The Sage Grouse

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Nemesis Birds

by The Sage Grouse April 12, 2011

“Nemesis,” when used while referring to birds which do not cooperatively reveal themselves, is a euphemism for an opportunity for swearing. Well, at least for some of us.

Some birders are …

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The Spider and the Caterpillar

by The Sage Grouse April 5, 2011

This enterprising spider, with a body about 3/8-inch in diameter and legs quite a bit longer, had surprised a 7/8-inch caterpillar on a branch, wrestled the caterpillar off the branch …

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Imperial Hotel Part 2 — The Ivory Question

by The Sage Grouse March 29, 2011

The dealer reassured me, with broken, earnest and enthusiastic English, that I would have no problems with customs. Yeah, right. Not his problem, just mine. Who would know whether he …

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Imperial Hotel Part 1 — Reflections on Independence

by The Sage Grouse March 22, 2011

Is The Sage Grouse a neocolonialist? Is The Sage Grouse a plain, old, ordinary 1800s-era colonialist? These questions did go through my head, but I had an interesting question to …

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Small World: The politics of public and private lands

by The Sage Grouse March 15, 2011

Everyone in Wyoming is worried that the sage-grouse will cause a shutdown of everything from ag to industry. Hmm, I wonder. If the sage-grouse had more cover, would it tolerate …

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The OBNT

by The Sage Grouse March 8, 2011

The OBNT lives in central Mexico. They are drab and reclusive, although the song is loud and unmistakable.

Until a few months ago, there were only two records of the OBNT …

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Winter Discontent

by The Sage Grouse March 1, 2011

Meanwhile, in Wyoming, the Legislature apparently feels no need to deal much with finance and spending. So, freed from fiscal anxiety by a flush of mineral revenue, they spend their …

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Caring citizens will face Westboro hate-mongers

by The Sage Grouse February 22, 2011

Why should any Christian or otherwise caring human being interrupt a family’s tragic funeral to heap mockery and pain upon their suffering, unless to reap self-aggrandizing fund-raising benefits from …

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‘The Dave’ Roast

by The Sage Grouse February 15, 2011

Actually, the event we attended was the Roast of Governor Dave, a hugely successful event. Al Simpson, Tom Buchanan, Mike Sullivan, Pete Williams, Terry Cleveland and Rob Hurless piled it …

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Obesity may save Social Security

by The Sage Grouse February 8, 2011

Here in the USA, we worry about boomers placing massive demands on Social Security and Medicare. Ten thousand Boomers per day will retire, for the next 19 years. Starting NOW!!

That …

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Death Panels

by The Sage Grouse January 31, 2011

There are debates out there about euthanasia. But we are not there, folks. “Obamacare” nowhere approaches this topic. The bill provided for payments to professionals to advise people about end-of-life …

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Is there an app for that?

by The Sage Grouse January 25, 2011

If we want to focus on weighty social issues which do affect the public purse, together with crime and morality, let’s talk about juvenile justice. Let’s talk about how to …

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Tenure for Teachers

by The Sage Grouse January 18, 2011

Hey, if they are not doing their job, they need to find another one.

Then the Sage part of the analysis kicks in. First, don’t be a tea party reactionary, dude. …

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Striker is Gone

by The Sage Grouse January 11, 2011

Striker, our incredibly intelligent Springer spaniel, was diagnosed with lymphoma several weeks ago. We did one expensive course of chemo and daily doses of prednisone, which, until December 30, worked …

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‘Gov Dave’ for President?

by The Sage Grouse January 4, 2011

Gov Dave did not step on any appendages, Gov Dave can be candid and disarming, Gov Dave can be bipartisan, and Gov Dave is actually smarter than Sarah Palin. Plus, …

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The Busy Bee

by The Sage Grouse December 28, 2010

Hollis Voiles, Steve’s dad, was a sturdy fellow with an efficient multi-tasking manner and a gruff demeanor. He ran the place like a grumpy proprietor of a Jewish deli. No …

