MAN WITH HANDGUN JOINS CUB SCOUT TOUR OF IDAHO STATE CAPITOL BUILDING, FREAKS OUT GUN-LOVIN' LEGISLATORS...

 

 

            I guess this story would have more "oomph" if the man involved had gone postal, but all he did was nonchalantly blend in with a tour being given to a group of Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts at the Idaho state capitol building back on Jan. 10th.  He was carrying a pistol on his hip, which made one of the adults with the Scout tour assume he was involved with security at the capitol.  The state rep who was conducting the tour assumed the armed man was one of the kids' parents.

            And now everyone's upset as hell. 

            Apparently, the man (who has since been identified as Bryan Carter of Meridian) had taken part in an ACLU training session earlier in the day, and had offered participants pamphlets on Idaho's open-carry laws.  Once he had entered the capitol building with the Scout tour, he wandered around the floor of the legislature, checking out things on legislators' desks, and at one point plucked something out of a trash bin.  There's a lengthy security video of the man's activities, if you take the link.

           After spending about 11 minutes snooping around, the man was stopped by capitol security and questioned.  He told them unless he was being detained or arrested he didn't have to answer their questions, and then left the grounds.

            What's interesting is the reaction of some of the Republicans who have consistently supported open carry gun laws in Idaho.  Suddenly, the thought of an unknown dude wandering around the floor of the legislature with a sidearm on his hip is freaking them out.

            But wait... there's a sign outside the chamber, and it is pretty darn clear about what you can and can't carry into the room:  no food, no drinks, no men wearing hats, no signs, no sitting on the rails, no cellphones, no distracting noises, and all bags are subject to search.

            Nothing about loaded guns, though, 'cause Idaho is proud of its gun history, and gun nuts in Idaho don't want anyone telling them where they can and can't pack heat.

             Senate President Pro Tem Brent Hill (R-Rexburg) was concerned:

Hill has urged lawmakers to be careful about what they leave on their desks, but he is also concerned about larger security issues. “What happens when six people come and sit in the front row of the gallery with shotguns across their laps?” Hill said. “I sure as heck am not going to leave my senators in there with that.”

             Here's a quick look at Sen. Hill's voting record on guns in Idaho:

            So Brent Hill votes with the gun lobby 100% of the time, and now he's worried about a few shotguns in the gallery overhead?

             But wait... I thought having lots of guns around makes a place that much safer.  What's the problem if someone, or a group of someones, want to bring their arsenals to the Senate?  Wouldn't that ensure that no one does anything crazy?  After all, the more guns you have in a room, the safer that room is, right?

            Maybe all of the little Cub Scouts should have been armed, too, just in case.  They'll have to work on that in Boise...

           

Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2013/01/27/2428082/armed-mans-intrusion-unnerves.html#storylink=cpy

           

GUANO FOR YOUR THURSDAY AFTERNOON WEB SURFING BREAK...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SHIT! I CAN'T KEEP UP WITH THE STUPID!!! STATE SENATOR CAMPFIELD WARRANTS ANOTHER RANT... (jeez, we're so proud of this asshole...)

           A little while ago I had to vent because this asshat from Knoxville had introduced legislation requiring our state's teachers to "out" suspected gay kids to their parents if said children came to school with questions about alternate lifestyles.  It's a new and improved version of the bill he proposed last year known as "Don't Say Gay" in Tennessee K-8 public schools, and another in a LONG, LONG line of of insanely bigoted notions promoted by this idiot.

          But just as I was putting the wraps on another uneventful day, State Senator Stacey Campfield agreed to an interview on MSNBC and lowered the bar on his hateful rhetoric, this time threatening to withhold federal welfare funds based upon the scholastic acheivements of the recipient's kids.  In other words, if you're on the public dole for funds allocated to the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, your public assistance could suddenly be halted because your son flunked algebra.

           In the interview, Campfield doesn't really make clear what one has to do with the other, but has said that his proposal is meant to "break the cycle of poverty."

           I'm wondering Campfield would consider making all government funded welfare programs subject to his proposal.  For instance, would the parents of a flunking child lose farm subsidies?  Could Gram's Social Security or Medicare benefits be cut if her grandkids drop out of school?

           Keeping up with the idiotic comments made by Sen. Campfield would give hand cramps to a court stenographer.  He's a blunder-ful example of what happens when we let idiots elect their own peers to state office.

"DON'T SAY GAY" BILL RETURNS TO TENNESSEE LEGISLATURE, THIS TIME WITH NEW AND IMPROVED HOMOPHOBIC LANGUAGE...

          During the last session of Tennessee's General Assembly, our esteemed deliberative body of legislators debated a proposal to make it illegal for teachers or school counselors to discuss any lifestyle other than heterosexual with students from kindergarten through the eight grade.  The bill ultimately died in committee, but not before it had added to such notable bills as the one banning saggy pants to the one that called hand-holding a "gateway sexual activity"...

