if these limits may, at any time, be passed by those intended to be restrained?"
-- Chief Justice John Marshall, Marbury v. Madison, 1803
Pest Control
by Lee
Following up on the Australian gun control post from a couple of days ago, I found an interesting illustration of the differences between the US and Australia whilst perusing the news feeds today. It seems that in Wisconsin here is a slight pest control problem, for which a uniquely American solution has been approved.
Despite passionate opposition from cat lovers, Wisconsin residents supported a plan that would allow hunters to take out wild felines that kill birds and other small mammals.
Residents who attended the meetings of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress voted Monday night to allow hunters to kill cats at will, just like skunks or gophers - something the Humane Society of the United States called cruel and archaic.
Wild, feral cats are to be treated just like any other wild pest. Okay, now let’s compare that to Australia, which has a poison toad problem.
Poisonous toads causing a menace across northern Australia should be clubbed to death with cricket bats and golf clubs, an MP has said.
David Tollner’s crude tactic has understandably outraged animal rights campaigners.
But the Liberal Party politician said the method for dispatching cane toads proved successful when he was a child.
Mr Tollner, member for the Northern Territory, told ABC radio: “We hit them with cricket bats and golf clubs and the like.
“I think if people could be encouraged rather than discouraged (to attack them) the better the chance will be of stopping the cane toads.”
Two similar problems, two totally different solutions. It reminded me of the difference between Australian and American attitudes towards self defense. In Australia, if you hear someone breaking in your house in the middle of the night, you should grab whatever non-lethal piece of sporting equipment you can find and try and scare the intruder off. In America you just shoot the fucker.
Comments
Reminds me of a Simpsons episode. Two episodes actually.
I think the Simpsons has been around long enough that just about anything can remind you of an episode. It drives my wife crazy every time I say “This is like that episode in the Simpsons...”
When I was younger, my dad was taking a course in Ecology at the state university. His instructor was kind enough to let me to sit in on the classes that he was attending.
One day the subject was the impact of foreign flora and fauna introduced to environments where they have no natural predators. Thus we were shown the infamous documentary on cane toads.
I particularly liked the scene where the mother talks on the phone while the toddler spots a cane toad and decides to play with it. Meanwhile, ominous music builds in the background as the narrator comments on the poisonous properties of the cane toad’s skin.
Posted by Mark_M on 04/12 at 10:32 PM
Reminds me of a Simpsons episode. Two episodes actually.
I think the Simpsons has been around long enough that just about anything can remind you of an episode. It drives my wife crazy every time I say “This is like that episode in the Simpsons...”
Actually, this reminds me of a South Park episode.
Heh.
Whacking Day, O Whacking Day…
I think Australia should enact legislation regarding the hate crime of thinking about killing toads just because they are a different species.
/ducks
Perhaps Al Gore could release cougars to eat the smaller cats.
Skinner: Well, I was wrong. The lizards are a godsend.
Lisa: But isn’t that a bit short-sighted? What happens when we’re
overrun by lizards?
Skinner: No problem. We simply release wave after wave of Chinese
needle snakes. They’ll wipe out the lizards.
Lisa: But aren’t the snakes even worse?
Skinner: Yes, but we’re prepared for that. We’ve lined up a fabulous
type of gorilla that thrives on snake meat.
Lisa: But then we’re stuck with gorillas!
Skinner: No, that’s the beautiful part. When wintertime rolls around,
the gorillas simply freeze to death.
Or Giant Pandas, they seem nice!
The Aussie situation sounds like this classic. Gotta love Seventies B movies…
No the difference is Australians don’t live in fear of some dirty bugger breaking into our houses. In fact there is nobody I know that has ever had someone break into their house while they were there. No point in buying a gun, a cricket bat causes more pain anyway :)
The cane toad suggestion is brilliant. Those ugly little bastards were introduced by some dipshit to eat the cane beetle in plantations in the north. Only problem was that the toads couldn’t climb the cane to reach the beetles. So now we have millions of the little shits causing havoc and multiplying like gremlins. They are highly poisonous and kill local species. Problem is they’re very hardy and tough to kill. So I think the use of cricket bats is a brilliant solution. Guns would be a waste of bullets and overkill.
