How stupid. Clearly this man has too much time on his hands.
And we thought the Congress was wasting our money!!
And we thought the Congress was wasting our money!
Which Oak? Red, Pin, Liveoak?
Could have been worse. They could have voted Al Gore our national tree.
Official tree (and drink) of the Kerry Campaign: Hemlock.
What about a cherry tree? George Washington couldn't lie about it. Or apple trees for Johnny Appleseed.
I've got about 16 oaks I'd like to donate to the national cause. Will Congress send me someone to cut these menaces down?
leaves...acres...branches...hurricane food...
Could the national plant be hemp? what next????
I can recognize the larch from a very long distance. Monty Python lives!
DAMN! It's a fix I tell you a fix!
I have been lobbying so hard for Balsam Fir until those lying, bribing OAK people came in and stole it with their fancy dinners and sexy escorts.
I'm going to appeal! This is not fair and not right for America. Balsam Fir has more resin than any other fir variety! Does that mean nothing to America?
If this happens, will oaks be protected, as eagles are now? No more firewood, furniture, hardwood floors? Huge fines for cutting one down?
Oak sure makes good furniture!
OTOH, the Pine tree figured strongly in early American history. The trunks of the large, straight pine trees found in New England and elsewhere were highly prized by the British Navy for masts and spars, to the extent that British agents would mark trees for this use and the colonists were forbidden to cut them down for their own use. Pine trees were also the source of tar and turpentine, two of the first major foreign exports of the American colonies (which, of course, they could only export to the mother country, for controlled prices). Colonists from the Massachusetts Bay and Plimoth Plantation colony fought the British under the Pine Tree flag. Pines and spruces still form the major building material for American homes today; oak generally only plays a minor role (moulding and furnishings) in such construction. This country depends a lot more on pine trees than it does on oaks.
I neglected to give oak credit for flooring; my mistake. But that's only in homes with hardwood floors. And even if you do have hardwood floors, there's still more pine than oak in your house.
Erm, its the English national tree. Hearts of oak and all that.
They better do it quickly. Phytophthora ramorum, a microscopic water mold better known as Sudden Oak Death has already killed tens of thousands of Ca. hardwoods and ornamentals.
It has now been found on the east coast as well.
Great. Maybe next they'll vote on designating an official language.
PS: Maybe this should wait until after the elections- If Kerry wins, we might want to change our national tree to the pussy willow.
If you poison the hard wood, we will burn the pine.
From the logger wars in East Texas.