Do we really need concealed weapons in State Parks?... YES!!!

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The Department of the Interior has opened a 60 day comment period for people to comment on allowing persons with valid Concealed Weapons Permits to carry concealed weapons within National Parks and wildlife refuges... The vast majority of the Appalachian Trail in Virginia runs through National Forest areas and some areas designated as Wilderness....

Interior Department Opens Public Comment Period on Proposed Park and Refuge Firearm Regulations

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne today announced the beginning of a 60-day public comment period on updates to regulations regarding the carrying of firearms in national parks and wildlife refuges. The proposed update to existing regulations would allow an individual to carry a concealed weapon in national parks and wildlife refuges if, and only if, the individual is permitted to carry a concealed weapon and is authorized to do so on similar state lands in the state in which the national park or refuge is located. The proposed update is available in the Federal Register and on http://www.doi.gov/

I have almost completed the entire Virginia section of the Appalachian Trail and have met many different people along the trail and in shelters. The vast majority have been day hikers and thru-hikers and interested in enjoying the natural resources provided and protected by the Department of the Interior. I have also assisted on mountain rescue\first aid assists on the trail and have had the opportunity to talk with several Rangers and National Forest personnel. While the majority of incidents discussed were of positive nature, they have been reports of unfortunate incidents along the trail as well. Following is a report of a incident that just took place this past weekend.

Randall Lee Smith, who pleaded guilty to the 1981 murders of two hikers on the Appalachian Trail, is in custody after a double shooting Tuesday night just a few miles from the site of the previous crime.

The shooting occurred between Giles and Bland counties around the Dismal Creek area, authorities said.Virginia State Police apprehended Randall Lee Smith after he crashed a black 2000 Ford Ranger pickup truck that matched the description of one possibly involved in the shooting, said Virginia State Police spokesman Sgt. Michael Conroy.
Sheila and Melissa Miller, sisters who helped the injured fishermen call 911, identified the victims as Sean Farmer of Tazewell, who was shot in the chest and face, and Scott Johnston of Bluefield, Va., who was shot three times in the neck. Johnston is in serious but stable condition, said Carilion hospital spokesman Eric Earnhart.

Some people have commented against allowing persons with valid Concealed Weapons Permits to carry concealed firearms within the parks. They feel this will contribute to incidents and the parks are not an appropriate place for guns to be carried. The fact is that by allowing valid CWP holders to carry "Concealed" weapons they will not be seen by the general public and will also put that doubt in the mind of the shooter described above. The simple fact of allowing Concealed weapons within the parks will deter criminals like the above from taking action without knowing who else in the crowd might be armed. Imagine if valid concealed weapon permit holders were allowed to carry at Virginia Tech last year before that incident happened? The fact is that criminals DO NOT obey gun laws and the private citizen, with a valid concealed weapons permit should be allowed to protect himself, his family, and other innocent bystanders in public...

As of yet security precautions as shown in the above photo is not needed...

Old Middlebrook Day ~2nd Annual~

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Today was the 2nd annual "Old Middlebrook Day" put on by the Middlebrook Ruritans of Middlebrook Virginia.

"Middlebrook had probably been a crossroads since 1750's when the first Scots-Irish and German settlers arrived, and early churches in the area which date to the mid-1700's reflect these cultures".

~The Middlebrook General Store~

Beekeeping by Fred Hollen of the Shenandoah Valley Beekeepers Association...

Local resident Hannah provides music with her "fiddle" and is also an accomplished piano player...

19th Virginia Infantry,

Company G,

Living History Re-enactors...

The "Wall of Honor" maintained by the "Middlebrook General Store"...

Let the Super-Delegates decide?...

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While waiting for the election results from Indiana concerning the Democratic Party primary between Hillary and Obama, there was a report on how the Clinton campaign will be concentrating more support on the Super-delegates for a victory. It seems that the campaign will begin special focus on convincing those considered Super-delegates to commit, maintain, and switch support to Clinton for a victory over Obama.

We are approaching and witnessing a uniquely tenuous time in politics and current situations promise to change how many citizens view their votes in the future. Imagine if the Democratic primary results come in and one candidate receives a substantial majority of the votes of the citizens who came out looking for a “Change” from the current leadership, only to have their votes disregarded and ignored by those who “know what is best for the party”. Enter the “Super Delegate”. The voting public watches as their vote, opinion, voice, and educated choice is changed by a “Super Delegate” chosen by the party hierarchy.

