Well, this last weekend a bunch of guys (and a gal) from NPORA headed out to the Spokane ORV park for a little diggin’ & 4-wheelin. A blast was had by all. We found mud, small lakes, giant hills, and overall great fun. There were five rigs (4 Nissan Pathfinders & one Dodge Dakota) but the Dodge couldn’t quite keep up. About a minute into the park, the Dodge buried itself down an embankment and was one stuck puppy. It took two Pathfinders to pull him out – quite an amazing feat. Sure enough, not ten minutes later, the Dodge owner slammed his rig into a dirt embankment and took out his front bumper. He’d had enough and the Pathfinders ruled the day!

You can check out the images here

And a video slide show of the events (Right click / Choose “Save Target As”)

Here in the state of Washington, smokers have taken one of the worst legal blows seen in history. Initiative 901, which was recently enacted into law, provides 30 days for smokers to get a tape measure. A tape measure, you ask? Yes, Initiative 901 prevents smokers from “doing their business” within 25 feet of any public building, door, window, or vent. In fact, if you read the revisions to Section 3 of the new law, it outright prevents smoking in any public area, regardless of distances, buildings, or people. So one must only “light up” inside the privacy of their own home or risk a $100 fine.

This legislation is the most restrictive seen enacted by a state in the entire history of the United States. Smokers in the state are outraged as the realization of this law going into effect sweeps over them. I am outraged, not just as a smoker, but also as an activist for freedom. To add insult to injury, the law specifically addresses “cigar lounges” which will effectively kick these types of businesses to the street. Sorry, no choice, you are going out of business. Period. Should have chosen another type of business. Not that a non-smoker would have ever thought to grace a cigar lounge.

Previously, I felt that there was a good balance between smoking and non-smoking restaurants, bars, and other types of businesses. I even saw that the majority of these were non-smoking establishments. There’s no doubt that non-smokers had many choices where cigarette smoke would never infiltrate their precious little noses. No more, the anti-smoking Nazi’s have taken their millions of dollars and pressed their will upon the tens of thousands of smokers & business owners in this state. Not only that, but they have kicked them past the curb, into the rain and unsheltered area, far away from them.

Even worse, this will give the anti-smoking crusade just the power they need to be total pricks. I see it now – the smoking police people telling on us to the cops, creating an us-against-them type atmosphere. I see people calling police to report rogue groups of smokers that might be within 24 feet of a building. I see employers and cops having talks with people about how they’re not far enough from the building, that they must venture even further out in nasty -20 degree, 30 MPH wind weather. It’s just not enough, sorry, you must leave downtown to have a cigarette as there is NO PLACE within the inner-city that is compliant with this law.

As a final note, I would like to see a law on the next ballot that prevents non-smokers from coming within 25 feet of a smoker. Punishable by a $200 fine. I would also like to see provisions that if a non-smoker talks to a smoker about smoking that they must spend 30 days in jail and are punished by a $500 fine. Tit for tat the way I see it. The fines provided in Initiative 901 are far excessive considering the “crime” that’s been committed..I want to see the same thing against the now righteous anti-smoking pricks that have just the ammunition they need. Bring it on you anti-smoking Nazi, concentration camp creating, grassmoles.

My 1995 Nissan Pathfinder is getting some upgrades this season. The folks out at NPORA (Nissan Pathfinder Offroad Association) have been tremendously helpful in providing gads of information regarding available upgrade options to the Pathfinders.

It recently seen brand new tires – Toyo Open Country A/T 31—10.5. These are hands-down the best tires I’ve ever run – road noise is extremely low, handling is great, rain performance is awesome. Only thing I’m waiting to see is how they handle in snow on this truck. I just recently put on Monroe Sensa-Trac shocks and a Monroe steering stabilizer – a welcome replacement to the aging (120K mile) stock shocks that were installed. The stabilizer is great as well and provides a lot better control when traversing Spokane’s particularly nasty roads. I’m looking forward to getting her off on some light trails to see how the ride has truly improved.

