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Praetorium Honoris

Monday, October 7, 2019

Miss U

Busy, Busy, Busy.

Mrs J, ever the economist, is teaching me the value of compound interest in the form of a "Honey Do" list.  Somehow it seems as if I accomplish items on that list in a linear fashion, yet new items appear in a multiplicative fashion.  I'm sure that's just an impression, right Dear?

Hello?

In any case, a little excitement occurred in the Chateau Juvat Canine Recreational facility over the weekend.  Said Recreational Facility is shaded by a very large Pecan tree thoughtfully planted by an owner long before Google Earth (and thusly historical pictures of Rancho Juvat) came about.   So absolute minimum age of 35 years, but likely much older.  It got a little windy this weekend and a large branch broke off, which took down another larger branch as gravity did its thing.  Thankfully, no 2 or 4 legged beings were injured, but we've got to get the Tree Doctors out to do some triage.


But...At a minimum, I'll be smoking with Pecan Wood for a while, assuming I can't mill any of it for use in the shop.

Which brings me to Le projet apparemment sans fin.

The desk project has taken a bit of a back burner position due to "Compound Interest".  As such, any woodworker will appreciate the humor, and necessity, of the picture below.



Yes, I have cut on the wrong line before.  I do not intend to make that mistake whenever I resume operations.

One of the items on the "Honey Do" list was to put together the Fall Care package for Little Juvat and LJW.  Those of you that have served overseas, especially where the BX/Commissary are marginally provisioned and the local economy is significantly more expensive than living allowances support, will understand the necessity of regular care packages.

Necessities to include may or may not include things that are actually necessary to sustain life itself, more so to make that life more enjoyable.  So, my task was to load the box with Salt Lick Garlic Dry rub (Grilled Steak isn't the same without it), Liquid Smoke (a gas grill doesn't quite cut it), flavored Coffee Creamer (I believe this is the equivalent of Peanut Butter at Kunsan back in our day, Sarge, the locals seem to use it as currency) and Pumpkin Spice Latte mix, (certain things just CAN'T be lived without).  Oh, and a Shark Chew Toy for the Grand Dog.

Care Package assembled and packed, one must now visit the Postal Service Torture Chamber to endure the agony there prior to being allowed to approach the high priestess and submit to her interrogation of contents of said package.  Somehow, I succeeded in convincing her that we were on the up and up, presumably my thrusting a fairly large amount of paper with pictures of dead presidents on them assisted in that decision.

As I left, I happened to notice a rather attractive plant out front.  No, I don't recognize it, but as this week's quiz.  please submit suggestions in the comments.



Ahem, juvat, you got anything of value to present to our readers this week?

Sí, mi sargento de la Fuerza Aérea increíblemente antiguo, tengo algo muy interesante.

As I was researching last week's post on "The Angels of Bataan", I came across a foot note that lead me to another interesting person.


Source
That person would be Margaret Utinsky.  Born Margaret Doolin, she had met and married Jack Utinsky while visiting the Philippines in the late '20's.  He was a former Army Captain working as a civil engineer for the US government.

Life is good in Manila in the 20's and 30's, but as things start to go sour vis a vis the Japanese, he is recalled to active duty and sent to Bataan, to prepare defenses there.  Mrs Utinsky continues to live in Manila, even to the point of refusing to evacuate when the Army ordered all wives and families back to the US.

When put aboard the evacuation ship, she slips back off and returns to her apartment, spending the next 10 weeks hiding from the Japanese.  She finally gets help and manages to obtain papers describing her as Rena Utinsky, a nurse from Lithuania.  Using these papers, she joins the Red Cross and heads to Bataan to find her husband.
Rough routing of the Bataan Death March.  The yellow line beside the straight one is probably closer to the actual route.

Getting to Bataan, involves going the other way than the Bataan Death March is going, so she gets a pretty good dose of reality.  Finding out that her husband had perished on that March strengthens her resolve to do what she can to assist.

She soon builds a resistance network which provided food, money and medicine to POW's at Camp O'Donell.  Her code name was "Miss U".

She is eventually arrested and held prisoner at Fort Santiago, a fort turned into a POW camp in Manila.  She is beaten daily, had her arms tied behind her back and then suspended from the ceiling by them, while she is interrogated.

