Hunters, Shooters and Sportsmen... John Harrigan is one of my favorite writers. Here's his latest take on part of the equation.
http://www.unionleader.com/columns.aspx/Opinion?channel=c385ca6f-fb9a-4c7b-9b39-899062752a63

John writes that he doesn't think of hunting as a sport. This creates a real problem for me. By his own words, he's a hunter and I need a special word for him, like sportsman, that allows me to describe him as better than average, in much the same manner that I would call him a gentleman or a scholar. Most of us know the difference between good, bad and evil. We need short, simple words that will allow us to easily communicate our impressions of actions observed. John is one of the good guys. He's a hunter and a sportsman. Live with it, John.

Now, shooters, and worse, far worse, killers, are a different story. John offers explanations, not judgments, about the shooters. I'm a gun owner, I've hunted in the past and would again if it was the difference between eating and not eating. I remember reading about a young boy who was forced by his father to eat an eagle that he'd shot, as a lesson learned. Sportsmen, and hunters, eat what they kill. Shooters? It's like taking your .22 to the dump in the old days to shoot rats. I can offer explanations and rationalize it, I won't pass judgment on it, but it does raise questions in my mind. With killers, those who enjoy killing, judgment is clear. I know it as evil...

This Guy explains it better than I can... http://www.kabc.com/mcintyre/listingsEntry.asp?ID=432586&PT=McIntyre+in+the+Morning

The bottom line is simple. You get what you pay for! Government, for all its faults, beats not having one. Ask the Native Americans. How different would this country be today if they'd had an immigration service and run all of us thru Ellis Island? I've ALWAYS voted the person, not the party. Voting a straight party ticket gets you elected officials like the guy from the Nashua area that got elected to the State Legislature before people found out that he had a website that advocated shooting cops. I wonder how the voters of his district felt when they heard that? And, did I hear he's back again? Running for the State Senate this time? Bet you don't vote in the Primary Elections, do you? Surprise! That's how people get on the November General Election ballot. Know what date they are? "Primary Election: September 12, 2006"... (copied directly from the Secretary of State's website - ever visited it? Fascinating place!)

My name will be on the Rockingham District One (Candia, Deerfield, Northwood, Nottingham) ballots for State Representative in that election. I'd appreciate your vote.

If I had a magic wand.... (With apologies to Doonesbury for copying their image - I don't have a direct link to them).

Here's a link that I found interesting. http://www.bivingsreport.com/2006/321/
Hopefully, it has some relevance to this effort...

For the past several years I‘ve been visiting each of the towns in our district. I met many wonderful people. Some were new acquaintances, some were old friends. I sat down with your local officials. I attended events and meetings. I viewed your homes, businesses, schools, playgrounds, fields, forests, waterways and cemeteries. In my travels, I was impressed by how much was similar in each of the four towns. Thoughtful people, growing families, small town rural atmosphere and a concern about the effects of growth on our communities. All four towns are concerned about the increases in property taxes and have active efforts to protect land with conservation easements. We need to continue and expand these efforts if we want to protect and preserve our communities. We need more help from both the state and the federal levels. If I’m elected, I’ll provide the leadership to help improve our efforts.

I've been a resident of Candia for over 45 years and an active participant in civic affairs all of that time. I’m a fiscal conservative, a political moderate, experienced, caring, competent and committed. I’m passionate about small children and puppy dogs, personal freedom and civic responsibility. I’m a husband, father, grandfather. pro-choice gunowner veteran. I’ve held public office in Candia, both elective and appointive. I’m currently the Candia School District Treasurer, a member of the Candia Conservation Commission and the bookkeeper for the Trustees of Trust Funds. Educated and trained as an engineer, I’m a farmer by avocation, a student and educator by choice, and a workaholic of necessity. I recently retired after 42 years in the defense industry. I’m still working hard and keeping busy, although I enjoy not having a daily commute. I work with and support many local volunteer groups and organizations including the Scouts, PTO, local youth athletic teams, libraries, schools, conservation advocates and business associations. If I’m elected, I’ll use the talents God gave me and the experience I’ve gained over the past 70 years to try to be one of the best representatives you’ve ever had.

Writing to a Blog, I find, presents several challenges. First, there's the technical challenge of using a new and unfamiliar computer program, for that's really what blogger.com is. A sophisticated collection of different programming tools, hopefully making it possible for us to easily (and I use that word advisedly) communicate with other people thru the internet. What do you have to do to get the tool to do what you want it to do? How does this word processor work? Is there a "spell-checker" here? How do I get data from another program into this one? What happens when I try something here? These challenges are easier to handle if you are already computer-literate, because you can use the experience gained over the years to identify the intent of the tool and the identity provides expectations of functionality. The rest is gaining familiarity and becoming comfortable with the new tools.

The second challenge is the one familiar to anyone who writes with a specific intent to inform or to influence, as opposed to the mindless babble of party chatter. What is it that I want to say? What's the best way to say it? The blank page stares back at you, waiting expectantly.

As an example, I want to provide some information about the "How" of running for state-wide office. I want to scan in the paperwork that I had to file to get on the ballot. There is the technical side of getting that done. Then there's the challenge of the words that I wrap around that page. Why did I write what I wrote on the application? How is that different from the information that other candidates wrote on their applications? Where can I find that information and how do I "link" you to it?

The bottom line of all this, of course, is to get somebody to read this. Writing, reviewing, revising and editing takes a lot of time. Time that has to come from some other competing need. I want to get elected because I believe that I can do great things for the good people in my district. Tonight I managed, I hope, to get the icon that I need to buy space on an online newspaper to actually let people that can vote for me know that I'm running. Another small step on the journey. Till tomorrow, Good Night and have a great day tomorrow!

Greetings...
I'm running for State Representative in NH. You may have reached this point thru a link that I paid for in an on-line newspaper, in which case, please consider any material that I write or post as "paid political advertising".

Having gotten that additional "legal disclaimer" out of the way, I would like to ask those of you that live in Candia, Deerfield, Northwood or Nottingham, New Hampshire to vote for me in the September Primary Election and again in the November General Election. I'm a Registered Democrat and a moderate politician in a conservative Republican district. I'm not soliciting or accepting contributions. I'm committed to honoring the spending limits for the campaign and I've vowed not to litter the landscape with signs. "Not a prayer", you say? Statistically, I'd agree. To get elected, you've got to either have name recognition and credibility or be on the "correct" side of the ballot. Politics (and elections) are, however, a crapshoot. And, having done all the "legal" things to get my name on the ballot(s), you have to admit that I've got a better chance than you do, right?

Okay, three goals here:

1. Convince you to vote for me (if you're lucky enough to be eligible to vote for me) or to get you to get your eligible friends, family, whoever, to vote for me.

2. Provide you with some insight into exactly what it takes to run for political office at the state level.

3. Get some information about the effectiveness and value of spending my valuable time here. See if anybody really reads these things. Perhaps, get some valuable feedback from those that I might represent in the legislature.

And, One (at least) byproduct: all the literate people out there can give me advice and guidance on my writing and spelling skills.

So, it's late, I'm tired, I'll post this and off to bed. One small step on another journey.