I’ve got new Thorley headers on order at the moment and should have them installed in the first part of November. This is in an effort to repair the common exhaust manifold problem – and should ultimately cost me about $200 less than it would cost me to replace the manifolds. (With engine performance & MPG increase to boot!) Along with this project, I’m planning a complete exhaust build out by taking the tubing up to 2-1/4″ with a Dynomax Super Turbo muffler and a Dynomax Hi-Flow Catalytic Converter on the back end and a convenient O2 sensor replacement. With this upgrade, I am expecting to see about a 2-5% increase in gas mileage and a HP gain of around 10-20 ponies.

While the Pathfinder isn’t known for great performance in any particular category – it’s been a fine ride for the last year and I feel is worth these upgrades. At 120K miles, I should see at least twice that out of the engine with a possible transmission rebuild to keep her going. Other than that, it’s been relatively maintenance free besides the typical recommended maintenance schedules.

I often overlook this blog as a means to communicate my every day thoughts about what’s going on in the world. This is a blog – a means of communicating – and dammit, it’s mine and I can say whatever I want. I am just up to my ears in frustration with this Iraq war and the ridiculously soaring rise of gas prices. Am I alone here??????? I certainly think not. Are you people waking up and realizing what’s going on?

I don’t identify with either Republican or Democrat parties, liberal or conservative bias, and my thoughts engender extremes from Fabian socialism to outright Anarchy. Truth is, I don’t care who got us into this mess, the blood is on all our hands – equally upon me and everyone who lives in the nation. Unlike the terrorists – whom can be denounced as radicals, insane, or evil – we have intentionally and consciously brought so much death and destruction in retaliation based on decidedly false facts. This should be cause for riots, protests, and absolute upheaval of our current leadership. We’re going to be lied to and deceived from the truth no matter who is in office or what spin the media takes, and we don’t care because we’re so insulated from having to care with our TV, sports, jobs, and many other distractions.

Why can’t we know everything that happened on Sept. 11th? Where are the surveillance tapes? What about the eye witnesses that claim some alarming details about that day? What about the people who aren’t satisfied with the Sept. 11th commission’s answers – and why was our government so uptight about an investigation in the first place? Why did we really go to war if not for WMD’s – is anyone at all suspicious that ten years ago we were at this same war when our president’s father was in office? All they needed was a reason.  Is everybody just freakin’ numb and too busy with their distractions to ask tough questions? So many people are just towing the line without a critical thought in their head, you freakin “Support Our Troops” ribbon perpetrating idiots. I support the troops coming home, safe, yesterday, and support nothing about this Unconstitutional war.

By stirring this pot, are we really making the world safe or are we putting ourselves in more danger? Could it be that opposition to the US has risen over years, and could possibly have something to do with our foreign policy, past and present? Can a war on “anyone against us” be healthy, sustainable, or fundamentally right? The questions keep coming, the answers rarely come.

I learned in school that one of the steadfast rules of economic behavior is the law of supply and demand. Less supply and high demand equals high prices – while much supply with low demand induces low prices. Concept understood. So just WTF is going on when a hurricane hits one day and gas prices soar as much as 30 percent in one day? The effects have not been measured at that point – the prices rise due to “perceived” supply issues and perceived demand. Our price at the pump is wholly determined by what stock brokers “think” may happen – and we’re ripped off as much as $50 or more a month times tens of millions because of it. Who’s ultimately profiting from this rise, why exactly have costs risen, and whom ultimately holds their hand over these decisions? Few know the answers to those questions and I encourage you to find out. To give you a hint, they’re not elected, they don’t have our best interests in mind, and they have enough money to buy our “democratic” country’s decisions.

Not only that, but we have been told that previous rises in gasoline prices (upwards of 300 percent since the early 90’s – standard inflation is 3-4 percent per annum) are due to instabilities in the middle east. Who created this instability? Who bombed the F*** out of two major oil producing nations, invaded their country and ripped apart their lives, and has been responsible for tens (maybe hundreds) of thousands of deaths? Why was this done if not for one of the most important issues facing the US? Weapons of mass destruction??? Nope. Terrorism? Nope. Saddam Hussein? No. For the benefit of Afghani and Iraq people? Ummm, no. We would rather pay our farmers to not produce food than to share the burden of world hunger. The reason is ultimately to install a favorable government that will be oil & US friendly – something the US has been doing (and we’ve been tolerating) for dozens of years now. We know this happens – history has been exposed and we know, but we’re not paying attention.

Anyway, thanks for this long rant…