The Boondocks blog, No. 40 for the week starting October 1, 2007.
Monday
Times Union Condemns the Tiahart Admendment
Tuesday
A Potential New ATV Trail in Chenago?
TU on Difficulties of Finding Ag Workers
Wednesday
Thursday
Albany County and Schoharie County FSA Offices to Merge
Kirsten Gillibrand's HRes 634 Passes House.
Energy looks at high energy prices and our future.
Enviroman looks at man and the environment.
Hayseeds looks at politics and life in our nation.
Individual looks at myself and how I'm changing
Outblog is all about my outdoor experiences.
Transit looks at the changing ways we get around.
Truck gives you stories and trips in my Ford Ranger.
Times Union Condemns the Tiahart Admendment. Also in Albany's socialist rag yesterday, is yet another liberal op-ed claiming that Tiahard admendment is somehow negatively effecting the ability of law enforcement to go after guns.
Basically they claim:
Tracing data can be helpful in many others ways, and to communities everywhere, of course. But Congress has bowed to the gun lobby and made it difficult for police agencies to get their hands on data that could be used to put rogue dealers out of business. Specifically, the Tiahrt amendment prohibits police and mayors from obtaining ATF gun-tracing data except when local prosecutors need it as part of an ongoing criminal investigation. That means gun ownership data that might indicate patterns of origin and sale aren't readily accessible by law enforcement officials. Instead, they are limited to the kind of aggregate reports the ATF has released for New York. Those reports are better than nothing, of course, but they are no substitute for providing local police with tracing information that, say, zeroes in on specific dealers.
So the question is what do they need the data for if not to persue specfic criminal activites? To take it into brilliant Bloomberg's private offices and get happy by looking at it? Or to sue anybody and everybody, and raise the cost of buying a firearm anywheres and making more difficult for legitimate owners of firearms to by new toys?
Seriously though, if brilliant Bloomberg administration cared about crime, they'd look at some crime data that is already widely available. They would find that certain neighboorhoods and certain races as more prone to criminal activity. They would response with demolishing such neighboorhoods and gentrifying them, and providing better social programs and rehabilitation programs for those areas that historically have criminal problems.
If you look at the Capital Region and compare gun ownership versus crime rates. You will probably find that rural Albany and Rensselear County have far higher per-capita gun ownership (maybe around 1 gun to 2 persons) versus the cities gun ownership (maybe around 1 gun to every 100 person). Clearly, the problem is one of socialization and not access to firearms. P'Link
A Potential New ATV Trail in Chenago? These interesting story from September 26th might be of interest to those in the Southern Tier wanting more ATV trails.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation’s Region 7 office will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. today at the Coventry Town Hall on state Highway 235 for comments on the “Draft Chenango Trail Unit Management Plan.” The plan covers 5,446 acres of land in the Town of Coventry in southern Chenango County.
Too bad I didn't catch this until just now. P'Link
TU on Difficulties of Finding Ag Workers. They have an interesting front page article on the difficulties of finding migrant workers. P'Link
The Most Delicious Blog Ever. If case you haven't noticed, the Times Union now has a blog called Eat Local. There you can find out about the good eats that are around the area, and support local farmers to boot.
I'm seriously thinking about trying to at least partially go onto a local diet. It's so much more healthy, and who can be against helping out the farmers, and avoiding making big corporations as rich. P'Link
Albany County and Schoharie County FSA Offices to Merge. They can afford a billion dollar a day war in Iraq, but it appears that the Albany County Farm Service Agency Office in Voorheesville will close, forcing Albany Coutny Farmers to travel to Cobelskill to gain technical assistance and other resources relating to farming.
At least the people out in Rensselear County won't also have to drive out to Cobelskill. And indeed, many—but certainly not all—are within 25 miles of Cobelskill, which isn't as convient or centerally located as Voorheesville.
Maybe the next cost-savings move will be to have the Schoharie County and Albany County Social Services office to merge. Put the office out in Schoharie, and that will save tons of money on the Albany welfare offices. Then again, the feds don't have such a roll in doing that. P'Link
Kirsten Gillibrand's H.Res 634 Passes House. About two weeks ago, House Resolution 634 passed the house memorialized the President to create a national hunting and fishing day.
The bill title:
Encouraging participation in hunting and fishing, and supporting the goals and ideals of National Hunting and Fishing Day and the efforts of hunters and fishermen toward the scientific management of wildlife and conservation of the natural environment.
Copyright ©1999-2008 Andy Arthur.
All mistakes are intentional or otherwise.
Mind where you step in a cow pasture or legal mindfield.