Columns_2003_My_Side_of_the

Supply and Demand 2/21/2003	'Buyer Beware' is Best Bet 2/25/2003	A Lesson To Be Learned In Civil Disobedience 2/28/2003
White House Ad Spreads White Lies 3/18/2003	Is Dearborn Brook Water Study Just Water Under the Bridge? 4/15/2003	Humans Are Also Part of Nature 5/20/2003
Hunt Camp Is Not All About Hunting 6/17/2003	Hunt Camp Isn't About Shooting 7/15/2003	Maximizing Profits: Making $ Doesn't Always Mean Taking $ 8/19/03
Number of medicated children way too high; kids far too young 9/16/2003	The Dark Side of Depression Medication 9/30/2003	WMD's? We Don't Need No WMD's! 10/21/2003
Certain Lyrics Stay with You Long After the Tune has Ended 11/17/2003	Long Forgotten Poetry turns up unexpectedly in old notebooks 12/16/2003

(My Side of the Story as printed in the Exeter News-Letter on Tuesday 12/16/2003)

My brother in law, Ted, picked up the guitar a few years ago which reminded me of the chord books that I have from when I used play. I decided to look through my old books to see what I had. While browsing through them, I came across a couple old notebooks. These notebooks had been missing for years, written off as lost in the shuffle.

I had started writing in these around twenty years ago while I lived in Vermont. At the time, I was attempting to play guitar and writing poems and lyrics in the notebooks. Some I wrote as lyrics, but never set them to music and others I just wrote what ever came to mind. Many of my scribblings are gone, but a few were still in the notebook along with three bank ATM deposit envelopes. On the back of each was another poem.

I used the bank envelopes while sitting in the car by the ocean. I had just gone through a divorce and was trying to get back on my feet. These are a bit squishier reflecting that time in my life. I debated cleaning up my old prose but decided to leave them in their true original form, except for correcting a couple regular spelling mistakes.

Nature's Noise Pollution

The morning awoke in a comfortable haze,
As the mist crept slowly down the mountain.
An oozing wall of monstrous foam
Engulfing fields and trees along its path.

It finally reached me, swallowing the cabin,
Creating an eerie dullness, silencing the land,
But willingly continues releasing its victims
In a wake of unscathed nature, light, and warmth.

The brightness and warmth, a welcomed friend,
Filling the void left by the loss of another.
Realizing the beauty of a lost love; gone not forgotten.
The soft light and calming silence making way for bright new life.

Motion and noise covering the valley; Hustle and bustle to continue living.
In itself a calming commotion, Nature's noise pollution,
But silence is not missed, the tranquil surroundings, living,
Happily working for food and shelter and some at play.

Nature's noise pollution, a most welcomed solution
Live your life; do your deeds, always thinking of other's needs.
Some kill to eat, some forage the leaves,
But waste in this land you'll never see.

As the light began to weaken, the night receiving its strength
Like another ghoul intaking the land a dark so deep.
Seeming so endless, feeling to weep, then just to listen.
The chirping of creatures and whistling lullabies.

More nature's noise pollution, a guide to the domain.
Where darkness's companion rekindles our life
And we live another behind our eyes, and never know.
Until again our haze returns the mist shines in the light.

Again to life the land returns. The night beings quit. The day begins,
And also the noise, but is it pollution?
If only we'd listen, it could be a solution,
But first we'd all have to make a new resolution.

Nature's noise pollution, a welcomed solution
Live your life; do your deeds; always thinking of other's needs.
Some kill to eat; some forage the leaves,
But waste in this land you'll never see,
Waste in this land you'll never see.

I wrote this while living in Vermont. It appears that I didn't have a dictionary up on the mountain. I used a non-word in that one. Call it literary license or poetic license, I left it in. The next one is from one of the ATM bank envelopes.

The Ocean's Lullaby

The ocean so vast,
With changing shores and changing moods,
It's largeness overwhelming; it's motion peaceful.
Even in a storm, with it's crashing waves,
It sings it's song, a lullaby.

The ocean's song, a lullaby,
Sometimes fast, sometimes slow,
But always there, a steadfast friend,
To sing to mankind, right to the end.

The Water so deep and blue,
Reflecting the light and brightening the day.
It gives us life, helps us breathe.
Even through the night, it pounds the shore
And sings to us it's lullaby.

Across the horizon, far to see,
It's boundaries endless, through time and space.
It's older than man and younger too.
It was here at the beginning and will be at the end
To sing it's song a lullaby.

The oceans song, a lullaby
Sometimes fast, sometimes slow,
She'll sing to us right at the end
And say good-bye to man her long time friend.

It was quite interesting to read these after thinking that they were gone forever. I don't know what I would write in that notebook now. Who knows, maybe I'll give it a try, and that's my side of the story.

I really enjoy songs and poems with a sense of profoundness. (and after thinking about some of them, I decided to share them with my readers. -Edited Out) The one that I think of most often, actually every time that I am driving, is a song from Mealoaf's album Bat out of Hell 2. The song is "Objects In The Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are". So many experiences seem incredible until you try to relive them and then you realize they are not as incredible as you had remembered.

A verse that I find quite intriguing is "Talking about a revolution sounds like a whisper" from Traci Chapman's song called "Talkin' Bout a Revolution". I would say that every revolution in history must have started with a whisper. The first few people to bring up the idea of a revolution would certainly not be screaming from the rooftops, or it would be a real short revolution.

I could not write a column like this with out mentioning my favorite artist of all time, Neil Young. One of his biggest songs was "Heart of Gold" where he sang "I've been a miner for a heart of gold". Haven't we all?

Linda Ronstadt's hit "Love is A Rose" was written by Neil Young and is quite profound in itself. "Love is a rose but you better not pick it, Only grows when it's on the vine, Handful of thorns and you'll know you've missed it, Lose your love when you say the word mine". This verse is another way of saying "If you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you, it's yours. If it doesn't, it never was."

A couple years ago Neil threw me for a loop when he wrote "No one has the answer, But one thing is true, You've got to turn on evil, When it's coming after you" from his tribute to 9/11's fight 93 titled "Let's Roll". It is amazing that this is from the same man who wrote, "Tin soldiers and Nixon's coming". Now that's profound.

