July 26, 2013.  A Day in the Country
        Irrigation agriculture has probably changed just as all of life has.  That became clear the other morning when I was walking the dog. I stopped to visit with a farmer who was waiting for the irrigation water to “come down.”  Typical July day.
        Even though there are more pickup trucks than there used to be (we even had two for a few years for our almost three acres),  neither of us was in a truck.  I was leisurely walking the dog (a city girl living outside of town) and my neighbor was on a four wheeler.  Instead of shutting off my truck motor, I shut off the iPod music. 
         Our discussion was typical: how long the water would last, who was wasting water, the history of the irrigation district.
         Lesson learned - As things change, they really stay the same.

To Burn or Not To Burn

The upcoming burning of the Koran (Qua ran) has been called a First Amendment right, as has the building of the mosque two blocks from Ground Zero. Something is me says they are not "parallel" enough to justify the comparison. Yes, they're both First Amendment issues. However, the reasons for both actions are different. Muslims want/need a community center and a mosque. The Koran burning is not related to a need but a fear of Islam spreading throughout the world.
The reaction to the mosque is one of sensitivity to the memory of the thousands who died Sept. 11, 2001. The perpetrators were extremist Muslims who also died that day, but who belonged to terrorist organizations that continue to exist and plan suicide bombings in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Fear of those groups and generalizing their beliefs to ALL Muslims fuels the debate against the mosque, despite the First Amendment right to build there.
Unfortunately, the burning of the Koran will result in the unknown. We don't know how the extremists Muslims will react. It may play into their propaganda about the U.S. and Christians. Our soldiers may experience increased danger in Afghanistan and Iraq if the unstable terrorists react to the burning in "unstable" ways. Could it be a matter of National Security????
Instead of insisting on fairness of "first actions," we should look at consequences. What have been the result of mosques being built in the U.S.? What have been the results of anti-Muhammed actions (cartoons)? Do we have knowledge of how Muslims, both moderate and extreme, will react to the burning of their most sacred book, the Koran?
Being reasonable, weighing ALL issues, including consequences, should be the goal.

Who am I?

I am a Democrat in Wyoming. I feel very lonely and misunderstood. I try not to react to the emotional arguments that permeate the airwaves. Patience, tolerance, and analysis. Those are my goals. I wish they were everyone's goals. Money and election appear to be goals that need quick response; thus, emotional appeals abound.

That's all for now.