Island Richards

You know, I have always thought that Barack Obama was a Marxist, and I have made no secret of it. He has continually promoted socialism by pushing for federally funded and controlled healthcare, college, preschool, and mortgage systems. A few weeks ago, he slipped and told the world his plan.

When Obama wandered into Joe Wurzelbacher’s neighborhood, Joe took the opportunity to speak with him. He told Obama that he we wanted to buy the plumbing company that he worked for, which he said could make more than $250,000 a year. ”Your new tax plan is going tax me more, isn’t it?” he asked.

Obama replied, “It’s not that I want to punish your success, I just want to make sure that everybody who is behind you that they’ve got a chance to success, too. I think when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody.”

And there it is, he wants to spread the wealth around. I assumed, however, believing him to be a socialist, that when he said “spread the wealth,” he was talking about taking the wealth from the wealthy, and giving it to the not-so-wealthy. Boy, was I wrong. Yes, I admit it, I was wrong. Make sure you bookmark it.

Now, let’s get to what Obama really means when he talks about “wealth redistribution.” All of us conservatives have been so fixated on his Marxist nature, that we might have let ourselves be blindsided by his real intentions.

In 2001, then Illinois State Senator Obama did an interview with Illinois Public Radio station WBEZ where he said:

If you look at the victories and failures of the civil rights movement and its litigation strategy in the court. I think where it succeeded was to invest formal rights in previously dispossessed people, so that now I would have the right to vote. I would now be able to sit at the lunch counter and order as long as I could pay for it I’d be o.k. But, the Supreme Court never ventured into the issues of redistribution of wealth, and of more basic issues such as political and economic justice in society. To that extent, as radical as I think people try to characterize the Warren Court, it wasn’t that radical. It didn’t break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the founding fathers in the Constitution, at least as its been interpreted and Warren Court interpreted in the same way, that generally the Constitution is a charter of negative liberties. Says what the states can’t do to you. Says what the Federal government can’t do to you, but doesn’t say what the Federal government or State government must do on your behalf, and that hasn’t shifted and one of the, I think, tragedies of the civil rights movement was, um, because the civil rights movement became so court focused I think there was a tendancy to lose track of the political and community organizing and activities on the ground that are able to put together the actual coalition of powers through which you bring about redistributive change. In some ways we still suffer from that.

When asked by a caller whether the court “was the appropriate place for reparative work to take place, or would it be legislation at this point?” Obama responded:

Maybe I’m just showing my bias here as a legislator as well as a law professor, but I’m not optimistic about bringing about major redistributive change through the courts. You know, the institution just isn’t structured that way. You just look at rare examples of where during the desegregation era the court was willing to for example order changes that cost money to local school districts and the court was very uncomfortable with it, it was hard to manage, it was hard to figure out, you start getting into all sorts of seperation of powers issues you know in terms of the court monitoring or engaging in a process that essentially is administrative and take a lot of time. The courts just not very good at it and politically it’s just very hard to legitimize opinions from the court in that regard. I think that although you can craft theoretical justifications for it legally, you know I think you can, and three of us sitting here could come up with a rationale for bringing about economic change through the courts.

Did you catch that? Redistributed of wealth? Political and economic justice? Redistributive change? Redistributive change? (he said it twice) Economic change through the courts? Additionally, Barack Obama spent twenty years as a member of Reverend Dr. Jeremiah Wright’s Trinity United Church of Christ, a church in Southside Chicago that promotes Jim Cone’s “Black Liberation Theology,” and the churches “Black Value System,” which reads:

THE BLACK VALUE SYSTEM

Trinity United Church of Christ adopted the Black Value System, written by the Manford Byrd Recognition Committee, chaired by the late Vallmer Jordan in 1981.

Dr. Manford Byrd, our brother in Christ, withstood the ravage of being denied his earned ascension to the number one position in the Chicago School System. His dedication to the pursuit of excellence, despite systematic denials, has inspired the congregation of Trinity United Church of Christ. Prayerfully, we have called upon the wisdom of all past generations of suffering Blacks for guidance in fashioning an instrument of Black self-determination, the Black Value System.

Beginning in 1982, an annual Black Value System – Educational Scholarship in the name of Dr. Byrd was instituted. The first recipient of the Dr. Manford Byrd Award, which is given annually to the man or woman who best exemplifies the Black Value System, was our brother, Dr. Manford Byrd.