Another great writer of profound verse is Dan Fogelberg. In his song "The Innocent Age" he writes, "Capture the moment, carry the day, stay with the chase as long as you may. Follow the dreamer, the fool, and the sage back to the days of the innocent age." In his song "Empty Cages" he sings, "Long before we come of age we yearn to leave the garden and wrestle with a myth the hand of fate has faintly drawn, but somewhere on the way we feel our hearts begin to harden and see just as we learn to turn around the garden is gone." These are great descriptions of our inherent quest to regain our youth.

One of my all time favorite movies is Silverado and in that movie Kevin Klein's character, Paden, says, "I always figure you might as well approach life like everyone is your friend or nobody is, it don't make much difference." This seems to be one of those glass is half-full type things. Not how I would describe myself for the most part, but Paden has a point.

Rudyard Kipling in his poem titled, "If" wrote "If you can fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds' worth of distance run, yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, and--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!" The unforgiving minute seems to be those moments of passion when hate, anger, and hostility rush over you, and a true man learns to ignore those until he calms down.

Part of what kindled my interest in the profound was one of my high school English teachers. His name was Mr. Thorndike, Mr. T for short (long before that other "Mr. T"). While teaching about Robert Frost, he tapped his pointer on the black board keeping time with the rhythm of the Poem "The Road Not Taken". He would tap on the board to accentuate the words, "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." Well Mr. T there were many times that I took the road less traveled by, and I have no regrets.

Sticking with the classics, I will leave you with three words that were never intended to be profound, but over the years, they have become that way. These words bring visions of sailing ships, men at sea, and the struggle between man and beast. These words also bring visions of a man's struggle with himself and his yearning for revenge. In this story, the question of who is the villain or the hero is a matter of interpretation. To those that know the story, the three words that can create this myriad of visions are "Call me Ishmael" and that is my side of the story.

(My Side of the Story as printed in the Exeter News-Letter on Tuesday 10/21/2003)

Many Americans believe that President Bush lied about the situation in Iraq and the Weapons of Mass Destruction. I think these people misunderstand the meaning of a lie. A lie is when a person knowingly gives false information to sway people on an issue. When the President made his statements regarding weapons of mass destruction, he based those on intelligence reports that he believed to be true. So he believed what he was saying. That is not a lie.

Now let's look at the other side of that coin. Saddam Hussein invaded neighboring countries, gassed his own people, and executed his own people for being overtly religious or for speaking out against him. Some of those executed were Saddam Hussein's family members. In 1959 Saddam Hussein was wounded while attempting to assassinate the then leader of Iraq, General Abdul Qassim. Hussein fled the country but that attempt put him in a leadership position in the Baathist movement. From there he ruthlessly worked his way to the top.

It has been documented that Iraq used chemical weapons twice in 1983, twice in 1984, once in 1985, twice in 1986, twice in 1987, and once in 1988. Last week the media was full of headlines saying that the CIA team has not found any weapons of mass destruction. Interestingly enough, those same outlets seemed to over look the fact the David Kay the leader of the CIA team said that although they hadn't found any actual stock piles of weapons of mass destruction, they had found evidence of weapons "activities" and equipment that were concealed from U.N. inspectors. This may not be a so-called smoking gun, but where there is smoke there is fire.

In September of last year the Whitehouse released a background paper called "A Decade of Deception and Defiance" and in that paper the Whitehouse lists some of the ways that Iraq has defied the United Nations Security Council. Some of the ways listed are, continuing to seek and develop chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons, and prohibited long-range missiles; brutalizing the Iraqi people, including committing gross human rights violations and crimes against humanity; supporting international terrorism; refusing to release or account for prisoners of war and other missing individuals from the Gulf War era; refusing to return stolen Kuwaiti property; and working to circumvent the UN's economic sanctions.

Of these nine issues, only one has come into question, and that is because of bad intelligence reports. Iraq does have nuclear facilities, but there is no way to prove that they were being used to develop weapons. Now as for the chemical and biological weapons, those could easily have been hidden or transported out of the country. The problem is that eight out of nine acts of defiance should be a good enough reason to go after Saddam Hussein.

Our last President said "as Americans, we can and must join together to defeat terrorism wherever it strikes and whoever practices it," and did nothing to stop terrorism. Now our current President said, "Our nation will continue to be steadfast and patient and persistent in the pursuit of two great objectives. First, we will shut down terrorist camps, disrupt terrorist plans, and bring terrorists to justice. And, second, we must prevent the terrorists and regimes who seek chemical, biological or nuclear weapons from threatening the United States and the world." And has done something about it.

Whether Iraq actually has weapons of mass destruction or not doesn't really matter. They did have them, they did use them, and they have ignored almost every United Nations resolution instituted at the end of Desert Storm. After the events of September 11th 2001, this country had to show strength. The slightest hint of weakness could have opened the door to years of terrorism. By standing tall and taking action against those involved in 9/11 and those who could be involved in future terrorist activities, the United States sent a message, a message that needed to be sent, a message that showed that the sleeping giant is no longer sleeping. So in closing I would like to add one more variation of Alfonso Bedoya's classic line from the movie "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre", and that would be "WMD'S? We don't need no stinking WMD'S" and that is my side of the story.

(My Side of the Story as printed in the Exeter News-Letter on Tuesday 9/30/2003)

Depression is becoming one of the major disorders in society today. According to the National Institute of Mental Health depression is the leading cause of disability in the United States effecting as many as 44 million Americans. It is true that many may benefit from treatment using psychotropic drugs, but there are dangers involved, as minimal as they may be.

In a study focusing on children done last year by the UnitedHealth Group of Minnesota the data taken from 1995 to 1999 showed a 195% increase in prescriptions of anti depressants and a 62% increase in the prescription of serotonin selective reuptake inhibitors (SSRI's) alone. SSRI's include Prozac, Zoloft, Luvox, Paxil and other medications prescribed for depression. The major problem with these kinds of medications is not overdosing but under-dosing, or abruptly stopping the use of the medication.

Research from the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry released in 2000 showed that 70% of general practitioners and 30% of psychiatrists did not know the side effects involved when ending the use of SSRI's. These side effects include sleeplessness, anxiety, nervousness, agitation, and tremors. Other psychotropic drugs like Ritalin, a stimulant most commonly used in the treatment of ADHD, have side effects that include unusual behavior or confusion and hallucinations. In those rare cases where these extreme side effects occur, it can be dangerous since the patients were originally in an unstable condition.