Other, not so nice things, happened also.

At one point 5 Filipinos were beheaded outside her cell,  on another night an American POW was tied to her cell gate and beaten to death.  Through this all, she insisted she was a Nurse caring for the sick and wounded.

Finally released after signing a document saying that she'd been treated well (while keeping her fingers crossed), she spends 6 weeks in a Manila hospital.  Some of the wonderful treatment the Japanese had given her caused  her leg to become gangrenous.  The doctors wanted to amputate, but she declined.  In order to treat the gangrene, the Doctors had to cut away the infected tissue.  Because of Japanese spies in the hospital, she would not allow anesthesia to be used as she did not want to be interrogated again while under its effects.

Suspecting she's not out of the woods yet, she leaves the hospital before fully recovered and makes her way back to Bataan where she contacts guerilla forces and works as a Nurse for them until the Americans invade in '45.  At that point, she is taken by Filipinos through the Japanese lines and brought to the Americans.

She then gives them a list of names of soldiers she knew were tortured, who were the torturers and the names of collaborators and spies in the Manila area.

The  source for the above relies heavily on her autobiography published shortly before her death in 1970.  Wikipedia also says that other than that autobiography and her Medal of Freedom awarded in 1946 there is not much substantive evidence to support her story.

Well...you know...it's generally a bad thing to leave substantive evidence around when there are bad guys looking to do extremely bad, painful, disgusting things to you if they find it.

I'm going to give the lady some slack.
Source

Rest in Peace, Warrior!

53 comments:

  1. I do your trick all the time. Cutting on the wrong side of the line isn't so bad on framing. But doing it on finish work...... not a happy time. Leaving notes to yourself is fine, I have sharpies all over the shop. Writing on a mill vise, it's normal, right??

    The Japanese skated in regard to their crimes against humanity. And that LADY was no snowflake. I've seen that look before. She met the devil and prevailed. I bet she was a pistol. Thanks for the introduction juvat. I like having a list of heroes and heroines.

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    1. Yeah, I do too. That second line is because I measured from the wrong side of the circular saw and the motor wont fit over the clamped piece. I was a bit irked that I'd made that mistake, but luckily hadn't cut yet, so...a "hey dumass, pay attention" message.

      Yeah, and it's a bit scary. I met a lot of Japanese, both civilian and military, while stationed in the orient. Seemed like pretty regular folks to me. How they got to that point.....

      On a similar note, Mrs. Utinsky also seemed like a regular person. How they get that strength and courage...

      I wonder if I could have done the same.

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  2. Not only have I cut on the wrong side of the line, I have taken an inside measurement with the tape measure, and then forgotten to add the case size in when I cut the wood.
    If you do woodworking long enough, you have made all of the measuring mistakes, invented some new ones, and then begun repeating the mistakes.
    Take note that the six and the nine on a measuring tool will look the same at a careless glance.

    Good post y gracias.


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    1. I do hope OldAFSarge's gloves are marked, "Do NOT cut here."

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    2. Thanks John.

      Not sure it's possible to make ALL the mistakes. I'm remarkably talented at screwing things up. But fixing them to be noticeable only to me is a fun part of the process.

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    3. Larry,
      I'm missing something there.

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    4. I think it was John Donovan (Castle Arrgh) who kept cutting himself with tools and that was suggested for him. I can't remember what caused Sarge's recent traumatic finger injury, but if it was a tool, maybe the gloves would be a good idea? Yeah, I know. Weak.

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    5. It was early, I hadn't had my full ration of coffee yet. I'm much better now, thanks!

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    6. Mistakes.
      If you are putting in new downspouts, remember to add the overlap amount before cutting. That way you won't have to splice in an extension at the bottom where it goes into the drain. (muy embarazoso)

      If "all the mistakes" includes digit removal, then I'm wrong, and I hope that I never make "all the mistakes."

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    7. It's doors I have trouble with, with tools I'm okay. Just doors, and wind with doors.

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    8. I've done the downspout thing. As usual the second installation went faster, fit better and didn't involve a lot of bad words.

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    9. Sarge,
      Doors are problematic, just look at CW's place on any given day. There'll be an animated GIF involving a door and someone's kisser virtually everyday. So....As long as The Missus isn't filming you, you're ok.

