I went to the local grocery store here in town this morning. As I approached the store, I saw a large banner hanging over the door announcing a store-wide sale of “Everything Italian”. I walked in and began seeing such items as spaghetti sauce, pasta, Italian bread, etc. and when I arrived at the Deli, I noticed Italian roast beef was on sale. Even on sale I couldn’t afford to pay nearly $11.00 per pound.

I ordered the “cheap” roast beef and some “cheap” cheese then proceeded over to the bakery to get my on-sale loaf of Italian bread. I then turned the corner and spotted the cheese danish…….not on sale. I got the attention of the woman working behind the bakery counter and yelled, “Excuse me! Where is the Italian cheese danish?”

What ensued next was quite entertaining…………………………………at least for a demented sort.

Tom Remington

Where is the maiden all forlorn, who milked the cow with the crumpled horn? I know. I know. This ain’t a cow but work with me here.

Milt Inman Photo

Milt Inman

Jayne Winters, a board member of Maine Friends of Animals, was allowed to write a column that appeared in today’s Kennebec Journal. Her piece is in support of the Maine Legislature’s LD 560, a bill that would ban shooting animals on private land. In her piece she quotes only part of what I said in an article I wrote about the nonsense of trying to legislate one’s ethical ideals.

Here is how Winters quoted me.

In a recent blog entry, Tom Remington states, “It’s not about whether you approve or disapprove of high-fence hunting. This is about rights … your rights as a free American.” He compares legislators and anti-hunting groups to Nazis who are “bent on the destruction of our freedom.”

Here is what I actually wrote.

It’s not about whether you approve or disapprove of high-fence hunting. Do you want to be a part of the ethics Nazis? This is about rights…..your rights as a free American.

Referring to those who sponsor such legislation as “ethics Nazis” is a bit different than calling them just Nazis. Please don’t skew my words.

But the real issue here again is that people like Winters feel compelled to make laws that dictate to you and I in what manner we must to live, all based on their personal ideals not yours. In Winters’ column she brings out many good points, most of which I cannot argue with. Because she claims these things to be her moral high ground, does it then make sense to turn them into law?

Winters’ points were valid until she began to show her ignorance of hunting ranches. In an effort to legislate your ethics, she is forced to make claims that are not true and cannot be backed up.

Living in the wild does not typically include being fed quality hay and feed on a regular basis and accepting the presence of man. If you query “game ranches in Maine” on the Internet, you’ll come up with a variety of photos showing elk and bison behind fencing, munching on bales of hay.

I am told that there are somewhere between 30 and 50 ranches in Maine that raise deer, elk, red deer, bison etc.. Of those, 8 are set up to include the use of shooting an animal for harvest. I don’t think going to the Internet and looking at photos of elk and bison “munching on bales of hay” is much of a way to substantiate the need to put these hard working Maine people out of business. Perhaps Ms. Winters should consider actually visiting one of these facilities other than looking at photos on line.

I warned in my previous article not to be fooled by groups like Maine Friends of Animals and the sponsors of this bill when they tell you this is about ethical hunting and animal abuse and has nothing to do with property rights. It has everything to do with property rights. A person has a right to farm and raise livestock. They also have a right to decide by which means they will harvest that livestock.

The legislation is not about land-use rights. It is not the tip of the iceberg to ban all hunting. LD 560 is about preserving the tradition of real hunting in Maine. It is about protecting and preserving our native species. LD 560 is about reducing the unnecessary suffering of animals that often die an agonizing death for the sake of a trophy head for someone’s wall.

Much of Maine Friends of Animals has been about banning hunting and trapping and this appears just another step in that direction. It’s called incrementalism. Raising deer, elk and bison has nothing to do with the “tradition of real hunting in Maine”. Claiming not to be a hunter but having friends that are, gives no one standing to convey to others about the “tradition of real hunting in Maine”.

Also Winters needs to substantiate a statement that this bill is about protecting and preserving our native species. This makes no sense at all and can only be taken as a feeble attempt at instilling fear into Maine people that somehow this ranches are a threat to our wild and native species.

And stopping deer farms will have absolutely nothing to do with “reducing the unnecessary suffering of animals that often die an agonizing death”. As I have said a million times before, resorting to lies and misinformation, especially as a tool to frighten people, for the purpose of promoting personal agendas only exposes groups such as Maine Friends of Animals for what they really are.

Maine people need to decide for themselves but please base that information on facts. If you’ve never visited a farm that raises deer, elk or bison, I encourage you to do that. Meet the people behind the operation that a small handful of people want to run out of business. And make sure you visit at least one farm that allows hunting, or shooting, or killing, or harvesting….whatever you want to call it, I have no problem with that.

This is completely about rights and don’t let anyone try to convince you otherwise. Remember, if you think you are qualified to dictate to others what their ethical standards will be, the day isn’t too far away when it will come home to roost.

Tom Remington

Don’t ask!

