Bizarre, Society

A Happy Goat

goatvi3There is absolutely no legal, policy, or religious content to this posting. I just love this picture and it is my blog. I am convinced that this goat has achieved a level of mystical tranquillity that has escaped all but the oldest and most devout Buddhist monks.

The question is why with all of the pharmaceutical and therapeutic assistance, we still struggle to achieve this level of happiness. We need to find and study this goat. Be the Goat. Experience the Goat.

41 thoughts on “A Happy Goat”

  2. Sat, 15 November 2008 at 8:02 am
    George Clooney Stares At Goats
    George Clooney Stares At Goats

    Mustache-rocking George Clooney buttons up his army outfit as he heads to the set of his new movie, Men Who Stare at Goats, in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Saturday.

    The movie is based on a 2004 book about alleged U.S. military efforts to develop paranormal powers for American soldiers. Clooney, 47, plays a U.S. soldier who fights the enemy using ancient Chinese mind techniques. Co-stars Ewan McGregor and Kevin Spacey also will be filming in the central Puerto Rican town of Comerio.

    P.S. I cannot recommend this book enough. It is hysterical in a Dr. Strangelove meets RNC/DNC street protestors, meanwhile psy-ops is coming to dinner kind of way!

  3. “I will further note that, despite his appearance on this blog, he is not a public figure and not subject to the New York Times v. Sullivan standard.”

    *****************

    You, JT, have made him so and he apparently accepts the public position “happily.”

    This entire posting is a transparent and crass attempt to raise JT’s standing among the goat constituency and to deflect criticism JT rightly received for his glossing over the pogrom against the Billy Goat Gruff 3 in his almost fanatical attempt to defend the legendary excesses of those troll scalawags. Random and innocent posting he claims, but with sinister design I suspect. Remember the gnome:

    http://jonathanturley.org/2008/08/20/gnome-de-guerre-pennsylvania-man-convicted-of-aggravated-assault-with-garden-gnome/

  5. Patty,

    I’ve seen chickadees, nuthatches, and grosbeaks all frequent safflower feeders (Even when black oil was offered near by). It takes awhile for them to adjust to the change, but that’s true even if you just buy a new feeder. We recommended it as a possibility to people with squirrel\grackle\starling problems. The problem is that to solve those problems you generally need to feed only the Safflower, so among other things you loose your finches. You could probably get some back by feeding Nyger, but if you get the cheapo-sacks rodents will sometimes chew the sack up.

    A study done in the mid eighties showed that when safflower was offered over several months, cardinals actually sought out safflower seeds over the standard sunflower. Eventually the Safflower was eaten at about the same rate as black oil.

    As far as the mixes go, the problem is usually that they include WAY too much millet. If you want to avoid sprouting you can buy the hulled mixes that most birding stores have.

  6. Safflower seed is for cardinals.

    Mixed bird seed is just OK, The idea is good, but most of it gets kicked out onto the grass and springs up later. You can never go wrong with separate feeders of – Black Oil Sunflower seed, primarily (birds, squirrels, cardinals, finches and chickadees, alike, love it), thistle seed bags, safflower seeds, and peanuts and the occasional fresh and dried fruits, berries, and popcorn where I live…

    I now, thoroughly enjoy watching the Fuzzy-guy gray squirrels ‘invade’ the feeders, having made friends with all of them and can now distract them, deftly, by feeding them roasted peanuts, which they love to eat, along side the ‘Cheryl-crows’ on the ground while keeping my precisous cardinals company, but which also keep them busy – burying all day long, even in the snow. Just too funny to watch. They really patrol the yard. Their only threat is the occasional hawk.

  7. et tu Gyges?

    Why not just tell him to poison them? And to think I felt badly that your wife was attacked by new agers for her lack of positive thinking!

    And so, some animals are more equal than others JT? You may expect a Congressional summons from the agricultural committee. See how you like that! Joe Lieberman won’t be there to protect you anymore. Squirrel Nutkin, ESQ is not to be trified with. He shall not rest until your reputation lies strewn about the goat pens, trampled underfoot by your so called “friends”! (Hope that was suitably Biblical sounding.)

  9. JT,

    Have you tried switching to feeding Safflower seeds? You might see a drop in the birds coming to your feeder, but most squirrels won’t come near the stuff. In the several years I worked selling birding supplies I only heard of one squirrel that developed a taste for Safflower.

    As far as Goats go, I’ll just point out that they do constantly have the Munchies. Not to mention a history of addiction. If memory serves, Coffee was discovered when a goatherd realized that his goats had a habit of eating certain berries, then ‘dancing.’ The goats would get extremely irritable if not allowed to eat from the bushes first thing in the morning, they needed their caffeine fix.

  10. Jill:

    Some of your best friends are goat herders. Is that the best you can do?

    I maintain an assortment of bird feeders in a constant struggle with your little furry brethren. Even my Squirrel Buster has been compromised by these ravenous critters.

    As for your attorney friend, bring it on, as our illustrious president would say. I am one nut his clients won’t crack.

  11. Baa humbug. Over zealous anthropomorphism replete with psychological projection.

  12. I applaud your picture of a happy goat!

    However as this is a close-up; there really is no way of knowing what other pleasure-inducing acts this goat may be experiencing concurrent to the picture being taken. Given the variety of animal acts that have been “exposed” on your blog the list is endless.

    Please I am begging you do not Zoom out!

  13. A stirring speech, promolgated by a goat sap. I met goat farmers who gave me a sheet about raising goats. It was obvious these people had taken the goat weed! It was, well, uneven in the coverage of the keeping of goats (aka “it’s all good”). These people kept their goats in their house. All they told me was they were, “a little destructive”.

    You’ll be hearing from Squirrel Nutkin, atty. at law in the near future. You may avoid this by placing black oilers on the ground each day until summer.

  14. Jill:

    You can keep your drug-induced, zombie squirrels out of this conversation. It is clear that only a public urinalysis will clear my goat. The fact that you have a squirrel Woodstock going on in your backyard is no excuse to repeat the defamation of Rafflaw. Squirrels are known to be party animals and a bit nuts.

    Have we come to this? Is it not possible for a goat to be simply happy without these baseless rumors of contraband grass consumption? Goat lovers hope for a change with the Obama administration. Indeed, we still hope to see not just a goat-friendly administration but an actual goat in the cabinet. At the very least, Obama can reintroduce goats to the White House. The last president to have the lawn cut by goats was Woodrow Wilson. It is time for a change of the cloven-hoof variety.

  15. I have seen netsuke that look just like this. At the risk of lawsuit I’m agreeing with rafflaw that this goat looks perhaps a tad too happy and that goat weed may be involved! Their are squirrels in my neighborhood who go a little crazy when they chew oak bark. They literally tumble with the piece of bark for quiet some time. It’s really cute as is your cat picture, mespo.

  16. Rafflaw:

    Your defamation of my favorite goat is outrageous and actionable. I will remind you that an allegation of criminal conduct remains a per se category of defamation. This pacific, contented animal has merely reached a higher spiritual reality based on some cosmic-goat-driven consciousness. I will further note that, despite his appearance on this blog, he is not a public figure and not subject to the New York Times v. Sullivan standard.

    Sincerely,

    Jonathan Turley
    Counsel for The Happy Goat

  18. What does that goat know that we don’t know? And what kind of grass has he/she been eating to get that grin on his face? I think there may be some natural pharmaceuticals at play here!

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