Let's make short work of the political part of today's entry, and then you may want to return to the peacefulness of these photos, just to sooth your mind.  Have you ever wondered why, after the economic meltdown of 2008, no one has been charged with fraud or corruption, when a 602 page finding published by our justice department, found overwhelming evidence of such?  When and if you follow the following links, it'll become quickly evident to you, and, as promised, neither article will take you more than about 3 minutes to read:

http://www.npr.org/2011/07/13/137789065/why-prosecutors-dont-go-after-wall-street

http://tinyurl.com/7fhuqar

On Jan. 15, 2012, Yahoo Finance reported Goldman-Sachs as being one of the "top 10 most hated companies in America:  'Goldman Sachs’ (NYSE: GS) poor reputation was cemented when the government sued it for fraud in 2010. The firm settled with the government for $550 million, but this was viewed as little more than a slap on the wrist because of the bank’s immense wealth. And the fraud accusations have not stopped — they have actually accelerated. Goldman faces a set of suits over mortgage instruments it sold worth a total of $15.8 billion. The Federal Housing Finance Agency in September accused Goldman of misrepresenting the quality of $11.1 billion worth of residential mortgage-backed securities. In the cases in which Goldman has settled claims, the press has not always been favorable. According to a Wall Street Journal report, Goldman agreed to forgive 25% of principal balances on 143 mortgage loans to borrowers in New York, or $13 million of a total principal balance of $52 million. The $13 million is less than a senior banker at Goldman might make in a year. Perhaps those homeowners are part of the Occupy Wall Street protests against big banks, for which Goldman is the poster boy.'  "  Some recommendation, eh?

Remember, folks, the only way that we can bring pressure on politicians to do something different than what they are doing right now, is to become educated about just a few things, and then DO SOMETHING; talk to some friends about the issues that you care about; write an emai to your U.S. senators:  http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
or U.S. congressmen:  https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml
or steer some of your friends toward this blog; maybe we can inspire them to become politically active!

So, enough politics (almost)!  My trip into a local park where the above photos were taken, was in response to a discussion that I had been listening to on the radio, about the Enemy Expatriation Act (HR 3166 and S. 1698, which I'll maybe tackle in a later entry), which is being considered by congress, right now.  I thought, "Not possible!", and fled to the woods with my camera, just to remove this abomination from my mind.  I soon found myself lost in the freshness of the breeze, and the colors, which seemed to wax and wane as the patches of clouds flowed across the sky.  I might have headed out on the motorcycle, except for the fact that it was only about 37•, and that is just a bit too cool to entice me to mount up!

When I was a kid, there was a "western" author named Larry McMurtry that I used to read, probably best known for his book, "Lonesome Dove", which was later made into both a TV series and a movie.  Somewhere in the late '80's, I think, I discovered that his son, James McMurtry, seemed to have inherited his dad's talent for storytelling, but he works in the medium of music.  His voice isn't all that great, but, having grown up listening to Dylan & Neil Young. . . Well. . . But, he is a good guitar player, with a lot to say!  In keeping with the spirit of this blog, here's an intro for you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTW0y6kazWM
Enjoy!