Neverland

It is hard to think that this semester is almost over for me. In under a month, I'll be on Christmas break and gearing up for a semester abroad in London and Greece where hopefully I can open my eyes to even more perspective in the world. But if next semester is anything like this, it'll be over before I know it. Even with the long days and constant flow of work, both in the office and in the classroom, it seems as if this semester has just slipped away from under me. To me, that's a pretty alarming realization as I'm sort of a romantic with my college experience: I love it so much, I want to to last as long as possible or at least seem that way. I know seniors in the program who are graduating in the spring but swear they were freshmen just last week.
I suppose I have to come to terms with the harsh reality of a college career creeping faster and faster toward the real work life. And not that I'm shying away from my future, I just wish I could better enjoy my present. If I have to have any major problem with my life thus far (which I absolutely know is a better shake in comparison to a lot of other folks' situation), its that I haven't made the most of each moment and lived it to the fullest. At the risk of sounding cocky, I know I am capable of great things and I hope more than anything to live out my potential. It's just way too easy for me now to avoid the future and hide behind the curtain of my college years. Can you blame me? Things are going beyond well, I really am blessed in almost every way. I'm comfortable with things the way they are now. I only wish that these good times can last a little longer. I don't want to blink and open my eyes to a diploma in my hand just yet.
Again, these concerns seem trivial to what others are putting up in their lives and no one realizes that more than me. As the brother of someone coping with muscular dystrophy, and the cousin of two Marines, I know I should feel incredibly lucky. And I am. I only wish I could better enjoy what has been given to me.

Here's to hoping that the skills I have developed and experiences I have achieved here in Washington, D.C. go to good use one day. But for now, I look forward to enjoying the innocent life a little longer. I'll take the responsibility one day, but if I have learned anything about working an 9-6 job for a semester, it's that i should savor what and be thankful for what I have. Because soon enough it'll be over, and there is no telling what the future holds.

Veterans Day

I got this Facebook post from my cousin the other day and it blew me away:

Joshua Lambert (Kansas City, MO) wrote

hey i got saw an article about you in a package your parents sent to me. Your a stud! your making the lamberts into a name that all will be in awe of one day.. = ] hope your takin good care of yourself. i hope to be able to send a letter back to your folks here shortly when we get a break. see ya bro.

Josh is a Marine currently serving in Iraq. His younger brother, Luke, also enlisted and is training to become an MP in the Marines. They are both my cousins and some of my fondest childhood moments were spent at their elbow in the ocean surf of Rhode Island or at their back hiking a trail at Yellowstone. Years have gone by since we were eating pears in my backyard or sitting side by side on my grandfather's lap, and our paths have diverged. But while time and memories have filled the gap between us, if anything my respect for my cousins has grown exponentially. They are heroes of mine in every sense of the word. On this Veterans Day, I'd just like to take this opportunity to acknowledge their sacrifice and in not-enough-words express how much they mean to me, how much they mean to my family, and how much they mean to our country.
So when I got this Facebook post from my cousin, forgive me if I shed a tear. Because while he's proud of me for being in the newspaper and for the work that I've done behind a desk, it doesn't come close in any way to what he has done in his life thus far. If anyone is honoring the Lambert family name, it is Josh and Luke.
Stay safe guys and know just how much you mean to everyone here in the States.

Rome

So I've been getting Netflix these past few months and have been ordering the TV series Rome. Unfortunately, only two seasons were made of Rome, but man is it a fantastic show. Blood, violence, sex, just overall poor morals... basically what one would forbid they're kid to watch. But the plots were great, it is (for the most part) historically driven, and it's never boring to watch. I highly recommend it to anyone of the appropriate age level interested in watching some quality TV programming. The only thing is, it's hard to just pick it up in the middle of a season and go with it. Hence why I started from the beginning. But I can't emphasize enough how awesome the show is. Too bad they only made two seasons... it's just gold.

And Just to Show I Am Bi-Partisan

Impeach me. I dare you.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dennis and the Dems

The back office was giddy with delight today as the Democrats continued to derail their own majority. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) and a host of other liberals brought forth to the United States Congress articles of impeachment for Vice President Dick Cheney. It was privileged, so it was not on the Democratic hierarchy's list of goodies for the day, and Majority Leader Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland) was furiously trying to sink his own party's bill to avoid further embarrassment. The result? Chaos.
Like or dislike or Vice President, the debate as to whether he should be impeached is just down right foolish and it showed where the Democrats' priorities are with their agenda. Not only can they not grasp what the majority of American people want them to accomplish (hey, whats the progress on those Appropriations bills?), but they have to waste hours in the day doing a silly charade to distract the American people from the core issues. And they can't even get on the same page as to how to accomplish their goals? I mean really, impeachment? It got so bad, our office was hollering at the chance to merely debate the bill and blast the latest extremist liberal attempt at ruining the Constitution. It was like watching a train wreck. And lets not forget, this is the same Dennis Kucinich who claims to have seen a UFO. And, here's the kicker, he's running to be the Democratic nominee FOR PRESIDENT. Hahahahahahahahaha....

