Warty and wonderful
Dear HCN,
Jon Margolis' otherwise excellent "Washington Watch" column Sept. 16 contained the following sentence: "Bill Clinton has the aesthetic sensibilities of a frog." On behalf of the Amphibian-American community, I would like to state that this is an unfair and unkind slur against frogs.
What would a moonlit evening be without the musical chorus of spring peepers? The Louisiana bayous would not be half so mysterious without the imposing voice of the bullfrog; Great Basin waterways would be deathly silent without the cheerful croak of the spadefoot toad. I'll pass over the number of mosquito and fly bites that outdoors-loving humans would suffer without the help of friendly batrachians.
HCN has done a good job of defending our habitats - now give some thought to our dignity! Just because we're warty doesn't mean we don't need self-esteem.
Tiel Jackson
West Linn, Oregon
Jon Margolis' otherwise excellent "Washington Watch" column Sept. 16 contained the following sentence: "Bill Clinton has the aesthetic sensibilities of a frog." On behalf of the Amphibian-American community, I would like to state that this is an unfair and unkind slur against frogs.
What would a moonlit evening be without the musical chorus of spring peepers? The Louisiana bayous would not be half so mysterious without the imposing voice of the bullfrog; Great Basin waterways would be deathly silent without the cheerful croak of the spadefoot toad. I'll pass over the number of mosquito and fly bites that outdoors-loving humans would suffer without the help of friendly batrachians.
HCN has done a good job of defending our habitats - now give some thought to our dignity! Just because we're warty doesn't mean we don't need self-esteem.
Tiel Jackson
West Linn, Oregon
