Wednesday, February 10, 2010

When the only tool you have is legislation...

...every problem apparently requires a law.

Jim at The Travis McGee Reader notes:
There is some logic to not feeding wild animals, but I object to imprisoning barefoot boy with cheek of tan for the heinous crime of fishing with an angleworm.
I'm going to have to take a firm stand and say that any crime that can be committed with a string, a bent pin, and a worm, and without touching a single other person or their property, is no crime at all.
The bill says feeding and baiting wildlife would be unlawful in Iowa, except in a few specific situations. The aim is to keep animals from gathering in large numbers, which increases the likelihood that a diseased animal will infect others.

[snip]

The bill would allow for exceptions, such as if Iowans want to place feed within 50 yards of their home for the purpose of observing wildlife.
Perhaps another exception could be made for feeding or baiting the wildlife with state legislators.

16 comments:

BobG said...

"Perhaps another exception could be made for feeding or baiting the wildlife with state legislators."

Others have had similar thoughts.

"There ought to be one day-- just one-- when there is open season on senators."
-Will Rogers

Stuart the Viking said...

"There is some logic to not feeding wild animals, but I object to imprisoning barefoot boy with cheek of tan for the heinous crime of fishing with an angleworm."

Does anyone else find this turn of phrase a little creapy? I mean, there is a valid point there, but geesh, what a creapy way to say it.

s

Tam said...

"Does anyone else find this turn of phrase a little creapy?"

People who dozed through AmLit 101 the day we covered Whittier might. ;)

Jim said...

:) :)

Blessings on thee, little girl.

theirritablearchitect said...

"...Perhaps another exception could be made for feeding or baiting the wildlife with state legislators."

Just wait. It's coming.

New Jovian Thunderbolt said...

I fantasize about some lawmaking body, somewhere, devoting an entire legislative session to nothing but the repeal of laws.

But it's the Leftists that dream of impossible utopias, not my side, and I discard the notion as unworkable. Legislators would figure out some way to make a mass repeal something that makes their constituents lives more difficult. Hellish even.

staghounds said...

"...Perhaps another exception could be made for feeding or baiting the wildlife with state legislators."

Waste of time, there are some things even turkey vultures and feral hogs won't eat.

If I could make three constitutional changes, #3 would be that every action of congress became invalid after the passage of five years unless it was repassed by a 3/4 majority.

Anonymous said...

"There ought to be one day-- just one-- when there is open season on senators."
-Will Rogers

Addendum : and have that day occur totally at random with baited open bars allowed and no bag limit.

Gmac

TJP said...

"The aim is to keep [them] from gathering in large numbers, which increases the likelihood that a diseased [one] will infect others."

Thanks for pointing that out, Tam. This explains so much about what's eventually going to happen to Scott Brown. He'll be a shambling tax zombie soon.

Davidwhitewolf said...

"any crime that can be committed with a string, a bent pin, and a worm, and without touching a single other person or their property, is no crime at all."

Good to see things have progressed since the 1920s. Dr. Wirt Bradley Dakin's "Urological Oddities" (the one with the send-chills-down-your-spine Robert B. Ripley-style drawings) has dozens of cases of self-inflicted injuries from people using those very implements while playing with their nethers. Strongly condemns this as immoral, heinous, criminal, etc.

I keep my copy in the guest bathroom to surprise guests looking for toilet-side reading material. Yes, I'm evil that way.

Drang said...

As some woman famous on the Intert00bz is wont to say, "Ignorance is no excuse for a law."

I'd have little problem with a bill that specified--probably in "definitions"--that it was trying to ban the practice of hunting game--i.e., deer--over bait. Of course, then you get into the question of, is hunting in or around a corn field, apple orchard, etc., "baiting", or is it taking advantage of the natural tendency of critters, wild or not, to gather where the food is? Legiscritters should be required to answer those questions, as well.

Hunting varmints over bait should be allowed--"varmint" is a variation on "vermin." Hopefully, the legiscritters won't realize they're on that list, too...

Stuart the Viking said...

re: AmLit 101,

Once again made a fool by my mis-spent youth of drinking myself stupid before class each day. Please forgive my ignorance, I may never read enough to catch up on what I missed, but then again, I may never be able to remember it all anymore anyway.

s

wv: toessi, the singular form of toesies.

JD said...

"The aim is to keep animals from gathering in large numbers"


Ummm, yeah that's called a herd and animals can do that all on their own at oh....how about a water source?

Next we're going to see legislation promoting droughts so the deer won't be next to each other when the drink.

As Michicalipensylvirginian turned Iowan, excuse me while I go bang my head in the car door repeatedly, I find it less painful than the idiocy I see popping up in this state.

jselvy said...

Forgive me if this has already occurred to the citizenry of Iowa. If you don't want large herds, issue more hunting tags. Is this too simple a solution?

Tam said...

Stuart the Viking,

I slept through math; we all have our weaknesses. ;)

Billll said...

If this passes, it will no longer be legal to stake a legislator out over an anthill, then?