These Black Ethics must be taught and exemplified in homes, churches, nurseries and schools, wherever Blacks are gathered. They consist of the following concepts:

1. Commitment to God. “The God of our weary years” will give us the strength to give up prayerful passivism and become Black Christian Activists, soldiers for Black freedom and the dignity of all humankind. Matthew 22:37 – Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

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2. Commitment to the Black Community. The highest level of achievement for any Black person must be a contribution of strength and continuity of the Black Community. I John 4:20 – If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother [or his sister], he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother or sister whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

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3. Commitment to the Black Family. The Black family circle must generate strength, stability and love, despite the uncertainty of externals, because these characteristics are required if the developing person is to withstand warping by our racist competitive society. Those Blacks who are blessed with membership in a strong family unit must reach out and expand that blessing to the less fortunate. Deuteronomy 6:6-8 – And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

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4. Dedication to the Pursuit of Education. We must forswear anti-intellectualism. Continued survival demands that each Black person be developed to the utmost of his/her mental potential despite the inadequacies of the formal education process. “Real education” fosters understanding of ourselves as well as every aspect of our environment. Also, it develops within us the ability to fashion concepts and tools for better utilization of our resources, and more effective solutions to our problems. Since the majority of Blacks have been denied such learning, Black Education must include elements that produce high school graduates with marketable skills, a trade or qualifications for apprenticeships, or proper preparation for college. Basic education for all Blacks should include Mathematics, Science, Logic, General Semantics, Participative Politics, Economics and Finance, and the Care and Nurture of Black minds. Matthew 22:37 – Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul and with all thy mind.

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5. Dedication to the Pursuit of Excellence. To the extent that we individually reach for, even strain for excellence, we increase, geometrically, the value and resourcefulness of the Black Community. We must recognize the relativity of one’s best; this year’s best can be bettered next year. Such is the language of growth and development. We must seek to excel in every endeavor. Ecclesiastes 9:10 – Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do [it] with thy might; for [there is] no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

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6. Adherence to the Black Work Ethic. “It is becoming harder to find qualified people to work in Chicago.” Whether this is true or not, it represents one of the many reasons given by businesses and industries for deserting the Chicago area. We must realize that a location with good facilities, adequate transportation and a reputation for producing skilled workers will attract industry. We are in competition with other cities, states and nations for jobs. High productivity must be a goal of the Black workforce. II Thessalonians 3:7-12 – For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought; but wrought with labor and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you: Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.

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7. Commitment to Self-Discipline and Self-Respect. To accomplish anything worthwhile requires self-discipline. We must be a community of self-disciplined persons if we are to actualize and utilize our own human resources, instead of perpetually submitting to exploitation by others. Self-discipline, coupled with a respect for self, will enable each of us to be an instrument of Black Progress and a model for Black Youth. I Peter 1:4-7 – To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.

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8. Disavowal of the Pursuit of “Middleclassness.” Classic methodology on control of captives teaches that captors must be able to identify the “talented tenth” of those subjugated, especially those who show promise of providing the kind of leadership that might threaten the captor’s control. Proverbs 3:13-14 – Happy are those who find wisdom and those who gain understanding, for her income is better than silver and her revenue better than gold.

Those so identified are separated from the rest of the people by:

• Killing them off directly, and/or fostering a social system that encourages them to kill off one another.
• Placing them in concentration camps, and/or structuring an economic environment that induces captive youth to fill the jails and prisons.
• Seducing them into a socioeconomic class system which, while training them to earn more dollars, hypnotizes them into believing they are better than others and teaches them to think in terms of “we” and “they” instead of “us.”
• So, while it is permissible to chase “middleclassness” with all our might, we must avoid the third separation method – the psychological entrapment of Black “middleclassness.” If we avoid this snare, we will also diminish our “voluntary” contributions to methods A and B. And more importantly, Black people no longer will be deprived of their birthright: the leadership, resourcefulness and example of their own talented persons.

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9. Pledge to Make the Fruits of All Developing and Acquired Skills Available to the Black Community.

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10. Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting Black Institutions.

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11. Pledge Allegiance to All Black Leadership Who Espouse and Embrace the Black Value System.