 

 

          In other words, the folks who write for Leno, Letterman, Colbert, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart had only to follow our elected representatives' efforts to get material for their comedy shows.  We've got comedy gold at the Legislative Plaza in Nashville, Amurka!

          Well, the asshat who brought the "Don't Say Gay" bill to the floor of the Senate during the last session is back with a new and improved version of the same homophobic horseshit, only this time his proposal calls for teachers, school administrators, and counselors to notify the parents if they suspect a student might be slippin' over to the gay side.

           Go ahead and roll your eyes as you issue your own facepalm moment... we understand.

           State Senator Stacey Campfield says SB 234 is designed to catch "at risk" kids before they engage in risky behavior.  Nevermind that outing a kid to his family is about as risky as life gets for some kids... in Campfield's world, you have to nip this gay and lesbian shit in the bud.  The sooner a kid is driven deeper into the proverbial closet, the sooner other kids can be intimidated into keeping their sexual concerns to themselves.

"Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!"                                      

          If only Gomer Pyle had been shamed in such a way back in Mayberry, why, he'd probably not be marrying some guy today!

State Sen. Stacey Campfield (R-Knoxville) a walking advertisement for pro-choice                           

 

 

           Besides, what's a few more childhood suicides when you've got more important things to worry about?  Wouldn't want a well-adjusted gay or bisexual kid coming out of a Tennessee school when all it takes is a few concerned calls to his folks to ruin his life, right?  I'm surprised Campfield didn't suggest the names of suspected LGBTs be posted in the local papers, just so everyone could keep their own little darlings safe from undo perverted influence.

           See what we're dealing with down here in the Volunteer State?  We've got a mouthy woman in the House of Reprehensibles who wants Obama to provide her with photos of himself shooting a shotgun, or she'll insist that he meet her on the firing range for a skeet-off.  And we've got a guy who's so concerned about gay children making it through school without a boatload of guilt and confusion that he's willing to force our educators to "out" them to their unsuspecting families... based often on nothing more than a curious child's question about an alternate lifestyle.

           Gee, between outing kids to the local bullies and standing guard with a Glock at the classroom door, our teachers here in Tennessee sure are a busy bunch, aren't they?

            Whenever Campfield opens his mouth I'm reminded that the local gene pool needs more chlorine...

MARSHA "SKEET-GATE" BLACKBURN DOUBTS PRESIDENT'S WORD ON SHOOTING SKEET BECAUSE THERE "ARE NO PICTURES"...

         (heavy sigh...)

         Once again, the state of Tennessee would like to apologize for one of its Congressional representatives.  We do this a lot, actually... but not often enough to make up for the asshats we regularly send to Washington.

Rep. Marsha Blackburn  (we're so proud...)                                            

 

 

         Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-idiculous) has expressed doubts about President Obama's recent claim during a magazine interview that he and his guests "do skeet shooting all the time" at Camp David.  According to an article in this morning's The Tennessean (motto: "Delivering tree pulp to a puddle near you!")  Rep. Blackburn has issued a challenge to the President to take her on in a skeet shooting contest, because, as she says, she's "not bad for a girl" (which should make all of you ladies oh-so-proud to hear, right?)

         Blackburn insists that the President is lying to America (again?) by claiming a shooting hobby, because no one's seen any photographs of the man firing a gun.  Here's a muzzle flash for Annie Oakley to ponder while she cleans her shotgun:  the President has two very lovely daughters, but no one's seen any photographs of him making babies... Maybe he's making up the whole fatherhood thing, too?

         I'm not one to give advice to the President, but if I were asked, I'd offer this:  take advantage of this opportunity to hold a loaded shotgun within mere inches of Marsha Blackburn as soon as possible.  If you happen to have a drunken Cheney moment and the gun goes off accidentally, just claim the late Representative was apparently right about your lack of firearm expertise and ask John Boehner if he'd like to take her place on the range.  No one ever got to the bottom of Dead-Eye Dick's misadventure, and he shot a friend in the face!  

         Please, Mr. President, do us all a favor.  Take Marsha up on her offer.  Have a few drinks while you're shooting.  Who's gonna know?  After all, there aren't any photographs, right?


        

"TAG! YOU'RE IT!" TAKES ON NEW MEANING FOR GROWN-UPS INVOLVED IN 23 YEAR OLD GAME...

          This is just too bizarre not to blog about...

          A group of nine guys have somehow managed to keep a game of tag going that started when they were friends in high school twenty-three years ago.   What started as a friendly game during a break at Gonzaga Prep School in Spokane, Washington, has evolved into an elaborate annual tradition spanning decades and all geographic restraints...  Apparently, once you're "it" in this game, it's an obsession to rid yourself of the curse.

           If you take this link you can read about the lengths these idiots will go to in order to "tag" one of the other guys.  The game that started during a high school break continued throughout that school year, and everyone involved assumed that whomever was "it" when the school year ended would be stuck with that stigma forever and ever... But at a reunion shortly after graduation the nine guys signed a "tag participation agreement" outlining the rules by which they would continue the game.

