That was my reaction to the news yesterday. Maybe I don’t follow politics very carefully, but I don’t think I had much of a knowledge of the name outside of maybe seeing his name mentioned in a news article in passing about some right-wing dark money interest group with a strange name, Turning Point USA.
Truth is there is a lot of money sloshing around in politics, and at least some of it is directed towards grass roots organizing. Activists and other politically motivated citizens get free swag and often things like free lunches and bus rides to attend protests, conferences and other events. Other activists partially pay their way on subsidized events. It happens on both the left and right.
If anything it’s a reminder of the high cost of political involvement. If you don’t get shot and assininated, chances are good that you will have the cops and corporate security tailing your ass. I know I was pretty carefully monitored by Pyramid Corporation and Guilderland Police, for my opposition to Costco and Rapp Road apartment. I am sure they maintained a detailed file on me along with carefully monitoring my blog and taking detailed notes. Your tax dollars at work. And history is rittled with stories of paranoid government employees actively working to take down political opponents, either directly through the criminal code or more devious ways by leaks to press and others who can ruin reputations.
COINTELPro was a real thing. Government is staffed with people with ideological agendas, even the cops have views on issues of the day – and feeling that they must do whatever in their power to defend the institutions they represent. As are assains and others in the political realm. At least in my mind, the safest thing is not to be politically involved if you don’t want to end up behind a jail cell or a bullet. Find what actually matters in your own life, don’t try to save the world. It’s not to say we don’t need political activists but I’m not that interested in getting hit by an assain’s ‘ bullet.
On the hills south of NY 165 between Decatur and Roseboom in rural Otsego county is the 1,749 acre Bear Swamp State Forest. The center point of state forest is Bear Swamp Pond which is popular fishing destination. Remote and hilly, there are no developed trails or campsites besides a path down to lake.
How fast the time goes over the years. Many of my younger colleagues, indeed some of the people I’ve hired over the years weren’t even born on that brilliantly sunny September 11th so many years ago when the World Trade Center was hit by those air planes.
I woke early, around 3:30 or so and listened to podcasts and the radio until 5 AM when I got up to get the beans and bread baking. I had the windows closed last night, and that makes always for tough sleeping. The oven not been on in months stunk, so I rushed to pull down the smoke detector lest it go off and kept an eye on stove burner so it wouldn’t catch fire or have other problems as I boiled down the beans and made eggs and coffee. Everything like usual had a lot of zucchini involved that I got from the farmers market yesterday. Because I was up so early this morning, things are a bit of a haze.
Last night I rode straight home on my bike loaded down with those giant zucchuni. Fried some of them up with onions and then it was out to the Elm Avenue Town Park for a while. But it got dark quickly, especially with me going home first for a quick dinner. I sat down at the park well until dark, before riding home. Charging the lights on my bike today, pretty sure I will go to Five Rivers one last time after work and sit or maybe a hike a bit until dark. With the fully charged lights I can probably stay until 7:30 PM or so especially in the back part of the preserve without anybody trying to kick me out. Then ride back home, get some of those kidney beans out of the fridge and some of the bread. Both the cornmeal bread and the zucchini bread I made were pretty good, the small slices I had earlier.
I was listening to Democracy NOW on the bike ride in this morning. Just a perfect September morning, so much like that one 24 years ago when I was in college. Seems hard to believe so much time passed, it seems like just yesterday was the 10th anniversary of September 11th. I remember going to that commemoration that had in well of Legislative Office Building. I am amazed that Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzales still do this program after all these years, their alternative view points are important as they give more of a full coverage with some spin on the events of the day. I tell you with the light north breeze and temperature inversion though that sewage sludge incinerator that rains down PFOAs was pretty stinky this morning. Still I can believe how the time has passed.
Still looking at Vermont for the weekend, but I’m not set on it as Sunday either looks like showers or a good soaker and it’s a long trip to Vermont. And I keep seeing all the produce that Shauls currently has, and that pulls on my heart strings. Mine Kill Pool is done for the year, but its probably too cool to swim at this point, and who knows how much water is left in the Schoharie Creek near Towpath Mountain. Rensselearville State Forest is another option. though I’m thinking more about that the following weekend. I guess I don’t have to pick a destination for sure before leaving the office tomorrow.
Driving over the Mayor Theodore Wind Bridge in Little Falls, that was built south of rather then upon Moss Island, carrying NY 169 to the Thruway, providing this dying industrial city access to the superhighway. For being a highway bridge built in 1980-1982, it's a remarkably graceful bridge that crosses the Mohawk River, Barge Canal, Old River Road, and the Railroad Tracks. The first part of this video is Old River Road, from the Sewage Treatment Plant to NY 5.
until 5 AM when I got up to get the beans and bread baking. I had the windows closed last night, and that makes always for tough sleeping. The oven not been on in months stunk, so I rushed to pull down the smoke detector lest it go off and kept an eye on stove burner so it wouldn’t catch fire or have other problems as I boiled down the beans and made eggs 
and coffee. 
Everything like usual had a lot of zucchini 
involved that I got from the farmers market yesterday. Because I was up so early this morning, things are a bit of a haze.
Fried some of them up with onions and then it was out to the Elm Avenue Town Park for a while. But it got dark quickly, especially with me going home first for a quick dinner. 
I sat down at the park well until dark, before riding home. Charging the lights on my bike today, pretty sure I will go to Five Rivers one last time after work and sit or maybe a hike a bit until dark. 
With the fully charged lights I can probably stay until 7:30 PM or so especially in the back part of the preserve without anybody trying to kick me out. 
Then ride back home, get some of those kidney beans out of the fridge and some of the bread. 
Both the cornmeal bread and the zucchini bread I made were pretty good, the small slices I had earlier.
on the bike ride in this morning. 
Just a perfect September morning, so much like that one 24 years ago when I was in college. Seems hard to believe so much time passed, it seems like just yesterday was the 10th anniversary of September 11th. I remember going to that commemoration that had in well of Legislative Office Building. I am amazed that Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzales still do this program after all these years, their alternative view points are important as they give more of a full coverage with some spin on the events of the day. 
I tell you with the light north breeze and temperature inversion though that sewage sludge incinerator that rains down PFOAs was pretty stinky this morning. Still I can believe how the time has passed.
but I’m not set on it as Sunday either looks like showers or a good soaker and it’s a long trip to Vermont. And I keep seeing all the produce that Shauls currently has, and that pulls on my heart strings. 
Mine Kill Pool is done for the year, but its probably too cool to swim at this point, and who knows how much water is left in the Schoharie Creek near Towpath Mountain. Rensselearville State Forest is another option. though I’m thinking more about that the following weekend. I guess I don’t have to pick a destination for sure before leaving the office tomorrow. 