2014 Duck Forecast

It has been a wet, miserable spring and early summer here in the upper Midwest.  Lake level are at their record highs in many areas, flooding is a massive issue, and some areas are considering building an ark.  It's bad.

Unless, of course, you're a duck.  All of this water means that what was previously marginal breeding habitat is now like a suite at the Four Seasons in Vegas - there's nothing but some big time breeding that is going on, and the numbers reflect it:

Some highlights from the 2014 USFW study:

• Mallards - everyone's favorite duck, had a healthy 5% growth to push them to 42% over their long term average (LTA)
• Wigeon had a nice rebound of 18% growth
• Pintail continue to suffer; down 9% for the year, and down 20% from their LTA
• Shoveler - AKA Spoonie or Hollywood - is up a massive 114% from their LTA
• Canvasbacks dipped a surprising 13%, but thankfully remain up 18% to their LTA

For the fall flight, we're looking at an 8% increase on what was a hell of a season last year.  It is hard to believe that things could get better, especially as we continually lose habitat to farming year after year.  One of these years we'll be hit with drought in the duck production areas, and when that happens there is no habitat to which the ducks can fall back.  At that point, their numbers will absolutely crash, and that's not a function of if, but when.

But not this year.  Get out there this fall, fellow waterfowlers.  Things pretty much can't get any better than this.

Why I Love Guinness - Why I Love the Irish

Needs no words

Iraq and Vietnam - Wars Won, Peace Lost

Attached is a pretty compelling video that equates what is happening in Iraq right now to what happened with Vietnam in the 70's:

Saturday Song Share: Strand of Oaks - Sterling

"I hope one day to have half as much of my grandfather's integrity"

Track down this song and download it.  Right now.

John Adams and the 4th of July

If Founding Father Adams had his way, the 4th of July would not be the 4th of July.  In writing his wife, Abigail on July 2, 1776, he stated the following:

"I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more."

Not only would he be wrong on the date, but he'd also be incredibly politically incorrect.  Devotion to God Almighty?  Guns?  Carbon emitting Bonfires?  How politically tone-deaf could he have been?

Happy 4th of July, America.  And thank you, John Adams.  Even if liberals would hate your guts today and you did miss it by a couple of days.

Study on Religion's Ability to Solve Problems

Gallup conducted a recent poll of Americans which asked if they agreed that religion could solve all or most of today's problems.  The results were interesting:

Overall, most Americans agreed with the sentiment, but a few expected stereotypes emerged as being justified in the data:

• Women agreed more than men
• The old agreed far more than the young
• The South agreed more than any other region
• Conservatives agreed far more than Liberals

In fact, of all of those stereotypical differences, the one with the greatest differential was Conservative (at about 70%) versus liberal (at about 37%).  

It is a pretty striking difference between the two political, and as it turns out, religious philosophies.  

Golfing with Ghosts

As I live on a golf course, love the game, but have little time, there are many days in which I'll wake early and head off the course to be one of the first people off; usually around 6:00 AM.  At that time, I've got the course to myself, and I can usually get an entire 18 hole round completed in about two hours - less the half the usual time.

While I do enjoy playing with others, I don't dislike playing on my own.  And that's because I don't play on my own.  

Every time I tee off on my own, I say a prayer on the #1 tee box.  My prayer is one of thanksgiving to live where I live and to have the health necessary to play the game I love.  A game that I've played with so many that I love.  I ask for patience, and to always remember that I playing a game that many others would love to play but can't.  

And then, after crossing myself and saying "amen," I ask the ghosts if they'd like to tag along.

My Grandma, Grandpa, and Dad all loved the game, and I loved my time on the course with them.  So before I tee off on #1, I ask if they'd like to tag along.  And throughout the round I think of them, talk with them, and laugh with them.

I've wondered if all of this was crazy, but last week I was out golfing with the ghosts, and on #10 I sank a tough 12 foot putt to save par.  I hooted, and said aloud, "Did you guys see that?!"  After uttering it, I kind of noticed that I was out there alone, and I felt a little sheepish.  But as I walked back to my cart, my Bluetooth radio kicked off Coldplay's "42," and the opening lines hit me like a ton of bricks:

Those who are dear are not dead
They're just living in my head

And they're welcome to stay there as long as they'd like.

Hobby Lobby Ruling Plays into the Left's Need for Conflict

The Left is absolutely on fire now that the Supreme Court ruled that Hobby Lobby doe not need to pay for their employee's abortions.  

Yeah, you read that right.  Abortions.  Although nearly every other media outlet calls them "contraceptives."  Hobby Lobby wasn't concerned about preventing a pregnancy.  They were concerned with terminating them.

So the case went to the Supreme Court under a religious rights pretext, and the court found in favor of the employer, although by the narrowest of margins.  When that happened, liberals and the media went absolutely ape-dung.

Even an attempted even-handed piece by CNN belies the true agenda:



Thank goodness Hobby Lobby had a heck of a spokesperson.  

An employer is not responsible to pay for your abortion.  Get $50 and kill your fetus on your own dime.  And that's a "war on women?"  Really?  That's all you have to hang your political futures on?  I guess it must be, since Democrats cannot run on the economy, jobs, foreign policy, race relations, immigration, government abuse, corruption and overreach.  In fact their only two issues - their only two: "The War on Women" and "Global Warming," are completely made up.   Fiction.  Neither have anything to do with reality.

The doublethink put forth by this administration and their acolytes is truly Orwellian.   But you need to run on something, and when you can't run on performance, gin up some outrage via some faux crisis.