I always wonder when I meet someone who is debating whether or not to keep alcohol in their lives: why not quit?

Having alcohol or pot in one's life is a luxury, one that we sometimes can't afford for economic, legal or emotional reasons. If those reasons come into play, then the true test of whether or not you have a problem is to just quit. If you can't just quit, and find yourself rationalizing (I don't have a problem so I don't need to quit), then I think you probably do have a problem.

To the writer, I want to suggest Alanon. It helps.

Shortly after the aluminum tube story appeared I read a story online, I think on the BBC, but perhaps elsewhere, that stated that the tubes were not for nuclear development, and that the tubes had been planted by the CIA for interception. When I first heard the 'sixteen words' I thought, "Gee, I thought that had been disproved". So I went to try and find the story. I couldn't find it anywhere, like so many stories that 'disappear' from the internet if they oppose the Administration.

And we think China has the only problem.

but I don't understand why they had to capture the coyote in the first place.

They are very small, pretty unobtrusive animals, they kill mice (a good thing) and like vegetables.

They will take an occasional house cat, if given the opportunity, but they certainly pose no threat to humans.

Also, Hal quit breathing while he was being tagged. That requires sedation or being bound in a restraint, so it's not like he just decided to check out.

I find the story horrifying.

I think that the existence of wild coydogs or dogotes is anecdotal and likely untrue. Coyotes in a group will lure a dog away, but it is so they can eat it not breed with it. However, voles are coyotes main prey, they catch them by jumping high in the air and landing on them. Coyote males only breed sixty days out of year, so for a bitch to be in heat when a coyote was ready to breed is not as likely as with domestic dogs.

Stories of coyotes taking deer are also anecdotal. Coyotes weigh about 35 pounds, it would take an extremely skillful one to bring down a deer.

There is video available about coyotes, somewhere, called "Singing Dogs". This site, while for children, provides good facts:

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/kids/creature_feature/0005/coyote2.html

Lastly, out walking my dogs one day, we came upon a coyote bitch in a dry irrigation ditch. I was surprised that she didn't run, just stayed far enough ahead of us that she didn't feel threatened, periodically looking back to check us out. When she came to her den she sat in the chico brush staring at me. I think if I had approached her den she would have lit into me.

Ranger Bob. I volunteer for our local DOW and am often appalled at what we do: geese round ups, radio collars on fawns (the shock when they die), and deer population studies in an area where about 10,000 does are killed on the highways each year. Go into any population and take out 10,000 breeding females each year and see what happens to the numbers . . .

I know that I have a nephew out there somewhere that I've never met. I would love for him to contact me. His mother, who was always afraid to meet him, has died. Periodically I think of trying to find him, but wouldn't know how . . .so I say . . .go for it.

In reacting to the President's poll numbers, the Republicans keep saying, "At least we've got a plan."

The Plan:

1.Let's pass a law that says that the government can't negotiate the price of drugs with vendors, and watch while new companies are formed to snap up patent free drugs and quadruple their price: especially those cancer drugs that people literally cannot live without. Yeah, there's a plan.

2. Let's privatize even more of the various government services so that private companies can, take your pick:

a. Go bankrupt, forcing the taxpayers to pay twice

for the same services.

b. Be awarded no bid contracts, but only if formerly managed by the vice-president.

c. Bankrupt their pension plans, thus allowing the taxpayers the opportunity to make up for the privatized wages.

For that matter, let's return to slavery and do away with pesky minimum wages, wages at all, and those durn pension plans. Yeah there's a plan.

3. Let's give those federal judges who piss us off so much something real to do. Too bad if the federal criminal justice system is so overburdened it can't handle its current case load, let's create 11 million felons with the stroke of a pen. Hey, maybe one of the privatized prison companies will help fund our campaign. Besides, it makes sense to take a worker who is paying sales tax, fuel tax and cigarette tax and put him/her in prison so that the taxpayers can support him/her to the tune of $35,000.00 to $45,000.00 a year. It should only take about 15-20 years to prosecute all these new felons! Yeah there's a plan.

The vehicle may be moving but there's no one behind the steering wheel.