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Dumb but Lucky

by The Sage Grouse December 21, 2010

A friend sent me a story about a rancher who decided to rope one of the deer which frequented his feeder, corral and fatten it, and slaughter it like a …

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Disaster Planning

by The Sage Grouse December 14, 2010

In Gillette, Wyoming, there is a big fleet of new trucks and new bulldozers ready to deal with a crisis which really does not meet a definition of crisis compared …

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Don’t Dumb Down the Hathaway

by The Sage Grouse December 7, 2010

The Sage Grouse says he’s no liberal elitist when he touts the benefits of bilingualism. Many blue-collar types in Wyoming discover that learning a second language is necessary in globally-connected …

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My Dog Has Lymphoma

by The Sage Grouse November 30, 2010

My dog has lymphoma. Makes me want to utter oaths and profanities. Life, even canine life, is unfair. Striker — a six year old black and white springer, bred from …

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Shrike vs. Sharpie

by The Sage Grouse November 23, 2010

The shrike — silent, stoic and stolid — stood its ground. The sharpie swooped again; the shrike stared it down. Startled, I was too stunned to shoot the sharpie …

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Skin Tones

by The Sage Grouse November 16, 2010

I attended segregated schools in the Mississippi delta from 1957 to 1960. A third grader does not spend a lot of time contemplating legal concepts, but I did wonder why …

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Value-Added Production

by The Sage Grouse November 9, 2010

Since all nearby oil refineries (Billings, Cheyenne, Rapid City) are committed to long-term contracts with Canadian oil producers and nobody in Wyoming can find a market for crude (footnote, low …

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Boring Election

by The Sage Grouse November 2, 2010

The Governor’s race seems surreal; Gov. Freudenthal declines to endorse Leslie, the Wyoming Public Employees Association union declines to endorse Leslie. This is sad; Leslie is a person of principle, …

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Condemnation Bloopers

by The Sage Grouse October 26, 2010

Every landman (negotiator) and attorney representing pipeline and utility and oil company shrinks away from the day that he or she must mention eminent domain. We measure stupidity by …

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Domestic Disputes Clog the Courts

by The Sage Grouse October 19, 2010

I can’t think of any reason to make it easy for people who made marital commitments and then had children to casually walk away. First is my radical idea: …

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Sunsets, Moose and Technology. Huh?

by The Sage Grouse October 12, 2010

Twins vs. Yankees? Who cares? I need a deep and personal relationship with a rainbow trout, not a vicarious manufactured sporting event. Somewhere in New York people …

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Preserving Open Space

by The Sage Grouse October 5, 2010

This is a really complex topic. The simplest way to preserve open space is for the government, or an entity comparable thereto such as Ted Turner or Paul Allen, …

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Two Elk Again?

by The Sage Grouse September 28, 2010

Speculators have struck gold (aka taxpayer gushing subsidies) again. How do they pull this off over and over?

First, about a decade ago, the promoters of the uneconomic Two …

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Frac-ing 101, Read The Label

by The Sage Grouse September 21, 2010

The Chemistry of Frac-ing

You are standing next to an oil or gas well. You see a bunch of 400 barrel tanks standing side by side. You are waiting …

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Al Gushes Forth

by The Sage Grouse September 14, 2010

Al Simpson: Facts and Fantasies

What does a commentator do with a guy who describes the Social Security system as “a cow with 310 million tits”?

One point of …

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Apocalypse? Now?

by The Sage Grouse September 10, 2010

OK, the Now Part We’ve Got; the Apocalypse, Not So Sure

I started this column in mid-July, as I was sitting through a thunderstorm the likes of which I have …

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Wild Horse Roundup

by The Sage Grouse September 7, 2010

Wild Horses Again

News: The BLM is receiving 3,500 letters protesting roundups of wild horses using helicopters and other motorized assistance. Apparently such techniques cause fear and apprehension …

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They Are Just Elk

by The Sage Grouse September 3, 2010

The Sage Grouse has picked an explosive topic. People get excited about some things, but they get really, artery-busting, tea party expressive about elk. Elk should be voted …

