[Jeff Head]

Thought a break from the seriousness of this campagn was in order. A lighter moment so to speak.

Such jokes are funny, but unfortunately represent all too closely both the attitude and the ignorance of many of the governmental regulators who are sent out to enforce the myriad of governmental regulations on hard working ranchers, farmers, and many others in rural areas of this country, and particularly in the west.

In this case, the old Brahma bull apparently wasn't too impressed by the Federal Government ID...hehehe.

As a youth, halling hay and working fields in north central Texas, I will tell you that on more than one occassion I was chased out of a field by an angry Brahma bull.

They aren't impressed by much of anything and we always gave them a very wide berth. Even then, as I said, sometimes that wasn't enough...they'd come a running at you from a quarter mile away and you'd best hope you had enouugh time and room to get out of their field.

[Jeff Head]

FYI...a little lighter reading.

[econjack]

I can remember when I had my own software company, selling mainly via mail order. Our major product was a statistics package and we had a large following in the educational market because it was so easy to use (i.e., no programming language to learn like SAS or SPSS). We also had a lot of non-profit companies (e.g. hospitals) use it. Such companies are exempt from our state sales tax. We were a small company with a maximum of 10 employees doing a couple of million in sales per year.

The State of Indiana accused us of not paying the appropriate sales taxes. When I asked the grounds for the charge, their reply was that any company with our level of sales and such a small amount of sales taxes collected was guilty of not paying sales taxes due.

An auditor came to my office and, for a period of 4 1/2 days, sat there demanding this record and that record to the point where neither me or my secretary got anything done during the period. At the end of the week, the auditor said: "You're right. You don't owe any sales taxes."

The tax collector gets away with the "you're guilty until proved innocent" approach to their business. I was so PO'ed I could have spit nails. I wish there was some way that I could bill the state for 4 1/2 days of my and my secretary's time.

[AuntB]

Wonderful! Thanks.

[Joe 6-pack]

When I first moved to Louisiana I lived in a development that was generally surrounded by pasture. I would take my German Shepherd, Timber, on walks around the network of quiet country roads. On one stretch there was a pasture occupied by a small herd of cows, accompanied by one of the biggest, bluest Brahmas I've ever seen. We were about 150 yards away from the gaggle of beef when we first approached, and as we strolled down the road, the Brahma left his harem and jogged over to check us out. My shepherd saw him coming and got into defensive posture and the bull stopped about 20 yards away, with he and my shepherd locking stares with two very, very thin strands of barbed wire between us. Of the three creatures there (Timber, me and the bull) it quickly became obvious that I was the only one that had any notion of the concept of, "fear," and while I'm confident Timber would have given his life (in a futile effort) to protect me, we made a quick exit from the area with the bull carefully watching each and every step until we were out of sight.

Had the bull felt threatened enough to come through the wire, I doubt I'd have survived the experience.

[freekitty]

HA HA HA HA HA.

[Countyline]

Perfect.

[editor-surveyor]

I’ll be going right out to purchase a brama bull...

[dighton]

Blade: The rodeo clown is the most DANGEROUS job, ’cause he gets CLOSEST to the BULL. He gets the BEST of the BULL! HOOK to the left! HOOK to the right! And if the bull rider’s in trouble, he’s gotta protect him, even if it means gettin’ his ribs pulled out, or bein’ freight-trained...

Harry Monroe: Freight-trained?!

Blade: Run over, just like a freight train, only with a bull, it’s worse, cause a freight train don’t BACK UP and FINISH the JOB.

— Stir Crazy.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

“[The King] has sent swarms of officers hither to eat out our substance...”

from The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

When he looked over towards the field, he saw the government man being chased and rapidly overtaken by the rancher's large Brahma bull.

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeee-haaaaaaaaaaaa! God bless Texas!

[Dubya]

LOL GOOD ONE.

[El Gato]

They aren't impressed by much of anything and we always gave them a very wide berth. Even then, as I said, sometimes that wasn't enough...they'd come a running at you from a quarter mile away and you'd best hope you had enouugh time and room to get out of their field.

Cows obviously like "bad boys", just as many young women seem to.