Views from a tree stand:

Another deer season is upon us, and I have had a chance to spend a few days hunting on the Tug Hill. The weather doesn't cooperate, and the bucks don't cooperate, but one can't expect everything. I have kind of lost my need to kill bucks anyway...just take my camera and view the world around me and think a lot. I have not solved many of the world's problems yet, but I do think about them.

Political campaigns: How can a candidate expect us to respect him, much less vote for him, if he accepts his party's mud-slinging commercials with a shrug and "I can't stop it"? How can a congressman say that he "voted his heart" on a bill? Isn't he supposed to represent the people?

Would anyone else like to see a "Do Not Call" registry for political campaigns? They are all canned calls, and usually mud-slinging garbage. Would not be so bad if you could respond, but they are all from 99999999 or 00000000 numbers. That should be illegal, too. Like anonymous spam emails. If you have something worth saying, identify yourself.

And if any of these political candidates are half as bad as their opponents say, how did they ever get nominated by their party as the best choice? Sad.

How can all these Albany legislators vow to reform, then keep returning Bruno and Silver to power? I say vote them all out, and give someone new a chance. And how can the man in charge of controlling NY State's money, be caught misusing that money, then have the nerve to say, Well, I made a mistake, but reelect me! That would be a mistake for all of us.

Where does it say that when a hurricane, tornado, etc. strikes, the goverment (taxpayer) has to make it right? If a hurricane is an Act Of God, shouldn't the churches be held responsible? Don't they bill themselves as God's representatives?

And speaking of churches, how is it that a Central New York minister can go to jail for 11 years for an affair with a young girl, but a Catholic Priest can molest numerous young boys and just get transferred to another church, or maybe forced to retire? Better lawyers? 'Taint right. Why are other church leaders and even congressmen just allowed to resign and walk away? And how does a priest cover these things at confession?

With all the young kids killing themselves with cars, why do we not yet have mandatory driver education in our schools? It is probably the most important skill we will ever learn. Our schools can find $5 million for artificial turf on a football field, but there is no funding for driver ed. When will we learn about priorities? Maybe the insurance companies should get involved-they have a lot to gain.

And why do we still allow automakers to market machines
capable of speeds up to 200 mph when neither our roads nor our drivers can handle such speeds? Even in our driver ed classes they don't teach us how to control a car at 150 mph. Do we have a national death wish?

Oops, there's a deer! More later, maybe.