Some people have to road-hunt?? Really?

It is distressing to see that people are still trying to justify their actions (ie. "Road-Hunting") by claiming poverty or illness. While I too find that shooting whatever wildlife crops upon the side of the road to be unsporting, I have further arguments not touched on by Mr. Coderre.
Mr. Coderre claims that road hunting is for subsistance hunting, period. However, Mr. Coderre then goes on to say that either he cannot afford to take time off work or does not get two weeks time off each year. If he cannot get the time off, that is one thing, and many hunters in the community end up with surplus meat that they either sell or give away. This is a viable option not addressed at all by Mr. Coderre. Also, I believe for it to be true subsistence hunting, you should not have the option of driving to the Super A and paying with debit.
As for not being able to afford time off to go proper hunting, because of expensive equipment that needs to be paid off...that is the lamest excuse I have heard in a while. I do not believe that the First Nations had the luxury of expensive hunting equipment, and yet....and yet, they have existed on subsistence hunting. Without asphalt roads. Without expensive guns. Without ATV's and snowmachines.
Any and all reasons to hunt off the road are ridiculous and unjustifiable. It is not a "hunt" if you are driving up and down the road in a heated truck, with a tumbler of coffee and a bag lunch. That is a Sunday drive - not hunting.
If you are not physically able to hunt - and when I say hunt I mean the traditional meaning of hunt, to go into wilderness and track your prey - then perhaps you should not be hunting.
If you simply cannot hunt by any other means than road-hunting....don't hunt. Many elders are past the age of hunting, but still able to get fed because of the nature of First Nation communities. We have similar institutions (Food Bank and Food Stamps) for non-native individuals. To say this is a necessary form of hunting for the young family with huge ATV payments or old-timers with illness' or fixed incomes is ridiculous. If you cannot afford to eat but are making payments on an ATV your priorities are out of whack. If you can drive for hours up and down the road hoping to find something to kill but are not able to feed your family....yikes! Less money on gas, more on potatoes!

Veteran Miner's Prayer Answered!

As Andy Hureau implicates in his "prayer" to "God" that ALL mining areas are no longer viable as they have been protected, I say GOOD.
Food, clothing, shelter and heat do NOT exclusively function with the help of metals as he indicates. I am almost certain people existed without metals in era's prior to the "Bronze Age" and "Iron Age".
I could be wrong, and we could be misplaced aliens living on this nice planet, but according to archelogical evidence, people DID survive without metal impliments.
While I am not trying to say that it is easy to survive without metals, it IS possible. And the wonder of recycling has made mining less in demand, because who wants tailings changing the natural plane of the land with big, ugly piles of "waste rock" when we could melt down the metals previously mined instead? If MORE recycling could be utilized in MORE places in the world, we could possibly stamp out mining all together.
Is anyone mouring the loss of the "operator" job in telephone switchboards? Who still wants to hear 10lb headphones and connect calls all day for minimum wage or less??
I view the mining industry much the same...miners as they were no longer exist, and all the more better for it. Mining is awfully hard on the environment, and while perhaps Mr. Hureau
couldn't be bothered to give two rat poops about the environment where he would like to mine, I am sure that his progency will still need clean air and water, and unpoisoned food to survive. They will need clean water air and food more than shiny metals. So perhaps Mr. Hureau's idea of lying to his grandkids about the nature of his work is a correct inspiration, as they may be wildly upset to know that Grandad is doing his part to poison and infect their food, water and air.

Aug 4 2009

When I left Whitehorse this morning, a thick blanket of ash and smoke covered everything, including my truck. The rust spots were transformed back into stubborn grime. Beggars can't be choosers, can they? This is my 4th trip back to Ottawa since I left the city a little over a year ago. I am not sure if it something to do with me or this trip in particular, but I've seen more idiots in these terminals than you could shake a stick at. A big, knobby stick, with rusty nails in the end. (Of course, they would take said stick away before you could even attempt to sneak it on the damn plane so that's a no-go right off the bat.) An entire grade school class has just disembarked their flight and are in the process of organizing themselves in the middle of an atrium outside their gate. First of all, who takes an entire class on a field trip that involves airplanes? How in the world did they swing that with their board of education post 9/11? We weren't allowed to even go for a school field trip to a museum for years afterwards.
Secondly, and maybe more importantly, who would WANT to take 25-30 twelve year olds to a place where if they misbehave, you cannot simply send them home! I question the logic of taking a troup of children via plane on a class trip. These are not the critical thinkers I want in charge of the next generation.
In any case, stupidity seems to be prevelant on this journey.
TBC & Edited

