recent Times articles which spell out clear and easy steps which one can take to increase the security of one's FB settings. Here is a link to the first article, and here is a link to the second article. Five minutes of your time will save you much grief down the road.

It is sad that one must be constantly alert to corporate shenanigans. A friend mentioned to me that she has had intrusive messages from Google, indicating that Google has been mining her computer for usage data. I've not yet had that issue with Google. In fact, I'm a huge fan of their many free services, like the 2D Google Maps, and the virtual 3D Google Earth, not to mention the incredible search engine itself. But perhaps my virus and security software has prevented such intrusions. If you don't currently use Trend Micro PC-Cillin, I recommend it highly, as do a number of electronics consumer ratings sites.

JAGUAR KILL REVISITED

The news of the demise of the last jaguar in the U.S. at the hands of the Arizona Game and Fish Department, reported in yesterday's post here, has reached the NYTimes. Their article summarizes most of the issues surrounding the jaguar's death, omitting only the follow-up news that a wildlife tech for the Arizona agency had planted female jaguar scat near the illegal snare, acting upon orders from her superiors.

I truly hope that this turns into a major scandal. We tend to either take for granted or exploit the planet and its inhabitants. Our hubris ignores the fact that all plant and animal species have an inherent right to live, just as we do. We belong to the planet, the planet does not belong to us. As the most intelligent species on earth, our responsibility is to assume the role of caretakers and stewards, leaving the natural world a richer, better place than the one we inherited. It is a monumental task. Are we up to the challenge? Our grandchildren and our grandchildren's grandchildren will judge us by our choices. Will they live in a garden, or a cesspool?

The poaching issue serves to highlight the larger issue of hunting, fishing, viewing the world as a resource for the taking. I advocate allowing nature to return to a state of dynamic balance, with prey and predator populations effectively controlling each other, as they did for millenia before humans began playing god. In a world with one-tenth the present human population, and an enlightened attitude toward our place in the web of life, subsistence hunting and fishing would not threaten entire prey populations. Trapping would be outlawed as the cruel and barbaric practice that it is. Most hunting would be done with cameras, and the rest with bow and arrow and expert fieldcraft, not high-powered rifles.

Yes, I am a hopeless idealist, an unreconstructed preservationist first, a conservationist second, and a militant defender of nature always. And no, I shall never remain silent.

THE IMPACT OF POACHING

By coincidence, parallel articles on illegal poaching came out yesterday, at opposite borders of the continental U.S. In the alternative weekly the Missoula Independent, there was an extensive story called "The Price of Poaching", which was presented from the perspective of Montana's understaffed, underpaid and overextended game wardens. The state's Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) employs only 72 game wardens statewide -- covering an area that measures 500 miles east to west, and 300 miles north to south, that means each warden on average is responsible for an area the size of the state of Delaware. In Montana there are 550,000 licensed hunters, and an unknown number of non-licensed hunters.

Over the years, wardens and many longtime residents report an erosion of the traditional, responsible conservation ethic. In its place has arisen an ego-driven and cash-driven poaching mentality which rationalizes murdering game out of season, on posted No Hunting land, and far in excess of the legal bag limit imposed by licensing. The result, when coupled with human residential encroachment into natural habitat, has been a steady, and recently alarming, decline in the numbers of game animals, both ungulates and predators.

Game wardens must operate within the same strictures as other law enforcement agents -- relying on their knowledge of the residents in their assigned districts, on police training, on fieldcraft, and on information gathered from past poaching events and from the state's poaching hotline (406-TIP-MONT). Even so, they cannot keep up with the sheer volume of illegal killing. The article states: "The evidence is hard to look at -- scores of antlers, piles of hides, photo after photo of big game shot in the name of bragging rights and discarded in the field without remorse .... Social poaching groups have gotten so big and people's egos have gotten so big about illegally taking animals, they allow themselves to do serious damage to the resource. They're taking trophy game out of the gene pool."

