…you know when I first saw that PETA, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, sent a letter to the Groundhog Club in Pennsylvania urging them to send Punxsutawney Phil into retirement my first thought was “who the HE-Double Tooth Picks do they think they are?” How dare they question a tradition that has been part of the country’s fabric that dates back to 1890 and originated in our own back yard. Then I saw what they wrote and thought, you know they’ve got a point. First off poor Phil is dragged out of its dark hole before daylight and on a stage that’s flooded with bright lights, loud music and a cheering crowd. It’s a wonder he just doesn’t keel over from a heart attack. PETA says why not use modern technology to create an artificial intelligent Phil, an animatronics and one that could actually predict the weather? Oh, I don’t know about that. I mean Phil is just about as accurate as any weatherman I’ve ever seen. Anyway they say that way Phil can do what he and other ground hogs do, dig, burrow or forage and would take the town’s annual tradition in a fresh and innovative direction. Yeah it sounds good but it’s just not tradition and it’s not like Phil has to deal with predictions like this on any other day of the year. In fact I’ll bet he does his other job during that time, dig, burrow and forage. And besides it’s the only real party he gets to enjoy all year and its over before it even gets started. But how cool is it that Ground Hog day falls on Super Bowl Sunday this year? Wonder if he’s as good about predicting a winner in the Big Game as he is at predicting the weather?