No the difference is Australians don’t live in fear of some dirty bugger breaking into our houses. In fact there is nobody I know that has ever had someone break into their house while they were there. No point in buying a gun, a cricket bat causes more pain anyway :)
I don’t either. In fact, I don’t know of anyone who had a scumbag break into their house either. Thank God I don’t live in America. Oh wait.
I don’t either. In fact, I don’t know of anyone who had a scumbag break into their house either. Thank God I don’t live in America. Oh wait.
Why invest in a gun then when a cricket bat (or in your case a baseball bat or hockey stick) will do the job.
Why invest in a gun then when a cricket bat (or in your case a baseball bat or hockey stick) will do the job.
That’s assuming the criminal breaking into your house is unarmed. As far as I know, criminals usually break the rules. As far as fear, I have no problem creating a society where the criminal is afraid of attacking me or anyone else. Tough enforcement of laws, which are not enforced as well as they need to be in my country, for theft, rape, murder etc. would help as a deterrent. It would be nice if they would start enforcing those before they worry about whether a law-abiding citizen has a gun or not. On a side note, good luck on the toad problem. I hear they are nasty creatures. Hit one out of the park for me sometime.
Lots of people shoot feral cats already, They just want to make sure its legal to get rid of the damned things without some chick calling the cops. i;ve lived in places where feral cats were legally classified as rodents.
They are highly poisonous and kill local species. Problem is they’re very hardy and tough to kill. So I think the use of cricket bats is a brilliant solution.
Saw a documentary on PBS some time ago and someone in a pickup truck on a paved rural road was weaving from side to side trying to run over as many of the critters as possible…
On the subject of cats, while I generally like them, feral male cats are a pain in the ass and I wouldn’t mind them being bumped off. I can’t count the number of times when I unlocked the security cable around my motorcycle and ended up getting a stinky surprise all over my hands.
Guns would be a waste of bullets and overkill.
Yeah, maybe, but with a little modification you fling them with a pigeon launch. Pull!
Cats...I hate cats. In fact, I’d probably drive 50 miles to shoot a cat.
Umm, a small clarification if I may. In fact “cane toad cricket” is a popular game right through the afflicted areas. So is cane toad football, but it leaves your boots all icky, so cricket is more popular. The sort of moonbats complaining about the cruelty are the same sort who would be known as “Kerry voters” (or even “Dean voters") in the US. So please, don’t judge we Aussies on the basis of these howling moonbats, same we don’t judge you on the basis of Kerry, Dean, Hillary or Teddy (Killer) Kennedy.
As far as the gun thing is concerned, well I guess we’re just different countries. I bow to no man in my status as a “right-wing deathbeast”, but our situation does seem different to yours & our laws (largely) work reasonably well. I have no doubt if I were a US citizen I would not only be a Republican, but also an NRA member, but in Oz a different situation prevails.
Fuck you. Non lethal my arse.
I have a fantastic cut down baseball bat, just ready for some fucker to get a face full of pain.
I dont even bother locking my house most nights, most house breaking crime occurs during the day round here.
lets face it, criminals are cowardly, stupid and lazy. Having to face a naked, 100kg, angry, hairy baseball bat toting man screaming, “come get some, mother fucker” is just to much like hard work.
Saw a documentary on PBS some time ago and someone in a pickup truck on a paved rural road was weaving from side to side trying to run over as many of the critters as possible…
In one of those hippy wv combi vans no less. Pure fucking gold.
Last time I was in Queensland we played a bit of cane toad golf, the irons are your best bet for distance, but the woods seem to stun them more.
Doesnt kill the fuckers though, they play dead.
So we gather them all up, poured some metho on the fuckers and set em alight.
Laugh, I nearly shat myself.
No the difference is Australians don’t live in fear of some dirty bugger breaking into our houses. In fact there is nobody I know that has ever had someone break into their house while they were there.
Rand: Where do you live? My wife is from Sydney and when she lived in Balmain, her house was ransacked while she was asleep upstairs. We have friends living in Wooloomooloo, Potts Point and Newtown who have experienced the same.
Sydney’s a shithole.
Gay capital of something or other, more fucking abo’s than you can shake a stick at, crappy roads, dodgy taxi drivers, expensive real estate, I’d rather live in adelaide!.
Nice harbour though
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Reminds me of a Simpsons episode. Two episodes actually.