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Post by clw on Jun 26, 2008 8:39:32 GMT -6
Whew.
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Post by crzhrs on Jun 26, 2008 9:51:03 GMT -6
Speaking of baseball hats. The US military have given the Sons of Iraqs "security forces" baseball caps with Smirnoff written on it.
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Post by Treasuredude on Jun 26, 2008 10:22:04 GMT -6
Since we're outdoors a lot we have to do nightly tick checks. That can be sorta fun . . . but finding a tick embedded in a "sensitive" area is disturbing. Been walking around outside naked?
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Post by crzhrs on Jun 26, 2008 10:46:56 GMT -6
<Been walking around outside naked?>
Are you kiddin'? Walkin' around with no clothes on in my neck of the woods will lead to ending up covered with welts, bug bites, poison ivy, and strange looks from the deer.
Ticks are very clever. They will climb up your pants or even go underneath a pant leg if you don't have your pants tucked into your socks. Or just continue on your shirt then get you in the neck. They will then find a "tender" spot and embed themselves without you even noticing. They don't hurt . . . but it is a little disconcerting to find a tick in a spot that you would rather they not be in.
The trick is to catch them before they start sucking. Some of them carry Lyme disease.
I prefer the term "nude" . . . much more classy.
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Post by BrokenSword on Jun 26, 2008 11:30:37 GMT -6
crzhrs- "...Walkin' around with no clothes on in my neck of the woods will lead to ending up covered with welts, bug bites, poison ivy, and strange looks from the deer...."
Sounds frighteningly like a man speaking from experience.
M
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Post by crzhrs on Jun 26, 2008 11:45:41 GMT -6
<crzhrs- "...Walkin' around with no clothes on in my neck of the woods will lead to ending up covered with welts, bug bites, poison ivy, and strange looks from the deer...."
Sounds frighteningly like a man speaking from experience.>
Getting older does sometimes make one smarter.
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Post by Diane Merkel on Jun 26, 2008 12:24:08 GMT -6
I wasn't aware that deers have different looks or that they take note of our clothing. There is no end to what can be learned on these boards!
Back to CBHMA: There was as much fighting going on within its ranks at that time as there was fighting with the NPS. One board member, a rental car agent, attacked Ron Nichols, an aeronautical engineer, for being incompetent. Such incidents leave their sting for years to come. NPS put most if not all of their western bookstores in the hands of one group. It made sense to do so for many reasons not the least of which was CBHMA's attitude. They were a vendor and had control of the bookstore operation at the pleasure of the NPS. Would you keep an employee who did nothing but bitch and fight with you relentlessly? The name change wasn't the NPS' decision. It was mandated by the Congress of the United States of America.
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Post by clw on Jun 26, 2008 12:32:49 GMT -6
I wasn't aware that deers have different looks or that they take note of our clothing. There is no end to what can be learned on these boards! Don't know about deer, but the horses are scared to death of me in my ruffly nightgown. I didn't know it was a congressional mandate -- very interesting.
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Post by biggordie on Jun 26, 2008 13:32:39 GMT -6
One of Congress's many wonderful acts over the past couple of decades. I'm sure the people of Florida, Louisiana and Arkansas were glad to have their interests so well represented. How long did the hearings last, and how many witnesses appeared - does anyone know?
Gordie just wondering - I have no horse in this race...................
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Post by Dark Cloud on Jun 26, 2008 15:02:42 GMT -6
George Herbert Walker Bush signed it, in any case. Really, how many and who were upset about this name change among those on the hook for it? I could understand if they were changing the name to Well Deserved Wasichu Slaughter Site or Arrested Adolescent National Monument and forbade costumes, but that isn't what happened.
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument dishonors Custer? How?
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Post by crzhrs on Jun 26, 2008 15:09:01 GMT -6
<I wasn't aware that deers have different looks or that they take note of our clothing. There is no end to what can be learned on these boards!>
You haven't heard of "deer in the headlights" phrase?
It's sorta like that when they see nude people . . .