These rare cases involving extreme side effects may be rare but they are far from being obscure. One such case involved a couple boys who had been involved in a burglary a year earlier and yet were allowed to spend hours unsupervised making bombs and planning a horrible crime. Their crime was the attack on the Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado and those two boys were Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. It has been reported that the leader, Eric Harris, had been on Luvox.

When that little girl who started it all back in 1979 by shooting 11 people at Grover Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego was asked why she did it, she answered because "I don't like Mondays". It is believed that she suffered from depression. The problem with youthful criminals is that their medical records are protected. Unless the families release the information, the public will never know if these children had been treated with psychotropic drugs.

A few cases that have connections to psychotropic drug use include Luke Woodham, Michael Carneal, Mitchell Johnson, Andrew Golden, and Kip Kinkle. Luke Woodham killed his mother and then two students at his Pearl Mississippi High School. He is reported to have used Prozac. Michael Carneal killed three students at a high school in West Paducah, Kentucky. He had reportedly been taking ritalin. Mitchell Johnson, 13, and Andrew Golden, 11, killed four students and one teacher at their Middle School in Jonesboro Arkansas. Both boys had reportedly been using ritalin. Kip Kinkel killed his parents and then killed two students at the Thurston High School in Springfield Oregon and reportedly had been taking prozac and ritalin.

Don't think that this only involves children and schools either. The Saturday Night Live comedian Phil Hartman was killed by his wife while she had been taking Zoloft. The Hartman estate sued Pfizer the makers of Zoloft and Pfizer settled. Michael "Mucko" McDermott who committed the horrifying massacre in Wakefield Massachusetts is now blaming his use of prozac for the rampage. Although school shootings grab the headlines, many other cases involve the use of anti depressants and it spans all age groups.

Some of the people that I have known who have taken these drugs had far away eyes. It was quite unnerving. People being prescribed these psychotropic drugs need to be monitored closely. To allow individuals who suffer from severe depression to start taking these drugs and then go unsupervised, can be a dangerous situation for those individuals and others they may come I contact with. When these drugs are first prescribed people may start to feel better, but if they stop taking the medication abruptly, they can relapse to a level even lower than where they started.

As with any medical treatment options and choices must be weighed carefully. In cases like this it's not over dosing but under dosing that can cause a problem. When it comes to psychotropic drugs, doctors and families need to pay close attention and not expect the happy pill to be the answer to all of their mental health problems.

Number of medicated children way too high; kids far too young

ADHD Real, Rare, or Rigged (My title)

(My Side of the Story as printed in the Exeter News-Letter on Tuesday 9/16/2003)

Years ago it was called Hyperkinesis, then in the 70's it was Hyperactivity, and in the 80's it became ADD or Attention Deficit Disorder. By the end of the 1980's the official terminology according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders was Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or AD/HD. Heck when I was growing up most of the kids I knew were considered hyperactive, As was I.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) AD/HD is one of the most common childhood behavioral disorders and can continue through adulthood. The CDC website on AD/HD characterizes AD/HD as an "on-going inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity occurring in several settings and more frequently and severely than is typical for individuals in the same stage of development."

There in lies the problem. Who is to say when hyperactivity and inattention in a child is more severe than other children in the same age group? Children tend to be hyperactive anyway, and as for inattention, most children have very short attention spans. Some descriptions of AD/HD claim that children may not stay attentive even when doing things that they like to do while others say that children may pay attention while doing theses activities. Even the information on AD/HD is sketchy.

There is no known cause for AD/HD and in reality there is no actual test to prove its existence. Medical references use the common headache as an example of AD/HD's existence. There is no test to show that a person has a headache, but anyone who has had one knows that they are real. So even without an actual test, I am sure that there are children who are extremely hyperactive and/or inattentive that need medication to help them. The problem is we do we start?

Included in the current diagnostic criteria according to The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) are; fidget with hands or feet or squirms in seat, has difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or fun activities, leaves seat in situations where seating is expected, doesn't listen when spoken to directly, has difficulty engaging in leisure activities quietly, is easily distracted, has difficulty awaiting turn (impatient), and interrupts or intrudes on others. Those are just a few of the criteria and could easily fit the description of many children.

In February of 2000 The Journal of the American Medical Association released a study showing that the number of 2 to 4 year-olds taking psychiatric drugs had increased by 50% between 1991 and 1995. 2 to 4 year olds for crying out loud. If we start drugging our kids at 2, 4, or even 8 years old where are we going to end up?

So are our kids really more messed up now than ever or is something else driving up the numbers? Something like one of the largest support groups for AD/HD called CHADD (Children and Adults with ADD) which had been supported through donations and grants by none other than the makers of Ritalin. Ritalin is the leading medication for people diagnosed with AD/HD.

Another cause for the increase in AD/HD in children may be the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which in 1997 was amended to include AD/HD and ADD to the list of conditions that can render a child eligible for special education, and related services. What this means is that schools are eligible for more federal funds when they have children classified as special needs.

AD/HD and ADD are very subjective disorders. While some parents may have very active children and consider them just that, active, others may consider children over active when they "get on their nerves". As I said, many children may very well need medication to settle them down and to allow them to pay attention to learn and to grow, but the numbers of children on psychiatric drugs seems way to high. When little Johnny starts bouncing off the walls, the last place we should take him is to the medicine cabinet.

Part of growing up is learning to face reality and dealing with the changes as we grow. Putting children on drugs is going to numb those same feelings that make us who we are. Let's give kids a chance and let them experience the reality of life with out pumping them full of medications. That is my side of the story.

(My Side of the Story as printed in the Exeter News-Letter on Tuesday 8/19/2003)

Have you ever gone to a gas station with only a few bucks in your pocket? Well a long time Exeter resident named Wally did a couple weeks ago and got a big surprise. You see Wally went to B&M Performance on Front Street, an independent gas station owned by Bob Ricker, and what Wally didn't know was that B&M Performance has a five dollar minimum.

That's right, a five-dollar minimum and Wally just happened to grab only four dollars when he left home to bring the kids to school. It was Friday and Wally was running on empty. He just wanted to get the kids to school and go to work like any other Friday, but this Friday was different, he had four whole American Dollars and the gas station attendant refused to accept it.

