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Toby Talbot / AP
The state seal is seen on the side of a Vermont State Police cruiser on Feb. 2 in Middlesex, Vt. Some Vermont inmates have gotten the best of the state police by adding a pig to the state decal on their cruisers.
Toby Talbot / AP
The state seal is seen on the side of a Vermont State Police cruiser on Feb. 2 in Middlesex, Vt. One of the spots on the cow in the state crest has been changed to the shape of a pig, a derogatory term for police. The car decals are made by prisoners in St. Albans, who also make state stationary and license plates.
--The Associated Press
A Vermont prison inmate who makes stationery and license plates has gotten the best of the state police by adding the image of a pig to the state decal on their cruisers.
One of the spots on the cow in the state crest has been changed to the shape of a pig, a derogatory term for police. The 16-inch car door decals are made by prisoners in Windsor.
State police discovered the pig images Wednesday. They say they believe the decals have been added to about 30 cruisers in the past year.
"This is not as offensive as it would have been years ago. We can see the humor," Flynn said.
He said the artist has talents that could be used elsewhere. "If that person had used some of that creativeness he or she would not have ended up inside."
Who made the modification and when it happened is being reviewed by the Department of Corrections. Corrections Commissioner Andy Pallito said Thursday new decals will be made by Monday for about $800.
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Also, look at the shadow of the person to the left of the cow and it is possible to see the shadow image of another pig depicted there. That is the first image that I saw.
those are supposed to be people???? that makes it that much funnier!!! hahahaha
All I saw was the UFO's over the mountain.
Hey City Slickers. Those are haystacks. Field, cows, eat hay, get it?
Pretty darn amazing how cheap our government can get a job done when using prison labor!
If it took a year to discover the obvious, I wouldn't crow about it.
Right before he ordered two 250# prison guards to tune the practical joker inmate up with a couple of radiator hoses.
Wow! That's so damn sneaky!! :)
Good looking pig. Female too. I've dated women who didn't look as well.
Why change them, they look fine the way they are. it only took them a year to see it.
Man if you see a Pig in that shadoqw, You need some glasses....LOL
But on the other hand, Just like a computer Hacker...."If that person had used some of that creativeness he or she would not have ended up inside."
Thats what you get for letting inmates design your seal. It's good to see that Vermont state police are observant. I would've seen the pig in the cow immediately. Clever inmates dumb officers. The 3 globs left of the cow look a little falic as well, hahaha.
Vermont Public Safety Commissioner Keith Flynn sez:
"If that person had used some of that creativeness he or she would not have ended up inside."
And if Vermont Public Safety Commissioner Keith Flynn had known that there's no such word as "creativeness", and that the correct word is "creativity", he might not have ended up a hick cop.
I saw the shadow before the spot on the cow also. Wonder if they even caught that. Will have to wait for the new decals to see lol
:)
Hey Angry Guy,
Creativeness is used as a noun. Glad to see that police are getting more educated in their use of words. Must be doing crosswords while out looking for speeders.
$800 to have the decals redone? Waste. Of. Money. I know it's only $800, but still. Buy trauma plates for cop vests or something useful.
The shadow is the rough outline of a large chinned man in a hobo hat admiring his artwork on the cow. Big man pig man, haha charade you are. The pig and man aren't the only out of place images here.
What's the difference? You never see the Vermont State Police on route 89 anyway, and the locals up there drive worse then they do over in 'Jersey!
Those "haystacks" look like something else to me.
I had almost the exact same thought, Henry.
But, I think it's friggin' hilarious, and ya know he's gotta be a hero to his fellow prisoners, so probably worth the potential "tune up," all things considered ;)
In answer to the question asked in the headline <><><> I don't see anything wrong!!! Pride! Integrity! Guts! Speaking of guts, once a scumbag stepped out of the shawdows on a dark street and shoved a gun in my face. It didn't really take guts on my part because I had no choice. It took guts for a plain-clothes policewoman to walk the dark streets in that neighborhood the next night till the scumbag tipped his hand, or rather his gun, and found himself behind bars. To be sure, there were two plain-clothes policemen trailing her, but so as to not make her conspicuous they had to lag way back. Bullets can travel a lot fast that footpads.
I thought the "haystacks" were someting else also, only I saw bears -- carebear style. The tree's shadow does look like on old hobo in hat image I've seen before, but I don't see a pig there.
Also, if you look at the two cow spots to the right of the pig, the first looks like a typical patrolman's hat, and the other looks a bit like a head in profile (with long neck).
Angry Guy,
Perhaps if you weren't so angry you would open a dictionary and find that creativeness is a word. Score one for the "hick cop" or maybe three since at least two other people thought your comment was witty.
Brian-411952
All I saw was the UFO's over the mountain.
==========
.............I didn't see them because bigfoot was in the way, and I think there is a chupacabra in the tree!.
