God's Country

If God wanted people to live in Illinois, then why did He create Michigan? The northern part of our state is frequently called "God's Country". Although the exact location of the line that separates God's Country from the rest of the country is subject to disagreement, I'm sure most people would agree that it's well north of Chicago and Detroit.

All kidding aside, It's not certain that wolverines ever lived in Michigan. If they did, there must not have been a lot of them because wolverines are so cranky that they don't even like other wolverines. I read somewhere that it's because their skull is too small for their brain, so it is believed that they have constant headaches. Wolverines and Badgers are both members of the weasel family, and I understand that all weasels are pretty fierce. Even the little ones that turn white in the winter commonly attack animals that are much bigger than they are. Wolverines and badgers are much larger than those weasels so, when you piss them off, they must be a formidable force. Ironically, the little dachshund was originally bred for the purpose of hunting badgers. The intended purpose of their short legs was so that they could go right into a badger's den and drive it out. As fierce as badgers are, they are intimidated by anything that has the guts to go into their den after them. At least that's what I was told by some hunters I met while I was in Germany. German hunters wouldn't lie, would they?

Now that you mention it, I believe there is a tree called the "Ohio buckeye", but I don't know if the tree was named after the state or the state was named after the tree. I don't think there is a plant called a "hawk eye", but there is one called a "hawk weed" which is common in the Upper Peninsula. I think the term "hawk eye" or "eagle eye" just means somebody with particularly good vision who notices things others might miss.

Historically, people have used religion and mythology to try to explain things that they didn't understand. Nowadays we have science for that. Although most people don't understand science any better than they understand religion, they are comforted by the notion that somebody understands it. This is probably for the best. If people stopped believing in preachers and scientists they would all be out of a job. With unemployment as high as it is, we certainly don't need to flood the market with any more unskilled labor.