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Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2008 18:13:38 GMT -6
As the decision to change the battlefield name came from Congress, then it would appear that the CBHMA had no complaints at all with the NPS. Why would they? It would appear that the NPS was the one with the chip on their shoulder and resented the CBHMA for daring to testify in congress against a name change which they favored. Perhaps they were disappointed that the CBHMA did not follow suit and rename their organization the LBHHMA. If they did, I suspect they would still be in charge of the Custer Battlefield bookstore to this day.
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Post by Dark Cloud on Jun 26, 2008 19:38:00 GMT -6
Someone - perhaps one of the brand new members with hidden identities - should then inform what exactly the testimony of the CBHMA members was before Congress and correspondence against changing the name. Did they use it to vent against the NPS, which would be irrelevant? Did they fabricate charges? What was it that prevented a surge of public opinion on their behalf?
Or was public opinion obvious and FOR the name change and the CBHMA resented it and just wanted to be as big a pain as possible, throw a hissy fit, and sulk? Haven't heard of a groundswell of enthusiasm flooding their ranks. If popular opinion wanted it, on what basis was dissent made that should be considered by public employees?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2008 21:12:32 GMT -6
I am very sorry dc, but I must have thrown out all the transcripts of the CBHMA members testimony before Congress, so I cannot accomodate your request on that score. But to answer your question, to the best of my recollection, no they did not "use it to vent against the NPS", nor did they "fabricate charges", nor was there anything at all which either prevented or discouraged "a surge of public opinion" either for or against them. As usual, the opinion of the public is irrelevant when it comes to most matters of public policy derived from our political bureaucrats. Its special interests that hold sway in these matters, not the opinions of the general public. Thus said, public opinion played not a whit of difference for the name change one way or the other. No poll was ever taken and the issue was never placed on a ballot. But I would agree with you that certain special interest groups took offense (much like yourself) at the hated name of Custer and made their feelings known in high places. Yes, the majority of the board at the CBHMA resented the influence of these "special interests" and other various malcontents, but no hissy fit was thrown by anyone other than the bureaucrats at the NPS who picked up their marbles (or bookstore) and refused to discuss the situation like adults. I would agree with you that there has been no groundswell of support for the NPS regarding their atrocious behavior in this matter, and it was only fitting that the superintendent responsible for this boorish behavior was sent packing soon after, due no doubt to the discontent raised by the CBHMA and their supporters disgusted with the antics of an arrogant bureaucracy.
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Post by Melani on Jun 26, 2008 23:30:52 GMT -6
I don't believe a new regulation was made in order to boot the CBHMA when they objected to the name change, as rch said. The boilerplate language for NPS cooperating agreements says that the association in question MUST support the NPS in everything, or they can be kicked out at the discretion of the park. Though I certainly don't know for sure, it's my guess that that rule wasn't just made because of the CBHMA.
It's also not necessary to say or do anything boorish or throw a hissy fit to get in trouble. All the Library Friends did was to send a letter to the membership asking them to contact the Park to express their opinions on the closing of the Library. The superintendent went ballistic; someone else might have reacted differently.
Strangely enough, I agree with dc about the name. I don't think it dishonors Custer; I think it simply makes the site more inclusive. As for baseball caps, etc--legally, the NPS can't sell anything but books, so all parks have cooperating associations of some kind to run their gift shops. The NPS can certainly dictate what they sell, on pain of expulsion if they don't cooperate. Our superintendent insisted that most of the books be removed from our bookstore--and now can't figure out why the store is failing. I won't bore you all with further details of that--I'm sure I have already.
Rch, don't judge the entire Park Service by the actions of high-up idiots who haven't given a tour or presented a program in thirty years. The on-the-ground rangers are generally good people who are devoted to the resources and work for slave wages, sometimes with no benefits. And the NPS operates pretty much like the military--the rangers can't express opinions that differ from whatever the official line is without getting in major trouble, possibly losing their jobs.
And dc, get off the reenactor insults. It's not relevant to this discussion, and besides...you know you're just jealous.
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