As the final election approaches we also begin to see a “paranoia” develop within the ranks of the party as some people view opposing or somewhat different opinions as a challenge to the party or people in leadership positions. This has in the past and will likely progress to a point where some even stand up and claim that they are more party oriented then others in the crowd. Here in the 6th district of Virginia Republican party we have seen some claim that others do not support or endorse the party’s candidates as they could or should publicly. The fact is there are many levels and ways of showing support both publicly and privately and a party that incorporates all forms of support for the Republican candidate benefit’s the candidate and the party.

Unfortunately the focus changes from convincing a large number of voters and constituents to convincing a super delegate who’s vote is more valuable and subject to “Spin” influence at times. This leaves the voting citizen questioning the political system as they see their efforts and vote overruled by a committee member. This past weekend in Lexington there was meeting of the 6th district Republican committee at which time the committee members voted 15 to 8 to recognize Kurt Michael as chairman of the Augusta County Republican Committee. This committee was assembled to review “facts” of the Augusta County mass meeting where the majority of voters in attendance chose Dr. Larry Roller over Kurt Michael by a margin of 141 to 103 votes. Michael claimed that the meeting was not closed properly but that is all after the fact that the voting public chose Roller in a up and down vote over Michael. The closing of the meeting happened after the voters had cast their votes for Chairman and was not an issue at the time of voting. After the committee met to review the “facts” and listen to comments by Michael, Roller was not allowed to speak to the committee, they voted to recognize Michael as their Augusta County Republican Chairman. These 6th district committee members decided that they understand the workings of the Republican party better then the citizens of the 6th district and that they knew “best” for the party and disregarded the recorded 141 to 103 vote of the citizens in attendance at the mass meeting.

If the 6th district committees vote is allowed to stand how will the voting public view their vote when compared to the “Super-delegates” vote? It will be interesting to watch the fallout if Hillary is able to steer away enough Super-delegate votes to overrule the citizens vote for Obama…

Lets not forget past history and the possible future use of legal actions when some people do not get the results they expected or desired. Al Gore took legal action to change the way votes were counted in Florida when it appeared he lost that state. It is sad when a presidential candidate, or chairman, feels it necessary to take legal action when the results of the voting citizen does not agree with his agenda or game plan. This is but another way of devaluing the citizens vote while claiming they are doing the will of the people or “for the good of the party”…

Remember the bumper sticker after the 2000 election “Selected not Elected”…

Conflict of interest?...

Today in the blogworld the question has been asked should a newspaper owner\editor be running for a public office?

Today is the local election for City Council in Waynesboro and Chris Graham is seeking that office. He is also the owner\editor of the Augusta Free Press media website and has been active investigating and reporting local news events for the community over the years.
Questions have come up why Graham has not been confronted about this issue by other candidates or the local newspaper. The truth is this may not be such a big issue for this “unique” situation has happened in the past and a well educated public can and will decide for themselves if there is any bias in the news service they choose.

A little research finds that Louis Spillman was the founder, owner, and editor of the Waynesboro NewsVirginian and also held the office of city council. In fact the ability and understanding of asking the proper questions when needed as a news reporter should provide valuable in depth knowledge of the workings of the local government. This could be a valuable tool and viewpoint needed as a member of the city council…

Bringing prior training and business knowledge into a government position is a valuable and beneficial asset and should be viewed that way. In fact the attractiveness of sending a experienced business owner and operator to Richmond to represent the taxpaying citizens of Virginia is something many of us worked for in the recent past…

Another unique advantage and benefit of the Free Market system is that if the media owner\editor brings an unfair bias to his news service the reader and subscriber will see that and the business will fail…

George H.W. Bush and the 135lb. Tarpon...

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President George H.W. Bush caught the above Tarpon while fishing in the Florida Keys just South of Islamorada Key. I have only fished for Tarpon a couple of times and handed off the monster I had hooked off to a friend and enjoyed watching him fight the 100+lb fish. Tarpon in the Keys are usually fished from "Flats Boats" and some center consoles. Compass Rose has become a popular boat fishing out of Key West for Tarpon and many other local species...

ISLAMORADA -- "Former President George H.W. Bush caught and released a 135-pound tarpon in the Florida Keys this past weekend, one of the largest gamefish the 41st president of the United States has ever scored."

"The fish bit a live crab Saturday afternoon and finally yielded after a 45-minute battle on 25-pound-test line, spooled on a Shimano Triton 15 conventional reel.
''It was a thrill of a lifetime,'' Bush responded via e-mail. ``A great fighting fish was finally baited.''

