As the three or four of you who regularly take a look at this blog know, I try to sidestep the political conversations. There are a few days out of the year though, when politics should stand aside, and Americans should stop, reflect, and thank God for where we are, what we have, and how blessed we have been.

My mother sent something in e-mail this morning that contained a quote by Ronald Reagan. When Reagan was elected in 1980, I was 16 years old, and felt certain that I would not live to see the completion of my high school years. You see, I was convinced that Reagan would get us nuked back to the stone age. Reflecting on that time though, it seems like he was likely the best answer available at the time, and really did set the stage for a prosperous decade to come.

I went looking for Reagan quotes to see if I could confirm that the one she sent actually came from him. In looking for that answer, I found a few more, and thought I’d put ‘em all here, on this day where we Americans celebrate the establishment of this land.

You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness. If we fail, at least let our children and our children’s children say of us we justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done.

Putting people first has always been America’s secret weapon. It’s the way we’ve kept the spirit of our revolutions alive—a spirit that drives us to dream and dare, and take great risks for a greater good.

I’ve spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don’t know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That’s how I saw it, and see it still.

After 200 years, two centuries, she still stands strong and true on the granite ridge, and her glow has held steady no matter what storm. And she’s still a beacon, still a magnet for all who must have freedom, for all the pilgrims from all the lost places who are hurtling through the darkness, toward home.

The ultimate determinate in the struggle now going on for the world will not be bombs and rockets but a test of wills and ideas – a trial of spiritual resolve; the values we hold, the beliefs we cherish and the ideas to which we are dedicated.

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.

Enjoy your 4th of July, wherever you are. Cherish your family. Enjoy the fireworks, food, and friends. And revel in the freedom that we Americans celebrate today. Today is first day on the road to the next 4th of July — what freedoms will you enjoy between now and then?

In the news tonight was a court victory for the Navy, giving the Navy the go ahead to use loud, potentially deadly sonar in waters known to be inhabited by whales and other marine mammals sensitive to the sounds. The way it was reported, the court said national security outweighs ecological concerns.

It’s akin to the military deciding that an above ground, high-pitched sonic weapon was necessary for national security, and was allowed to continue working with that weapon in a locale where dogs were. In that case, people would be livid. I suspect the whales were short-shrifted because they’re not cute and cuddly, and living in our homes.

So, how far can this precedent be carried? Could national security interests be put ahead of other ecological concerns? It’s a great question, and one that has some chilling ramifications.

As I have the last several presidential elections, I have spent the evening with NBC. In previous elections, Tim Russert was my entertainment and education during the election — who can forget “Florida, Florida, Florida”? With the death of Tim Russert earlier this year, my enjoyment of the election was somehow a little hollow.

Chuck Todd — Tim’s replacement — is doing a decent job, but with his telestrator and VR graphics, his reporting is somehow “too polished”, especially when compared to Russert’s small white board and markers. The anachronism of that image in today’s world is somehow appealing to me. Simpler really is better.

It was nice to see Russert’s son contributing to the reporting tonight. Somehow, it seemed appropriate to have a Russert in the mix on election night.

This morning, it’s an early rise, and a wait in line to vote. I got here 40 minutes early, and was about 50th in line. In 20 minutes, the line has doubled. If this is any sign, today will have a huge turnout!

OK, so I’m a little late to the party on this one, but I thought it was worthy of mention.

I was going to Google something (yeah, yeah, I know Google isn’t supposed to be used as a verb), and I noticed that the background of the page was black, with a link about Earth Hour.

Tonight was the night for Earth Hour, in which folks would turn off their lights from 8-9pm (local time), and take a little bit of pressure off the Big Blue Marble. Obviously, I missed the event, but the website has good info about how to make every hour Earth Hour.

Below’s a video talking about the project, and this year’s event. Enjoy!

If you are a photographer reading this blog, I strongly urge you to evaluate your response to the recent move by the city of New York to restrict public photography. The full text of the regulation is here (PDF file). There’s a group called Picture New York who has their response to the new regulation here, and have provided an e-petition to sign if you’re so inclined.

I did.

This is the second time this week that a story has floated to the top of my newsreader concerning photographers being either harassed (Arlington VA) or muzzled by regulations and insurance requirements (New York). To my view, the right of a municipality to regulate when and where I can use my camera in public spaces — especially in places where there is a reasonable expectation of a desire to photograph and document landmarks, architecture and events, based on their uniqueness, newsworthiness, or popularity — is absolutely not permissible.

I know that in the post 9/11 world, anyone who isn’t doing exactly what someone expects them to do is automatically considered one of the bad guys. This has unfortunately allowed a land-grab of so many opportunities taken for granted before that date. However, turning this great country — that I served during the tail end of the Cold War in the 80s — into a police state is doing nothing more than letting the bad guys win… by eroding the very freedoms so many government agencies at various levels say we are protecting by inhibiting the reasonable exchange of free speech, in this case, photography.

When they finally outlaw photography, only outlaws will practice photography. Don’t let this happen. I strongly urge you to be active, and sign the petition. If you happen to be a voter in a place that’s either passed or encouraging the passage of similar legislation, vote with your camera, and make changes at the ballot box that will once again help make this country free and restore this particular freedom of speech for its citizens and visitors.