           The rules are pretty simple.  Every February it's open season on the other eight guys.  There are no "tag-backs", meaning you can't simply tag the guy who tags you.  Whoever is "it" when midnight strikes on the last day of February is "it" until the last day of January the following year when "hunting season" opens again.

 

 

           These guys have snuck into one anothers' houses in the middle of the night to make "tags".  They've breached security at one anothers' businesses.  Their wives are allies sworn to keeping them safe from one another during an entire month of every year, and even though one of the guys is now a priest, the game lives on.  Even though they live in various parts of the country, they stalk and hide from one another every February!

           You only have to read this segment of the story to understand the extent to which they take this "game":

"You're like a deer or elk in hunting season," says Joe Tombari, a high-school teacher in Spokane, who sometimes locks the door of his classroom during off-periods and checks under his car before he gets near it.

One February day in the mid-1990s, Mr. Tombari and his wife, then living in California, got a knock on the door from a friend. "Hey, Joe, you've got to check this out. You wouldn't believe what I just bought," he said, as he led the two out to his car.

What they didn't know was Sean Raftis, who was "It," had flown in from Seattle and was folded in the trunk of the Honda Accord. When the trunk was opened he leapt out and tagged Mr. Tombari, whose wife was so startled she fell backward off the curb and tore a ligament in her knee.

"I still feel bad about it," says Father Raftis, who is now a priest in Montana. "But I got Joe."           

ANOTHER VICTIM? I DON'T THINK SO...

             You don't have to watch very much of this video to realize this little girl is going to be a handful for somebody who makes the mistake of messing with her. 

             I'm pretty sure she could kick my butt if she had to...

VERY RARE LYNX SIGHTING IN COLORADO (and a bit of shameless self-promotion...)

        A retired National Parks employee spotted a pair of lynx in western Colorado and managed to get a photo of them, which has now gone viral on the web.

        According to this story, lynx had disappeared from Colorado back in 1973, but an ambitious restoration program saw over 200 of the animals released into the wild.  Between 2003 and 2010 there were over 141 confirmed lynx kittens born in the state, and it appears that the species is making a comeback in the wild.

        Here's the photo taken in Colorado:

 

 

On a slightly less exciting note, here's a photo I took of a lynx at the Nashville Zoo a couple of years ago.

 

Anyone interested in a print of this cat, or any of my other nature, wildlife, landscapes, or bird photos is welcome (!) to go to my website for a shopping spree:

 

www.wizardpixphotography.com

 

 

NEED SOME EASY CASH? AD ON CRAIGSLIST SEEKS PROTESTERS TO ATTEND ANTI-WIND TURBINE RALLY IN NYC (hey, $20 an hour to stand behind corporate whores is a bargain!)

         According to a post by Philip Bump on GristMill, a company called "Ovation" placed an ad on Craigslist (where only the best of the best advertise...) looking for volunteers willing to "stand behind speakers, elected officials, and celebrities" at a rally protesting the construction of wind turbines in England and Scotland.

         Here's the text from the Craigslist ad which has since been pulled from the site:

Our firm needs 100 volunteers to attend and participate in a rally in front of the British Consulate/Embassy in Midtown Manhattan on the East Side on Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 12 noon. The event is being held in order to protest wind turbines that are being built in Scotland and England. Your participation will be to ONLY stand next to or behind the speakers and elected officials/celebrities that will be speaking at the rally.

 

 

         Who's behind this particular bovine excrement?  No one is saying... But as a rule, if you follow the money you won't be led astray.

          Twenty dollars an hour to stand around with misspelled signs is twenty dollars an hour more than teabaggers are being paid to do the same thing.  That's the free market at work, isn't it?  Conservative cranks should demand equal pay for equal work, and if the Koch Brothers don't step up to the plate with fair wages for their useful idiots, well, maybe the Tea Party should consider forming a union!

         

     

        

"HELLO, MY NAME IS INIGO MONTOYA, YOU KILLED MY FATHER, PREPARE TO DIE" QUOTE ON SHIRT GETS AUSSIE FLYER HASSLED BY QANTAS AIRWAYS

            This is hard for me to believe, but then, I'm a big fan of the movie "The Princess Bride".

            A guy named Wynand Mullins was flying (or trying to) from Sydney, Australia to Auckland, New Zealand on Qantas Airways when some of his fellow passengers took notice of the Inigo Montoya quote from that movie, and some of them became concerned for their safety.

            It's only one of the most popular lines from one of the most popular cult classics in movie history, folks.

            At what point is it okay to tell someone to chill the fuck out?

 

             According to this story, the flight crew on-board the plane asked Mullins if he would mind changing into another shirt, but because he didn't have another shirt they let him wear the Montoya quote for the trip.

             Wonder what they would have done if he'd been wearing a shirt with some quotes from "Snakes on a Plane"?

FREE GUANO! COME GETCHA SOME...