Is it Groundhog day again?

Punxsutawney Phil, famous weather prognosticator from Pennsylvania, came out of hibernation today, just as he has for over 100 years, to again let the winter forecasting challenged in on the secret of how much longer we will be bundled up indoors.  He did indeed see his shadow on this rather warm February morning, and as he has nearly 90% of the time predicted that winter will last another 6 weeks.  Me personally, I usually just figure spring will start on March 21^st each year, and curiously enough, I’m almost always right!

All kidding aside, the whole notion that a rodent (also called a woodchuck; yes the very same of which we wonder how much wood he could chuck if he actually could chuck wood,) could possibly forecast weather is a bit absurd.  It’s simply "something to do in the middle of the winter," says National Weather Service forecaster Mike Rusnack.  What endears me to the um, holiday, and the number of celebrations around the wintry eastern United States is how much fun it is just to get together as a community and do something silly; drink hot alcoholic beverages, sing songs, dance and keep each other warm in unique and inventive ways.  Why the hell not!

Oh, this just in…  It seems Phil has a distant cousin from West Virginia, Blennerhassett Bubba, who apparently doesn’t like that Phil has garnered so much national attention with this whole Groundhog Day thing.   After having his motion to have Phil cease and desist all weather forecasting activities summarily denied, Bubba decided to take matters into his own hands, er claws.  Seen here in a video frame capture,

Bubba appears to be emulating the now infamous video of Osama Bin Laden firing his favorite tool of peace and persuasion.  This is a disturbing development indeed.  Better get that damn Patriot Act thingy extended, and in a hurry!  It’s rodents like these that threaten the very fabric of our society and way of life!

oh, I ganja!