Erik Brooks's Blog, page 2

Harts Pass no. 745

This IS an excellent time of year. SO much color with all of the new growth and the the flowers and the stark contrast of bright blue skies with snowcapped mountains in the distance… And this year has been particularly AMAZING regarding those flowers! For pretty much everyone you meet, the arrowleaf this year - and now the lupine - are in bloom larger and brighter and longer than almost anyone can remember. Impending summer? With your HOT, dry, wildfire potential? You can DEFINITELY wait!

Harts Pass no. 744

This week's comic was was also posted (along with the thoughts written below) as a comment on proposed definition changes to the Endangered Species Act:

I will say in a nutshell that it is very worth revisiting the origins of the ESA and the even slightly earlier start of said programs and protections under the Nixon administration. The bald eagle, a symbol of our nation and a representative icon of both our truest freedoms and strengths, was at one time suffering greatly from a proliferation of DDT in our pesticides and fertilizers. Egg shell were too thin and mortality rates were high. This vaunted species, native to America, was being killed off and "harmed" in irreparable ways that were not intended nor intentionally targeted. Via this proposed new kind of wordsmithing RE the "best meaning" of the language with respect to "take" vs "harm," such a change would argue that we should have just let that eagle die. This is clearly NOT what happened, and in fact the adjustment to our use of certain chemicals (again not obviously meant to target the eagle) did in fact save that animal and result in its removal from the endangered species list. When the research shows that certain species are suffering and struggling to survive as a result of human impacts... then ignoring such research amounts to an intentional "take." If you don't change what you do in order to mitigate the documented "harm," then intention and a willful ignorance of consequence is equated to "taking" and/or targeting the life and viability of that species. Harming a species home or its food source or its ability to move or adapt to change is tantamount to targeting. The two words are inseparable and the retention of both adds deeper meaning and important nuance to the act.

If you would like to make your own voice(s) heard, comments on the proposed rule must be submitted by Monday, May 19, via (Docket No. FWS–HQ–ES–2025–0034) or by mail to the address listed in the Federal Register notice.

Harts Pass no. 743

"Happy Earth Day!" ...although as Melanie's expression shows, it is hard to see that reflected in any of our current governmental actions. Protecting and conserving a precious resource is NOT about extraction or energy dominance. It is making a mockery of serious things to say that our safety as a nation cannot also be accomplished without developing every last mineral resource in our country. "Harm" as a term being bandied about in a re-imagining of the Endangered Species act most DEFINITELY relates to preserving a life-sustaining habitat and not just whether or not you are actively hunting or trapping or seeking to "take" a species. Think about that   this Earth Day. Think about a future beyond your own singular life and time of existence on this planet.

Harts Pass no. 742

Word play :) A not uncommon idea that is fun to use in the comics format. Principled. Principal. As luck would have it, the publication of this comic falls on the very exact day of our own excellent high school principal's birthday. This kind of job always had its challenges, but being a classroom teacher myself, I know first hand that post-pandemic academics, pervasive cell phone use, funding shortages, and ALL of the myriad things have only made it harder. Maintaining your principles under a constant barrage of shifting circumstance and change is no small task. Thanks very much to those who do, and an extra thanks (and appreciation) for getting to work with one of those people. 

Harts Pass no. 741

An easy ask for the second Wednesday in April, this comic combines a bit of seasonal change, the “April is Poetry month” theme, and the haiku comic format. I don’t often spend quite this much time with the greyscale scenery, but when I do give myself the time and space it’s usually a satisfying challenge. And for some added value here: syncopated - a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm. There seems to be a LOT of that out going on out there…

Harts Pass no. 740

Another day at the Canadian border. Another day of mindless uncertainty and ridiculous, bombastic statements that mean nothing. The emperor has no clothes... but his naked aggression is nonetheless hurting a lot of people. Also, the twisted and blatantly pointed irony of this "liberation" day catch phrase is painful.

Harts Pass no. 739

I started the day looking for some sort of homage to spring… and ended up with this. The first line is from a Mary Oliver poem (apologies) - or at least the internet attributes it in some circles to her work - but from there it took on a Harts Pass life of it’s own. If you are a homeowner (or any kind of Cascadian wildlife) the sound of a flicker “pounding” on your roof in search of bugs is definitely NOT a hopeful sound of spring. Thankfully, it is usually short-lived as they move on to other sources once the rest of the insect world is a little more abundant.

Anyway, the constant drumbeat of the news cycle these days is pretty darn hard to escape… kind of like the flicker. One thing leads to another. With any luck the concentration of prey will disperse and the persistently destructive efforts of the hunter will lessen and fade over time. I suspect they shall, but it never hurst to throw few rocks in the direction of the noise and to make an effort to scare the pesky pecker back into hiding.

Harts Pass no. 738

Am I naive? Is this too much wishful thought? I think - fundamentally - that this is true, but at the same time such an implosion might only happen over SO many days or months or years that the victims of such a bully are irreparably harmed or systemically forced to alter the course of their lives…
This is happening, people. And from the observations of a lowly wolverine, we need to find the action that starts to put the bully back in his box. And better yet, helps him/them see that repression and hate and subtraction and restriction and retreat from the world are the things most TRULY antithetical to the so called American Dream.

Harts Pass no. 737

Last week I had Thor meet a fellow wolverine at the border - a Canadian wolverine named Wayne. This week that new relationship continues.

A VERY Sweet Polar Opposites Video - from the archives!

From the archives, but a very nice reminder that these books we make -- even if they aren't NYT #1 Best Sellers -- DO still find a life of their own and make an impact on the readers of the world. We need that now more than ever. Byyye!