An Eagle in the Graveyard

From Jon Tevlin of the StarTribune comes a story that will touch your heart.  As the world appears on the precipice of coming completely undone, the timing of something like this is perfect.

Enjoy.

Why I'm Armed

Things in the UK are beyond scary, and the class warfare has now moved from being a cold war into a shooting war.  The entitlement class is out to prove its point, as evidenced by this clip.


Lord of the Flies stuff, huh?

Think this won't happen here?  It absolutely will.  Just last week dozens of black kids here beat random white people because of a rap concert.  A rap concert.  What will happen when Obama loses his job, and/or the checks get shut off?  Think there won't be some hell to pay when that happens?

When that day comes, there will be three types of people: the thugs, the victims, and the armed. 

Which one are you going to be?

The Case for Youth Waterfowl Day in Minnesota

For over a decade now, watfowl hunters in Minnesota have been debating the value of a Youth Waterfowl Day.  The day allows for kids and only kids to hunt waterfowl, and is traditionally conducted prior to the start of the regular hunting season.  The debate swirls around the day's ability to recruit new duck hunters into an ever decreasing population, and/or the day's impact on "moving birds out of the state." 

Here are the reasons why Minnesota needs a YWD:

• Kids today have massive distractions.  Compared to when I was a kid, we didn’t have nearly the incidence of broken homes, organized free time, latchkey existences, and youthful distractions.
• Anyone over 30 never had an anti-gun media and educational machine polluting our minds. We didn’t have PETA influencing teachers and providing curriculum (check out http://www.teachkind.org/). We are at WAR for our next generations’ attentions.
• According the the National Survey of Hunting conducted by the Fish and Wildlife Service, nationally 17% of folks who hunted migratory birds in 1996 were aged 24 or less. By 2006, that number has shrunk to 11%. Waterfowlers are aging, and not backfilling. Those who wish for uncrowded sloughs may get their wish, at least until the PETA brainwashed generations vote hunting out of existence. Don’t believe it? Can’t happen here? Do some research on Canadian waterfowling and private gun ownership.
• Hunting is about experience – shared experience. I would empty every 401k and account I have to have the opportunity to have to go back in time and have a YWD with my Dad, circa age 14. Who wouldn’t? Give me a break!

I don’t have kids, but I do have nieces, nephews, Godson, neighbors, and buddies’ kids. I've taken some with me for their YWD experiences, and tried my best to spoil them rotten. I try and provide the most positive experience and memory fodder that I possibly can.  And I do so with nothing but smile.

I smile because I have passed off one of the greatest gifts that had been given to me. I’ll smile because I know that my hunting rights and the ducks’ conservation needs will be in the hands of a voting and donating generation that will steward them. And I’ll smile because at age 65, I’ll have a whole host of willing young backs to do the heavy lifting, thus keeping me in the slough doing what I love. And at that time, God willing, we’ll still be introducing family and friends to waterfowling via Youth Waterfowl Day.

Vacation by the Numbers

14 hours driving both to and from the cabin on Leech Lake

12 consecutive hours of sleep enjoyed by me the first two nights on vacation.  I think I needed some down time

11 total people spread across two cabins, and also the same number of fishing poles hauled from Wisconsin to Minnesota

15 bottles of wine consumed for the week

4 pillow fights with my nieces and nephews (Uncle Mikey drives the Pain Train)

21 estimated hours trolling without raising a fish.  Not one.

120 estimated quarters spent at the game room

5 average daily walks for my dog, across various walkers

2 total walleyes caught by me all week, equaling the number of decent bike rides completed during the week (16 and 14 miles)

3 and 4, the finishing positions for my brother and me at the big Texas Hold 'Em tournament

$250 estimated expenditures at Swanson's Bait for the week

$100 lost at the casino, playing perfect basic strategy Black Jack, in about 45 minutes.  Bastards...

123 emails in my in-box, waiting for me to address them, despite working a couple of hours per day

Infinite amount of smiles, hugs, and memories generated for the week that will carry me for a long, long time to come 

The Case for Heart for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

In this latest installment, we make the case for Heart for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.   

While they suffered from the same fate of many of the bands that I’ve promoted for the Hall in that they had vastly changing membership, Heart, at its core, is really about the Wilson sisters.  Ann and Nancy Wilson are the driving force of this band, and the real reason that they should be considered for the Hall in the first place.  They were truly the first women “rockers,” and paved the way for dozens of women guitarists and rockers that followed.  In a totally masculine environment, they rocked with the best of them, and produced some incredible music.   

Beyond the obvious trailblazer contribution, there are many other reasons to consider Heart for the Hall:  

•  Ann Wilson and that voice are just incredible.  Like Robert Plant, her distinct voice is a musical instrument that just defines rock and roll.  It can be powerful, haunting, mysterious, and driving, all on the same side of the album.  
•  Three out of their first four albums were incredibly strong.  Dreamboat Annie and Little Queen are both classics, and the unique Dog and Butterfly (with the sides dedicated as “Dog” for a harder sound and Butterfly for a more folksy, acoustic sound) are all tremendous releases.  Magazine, their third release, was a bit of a miss, but with the others serving as bookends, that can be forgiven.   
• Heart helped grow the Seattle music scene which dominated things in the 1990’s.  Their relationship with Alice in Chains is longstanding, and they were even featured in the motion picture of the era, Singles (albeit as their alter-ego The Lovemongers). 
• Finally, they’re owed their due for Barracuda; one of the finest rock songs ever crafted.  Here’s an example of it from their heyday, and while it is a lipsynched version, it is still a great song.   

So why aren’t they in the Hall?  My bet is that Ann’s weight gain has something to do with it.  The band leveraged its sex appeal in its early days, and that decreased as Ann’s weight increased.  But what a stupid reason!  Her weight never impacted her voice, and that voice is the only thing that really mattered for the band.  

 I will grant you that they put out a lot of crap in the 1980’s video era.  But while they cashed those checks, it does not take away from the amount of ground that they broke for many musicians that followed.  Rocker chicks everywhere, and their fans alike, owe a big debt of thanks to the Wilson sisters and Heart.  That debt can be repaid by electing them to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Slow Motion Vacation

This vacation has been everything I could have asked.  No, the fishing has not been good.  In fact it has pretty much sucked.  But the weather has been damn near perfect.  I’ve spent gobs of quality time with my family.  And, most importantly, time has about stood still. 

This week has crawled at a snail’s pace.  In my work environment, weeks fly by at rush that is hard to understand.  One day I’m working on the strategic plan for 2011 and the next thing you know it is August and budget work has begun for 2012.  I can’t adequately describe the blur that is my work existence.  That’s why my time up here has been something to treasure.  The days here pass by at a leisurely cadence, with plans made on the fly, and absolutely nothing that “has” to be done, other than eat and eventually get the kiddos to bed.  It has felt like we’ve been here a month, and it was exactly what I needed for my emotional and physical health. 

Yeah, I’ve still done an hour or two of work per day.  But it is done in an environment of sweet relaxation. 

And the beauty of all of this?  I still have one more day to go! 

Here’s to vacation.

Leech Lake Fishing Report

With my dirty-faced nephew and my boxer-clad brother in law, there is little hope for us from a fishing standpoint.  Only one walleye has been boated, which was accomplished by yours truly - a nice 19" caught while panfishing with the kids.

At least we're having a good time.

Bin Laden Assult Story

From the pages of The New Yorker comes a very well-written account of the assult on the Bin Laden compound.  Worth the read...