THUMBS XII: Pet ID Chips Recommended by Police; Kudos to Theater Folks at 'Constantine' Screening; Droopy Pants Bill Nixed in Old Dominion; Conservatives Get Outlet at UW-Madison
by David M. KinchenEditor, Bluefield News Network
Hinton (BNN) — This is the twelfth installment of an occasional series expressing approval or disapproval of recent news events, commentaries, etc. Thumbs Up for approval; Thumbs Down for disapproval. I welcome contributions, which will be credited in the item. The contributions can come from within the BNN family or from our readers — I welcome them all. Contact me at davidkinchen@hotmail.com.
THUMBS UP — To the Huntington Police Department for suggesting that pet owners have their animals embedded with a painless chip that identifies them. In essence, the chip gives law enforcement the equivalent of a vehicle identification number, serial number or Social Security number if you must prove ownership of the stolen dog or cat. BNN writer Tony Rutherford notes that "while gathering police data for BNN, I ran into a desperately seeking my lost and/or stolen dog owner. However, she learned that despite a report that someone saw the dog stolen, proving the ownership of the canine is not a simple process."
One HPD officer, who owns three Great Danes, has had the implants placed in his dogs so that if they run away or are stolen, law enforcement can establish ownership, Rutherford says.
Meanwhile, Jessica Congleton, 1629 Ninth Ave., Huntington, would like readers to stay on the lookout for her missing seven-year-old brown pit bull which was stolen two-and-a-half weeks ago from Po Boys, at 9th Street and Hal Greer Boulevard. If you have seen the animal, you can contact her at 751-7310.
THUMBS UP — To the Greater Huntington Theatre Corp. and its management for letting the students wait inside the Keith Albee Theatre while vigil continued on the tardy print for the free screening of "Constantine." With the windy weather making the lines outside the theater impatient, the Student Activities Governing Board knew that the print for the free screening of "Constantine" was in transit. When it became known that the print from Warner Brothers would not arrive, THUMBS UP again to GHTC and the Governing Board for working out a "group rate" so those students already inside the Keith Albee could still see a movie at no expense to them.
Although BNN writer Tony Rutherford says a few walked out — and one even threw a drink at James "Mage" Hensel, SAPB adviser — most stayed and enjoyed the substitute film, which would not have been possible without negotiations involving the sponsors and GHTC.
THUMBS DOWN — To the Virginia House of Delegates that Feb. 8, 2005 passed a bill authorizing a $50 fine for anyone who displays his or her underpants in a "lewd or indecent manner." I'm sure the plumber's union will join me in condemning this useless piece of legislation, which was — THUMBS UP — rejected unanimously two days later by the state Senate. Republican Sen. Thomas K. Norment said news reports implied that lawmakers were preoccupied with droopy pants.
"I find that an indignation, which dampens my humor," Norment said, obviously not amused.
Republican Sen. Kenneth Stolle called the bill "a distraction." The bill apparently was aimed at youthful fashion fanatics who favor low-slung pants. Plumbers and others who work in such a way that their nether regions may get overexposed have a Wisconsin-based source called Duluth Trading Co. that sells extra-long tailed T-shirts and work shirts to solve the nation's other crack epidemic.
THUMBS UP — To the publishers of the brand-new Mendota Beacon, a conservative newspaper published by students of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The historically liberal UW-Madison campus already has two competing student papers, both of which tentatively welcome the new paper, named after one of Madison's lakes. As a libertarian, I welcome diversity on a campus that has had plenty of coverage of and by lefties, but little for those of a conservative or libertarian persuasion. Support for the Beacon is coming from The Collegiate Network, based in Wilmington, Del., according to a Chicago Tribune story on the new Madison paper. The Collegiate Network lends financial support to conservative student newspapers, including the Chicago Criterion at the University of Chicago and the Michigan Review at the University of Michigan.
Thumbs Archives:
10/16/04 — Part I
11/10/04 — Part II
11/26/04 — Part III
12/15/04 — Part IV
12/24/04 — Part V
12/31/04 — Part VI
01/08/05 — Part VII
01/14/05 — Part VIII
01/21/05 — Part IX
02/04/05 — Part X
02/11/05 — Part XI
02/18/05 — Part XII
02/25/05 — Part XIII
02/28/05 — Part XIV
03/06/05 — Part XV
03/10/05 — Part XVI
03/18/05 — Part XVII
03/26/05 — Part XVIII
03/30/05 — Part XIX
04/09/05 — Part XX