Courtesy of Christian Post:
Students at Oral Roberts University went from hooting and hollering and chanting "USA!" to screaming in horror as a Bald Eagle let loose during a special chapel service crashed into a glass window and crumpled to the ground.
Instead of flying directly from its trainer who had let it loose from the back of the chapel to another handler standing on stage, the 13-year-old, seven-pound eagle named Lewis veered off course and made a crash landing.
You know some metaphors are so perfect they do not even need to be explained.
P.S. I should probably add that it was reported that the bird was unhurt. I know I have a lot of animal lovers visiting here and I want to put your mind at ease.
However the fact that this magnificent animal will continue to be subjected to screaming crowds of religious lunatics in the future is also, sadly, a fact.
Poor thing!
ReplyDeleteWell, as a small-pet owner, I have no love for eagles but as an American, I find treating our national symbol as a floor show disrespectful.
ReplyDeleteI find treating any wild creature in this manner. If the bird was unable to be rehabed back into the wild, it should be under the care of responsible, licensed keepers.
DeleteObviously this keeper was too stupid to realize that the expanse of windows were a bit beyond the bird's comprehension- of course it could not see the obstacle in front of it.
WHAT THE FUK ?!?
ReplyDeleteHe would have lost feathers. I wonder what happened to them? It's illegal to own a bald eagle feather unless you're Native American and have the paperwork for it. (Made law in order to eliminate the market for "sport" hunters who wanted to shoot one.)
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah. America crashes and burns at Oral Roberts University. It really IS symbolic.
Thanks for letting us know the bird was okay.
Ivyfree
Just curious - what if on a rare occasion you found an Eagle feather. Are you supposed o turn them in or something or can you keep it? never knew it was illegal to own one. Who'd a thought?
Delete3:01
Deleteyou're supposed to leave it where you see it..
i come across them frequently in the AK backcountry..
Note to all right-wing nut jobs:
ReplyDeleteShouting the name of your country louder than anyone else does not make the country better or fix its problems.
Nor does it make you seem all 'patriotic.' Morons.
DeleteOral Roberts = UGLY AMERICANS
DeleteI've never understood the whole chanting thing. I could understand if you were I a foreign country cheering on a national team but when you're at home it comes across very indoctrination like.
DeleteWho in their right mind names their kid "Oral"??
DeleteThis is where Michele Bachmann studied, at ORU. I suppose they'll say this was a sign. Although they would say it's a spiritual warning sign that the nation could lose it's power because President Obama is in charge, it could instead be interpreted to be a sign that the christian-right fringe are plunging the nation down by their self-righteous unchristian attitude.
ReplyDeleteCoincidence?
Marcus did her one better.
DeleteHe studied at Oral and Anal Roberts university.
What?? I Kid cuz I love..
how the hell are these morons allowed to have an eagle?
ReplyDeleteWhat idiots!
ReplyDeleteO/T: Something in the President's speech today that got to me—the bit about soldiers fighting for freedom abroad and then coming back home to non-freedom here. It reminded me of this short story in my English 101 class in 1958-9: A Short Wait Between Trains. The link is to the archives of the New Yorker, where the story appeared in the June 17, 1944 issue. Apparently a subscription is required to read it there, but here's the summary they give:
ReplyDeleteFour colored soldiers having a short lay-over in a small Southern town. They had had a very early breakfast and needed something to eat. They were told that there was no place in town that would serve them. They finally approached the woman who ran the station lunch room. She said they could go to the kitchen to get something, but they'd have to go in the back way. While they were waiting for their food they looked into the dining room and saw a contingent of German prisoners having their dinner there.
