Bye Bye Paris Agreement

This is still the subject of speculation.  Given the fact that Trump is extremely mercurial.  At any rate in the past Trump has described climate change as a hoax.  I learned on Science Friday yesterday that he is appointing Myron Ebell to lead the EPA.  Ebell believes human activity does not cause climate change, and also believes the Paris Agreement was unconstitutional.  I don't understand the knee jerk reaction Republicans seem to have to green energy.  They seem to like to tout Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged.  In which Rand portrays a world that has exhausted most of it's natural resources.  Rand doesn't go to renewable energy as solution, although I do not think solar and wind power were around then.  It only makes sense, even if you don't believe in climate change.  Fossil fuels are not infinite, it only makes sense to develop renewable energy so we do not find ourselves in Rand's nightmare world.

While I am on the topic of Atlas Shrugged I do not think Donald Trump is Dagny Taggart in this story.  He strikes me as closer to her brother.  The brother who inherited most of the family money and the family business.  He is a destroyer, and it is Dagny who must continually fix his blunders behind the scenes.  People often mistake Atlas Shrugged as just being about a bunch of millionares who retreat from the world depriving the world of their grandeur.  They often over look that they were the innovators.  After all the greatest of them John Galt was not a wealthy man in the real world.  What was the primary question driving this book "Who is John Galt?"  John Galt was an ingenious man, who in real time worked as a low level railroad worker, not a wealthy man.  America's working class needs to stop looking to the indolent rich to save them and start looking towards themselves.

The Handshake

Before I go to far with this one, it was drawn off of a news photo.  I don't plan on making any money off of it, so maybe that is alright.  Basically Obama is trying to save us all by making Trump's head explode.  This was nearly accomplished when Trump said that meeting Obama was a great honor.  After years of claiming Obama was not born in this country and unfit to be president.  This picture makes me so sad.  The first black president has to shake hands with his successor, a man endorsed by the KKK.  For the step forward Obama was for this country, Trump is three steps back.  Back toward the days when lynching photography was big business for southern photographers, and lynching postcards were allowed to be sent through the mail.  I did write a paper on that grad school for a history of photography class, rather foolishly I did not save it.  There is not a lot out there on that aspect of American photography.

In Trump we Trust?

Okay maybe I didn't do too good on this one, made him look too nice.  The main idea was the hidden crossed fingers because 70% of what he says is false according to fact trackers.  I also imagine he doodles boobs on his speeches.

View of Marshes from Bluff

Went hiking today, and I actually remembered my sketchbook today.  Just quick things.  Unfortunately the tie dyed ghost bled through a bit into this one.  Anyways this is a view of the marshes looking toward Onalaska from the top of the bluff.  This area has some diverse ecosystems, we have the marshes, forested areas, and some prairie.  I guess I see more wildlife in the marshes, things like cranes and frogs, than I do on the bluffs.  Although both areas I guess can have the timberline rattlesnake.  One thing that many do not seem to know about Wisconsin, or at least my part of WI is that we do have rattlesnakes.  Although admittedly I have yet to come across one, but I do also tend to stick to well traversed trails.  On my mother's side rattlesnakes were a source of income.  My great grandfather (grandma's side), my grandfather, and many other male relatives used to clear out infestations for people.  Back then WI also offered a bounty on rattlesnakes.  My great grandfather used to raise them in a barrel in their basement, and then collect the bounty.  According to the family stories and some of what my Mom witnessed they did it bare handed.  They did not use those stick lasso things (don't know what their called) you see people use on TV.   With all of that being said I would like to dispell the notion that you can just go around a timberline rattlesnake.  I have been on group hikes where they talk about doing this.  Bad idea.  The thing about timberline rattlesnakes is that they are not solitary creatures, if there is one there is more.  If you try to go around you may find yourself in a snake minefield.  The safest thing is to go back the way you came.  At least that is what my family lore says. 

Oh and the Viper part of my name does not come from my family history.  One of my print instructors dubbed me that because he said I have "viper eyes"especially when I am being demanding.  I guess he would know, he grew up on a zoo (his Dad was a zoo keeper).

Woman and Tie Dyed Ghost Watch traffic on Hwy 61