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12. Personal Commitment to Embracement of the Black Value System. To measure the worth and validity of all activity in terms of positive contributions to the general welfare of the Black Community and the Advancement of Black People towards freedom.

Obama also has distinct ties to radical Nation of Islam leader, Louis Farrakhan. Biography.com’s biography of Louis Farrakhan reads:

In 1995, along with other prominent black leaders such as Al Sharpton and Barack Obama, Farrakhan helped lead the Million Man March on Washington. A second march, called the Millions More Movement, took place in 2005.

According to Wikipedia, Farrakhan made  (and was censured by Congress for)the following speech when he was accused of being the “Black Hitler” by then Anti-Defamation League chair Nathan Pearlmutter and prominent Jewish journalist Nat Hentoff:

So I said to the members of the press, ‘Why won’t you go and look into what we are saying about the threats on Reverend Jackson’s life?’ Here the Jews don’t like Farrakhan and so they call me ‘Hitler’. Well that’s a good name. Hitler was a very great man. He wasn’t great for me as a Black man but he was a great German and he rose Germany up from the ashes of her defeat by the united force of all of Europe and America after the First World War. Yet Hitler took Germany from the ashes and rose her up and made her the greatest fighting machine of the twentieth century, brothers and sisters, and even though Europe and America had deciphered the code that Hitler was using to speak to his chiefs of staff, they still had trouble defeating Hitler even after knowing his plans in advance. Now I’m not proud of Hitler’s evil toward Jewish people, but that’s a matter of record. He rose Germany up from nothing. Well, in a sense you could say there is a similarity in that we are rising our people up from nothing, but don’t compare me with your wicked killers.

Farrakhan also happens to also live in Southside Chicago, as does Obama, and is a close friend of Jeremiah Wright’s. A protege of Farrakhan’s, Khalid Abdul Muhammad, went on to chair the New Black Panther Party, who endorses Barack Obama for President. Obama’s official website linked to the NBPP untill he made his famous race speech. Here is an example of their mission:

When necessary we must deal firmly and appropriately with “Black” leadership who betray the interests of the Black community or Black Nation.

We call on Black Police officers to recognize that they are Black men and women first and police officers second. We call on Black police officers to recognize our common enemy who put our people in this condition.

and

We believe further in: POWER IN THE HANDS OF THE PEOPLE! WEALTH IN THE HANDS OF THE PEOPLE! ARMS IN THE HANDS OF THE PEOPLE!

We believe that this wicked racist government has robbed us, and now we are demanding the overdue debt of reparations.

We want all Black Men and Black Women to be exempt from military service. We believe that Black People should not be forced to fight in the military service to defend a racist government that holds us captive and does not protect us. We will not fight and kill other people of color in the world who, like Black People, are being victimized by the white racist government of America. We will protect ourselves from the force and violence of the racist police and the racist military, “by any means necessary.”

Their complete 10 point platform and 9 local objectives can be found on their site.

Muhammed, an shameless anti-semite and racist, spoke at the Million Man March (Which Obama attended, supported, and apparently helped organize):

”I came [today] to place the blame squarely where it belongs. I didn’t come to pin the tail on the donkey. I came to pin the tail on the honky….We want to try the white man today. We want to hold court on this devil today, hold court on this cracker. . . . And we will find this cracker guilty beyond any reasonable doubt, with moral certainty, and with no recommendation for mercy. . . . We gonna keep this cracker on death row with no possibility for a stay of execution. . . . There must be a time and a generation that will rise up…and take our political prisoners from this no-good, low-down, dirty white man. …[T]he white man is the coldest, most vicious one that has ever lived….[on]the planet earth.”

He also said:

“The so-called Jew claims that there were six million in Nazi Germany. I am here today to tell you that there is absolutely no evidence, no proof. There is absolutely no evidence to substantiate, to prove that six million so-called Jews lost their lives in Nazi Germany…”
“Don’t let no hooked-nose, bagel-eating, lox-eating, perpetrating-a-fraud so-called Jew who just crawled out of the ghettoes of Europe just a few days ago…”
The practice of those freakish Rabbis [circumcision] is that they place their lips on the penis of these young boys and after they have cut the foreskin back, suck the blood from the head of the penis of their own young boys…”

A good example of how he really felt about racial unity is on this video. Mohammed passed away in 2001 and was replaced by Malik Zulu Shabazz, who met Obama last March and in an interview with World Net Daily referred to Obama as a man with a:

