The Wolf Slaughter - a message to hunters

It's too easy to sit in a helicopter and chase down a wolf and blast it with your rifle from the air. I've got news for the hunters who pay to do this: You are not men. Zero challenge, zero degree of difficulty and zero sportsmanship. You've got nothing. Blasting a wolf from a helicopter is a joke. People actually pay for this service to prove what - they didn't fall out of the helicopter? If you want to feel like a man ACT like a man. Shooting bears and wolves from helicopters is lazy and virtually child's play. Do you actually think anyone respects you or admires your dead wolf? Sorry boys it's too easy, no challenge and only a fraud would fool themselves into thinking it was righteous.

To the helicopter pilots who have sold out - there is nothing rugged about you either. All you are doing is wasting fossil fuel and stealing from a bunch of retards. You want to hunt and shoot living things for sport get your ass out of bed early and hike into the wilderness and meet your prey head on in their house. Maybe then you aren't a fat ugly American looser who thinks shooting things makes him a man. Mounting a dead animal on the wall proves nothing except that you need some sort of misdirected praise for "your accomplishment" try curing cancer. Anybody who thinks what you do is anything other than wrong is just blowing smoke your way because you have a few dollars.

You and your pilots are arm chair outdoors men with no real stones and an overblown sense of ego. Your closest friends and family are either frauds or laughing at you. Yeah nice kill dad. Nobody in their right mind respects you. Do you respect suicide bombers blowing to bits open air markets and citizens minding their own business? Well....do you - hey genius news flash you are no different.

Yeah real tough guy afraid to get his feet wet. If you knew what being a man was I wouldn't have to tell you.

For the rest of us with a true sense of honor and integrity click here

Alaska is the last place in the U.S. where a few hunters still use aircraft to chase and kill wolves. They shoot these animals from the air or chase them to exhaustion before landing and shooting them point blank.

Thirty five years ago, Congress passed a law to put an end to aerial hunting. But Alaska is exploiting a loophole in federal law to resume the practice, not only for wolves, but bears as well. Hundreds of scientists and the Alaskan citizens have twice voted and condemned what a few Alaskan's making money off of this practice are doing. Some of the lower 48 States threaten to follow Alaska's lead. It's time to stop aerial hunting once and for all.

Rep. George Miller (CA) has introduced the Protect America's Wildlife (PAW) Act, legislation to close a federal loophole and curb Alaska's brutal aerial hunting program -- and prevent programs like it from spreading to places like the Greater Yellowstone region.

Please urge your Representative to sign on as a cosponsor to Rep. George Miller's PAW Act.

Sign the petition

Paul Burke
Author - Journey Home

State of the Union Rebuttal

Even McCain is ashamed of the "pigs at the trough" mentality the oh so conservative, fiscal giants (sarcasm) of the republican party have demonstrated with their massive abuse of the earmark system, and the Clinton surplus turned into a 9 trillion dollar deficit. The fact that the democrats and the Clinton's have a better track record regarding the economy is hilarious compared to the decades long rhetoric of fiscal responsibility by the Repubs.

They loose all credibility with the public (believe me they have) except for those that think running the country is a team sport (repubs v.s. dems). If voters would just vote their pocket book and pay attention to their local representatives we could clean up this mess by sending reputable people to the House, Senate and White House.

The missing word in all of this behind closed door dealing, scandal, death, "terror", fear, mismanagement, greed, corruption, and duplicitous word game, mumble speak from W is the word INTEGRITY. We could all use a healthy dose of that into our political process. Sadly I don't even think Obama's got enough integrity for the system. But it would be interesting to see a real majority in congress with him as President have as much free reign as the Repubs have had over the past eight years.

So what have we America become in our lifetime? Gone are the days of the Walter Cronkite's replaced with Bill O'Reily's. Do you really think the antics of FOX (swift boating) the lazy reporting of just passing the spin on, and the politics of destruction are an example of greatness?

We beat on our chest, tell the world how great we are, how wrong everyone else is, and "we're gonna put a boot in your ass" (that's not a George M. Cohan lyric) if we don't get our way. While behind closed doors our so called "leaders" siphon off our hard earned tax dollars into their off shore accounts.

America has become every man, woman, and child for themselves. The concept of rugged individualism on steroids, and there is nothing great, honorable or smart about any of it.

