This certainly makes me angry. There’s some serious BS being thrown around by advocates of this plan to cut down old growth forests in KY.

The U.S. Forest Service’s plan, unveiled in October, is for logging, much of it clear-cutting, and the use of herbicides in nearly 10,000 acres over the next 40 years — a project that would spread over roughly half of Jellico Mountain and surrounding peaks on the Tennessee border.

This whole plan stinks to high heaven of the logging and paper industries. The phrase “young forest creation” is one of the worst bullshit concepts ever offered by the US Forest Service. Seriously? That’s now your mission?

Here’s the ending quote from the article: “There needs to be an area…that is protected and undisturbed,” Bowlin said. “If they start this logging project, my grandkids will never see what I’ve seen, and their grandkids will never see what I’ve seen.” No kidding.

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Another outrage in the news – Moms for Liberty Fascist Karens have escalated the book-banning crusade, bringing criminal charges against librarians. These nitwits need to get a life. Here’s an example of their fine work.

Tapley told Popular Information that Vicki Baggett, an English teacher in Escambia County, has been “helping us.” Baggett, who Popular Information interviewed earlier this year, has challenged hundreds of books in public school libraries, including many that have LGBTQ characters or address racism. Baggett told Popular Information that she challenged When Wilma Rudolph Played Basketball — the inspirational story of a Black woman who overcame racial prejudice to become an Olympic champion — because it would make white students “feel uncomfortable” as “they are being white-shamed.” 

Dear god, white students might feel uncomfortable. Burn the books and make sure those little white snowflakes are re-assured that they’re kings and queens, masters of all they survey.

If it’s not obvious, I’ve lost all patience with white Christian nationalism used as a weapon in the culture wars. The world is a big and diverse place folks, get over it. You’re not special, you’re not destined to rule. Shut the fuck up, slide over and make some room for the folks that just got on the bus.

The one exception I’ll make for this attitude is for Islamic jihadists and various international drug-crime-weapon cartel members. Those guys don’t get a seat on the bus.

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UK basketball came out of the gate strong last night. Really looking forward to them getting at least one of their big men back. That needs to happen before the Kansas game, only a week away.

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Tomorrow is olive harvest day. Lots of work, though we have four young strong locals coming to anchor our harvest team. Today there’s plenty to do too:

• Get the rented trailer in place (used to carry the big crates to the processor)
• Wash out the crates (they’ve been sitting outside for a year)
• Get cash to pay the hired hands
• Get the big water cooler cleaned and ready (harvesting is thirsty work)
• Lay out the nets in their first position (moving the nets is a big part of the work day)
• Walk through the grove and pick off the worst of the insect-stung olives (too many stung olives will make the oil taste bitter)

I don’t know how many more seasons I’ll be up for this, but 2023 is almost ready to go.