A few years ago, we were all treated to pictures on the news of a lost killer whale….a young thing that got named “Luna” by whomever names such critters.  Luna was lonesome, since she was not with the usual “pod” of orcas and she took up a dangerous hobby: hanging around the boats in the water with her.  Eventually, we were all saddened when she was killed by a boat propeller.  Fast forward a bit and here is this young idiot who decides to “protest” her death.  So he cuts the HIGH VOLTAGE electric lines to Orcas Island.  Now, mind you, Orcas Islanders had nothing to do with her death, nor did the electric line contribute to the poor Luna’s early demise.  But that was his choice….out the lights to many thousands of people who may have been just as upset over the young killer whale as he was and oh, for a bonus—shock the crap out of yourself.  Enough so as to lose an ARM.  Then, of course, get caught and put on trial.

But for what?  Malicious mischief?  Or maybe eco-terrorism?  No, he was charged with a misdemeanor and basically set free because “he has suffered so much already.”  Right.  He was a numb nuts.  His protest had zilch to do with the topic at hand, and he goes free cause he was inept enough to lose an arm?    Yes, perhaps I am a merciless bitch, but he deserved more than that, if you ask me.  I’m not sure jail time would be what I would have had in mind for him, but putting out the lights to thousands as a “protest” struck me as freaking stupid; pitying him for hurting himself in the process says little about the spirit of the law.

But, just so you know, you will all be safe in Washington from really terrible horrible threats, because someone else IS a merciless bastard.  Just this month, a 14 year old (who got his first hunting license at around age 8 iirc) had a terrible accident.  He was out on the first day of bear hunting season and shot a hiker.  She died, the boy was a damn good shot, unfortunately.  His whole town was shook up, sorry for her death and sorry for the boy who, naturally, feels really terrible.  But he, doing something he had done for years, is going to trial for manslaughter.

A judge decided that he should never have been hunting on a foggy day.  Excuse me?   This is the Pacific Nor’west…if we didn’t “do” whatever we do in fog and rain, the damned state would have to close down for six months or more of the year.  Oh, and the boy should have used binoculars, not his gunsight, according  to ‘his Honor.’   Now, my dad hunted all the years of his life and so far as he was concerned, carrying additional stuff into rough country was to be avoided.  If you have good gunsights….why have binoculars?

I think the judge wants a tough rep so he can run for office as being all rough and ‘hanging judge’-ish.   I think it is a lot of crap; a 14 year old boy is going to be pilloried for a hunting accident.  The freaking Vice-President shot a man in the FACE and didn’t even get a scolding for crying out loud!  Yes, the woman died, but even her family didn’t go demanding prison time for this boy.  But hey, 14 year olds don’t get to vote anyhow, do they?  So obviously the judge is safe to harry the boy all the way down.  And it is so much easier than doing something that would REALLY protect the citizenry, like LOUDLY announcing when and which hunting season is open.  I had no idea whatsoever that there even WAS a hunting season as early as August….and I am certain that poor hiker had no idea.  It would do a lot more good to WARN people to hike wearing bright yellow or orange, not shades of green and blue that blend into our landscape.

So, yeah, even out here on the rim of the country, the stupid, it still burns.   Oh, say can you see, indeed.