Jim

Oh I somehow missed this gem in the discussion. Points to the same general issue, folks who feel the need to carry guns are scared of something, folks that don't look like them maybe? Man, must take a lot of energy being ready for the boggieman to jump out of hiding places in the city, ready to come into your house, etc. More suburban paranoia.

Seattle tame? Tell that to the girl who was attacked and the guy who tried to help her (who was killed) during the Mardi Gras riots. What about WTO? Do you think that crime is no problem here? Give me a fucking break. What about the crackdown on all the hip hop clubs in Pioneer Square? Call me what you want, I don't care. Just don't infringe on my rights. Enjoy learning to love Big Brother, cause that's what you are going to get when you ask for what you're asking for. Yes Seattle is very tame. I have no problem going anywhere in town at anytime. Now I wouldn't say that about DC or NYC. But just going about your business, not looking for trouble - why do you feel the need for a gun. Are you so scared of things out there? I'm not telling what to do - it just seems so extreme. Did you get mugged or something at one time?

Who are all these phantom attackers you're talking about? Where - in Seattle, eastside? WTF are you so scared of that you need a gun?

[vegetablebelay said:[/i][/b] Jim, you apparantly like to tell other people what to drive, what to eat, how to live, and it's logical you'd carry that over to whether they are safe or not. Keep in mind that everyone isn't in Jim's small, small, world. I'm sure you buy insurance for your car, your house, your life, just in case. I know I do and I go a step or two further with my just in case. Maybe you remember me posting on this topic last winter, just before Christmas where I mentioned that our receptionist had a home invasion in Tukwila and was held at gunpoint. Not everyone is a nice guy outside of Jim's world. I didn't tell anyone what they should do - just asked the question. An your answer seems to imply that you think you need to protect yourself - from what exactly?

A Swede living in Ballard. Afraid to actually answer the question?

So Greg - what's the scoop? Why do you feel the need to carry the heat or keep it under the bed? Seattle is a pretty tame place. Maybe if you were a shop keeper in SE Washington DC (lived in DC a while) I could see it. But in Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond? Strikes me as surburban paranoia. So what's up bro?

Hmmm. Seems to be going the same way as the fear thread. So why are Americans so friking scared of anyway that they go in droves to buy handguns for "home protection". I don't get the fear thing.

WTF are people so afraid about that they need a handgun for "home protection" anyway? Not talking about hunting or target shooting. I hunted when I was younger but lost interest, but see no need to keep a handgun in the house. So what's up?

There's some lameo ideas being put into place regarding tax structure these days. One camp suggests that by cutting taxes we will spur the economy, while it is true to a limited extent it's usually a combination of other factors of the business cycle that pull things out of a recession. But it makes good political fodder. The other camp, which seems to be in charge is the "starve the beast" mentality. If you cut taxes to the upper incomes (the ones that funded you) enough it will force cuts in discrenary spending (except the military of course). The idea is to dig a deep enough hole (debt) that we can't climb out of unless we cut the two big budget items - Social Security and Medicare. With this goal in mind the Bushies have reveresed a several billion surplus to a several trillion defecit. And the folks taking the tax cuts don't really care about Social Security or Medicare, and the real pain will be deferred for a few years anyway so the fallout, for now, is minimum. Especially if you keep on message about the evil doers. My kid and yours will be paying this debt for a long time. And if you were counting on popular social programs such as Social Sercurity and Medicare, don't hold your breath. But boy, can we build a cruise missle or what?

I would argue the politicians use the fear factor to their advantage when they can. But the republicians are better at it. Don't have to go to far to see the efforts to scare people in the last year - WMDs and terrorists in Iraq (somewhere?), yellow alerts, airport security that is a facade, the Patriot Act. For the republicians there's always some boggieman out there, waiting to get us. So better shovel some more money (read debt) to the military. That interview with Heston was classic. Ask a simple question, get a simple-minded answer.

Have to agree on the Miras. Got a pair slighlty used and they're the ticket. Light and responsive in the deep and packed. Probably don't edge as well as something heavier, though it could be my lame technique.

Thanks but the photo's overexposed. No polypro in picture. And no need to kill the beast, just let it go on it's way. And no reason to create some fking fantasy out of it. Just another day out of the office. Maybe that's the problem, too much time cooped up.

Since they're primarily nocturnal and skittish this is likely BS. Whatever thought dude. If it makes you feel more manly, prop it up with whatever you need.

Not to come to anyone's defense, but he's talking about Trask's comment about "kill all the Palestians" - which is hardly descriminate.

Didn't see Trask's reply but as usual he's master trolling. Unusual to see a logical reply - but it's the internet and his form of entertainment. I'd suggest climbing as a better release.

Wow. What a man.

Several times to check raptor nests in trees with no limbs near the ground. Tie fishing line to weight, sling-shot over limb. Tie to rope and haul up. Anchor and jumar. Also standard rap and jumar in to vertical caves for bats. Once used rope to pull a horse out of a ditch in Patagonia.

One of many captured along the Wild and Scenic stretch of the Klamath River last week. Great place. Bushy-tailed woodrat (Neotoma cinerea), the common pack-chewer in the North Cascades alpine zone.

Did like the desert field work and some of the locals we ran into way out in the hinterlands. Real old timer desert rats with a great knowledge of the place. RR was fun but had to find the shady areas. If you like the cite of LV though, well I don't give a rip. About as interesting as Alderwood Mall for me.

Don't get your shorts all twisted now. If the place floats your boat then have at it. I thought is was gross.

I was just down there a couple weeks ago for some field work, but did manage to climb one day at RR. Maybe it was spending so much time in the desert quiet but I thought LV was a grim place. Seemed to be a collection of everything I don't like including lots of fat people, smokers, noise, garrish advertising with lights. Seemed like a big frikking shopping mall for adults with an emphasis on gambling, over-eating, and over-drinking, and bad entertainment. We went into town for the hotel only and then decided to sleep under the stars at the field site after a few days of the glitz. Yuk!

Now who's stretching things by making comparisons between a guerreila group and an established government. Allende was democratically elected!!! An institution we supposedly admire.

I think one of the logic mistakes you're making is turning this into a republican/democratic issue. It's not. Countries will act to protect their percieved interest not out of the goodness of their heart (or rarely). We used the boogie man of communism for too long to upsurp democratic regiemes in other countries to protect "national interest". It's like ignoring the elephant in the room to say oil is of no issue in our intervention in Iraq. Your simplistic dismissal of a complex issue of percieved national interest, a group of neoconservatives that have been preparing for this since the first Bush, admin, and the non-reply of your reasoning of why we are there leaves your agrument vacant.

Whoa - someone actually informed on the issue. I was responding to the issue in general - looks like bats may not be the issue but vandalisim is(?). One note however, bats often use caves as roost areas during the day in summer (not a hibernation). But apparantly the FS says this was not the case on this. I'll bow out of this discussion. Thanks for the clarification.

The problem is if you don't put something up really sturdy the locals will rip it out. I've see one bat cave where they went through the trouble of looping a 50ft chain around it to drag it off it's mooring. Once in the bats don't mind it and can navigate around it. Bats are good