Well, this won't waste anybody's time:
Tom Turpin, an entomology professor, hopes to amend Indiana's status as one of five states void of an official state insect.
Legislatures dismissed the “Say's Firefly” bill in the mid-90s because it was perceived as a dumb bill and not a priority amongst state economical issues.
[. . .]
The last time we didn't introduce the bill on both sides. This time, to carry enough water for the bill, we're trying to develop some ground-swell of support.”
Turpin intends to have a proposed bill by the next legislative session on April 29th which would name the firefly, or commonly known “lightning bug,” Indiana's official state insect.
[caption id="attachment_8333" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Not so cute, huh?"]
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I hate to throw water on anybody's earnest attempt to develop a "ground-swell of support," but this doesn't seem like an issue likely to stir up the, err, grassroots.
OK, the firefly is a cute little cuss, and we all remember catching them and putting them in jars and all that. But that's the point -- honoring the lighting bug would give everyone -- especially impressionable children -- the mistaken idea that all insects are cute and cuddly. Do you realize that there are about 1.5 billion bugs for every single person on the planet? Multiply that out, and you'll get a number higher than Barack Obama's next budget. And they include things like mosquitoes and fire ants and wasps and Africanized honey bees. Why don't we just go all out and name a state disease and a state character flaw while we're at it? I nominate Restless Leg Syndrome and righteous indignation. I can already feel the ground swelling up with support.
