Sen. Marshall mocked online for gun picture, hunting wrong birds

To be a Republican candidate for just about anything these days, you have to post a picture of yourself online with a gun to prove how manly you are (even the women). Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall posted his on Facebook Tuesday, and it didn’t go as well as I’m sure he’d hoped. TOP VIDEOS The video player is currently playing an ad. The photo shows Marshall standing in a field next to a pond, wearing a Cabela’s camouflage shirt, dark glasses, earplugs and a camo hat with a duck on it. A Beretta shotgun is cradled in his arm. In its first 24 hours, the picture drew more than 1,000 comments, nearly all of which mercilessly mocked the senator over his Kansas residency, his appearance, his gear, and his reluctance to hold open town hall meetings. More on that later, but the biggest issue seemed to be the photo caption and what he says he was hunting: “Opening day aka Kansas’s unofficial first day of fall. Bad day to be a turtledove.” The problem is that Tuesday was the first day of hunting season for mourning doves, not turtle doves. Let the corrections begin: “Hey, as a lifelong Kansas hunter, I know mourning dove season starts September 1st, not turtle dove.” “Turtle doves live in Europe, Asia, and Africa, and wild sightings in North America are exceptionally rare.” “Never in my life has a hunter refer it was turtle dove. Next thing he will posting in pheasant opener that he is hunting French Hens.” I checked the state hunting regulations and the critics are partially right. Mourning dove season runs from Sept. 1 to Nov. 29. Provided you have a license, you can shoot up to 15 per day. There is actually one species of turtle dove present in Kansas, the ringed turtle dove, so Marshall wasn’t completely wrong when he said it was a bad day to be one. It’s always a bad day to be one. The state Department of Wildlife and Parks classifies ringed turtle doves as an “exotic” species, the non-native immigrants of the Kansas hunting world, so you can shoot as many as you want whenever you want. On his Senate website, Marshall describes himself as an “avid hunter.” He ought to be, since his official Kansas residence is a small hunting and fishing cabin near St. John, and not the three-bedroom, two-bath “vacation” home he’s trying to sell for $1.45 million in Sarasota, Fla. Marshall’s detractors piled on that as well: “Did you have to get an out of state license to hunt doves here in Kansas? Was your wife holed up in the fishing cabin there entertaining guests at a tea party while you went out to take a photo of yourself pretending like you’re hunting doves? Does your brother still live at that cabin which is in a family trust, because that’s his address online. Oh right, the hunting shack you claim to live in.” “Are you sure that’s not the Everglades?” “You hunting for a croc!?!” Another issue that has dogged Marshall on the campaign trail was ducking out early on a town hall meeting in Oakley last March, when constituents insisted on asking questions that weren’t filtered through Marshall’s staff. He hasn’t held an open and publicized town meeting since, and recently described such gatherings as “dangerous” and “non-productive.” And the comments flowed: “Buuuut you can’t meet with constituents because it’s ‘too dangerous’” “Bro is out there dressed in full camouflage, hiding from voters so he doesn’t have to answer questions.” “Looks kinda sparse for a meet and greet, just the way ol’Dodger likes it.” And then there were those who flat out mocked his appearance: “Nothing says high T better than awkwardly holding a gun wearing your brand new outfit.” “How is that polyester camo in the 105 degree heat, Dr. Cringe?” “Has anybody ever died from a heatstroke while cosplaying?” “Kristi Noem dress the part vibes...” “You’ll shoot your eye out!” So it went. The good news for Marshall is he’ll get a chance to redeem himself pretty quickly. Deer season for black-powder rifle and bow-and-arrow hunting begins Sept. 14, so if he has (or can acquire) either of those weapons, he can post another picture. As long as he doesn’t say in the caption that he’s hunting reindeer, it should be fine.

Read more at: https://www.kansas.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/dion-lefler/article317106093.html#storylink=cpy

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5901034&forum_id=2#50118610)