here are some stories in convenient bullet-point format, because i don't have more than a paragraph's worth to say about any of them:

• you might have heard that warren jeffs, "prophet" and leader of the fundamentalist church of jesus christ of latter day saints—a breakaway sect of mormon polygamists—was recently arrested during a traffic stop. (conveniently for hbo, which debuted a series about polygamists earlier this year.) but were you aware of the epidemic of a rare genetic disorder called fumarase deficiency within the FLDS, brought on by the sect's inbreeding? (hat tip boingboing)
• ken tomlinson is back in the news: known to many as the former commissioner of CPB who tried to turn PBS into a republican mouthpiece, and who was forced to resign from CPB after his numerous improprieties came to light, has once again been caught abusing his appointed power at his new job, chairman of the broadcasting board of governors. (think voice of america.) fortunately, it appears that the senate foreign relations committee refuses to confirm his reappointment... though bush could always make another of his recess appointments. (hat tip tpm muckraker)
• last summer, indiana DNR director kyle hupfer announced he was doing away with canned hunts in indiana—the barbaric practice of placing wild animals in a small, enclosed areas so that hunter/poseurs can kill them at close range and have a trophy buck to hang on the wall. via tdw, we see that hupfer is being pressured into accepting a lame compromise that "allows the controversial activity to continue for at least a decade".
• and i have to mention the latest yes men prank.¶

on the topic of hunters/poseurs: Troy Gentry Accused of Killing Tame Bear.

I learned about this via popbitch's weekly email. they had this to say:


> Troy Gentry is one half of top country music
> duo Montgomery Gentry. He's built up an image
> as a hard-living hunting, shooting and fishing
> fan, but Troy turns out to be no Ted Nugent.
>
> Gentry has just appeared in court for killing
> a tame bear, Cubby. Apparently Gentry paid his
> friend Lee Greenly, who owns a wildlife refuge
> in Minnesota, $4,650 for the tame bear. Cubby
> was shot by Gentry with a bow and arrow while
> just standing in his pen. Gentry videotaped
> the slaying, and then doctored the tape to
> make it look he'd killed the bear in the wild,
> and then shipped the bear to a taxidermist so
> he could show off his "prize". Both men face
> up to five years in prison if convicted.

poseur, indeed. another reason to hate pop country music. ¶

big love was one of the biggest surprises of this last year for me - i absolutely love that show, and i haven't been able to say that about anything on television since, say, twin peaks or the young ones. and who knew? usually polygamists, regardless of their "fictionality", creep me out. ¶

next time i go hunting i am going to get a plane and run it into people in a giant building what can they do except be hunted ,, i am the hunter here i come oma god ¶