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The progressive comic about the extermination of the bees thanks to neonicotinoids.
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Was It A Bird, Was It A Plane...

Once upon a time the passenger pigeon was so numerous in America that their bodies would literally darken the skies when they took to the wing. Flocks were estimated to number in the billions.

That's billions, folks. With a B. That's a lot of birdies.

But we killed them all, in pretty short order. Every last one of them. They were easy to catch and made a pretty darned good pot pie, or so I'm told. At one point they sold for the equivalent of 30 cents a half-dozen. During times of over-supply they were simply fed to hogs. The last living specimen, named Martha, died in 1914 in a Cincinnati zoo. No one saw their extinction coming.

Though the passenger pigeon had evolved over the eons to not only thwart every predator but to thrive in epic numbers they were not equipped to escape mankind's lust to hunt, kill, and eat tasty critters, especially those that congregate in easily detectable flocks, herds, or schools. The buffalo barely survived the onslaught, the Atlantic salmon is on life-support, but the blue fin tuna may be gone soon.

We're apparently killing the bees now, though in this case indirectly as a result of the liberal use of neonicotinoid-based pesticides on our nation's crops. As important as bees are to keeping our larders full of fruits, nuts, and vegetables you'd think the merest hint of peril among their hives would have had our top researchers rushing for answers. Mostly, it seems, they've just been fondling their Monsanto grants and whistling tunelessly.

Europe seems to have gotten the message as many countries in the EU have banned the pesticide's use. It would be wonderful if our own government also adopted such restrictions buuuut our government is the kind that's completely in thrall to the profit margins of corporations so fat chance of a break for the bees any time soon... as long as you keep voting Republican, that is.

Happy Addendum: Due to public pressure Pop Weaver, the nation's second largest popcorn supplier, has just decided to remove bee-toxic insecticides from their popcorn supply. Way to go, Cranksters!

=Lefty=


end rant

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Google Chow (Eat hearty, little Google-bots!)

Queen bee to worker: Your orders are to go to the pasture, find a suitable bull, and saturate your clothes with its semen.
Then go to the barn and wriggle between the cow's thighs as you milk her.
Yes, ma'am.
Holy crap! The jizz was contaminated with neonics. Goodbye cruel world. Gak!
Sorry, kids, but your big sisters are all dead and there's no more food. Looks like we starve to death.
Grubs: Awwww.
Lefty: And that's why, if humans were bees, we'd be fire-bombing Monsanto.
Cat:You spend too much time alone.

The progressive comic about the extermination of the bees thanks to neonicotinoids.