Posted on January 6 at 10:34 p.m.

We have had the Zaca, Gap and Tea fires within the past 18 months. We need to control our ignition sources. The Gap and Tea fires were started by arson in the one case and carelessness in the other of people who either maliciously or carelessly started fires. Perhaps we need to examine the use of the recreation areas along the urban/forest interface. The ranks of experienced hikers and nature lovers seem to be infiltrated by inner city youths who neither appreciate nor understand the wilderness. For many of them the attraction of the area as a place to hang out is the absence of authority. While they may not start fires out of malice, their ignorance of the proper procedures may have the same result. While as do not want to degrade the wilderness experience by too much supervision, we have to establish some control to protect the community. How do we do this?

On A Closer Look at the Wildfire Problem

Posted on August 26 at 9:56 p.m.

I never cease to be amazed at the number of idealistic young people who are still tilting at windmills in their search for political purity. They fail to realize that the purpose of presidential politics is to get elected and to get a chance to govern. In order to get elected you have to assemble a majority which includes folks with a wide rangeof opinions. The trick is to assemble your majority without totally selling out. Too often young people set a very low bar at what they consider a sellout. Bill Clinton was in fact a fiscal conservative while retaining his concern for people which marked him as an effective social liberal. He got elected and he got things done. He often substituted pragmatism for purity. George W. has shown us all too clearly the other side. Thinking people should ascertain that the George W's of the world do not prevail again because a critical block of votes went to the dreamers whom would rather be right and pure than elected.

On Nadir of Lies