PERCEPTIONS: Chilly reception on Groundhog Day

Punxsutawney Phil should branch out.

By: Steve Feitl
   Don’t boo the groundhog, people.
   Punxsutawney Phil, the world’s most famous weather-predicting groundhog, was reportedly booed by a crowd of thousands Wednesday when he saw his shadow, thus setting the country up for six more weeks of winter.
   I don’t mean to attract the ire of the same people disappointed in his official proclamation, but did anyone really expect it to be any different?
   For starters, this is the 95th time Phil has seen his shadow. The elusive "early spring" has only been predicted 14 times, not to mention nine unsatisfying no-decisions. Clearly the odds were not in spring’s favor.
   So is anyone in the Northeast canceling their previously scheduled late-February outdoor picnic after a disappointing Groundhog Day?
   Did anyone north of the Mason-Dixon Line have their cargo shorts and Hawaiian shirts pressed and ready to wear prior to the annual Feb. 2 ceremony?
   Of course not. We all know winter has a ways to go before it retreats, so booing the groundhog is tad unfair, don’t you think? But as it pertains to public relations, maybe Phil would be a little more popular if he expanded his services a bit.
   My point is if we are to believe the western Pennsylvania critter has this magical power, couldn’t he use it for issues of greater importance? After all, if he really is the "Seer of Seers," shouldn’t his abilities extend beyond the rather-limited world of weather prognostication.
   Wouldn’t it be more helpful if this cherished institution were able to tell us how many more weeks or months it will be until there is stability in Iraq?
   Or wouldn’t it be nice if old Phil could give us some indication of when the United States economy might turn around?
   Perhaps those are weighty issues to drop in a groundhog’s lap. Even so, I have to believe Phil can help us out with something more useful than winter’s end date.
   Maybe he could predict the end of the National Hockey League lockout?
   Can we ask Phil to give us a date for when gas prices will decrease?
   Or can he anticipate any Janet Jackson-esque fallout from the Super Bowl halftime show this Sunday?
   At the very least, is it too much to ask of our groundhog friend if he could fill us in on when we will finally see the end of the deluge of terrible so-called "reality shows" — especially those featuring wife-swapping and anything on FOX with the words "big" and "fat" in the title?
   Sadly, I think I can step in for our buddy Phil here and offer up the likeliest answer to that question. Unfortunately, it’s probably at least another year of bad television.
   And isn’t that much more frightening — not to mention worthy of scorn — than six more weeks of winter?
Steve Feitl is the managing editor of The Lawrence Ledger. He can be reached here.