“Muslim background, a man of color.”…

This is a guy, who in a protest led chants like:

“death to Israel,” “the white man is the devil,” and “Jihad.” Shabazz also said, “Kill every goddamn Zionist in Israel! Goddamn little babies, goddamn old ladies! Blow up Zionist supermarkets!”

and then went on to say this:

Today, they are upset with us because we have aligned ourselves with the Nation of Islam and because one of the great warriors and helpers of the Nation of Islam, Dr. Khallid Abdul Muhammad, was the former National Chairman of the New Black Panther Party. So, in that sense, in this present time, the Nation of Islam has given birth to the New Black Panther Party on a national level, because there was only one or two chapters of the New Black Panther Party until Dr. Khallid Abdul Muhammad was appointed the National Chairman in 1998 and spread the New Black Panther Party into now, over 40 cities including London, England and into Germany.

So, we today are happy to be involved in a African United Front. We are happy today to be standing side by side with the Nation of Islam. We believe, like the Nation of Islam and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad believe, in a nation of our own. We believe in a Black first philosophy and a Black Liberation Theology.

The New Black Panther Party believes in a Black Liberation Theology. The New Black Panther Party believes in the Theology of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. We believe in spiritual values, which is giving us humility, where we’re not doing our own will; we firmly believe that we’re doing God’s Will.

Do you see a trend here? Obama believes in reparations and wealth redistribution and went to a church that promotes the black value system and black liberation theology. His pastor, an avid promoter of the black value system and of black liberation theology, is a peer, supporter, and friend of Louis Farrakhan, the primary organizer of the Million Man March and chief honcho of the Nation of Islam. Farrakhan’s tutelage spawned people like Khalid Abdul Muhammad and Malik Zulu Shabazz. Shabazz, another promoter of black liberation theology, runs the NBPP, who supports reparations, wealth redistribution, and is also a supporter of Barack Obama for president.

Where am I going with this? You might have guessed it, and I’m hesitant to say it, but here it goes:

Barack Obama is a reparationist who wants “white” wealth to be redistributed to the oppressed African-Americans who are the descendants of the victims of slavery in early America.

There, I said it. Here come the flames. I think it’s obvious though, and I think most people out there are afraid to say it. I think that Obama’s sideways push toward socialism is a smokescreen for his real intentions, that are to reopen the discussion of reparations in America, and to use his presidency to put forth an agenda of redistributing America’s wealth along racial lines.

I have written previously about my opposition to a national apology for slavery, and think the idea of reparations is nuts, but this idea of redistribution of wealth is completely new to me, and completely scary. If Obama was just a Marxist, our country couldn’t afford him. He would usher in a new age in our country where capitalism would be a thing of the past and the road to socialism that he would take us down would be just the next stop on the way to Marxist Communism. But he is so much more than that. He is a reparationist who wants to take away the wealth of one person and give it to another based solely on race. If he is allowed to do this, it will destroy our country.

Martin Luthor King Jr. was an inspiration, a leader, and a uniter. Obama is not. This nation won’t survive him.

-Wisdom

• Watching Jimmy Buffett in concert in Las Vegas with Teresa! Having the time of my life! #

The political hate mongering is getting worse. In addition to this there have been violent threats and attacks against Republicans, conservatives, and McCain supporters all over the country. This is what happens when you run a campaign based on class warfare. If this is what Obama supporters are willing to do during the campaign, what can we expect if he is elected. Are conservatives going to have to go to ground? Will we have to go into hiding? Lead secret lives? Is it so far fetched to envision a society not long from now where thousands of obamatons march the streets, with red arm bands sporting an “O” on them, looking for closet conservatives to beat down?

Better be stocking up on those soon to be illegal weapons!

-Wisdom

Republican HQ Managers Home Shot Up Over McCain Signs

Democrats Far More Aggressive in Seminole County, Victim Says

POSTED: 11:26 pm EDT October 22, 2008

UPDATED: 10:45 am EDT October 23, 2008

LONGWOOD, Fla. — The home of a Central Florida Republican headquarters manager was shot up and damaged over his support of Sen. John McCain, the man told police.

IMAGES: Home Shot Up

Rog Coverely said several pellets pierced his Longwood home. Coverely showed several spiderwebbed-holes in the front windows of his home.

