Ravenwood - 01/18/05 06:45 AM
When Jane Goodall wanted to learn about apes, she camped out in the jungle with a notebook and observed their every move. The Washington Post seems to be taking a similar approach to figuring out the people in so-called Red States who voted for George W. Bush.
Early in December, with a photographer and his assistant, I drove from Nebraska, near the geographical center of the United States, to the heart of Texas -- more than 700 miles, through empty spaces and sprawling cities and all or part of four states. We headed pretty much due south, no dodging or weaving. And never did we pass within 100 miles of a county that voted for Democrat John F. Kerry in the recent election.The Post reports that they later tagged Mr. Owen's ear so that they could locate him later and check on his progress. Meanwhile his neighbors were rounded up for transport to the Washington Zoo to see if they will breed in captivity.We were voyaging on the Red Sea...
We met dozens of people along the way. We asked them about themselves, about their communities, about their votes. Some were leery of us. Several asked politely: "What are you trying to accomplish?" Others were more blunt: "What's your angle?" Another version: "What are you hoping to find?"
We met Bruce Owen outside Abilene, Kan. He invited us into his home, introduced us to his wife, Donna -- and then seemed to wish he hadn't. He told us he rarely saw people like himself portrayed in "the media," except as objects of derision.
Category: Blaming the Media
Comments (6) top link me
Your last paragraph, regarding the tagging of Mr. Owen's ear is entirely plausible.
The National Greyhound Association is located in Abilene, KS. The area is dotted with greyhound farms and training facilities for the preparation of the hounds for racing. When the puppies are registered, both ears are "tagged" with tatoos which serve as lifelong I.D. for the hounds. The tattoo information is entered into a database containing the greyhound's pedigree, racing line, ownership, etc. There is also an abundance of "transport" trucks in the area for the movement of the hounds from farm to kennel to track, etc.
It may well be quite easy for a "highly sophisticated, investigative journalist", such as those at WaPo to obtain the equipment from the locals for such a nefarious purpose. ;^)
Posted by: Steve Scudder at January 18, 2005 8:05 AMDid you see James Lileks' commentary in yesterday's Bleat?
"Much sport has been had with this piece from the WaPo about the Red Sea. Short version: Three Beltway citizens loaded up their pouches with Elvish bread and headed out to find why people voted for Sauron."
And:
"Maybe I'm just in a warm happy mood, but I tend to side with those who cut Von Drehle much slack here – he’s a smart guy; he’s from the Big Empty and obviously has some affinity for it. What may seem to some like condescension or confusion strikes me as someone gently explaining to the Inner Party the curious songs of the proles, and why they sing in the first place."
The ear-tag comment, however, is a nice touch!
Posted by: Kevin Baker at January 18, 2005 10:30 AMI prefer tranquilizer darts. Then I implant microchips in their butts.... ;0)
Posted by: Jack Cluth at January 18, 2005 11:02 AMIt's time to adopt scientific methods to understand liberalism in the wild.
1) Find a liberal and shoot it with a tranquilizer dart. This may appear to be a hazardous activity as they tend to travel in herds, but in reality, the herd scatters in panic at the first appearance of a gun-like object. However, it may be necessary to provide a distraction for the local police force, such as an anonymous phone call reporting a sexual harasser with a gun in a school zone.
2) Attach ID tag and recording devices.
3) Release back into the wild.
4) After six months, recover the experimental subject and download the recordings.
5) Dissection!
Posted by: markm at January 18, 2005 2:08 PMResults of a liberal dissection
Summary Notes:
Severally acute decay of all internal tissues and organs, ranging from the arch to the cranial lobes. - Conclusion proves previous theories as being rotten to the core.
The spinal column appears diminished in size compared to that of the normal population of the United States. - Although they are not totally spineless, they do have dimunitive spines inferior to that of Mid-westerners.
Enlarged forked tongue was discovered in my subject. He has a special camoflauge that hinders discovery of this cruel weapon. - Must develop a system to visually detect such features on living specimen. In doing so it could revolutionize spotting closet liberals in case article 231 is executed by the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy.(r)
Oddities: Very enlarged sections in the cranial lobes where emotions are presumed to originate. In a total reversal of these findings; all logical functions from the brain are at barely detectable levels. Very fascinating.
Rhett L ***** MD
MD = Me Doctor! ?:P
"They find the Red Sea hostile, baffling and, frankly, menacing. " Yeah, and we got the guns!"
Posted by: Doug at January 19, 2005 6:01 AM(c) Ravenwood and Associates, 1990 - 2014
