Rogue River Rafting: Unplugged

Everyone loves a wild river. Not many folks get the chance spend time on one. Lucky me, I do. Every year or two, seven or eight of my oldest friends get together for a spectacular and somewhat dangerous trip down the Rogue River in Oregon.

Here's a short list of the things I love about this trip. First, the scenery is spectacular beyond description. The Rogue River's "wild and scenic" section (designated by the US Congress) is world class water, surrounded by virgin forests and majestic canyons in western Oregon. Second, the peaceful feeling of camping in the wilderness for 3 nights, away from cell phones, computers and the stresses of modern life is something we all need but rarely get. Third, and best of all, is the chance to spend unrushed time with my closest friends, guys I don't get to see very often.

There's one more thing---the music. Every night on the river, I'll be playing guitar and singing my ass off. By the end of the trip, the deep calluses on my fingers will have the skin ripped off from playing so long and hard. Music,of course, is among the strongest forces that bind the friendships in our group. In college, we danced and partied to the our favorite artists in a golden age of music. On the Rogue, we will recapture some of that energy.

The river level is high, the sun is bright and my friends arrive from Portland, Seattle and San Francisco in about an hour. When I get back, I'll tell you all about it.

Terrible Taser Trouble

Police love tasers. They claim that tasers promote public safety. Isn't it better to "deploy" a taser on an unruly citizen than to be forced to use deadly force? So goes their rationale.

Last month in sleepy but politically active Eugene, Oregon an 18 year old protestor holding a bucket of water was "subdued" by local police with a taser. Many witnesses describe the use of such force by the police as being unnecessary to the point of being criminal.

It turns out that the 18 year old was wearing protesting the use of pesticides and claimed that his bucket contained poison which he was spraying around the public square. The police were uncertain whether he was telling the truth and didn't want to risk exposure to poison. That sounds plenty reasonable but why introduce the taser?

The strangest thing about this little demonstration is how it got reported to the local police. As it turned out, a vigilant employee of the Department of Homeland Security was maintaining surveillance on this small demonstration of 30 pesticide protesters. Wow, talk about Big Brother. What other kinds of things is the Dept of Homeland Security spying on? Chances are this blog is being monitored. And maybe your email. Does this make you feel safer?

Back to tasers. How dangerous are they? Here's the party line: the 50,000 volts a person temporarily receives temporarily disables them enabling police to secure the individual. The voltage is painful but after application of a 1-2 second burst, most individuals experience no further pain and have, at most, minor burn marks from the fish-hook barbs. Hmmm. Mainstream media (CBS) reported that taser use by police was responsible for 70 deaths in a report published in 2004. The manufacturer of Tasers denies that the electrical charge imparted by the Taser is responsible for no deaths. Who do you believe?

July the 4th, 2008

This 4th of July is special. You know why. It's the last time we'll be celebrating Independence Day with W in office.

Since W was selected as president nearly 8 years ago, our national prestige and pride has plummeted. The world thinks less of us (US) and it's easy to understand why. W's disregard for human rights and the environment has brought shame on our great nation.

I could, of course, go on quite a rant, but others have done that so often and so well that there's not much point in heading down that path.

Instead, let me recommend that you celebrate this 4th of July with special vigor and enthusiasm. Let's hope that next year, we have a new brand of leadership (McCain won't give us that; anybody who thinks otherwise needs to smell the coffee). Without a doubt, Barack Obama will restore our standing in the world of nations. No president can be expected to solve all our problems but Obama's election will surely resurrect the respect America once commanded. And we can depend on being able to celebrate every 4th of July for years to come.