…And boy am I glad it’s here. Why? Well, as a citizen of the state of Missouri, I’ve been the target of IMMENSE advertising — TV, radio, mail, phonemail. The only media through which I wasn’t assaulted was e-mail and the presentation of a large, politically motivated fruit basket.

It’s been ugly here in the middle, folks. We have a pivotal Senate race. We have a politically charged amendment to raise taxes on tobacco products. And then there’s the stem cell amendment. Between those three votes alone, I believe more than $50M was spent in the Show-Me State to get a vote.

Daily, I’ve had 3-5 pieces of mail — many times from the same organization yelling at me about several bad points about the other side. I’ve also had 3-5 phonemails — same M.O. And a TV ad environment that makes the raciest of soap operas look like Captain Kangaroo.

And in ten minutes, the ads should stop.

Don’t get me wrong. I believe in the process, and I’m thrilled that we get to cast a vote. What drives me nuts is the season of hate that comes with it.

Now this is funny.  I was looking for some sporting images for a project here on the site, and found Bush’s Last Day.  They are an Earth-friendly group of folks who believe that the President has done quite a bit of damage to The Big Blue Marble.

I tend to agree.

So to further their cause, they sell decals, buttons, hats, countdown keychains…. cool stuff!  Whether you agree with their politics or not, this is one clever group of folks!

Man, the world is getting weirder by the day, and I can feel the effect on me growing.  It’s exactly that effect that I shed successfully in the ’04 Dash through the Desert vacation.  As a refresher, for two weeks, I paid no attention to the world — no news, no newspapers.  The only newslike thing I paid attention to was The Weather Channel to ensure that we would be safe for the next day’s drive.

And the world got along just fine without me nursemaiding it.

Two years later, I’m back to some of my old ways:  I’m paying attention again.  And, ugh, is the world an icky place right now.

There’s talk of plans for using tactical nukes against Iran.

Gas prices keep eating more and more money out my budget.  It’s up about 60 cents a gallon since this time last month.

Precious metals are being gobbled up by folks that are proclaiming the end of financial civilization as we know it.

Global warming — despite the best attempts by the Bush loyalists to deny it — appears to really be having an effect on the climate.

More and more jobs that require the use of brains, not braun, are going overseas, including an incredible number in my current industry.

The US has just about everyone in the world ticked off at us for one thing or another:  Kyoto, Iraq, Gitmo, SUVs, capitalism.  And there’s a new cause and someone else to add to the list of Enemies of the State on a daily basis.

I don’t like it.  I’m very nervous about where we are as a globe full of mammals, not unlike the early 80s when I endured the weight of the Reagan administration upon my young brain, and what I thought was inevitable mutually-assured-destruction with the Soviets.

So I’m trying not to become a cynic… again.  I’m trying to avoid watching the news, as it’s all contentious, depressing and frankly, is not much more than opposing viewpoint holders yelling at each other incessantly.

I need to focus on what gives me joy — my family, my photography — and try to ignore the impact of the world upon me.  I need to ensure that what gets me down doesn’t encroach on what gets me up, and that I allow those things that are good for my soul and spirit to take root and grow.

$2.639

Tonight, the President took to the airwaves from New Orleans. I’m not convinced he’s written a check that his kiester can cash. In truth, it’ll probably be his successor — along with other Republicans — that’ll pay the piper for Bush’s ambitious directives.

I like his idea of using unused federal lands as a sort of urban homesteading. That’s a cool use of space, and if done right, could be a great opportunity for folks trapped in poverty from that region. The lottery thing for getting the spaces would be a little weird, but I suppose that’s as fair as it can get.

I wasn’t jazzed about expanding the federal authority and broadening the role of the military during a disaster like this. The talking heads I listened to after the address thought he might be referring to federalizing the National Guard, who report to the state governors. Apparently, he tried to do that in the days following 9/11, and that was received with a ton of screaming and hollering from the governors, Republicans and Democrats alike.

And of course, he promised rebuilding of the area, including bringing New Orleans back to life. That’s a noble and good goal. He also addressed the plight of the poor, indicating that they were proof of past racial injustice. While I think that there were challenges with this in times past, I think the bigger problem with some of the poor there — and elsewhere — is this notion that you can hold your hand out, and the government will put something in it. After a generation or two of this, there’s no real incentive to find and hold a job, and folks are in a circle of poverty.

I realize my view is vastly over-simplified and probably shaped by what I’ve seen and what I’ve lived, but I just can’t fathom that there’s no jobs out there if you happen to live in the South, and happen to belong to a given race or culture. I’m not saying that everyone should be handed a cushy desk job, but on the other hand, if you’re gonna rebuild a city and its infrastructure, it seems to me that there are tons of opportunities to learn skills, build companies and provide for families. My two cents.

So, how much will it cost, and where will the money come from? Well, Bush was tightlipped on that. Already $60B has been allocated, and the total bill may well be over $200B. I think it’s gonna be difficult to keep $80B+ in Iraq for troops, and still come up with that kind of money. And, of course, the money’s not there now, so it’ll have to be borrowed, and we surely couldn’t withstand another disaster on any kind of magnitude approaching Katrina.

Yup, I’m skeptical. Not so much of the intentions, but of laying the burden of moving boatloads of money into other countries, and pushing a ton of financing into our children’s future. That doesn’t seem like a cool deal to me.