When Wally contacted me, he said the only words that could describe his feelings were "shock and awe". Now being a capitalist I must say that shock and awe pretty well cover it when a business refuses to accept money. Three of my favorite television characters were Larry, his brother Daryll, and his other brother Daryll. When they started a business they called it Anything for a Buck. In most businesses the almighty dollar rules and the owners' say "the buck stops here", but at B&M Performance it's the almighty five dollars and five bucks stop here.

I went to B&M Performance to talk to the owner and find how and why a business refuses four dollars. The owner Mr. Ricker and his son Mike were there. Mr. Ricker resides in Medford Massachusetts and is actively looking to move to this area. His son Mike, the "M" of B&M lives in Hampton and helps out his father as much as he can. Mr. Ricker bought the station a year ago last June.

When I asked Mr. Ricker about this policy, he said that it was a decision based on economics and that it wasn't worth it to pump less than five dollars. B&M Performance offers complete auto care and when gas customers pull in it takes a man out of the bay. Now in order to pump less than five dollars the attendant has to hold the nozzle and can't work on anything else or help other gas customers because of the small amount of gas being pumped.

Mr. Ricker said, "At least five dollars gives me the chance to set the lever and help other customers."

He went on to say that at one point, "two or more people an hour would ask for less than five dollars", and some of them he said, "would pay with a ten dollar bill."

Now according to Mr. Ricker if the customer had wanted to pump his own, that would have been fine and his attendant should have offered the customer that option, for that he apologizes. If a customer has a few dollars and wants to pump their own, it's the same as the motorcyclists who don't want gas spilled on their gas tanks so they pump their own.

B&M Performance services many local businesses, has many customers who need receipts, and accepts several credit cards, so there is a lot more to it than just pumping gas and tying up an employee to pump a few dollars worth of gas costs him money in the long run. Maybe he should put up some signs, or make sure that his attendants offer the customers the option to pump their own when it's less than five dollars, but as long as he feels that this policy is saving him money than he'll stick with it.

"I'd love to drop it," said Mr. Ricker, "but now I don't have people coming in for a dollar fifty in gas and paying with pennies, dimes, and nickles."

Well I am a capitalist, but I am also a Libertarian at heart, so if a business owner believes that it's in his best interest to set a minimum, than that should be up to him. Wally may not want to do business at B&M again, but Wally is a businessman too, and He may understand Mr. Ricker's point of view if he went down to talk to him.

Mr. Ricker and His son Mike seem like nice people who have just suffered some frustrations in business. In the past couple weeks Mr. Ricker has loosened up a bit and started to allow four dollars worth of gas as long as it is four dollar bills. If you have a problem with a vehicle or the minimum purchase policy, just ask for "The grouchy old guy with gray hair", that would be Bob Ricker, and that is my side of the story.

(As printed in The Exeter News-Letter on Tuesday 6/17/2003)

First off I would like to thank my good friends, Lois and John, for allowing my buddy Scott and me to use their camp as Hunt Camp each November. It is truly an incredible experience. Scott and I have been venturing north, about as far north as one can go without leaving NH, for many years. Usually these trips have been spring salmon fishing trips, but since we met Lois and John we have added the November trip to Hunt Camp. This area is known as "The Great North Woods" and the name is well deserved.

This years trip was the most enlightening trip to date for both Scott and I. Now we talk the talk like true sportsmen, but the truth of the matter is that we rarely catch fish and when we do we release them. It took five years before we each caught a salmon, even though we call it our salmon fish trip. On the fifth year (actually seven, we skipped a couple) I caught one from shore around 3pm in the afternoon of the first full day at the lake. Almost exactly two hours later, at 5pm, Scott radioed in from the boat that he had gotten his first salmon as well. After seven years we each got our first salmon of these trips.

Our annual hunting trip is no different. We play the part, we have all the gear, we look like true redneck hunters, but in truth all we do is walk around in the woods carrying a gun. I have been hunting since I was around 12 years old and have only gotten one deer. At that time I was "One Shot, One Kill". I wore it like a badge of honor. I lost that badge. First I missed one with my bow, then later on I wounded one with my muzzleloader.

I saw the hit slightly above the kill zone and the blood trail ended after only 30 yards or so. After searching for several hours I contacted a fish and game officer and told him about what had happened to see if anyone had dogs to help in the search. He said that from what I described the bullet probably missed the vitals and the backbone, so it was up to nature whether the deer survived or not. There was nothing he could do. I returned the following morning and spent several more hours searching the area to no avail.

This bothered my deeply, but I continued to hunt. Since I love meat and refuse to become a vegetarian, I cannot allow others to do the dirty work for me. The next opportunity that I had was when I called a 14 point buck into range. I was shaking so bad that my teeth were chattering. After several minutes with the buck wandering in and out of range, I finally called it in and was able to calm down enough to pull the trigger, or so I thought. My whole body flinched like I had been hit with 240 volts. The shot went through the trees.

Since it was at least a 14 point buck was it buck fever or was it the lingering feeling from wounding the last one? I wouldn't know the truth until the opportunity arose again. That opportunity arose at hunt camp last year. Neither Scott nor I had seen a deer during hunt camp in the several years that we had been making the trip. We have both jumped a couple and seen fresh sign but never actually saw one, until last year.

Last year Big John had family plans come up on the date of our trip. Luckily Lois told him he could go up with us for one day to get Scott and I settled in and then He would have to return home for his family commitment. We arrived at the mountain around mid-morning and got the cabin warmed up before heading out into the woods. Scott and John would find places to sit, or sleep in Scott's case, and I would venture out on my trek as usual.

I never saw John, but I passed Scott sitting in a covered stand on a comfortable seat. We exchanged waves and I continued on my journey. I saw rabbit tracks, moose tracks, deer tracks, and fox tracks but no sign of life. I ventured along the edge of some wetlands out to the end of Big John's land. Everyone on the mountain allows the others to hunt their land, but I was far enough and decided to cross John's tote road to another wetland area.

I heard some crashing in the swamp. Who knows? Could it be a bear, a deer, or a moose? Now since I am known as Bowana, the great white hunter, it could have been a couple squirrels playing in the brush. Noises sound a lot different when you're alone in the middle of the woods. With no other choice I headed into the swamp. After finding no sign of deer, I had enough and made a b-line for hunt camp. Heading straight through a huge clear cut, I suddenly heard a crunch a few yards to my right.

I looked over and saw about a 6 point buck stand up from behind some brush. I slowly raised my gun and began to take aim. Well this is the end of the first half of my side of the story.

