Real Life Adventures by Gary Wise and Lance Aldrich for September 14, 2021

I agree with that

That was Ben Franklin’s idea.

I heard that it came within one vote.

We could use a Geese for our National Flock – a Gaggle.

Vulture would seem more appropriate.

In which case, maybe a certain slang term for “stupid person” would’ve been “jive eagle.”

The park where I run has large flocks of wild turkeys. I see 30 or so on occasion. They don’t look like the fat breasted farm-bred kind, but they’re quite impressive looking and will eat bugs, lizards, snakes and almost anything.

Let’s face it turkeys just don’t look the part, and since they are a favorite source of protein in the US, it wouldn’t be appropriate for them to be an emblematic symbol of the country.

It was never the national bird. Ben Franklin suggested that it be that, but nobody ever followed up on that

Franklin proposed it but it was never adopted. Would have been apropos for the Trump administration.

Turkeys in the wild are masters of their environment. Sleek and fast, they are quite difficult to hunt, some of them practically ninjas when being pursued in the woods. At the same time they’re highly adept hunters of many different forms of prey. Bald eagles will hunt when they need to, but will gladly scavenge leftovers or bully weaker predators to steal their catch. Even Franklin himself said, “He is a Bird of bad moral Character. He does not get his Living honestly. … Besides he is a rank Coward: The little King Bird not bigger than a Sparrow attacks him boldly and drives him out of the District.” So all in all, we picked the more appropriate mascot.