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Extremism Fizzles in Wyoming Primary

by The Sage Grouse August 31, 2010

What would you feel if you had voted for tea party extremists? Would you feel pure and virtuous the next day? Or would you think, eww, why …

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John Barleycorn (aka Pat McGuire)

by The Sage Grouse August 28, 2010

What ever happened to Pat McGuire’s massively productive water well in the upper Laramie Plains? He got a Farm Loan Board irrigation loan to plant barley fields at …

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Wyoming Leadership Ideas

by The Sage Grouse August 24, 2010

The latest critique of the gubernatorial candidates brought some lively Wyofile commentary and some private rebukes to The Sage Grouse.

Mary Flitner aptly observes that it is easier to criticize than …

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Speed Bumps on Pinedale Anticline?

by The Sage Grouse August 21, 2010

The August issue of National Geographic features the Kaziranga National Park in northeast India, most of which is Brahmaputra River floodplain. This 400 mile long east-west mix of …

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Fishhawk Creek and Chaos Mountain

by The Sage Grouse August 17, 2010

Get on Google Earth and check out the Glacier Basin, Chaos Mountain, Avalanche Creek, all part of the North Fork of the Shoshone River drainage west of Cody. …

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The Grouse on Gov Candidates

by The Sage Grouse August 12, 2010

We don’t endorse anyone here, but we might poke some candidates in the eye.

The PBS interview on August 9 of four serious contenders and two wannabe Republican candidates …

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Thumbnail image for The Grouse Meets Pollyana (and Poll)

The Grouse Meets Pollyana (and Poll)

by The Sage Grouse July 31, 2010

Readers have recently provided online and offline suggestions that The Sage Grouse is just too negative.

I hear the refrain: Can’t we all play nice? Let’s Be Positive.

That …

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FDA Wrongheaded on Cody Drug Lab

by The Sage Grouse July 25, 2010

Holy Morphine!! Drug Showdown in Cody

How did I miss this? Cody Labs in our own Cody, WY, makes pharmaceuticals for the generic drug market. I suppose their …

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My Techno Fantasy

by The Sage Grouse July 23, 2010

My Techno Fantasy
This, from a guy who keeps forgetting how to access the phonebook on his cell phone:
We can buy sound recorders, video cameras, point-and-shoot cameras, SLR cameras, GPS and …

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Reader Poll: Deep Water Drilling

by The Sage Grouse July 20, 2010

The BP oil spill off the Louisiana coast is undeniably a pivotal event as our nation debates alternatives to borrowing money from the Chinese to buy oil from the Saudis …

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Depths of Depravity

by The Sage Grouse July 15, 2010

Depths of Depravity
Wyoming might get more than its statistical share of sexual sadists; I don’t know.
Dale Wayne Eaton kidnaps lovely Lisa Marie Kimmel in 1988, does unspeakable things to her …

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Blowing Up Outhouses

by The Sage Grouse July 10, 2010

Let’s get down and punk government for making war, trashing the environment and, worst of all, furnishing offensive outhouses in parks and recreation areas.

This is big: I can hear Iran’s …

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Grizzlies In My Back Yard

by The Sage Grouse July 2, 2010

We bought a book detailing the history of the Centennial Valley from homesteading days; there were a lot of murders in this harsh, remote wilderness. It’s a tough place. WARNING …

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My Costly Health Care Encounter

by The Sage Grouse June 30, 2010

Like all of those network news anchors, I went for a colonoscopy. To my surprise, notwithstanding the obvious subject, the whole process was a big pain in the ass.

First, …

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The Blackberry: Servant or Master?

by The Sage Grouse June 28, 2010

The mere fact of putting the question betrays the answer. I leave mine in the car most of the time I am home or at the office, but take …

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Yes In My Backyard

by The Sage Grouse June 27, 2010

Yes In My Backyard
For decades nearly every enviro group in the USA kept calling for no nukes, no hydro, no coal, no more oil; let’s have solar and wind energy …

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