Post Scripts

by Jack Lee

It was a cool windy day in May. Scattered gray clouds threated rain, but they never really did, a brief sprinkle at best. Down low in the canyon the air was almost still and sunshine occasionally filtered down on the blue oaks that dotted the landscape. This was how my trek began on the famous Yahi trail in Upper Bidwell Park going East and ending at the Bear Hole swiming area.

The trail was named for the Yahi Indians that once roamed freely between the great snow capped Mt. Lassen to the North and the Southern tip of what is now Butte County. In 1860 the last of the Yahi, a young boy named Ishi walked out of the forest and into civilization. He was warmly welcomed by the white settlers who took him in and introduced him to their way of life. He in turn taught them about the ways of his ancient Indian culture. Ishi’s family and tribe had been either killed in clashes with white settlers or died from new diseases carried by the settlers for which they had no immunity.

When you walk the Yahi trail you can’t help but think of those Indians like Ishi who walked there long before us. It was a sad end to a long story and now all that is left of the Yahi is found only in local museums or in this case, a few trails that are preserved for nature walks.

Actually, there are 3 trails, the upper, middle and lower. The upper trail leads along the

canyon rim and you can see for miles.

The middle trail is less challenging, but it offers more variety between panoramic vistas to a wide variety of plants and trees. The lower trail follows Butte creek and takes you past pools of crystal clear water lined with white alders, blue oaks, grey pines, wild grapes and green toyon.

Unlike the upper two trails, the lower trail is sheltered by a green canopy of leaves and vines that shade hikers for most of its length.

This is a great time of year to hike the Upper Bidwell Park (Chico, Ca). Everything is still green and the weather is generally cool and sunny. We have had some late rains this year, so that has kept the trail especially green and colorful with all manner of wildflowers. But, I have to caution those from outside this area, it’s not all beauty and wonder. You have to keep your eyes open for a number of things like poison oak, which can take many forms from brush along the trail to vines climbing the gray pines. There’s also the occasional rattle snake, but generally they will feel you coming down the trail

long before you can see them and they will retreat to a safe distance. And yes, there are critters here too, afterall this is their home and you are likely to see mule deer, fat raccoons and very rarely….a mountain lion (cougar).

I’ve never seen a cougar in all my years here, but I’ve seen their tracks and we’ve had a few unfortunate encounters with locals. But, mostly the mountain lions are just as happy to avoid you as you are to avoid them!

Last week I tracked a cougar near the Yahi trail for a short distance. His tracks were at times on top of a deer track, so it appeared the cougar was also tracking the deer. By the size of the track he appeared young, probably only about 100 pounds. The tracks were pretty fresh so I didn’t spend a lot of time trying to find the big cat for a photo op!

As you walk the Yahi you will notice the creek has exposed many layers of soil and lava, some of the lava is mud-like lava and that type originated from a prehistoric volcano near the town of Weaverville and then there are fractured lava and basalt cobbles. You can see a million years of geologic history exposed in high rocky cliffs on the south side of the creek and the oldest is right under your feet on the trail as it comes close to the creek’s edge.

Nearing the upper end of the Yahi trail the lava changes composition and it is seen as smooth dark brown rock cobbles, fractured on its surface into small squares, 5 to 6 inches on average (see photo below right).

Butte Creek is forced to wind its way through these lava cobbles and mounds that now look like boulders and find its way through their crevices to eventually emerge in a foaming rush of white water and small water falls. This feeds the large pools below and keeps the water pristine clear.

The following are some of the flora and fauna you’re likely to encounter on this trail: American pillwort and Toyon that grows near the vernal pools, wet cobbles, cliff faces and in shaded soil. Coffee fern grows among the bedrock outcrops and cliff faces. Bird’s foot ferns and even the rare Silver-backed fern is there among the fractured basalt too. Some of the conifers are Ponderosa pine and Gray pine. Flowering plants include Tumbleweed Ruderal, Poison oak and Vasey’s coyote thistle.

