Some Pig
Tennessee District 76’s Representative, Republican Andy Holt, has to explain some things to the Environmental Protection Agency. For those keeping score, Holt’s the Tennessee legislator whose concerns about animal cruelty were so great that he sponsored Tennessee’s version of the “Ag-Gag” bill, which, had it not been vetoed, would have essentially criminalized private investigations and whistle-blowing in regard to animal cruelty.
Holt positioned himself as the great defender of animals, describing groups like the Humane Society as being “fraudulent and reprehensibly disgusting,” and “intent on using animals the same way human-traffickers use 17-year-old women.”
It turns out that this wasn’t the only time Holt, a former pig farmer, has been full of crap. Pig crap, to be precise. In fact, he’s been so full of pig crap, when his pig crap lagoons flooded and threatened to overflow a few years back, Holt allegedly released up to 800,000 gallons of fetid porcine feces into nearby fields and streams. The EPA has presented Holt with a “show cause” letter, requesting that the Tennessee representative “show cause” why the agency shouldn’t take formal action.
Neverending Elvis
It’s been 38 years since Elvis Presley left the building for good, but week in and week out, Memphis’ rock-and-roll King gets good press. This week, the Huntsville Times, an Alabama newspaper, reviewed a series of area concerts that happened 40 years ago. The Times‘ remembrance does include these notable factoids: “Three 55-gallon barrels of flash bulbs were swept from the arena floor after each performance.” “Three hundred teddy bears were thrown and recovered.” “Five local teenagers were hurt throwing themselves off a 20-foot balcony, trying to land on the stage.” And, finally, “A stage security guard had his finger bitten to the bone by one of eight women trying to rush the stage.”