Republican HQ Managers Home Shot Up Over McCain Signs – Politics News Story – WKMG Orlando.

Copyright ©2008 WisdomWorld.

J. Island – September, 2008

Little Island just turned 18 on October 3, and it was quite a step for our family. Those of you with grown children are probably quite aware of what it is like to see your first child come of age, and what an emotional time it is. One of the things that Teresa wanted to do for Island was to get his close family members to write a letter containing words of wisdom to him, and give them to him at his birthday party. As you know “Words O’ Wisdom” is my specialty, and I poured my heart into my advice to him. While this particular “Word O’ Wisdom” was written specifically for him, as I read it back to myself, I realize that it is something that I should be sharing with everyone. So read, enjoy, and take it to heart.

Island,

It seems like only yesterday that I held a bald little baby in my arms thinking, “What do I do now?” I never thought that I would start my adult life as a father, but I did, and I couldn’t be happier. You have brought a joy to my life that I could never fully explain, and I can only hope that over these last eighteen years that I have instilled in you the tools necessary to survive and thrive in the journey ahead of you.

It is important that you look at the life ahead of you and view it as such: a journey. Not a path, not a trail, not a road. A journey. Why? Because paths, trails, and roads are predetermined routes, and a journey is not. Along a journey, you can choose to take an individual path, or stray from it. You can choose the known road, or break away and take an unknown trail. You can even leave the known routes altogether and go busting off and explore all new terrain, places that neither you nor anyone else has ever been.

The key to a successful journey is to make sure you are always in control of your journey. You decide which road you’re going to take and when, and don’t let yourself be carried away by a raging river. That is, unless you choose to. You see, you can choose to jump head first into that river and see where it takes you, and that is OK too, as long as it is your choice. Sometimes you’re just as likely to get run over on a well travelled and well known road as find paradise at the end of that raging river. Know the risks and know your expectations for whatever choice you make.

Often, along your journey, you will find yourself in a position to share your journey with other people. The relationships with the people you share your journey with will take many forms: business relationships, friendships, even love affairs. When you find people with whom you think you want to share your journey with, open your eyes and your heart, and make good decisions about whether sharing your journey with them will make your life, and theirs, better. Remember, your life will be full, and you will have the opportunity to share your journey with many people, but don’t waste your time on relationships that don’t benefit both of you. Respect those that you share your journey with, and expect respect from them. Enjoy the people you spend time with and actively seek out the people in the world that share your likes, dislikes, passions, and interests. Distance yourself from those that you can’t, and remember what Thomas Jefferson once said, “An injured friend is the bitterest of foes.” You can never have too many friends, but even one enemy is too many.

Sometimes during your journey, you will find that you need to follow a leader. There is nothing wrong with ceding authority for the direction of your life to another for a time when it is necessary. Sometimes, we can trust the decisions of others more than we can our own, because sometimes other people may have more experience or more knowledge about the road you are currently on. But, if you do give the steering wheel to someone else, do it because you choose to. Follow a leader because you choose that person as your leader. Make an informed choice, and make sure that person knows that he or she can lead you only because you allow it. Lay down the terms of your adherence, and what you expect from your leader. Follow a person only if they lead with a humble heart, with humility, passion, and compassion. And follow a person only if they have the best interest of their followers at heart. But if you do choose to follow someone, respect that person’s authority. Respect their decisions and follow them with resolve. But, the moment that you feel that the person you are following is no longer taking you to a place you want to go, or if you decide that they no longer have the interests of their followers at heart, stop following and retake command of your own journey. Most important, if you follow, follow because you choose to.

Occasionally, during your journey, you will find yourself in a position to lead others. If you do, don’t take that responsibility lightly. When someone looks to you for leadership, first choose whether to accept that role. Decide for yourself whether you accept the responsibility of leadership, and choose who you accept to lead. Lay down the terms of your leadership and what you expect from your followers. If you choose to lead, do so diligently and command respect for your authority. When you lead, seek the knowledge and guidance of others, and make informed thoughtful decisions. Lead with a humble heart, and lead with humility, passion, and compassion. Always keep the interests of your followers at heart. Expect respect for your decisions and demand that they are followed with resolve. Lead because you know your leadership will make your life, and the life of your followers better, and lead because you choose to.