This is such a paradigm shift from the conservation ethic I grew up with. Montana is a hunting culture and a gun culture. As a young teen, I took a hunter's safety course, even though I never hunted anything but pheasant (and regret doing even that). The emphasis was on firearm safety and responsibility toward landowners, other hunters, and the game species being pursued. In the years since then, as more hunters come from out of state in search of ever-diminishing numbers of trophy animals, ego gratification and the temptation to make a quick buck on the black market have become so prevalent that they take up most of the time and resources of state game wardens.

The second story appeared in the Tucson, Arizona Daily Star. Thanks to my friend Lou for the heads-up. "The capture of Macho B the last known wild jaguar in the United States (bold italics added), was intentional, according to a new investigative report by the Interior Department's Office of Inspector General. The report says Arizona Game and Fish Department employees meant to capture the jaguar Macho B on Feb. 18 last year, citing evidence gathered as part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation. The IG investigators reviewed the material gathered by criminal investigators of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and concluded there is evidence of criminal wrongdoing by an Arizona Game and Fish Employee and an Arizona Game and Fish subcontractor. The document doesn't name them. That conclusion is important because the game and fish department originally called the capture unintentional (see footnote) and because such "taking" of an endangered species may be a crime under the Endangered Species Act." Article goes on to cite several other examples of misfeasance and malfeasance.

Oh, but the conclusion is a killer -- "Ten days after the jaguar's initial capture, officials recaptured Macho B on March 2, 2009, because he was showing signs of decline. Government officials and veterinarians at the Phoenix Zoo concluded the jaguar should be euthenized."

Am I the only one who smells a rat here???

Alright, let's call a spade a spade. I've had direct encounters with poachers, both as caretaker of a nature preserve and as a private landowner. I am persuaded that poachers should be shot on sight. I am persuaded that the supposed protectors of wildlife who turn rogue and start killing endangered species, should also be shot on sight. As one who supports the constitution's guarantee of a fair and speedy trial, I know this represents a paradox. I also know that falling back on the statement "extreme times call for extreme measures" means that any lunatic can proclaim himself/herself to be judge, jury and executioner. To paraphrase my old political antithesis, Barry Goldwater, "I would remind you that extremism in the defense of the natural world is no vice. I would also remind you that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue."

Alright, for those of you with tender sensibilities, failing direct vigilante action, I propose that all state and federal wildlife officers be properly trained (including stringent classes on ethics) and properly paid. I propose further that requirements for hunting licenses be made much more restrictive, including mandatory classes in safety and ethics, and that the penalties for violation of state and federal game laws be increased tenfold, to include mandatory jailtime and severe fines. No exceptions, no time off for good behavior.

Further, regarding predators, any removal or shooting of habitually problem individual animals (e.g. wolves, bears, mountain lions) should be done only by a trained and certified state or federal wildlife officer, NEVER by an individual farmer, rancher or hunter. Killing an attacking animal in self-defense is the only exception.

Footnote: An update in today's Daily Star notes that far from the initial jaguar capture being "unintentional", a state wildlife tech stated that she had been directed to put female jaguar scat at the site of the trap two weeks before the capture. If Departmental lies were told to cover up departmental defiance of federal law .... heads had better roll.

Think of it. The last surviving jaguar in the U.S. is dead. My heart is broken.

THE IRISH REPUBLIC

On this day in 1919, the first Dail Eireann (shown above), a unicameral revolutionary parliament, convened to formally establish the Irish Republic, proclaimed during the Easter Rising of 1916. The Dail's meeting coincided with the outbreak of the Irish War of Independence. The intent of both events was to formally secede from the rule of Great Britain, forming an independent nation consisting of all 32 counties in Ireland. However, the Anglo-Irish Treaty which ended British rule in most of Ireland and recognized the Irish Free State (later the Republic of Ireland), allowed six northern counties to remain under British rule -- those counties are now known as Northern Ireland.

Ireland's Declaration of Independence is as fervent, clear and stirring as those of Scotland and the United States. An English translation from the original Irish language document may be found here.

The history of Ireland spans many centuries, forming a complex interwoven tale of Viking, Norman and British invasion and Gaelic resistence. The overlays of internecine local and regional kingship rivalries, Catholic vs. Protestant conflict, and the persistence of Celtic language and traditions, create a rich poetic tapestry, riven with all the passion, sorrow and pride that embodies human life.