(As printed in The Exeter News-Letter on Tuesday 7/15/2003)

At the end of my last column I had just finished trekking over hill and dale, through swamp and brush, before deciding to head straight back to camp. I had been heading through a huge clear cut, when suddenly I heard a crunch a few yards to my right.

I looked over and saw about a 6 point buck stand up from behind some brush. I slowly raised my gun and began to take aim. The buck looked at me and I back at him. Then I saw his eyes, his brown eyes. I lowered my rifle and said aloud, "I can't do it."

No sooner had I spoke those words and another buck, a spike buck, rose up next to the first. I reached for my digital camera, but it was still in its case. By the time I got the camera out, the deer had meandered through some bushes and down a hill.

I ran over to the hill but by the time I got there, like ghosts, they had disappeared. I could see a hundred yards in any direction and there is no way they got that far. These deer were somewhere right in front of me and I knew it. It is truly amazing how they can blend into their environment.

I got back on course with my journey back to camp. When I got there the place was empty. While eating lunch I contemplated whether I would be able to shoot a deer if I were given another chance. I decided that the only option was to "Get back on the horse that threw you." I grabbed my pistol and headed out the door; I would be traveling light.

I made my way down the mountain following a tree line along another part of the same clear cut. I came across some fresh tracks. (Like I know what I'm talking about) The deer followed the tree line for a short distance and then headed into the clear cut. I continued following the tracks.

As I came around the side of a knoll I saw movement ahead of me on another knoll. It was a buck and a big one. The knoll was a hundred yards in front of me and all I had was my cowboy gun, a single action Colt replica. I wouldn't be able to take a shot so I took out my camera. This time the case stayed at the camp. After taking a few pictures I decided to head around the knoll that I was on, hoping to cut off the buck. I never saw the buck again.

I made my way up the hill and to the tote road back to the camp. As I approached the camp I saw Scott and John getting the wood for the evenings fire. I went up to John and said, "John, If you want me to leave hunt camp I will, but there is something that I have to tell you."

John replied, "What's the problem, Ken?" So I told him, "I couldn't pull the trigger."

John smiled and said, "Ken, that's not what coming up to camp is all about."

He went on to ask, "Did you get out into the woods?"

I said yes.

Then he asked "Did you see some wildlife?"

Again I answered yes.

"Ken," John said, "Did you enjoy yourself?"

"Yes", I said.

"Well Ken," John said, "That's what it's all about" Then he smiled. Then he grinned and said, "But Ken, next time, . . . shoot the deer."

We spent the evening eating, sitting by the wood stove, and telling stories. This would be John's only night. He had a family event and would have to head home in the morning. Scott and I believe John only went up to camp to make sure that we went. Anyway he was leaving us the keys to his mountain.

John was up and gone at dawn, he's a real sportsman while Scott and I take the lighter side. Well Scott got up and went out and I figured that it was time for me get up and get out. I knew that Scott was heading down the mountain where I had seen the big buck the night before. My plan was to follow him down a ways and then cut across the clear cut to see what might jump.

When I was half way down I saw Scott's orange hat bobbing through the brush at the bottom of the clearing. It was time for me to make my move and I started across the slope of the hill. As I crossed below one of John's stands, I found a couple deer beds. The ground was bare where the deer had slept. Their tracks headed down the hill; I continued across.

Suddenly I hear a shot ring out from down below. I see Scott making his way across the clearing. When I finally get his attention he points up the hill in front of me. He starts up the hill and I continue across. I notice Scott's hat again diagonally down from me. As I continue across Scott shoots again. Then I hear a "Whoopie" or "Yahoo" or something to that effect.

When I caught up to Scott He was standing over a deer. I looked him in the eye and said, "OK, What are you going to do now?"

I asked him if he was sure that it had antlers since it was bucks only. He raised the deer's head to expose two small spikes. The deer I had killed was cleaned by a friend of mine and this was Scott's first, so neither of us had ever field dressed a deer. Since I had seen it done several times, I was elected.

It was an incredible experience. The guy who the night before had looked a deer in the eye, and decided not to take the shot, was now field dressing a deer that he didn't even shoot. You see, it's not always about hunting, and that is my side of the story.

(As printed in The Exeter News-Letter on Tuesday 5/20/2003)

After reading about a recent challenge to Maine bear hunting regulations by an animal rights group, I decided to check to see what these groups are doing in New Hampshire. I knew that there had been protests during the Miss New Hampshire pageant, but hadn't heard much else regarding animal rights issues.

The first website that I came across was the New Hampshire Animal Rights League (NHARL). Not only was this group involved in the protests involving a Fur coat awarded to Miss New Hampshire, but this group claims that they will follow her to the Miss America pageant and protest there as well.

Then I noticed a quote on the main page of NHARL's website, which said, "We need to keep in mind that we do not deserve all the great things offered to us, especially if they are at the expense of another." This quote was attributed to an animal rights activist by the name of Laura Lungarelli. Well I certainly hope that Ms. Lungarelli never uses electricity, heat, or a car because of all of these great things harm animals in some way, but of course these animal rights activists can always rationalize their own uses.

The name Lungarelli rang a bell so I searched a little further and found out why. Ms. Lungarelli was indicted by the Massachusetts Attorney General in October 2002 for allegedly harassing, attempting to extort, and conspiring to threaten the life of a Boston insurance executive who just happened to do work for Huntingdon Life Sciences. Ms. Lungarelli belongs to a group called SHAC; Stop Huntington Animal Cruelty.

The FBI executed a search warrant on Kevin Jonas, one of the leaders of SHAC, last month looking for evidence of SHAC's alleged criminal activities. Jonas served briefly as spokesman for the Animal Liberation Front. According to the FBI's statement on the threat of terrorism in the United States, "Eight of the terrorist incidents occurring in the United States during 1999 have been attributed to either ALF or ELF."

On NHARL's events page I notice that they recently presented Ex-Senator Bob Smith with an award for his devotion to animal rights. I voted for him a couple times until I found out that he was an animal rights activist. He also received the Humane Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2001 Humane Awards hosted by The Humane Society of the United States, The Fund For Animals, Farm Sanctuary and the Doris Day Animal League. Mr. Smith even accepted a donation from PETA, the People for the ethical Treatment of Animals. Now that he's out, I hope he stays out.

