The Ghastly Palmetto Bug

Warning: Political Comment.  Absolutely the last comment of this political season.   No specific political party mentioned.

On a recent trip to Wal-mart the current Mrs. Blythe found this big guy on the sidewalk. Why anyone would want to go to Wal-mart is a question by itself, let alone what this giant bug may be. I suspect, of course, that this giant simply died while waiting to get through the check-out line. Maybe of old age. Anyway, best we can tell it is what is called a Palmetto bug.

It is not exactly a beetle, which one might think upon first examination.  Actually a Palmetto is a kind of native cockroach.

When Kenzie was a toddler she had the misfortune of having a cicada fly up her shorts pant leg.  She created quite a scene until we could extract the offending bug from her inner thigh area.  Poor thing has been traumatized ever since.  Kenzie, that is.  

Imagine the nightmares this thing would cause.   I just celebrated my first year of boycotting Wal-Mart.  One whole year of not giving them one big cent, which, by the way looks dwarfed by that big bug.  

Without the cold freeze these guys live year around which probably accounts for its size, too.  Word is they are hardy as Hell and difficult to kill.  Unless they have to go through checkout at Wal-Mart.

Yes, one whole year of NOT doing the Wal-Mart lemming thing.  In an economy of customer service being the tipping point of whether or not you spend you hard earned dollar or not, Wal-Mart's company-wide policy of building 20 checkout lines but only utilizing 3 rather soured me on the whole thing.  Now, having said all that, let me tell how cool Big Sam's is!!

I just wanted you guys to see what passes for native cockroaches down here and what we have to go through.  I named this guy Allen West in honor of the nut job ultra right wing wacko who just got beat in the election, but refuses to concede.  Believe me, regardless of party affiliation, you don't want that guy anyplace that can make laws for you to follow.  He was gently kicked out of the Army for terrorizing a civilian Iraq police officer, then became a Representative and has inserted his foot into his sizable mouth every chance he got.  

He called the National (Party Removed) Chair  "the most vile, unprofessional, and despicable member of the US House of Representatives"   

for speaking out against his views on Medicaid.  First, he wanted to eliminate it, and second, with over 400 members of the House, how could he single out just one person for that dubious honor? 

Besides, he is a bully.  An arrogant self-centered straight out bully with no regard for other people except himself.   Earlier this year he said 78-81 members of the (Party Removed) congress were card-carrying Communists.  When asked who they were he replied, "The Progressive Party Caucus.  Oh, and by the way, this caucus was formed in 1991 by several congressman, one of which was Lane Evans of Illinois.  Here is a list of  their communistic causes.   

• $10 billion for repairing highways and bridges;
• $1.6 billion for improving/expanding mass transit systems;
• $1 billion for airport improvements;
• $1 billion to upgrade rail travel/freight shipping;
• $4 billion for construction of new water and sewage treatment facilities;
• $4 billion for environmental clean-up at military and U.S. Energy Department facilities;
• $4 billion for economic development projects in major cities, towns and neighborhoods;
• $3 billion for improving existing schools/libraries and building new ones;
• $1 billion for energy efficiency improvements in federal buildings;
• $1 billion for community developments banks in low-income communities to stimulate targeted lending and local economic development projects;
• $2 billion to train low-income Americans for careers in disseminating basic health care and disease prevention information;
• $1 billion for youth apprenticeship training programs serving 14-21 year old;
• $2.5 billion for hiring new teachers, tutors, and specially-trained instructors to improve school standards;
• $4 billion for Head Start to cover all eligible 3-5 year old;
• $900 million for community-based efforts to prevent AIDS, breast and cervical cancer, tuberculosis, and lead exposure;
• $400 million to expand migrant and homeless health centers;
• $100 million for states and communities to train local residents to provide health and disease prevention materials; and
• $100 million for scholarships and loan programs for doctor and nurses for inner city work 

* Wikipedia

We should probably elect more Communists if this is what they offer in the way of expenditures and influence in Congress.  So you see, the elimination of the pesky Palmetto bug is possible.  Just vote them out.  Or send them to Wal-Mart.

UPDATE:  Seems Mr. West isn't quite as hung-ho American as we thought.  
He doesn't like the democratic process as he refuses to concede his seat.  But I'm not surprised.  As you read above I SWEAR this is the last politically slanted post of this season.  And, oddly e bough, I was just going to post about the Gigantic Palmetto cockroach that was found on the sidewalk.  Must be my wandering stream-of-consciousness problem again...SQUIRREL!