Fun With Insomnia Blog

Traveling though the western states I heard a rather funny public service announcement which illustrates the downfalls of socialism and over regulation in my mind.

It went something like this (I apologize I couldn’t find the exact transcript) – If you see a turtle (some particular brand I can’t recall) crossing the road, please stop and help them. We know this is against the law… (Some law passed to “protect” this endangered/at risk species.) but if you do it will be inline with the “spirit” of the law and be ok.

I couldn’t stop laughing until I realized just how pathetic it was. I understand there are endangered/at risk species and I support the passing of the laws that protect them, we shouldn’t hunt them and do our best to respect their environment. Natural selection does play out though, save for humans.

Think about what this ad is urging us to do. Stop your vehicle abruptly in the road – illegal. Park on the side of a road – usually illegal, especially on highways. Run into the middle of the road – if not illegal, highly dangerous to you and others. Transport the critter – unsanitary at a minimum.

Public service announcements were created in the vein of serving the greater good of the people. WTF!?!?! How, why, who the hell thought this was a good idea. The more screwed up thing is the line of thinking that brought this whole series of laws/events into motion. People need to take responsibility and act accordingly as citizens, we don’t need out tax dollars and politicians time going into micromanaging our lives. Am I the only sane one or am I the nut-job here?

I recently traveled through western Montana, and to my relief it was just as beautiful as I remember. Definitely not my choice for a winter retreat as I’m adverse to the cold, but to those that crave that kind of weather it would be a delight. Regardless of your temperature preference I find it difficult to choose a more scenic and peaceful place in the country than the north west in a general sense. I’m a bit of a rock buff, so that does slant my opinion I’m sure but it’s hard to deny the grandeur that the tectonic plates have produced. Just driving over the mountains gives you a dramatic shift in temperature and precipitation.

Gambling is legal there, if you’re into that. I saw a lot of video casino’s which are definitely not my cup of tea, I prefer physical card games. Of which there are most assuredly some, but were not the dominating game of choice.

Rock climbing should be one of the states main attractions, the limestone walls of the Rocky Mountains are located in the central part of the state, Montana’s hands off personal responsibility roots offer plenty of freedom allowing you to get yourself into limitless trouble.

Montana also has a plethora of historic interests from dinosaur bones to the colonization of the west. The state is also the natural habitat of many animals not seen throughout much the rest of the country. Some of the highlights being antelope, elk, black bears, grizzly bears as well as a number of unusual and migratory birds.

I’m not a good enough author to even begin to due the state justice in these few short words, and honestly I’m somewhat disappointed with the states official sites. My best advice would be to visit, and plan on staying a week, minimum.