Im back!

I’m back!

For my family and friends who have been kind enough to read my postings here, I apologize for my long absence. A combination of factors including my desktop computer going down, my DSL connection going on the fritz and my photography hobby getting out of hand all played a part, as did the fact that I just didn’t feel that urgently about most of the current news. I have been carrying on several e-mail debates during this period and some of that material will be recycled here in coming weeks.

Well, after an absence that began just before Memorial Day, I have resolved to get back in the groove. It is the latter half of August – schools will be back in session soon and so, alas, will Congress. Labor Day is just around the corner and the 2006 election campaigns will heat up. I am particularly interested in the Santorum campaign in Pennsylvania and the Allen campaign in Virginia.

Rick Santorum has disappointed Republicans at times, but much less often than Arlen Specter. In short, taking him all in all, Santorum is probably as good a conservative as can run competitively in this not-so-conservative state.

George Allen I knew slightly when he was in law school at UVa and I liked him. He was very down to earth - probably the only law student who went to classes wearing cowboy boots. So far, his is the only name being seriously touted for the GOP nomination in 2008 that I could support, so I hope George pulls out a victory in his re-election campaign.

I have been going out for a few hours most days exploring backroads where you can drive slow without people honking at you and get out and stalk along the shoulders looking for butterflies, wildflowers, and other interesting stuff. Each of these little safaris then required a similar amount of time in front of the computer sorting through the results, deleting the junk, researching what species I had found, and so on. If you want to see a small sample of the results of my obsession with photography lately, please visit my photo blog: http://keensphotos.blogspot.com/