The president of NHARL is Barbara Bonsignore and in February of this year she and Vice President Linda Dionne were arrested for criminal trespass when they refused to leave a shopping mall. They were wearing anti-fur t-shirts and security at the mall asked them to leave.

"I expect to make this a civil rights issue," said Bonsignore. "There is no reason why we can't wear our sweatshirts".

Ms. Bonsignore failed to mention that they were carrying a steel jaw trap and stuffed animals. She continues to claim that they weren't protesting.

Also according to Bonsignore, "you cannot be an environmentalist if you have children". In a letter to the Environmental Magazine she asks, "What's so special about any of us that we need to reproduce ourselves?" Then she went on to say, "If you really want to walk lightly on the Earth, put your ego away and forego having children."

These people want to push their vegetarianism and stopping cruelty to other sentient beings, but they drive their SUV's around, killing who knows how many insects and animals. As a matter of fact these people, by their standards, should never drive on a damp summer night, since you can't go a mile with out seeing several frogs jumping across the road.

Inadvertent deaths are all right if it makes these animal rights peoples' lives easier, but if someone accepts that we are a dominant species and have teeth for eating meat, then that person is just a cruel and savage beast.

Some vegetarians feel like they are above the rest of us. They have a holier-than-thou attitude. The fact is that even a totally organic garden has to be tilled, and you can't till the soil with out killing a few worms. These people draw the lines where they want to. The NHARL website claims that "All creatures great and small have rights".

These animal rights extremists believe that humans are interfering with nature but the truth of the matter is that we are part of nature. So if people want to be vegetarians or if they don't want to have children, that's fine, but don't go trying to change the rest of us.

Whether it's animals dying because of humans, or species going extinct, someday even humans may become extinct. It's all part of nature and nature will run its course and there is not a thing the Animal Rights people, the Conservationists, or the Government can do about it. Just like the collapse of the Old Man on the Mountain, if nature decides to take over as it has in history, by flood, by freeze, or by fire, we are at nature's mercy.

All we can do is be Humane, Be Human, and respect life. Only take what you need and use what you take, and replace what you can when you can. To be bigger than that or better than that is just egotistical. That is my side of the story.

A committee to study the Dearborn Brook watershed reported to the Stratham Planning Board that it should raise public awareness of the watershed's protection, but is this report just water under the bridge? There are already many new housing developments around this watershed in Exeter and Stratham. The New Cooperative Middle school also lies above this watershed. The watershed is primarily located in Stratham but does empty into the Exeter Reservoir.

In the fall of 2000 West Environmental Inc. reported to The Exeter Conservation Commission that "future development may pose the greatest threat to the watershed". Even with that report elderly condominiums, apartments, and single-family homes were all approved for development off of Guinea road. The area around Guinea Road is admittedly an area that recharges the Dearborn Brook watershed. Since the Cooperative Middle School had been built there first, most of the concerns regarding these new projects involved increased traffic around the school.

In October of 2000 in an open letter to the Exeter Conservation Commission I had stated that "This is our water supply, it is critical, and if 'future development may pose the greatest threat to the watershed' then maybe we should take a close look at this and future studies." This new report is long over due and may be a case of closing the barn door after the horses have long since ran away.

There is a development in Exeter near the Reservoir that I had gathered from the Exeter Selectmen's meetings that the homeowners would not be allowed to wash their cars in their driveways or fertilize their lawns because of the proximity to the Reservoir. I am interested in seeing how the enforcement of this has been handled. Exeter is home to the oldest trap shooting facility in the country, which has now had to stop their activities due to their proximity to the reservoir.

According to the August 2000 issue of Field and Stream "New research from Virginia Tech suggests spent bullets may be less environmentally damaging than previously thought. In one study, graduate student David Edwards investigated a heavily used shooting range in Jefferson National Forest and found very little lead in nearby groundwater." The article also states that "James Craig, professor of geological sciences, combed old battle sites, including Saltville, Virginia, scene of heavy Civil War Fighting. Craig says an oxidized coating quickly forms on spent bullets, retarding decomposition into the soil and water."

Meanwhile the NH legislature has targeted boaters as the funding source to fight exotic plant species invading NH lakes. Unfortunately they seem to forget that many lakefront property owners who want their lawns to be green and beautiful have contributed to the problem with the use of fertilizers and lawn chemicals. As with the enforcement of these rules regarding homeowners near the reservoir, who is going to patrol these neighborhoods to assure that no one is washing their car or fertilizing their lawn?

Are the Exeter Police paroling these developments to make sure that no one is causing added pollution to the water supply? Is the NH Marine patrol ticketing lake front property owners who seem to have extremely green lawns? I don't believe so, but does this study infer that maybe the time has come to institute these rules and to start enforcing them?

As the human race continues to grow, so does the need for shelter. Along with this growth comes the loss of natural habitat and undisturbed water sources like the Dearborn Brook watershed. It is not only the responsibility of humanity, but it is our duty to protect our natural resources before it's too late. If this means forcing new developments to move further away from wetlands and watersheds, so be it. It is our future and the future of generations to come.

Three years ago in my letter to The Exeter Conservation Commission I finished by asking "If there is any chance that this (the proposed housing developments) may effect the watershed that produces 25% of Exeter's drinking water, is this a chance that we all want to take?" That was then, and is now, my side of the story.

A little Latino looking girl appears to an American Woman office worker. The little girl speaks "You killed me". Then she continues "There was a bomb. I was going to school." The woman asks "What does that have to do with me?" The girl answers "You bought drugs. You gave them money. They can't do things like that with out money." Then the little girl whispers, "It's the money."

This is from an ad called the Messenger and was sponsored by the Whitehouse Office of National Drug Control Policy. This is such a lie that it staggers the imagination. Isn't it funny how upset the Whitehouse gets when those that oppose policies on Iraq or drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge use the statement that "It's the oil"?

The President and his minions cry out that there is more to it than oil. They claim there are great reasons to use the oil located in a wildlife refuge to alleviate our dependence on other countries and that the War on Terrorism cries out for us to stop Saddam Hussein and save the children and the downtrodden people of Iraq. Well the shoe is on the other foot now isn't it? I find these tactics disgusting whether used by the anti-war, anti-American Hollywood liberals or the conservative, GOP, white liars in the Whitehouse.