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    10. John, embrazando is pregnant Tango veruenza. That's the ticket At least down here in Tex-land...

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    11. Well, according to google translate, very pregnant is muy embarazada and very embarassing is muy embarazoso, while I'm embarrased is tengo veruenza (I'll allow for autocorrect there). My High School Spanish teacher is not available to rule officially. She was muy vieja (I think she was like 50) when I graduated. So I'll call it a draw, you're both right.

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    12. My spanish prof at Texas Technical told a story about living in La Ciudad de Mexico with a castillan family. She dropped her fork on the terrazo floor and after it quit clanging, she said, "Estoy embrazada!" And it was quiet with open eyed stares..... Quick trip through the dictionary brought out, "oh, perdon, tengo veruenza!" False cognate. My spanish is construction grade, so I defer to the juvat and John in Philly. I'll go back in my corner and sweep up swarf...... ;{)>

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    13. Nah, you weren't wrong. It is interesting the (at least according to Google) there's a completely different word returned when you change from very embarrassing to I'm embarrassed. Wonder why that is? Of course, that makes the assumption that the all seeing, all knowing Google didn't make a mistake.

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  3. She is well deserving of the name "warrior." She epitomizes the warrior ethos.

    Good to know her and I believe her story, hard to make that stuff up and yeah, she's got the look of one who has "been there, done that."

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    1. Yes, she does. That cocked eyebrow kinda says "Don't mess with me, boy! I'll chew you up and spit you out." doesn't it?

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  4. Pretty sure your plant is one of these:

    https://npsot.org/wp/story/2010/1276/

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    1. I think you’re right! Thanks. Did you recognize it or did you search for it? If the latter, you google -fu is much better than mine.

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    2. Had to search. I just went looking for “purple berry texas” and that’s what popped up :)

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    3. Ah, I tried putting the picture into image search. All that was returned was my picture. Simple is always better.

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    4. We have that plant around here, too. Birds love the berries, which they then manage to poop purple bird poop everywhere. Which sucks because I drive a white van. The bastiges!

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    5. Mrs J is enthused. Apparently it's a natural mosquito repellent. Looks like I'll be doing some gardening soon. See what I mean about compound interest?

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  5. Thanks for the post. A real heroine and her story needs to be told. I think today's young people would not believe the hardships of that war. The heroes that emerged on a daily basis mostly go unsung.

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    1. Dave,
      Unfortunately, your probably right, according to conventional wisdom of the current elite, history is not important. Except when it helps their cause. I believe that to be an almost certainly catastrophic error.

      Which would be why I drag my kids to visit battlefields and museums and such. When they were younger, they griped a bit. Now? Not so much. So...Mission accomplished.

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    2. VX,
      Good to hear from you. Hope all is well.

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  6. Sent a few deployment care packages to my 30 SBOM's. Had more fun finding interesting as well as needed things to send. ie: 40's Retro Vintage-Styled Hula Pin Up Girl Car Dashboard Doll...lol

    We are becoming a nation of softies, the ones like Miss U that would endure those hardships are dying off. Thank you for bringing her to us.

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    1. Brig,
      My pleasure!

      Like the Hula Girl Doll idea!

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  7. I've done bad cutting before. BITD, when I was still fighting, I got a new piece of rattan in order to make a longer glaive (sword on a stick, polearm, long whacky thingy.) I've been fighting with a 6' one for a few years, and most people were pushing 7' with theirs, and I came to the startling conclusion that size does matter. So, carefully measure 7', measure again 7', check it one more time at 7'. Cut it, hold it up to my existing 6' stick and... I managed to measure and cut a 6' stick. DARNED IT! Fortunately with the padding on either end I managed to extend the stick a whole 4"...

    And, yes, I mark loudly on the side of the line to be cut, and am careful to make sure that measured pieces either are marked on the other side of the line or the saw kerf is included in the measurement this side of the line.

    But... This last Christmas, my beloved Mrs. Andrew finally convinced me that the curtain I hung in our room was wonky. Hanging it I measured 9 1/4" on either end. 9 1/4"! even marked on the place for the screws as 9 1/4". So of course, on the left side it's actually 9 3/4". D'oh! How Mrs. Andrew could see a 3/4" variance on an 8' long rod from 10' away I don't know. Yes I do... it's Spousal Super Powers.