If you are a beginning hiker, I would suggest you plan on walking about half the Yahi

trail, then turn north and take a trail over to the improved road (gravel and hard pan) and return to the entrance. This will only take about an hour and you won’t feel too worn out. The overall distance takes between 1.5 and 3 hours depending on how many stops for photos you take. I took a leisurely trek with lots of stops and by the time I got back to my car at the parking lot near Horseshoe Lake I had walked for about 2.5 hours.

By the way, the sign at the entrance to the park really doesn’t say you have to be a on a leash. I just had some fun and reversed a couple of words with my picture editor. Oh, and one last thing, Bear Hole doesn’t mean you go swimming bare, but seems like every year dozens of young ladies new to Chico State College make that silly mistake. So, if you’re walking the trail in the warm days of summer, just be prepared to encounter a lot of nature!

by Jack Lee

It never ceases to amaze how rude or illogical people can be when it comes to politics. You want to try and experiment to see my point? Just carry some political yard signs up to somebodies house and ask if you can put one up. See what kind of a reception you get. I have a list of republican households that I went to the other day and this is the kind of junk I ran into:

Knock-knock, “Hello Sir, I’m putting up signs for Mr. XYZ, a conservative republican, and I was wondering if I could I put this sign in the corner of your yard? “No we don’t do that. We’re good republicans, but we don’t allow yard signs supporting republicans.”

Knock-knock, “Hello, I’m putting up signs for XYZ, a good republican, and I was wondering if I could I put this sign out there in your yard? (door slams shut)

Knock-knock. . . “We’re conservatives and we’ll “probably” vote for XYZ but we don’t want any yard signs. No, we won’t help you with fund raising either. No, we don’t want to attend any republican meetings. No, we don’t know who’s running, but we’re good conservatives.”

Knock-knock. . . “Well I consider myself a conservative, but I don’t trust any politicians, they say they’re going to do one thing and then they don’t. I don’t like anybody going into politics.”

Knock-knock. . .”We don’t do that. Bye.”

Knock-knock. . .”Who is Mr. XYZ?” Well sir, let me explain sir, …and 5 minutes later after a detailed explanation, “Well, like I said I don’t know him so, I don’t want the yard sign and I won’t vote for him.”

And Republicans wonder why they are losing in California? Too many out here are like these people. They won’t donate any time for a campaign. They don’t contribute to anyone or anything. They don’t want to be bothered by hearing about a candidate. They won’t go to any GOP events and they don’t bother to know the issues or they think every candidate is a bum. They won’t even help out with a crummy free yard sign. But, they still think they are wonderful republicans and they gripe about how bad this state is getting. Give me a break.

by Jack Lee

“The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.” Thomas Jefferson

It’s ironic that the birthplace of democracy may be the first of many nations to see the death of democracy. Greece is locked in a contentious struggle between the populous who have voted themselves mounting entitlements and luxuries and their political leaders who are trying to convince them they have bankrupted the government.

Massive cuts are being thrust upon a shocked Greek society acclimated to entitlements and the cuts come with higher taxes, adding insult to injury. But, taxes are already so high that at least one third of the citizens engage in tax evasion in the country and the corruption goes both ways. Government agencies are notorious for demanding bribes. This widespread corruption is a drain on both the government and the Greek people. Each year it’s estimated that every Greek family spends about $2,500 in bribes. People call them fakelaki, which is the Greek word for “envelopes.” And fakelaki help secure just about anything in the public sector — from a vehicle inspection to a building license.

In a recent news article, Papaconstantinou says Greeks pay huge bribes in the health sector, too. (So much for socialized medicine.) “They have to pay for a doctor, for a hospital operation, which in theory is free,” he says. “What has been lost is this bond of trust between the state and the citizen, and this is what we need to put back together.”

Continue reading “Birth and Death of Democracy” »

1. You refine heroin for a living, but you have a moral objection to liquor.

2. You own a $3,000 machine gun and $5,000 rocket launcher, but you can’t afford shoes.

3. You have more wives than teeth.

4. You wipe your butt with your bare hand, but consider bacon “unclean.”

5. You think vests come in two styles: bullet-proof and suicide.

6. You can’t think of anyone you haven’t declared Jihad against.

7. You consider television dangerous, but routinely carry explosives in your clothing.

8. You were amazed to discover that cell phones have uses other than setting off
roadside bombs.

9. You have nothing against women and think every man should own at least four.

10. You’ve always had a crush on your neighbor’s goat.

Posted by Tina

Not that I expect this to be the end of it….

