Your two favorite woodland creatures who dually prevent enviro-atrocities and make childhood lessons bearable are on the political chopping block. Yes, Smokey the Bear and Woodsy the Owl have been placed on the endangered list thanks to the House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s new “YouCut” program.
YouCut welcomes the public to offer ideas as to where significant budget cuts can be made in federal spending. The Forest Service’s “environmental literacy” and “conservation education” programs — Smokey and Woodsy’s home sweet home — made the list. Cantor supported this cut, saying that it’s wrong for taxpayer dollars to go to “generate issue-oriented advocacy.” Additionally, cutting this program would save $50 million over 10 years.
What Cantor forgot to mention, however, was how many children will lose interest in nature and the environment (which, believe it or not, does have a considerable impact on the world) if this sector is nixed.
Give a hoot, America.
I was oddly obsessed with the Smokey the Bear comics as a kid. Probably because I was a deprived hippy child forced to enjoy un-coloring books with no lines.
In any case, I don’t remember him being very lefty. Mostly telling me not to throw a burning cigarette in the woods.
I’m actually in favor of privatizing Smokey & Woodsy, in that I’m sure they could generate more than 50 million by starring in a buddy cop action comedy together.
Atomic for COTW.
“how many children will loose interest”
It’s spelled “lose”. Sorry to be johnny-corrects-a-lot, but that error is all over the interwebs and is like fingernails on the chalkboard to me.
Am loosing my mind over this ;).
Am afraid of owls so its ok with me if they privatize this thing. Even though trough legacy I have received 2 paperweight shaped Owls which I keep in my Caoba and Oak furnished studio.
@Atomic, put a bandit mask on the bird and we have a fairly reasonable shot at pitching a Smokey and the Bandit remake.
Well, Woodsy Owl did steal Mr. Mackey’s innocence.
Also, Atomic for COTW.
There’s no fucking “the” in Smoky Bear’s name. I’m calling my senator about these dirty lies from the Mercury.
Awww, hell.
Smokey the bear is a propaganda pushing hack. Forest fires are a naturally occurring process. They get MUCH worse when we clearcut the forest and it grows back all spindly, with every tree the same age. If that clown really wanted to save the forest, he would be teaching kids that the Forest Service and the BLM are the real bad guys, not Jo Shmo with a campfire.
Woodsy’s hat was embarrassingly gauche even for 1977. On the plus side, he was clearly the inspiration for “Nite Owl” in WATCHMEN, though I doubt he’s ever seen a dime.