So suffice to say, my day was pretty great. I promise some more interesting stories should they come up, but I'm not sure many can top my new favorite DC variety act: Dennis and the Dems.

Home for the Weekend... Again

Back home until Sunday night as the parents are getting an award from the Bishop for service. I'll probably head over to Fairfield Republican HQ at some point too. Catch y'all on the flip side.

Indian Summer

Today I got to attend a hearing on wildfires in relation to global warming. Here are my notes on the hearing:

House (Select) Energy Independence and Global Warming (10 a.m.): Holds a hearing on “Wildfires and the Climate Crisis.” Abigail Kimbell, chief of the U.S. Forest Service; Steven Running, professor of ecology at the University of Montana; Michael Francis, director of the Forest Program and deputy vice president of the Wilderness Society; and Michael Medler, member of Firefighters United for Safety Ethics and Ecology, and assistant professor at Huxley College, testify.

The hearing was much more contentious in the beginning than in the second session after votes. Ms. Kimbell pointed out many of the problems facing America’s forests, particularly in the West and the Great Lakes region, where rising average temperatures have led to shifts in the ecological system. This means increased life cycles for some particularly hazardous insect life that kills trees and leaves behind a wake of flammable tinder. Also discussed was the level of CO2 emissions that are released from wildfires and scientists have said that the current wildfires have spewed enough emissions into the air over the past couple weeks where they are at the same level all the power plants in California have emitted all year. What was generally accepted though was that global warming itself does not directly lead to wildfires in that wildfires do not start more frequently because the earth is warmer. However, people put themselves and forests at risk by developing deeper and deeper into forests known for wildfire activity. Many wildfires are allowed and run their course naturally without any risk to the population. But developments near fires can be filled with harmful air particles released by fires into the air causing severe illness. A few of the members attacked the administration for not giving Ms. Kimbell enough of resources to fight global warming caused by deforestization and a few questioned her policies in terms of focusing on suppressing fires versus preventing them. Thinning forests and removing brush was a widely hailed idea on both sides of the aisle for ways to contain forest fires and Republicans attempted to criticize liberal environmentalist groups who block the thinning of forests or the removal of dead trees after a fire so that a forest can be replanted. Ms. Kimbell complained that there is too much litigation her agency must go through to rehab forests after a fire and by the time they are allowed to do their work, it has lost its value. The rest of the speakers spoke in a panel after a recess and were in wide agreement global warming should be a concern for Americans in regards to wildfires and that new areas are becoming vulnerable to potential fire activity.

Global warming to me is silly to deny any longer. Climate change is quite obviously a fact, and whether or not humans are directly responsible and on what scale, it begs for us as a society to embrace more environmentally friendly policies to ensure our carbon emissions aren't ruining our planet. Environmentalism is a concern that to me transcends party lines as it belongs to neither side of the aisle; it is neither a Democratic issue nor a Republican one, though I would be the first to admit my party has done less than it should in terms of embracing environmentally responsible policies. And while some put it off as a less than immediate concern, like the bankrupting of our social security system, it does face potentially devastating consequences if gone unchecked in the present, again like social security. It's time for our government to not only embrace climate change for what it really is, but also to take steps NOW to curb global warming. It's encouraging seeing businesses begin to embrace the reality of what the American populace wants by going "green," but practical solutions go beyond alternative energies and fuel efficient cars. They touch on conservation of our land and preserving the healing powers of our planet by restoring mother nature to rule itself. When housing booms threaten these already strained forests, people not only risk the health of their environment, but risk their own health with the frequent wildfires that NATURALLY rip through a region. And when agencies like the U.S. Forest Service cannot thin forests of dry, choking brush and dead vegetation due to interest groups (liberal and conservative), we are asking for disaster. Like my notes mention, forest fires such as the ones in California, exacerbated by the consequences of global warming, produce tremendous amounts of CO2 and pollute the air with unhealthy particle emissions.

There are sensible solutions for fighting global warming that occur beyond carpooling or recycling, though the widespread practice of both are certainly effective. Its just up to the government to do its part in terms of protecting its population any way it can and not just rely on citizens to pick up the slack where the government can't deal with a tremendous problem itself. We all own this issue... it's about time the governing body caught up to where it's people stand and institute sensible global warming measures.