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View from the North 40: Pamville News: It's nature

New Hampshire legislators prove it’s not just Montana senators who feel it’s their elected and sworn duty to crush children’s dreams.

A group of Bozeman elementary kids and their learned presenters went before the Montana Senate with a detailed and researched proposal that Scobey soil be declared the state soil, and the bill sponsor, JP Pomnichowski, D-Bozeman, explained that the soil helps grow Montana’s $4.7 billion agriculture industry, said an article by The Associated Press.

While the fourth-graders waited in anticipation of watching the Legislature in action, Sen. Taylor Brown, R-Huntley, chair of the Senate Ag Committee who is also known as “the voice of agriculture” in broadcast media, said that he has taught about the importance of soils to students, but the Legislature had more important issues to deal with than making bright-eyed children happy. He also said that in the past he’s had to vote no on other equally important proposals like the state pancake. And he said that he was urging legislators not to encourage children write more class-project bills like this in the future. And, he added, legislators didn’t have the time to devote to this nonsense.

All that being said, the proposal passed in the Senate on a 26-24 vote, thanks to support from Democrats and a few cross-over Republicans.

No one went so far as to compare this debate to the one House members were subjected to over Missoula Republican Rep. David Moore’s proposal to outlaw provocative clothing, including yoga pants and tight beige clothing that could give the impression of nudity.

Meanwhile, in New Hampshire, it may take a cat to save a bird.

New Hampshire fourth-graders, who proposed that the red-tailed hawk be named the New Hampshire state raptor, got more than a lesson in the working of the Granite State’s House or Representatives, and a lesson in handling disappointment, as they listened to debate on their proposal.

CBS Boston reported that the bill failed to pass after a lengthy debate from both sides of the aisle on whether or not this and similar proposals are a waste of the lawmaker’s time, and one representative’s side-note questioning of the appropriateness of the red-tailed hawk as state raptor.

Rep. Warren Groen, R-Rochester, said that the red-tailed hawk “mostly likes field mice and small rodents. It grasps them with its talons and then uses its razor sharp beak to rip its victims to shreds and then basically tear it apart, limb from limb. And I guess the shame about making this the state bird is it would make a much better mascot for Planned Parenthood.”

As a counterpoint this eye-opener of an impromptu addition to the fourth-graders’ regular classroom curriculum, apparently they are now scheduled for another lesson in lawmaking.

Sen. Jeff Woodburn, D-Dalton, has announced that he will attach the hawk proposal to a Senate bill asking that the bobcat be named the New Hampshire state wildcat, the AP reported.

Journalist and humorist John Breneman posting on Dailykos.com wrote that “polls in the Granite State show overwhelming support for new legislation naming Rep. Warren Groen New Hampshire’s official state moron.”

When asked, Pamville editorial staff had nothing better to add to Breneman’s commentary.

(We are stupefied into silent head shaking at [email protected].)

 

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