7个月前

TIL That the bison is the "National Mammal" of the US and Obama signed it. And I don't even remember this happening or making news.

www.nytimes.com Obama Signs Law Making Bison the First National Mammal (Published 2016)

The United States has named its first national mammal, giving the title to a species that once stretched from the forests of Alaska to the grasslands of Mexico.

Despite, only this year they will finally make the bald eagle the national bird. Which, I also learned that they are not official symbols until a President signs a document for them to be. It is just a recognized symbol but not official. (Just my opinion but why do they really need a bill for this? What changes would making anything like this official really do?)

Here is a list of other US symbols (article includes links to other countries of the world national symbols, some official, some not made official) if you are interested:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_symbols_of_the_United_States

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The eagle not being official is surprising since bald eagles have been protected with a pretty severe fine since 1940.
- Are eagles mammals? 🤔
  
  Fuck if I know. I went to private school.
  
  Nooooo...
- Also...Benjamin Franklin bitched about the choice of the bald eagle over the turkey?
  
  Canadian dollars are maple coins, Australian dollars are kangaroo coins, American dollars are eagle coins...
- No the eagle was the national bird just ridiculous that they have to sign a whole bill for it to be official. Seems like a waste of resources.
  
  How else would it be official though?
  Presidential decree could be overturned every time the president changes. If there was an agency that declared things to be official, then they would have to pass a law to grant them the power to do that.
  Being official always starts with laws, might as well do the whole thing at once.

It was at the time Obama was doing a bunch of tribe recognizing and appeasement. It was a good sentiment and was received in a clouded light that the Republicans used to attack Obama. But the thing is that it was well received coming from Obama but it wasn't well received coming from the President of the United States. Lots of people couldn't understand that difference.
- i'd like to see it on some of our money. theres a state quater i think i remember seeing a bison or buffalo on.

In between bombing seven different countries, Obama found a lot of time to do symbolic, meaningless shit. (Which most US presidents find time to do.)
- Biden did an apology tour for native american boarding schools two weeks before election day
  This, on the heels of a slew of Felony Mob indictments aimed at Gaza Protesters
  The way presidents will flip the history book back 50 years and issue a polite "My bad" while they persecute a new generation of people and scrub out the associated civil rights movement in real time is nauseating. It's less than meaningless. I have to wonder what horrors President Pete Buttigieg will be apologizing for in another twenty years, in between the ethnic cleansing of Panama and the War to Liberate Singapore.
- it was atleast an interesting read. like finding out that Biden was president during obamas term for around an hour, lol. so he had his own mini term.
  
  It is interesting, the little quirks of history.

Do we pick it by the species of which we murdered the most?
- That's be homo sapiens then.

What about like...humans?
- Bison are better mammals than humans. Especially American humans.
  Also they were here first.
  
  I just want the fresh mozz and a warm snuggle.
  
  The civilization that lived in America before the Europeans came were OK before they were genocided.
  And the communities that protect the Amazon today are some of the best mammals on earth.

Bald Eagle for national bird, but honorary mention for the red-tailed hawk, which is the sound people mistakenly associate it with
- Bald eagle honestly sounds like a possessed seagull, which I dont think most folks are down with that.

LETS GO BUFFALO!!!
- Hey-ey-EY-ey

He really picked the animal systematically slaughtered by colonizers for the purpose of starving and controlling the indigenous peoples America genocided. What could be more American I guess
- Yes, that's actually why lmao
- Countries have national animals, if you look on the list of other countries' animals, you can see it is usually because they are the most common or most unique in some way.

Probably because we were more focused on the things that mattered. Like his attacks on our immigrant communities, the war crimes he was committing abroad, and his propping up of private healthcare.
- Probably because we were more focused on the things that mattered.
  Peanut the Squirrel, a popular OnlyFans account and local NY resident domesticated squirrel, who was euthanized a week before the election to test it for rabbies was wall-to-wall headline news on election day.
  Jangle any set of keys loud enough and you can get the handful of remaining living DC journalists to stare in rapt fascination, because its easier and cheaper than doing any amount of meaningful long-form investigative journalism.
  
  There's plenty of great journalists in DC. If you dont read them, thats your own fault
- No, we were more worried about the color of his suit... Well the news was.

he must have been wearing a tan suit and everyone just got distracted

Is there anything a Trumpian can't find offense if a black man has done it ?
- you should ask a Trumpian, lol

Buffalo.
I will die on this hill.
- European bison were called bison a thousand years before America was discovered by Europeans and is a very close relative (different species). Buffalo is the name of the African animal that is only distantly related (different genus) and has been called bufalus by Europeans since before America was discovered by those same Europeans.
  If you are going to die on a hill, might as well call them by the names given to them by people who lived with them for thousands of years before Europeans came here:
  in Arapaho: bii (bison cow), henéécee (bison bull)
  in Lakota: pté (bison cow), tȟatȟáŋka (bison bull) - we all know how to pronounce that one, thanks to Dances with Wolves.
  
  I’d be cool with calling them tȟatȟáŋka
  
  Hennessey
  
  Where is the home where the buffalo roam? Is it in Senegal?
  Was Buffalo Bill called that because he was an African game hunter?
  Is it called a buffalo nickel because it has a bison on it?
  And I can't speak for you, but I only see buffalo burger on menus as an alternative option, they seem to have left bison off.
  I rest my case. And if you wish to appeal, you can write to me in Buffalo, New York.
- Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.
- I dunno, Bison Bison Bison (actual taxanomic name) might disagree with you!
  
  Don't you try to buffalo me with your "science!"
  
  Provide links, not screenshots
- Bye son.
  
  left the comments and came back to hand you your fuckin props
- If you are on a hill with either a Bison or a Buffalo, the odds of you dying are high.
  
  What if the hill is a buffalo jump?

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