close
close

houdoebrabant

NL News 2024

Thoughts and notes from across the pond
powertid

Thoughts and notes from across the pond

By Dave Bates

For the observer-reporter

This month’s stories come from all over the world. I want to start by sharing some surprising information I learned on a recent trip to the UK.

As we navigated the streets of London on a family vacation, we kept encountering a surprising show of support from our cousins ​​across the pond. Oddly enough, it came in the form of the London-based cab driver, but we saw more of the same from Scotland, Ireland, and Northern Ireland. These guys were surprisingly well-educated in the way of life that we Americans often take for granted. Somehow I predicted that there would be some level of resentment or hostility directed toward us as citizens of the country that had broken with England, especially since we were traveling during our Fourth of July holiday. I couldn’t have been further off course. They were quite knowledgeable, very tolerant of our differences, and, dare I say, grateful, if not jealous, of the basic freedoms that we as Americans enjoy.

At each stop we encountered a taxi driver who was only too happy to ask us questions about our way of life, our precious rights as American citizens and the general goodness of visiting their country (formerly our home). The First and Second Amendments were some of the most frequent topics of conversation.

While I don’t think this driver meant it as a compliment, he said, “We find your Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden delightfully entertaining.” Okay, the world is watching. His next statement left us pretty much speechless. Our driver said, “Make sure you uphold your Second Amendment rights, or you’ll find yourself in the same situation we’re in today.” I was shocked to say the least, and thought this would be an isolated incident. Again, I was wrong. With every taxi driver, we ended up in the same discussion. When people from the United Kingdom engaged us, they almost always turned the conversation to the rights we enjoy and often take for granted.

Since I have only today’s column to address this issue, I will stick to this basic principle. We have been blessed with freedoms of all kinds. Our fighting men and women have secured the blessings of liberty for our next generations. It is our responsibility to preserve, enhance, and protect these precious rights. The bottom line: The people of the United Kingdom are governed. We, the American people, hold the keys to democracy. We are, or at least should be, in the driver’s seat. Is it perfect? ​​No. Is it still ours? For now. Let us not forget.

I will close with the following: On July 4th at 2:00 p.m. I saw a ship full of passengers, mostly Americans, gather at the edge of the pool to sing our national anthem. This was a surprise, at least for me, on a cruise ship. There were many souls on deck. Everyone was completely alert. No one had to ask to take off their hat. It was silent, except for the words of our Star-Spangled Banner. Gun salutes were fired, hearts were covered, tears were shed. For a moment we all thanked ourselves for being Americans … in the middle of the North Sea. Let us not forget. God Bless America.

* The Greene County Beagle Club will hold its 4th Annual State Youth Hunt on Saturday, August 3rd. This is a great introduction to the world of rabbit hunting. Hunters can use their own dogs or borrow dogs from the club. If you are interested in learning more about beagling or rabbit hunting in general, contact Jake Cumberledge at 724-710-6302 for more information.

*If you haven’t checked your calendar (or your team of lawyers, because it’s certainly gotten more complicated to buy a hunting license in Pennsylvania in recent years), you may want to do so. Below is the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s website schedule for antlerless deer license sales, in case you missed the dates:

2nd round: starts on July 22, 2024 at 8am

3rd round: starts on August 12, 2024 at 8am

This information and much more is available from the Pennsylvania Game Commission at www.pgc.pa.gov

* Ryerson Station Park will host a Hunting Safety Course (HTE) on Saturday, September 21st from 8am to 3pm. Lunch will be provided. For more information, visit the PGC site, listed above. Visit the PGC HTE or Hunting Trapper Education section to find course offerings.

* The Hunting Hills Hawkeyes sporting clays program is hosting an end of season picnic on Sunday, September 8th for anyone interested in learning more about participating at the sporting clays venue. Contact Hunting Hills at 724-324-2738 for more information.

* The application deadline for the Pennsylvania Shooting Range Improvement Program is September 1. This new grant program will provide funding to increase opportunity, access and safety at sporting clubs throughout Pennsylvania. Eligible projects span all shooting disciplines and include facility development and renovation, construction of backstops and safety berms, addition of permanent target systems, creation of shooting stations and covers, lead removal and more. For more information about the Range Improvement Program, visit: www.pgc.pa.gov/HuntTrap/StateGameLands/StateGameLandsRanges/Pages/Range-Improvement-Program.aspx

I wish you a nice summer and go out and enjoy nature.

Dave Bates writes a weekly column on outdoor activities for the Observer-Reporter. He can be reached at [email protected]