Wildfires and Americans Lecture by Roger G. Kennedy (And Charlie Hunter Trio)

Now, this shit was cool. By invitation only thorugh the “Uncommon Ground” series, people were invited to a lecture and book signing by Roger. G. Kennedy about his new book Wildfires and Americans: How to Save Lives, Property and Your Tax Dollars. If I had known that I would have been half as interested in what he said as I was, I would have brought my checkbook for the book. Now I have to buy it and not get a fucking signature. I’m a moron UGH – anyway…

“Uncommon Grounds” is a series of events presenting the ideas of thoughtful and visionary planners and practitioners on how the park system of the future can grow and flourish, even against the backdrop of economic uncertainty. The series explores concepts in park and design, recreation and sports, historic and environmental preservation, and public education.

(Oh by the way – I am listenting to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8akmP6Sjv2o .It is yummy and sexy and fucking hot stringy love! Just had to mention the goodness as I was feeling it, as it always goes…)

Ok. Before I talk about Robert Kennedy’s numerous accomplishments, let me first describe him. This wonderful looking man in his 60’s or 70’s comes out from behind the curtain/stiff wall like screen hiding him from the audience of maybe 15-20 people. This was not a big event but by god tomorrow I will be tracking down whatever or whoever made the guacamole. I hope it was a store bought cause I'm going to track it down – that shit was AWESOME!!

Anyway, he was an aged man with a face full of knowledge and wrinkles. He immediately brought a smile to my face and I wanted to hear him speak almost immediately. He had a wonderful BIG bowtie, larger then any I had ever seen. And of course, the spectacles. He reminded me of the old professor with the curly mustache and arms waving in the air because his passion had no where else to go but out his fingertips haha. He was a brilliant mind who was speaking about something I was interested in and I had a smile on my face the entire time. I thought was he said was insightful and it is a large idea to get heard but an excellent topic with well made points.

The man has enjoyed multiple careers in public service, non-profit organiations, and the news media. Most recently he served as director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, financial vice president of the Ford Foundation; the host of his own series on he Discovery Channel; an assistant to three Cabinet officers; and White House reporter for NBC News.

Kennedy’s most recent of ten books, Wildlife and Americans: How to Save Lives, Property and Your Tax Dollars (Will and Wang, 2006), is a deeply informed appeal that we acknowledge that wildfire is not a fire problem, but a people problem. Americans are in the wrong places, channeled there by wrong policies. There are no natural disasters, only people in disastrous circumstances. Mr. Kennedy also asserts that Cold-War era policies deliberately emptied America cities and subsidized suburban and exurban encroachment into an increasingly dangerous landscape. And now with potential impact of global warming, the landscape could become even more dangerous.

Kennedy’s understanding of our history of transgressing nature’s limits, his grasp of how politicians and industries stand to gain by leaving the problem unsolved, his familiarity with the science of fire bring illumination and passion to this vital issue. Along with an examination of recent wildfire impacts, Wildfire and Americans presents a sweeping overview of American’s relationship with nature, especially as revealed through the policies and practices of federal agencies such as that Interior Department and the US Forest Service in the 19^th and 20^th centuries. His book is also a poetic reference to the wisdom of naturalists and leaders – men as diverse as Albert Gallatin, Henry David Thoreau, George Perkins Marsh, Ignatius Donnelly, Carl Schurz, Frederick Law Olmstead and John Wesley Powell – about the lessons of fire, and the danger of overstepping natural limits. Indeed, Kennedy argues persuasively that there is a direct line of intellectual descent “from Gallatin, soldier in the American Revolution, through Marsh, Schurz, La Follette, and Ickes to Russell Train, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under presidents Nixon and Ford” in the 1960’s and 1970s. An amazing intellectual lineage, and one in which Roger G. Kennedy is also firmly embedded.

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Charlie Hunter Trio, up until recently, consisted of Derrek Phillips, Charlie Hunter and John Ellis. Unfortunately, John and Derrek have recently left the Trio to pursue their musical ventures solo, thus, my choosing them to be the band that I very poorly profile for my own sake.

With 13 discs, you can’t be all that bad right? They are a jazzy, fun, earthy, musical goodness who a lot of lay people do not give credit to. These guys are full of talent and I suggest trying to listen to their Bing, Bling, Bling album. They cover Nirvana’s Come As You Are. Good stuff. They are a sound that reminds me of good times and the horns are the best part. It brings me back to 20’s reminiscent era, even the cover. If you care for lyrics, you won’t find them here – but can create your own in your head after giving this a chance a few times over.

Told you it would be a poor profile. The only way I can describe music is by feeling it…and I can’t describe feelings.