Thanks, Ted. There were some great reprints of articles that appeared and photos that appeared in newspapers 50 years ago on the web sites of many online versions of newspapers. I read the AP report and the WaPo stories and looked at a lot of photos along with the articles of the day. Jobs, voting rights, respect for all people, etc were the topics of the day just as today. In some ways it was a more polite society on the surface, and more optimistic about the future in those days, according to press accounts. Out of over 200K who saw Dr King and others speak in Washington that historic day, 100 years after Lincoln had given the Emancipation Proclamation, there were only three arrests by DC police, and ZERO of those were marchers or involved in the event in any way, even though George Lincoln Rockwell, the infamous KKK and white seperatist leader and 70 of his thugs tried to create a stir. I encourage everyone to at least read the AP article which was in many newspapers. Although I'm Caucasian and I was a toddler at the time, I still consider that as a red-letter day in MY history and my country's history, and I sent links to friends and their kids, but most importantly to my son. It's part of his history, and I want him to see that it's up to his generation to carry the banner for equal rights when our older generation has passed.
DeleteWhy didn't they go with the original idea proposed by Benj. Franklin (hint: Founding Father!) and select as our national bird the turkey.
ReplyDeleteCan't fly, so no air accidents.
Colorful, bossy and stupid, just like the teabaggers.
Delicious.
The domestic breeds of turkeys are pretty stupid and can't fly, as they are destined only for slaughter.
DeleteHowever, the wild turkeys here in New England are very wily, fly very fast, roost up in tall pines at nights, and are not easy to hunt.
They have excellent vision, and you're well advised to have full camouflage to hunt them successfully.
I find it hard to believe that someone authorized to have a bald eagle would be dumb enough to let it go in a room full of huge windows.
I can here the crowd thinking to themselves:
"but we're exceptional in the Christian USA, so that never could happen"
WTH??? May I suggest, that the signs keep on adding up that GOD does not want these religious freaks that use his name to further their agenda? Here we have a 'sign for freedom', crashing into a windo (thankfully supposedly not injured...). Just the other day, we had lighting strike some religious freaks, etc, etc...
ReplyDeleteTIME TO ACCEPT THAT YOU FREAKS ARE NOT WANTED BY GOD!!! You have strayed from his path and you are worshiping false idols.
Eagles are wild birds. They should not be used for entertainment indoors. That poor eagle was trying to get outside, away from the nutty fundamentalists.
ReplyDeleteBeaglemom
LOL! I hope so too. The poor eagle was scared and wanted to get away from the crazies.
ReplyDeleteNot likely. Let's make a concerted effort and make sure that this handler's license is revoked. Fuckin' idiot.
ReplyDeleteAnd since he endangered a bald eagle he is likely subject to a federal charge as are those who coorodinated this "event."
What do you suppose was the average age of that crowd? Sure didn't seem to be a lot of young people.
ReplyDeleteHere we go, folks! Please contact the Fish and Wildlife Service to have this handler's permit revoked or not renewed.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.blm.gov/id/st/en/prog/blm_special_areas/birds_of_prey_nca/links/raptor_possession.html
Call 1-800-344-WILD
1-800-344-9453
Please light up these lines about this.
This makes me so sad as I know folks that work with bird rescue here in AK and they are ever so careful with the birds that have been entrusted to them. Thanks for the heads up @3:44 I'll be calling right now regarding this mistreatment of that eagle.
ReplyDeleteFrom the ceiling lights to the bright, clear, nearly invisible windows to the noise and heat coming from the crowd below, I can't imagine a much worse scenario for this poor eagle or any other bird for that matter. Even if they claim they didn't expect this 'accident' I hope it inspires someone to immediately take steps to curtail these animal cruelty exhibitions.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't they paint a pidgeon? Or better yet, hold their holy "USA!" rally outdoors. They look a bit "ripe" and out of shape, a little movement and airing out would be a good thing. But then they're accustomed to sitting in their own pew, old habits die hard.
ReplyDeleteWhat if Ben Franklin had his way and the National Bird would have been a Turkey?
ReplyDeleteThe crazies could scream USA, USA to a gobble,gobble.
Way to go, dipshits.
ReplyDeleteProbably broke his neck.
ReplyDeleteOMG! That poor eagle was probably freaking out over flying in a tiny, enclosed space while a bunch of lunatics shouted "USA."
ReplyDeleteThat eagle should have shit on someone's head.