And now, the very latest in the ongoing absurdity of zero-tolerance, from The Staten Island Real-Time News:

Patrick Timoney, a fourth-grader at PS 52, South Beach, was nearly suspended after playing with LEGOs during his lunch period because one of the action figures was carrying at toy machine gun.

He and his friends had planned a playdate with their respective toys, and were sitting around the cafeteria table when the principal walked in and saw the action figure carrying the fake gun. . . .

"She took him into her office in the middle of the lunch period and he was crying," said the boy's mother, Laura Timoney. "He was afraid."

The principal called Ms. Timoney and said she considered the toy suspension-worthy, and that she was going to double-check with a security administrator from the city Department of Education.

In the end, the administrator decided against suspending the boy. Apparently, they were satisfied with just terrifying the poor kid.

From the Idaho Statesman:
Rick Hobson, a Boise wolf advocate, used a public records request to get the names of hunters who reported wolf kills to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. Hobson posted 122 names and bought a classified ad in the Idaho Statesman that directed people to a Web site.

He said harassment was not his intent. . . .

But Robert Millage, Idaho's first successful wolf hunter, said he's been dealing with harassment since he killed a wolf on the opening day of the season in September. . . .
Millage countered with a Web site of his own to show some of the thousands of angry e-mails he's gotten. Some describe him as an "inbred hillbilly," a "sick killer" and "pure evil. . . ."

"I have some concerns over the safety of the individuals listed," said hunter John Hendley, who didn't harvest a wolf last year and isn't on the list. "What (Hobson) is doing is legal on one hand, but immoral on the other."

Millage is better known to all of you on this site as “idahooutdoors,” and he shares his story in depth in our upcoming March 2010 issue. Be sure to check it out.

Meanwhile, check out the full story linked above and tell us your reaction.

This is a little scary. I used a Talon Hunter extensively last fall. I also put a fellow F&S editor in one. It’s a truly innovative stand that allows you to attach a bracket/strap to the tree first, then simply set the stand on the bracket (then secure a quick-cinching backup strap). It makes the chore of stand-hanging much easier, faster, and quieter. All of which, of course, is not worth a hoot if there’s the chance the product will fail and leave you seriously injured. Summit, however, is rectifying the problem with replacement brackets/straps.

Here are the details from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission:

Name of Product: Talon Hunting Hang-on Tree Stands and Brackets/Straps. . . .

Hazard: The tree stand can unexpectedly detach from the tree when the brackets fail, posing a fall hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received four reports of the brackets failing, resulting in reports of falls and injuries including broken bones.

Description: This recall involves Talon Raptor brackets/straps and Cabelas Realtree series hang-on tree stands with the Talon brackets/straps. . . .

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the brackets and contact Summit

Treestands to receive a replacement bracket/strap.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Summit Treestands at (800) 241-5559 anytime, or visit their Web site at www.summitstands.com

Well, it's Groundhog Day, and the world's only meteorologist with incisors that never stop growing apparently saw saw his shadow.
 
Thanks, tunnel rat. Now I've got six more weeks to wait around for fishing season to start. Hey Cabela's. Hey Bass Pro. The spring fishing catalogs would help pass the time. Get a move on.
 
Anyway, it seems PETA is concerned for Punxsutawney Phil's welfare. Surprise, surprise. In fact, they're so concerned for the obese little marmot's welfare that they want to replace him with a robot groundhog. No, I'm not making this up.
 
From the story:
The controversial animal-rights group -- which just a few months back asked the University of Georgia to replace its recently deceased bulldog mascot with a robotic one over concerns for a real dog's welfare -- is at it again. This time around, PETA's target is a seemingly innocuous band of revelers: The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. Yup -- PETA wants to take Punxsutawney Phil away from Gobbler's Knob and give the little guy a dignified retirement at an animal sanctuary. In his place, you guessed it: A robot groundhog.

Gemma Vaughan, PETA's animals in entertainment specialist, fired off a letter to groundhog club president William Deeley this week, asking for his promise that the group will forgo the use of real rodents in future Groundhog Day celebrations. Little Phil, Vaughan wrote, is a pretty unhappy fellow, "forced to be on display year round at the local library and is denied the ability to prepare for and enter yearly hibernation." Groundhogs are typically shy creatures, Vaughan goes on to explain, and they can become easily upset when confronted by throngs of people, loud noises and camera flashes

Words fail, so I'll leave it to the guys at Red State Update to properly articulate my thoughts on the matter.