The government finally got one right.
If you’re like me, you’ve always thought that the beautiful bald eagle was already the official national bird of the United States of America. Hell, I’ve even referred to it as such in some of my previous stories here on Whiskey Riff.
But what if I told you that our nation’s leaders just now passed a bill officially recognizing the bald eagle as our national bird – almost 250 years after we became a nation. I’d say for most of those 250 years, we’ve all just acted like the bald eagle was our national bird anyways.
Our Founding Fathers even picked out the big bird to represent this great country, so I’m not sure how it took this long to make it official. The bald eagle has even been featured on the seal for the United States since 1782, yet it was never recognized in an official manner by our governing bodies as our country’s feathered creature of choice.
That is until this week, when the republicans and democrats put their differences aside and the Senate unanimously passed a bill (sponsored by Minnesota Representative Amy Klobuchar) to give the predatory bird it’s proper status as the United States of America’s national bird.
Senator Cynthia Lummis, a cosponsor for the bill, released this statement when the bill officially passed through the senate:
“For more than 240 years, the bald eagle has been synonymous with American values, yet it is still not officially our national bird.
Today’s bipartisan passage brings us one step closer to solidifying the eagle’s place as an enduring symbol of our freedom, and I look forward to seeing this legislation pass the House and signed into law soon.”
As Lummis alluded to in her statement, the bill still has to go through the House in order to be passed, but they too are expected to unanimously follow suit and pass it on through.
Because America doesn’t mess around when it comes to making our beloved bird – and our patriotism – official…