    Some days...

    As to Mrs. Utinsky, one tough lady. One really tough lady. Survived torture and kept going, when others broke. And she kept all that info in her head. Truly a great woman.

    As to the feckless twits and proles that doubt her story? Screw 'em. I'd recommend a 16" long, 3/4" screw, as deck screws won't hold correctly. Some people just suck. I've heard there were Bataan deniers, or people who deny any wrongdoing by the Japs (not the Japanese our allies, the Japs our enemies) during and before the war. Like people who deny the Rape of Nanking, or other atrocities. Jerks. See previous screw 'em comment... Maybe a nail gun instead...

    As to, well, Jap atrocities, they had a very oriental view of the world. Their mores and standards were significantly different than ours, almost an alien culture (green UFO aliens, not illegal aliens, well, green guys could be illegals I guess). I've said before that anyone wanting to write sci-fi or think about how our world would react to an outer space alien could use the pre and WWII Japanese as an example. They (the Japs) had years of dealing with our culture, had sent their students here, even their military officers and diplomats here to see our culture for years, and yet their culture was still mired in old-school Japanese culture. Not all, but too many of them were of the opinion that only they mattered.

    They kinda got a rude awakening in 1945 between the firebombings and the starvation from cutting off supplies and then the two nukes. And then the rather gentle occupation by us after the war. According to their pre-war culture, we could have strode in like medieval knights during the Albigensian Crusade, "Kill them all, God will know his own," that type of thing. But we were rather civilized in a Americanized version of Western Civilization way. What came out was a much better culture, for us overall. Don't know how badly it affected the Japanese. Don't really care. They haven't gotten too frisky towards us since. So they got the clue...

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    1. My impression in dealing with them was that they respected us militarily (for obvious reasons), but were grateful that we did not (in general) treat them like they treated the others.

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    2. Oh, we were so much nicer to them than they to us. They should never ever bitch about the occasional bad actor of ours, compared to all the evil they did, almost for fun at times it seems.

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    3. The years I lived at Fukuoka, Kyushu (Itazuke AB), we would ride our Honda 90's up into the hills some distance away. All we ever met were interesting people, never harsh or angry. Even the older men were happy to see us (free Kirin!) and we would try to communicate to the great fun of all involved. The only angry people I met in Japan were the commies at the ends of the runways with their fifty foot bamboo poles with red flags on them. We would typically brief to go "gear up, level off, accelerate". Boom. These days, the Base Commander would probably call the Squadron CO in for a "chat".

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    4. I had just gotten to Kadena and was riding out to the jet one day. Got to talking with the bread truck driver and during the conversation he very pointedly stated he was Okinawan, not Japanese. This was the mid 80's and I'd estimate he was mid-60's. So, probably for good reason, there's not much love lost between the people on Okinawa and the Japanese.

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  8. What a great post. I didn't get the wood stuff at all, which means the local fire brigade can relax a bit. Last time I used a table saw they confiscated all my TOH video tapes.

    I was going to suggest a visit to https://www.inaturalist.org/home they have a very good image identification system; you upload an image and it can make a bang-on or very close suggested id in only a second or so. Freaks me out how good it is.

    That first image of Mrs. Utinsky with the child is going to be speaking to me for days to come.

    I trust whackopaedia about as much as any other sector of the progressive revisionist media. Which is to say not at all.

    The how did they/could they question is always great food for thought. My experience tells me that each and every one of us have the capacity to be great hero, but we also each have the capacity to do the worst bidding of evil. Most of us will never know, because the path we choose can only be revealed in a particular extraordinary moment, and that place we will most likely never visit. It's good to be prepared though, because in certain circumstances it can be easier to do horrible things to not do them. At least that's my take from history.

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    1. Thanks PA.

      Wikipedia is a good starting point, usually. Especially their footnoted sources. Which is where I found Mrs Utinsky. One of the other sources I found was a message board which had a few postings with passages from her book which conformed to the story. Which as Wikipedia said that book was the primary evidence in her story. Given the fact that it was written well after the fact and because of their kind care while captive, many of the corroborating folks might not still be around, that would tend to make it difficult to confirm. Not being medically trained, I'd think surgery on a gangrenous leg might still be in evidence the rest of her life, so why would she lie.