First off what any American does in his or her own home that doesn't harm anyone else should be legal. These crimes are victimless crimes and a total waste of money to enforce. We have a staggering problem with the overcrowding of prisons and this is mostly due to our zero tolerance for victimless crimes like drug use. I'm not talking about the selling of drugs to schoolchildren. Anyone who sells drugs to children should be punished severely as should anyone selling alcohol or cigarettes to kids.

Drugs should be controlled exactly like cigarettes and alcohol. It should be illegal for minors to possess drugs, just like it's illegal for them to possess cigarettes and alcohol. Drugs should be taxed in the same manor as well. This would give the Food and Drug Administration control over the strength and contents of these drugs and the ability to monitor these suppliers that are now supposedly supporting terrorists.

Now let's take a look at who is really supporting terrorism. In November of 2001 Under the Foreign Assistance Act (FAA) of 1961 President Bush was required to supply congress with a list of what were determined to be drug producing and/or drug-transit countries. There were 23 countries on this list. So when it comes to supporting terrorism we need to look at coffee drinkers. 14 of these countries are large coffee producers, so for every cup someone drinks, they are supporting terrorism. So remember that little girl being blown up when you drink your next cup.

What about your next vacation? Would you take a trip to Acapulco, Cabo San Lucas, Cancun, Guadalajara, or maybe Mexico City? Mexico is on the list for trafficking and producing drugs, so if you do, you are supporting terrorism. Maybe you could try carnival down in Rio de Janeiro. Sorry but you'd be supporting terrorism because they are on the list. You can forget about the Bahamas and Jamaica too. According to a U.S. Department of State fact sheet Jamaica "is the leading transshipment point in the Caribbean for cocaine destined for the United States" and "It is also the largest Caribbean producer and exporter of marijuana, much of it destined for U.S. markets." I guess that brings a whole new meaning to "Come to Jamaica and You'll Feel Alright".

President Bush is obviously supporting terrorism since he has suggested forgiving 3 million illegal aliens from Mexico and allowing them to become citizens. President Bush, Isn't that supporting terrorism? Shouldn't we be careful about illegal aliens from terrorist countries?

So President Bush, some night while your working late in the oval office, a little Latino looking girl may appear to you. She'll say "You killed me" and then she'll whisper "It's the money" That is my side of the story.

When the students of the Exeter High School decided to stage a walk out in protest of the school's lack of recognition for Martin Luther King Day, many of them didn't seem to comprehend the consequences of their actions. Civil disobedience is just that, disobedient. In society there are rules and when someone is disobedient there are consequences for breaking those rules. Martin Luther King, above all, knew the consequences for his disobedience.

One senior student, Seth Hoffman, is quoted as saying, in regards to Civil Rights, "Today, Exeter High School has failed us. If the school is not going to teach us, we're going to have to learn ourselves." So, did Seth decide to protest by spending the day at the library to learn about Dr. King? No, he chose to walk out in direct violation of school rules. The consequence for that action is detention and a well-deserved detention as well.

Another senior, Jessica Dangelmaier, stated in an interview that the idea of punishing students for exercising their beliefs is ridiculous. Obviously our school system has failed; it has failed to teach these students a simple lesson of civil disobedience and that lesson is that there are consequences for our actions. The consequences for these students will be two detentions for each class skipped. I certainly hope these students use this time to consider the reasons for their punishment.

According to senior Amanda Schimmel of Exeter, "We are representing Martin Luther King Jr. and all the civil rights leaders in history and for the future to come". Well Miss Schimmel I certainly hope that you were one of the students who went back to school that day and accepted the punishment for standing up for your beliefs. That's exactly how Dr. King would have done it and to do anything less would be completely disrespectful of Martin Luther King and all that he stood for.

Since these students felt that the school let them down by not teaching about Dr. King and his achievements, let me tell them what I found by spending just a few minutes searching the Internet.

Here are some of the consequences that Dr. King suffered for standing up for his beliefs:

· January 30th, 1956- At 9:15 p.m., while King speaks at a mass meeting, his home is bombed.

· 20 September, 1958- During a book signing at Blumstein's Department Store in Harlem, New York, King is stabbed by Izola Ware Curry.

· 25-28 May, 1960- King is found not guilty of tax fraud by a white jury in Montgomery.

· 19 October 1960- King is arrested during a sit-in demonstration at Rich's department store in Atlanta. He is sentenced to four months hard labor for violating a suspended sentence he received for a 1956 traffic violation.

· 16 December, 1961- King and 265 other protesters are arrested during a campaign in Albany, Georgia.

· 28 September, 1962- During the closing session of the SCLC conference in Birmingham, Alabama, a member of the American Nazi Party assaults King, striking him twice in the face.

· 11 June, 1964- King is arrested and jailed for demanding service at a white-only restaurant in St. Augustine, Florida.

· 4 April, 1968 King is shot and killed while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis.

This information came from the Martin Luther King Papers Project at the Stanford University website: http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/about_king/major_kingFrame.htm

So as we all know the final consequence Dr. King suffered for standing up for his beliefs was his death. He paid the ultimate price for what he believed in. The least the students who walked out could do is accept their punishment and use that time to read more about Dr. King and his life. That would honor Dr. King's memory more than any walk out or protest ever could.

Right now there are hundreds of thousands of our young men and women prepared to stand up for their belief in Our Country. When these men and women stand up for their beliefs they are putting their lives on the line. Now I am not saying that they all believe in what our country is doing by proposing a war against Iraq, just like many of the troops in Vietnam may not have agreed with our government's decision to fight a war there either. What they are standing up for is their belief in Our Country.

When our boys and girls came home from Vietnam, after honoring their belief in Our Country, they were spit on by many of their fellow countrymen. That was a disgusting consequence for standing up for their beliefs. Many of those who served in Vietnam never returned. They, like Martin Luther King, paid the ultimate price for standing up for their beliefs. I just hope that these students thought about this while they sat in detention and that is my side of the story.

New Hampshire State Sen. Lou D'Allesandro, D-Manchester, filed Senate Bill 92 that in essence provides big brother's protection for the ignorant masses. SB92 establishes a board for the registration and regulation of home improvement contractors. To some this may seem like a good idea to have the government protect us from scam artists and fraudulent contractors, but to independent thinkers it is just a slippery slope to government intrusion and more taxes.