Full article here...

St. Mary's Wilderness ~Fire Damage on Big Spy & Little Spy Mountains~

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Hiked up to the most severe fire damage area of the St. Mary's Wilderness fire located on Big Spy & Little Spy mountains. There are no marked trails in this area and the areas damaged most are on very steep and rocky slopes...

Shortly after the fire was declared out I made the hike to the St. Mary's Falls to check on damage and found that the river had prevented the fire from crossing over west of the river. Prior post shows the falls and areas near the river that were damaged.

During visits to the area I met the incident commander who told me of a distinctive pine tree "Table Mountain Pine - Pinus pungens" that only grows in this region and requires fire to heat the cones and release the seed...

I was able to locate the Table Mountain Pine near the top of the ridge in a very rocky area as described by the Incident Commander. I found numerous cones on the ground in many different degrees of damage and retrieved several samples for identification.

I took a ride down to Glenwood & Pedlar Ranger station near Natural Bridge for help in proper identification and additional information on the Table Mountain Pine species. I spoke with an individual I believe was the staff botanist who identified the samples as being from the Table Mountain Pine. He also advised me that there are several theories about how the fire provides opportunities for the species to propagate properly. One theory is that the fire heats the cone to release the seed. Another theory is that the fire needs to be intense enough to clear the ground clutter to allow proper conditions for the the seed to germinate...

White Pine (Pinus strobus) were also in the area but are not as hearty as the Table Mountain Pine and do not usually survive such a fire...

The above photo shows the amount of ground cover on the forest floor as shown by the area around the base of the tree that has burned. It was made up of numerouse layers of leaves and pine needles...

Some initial growth was found...

And a waterfall...

The Future State of the U.S. Carrier Force?...

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The Washington Times has an interesting article by Ed Feulner that describes the present state of the United States Navy aircraft carrier force and what we have to look forward to in the future.

"The rest of the ship is a marvel, too. It's like a floating city, one able to generate a virtually unlimited amount of power from its nuclear engines. It creates enough electricity to light 100,000 homes. It can purify 400,000 gallons of water daily. It carries enough food to feed its crew for three months at sea. In short, a carrier is a critical tool in our military arsenal, an irreplaceable asset that allows our military to project power anywhere, any time."

"During the 1980s, the Navy estimated it would require 15 carriers to keep the high seas secure. Today, though, our carrier force is dwindling. Last year Congress decided the U.S. could maintain only 11 carriers. Now, in another attempt to save money, the Navy says it can probably get by with just 10 carriers for awhile before it finally adds a new ship in 2015. Overall, today's Navy boasts only 280 deployable vessels."

"It's not as if other countries are standing still. China is building submarines at a frantic pace. By 2025, it could have five times as many subs in the Pacific as the U.S. There's no reason for China to become our enemy — but there's also no excuse for Congress to allow our Navy to be so outgunned, just in case the Chinese become aggressive."

"The Constitution gives lawmakers the power of the purse, so it's their responsibility to provide for the common defense. That means maintaining a powerful Navy. Lawmakers should insist the Navy keep 12 carriers in service."

WorldSailfish 2008 ~Winning Team "Rock Star"

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World Sailfish Championship 2008

winning team

"Rock Star"

KEY WEST -- Captain Scott Leon's Rock Star team lived up to its name, staging a remarkable comeback to win the $100,000 top prize at the World Sailfish Championship, which concluded Saturday in the Florida Keys.

Full article at Miami Herald

The tournament director, Captain Mike Weinhofer, reported that the event attracted more than 800 anglers fishing on 101 boats. They released a record 558 sailfish.

Compass Rose Charters Key West

Additional info can be found here and at the World Sailfish Championship website...

Keynoter has final comments at Keynoter.com...

Jenkinson's Aquarium Seal Tank Dive...

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The Point Pleasant Rescue Dive Team (NJ) was over at the Jenkinson's Aquarium and did a educational dive in the Seal tank...

Additional photos and info can be found at:

Point Pleasant Rescue Dive Team

WorldSailfish 2008 ~Total 558 Sailfish Caught & Released~

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101 Sportfishing Boats,

800+ Anglers,

558 Sailfish Caught & Released,

$100,000 First Place Prize...

Details at WorldSailfish...

News Article at Key West Citizen...

http://www.keysnews.com/317225879889787.bsp.htm