Oh great! First the “China Virus”, now this!

[Thumper]

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/24/pennsylvania-lanternfly-summer-invasion

[BarryBobPosthole]

We need to change the verb from ‘shitting’ in our own nest to ‘shat’ in our own nest.

BKB

[quercus alba]

It all started when Posthole's people let those Europeans off the boat and it's been one problem after another since then

[Penguin]

All hail the great god Free Trade!

The people who made money bringing these pestilences in never have to pay to clean up the mess. Never.

Will

[BarryBobPosthole]

Birddog and I talk a lot about this while we’re in the Oklahoma back country fishing. Russian thistle, fescue, seresia lespedeeza (I know that prolly isn’t spelt right), starlings, sparrows, invasives are everywhere you look out in the ‘country’. It can be depressing. But then you dirve through a big stand of big bluestem and all is good again. Farmers are coming back to native prairie grasses here and they’re seeing fewer problems and good protien yields for their livestock. The tallgrass prairie (Nature Conservancy) even has ranges for cattle that cattlemen pay them based on nothing but weight gain of their stock.

BKB

[Thumper]

Reminds me of a Thump story. (Hey, you don't have anything better to do, right?)

I spent over three years in beautiful S.E. Asia (never left), then when 'Nam fell, it was time to come home. I was actually booked on a civilian flight (PanAm) with hot, short skirt wearin' "stewardesses" (or "flight attendants" in today's p/c world). When we landed in Guam for refueling, a military Jeep came racing up to the plane with flags waving on the fenders. Then some high-falutin' officer, with scrambled eggs all over the bill of his hat, stepped out with a couple of MP's and boarded the plane. They called out my name and all I could think of was I must have missed a couple'a Thai Sticks when I'd packed my bags ... I'm headed for the stockade until they can get me transferred to Fort Leavenworth! :hair

Not a word was said as they hauled my ass back to the HQ building. General So-And-So took me to his office, closed the door and told me he had a "package" that had to be hand-delivered to General What's-His-Face in Hawaii. He said he'd checked the scheduling and I was the ONLY swingin' dick that was to pass through Guam within the next 10 days with a high enough security clearance to do the job. I then informed him I'd been debriefed before leaving Thailand and he said, "Well then, consider yourself RE-BRIEFED!" He then handed me a briefcase and a .45 cal. sidearm with instructions to let NOBODY onto the plane until I was relieved of the briefcase by General What's-His-Face once I arrive in Hawaii! Of course, my PanAm flight had already taken off headed Stateside and I was taken to my own, private C5A Galaxie. Just the crew, myself and a bunch of caskets out of 'Nam along with some military equipment. Damn! So much for that nice civilian flight! :(

We finally arrived at Hickam Air Force Base and taxied over to a designated area, then parked on the tarmac. I was sitting patiently to be relieved of that briefcase, when the rear load door opened and a crew came scurrying up the ramp with backpack type sprayers. I jumped up and ordered them off my fucking airplane and they started shouting threats at me ... some crap about interfering with official government business or some such drivel. Finally some big-wig with the DOD, FDA, Ag. Dept. or something like that (can't remember) stepped into the fray and informed me they were going to spray the aircraft for "foreign pests" and if I interfered in any way, I'd be arrested. Damn! How the "F" did I get myself into this b/s situation? Anyway, I felt cocky and that's when I drew my .45 and ordered them off my fucking aircraft! This was about the time the MP's and General What's-His-Face boarded to relieve me of that frigging briefcase! The Ag. people got an ass-chewing and I was transported to HQ (all the while wanting to wag my tongue at the Ag folks, but kept it professional)

Anyway, I was booked on a flight the next day headed for Oakland California where they gave me an early-out since I only had less than 90-days left of my enlistment. The odd thing is, to this day, I have no clue what-so-ever what was in that f'ing briefcase! Prolly a couple'a boxes of Cuban cigars for General What's-His-Face!

[BarryBobPosthole]

Prolly a whole brick of thai stick.

BKB

[Thumper]

Ha ha ha! I never thought of that! :thumbsup

[BarryBobPosthole]

That was probably what the ag people were looking for.

BKB

[Thumper]

It's a wonder I didn't get busted for trafficking! Now I wonder what REALLY was in that briefcase!!??

[BarryBobPosthole]

Thumper the Mule.

[Thumper]

Well, the wimmins tell me I'm HUNG like a mule. You may be onto something there. ;)

[BarryBobPosthole]

I remember a certaiin Mule Writer……

BKB

[Thumper]

Bite Me!

[BarryBobPosthole]

Ken Curtis, Richard Harris, and William Shatner got nuttin on you boy!

BKB

[LJ3]

12766

[Thumper]

‘Cause they ain’t hung like mules! ;)