cross hairs

Friday, May 1, 1998

lots of people need help when they first attempt something new. And as simple as gardening is, it can be daunting to many and inconvenient to others. During my travels around southern Pennsylvania and northern Maryland to meet with people who've requested a consultation, I see mistakes aplenty. Both past and recent. I always offer to critique what's been done, what they're now doing and offer advice on what should be done to improve the overall situation, as well as a specific circumstance. In 9.9 out of 10 cases, it's well received; most are grateful for expert help. The exception is when someone has been improperly shown or taught by another nursery or individual, and won't permit a course correction as interim remedy. They're bound-and-determined to stay the course if it whacks everything they've ever worked for in a garden.

State Of The Industry.
I've said it several times here and in speeches I've given: the US nursery industry is still in the late 19th century, as the rest of the world is preparing to enter the 21th.
Through my ads, I've tried to raise the bar for all other garden centers and nurserys and create a level playing field. But bringing an entire industry, kicking and screaming, into the 20th, let alone 21st centuries, is an impossibly daunting task in and of itself. What I can more easily do is educate the consumer through those same ads; urging them to demand more quality from the places they deal with. I don't want them to switch places of business — I'm too busy as it is now — but rather require their current horticultural center to upgrade their already too low standards and pay some real concerted attention to the quality end of the business.
Yet the industry's consumer side shows much promise. Hundreds of 1st Generation Websites offer a wonderful view of the potential of consumers. Most garden centers and nurserys don't bother to cultivate the relationship and help the person(s) develop their potential. I spend inordinate amounts of time, as time permits, in an advocacy role.
For instance, the ad I'm now running is called Big Trees vs Fast Trees and deals with the decision to purchase quality instead of cheap, fast growing and short-lived, junk trees. Instead of Fall, simply substitute Spring and the facts hold true in either season.
I ran the bagworm ad called Unwanted Visitors called to advocate control and eradication of the infestation in this region. Hundreds of people responded by either coming in or calling for help and advice. None of the tree service companies even bothered to inform, educate or advocate a position to the public. That's their job in that industry segment, but they don't even bother. It's amazing that there's such a PR vacuum in this industry. The position was vacant until we filled it.
Spend some time reading the ads and then compare them to what's run by garden centers and nurserys in your area. Geraniums $1.99 in 4" pot. Big Sale! Real shit.

Gardening Help.
Several people have complained — and one is quoted on the entrance to the Journal — about my use of The Journal for political rants and raves, rather than for gardening tips and suggestions. Because the horticulture field is so broad, I could never cover all the topics to everyone's satisfaction. If there's a question about anything gardening-related, email me and you'll get a prompt reply. Don't wait for me to cover it here.
More than several people have noted that I shouldn't mix my views on various subjects in a business website. But that's what I designed it for: my views on whatever I want to express. 'Nuff said.
The search engine, Lycos gave this site a nice rating and also noted the Journal in passing, but said nothing about mixing opinions and business. I wonder why it upsets others? Maybe it's just the lowlife liberal scum that are easily offended.

Welfare Scum.
Ever the vigilant, conservative reader, my cyber-friend and Journal regular Doug sent in this URL from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, which makes a very salient and cogent point about the stinking, filthy liberals' welfare cadillac free-ride-for-no-work problem that America faces today with freeloading welfare scumbags.
Unless a pointedly demonstrable need is clearly shown, along with some real effort at improving their situation, all welfare should be cut to those freeloader lowlifes and they should be mandated to work 2, 3 or 4 jobs to make ends meet. No more f*cking handouts. Get the scum off of the dole and into a productive role.
Originally, welfare was developed as a safety net for people who fell through the cracks. Now, liberals want to apply it to anyone and everyone who won't work for a living and take responsibility for their own lives. Why should the very people who contribute to the welfare fund — you and I — be denied it's benefits if we should ever need it? Get the freeloader, lowlife scumbags off welfare and make them work. Or starve to death. Harsh? Yes, and deservedly so. Enough is enough.

The Prison Scam.
We don't need more prisons; we need less prisoners in either public or privately-run prisons. More dead prisoners would accomplish that quickly.
The lowlife liberals simply want to create huge administrative organizations at great expense to deal with criminal rehabilitation, when all that's really needed is a more frequent application of the death penalty. If all murders, rapists and child molesters were executed within one year after being allowed one appeal, those three heinous crimes would diminish a thousand fold. Instead, they can languish in comfy prisons for $40,000 - $60,000 per year per inmate. Is that crazy or what? Hell, we can whack each one for between $5 - $10 and save billions. Sounds like a real nice plan.
Finally, the Court System is supporting society; now if they'd quit placing the rights of the criminal over the rights of the victim, all would be right in the world.

Fry The Scum.
Give him a fair trial, one appeal and quickly terminate with extreme prejudice. In the worst terrorist act ever experienced on US soil, two men snuffed out 584 lives. If any two people deserve to die, these are them. McVeigh and Nichols. Both deserve a just and speedy death. No 20 year appeals from Death Row.
With 3,700+ inmates languishing and tying up the US Court System with endless appeals and expense, it makes good sense to hasten the demise of all. At $40,000 - $60,000 per year per inmate, that's a real chunk of change which could certainly be used for better purposes.

Snip Bubba's Balls, Too.
It should have been Slick Willie The Bubba being neutered instead of The First Dog, Buddy. Clinton has more of a testosterone problem than the young dog does. Considering Clinton's past history of trying to f*ck everything wearing a skirt, he should have been neutered many, many years ago. Then maybe the presidency wouldn't have been disgraced so badly by lowlife liberals and other subhuman garbage. Maybe Lorena Bobbit could do the deed quickly and cheaply. Here's my $1 toward that much needed operation.

Ooops, Too Late.
Seems Slick Willie The Bubba bagged another bimbo; now they'll be coming from everywhere since the media will give them a public hearing. What a touching scenario. But Clinton's taste is on the upswing, if it's true. Sounds like another vast right-wing conspiracy, (inc) ploy.
To say that Rep Dan Burton (R) was wrong is absurd. He was dead on, no backpedalling allowed, Dan. So what if the liberals capture and whack your entire family?
The medical profession is finally beginning to recognize the medical disorder that afflicts Bill Clinton. As it has afflicted many. It appears that Hitlery already knew that when she tied herself to his political penis, figuratively speaking.
Now if the psychiatrists could just find out what afflicts liberal scumbags, and eradicate them as a problem, the world would be a much nicer place.
The evil Hitlery bitch also has a problem: it's called being a criminal, congenital liar. The cure: prison.

60s Fashions.
Remember Beatle Boots? Carnaby Street? The Mod Look? Yuk. Here's a retro look about what we all looked like back then. Groovy, hip, fab, gear, man.


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