      That question kinda keeps me centered. Observant of others to make sure they don't. Focused on what's right and wrong to make sure I don't either.

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    2. If you dig only a little bit into the Philippines during the war you realize that many tens of thousands of heroic actions took place and were never recorded. Many hundreds of acts of evil brutality took place and weren't recorded either.

      Have you read John Keats' "They Fought Alone" about Wendell Fertig?

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    3. Her actions were good enough to get her awarded a Medal of Freedom, which, unlike during the previous administration, they did not hand out like candy in 1946.

      Thus I trust her story. It took a lot to get noticed back then.

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  9. Mrs. Utinsky, one tough lady. To have survived torture and kept going, keeping all that info in her head. I'm betting there were a lot more folks that we've never heard about, and never will. Re care packages, I've done a few, and books, peppermints, and hand wipes are always appreciated, in addition to 'munchies'... :-) Re cutting... NO comment... Sigh

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    1. I'm hoping to in the next life there's a bar where all these folks and others like them sit around, drinking a cold one and telling their stories. I think that might be heaven for me.

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  10. Just as Heinz DOES make a better ketchup, Irwin squeeze clamps are better than the herd.

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    1. Yeah, I have several of the Bessey F clamps and they're ok, but hard to use quickly. The Irwins, I can grab and install one handed and now I've got 3 (or more) hands. I've now got six in my shop. They and my pipe clamps are the go to's.

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    2. Now would be a good time to put in a request to the Christmas Fairy for more Irwins. Just specify the make and model, else you'll end up with some proggy nature-loving Aussies, which could be a problem. Unless, of course, no airholes are put into their boxes, then, well, cleanup, but not much noise, well, except for the noise of the backhoe (you do have access to a backhoe, right?)

      Many much clamps, very necessary, very handy.

      As to ketchup, after 2004 I just can't do Heinz. I wonder why. Hunt's seems to me to be the right amount of tangy-ness and vinegar, which is important to Mrs. Andrew who doesn't do vinegar very well.

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    3. Do Boston woodworkers use baaaah clamps?

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    4. Beans,
      Fortunately, HEB (Texas Grocery Chain) carries Whataburger Spicy Ketchup. I don't use it that much, but I support your boycot.

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    5. John,
      Only if they're using them in their vacation wood shop in Bah Hah Bah. :-)

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  11. (Don McCollor)...Dad did a classic one back when Mom wanted him to hang a mirror when we moved into town (he was a good carpenter, but not around home...he screwed the hooks in the frame not at quite at the same height...put a level line on the wall, and measured from the hooks to top of mirror frame, measured where the hangers should go from the line (forgetting he was looking at the back of the mirror [a mirror image of the measurements so to speak])...when hung, would not believe us when we told him it was crooked till he put the level on it...then corrected it by making the same mistake again (now twice as crooked)!!!

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    1. Sounds like me. But...I AM getting better. It's not really the product that's important to me, it's the process. Although, the fighter pilot in me takes a look at some of the products and decides "That's going in the burn bin, right now."

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  12. Hey Juvat;

    Gotta work the "Honey Do" list....it never goes away. The List is made so you are busy doing stuff and not getting underfoot with the misses. Thank you for the story on "Miss U" I have heard of her and a couple others that went through the same thing. Forgiveness is a hard thing.

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    1. Yeah, I grouse about the list, but actually don't mind it that much. It gives me an idea what she thinks is important and I don't have to guess/read her mind. So, win/win.

      Re: forgiveness. Yes it is.

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    2. The specimen you so dutifully noted is definitely not kudzu. Therefore, it can only be that most dreaded of all flora : the Pottsylvania Creeper, known to be a flesh eating biological carnivore that uses its berries to entice its victims with its mesmerizing narcotic aromatics while the vines slowly strangle its prey. You were lucky to escape sans injury. Report it immediately to the local county extension agent for quick action. Large doses of Agent Orange and a barrel of Roundup applied by C-123 aerial spray should do the job.

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Just be polite... that's all I ask. (For Buck)
Can't be nice, go somewhere else...

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