{"id":14428,"date":"2025-01-13T10:04:16","date_gmt":"2025-01-13T15:04:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?p=14428"},"modified":"2025-01-13T10:04:16","modified_gmt":"2025-01-13T15:04:16","slug":"california-wildfires","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?p=14428","title":{"rendered":"California Wildfires"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"I have been watching the reports of the wildfires in California, and I find myself quite distressed by the devastation these fires have caused.\u00a0 As I look around my own home and see, just within a couple of feet of where I set many belongings and photographs that mean so much to me, and then I try to imagine how it would feel if suddenly it was all gone.\u00a0 It is hard to imagine that I could not reach for a photograph, a favorite book, that special suit I wear on special occasions, and more.\u00a0 What if it was all gone, with no hopes of ever replacing it? Some have said that they are only possessions which can be replaced, but not always.<\/p>\n

I find it quite distressing that those in control think the first question to be answered is who should be blamed.\u00a0 In my opinion, the first question should be what can be done to save lives, help the thousands who are devastated by this tragedy, and what can be done to be better prepared should it happen again, and it will. The last thing those victims need are excuses.\u00a0 They need results, aid, and assistance, and they need it now.\u00a0 I find the fact that the Mayor of Los Angeles felt the need to donate a bunch of taxpayers\u2019 dollars to the Wildlife Foundation beyond ridiculous. \u00a0Really?\u00a0 That is what is inpoortant? I am truly an animal lover, and I am a realist.\u00a0 Wildlife has been dealing with forest fires since time began, and wildlife continues to exist.\u00a0 Wildlife will take care of itself over time.\u00a0 The animals will repopulate, the trees will grow anew, and nature will persevere.\u00a0 That should not be a priority.<\/p>\n

Instead, let\u2019s look at what can be done to help the humans, cats, dogs, and others and all who are most impacted.\u00a0 As sad as it is to see a crow fall from the sky, it is minor in comparison to the person who is devastated by the effects of this fire, not to mention the rising death toll. Even the cause of the fire is insignificant compared to the immediate needs of the victims. Does it really matter at this point whether the fire is the result of a homeless encampment, a careless smoker, or an unattended campfire? That all becomes important later, after the fires are out, the victims have been attended to, and the rebuilding begins.\u00a0 It does not really matter what the cause was at this point; only the recovery is important.<\/p>\n

\"\"It has been said that we all have something to give in times like this, whether it be our treasure, talent, or time.\u00a0 If you are religious, take the time to pray to the Almighty God. If you are of means, donate to the relief efforts. And if you have a talent or gift that you can use to help in the relief effort, consider those possibilities.\u00a0 We do not need to know anything about the victims\u2014 not their ethnicity, their politics, \u00a0or their background.\u00a0 We only need to know that they are Americans in need of help from other Americans.<\/p>\n

I must address the concept of looting.\u00a0 These low-life forms of dog excrement need to be dealt with in the harshest of terms.\u00a0 There should be no liberal forms of justice when it comes to dealing with this scum.\u00a0 They deserve no consideration of mercy or leniency, just harsh punishment. I realize I am rambling here.\u00a0 I find it more difficult to write this with the images of the fires in my head.\u00a0 But it is those images that compel me to sit here and reach out to you.\u00a0 John Bradford, an English reformer, is attributed with the quote \u201cThere, but for the grace of God,go \u00a0I. It is as true today as it was in the 16th century.<\/p>\n

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I have been watching the reports of the wildfires in California, and I find myself quite distressed by the devastation these fires have caused.\u00a0 As I look around my own home and see, just within […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14430,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_daextrevo_audio_file_creation_date":"","_daextrevo_text_to_speech":"","_daextrevo_document_type":"text","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[21,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion","category-rants"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/TH-011325-1.jpg?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":14395,"url":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?p=14395","url_meta":{"origin":14428,"position":0},"title":"Are we better off?","author":"Tom Lind","date":"December 13, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"I recently made a Facebook post which I will now quote: Do you recall the days when you\u2019d spend hours tuning into the radio, eagerly waiting for your favorite song to come on? Or when you\u2019d call into the station, hoping the DJ would play your song and dedicate it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Opinion"","block_context":{"text":"Opinion","link":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?cat=21"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/TH-121324.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":845,"url":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?p=845","url_meta":{"origin":14428,"position":1},"title":"Proudly May She Wave","author":"Tom Lind","date":"March 1, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I am outraged by a recent court decision that ruled that a Northern California High School acted appropriately when it ordered students to wear their shirts inside out. 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Many people are concerned that George\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"crime camera","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/dallas-pd-crime-camera-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":275,"url":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?p=275","url_meta":{"origin":14428,"position":3},"title":"Zero Tolerance For Common Sense","author":"Tom Lind","date":"December 1, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I am all for\u00a0protection\u00a0of our children while at school. It is very disheartening to read of school shooting and other acts of school\u00a0terrorism's\u00a0that recent times have reported. I was saddened when my nine year old granddaughter reported they had drills in her school to practice what to do in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Zero-tolerance-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1289,"url":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?p=1289","url_meta":{"origin":14428,"position":4},"title":"Hard Drugs or Not?","author":"Tom Lind","date":"February 28, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Last week I wrote pertaining to the legalization of Marijuana. A poll was taken regarding whether marijuana should be legal, should be legal for medicinal use, or should not be legal at all. The poll results were 84% felt marijuana should be legal for both medical and recreational purposes, 11%\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"drug-detox-hard-drugs","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/drug-detox-hard-drugs-135x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":857,"url":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?p=857","url_meta":{"origin":14428,"position":5},"title":"Thoughts on the H3Cincy Program","author":"Tom Lind","date":"March 24, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Call me cynical. Call me old school. You might even call me old-fashioned, but i cannot see the benefit of programs such as the H3Cincy program. There have been many programs of this sort over the years, but I have never seen any results that show any value or return\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"http:\/\/www.dreamstime.com\/stock-photography-basketball-backboard-smiley-face-image14192482","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/basketball-backboard-smiley-face-14192482-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p38YRh-3KI","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14428"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14428\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14432,"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14428\/revisions\/14432"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14430"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}