Jane Chastain : Politically Direct

I was in the process of convincing myself to cast a vote for John McCain for president next November when he held a press conference in Oregon that reminded me why I find that distasteful.

The long and short of it is, he panders! Read the rest of this entry »

Fire! It’s one of the most dreaded words in drought-stricken, wind-prone California.Eleven days ago, this word echoed through the small Bible study that had gathered at my home. That Sunday morning, the Santa Ana winds had arrived, as predicted. As night fell, the force of these winds was unusually strong and black smoke rose from a nearby hill.

Phone calls were placed to neighbors whose homes were located high enough to pinpoint the location of the unwelcome intruder.

In the days that followed, more than 500,000 acres would burn – an area more than twice the size of New York City. Three hundred thousand people would flee their homes with little more than the clothes on their backs. Some 3,000 structures would burn to the ground. Seven people would die, and several hundred would be injured. Lives would be abruptly altered, many changed forever. Read the rest of this entry »

What is a “wetland”?This is not a trick question, but it is important that we get it right.

It is the key to an issue that goes to the very core of what constitutes a free country: the right to own and control property.

Most reasonable people would give a simple answer to that simple question: A “wetland” is a wet land – land that is under water at least most of the time. When people think of wetlands they see bogs, marshes and swamps. It’s as simple as what the definition of “is” is, or so it would seem. Read the rest of this entry »