Large contractors can probably absorb most of the new fees and pass on some of the costs to their customers, but the small Mr. Fix Its or your local retired handy man may not be that lucky. These small businessmen, many of whom are just trying to supplement their Social Security may not be able to deal with the added registration fees and filing requirements of this new law.

It seems that the new boom in housing construction and remodeling has led to many NH consumers being ripped off by sub standard work done by unscrupulous home improvement contractors. Sen. D'Allesandro wants the NH State government to come to the rescue of these poor souls that have been taken by scam artists. First off isn't it the responsibility of the homeowner to check out their prospective contractors before spending thousands of dollars? Secondly, aren't there already laws in place to enforce building codes and improper business practices?

According to Sen. D'Allesandro, "You would have a recourse if there was a problem," Well one such problem occurred when Mark E. Sanders, 40, and Maria Tena, 28, of 798 Central Ave., Dover, NH went to the offices of ARW Contractors in Concord to demand the return of their $8500 deposit. The owner Roland W. White, 44, of Bradford was not in the office so the couple held another employee at gunpoint. The couple now faces charges of robbery, kidnapping, criminal threatening and burglary.

An interesting side note to the story is why the owner of ARW Contractors, Mr. White, was not in the office. The reason was that he was being held in the Strafford County Jail in Dover on two felony charges for allegedly ripping off a Durham homeowner for $5500. Many of his other customers are involved in a civil lawsuit against him to the tune of $340,000.

It appears that NH already has laws available to consumers in the form of the NH Consumer Protection Act and the system seems to be working just fine.

Some other aspects to this bill are the taxes, oh excuse me, fees involved in this registration practice. This bill includes a provision to increase the expected budget of the Board by 25% each year. According to SB92 "The fees established by the board shall be sufficient to produce estimated revenues equal to 125 percent of the direct operating expenses of the board for the previous fiscal year." Once a budget is established it is quite likely that the board will spend their budget each year.

It seems to me that the State Legislature has passed Consumer Protection laws with out the ability to pay for the enforcement of these laws. SB92 will give the State an avenue to fund this enforcement and dump it on the backs of law abiding, honest contractors instead of simply enforcing the laws in existence now. If the funding is not available to enforce these consumer protection laws, then why don't they increase the fines and penalties for breaking the laws and put the burden where it belongs, squarely on the backs of those who break the law?

I have personally seen how abuse of these laws can occur by big business lobbyists amending the license procedures to benefit their bottom lines. Massachusetts has a Board of State Examiners of Electricians which according to Massachusetts Law requires any person who engages in the business or occupation of installing wires, conduits, apparatus, devices, fixtures, or other appliances for carrying or using electricity for light, heat, power, fire warning or security systems to be licensed by the board. The problem is that they selectively choose who has to obey this law and who doesn't.
I don't believe that Phone Companies in Massachusetts have to license their technicians and I know for a fact that Cable TV, Broadband Internet, and digital phone installers do not have to be licensed. Phones work on low voltage and the Massachusetts Licensing Board has what is called a "D License" for low voltage installations, but it seems the Phone and Cable Companies avoid this by some loophole. Your cable companies who offer TV, Internet, and digital phone service run their systems on 60 to 90 volts of electricity. Why is it that they don't need to be licensed?

This is what I meant by a slippery slope if SB92 passes and becomes NH law. Suddenly NH has a new tax, oh, excuse me, fee, to be levied each year and to selectively be adjusted depending on the strength of any given business's lobbyists. There is a basic rule to follow and that is "Caveat Emptor" which in Latin means, "Let the buyer beware". In this case we shouldn't want or need big brother's protection and that is my side of the story.

A friend from Newmarket contacted me about a problem that he is having. He has asthma and depends on over-the-counter inhalers to bring his attacks under control. The problem is there is a shortage of inhalers. Actually it's not a shortage if you have the money.

Primatene Mist is one of the leading inhalers and according to Primatene's website there was a problem getting certain ingredients in the spring of 2002. To make matters worse another company that manufactures asthma inhalers had to recall 4 million units. The Primatene website states that "While this recall DID NOT involve Primatene®, it caused a large, unforeseen surge in demand for our product. The fact is, we just weren't able to keep up with the demand for Primatene®."

Now if you have the money you can still get Primatene. At one point a nine-dollar Inhaler was selling for forty dollars on Ebay. Ebay is a website that runs a non-stop auction site for people to sell and buy things. Now people who suffer from asthma either have to make an extra visit to the doctor and pay the price for prescription medications, or come up with the money to bid on Ebay.

These people selling inhalers are no different than the ones that sell water for triple the cost during a storm or catastrophe. People who suffer from asthma need to have over-the-counter inhalers to get instant relief in case of an asthma attack. To take advantage of a situation involving the heath and well being of others is the lowest form of capitalism.

It's supply and demand; basic economics 101. When supplies run low and someone knows how to get more, than they can charge what they want. It's all legal, above board, and basically capitalism at work. Is it moral? Is it ethical? Not in my opinion, but colleges across the country have debated business and ethics for years.

I remember the Cabbage Patch dolls with their own personal birth certificates and the Beanie Baby craze of the nineties. Many Beanie Babies go for hundreds of dollars, but most are available for around five dollars. To those that made money off beanie Babies, good for them and to those that got stuck with Beanies that never increased in value, too bad.

Of course Cabbage Patch dolls and Beanie Babies don't help people get a breath during an asthma attack. People with limited insurance can't afford prescription medicines and depend on over-the-counter items like inhalers to make it through the day.

During shortages like this companies should try to monitor their distribution to offer the best over all coverage of the limited supply. They should also suggest some kind of limits on purchases during times when there is a shortage. Somehow there seems to be an endless supply on the auction website.

I searched several Internet healthcare sites and not one had the actual inhalers available. One did have Inhaler refills available. Most had no idea when they would get more shipped, but one site stated that they should have more Inhalers by the end of January 2003.

So there is still money to be made off people who just want to get one good breath of oxygen. Being a conservative, a capitalist, and a libertarian, this is a very tough issue to deal with. I believe people should be able to make money anyway that they can, legally, and this is legal. That's why I never made a very good salesman, sometimes being legal just isn't enough.

Taking advantage of a shortage is one thing, but when that shortage is affecting some poor guy or gal who already had the bad luck to be afflicted with asthma, the money just doesn't seem worth it. To me the money made off of someone else's bad fortune, is just blood money. That is my side of the story.

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