Understand though, that once you take the mantle of leadership, you can no longer walk away from it at your will. By taking the responsibility for the leadership of others, you are dedicating yourself to that position until they give that authority to another leader. Never, under any circumstance, walk away from your followers without guaranteeing that they have found another suitable leader, whether it be themselves, or another.

Hopefully, one time during your journey, you will find a partner with whom you will choose to spend the rest of your life with. When you find her, you will know, and it will change the course of your journey forever. A partnership is a combination of all the roles that I’ve explained before, and deserves and requires every ounce of respect, diligence, humility, passion, compassion and love that you carry in your humble heart. Choose a partner that will make your life better and whose life you can make better. Choose a partner that completes you and makes you a better man. Once you have chosen your partner, every turn in your journey will be chosen together. Together you will decide which road, path, or trail you want to explore. Together you will decide to head off into uncharted territory, and together you will decide whether to jump headfirst into a raging river. Love her, respect her, and seek her knowledge and guidance. Lead her to safety when necessary and follow her to happiness always, and side by side, face the journey of the rest of your lives together. She will be the ultimate prize in your journey, and when you find her, never take her for granted. Take her on dates, no matter how long you have been together, and make every choice you make from then on a choice that benefits her.

Maybe, together you will choose to have children of your own, and one day, years from now, long after you’ve held a beautiful bald little baby in your hands and asked yourself, “What do I do now,” you will watch your own child come of age and become an adult that you can be proud of. When you do, you’ll know that you made the right choices.

I love you, and hope you enjoy the amazing, wonderful journey ahead of you.

Dad.

“They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Naturally, they became heroes.” –Leia Organna-Solo, The Journey of the Whills, as written by George Lucas.

“A slender acquaintance with the world must convince every man that actions, not words, are the true criterion of the attachment of friends.” –George Washington

“I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.” –Abraham Lincoln

“Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.” –Theodore Roosevelt

“A people free to choose will always choose peace.” –Ronald Reagan

Island’s Elk – 2008

It’s October again, and you know what that means. Elk Hunting. Once again, Kelly Jr. and I had elk permits for area 31 which includes Little Mountain and Currant Creek.

For the past couple of days we had scouted a valley off of upper Marsh Creek where we had see several nice bulls including a monster seven pointer. There had been at least two six point shooters and six or more smaller six and five point bulls.

Dad and Scott joined us so we had an addition two pairs of eyes, and we headed out to Little Mountain late Tuesday night, where we drove in as far as we could and slept in our trucks.

In the morning, before first light, Dad and Kelly Jr. headed down a ridge to the South of the valley and Scott and i headed down a ridge farther North. Over the morning we saw several bulls, and heard many more bugling, but I only saw one worth shooting and he was gone over the next ridge before I could get a clean shot. We saw one other nice six pointer, but his 5/6 was broken off just above the fourth on on side. I think in all we saw about a dozen different bulls throughout the morning.

Late in the morning we became road hunters and drove all over the West side of Little Mountain, searching all of our usual haunts for elk, and mostly came up dry. We saw a couple of small bulls and a couple cows, but nothing more. When evening was on it’s way, at about 5:00pm, we decided to take a ride farther Southeast and look out over Currant Creek Valley and Dry Hollow. From the top of Currant Creek Ridge, (which, by the way, is a breathtaking look down) we spotted a large herd of elk a little farther down the valley, almost a mile away. We could see several nice bulls including a several five pointers, a couple small six pointers, a small seven by six and one good size six pointer.

We decided that we would head farther along the ridge and try to find a place right above them where we could take a shot. I figured if I could take him at up to 700 yards if I could get a clean shot without any cows, so we headed along the ridge. We found a place that we figured would be right above them, but when we snuck out on the edge, we found that they had moved closer to the ridge we were on, so we couldn’t see most of the herd below us, but we must have had too much noise because they then started running down the valley away from us. I laid down and started scoping the bulls until I found the biggest one, but he was always surrounded by cows. At a closer range I probably could have shot him in the mix, but not from that far away. In only moments, they were 1000 yards away, then 1200, and still moving down the valley.

