June's lightning-caused fires in rural Northern California continue to burn. This weekend, fire swept through a beautiful old-growth forest on a mountain where I spent summers as a child. My heart aches. Miles upon miles of once-green land have been charred, ruining timberlands, fisheries, and the health, homes and economic futures of the area's citizens. It is increasingly clear to area residents, and those of us who love this place from afar, that something has gone dreadfully wrong.
The mainstream media barely notices this sparsely populated, often rugged region between Sacramento and the Oregon border. When the smoke reached Sacramento, President Bush and various officials, including Rep. Wally Herger, dropped in for a Katrina-like flyover. But as a cartoon in a local paper made clear, that isn't the kind of leadership that this area needs.
Enter Jeff Morris, Democratic candidate for California's 2nd Congressional District.
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