A nineteen year old was arrested walking down the median of I-84 in New York carrying dead deer parts, including a deer’s head, a red spray paint can and he was covered with red paint.

“Mr. Carlson could not give any reasonable explanation for walking out on the highway, carrying paint and dead deer parts,” police said in a release today.

Now unless this dude just got off the bus from Washington, D.C., where he was working on writing another stimulus plan (I don’t think he was a monkey), I find it hard to believe that someone could be so creative as to take a stroll down I-84 with a dead deer’s head and red paint and he couldn’t come up with a creative excuse as to why.

The last time I was stopped for walking down an interstate highway covered in paint and carrying a deer head, I told the officer I took a break from work – I’m a professional spray paint can tester – to walk my pet deer, Oliver. Oliver didn’t want to go for a walk so I didn’t take Oliv-him. Ooooh, that was really bad.

But hey this is right up there with the guy who was arrested for driving around town with a Hurst and a dead deer in the back. Was that the same guy who was having sex with the deer?

Tom Remington

This is an ancient tradition but is not practiced much any more. Some incredible footage here of one powerful bird, especially when you consider the voracity of a wolf.

Tom Remington

Tom Remington

I just got an email that contained a story in it that I have heard (at least one version or another) for a long time now. The first recollection I have of some of the content in this old time classic, I heard from the great Maine humorist, Joe Perham. I decided to post the story up this morning but I’m going to change a few things and have it more resemble the work of Joe Perham.

Letter From Mom -

Dearest Clyde,

I’m writing this slow because I know you can’t read fast.

We don’t live where we did when you left home. Your dad read in the newspaper that most accidents happen within 20 miles of your home, so we moved. I won’t be able to send you the address because the last Maine family that lived here took the house numbers when they moved so they wouldn’t have to change their address.

This place is really nice. It even has a washing machine. I’m not sure about it. I put a load of clothes in and pulled the chain. We haven’t seen them since.

The weather isn’t bad here. It only rained twice last week; the first time for three days and the second time for four days.

About that coat you wanted me to send; your Uncle Vern said it would be too heavy to send in the mail with the buttons on, so we cut them off and put them in the pockets.

Junior locked his keys in the car yesterday. We were really worried because it took him two hours to get me and your father out.

Your sister had a baby this morning, but I haven’t found out what it is yet so I don’t know if you are an aunt or uncle.

Uncle Byron fell into a whiskey vat last week. Some men tried to pull him out but he fought them off and drowned. We had him cremated, he burned for three days.

Three of your friends went off a bridge in a pickup truck. Butch was driving. He rolled down the window and swam to safety. Your other two friends were in the back. They drowned because they couldn’t get the tailgate down!

There isn’t much more news at this time. Nothing much out of the normal has happened.

Your Favorite Aunt,
Mom

P.S. I was going to send you $10 but I had already sealed the envelope.

Tom Remington

As a kid growing up, I was always told that if you used a cuss word and there’s a dragonfly around, it’ll come and sew up your mouth.

Milt Inman Photo

Milt Inman

What took the Obama administration so long to begin announcing their plans, one gun at a time if necessary, to steal our Second Amendment rights? As this administration works to strip away more rights than any other president in history, it comes as no surprise that Attorney General Eric Holder announced that President Obama plans to reinstate an assault weapons ban.

Here’s the second grade, asinine, lame excuse Holder gave for wanting to assault our Second Amendment rights.

Holder said that putting the ban back in place would not only be a positive move by the United States, it would help cut down on the flow of guns going across the border into Mexico, which is struggling with heavy violence among drug cartels along the border.

“I think that will have a positive impact in Mexico, at a minimum.”

So why doesn’t Holder and his buddy Obama move to Mexico and become citizens there. Maybe Mexico is better ready for Marxist rule that America is. Frankly who really cares what Mexico is doing? It’s not like they care much about the old U.S. of A.

If there’s a problem of weapons flowing into Mexico from the U.S., then why not do what the majority of Americans have asked our government to do (one of only a handful of things they have authority to do under the constitution) and secure the boarder.

This is just a classic lipstick on a pig trick to scare Americans into giving up their rights. Obama was lying during his campaign when he said he believed in the Second Amendment. But like everything else he believes in, it works so long as it is played his way.

During Holder’s questioning before foolishly being voted in as AG, he listed out some of the changes he thought would be allowed under the recent Supreme Court ruling of the D.C. vs. Heller. Make no mistake about it. His idea of what would be allowed involves how far he and the Obama administration can go in stripping us of our constitutional rights before they get in trouble with the courts.

This was expected much as I expect worse in the coming plans for this administration. Now we must stand up and fight against it.

Tom Remington

He let his yellow lab out to do his thing and within seconds his dog was being attacked by wolves. Reacting, he ran out the door and took his dog back and away from the wolves.

But the official word still remains that wolves will not attack a human.

Tom Remington