Rep. Giffords 2010 Opponent held June Event to “Shoot an M16" to Remove Her from Office

Giffords Opponent, Jesse Kelly, Held June Event to “Shoot

Today is a very sad day for America.  Target lists with crosshairs. 2nd Amendment remedies. Shooting M16 with candidates

The only bright spot I can find is that Sheriff Dupnik of Tuscon is now one of my heroes. At a news conference in the wake of Rep. Gifford's shooting, he said, among other things:

"All I can tell you is that this individual may have a mental issue, and that people who are unbalanced are especially susceptible to vitriol."

“When you look at unbalanced people, how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government. The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous. And, unfortunately, Arizona I think has become sort of the capital. We have become the Mecca for prejudice and bigotry.

“It’s not unusual for all public officials to get threats constantly, myself included. And that’s the sad thing of what’s going on in America. Pretty soon, we’re not going to be able to find reasonable, decent people who are willing to subject themselves to serve in public office.”

"Let me just say one thing, because people tend to poo-poo this business about all the vitriol that we hear inflaming the American public by people who make a living off of doing that. That may be free speech. But it’s not without consequences."

Amen.

One Last Day on the Road; One Last Photo

West of Flagstaff I got off of the interstate and took old 66 for 100 miles or so to Kingman, Arizona. A storm passed over and for awhile it was quite dark and threatening. But I got this last picture looking West on Route 66. Times have passed it by, but it's still a marvelous road.

From Kingman, I headed down to Lake Havasu, then across the nearly completely empty desert highway 62 to 29 Palms, Joshua Tree, and home. I could have taken scores of pictures there, but I was near the end of a 13 hour drive that day and enough was enough.

A Few More from Sedona; Pete Seeger

A few more pictures from around Sedona....

From Airport Mesa




Steel dogface sculpture







Going Psychedelic at a Vortex....























And above, the lovely chapel at Tlaquepaque.


Finally, I recently came across a very good site dedicated to obtaining the Nobel Peace Prize for Pete Seeger, one of America's national treasures. I cannot think of anyone who deserves it more.

Sedona, Arizona (December 28, 2008)

This was our first trip to Sedona. All the things you hear about it are true. Absolutely spectacular....even the vortex (at least I think so)

It's clear why people of an artistic nature are drawn here, or those seeking spiritual fulfillment. Or both. Or, if you're like me, to hang around with the wife and take pictures....
We built a small cairn for my late sister Liz on the hillside of Airport Mesa, at the site of one of Sedona's reputed vortices. The place had some kind of magic for me, at least....


At the end of a year that was in turn exhilarating, awkward, dumbfounding, and ruinous, a few lines from a wonderfully simple song long associated with December 31 seem appropriate:

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!

Chorus.-For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

In twenty days, George Bush will be forever gone. If that's not worth a song, what is?

The Grand Canyon Part II (Dec. 27, 2008)

On the road to the Canyon, looking East towards Flagstaff.





In short, we have arrived!


Mid-afternoon sun changes the light somewhat.

My love for this woman is as big as the Grand Canyon (Points!)

The Grand Canyon (Part I) Dec. 27, 2008

A few shots from the south rim.

Words cannot do the vista much justice. Perhaps a Thoreau might have the ability.

A foreign tourist objected to Avie taking in the view here because she would be in a picture they were taking....unbelievably rude.

Ancient snow art from early inhabitants of the canyon rim...


The airport.
On the road going north towards the canyon from Williams, AZ.

Arizona Weekend

Heading north from I-10 towards Prescott.








Snow squall above Peeples Valley.





Looking north near Merritt Pass.








Climbing into a snow squall above Peeples Valley,
looking back towards the West.


More posts from this post-Christmas 2008 trip will be up soon, including pictures of Prescott, The Grand Canyon, and Sedona.

"One final paragraph of advice: do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am - a reluctant enthusiast....a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it’s still here. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much; I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those desk-bound men and women with their hearts in a safe deposit box, and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this; You will outlive the bastards."
— Edward Abbey