Paul Burke
Author - Journey Home

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Winter Passing - Movie Review

Maybe this movie appealed to me because I'm a writer, maybe this movie appealed to me because I love Ed Harris, Amy Madigan, and Will Ferrell in a toned down role, but most of all this movie appealed to me because of Zooey Deschannel. There is just something lurking beneath the surface with her. You just know she's a major goof ball but she is currently playing all these deeper, conflicted roles, and the depth she brings to her characters isn't faked. As you can tell I really like Zooey and look forward to her career expanding. Hopefully one day she'll record an album of standards. Her turn on "Baby it's Cold Outside" (Elf) had everyone including James Taylor recording and rediscovering that chestnut from yesteryear. Hat's off to Zooey. So how about the movie?

It's an angsty film with bizarre characters. But as in any good story as with real life the more layers you peel back the more you see, and then all of a sudden it's not so unusual after all. So without giving any of the plot away the characters are not one dimensional and the light they are seen in is varied. Kudos to the director and writer for serving up three dimensional characters. If you are looking for a fast paced, action shoot em up this is not your movie. No guns - I love movies without guns! If you are looking for brilliant, subtle acting with some over the top hi jinx for periodic comic relief - this is a great choice. One of Zooey's love interest although fleetingly in the movie exposes the audience or rather gives the audience a chance to ask why is he a hero.

It's a question worth asking and answering and the directors and writer do not spoon feed you all the answers - good stuff, good for them. It's a thinker and respectfully pulls the audience in and allows them some creativity and the opportunity to put something of themselves into the movie. There's nothing wrong with a little pondering, and after all are the loose ends really that important. Well that's for each one of us to decide. It makes for a good movie.

A quick word on Amelia Warner Zooey's foil in part of the movie - she brings an understated role to life and plays it subtly. I've seen the word eccentric used to describe this movie but that's just the outer layer of the character development. It's a device to put inner pain out there and before the audience. Do not be put off by that description or the weird promotional photo. It's not so weird after you have seen the movie - you'll have an oh yeah moment. It's good to use the brain.

Winter Passing is another movie I can highly recommend.

Paul
Author - Journey Home

The Station Agent - Movie Review

If you were on the bubble about renting this movie go ahead and take the chance. I can highly recommend it, and it comes with some mighty high praise. But ignore the reviews nothing short of the Beatles reuniting with John and George could live up to the overblown hyperbole. It's not the movies fault. That being said lower your expectations a bit, relax and get ready for a terrific film.

This is an understated movie that has a calm running through it that Peter Dinklage easily conveys and brings to the screen. Patricia Clarkson another gifted actor who you might remember from the Untouchables (Kevin Costner) brings another dignified role to life. She has to balance two calamities and still come off charming and beguiling. Bobby Cannavale is great as the gregarious soul who won't let these two tragic figures forget about the upside the day brings.

Peter Dinklage is the star here and doesn't tip toe around the prejudice or rather ignorance the world greats him with every morning. He not only has a lot to teach but a fair share to learn. So thankfully the writers and director do not paint him as perfect. Through it all this is a quiet, sometimes loud, sweet, sometimes angry poignant movie. The other supporting actors including the child Peter interacts with and Michelle Williams are cast beautifully. The themes and tone of this movie weave out from deservedly dark places but life rolls on and everybody loves trains!

Paul Burke
Author - Journey Home

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The Long Goodbye - Movie Review

Robert Altmans tung in cheek Film Noir detective movie ambles along at a wonderful pace, and takes a few twist and turns. Great characters, setting and scenes punctuate this droll take on a 50's gum shoe in 1970's California. Elliot Gould (that's okay by me) or Rip Van Marlow as the character implies - seems to sleep walk through a crazy world - from his perspective. Unable to get a bead on things Elliot never lets em see him sweat and pursues head long into and on his instincts. You can tell this is a 70's movie as Henry Gibbson plays an evil psychiatrist emasculating his patient (or is that client). Anyway great one liners and the rebirth of one of my favorite old time sayings "BALLS" just swept me along. Hint's of sexual over tones - nude yoga and the juxtaposition that Altman usually thrives on presents itself with ease. We wonder along with Gould -"what the hell is wrong with these people" turns out that despite the trappings of time and fashion it's the same old damn thing that's always been wrong with us - just in wider lapels. I loved all the characters as caricatures and Elliot's water off a ducks back approach.

I highly recommend this lark for film buffs and casual fans. By far my favorite Elliot Gould performance.

Paul
Author-Journey Home

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