Dos Cabezas

The grey sky seems alive as it roils forward, swallowing up the feeble sunshine. It threatens from afar and pushes down on the open land like a massive press; bringing everything closer and closer together until the air crackles with latent static electricity. The trees here are withered from the strain of fighting to keep their hold in the ground. They spread their sickly arms over their plotted land, neatly cordoned off from the rest of the world by rickety looking wraught iron fences. The posture is nearly defensive, gathering the brooding tombstomes into the withered bosoms of the trees. Mother Nature has not forgotten them. The city is gone, dismantled long ago and the train tracks have laid vacant for generations. The descendants of those left behind have given up their relatives as lost to history. But not nature. She keeps sentry over these souls and their decrepit resting places until they can be reclaimed...

-JLP Nov 2008

Worst Friday In A While

Today sucks shit.
Normally Fridays are exciting, as in "weee, it's the end of the work week!"
Not so today. I am the only one of my co-workers who showed up today. 3 people are off sick and the fourth is helping at the office down the block. So it is myself and the dude who'd been trained for 2 days by our OTHER TRAINEE.
You can imagine my excitement over this. I also agreed (volunteered) to work tomorrow at the Open House for the new cable store....I was SUPPOSED to go to a meeting about what is expected tomorrow around 10am this morning. Because we are so depleted with staff, I was told I would not be able to attend that meeting. However, at ab0ut 10:05am, I was given a quick 10 minute tutorial on how to use a new program.
So they have time to spare for their meeting, but not the one I need to be in. I am beyond annoyed, I am pissed off. I HATE getting up early.
ANYONE who has EVER known me will testify that I am NOT a morning person. Regardless, I have been working the 7am to 3:30pm shift. Which means I get up at 6 am and am back in bed by 6:30pm. Now that I have given up my Sat afternoon for this stupid open house no one else would do, I now also have to get up early to get there to be briefed on what everyone else was told today. I have to GET UP EARLY on my ALREADY shortened weekend because of my co-workers.
Isn't life just peachy? I get my period last night, (and I take medication because my cramps are so bad) I get locked out of the house because the roomate is oblivious and obsessed with locking the door, I have to get up early, I already feel like shit - discover no one else will be coming in! - and that I now have to get up even earlier than planned to work on my weekend.
I am going to cancel my doctors appointment for tonight because I just want to go home and break things. How come everyone else gets like 3 weeks off for mental health but the person who fantasizes daily about jumping off the bridge into the freezing Yukon River? How does that pan out exactly??? How is it that I can manange to drag my ass in here but no one else can?
This is fucking retarded.
-Jessica Leigh Nov 2008

The House hides in Me

My fingers are numb
Just these two last ones
Like they didn't quite make it in time
or have been voted off the island
of me, myself and I

I'd rather just cut them off
than send a lifeboat
let them go like the traitors they are
turncoats!

-Jessica Leigh Nov 2008

My cats are my babies. They are spoiled rotten. They have hallowe'en costumes, christmas outfits, about 4 different types of treaties and some of the best kitty food money can buy. When I go to bed at night, they jump up onto the bed and pick their spots. Generally Elton will sleep near the foot of the bed and Cece will snuggle up to my chest or back.
They occasionally forgo snuggling with me to snuggle with each other which is somewhere on the "Top 10 Cutest Things Ever" list from Forbes. They groom each other and snuggle into each other's fur, sometimes Elton will wrap his fluffy little arm around Cece to keep her from squirming away.
They are so cute that I could just poop. A great big, fuzzy and heart warming poop. They make me squeal with excitment and laugh with glee.
Is it sad that cats do this to me and people in general don't? That animals in general garner affection and warmth and humans make me crazy with frustration and anger?
If people acted more like my cats or my dogs, I would probably enjoy their company more.
Take a lesson people!!
-Jessica Leigh