Were you using a digital point and shoot type of camera or amore advanced DSLR?

I understand high concentrations of lead were found in the Obama’s White House garden. Evidently sludge from human waste treatment was used on the grounds during the Clinton era. I find it somewhat hard to believe. There is a product known as Milorganite that is sterilized sludge from treatment plants. The heavy metals have been mostly removed and kept to a minimum. It’s generally used to fertilize lawns for a quick green up of the turf. It’s advised not to use it on crops for human consumption though.

Nice shots overall and your focus on the ugly along with the good made it interesting.

The need to intensely police our nation’s capitol with in your face, assault weapon armed personnel is somewhat disconcerting. Does it make a a statement about the quality of our citizens in these times, the government itself; ie., an emerging “police state” or both?

Carl Nemo **==

For those interested in  law enforcement: I asked one of the Capitol Police about why a few officers were wearing the far more sensible shorts (again it was a humid 90 degrees so what with bullet-proof vest it had to be uncomfortable) while most were dressed in the dark blue uniforms. I got a vague answer I couldn’t make sense of.

No doubt the SWAT outfits make them look more intimidating to the average visitor, though I doubt the kid whose already cuffed and, below, being searched by the bicycle Metro cop in shorts and white shirt cares about such things.

Click to enlarge

Not to diminish the importance of the Capitol Police Department and the uniformed Secret Service as well the other uniformed officers in and around government building, but they are basically guards. Of course they are well trained and they put their lives at risk, but unless they’re on patrol duty I assume the jobs are boring even though, according to another officer I asked, they change posts every two hours.  The Metro Police shown above are essentially city police and are the ones doing the variety of tasks the big city cops everywhere do, although as this press release describes, Capitol Police also are involved in traditional city policing.

I read about the garden and the lead and would assume whatever actually is eaten is safe. By next year I expect the soil will be tested and replaced if necessary and the garden fertilizers with something appropriate.

I’ll have to admit, my favorite would have to be the one with Obama and the Hitler ‘stache.

Personally I think they’ve gone over the top. More and more the People are being conditioned to accept what just a few short years ago would be considered unacceptable and wholly un-American.

Not only are the police becoming more and more militarized, but the military itself is being called upon to do civilian policing.

Is he giving someone the finger? A friend just emailed that perhaps he was giving ME the finger.

He obviously is in training to be demoted from the DMV?

Thanks for the reel. Hal, you must be tough, with a light camera as you said, as hot as it was.

Number 19, is that cheeny, and smirk?

Plus it’s harder when it’s the clothes on your back that become the identity.