And Another Thing …

After all that howling over the Washington County coyote derby, the 68 hunters who participated killed only two animals over the weekend. One of the successful hunters used dogs to help him; some wondered whether cats would have been even more effective.

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It would be wrong to look upon the unveiling of Cadillac’s newest model at President Bush’s inaugural as a craven advertising ploy. The president will ride in a handcrafted version of the DTS limousine that is longer, wider and taller than the production model you would be able to buy, so really this has nothing to do with commerce. Similarly, draw no conclusions about the motor-oil patch on the president’s jacket.

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One of those non-story stories appeared the other day in your favorite newspaper, which said “some lawmakers” didn’t like their new legislative license plates, though it turned out that those lawmakers were Sen. John Martin, who said the plate looked like New Hampshire’s but added, “Frankly it doesn’t bother anyone.” Can’t you just feel the outrage?

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As the chief scourge of gambling in Maine, Gov. John Baldacci says he accepts lotteries because the state is dependent on the money they bring in. So how’s this for tricky? He proposes to sell up to $400 million worth of lottery proceeds (minus depreciation) for a mere $250 million, thereby reducing the state’s addiction. The fact that Maine would be contractually on the lottery hook for another decade is a mere detail.

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Maine Rep. Roderick Carr has a bill to prevent remote hunting, which involves a camera, a gun and a distant computer to fire the gun. No one has proposed hunting in Maine this way and no hunting group supports the idea, but still, once cameras for hunting get into the woods it’s a short step to curious spouses setting them up to keep an eye on their beloved hunters. Also, potentially, cat fanciers.