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Thought you all might appreciate this one!

Confessions of a Fallen Tree-Hugger

I've always considered myself a sort of tree-hugger. Not one of the hyper-fanatic, ultra-liberal tree-huggers that get the label these days; just someone who believes that other lifeforms besides humans deserve respect. I try not to kill and destroy anything unnecessarily. If I can find a different way of doing something, or an alternative plan that preserves life and harmony with nature, then I will.

But after a year of being tripped, beaten, whipped, cut, stabbed, pummeled and thrown to the ground by brush and scrub... well, I've gotten a little callous. Justifiably so, I think. Seriously, being assaulted by the forest on a daily basis can make any sane person get a hankering for a little pay back. I must admit to feeling a certain amount of vengeful glee when I run the 10" carbide blade of my new brushcutter through a gnarled clump of creeping willow because that little bastard has tripped me for the last time! I feel an urge to giggle maniacally when I'm feeding a mass of alder saplings through the chipper because those little bastards have whipped and torn my face for the last time!

I still repect Nature, and I still try not to kill anything unless it's necessary... but sometimes you just have to fight back and protect yourself. Should I feel bad about my new killing lust? Does it mean that I'm an evil person? Nah.... Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. I figure as long as I'm not killing everything all around me indiscriminately and still trying to pick my path so that I can preserve and conserve as much as possible, Nature will forgive my occasional murderous rampage.

Slip Sliding Away...

So you know it's getting towards Spring in Alaska when you start to slide on the hardpack. Like just now, when I went to relieve myself on a well watered local spruce tree. It was strange to slide for the first time in a long time while not pulling 300 lbs of weight in firewood. You also know it's getting towards Spring, when you have 12+ hours of daylight, and there's still snow on the ground, weird...

Anyway long time no posting for me, PC has been doing the heavy lifting of keeping everyone up to date, and incidentally attracting followers while she dances around forums. Which is interesting, from a synchronicity perspective, as my interest wanes her's grows and seemingly vice versa.

If this seems a little wandery to our readers it most likely is, since I'm writing this in preference right now to getting more firewood, strangely I feel much more able to sit and write this, something I've had to "do" rather than just let it happen, than going and doing the daily chore of getting fuel for cooking and heating.

With that back to forums, some of our readers are likely familiar with my explosive exit from one of PC's and my former mutual forum. It's interesting, I've gone and had a look around, and it's only gotten worse in my opinion than when I blew out of there. Totally crazy, but anyway blowing out of it was enlightening. Changed my perspective on a few things, and I suspect helped me grow. Going back though is surely interesting to see how the circus is doing, and making me think I made the right decision.

Now on top of that I'm constantly amazed at people's blinkered outlook on things, from another forum, where there are people who completely agree with the loss of rights of felons. Now we're not talking about the Ted Bundy's and Jeffrey Dahmers, but everyone who's ever committed a felony regardless of it's severity, whether this is a first offense, or required intent, and totally regardless of other punitive actions taken, such as no further sentencing (i.e. you committed a crime now go and be repentant).

A lot of these people seem to have complete faith that the powers that be are benevolent. Yet maintain that certain rights were written into the US Constitution so that a non-benevolent government couldn't legally affect them. They do not see the dichotomy of that argument I suspect that they have minimal gray matter that is thus engaged in other vital activities like deciding whether to watch Dancing with the Stars, or American Idol, and will themselves never fall foul of any crime. Now I'm not a fan of light sentencing in any way, but if someone's been put in prison, when they come out then I don't see any reason to not give them the same rights as everyone else I mean they can drive, get credit, buy booze and everything else. Which led me to this little book, Three Felonies a Day: How the Feds Target the Innocent it's an interesting read for sure, and shows just how easily it can be to fall into something that turns out to be a felony and then if caught you're done, no more work as a lawyer, doctor, teacher, or other licensed profession, no voting and of course no right to keep and bear arms. Now this isn't written by some hokie leftist, but a Boston trial lawyer, civil liberties and criminal law columnist. He's seen the effect in the courtroom, which led him to write this book. Sobering reading.

Now back to motivation to get firewood... Weird though it is, we now have our 4 wheeler running again so it's not quite so labor intensive. So I should have motivation, enough, but I'm still here drinking coffee, and thinking about it, while the dog has fallen asleep in boredom, and the cat is hiding in her hut, because the dog is indoors.

In other news, PC's slight off road trip while returning from Fairbanks has led to a slow puncture (the tire will stay inflated for a couple of days before it goes completely flat, and needs the services of a tire shop). We found it and have a repair kit on the way, in the meantime we're inflating it regularly, just to keep it on the rim (big balloon tires, come off the rim when they lose too much pressure). She's out doing laundry right now, which isn't helping the motivation aspect, since I know I need to go and get that firewood before she gets back.

Ah well, that's the last of the coffee, time for my boots and to kick over the 4 wheeler.