Doc

One would hope that Wayne County can learn from the Ontario County fiasco. Our problem wasn't so much about "controversy" as it was about incompetency and blundering. If the process is carried out in a careful and deliberate fashion with everything properly worded, everything should go along smoothly.

I think we are both in agreement on this. A plan is only as good as its implementation.

Well like I already said, testing is one thing, having the will to use the results properly is quite another. If a school district has the data and refuses to use it, that does not necessarily mean that as an over-all policy it doesn't work.

In industry, it works just fine, not only over the last decade, but basicly forever. In education, it's an untested concept. This is the first serious attempt that I know of where teachers would be evaluated based on measureable results of standardized testing of their "product". The other thing is that someone has to pay attention to the results and develop a plan for those teachers that are not producing the results that others are capable of. And then of course stirring in "tenure" is another ridiculous factor that has never allowed teacher evaluations of any sort to have any impact. So, the short answer to your question is: let's try it first and then evaluate how it works.

I'm waiting for this creep to step in it deep enough to warrant impeachment proceedings.

Yes, there is always a problem when one property owner's use of his land impacts others. And it is a legitimate concern. Our whole system of zoning laws deal with that sort of thing because there are real effects from one neighbor to another. Effects such as my example of a neighbor creating a dump just over the lot-line, and rats and bugs and disease and smells and filth leaching into drinking water. Should the homeowner have no recourse? I think that is the issue at stake with this fracking topic. When does a homeowner have a legitimate stake in the land uses of others? Is it determined by how much money is to be made? Is it determined by how many jobs that can be created? Is it determined by some notion of energy independence? I think it is an issue of health first, collateral property damage second, and then maybe the other considerations can be factored in. My first concern is that I don't believe that there should be any secrecy about this toxic soup that they use when the liklihood exists for accidental pollution of area resources. They want it to be a secret, then they should be denied its use ..... period. Once the nature of this stuff is disclosed it should be studied to disclose what impacts could be expected on the resources of adjoining properties. That should include casual use with no incidents, as well as with spills and other accidents. If those impacts are severe, the use should be denied. The recipe should be closely monitored to ensure that it never changes without the same extensive studies being performed. If they do tamper with the formula without re-examination, the well should be denied and the company cited. It's probably plain that I am on the side of the property owner. I think there is and always has been way too much rough-shod treatment of landowners by the wealthy trying to get wealthier. It is situations like these that make me say, whoa there, let's slow down a bit. Let's figure out the truth of all this. It's not about money or jobs or energy independence, but simply about right and wrong treatment of one neighbor by another.

The only useful info that he could provide would be names of other cell members. Did they work alone? What resources are there out there that they successfully used? Are there others that he might spill the beans on. I have a feeling that they did not work by themselves. If they had help, I hope they will sweat that info out of him and expand the numbers of captures.

From the age of 11, I trapped around and in swamps and survived to tell about it. That's not to say that you can be foolish when walking around in a swamp. There are features hidden under water. Slippery mud can put you into water over your head before you know it. When submerged creekbeds are totally under water and not all that obvious, slow things down and move with extreme caustion. Hip boots/waders can fill with water and put you into an "un-swimable" condition. Boots can get stuck in the mud so tight you can't move your legs. Snakes were never a concern for me (western NY). Beavers can make some pretty treacherous features that can't always be seen. Underwater ditches, pot-holes, etc. I have also seen under-water entrances for bank-beavers that had some rather thin ceilings on them. So a cave-in along the creekbed might all of a sudden slide you into water over your head. I have been in situations that I wasn't completely sure I was going to get out of, so some common sense and a cautious attitude can help keep you out of trouble but with no guarantees. I always had a walking stick to probe ahead of me when I wasn't sure of what was there. I also kept all my movements down to careful un-hurried and thought out progress. In our swamp, there was always a time of the year when you had to exercise a lot of extra caution. In the spring time, sudden thaws could elevate creeks and make surrounding swamp lands extra deep. There was even some parts of the swamp that actually developed a pretty severe current. Ice that was previously safe could develop soft thin spots overnight. In a race to save some of my traps that were in danger of washing out, there were a few times when I may not have used the best judgement.... lol. Just use your head and recognize that there are a few dangers there that you won't find on high and dry land, and you will probably do all right. But like I said, there are no guarantees.

I can only say that something has to be done or we can continue to watch technical jobs flow overseas while we all turn into a country of "service industries". Seriously, education is only one part of our slide into mediocrity, but it is a big part. We cannot continue to not challenge teachers and the education industry. We just cannot afford it. At some point we have to repress arrogance and admit that we are losing our place in the world. It's not super obvious to those outside of technology jobs, but some of us have watched industry after industry go overseas taking our technology with it. It used to be that we were the only ones equipped to handle innovation and creativity ..... not anymore. If a little standardization and accountability and measurement is part of the answer then let's do it. Like I say that's only part of it all, but it is a heck of a good start. As far as testing the student rather than the teacher, that is a time tested method used all the time in industry. We always test the product and not the manufacturer. The manufacturer gets tested and evaluated by default.

Kind of reminds me of one of my trapline experiences. I used to dispatch trapped animals with a club. Seemed fairly humane, and left no damage on the pelt. That was ok until the day I slung a raccoon over my shoulder, heading back home and he "came back to life". All of a sudden, I could feel feet kicking and scratching against my back. I screamed like a little girl and dropped the sucker and started wacking on him again until I knew he was dead. I started carrying a .22 the next day.