There is no direct way from the top of Currant Creek Ridge into the bottom of Currant Creek Valley, so we debated on whether to head farther along the ridge and try to get another shot from above, or to make the 20 mile drive on dirt roads to come in from the bottom. There were pros and cons for each plan, but ultimately we decided to make the 20 trip around. We figured this was risky, because in that 40 minutes the elk could go anywhere. Needless to say, Scott and I booked it. I won’t tell you how fast we drove, because it was probably unsafe and more probably illegal, but we made it around to the bottom pretty dang fast.

As we closed the last gate coming off of Dad’s property, and made our way toward Jane’s Meadow where we hoped to find the elk, I asked Scott how far into the valley he thought we should go. He thought we should take the high road and try to get a better view of the meadow. I slowed down a little so we didn’t spook anything and I noticed some enclosures around some bushes next to the road and asked if they were new. No, he said, they had been there a while….and then I saw eight cows straight out ahead of us!

I jumped out of the truck with the rifle just as they bolted for the northern ridge. I layed down and started looking at them through the scope to see if there were any with antlers and I found a small five point up above them. Then I saw four more smaller bulls coming out of the meadow and heading up the hill where the cows went. I thought maybe we had missed the big heard, because earlier, these four had been trailing the large six pointer and his cows. Then Scott said “Wait, here they come!” and the big herd broke out of the meadow trotting right to left across our field of view.

Both of us scanned the herd, Scott through his binoculars, and me through my scope, looking for the best bull. I found one six pointer out in the lead and asked Scott if that was it. “Nope, there’s the big one. Right in the middle of the cows!” I found him in my scope and started following him, but he always had cows around him.

“How far is he?” I asked.

“$#!&, I left the range finder in my truck,” Scott replied, “just lay the crosshairs on the top of his back and it should hit him just right.”

I kept following him in the scope, but there was always cows in front of and behind him. Remembering that Scott had said something about having adjusted the trigger pull on the rifle I was shooting, (I was shooting his custom 30-378) I asked him how his trigger pull was. “Just touch the trigger and…”

While he was saying this, the cows, just for an instant, broke from around him and he was running all alone in my view through the scope, and, without thinking another thought, I tapped the trigger.

Everything went white as the gunsmoke filled my view through the scope, and Scott yelled, “You got him!” My first shot went through his hind quarters and immobilized him. “Pull your bolt, shoot him again!” Scott bellowed, and I did. This time, the shot went through is neck and knocked him around, but still didn’t kill him. I pulled the trigger again, and he didn’t move, so I though I missed. I pulled the trigger a fourth time and it knocked him all the way to the ground, and I thought it was over, but he lifted his head up again.

“Hold it right on his heart this time, the bullets aren’t dropping very far.” Scott said. I quickly reloaded the gun and let out my breath and pulled the trigger one final time.

It was over. Scott leaned down and offered his hand for me to shake, and then I got up and realized I was shaking. I handed the gun to Scott, and said, “I’m shaking too much, make it safe!” He took the gun and cleared it, and I leaned on the truck and calmed down. “That was a great shot,” Scott said, and we got in the truck and headed toward where the bull had fallen.

“Oh, wait, here’s my rangefinder!” Scott said, after we had gone just fifty yards, and he pointed it at where the bull had been.

“Wait, did you pick up the brass?” I asked him.

Overview of the shot trajectory.

“Nope,” he said, so I threw the truck in reverse and backed up to where the brass were laying on the ground.

As I picked them up he pushed the button on the range finder and said, “600 yards! 598 to be exact!”

Wow. I still can’t believe I made that shot. Truthfully, all I did was put the crosshairs where they belonged and pulled the trigger. I owe it all to Scott and the rifle he custom built and the bullets that he custom loads. When we got the elk home and skinned him, we found that all five of my shots had hit true. One in his hind quarters, the next three along his neck and back, and the final one in the heart. Five shots in about 20 seconds, all good. Of course I wish I could have given the bull a cleaner kill with one shot, but it doesn’t always work out that way. The first shot would have killed him eventually, but I knew he deserved better, so the four follow up shots were to make sure he wouldn’t suffer longer than he had to.

We haven’t measured him yet, but he is obviously a much nicer bull than the one I got last year, and he will probably score over 300 points. Not the monster trophy that I had hoped for this year, but a nice, big, respectable bull none-the-less. The only down side is that I already have my bull! I’m done elk hunting for the year! Now what am I going to do?

Well, Kelly still needs to fill out his tag, and Scott has a cow tag for the Sands. I guess I can be the driver!