It will go down as a landmark decision. U.S. District Judge OIiver W. Wagner ruled this week that people have rights. That may sound a bit daffy but in the wacky world of California water politics people take second class citizen status behind fish and even vegetation. In a nutshell, Wagner ruled that federal water officials must consider humans along with fish when it comes to divvying up how California’s most precious resource – water – is discharged or moved through the Delta. ** The judge also directed the federal government to stop using what he termed “guestimations” instead of precise scientific studies to determine the exact impact reduced water would have on the fish population. – Manteca Bulletin

It’s still quite refreshing to have the courts consider human need along with the environmental concerns about fish, field mice and the spotted owl. A balance in nature must include human beings.

Submitted by Harriet

A response to President Calderone and the Democrats in congress by Tom McClintock.

By Steve Thompson, Chairman of the Butte County Republican Party

This is the first part in my ongoing commentary on the CA State Budget as it plays out in real time. Keep checking back every Friday for more info on the loony liberals running our state into the ground!

June is almost upon us and that means more than just kids getting out of school, BBQ’s or swimming pools. In the California Legislature this is known as budget time and it’s been getting progressively worse every year. The big question is whether or not this is the year that the proverbial “can” will stop being kicked down the road and the legislators start dealing with the actual budget crisis?

Each year, the California Governor proposes a budget around May and presents it to the Legislature for them to negotiate, chew up, and spit back at him with their thoughts. They can keep or throw out what they want, but by the end of June they’re expected to come up with a budget. Over the last twenty years I think they’ve actually passed a couple of budgets on time, but most of the time they’re late.

Passing a budget isn’t exactly easy in California. You have 80 members of the Assembly and 40 members of the Senate, plus one Governor with a lot of veto power. A supermajority of them have to agree on a budget (and vote for it) to get it passed. Most voters get pretty angry when the budget is late because a lot of state services stop being paid for until it gets done. The problem is that a majority of voters also expect their elected official to vote against a budget that doesn’t represent their best interests. For Republican Legislators this means voting against budgets that raise the taxes on the people (who frankly are tapped out now). For Democrats this means voting against budgets without annual spending increases (COLAs) or that ask anyone on the government gravy train to do with a little less in these difficult times. At least that’s how the fight has played out in most recent years.

This year may be a bit different. You see, this year we’re in a deficit of over $20 billion. This means our projected spending is $20 billion more than what we are projected to bring in with tax revenues to the state. We’ve already borrowed to the hilt in previous years to avoid making budget cuts then. We tried the largest tax increase in state history a little over a year ago and it resulted in revenues going down (also known as diminishing returns). Our government is chasing revenue producing businesses and jobs out of the state faster than Al Gore’s private jet can leave its carbon footprint across the western sky!

Continue reading “Republican Corner – CA Budget Crisis Part One” »

From a California school teacher – – -Julia C. Bulette

“As you listen to the news about the student protests over illegal immigration, there are some things that you should be aware of:

I am in charge of the English-as-a-second-language department at a large southern California high school which is designated a Title 1 school, meaning that its students average lower socioeconomic and income levels.

Most of the schools you are hearing about, South Gate High, Bell Gardens, Huntington Park , etc., where these students are protesting, are also Title 1 schools.

Continue reading “The Cost of Tomatos” »

State Representative Peter Palumbo (D-Dist. 16, Cranston) has introduced a new bill in the General Assembly that aims to crack down on illegal immigration in Rhode Island.

The “In Support of Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act” borrows heavily from the recently-enacted immigration laws in Arizona which have prompted some national outcry.

One provision of the bill states that if “reasonable suspicion exists” that a person is an illegal alien, the involved law enforcement agency must make a “reasonable attempt” to verify the person’s immigration status with the federal government. Representative Palumbo tells ABC6 that immigration violations would still be considered a secondary offense, meaning that a person could not be stopped by law enforcement solely on suspicion of being an illegal immigrant.