Sounds pretty grueling to me and perhaps is a bit extreme. However, I guess I am in favor of some kind of standardized measuring system to see what parts of the educational system are doing their job and which ones need improvement or some sort of dramatic re-build. Some of the horror stories that I have heard about teaching methods (experiments) tell me that we need some defined and standardized data points to see what is really working and what are simply some educator's pipe-dream. Let's face it this free-for-all system that we have now sure isn't working ... is it?

Yeah, I think this is probably true. The whole scenario does highlight just how vulnerable people are against some of these wacked-out Islamic religious fanatics. It should also point up the fact that any criminal (foriegn or domestic) has the upper hand if they are the only ones with weapons. The idea of cowering in the corner of your apartment or house should wake a few up to the fact that the world is a dangerous place these days and the day of relying soley on the police at a time when certain danger is upon you, really shouldn't be acceptable to anyone. Here they had every law enforcement agency in the state clogging the streets and the best they could do was to tell people to hide in their homes.

Actually, that is the way I look at furbearers. My feeling is that hunting those critters in the summer months really is wasting a cash resource. It was kind of engrained in me back in the trapline days of my youth. I don't have anything against coyotes. If I was a sheep farmer, I might have an entirely different attitude. But as it stands right now, I see coyotes in the same light as foxes. Damn fine pelt when they are prime, and not to be taken until they are.

So, what exactly are gun stores selling? It sounds like they could open the doors for a half hour each week until they sell out whatever ammo they happen to receive and then go back home. This has to be affecting their gun sales also. Who wants to buy a gun that they can't get ammo for?

As I understand it, the typical propellant in a amateur pipe bomb is gun powder. And guess what.... if they can conjure up an excuse to heavily regulate gunpowder they will also get the benefit of throwing yet another chunk of harrassment toward gun owners. It's kind of a "two-fer" for these creeps. I still haven't heard what the muscle was behind these pressure cooker bombs was.

I guess I wouldn't worry about fracking problems if only the impacts respected property lines. Unfortunately water veins don't stop at the end of property lines. And of course, traffic noises of heavy trucks, and dust, and destroyed viewscapes, do not only occur on properties that are being compensated. It's kind of like zoning laws that try to protect home owners from having rat infested stinking open dumps established next door. Something of this magnitude does have community-wide impacts even for those that are not receiving a penny of compensation. Yes, some townships are attempting to close the doors to this sort of thing, but of course that is what all the fuss is all about. Those townships are under the threat of lawsuits by gas corporations with deep pockets with the potential of having landowner rights and wishes trampled by the court system. I saw it with the windfarm fiasco, and I am seeing it again with the gas companies. Money talks and usually winds up having priority over any other concerns.

I wonder what they are stocking the store with. Are they able to find ammo to sell down there in PA? Keep us informed how your trip turns out. I may be forced to take a trip down to get bullets, and brass.

I don't know .... I'm still new to this issue and am trying to play "catch-up". It's interesting to see how cavilier people are when it comes to sources of drinking water. It's kind of like, "oh well, so what. It's only water". I am still trying to get at the truth of both sides. I have to say that just based on motives and potential consequences, I kind of hold the gas companies to a much higher standard of proof.

I wonder what happens when they are ready to start growing next years antlers. Any possibility that they could get mal-formed because of it? They should be showing some growth any day now right?

I'm beginning to think there should be a very thorough background check on all politicians. Also an in-depth psychological profile for politicians in order to ascertain which ones have that "dictator syndrome". It sounds like a lot of these creeps are intent on empowering government (and themselves) and subordinating all citizens to their absolutist powers.

I hope my comment yesterday on the Boston Marathon explosion thread didn't give anyone an idea ("Heaven help us if it turns out that gun powder was the propellant for the bombs". ..... lol. Well anyway, in case that hasn't alredy been hoarded into oblivion, it's time for all the greedy guys to buy up all powder in sight! What do you say guys shall we screw each other out of powder too?

Ha-ha, I can see hunters sneaking road-kill off the highway and putting their tag on it just to satisfy the Earn-a-buck requirements.

Lol ..... Woodchucks are rodents, hence the mental connection to rats (emotional response = disgusting, hated animal). The coyote is a cute little fuzzy puppy-dog style animal (emotional response = Rover). Well, of course that is said in a kind of tongue-in-cheek sort of fashion, but there may be more emotional truth in that than you might actually want to believe. There is an awful lot of law that is emotion-based.

Somebody walks up to you and says "We're going to use this stuff to manufacture our product. We are going to use it on properties all around yours, and maybe even yours if we can bribe you with enough money. But because the ingredients are proprietary, we won't be telling you what it is ...... Trust me". Are you going to trust that guy? There are a couple of things about drinking water. You need it to live, and once it's screwed up, there's no fixing it. When your talking about a process that is even suspected of having the potential of doing that, what amount of money makes that acceptable? Also, I need someone to explain exactly what the motives are for these people who are actively campaigning against the process. What are they getting out of it? I know what the gas companies are trying to achieve, but why are these people supposedly making all this stuff up about the spills and the negative effects of the toxic soup. Where's the motive for lying? can anyone explain that part of the puzzle to me?

Once again, the NRA shows the power in being organized. Those who haven't yet joined the NRA ...... take note.