Threat of lawsuit takes life out of Possum Drop

New York Times via Houston Chronicle ^ | January 2, 2004 | JEFFREY GETTLEMAN

[Dog Gone]

BRASSTOWN, N.C. -- For the past 12 years, on New Year's Eve, this Appalachian town has lowered a possum in a Plexiglas cage from the roof of a gas station at the stroke of midnight. It is called the Possum Drop, and hundreds of people pack downtown Brasstown to see it.

This time, Baby New Year was awfully still.

And as the crowd soon learned, this possum wasn't just playing possum. It was roadkill.

With just hours to go before the festivities, Clay Logan, host of the Possum Drop, said he got a call from a national animal rights organization threatening to sue him for animal cruelty if he used a live possum.

"So I found me a dead one," said Logan, who has promoted his town of 240 people as the Possum Capital of the World.

As fireworks popped and lovers kissed, the dead possum swung from a Citgo sign. And as the festivities ended, many revelers trudged away, saying their small-town fun had been spoiled by big-city ways.

"Hell of a way to start the new year, saluting a dead possum," said Steve Barringer, a blacksmith.

Since 1991, Logan has used live possums, trapped by hunters, fattened on cat food and turned loose after they are lowered slowly by a rope from the roof of his gas station.

On Wednesday, the day the New York Times published a piece on the Possum Drop, Logan got a call from a man who said he represented People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, headquartered in Norfolk, Va.

Debbie Leahy, director of PETA's captive animals and entertainment issues, said she did not know which member made the call, but she said the event was "perverse, reckless and terrifying to the possum."

Logan, 57, said he thought about using a live possum anyway.

"But I can't fight these people," he said. "Not with lawyers and all."

So, with hours to go and the crowd building, Logan put the word out: Find me a possum, a dead one.

The drop has had setbacks before. Snow, rain, lighting problems. But there had always been a possum.

Finally, Logan's friends found a downed possum in pretty good shape and quickly hoisted it up to the roof of the Citgo station. Most people thought it was alive, even after Logan announced it was roadkill.

As it says on his Web site, www.clayscorner.com, "One man's roadkill is another man's icon."

"But, " Logan said Thursday, "I never thought it would come down to this."

[dep]

the proper response -- or, hell, ain't no need for a reason -- is to drop a live lawyer from a helicopter. in fact, why stop at one? seems to me the best way to celebrate all national holidays in which freedom is held in esteem is to have a lawyer drop, like the wkrp turkey drop. to the chant of "as god is my witness, i thought lawyers flew to hell!"

[Support Free Republic]

Here we go again folks... why not donate now and help get this fundraiser over with!

[al baby]

Title: Possum or Bandicoot Soup
Categories: Soups, Oz
Yield: 1 servings

1 ea Small possum or bandicoot*
2 l Water
1 t Salt
1 ea Tin corn*
Any other vegies desired
1 pn Celery leaves
1 pn Parsley
Flour or gravox* to thicken
Fried bread,1 slice per serv

Skin and clean possum or bandicoot, then quarter the animal. (Video
tape this please. I have no idea how to do it. Also "first you have
to catch a possum or bandicoot", but then that's another story.)
Place it in a large pot or camp oven along with water and salt. Cover
and simmer gently for 3 or 4 hours. (Tough little devils apparently.)
Add vegetables and simmer for another 1 1/2 hours (Still tough. Even
the vegies are resisting being associated with this.) Strain soup
through a large holed colander when meat has left bone and remove
bones, especially small ones. Return soup to the pot and add parsley
and celery leaves. Thicken with a little flour or gravox. Cut fried
bread into 1 inch squares and serve soup over toast,boiling hot.

*For those of you that haven't met a bandicoot, it is something
between a possum and a raccoon, sort of, I think, maybe.

*Tin of corn? Well a can I guess, 16 oz.

*Now, when you boil this meat for 5 1/2 hours, strain it and throw it
away, it does make me wonder why you started in the first place.

*Gravox is a meat concentrate seasoning I think. The dish must be
need some flavor.

*Fry the bread any way you want to.

*All things considered, a brick or stone would be a reasonable
alternative if you don't happen to have a possum or bandicoot
available.

Gerry Nolan

"If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you even
tried."
:

---

[dep]

well, okay. lawyers are inedible. they don't even compost very well.

[bluesagewoman]

When I was a kid we often cooked whatever critter wandered too close to the house. Once, it was a possum. My little brother skinned him, mom cooked him up, and nobody would eat him. It was awful!! We threw it out the backdoor for the dogs, and they wouldn't eat it. Dad finally hauled it off after the spring thaw.

[IronJack]

You've got to be kidding. It is almost axiomatic that PETA has nothing better to do with its time and money. But for a nowhere town to be intimidated by this empty threat? Let them sue, for cripes' sake. What, is the judge going to award the possum damages???

[dep]

i should explain. it could be that lawyers compost just fine, but as soon as word gets round that you have some in the compost heap, the neighbors all come by a pee on it, which leads to an overabundance of nitrogen.

[putupon]

Happy New Year!

[dep]

nah, that wasn't a possum. sounds like it was a lawyer.

[Dog Gone]

PETA will use any tactic to intimidate people that they can. Look for a PETA mad cow advertising campaign shortly.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

well, okay. lawyers are inedible. they don't even compost very well.

They make good pig-slop, though.

[Focault's Pendulum]

Logan has used live possums, trapped by hunters, fattened on cat food and turned loose

Damn possums live better than I do.

[dep]

only if you're not concerned about mad pig disease.

[Rebelbase]

"Debbie Leahy, director of PETA's captive animals and entertainment issues, said she did not know which member made the call, but she said the event was "perverse, reckless and terrifying to the possum."

I think i'll just fire off an email to our little animal crusader at PETA.

DebbieL@peta.org

[big_Rob]

Let me say it..

As God as my witness, I thought lawyers could fly.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

ping

[farmfriend]

Rights, farms, environment ping.

Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this list.
I don't get offended if you want to be removed.

[farmfriend]

Just Damn?

[Hot Tabasco]

Logan got a call from a man who said he represented People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, headquartered in Norfolk

Ole Logan ain't too smart. He should have invited the PETA pal down fer a looksee and disposed of him properly 'bout 15 miles out of town.......

...but hey, everyone knows country folk are more polite than us city folk. All we got to offer the PETA pal is an alley......