Some days you just need a belly laugh -- and this is it!!!!
If they can see the humor, why don't they just leave it alone? The pig image is harmless and few people will even notice it. Why spend 800$ of taxpayer money needlessly? Their decal is already stupid :-(
Hahaha! But, I think you missed the Lochness Monster's American cousin in the lake
;)
As funny as this is, I don't know that I'd say the prisoner, "got the best of" anything. You know, seeing that he's in prison and all. I think they should leave it. Wasting $800 to fix anything that superficial is what really makes the cops look dumb.
If I were Vermont State PD I'd be more concerned with the 3 wieners popping out of the ground to the left of the cow.
"Corrections Commissioner Andy Pallito said Thursday new decals will be made by Monday for about $800."
State workers can't sharpen a pencil for less than $800. I'm sure that's $800 per decal, plus all of the administrative and review costs plus removal and application costs. Also, what are those 3 figures on the left? Do they represent 'dickheads'?
Still, it's 'udderly' funny.
Absolutely hilarious. Hidden in plain view. Sometimes jocularity is found in the strangest places. Leave it on, be a good sport about it.
I spent nineteen years working with the Kansas Dept. of Corrections, and I have to say I found the humor too. It was subtle, clean and clever. Those decals get replaced regularly. Just dab a little paint on the pig and change its shape, if they're concerned. When the decals are worn out, just be sure to check the new ones carefully. Despite Henry Jekyl's snide remark, I don't think the prison staff gave this guy much grief.
I say leave it, don't give the guy more satisfaction and waste money. You've got to have a sense of humor anyhow cause it's apparently the only thing he's gonna get away with...seriously he's in prison, so the jokes on him, add a little time to his sentence he won't think it's so funny afterall. Back at ya buddy!! Ha, ha!!
The 1st pig I saw was the cow's "shadow". It looks nothing like the cow, and only looks like a pig!
No different than the folks who sell burnt toast and oher food items (bearing religious images(?)) on e-bay for $100's to $1,000's of dollars. Or folks who see divine images in Store front windows, tree branches, birth marks or bovine droppings.
If you look for something hard enough - you will find it.... whether its true or not.
(kinda' like the GOPpers trying to find a conspiracy behind their current unpopularity with the public. Its not a conspiracy, its a National outbreak of common sense. Unfortunately, most Neo-Cons are immune to this natural vaccine against stupidity, lemming-itis).
patience, integrity, guts, thats how someone came up w/the ``pig`` word. it used to be the motto for police
Y'all missed the "truckers sillouette" of the naked dancing lady that IS the shadow under the cow.
BS...
It is and always has been used to describe the slop eating, filth laden animals that they are...what you describe is a lame try at using reverse psychology (which "pigs" made up)... in a failed attempt to take the "fun" out of taunting them by use of the derisive appellation. kinda like using the word Queers; it too was co-opted and used it for a short while as a badge of honor. that didn't last long either, using it will get you arrested or forced into a sensitivity training class at most work places.
The real test is ... call a cop a pig (= patience, integrity, guts) ... while trying to get him to not give you a ticket. If its such a honorable term, he should reward you with a warning... instead of dragging you out of the car and practicing his conga drum rhythms on your head. Good luck with that.
@ The Angry Guy as quoted below from response #1.12:
"And if Vermont Public Safety Commissioner Keith Flynn had known that there's no such word as "creativeness", and that the correct word is "creativity", he might not have ended up a hick cop".
Maybe before you criticize the Safey Commissioners use of the word "creativeness", you should look it up. It is, in fact, a real word and is used as a noun.
It appears that you might be more of a "hick" than he is.
Beoweolf @ #1.38: It is and always has been used to describe the slop eating, filth laden animals that they are...
Actually, that is an unfair characterization of the quadruped, hence, the extrapolation of a derogatory for cops is, likewise, an unfair characterization. Pigs are not nearly as "filth laden" as people seem to think. Yes, they do wallow in the mud. Virtually all children did/do likewise. Kids do it for fun. Pigs, however, do it because they do not sweat as humans do and need that layer of mud to help keep cool.
On a philosophical level, cops also wallow in mud - the mud of dealing with crime on a daily basis. Furthermore, the reputation of cops as head bashers and crooks with a badge is grossly unfair. The majority of cops are honest, decent, caring people. Only a small majority are scum-sucking, bottom-feeding, power mongers. But the good, decent guys are not the ones who make front page news. The guy/gal who donates his off days to working with inner-city community centers or is a big brother/big sister or some other personal endeavor to make his or her city a better place is not what people want to read about. They'd rather hear about the rotten apples who support their preconceived notion of all cops are bad cops. Generally speaking, the only people who dislike cops are crooks - people who break laws, big or small. So, by bad mouthing your local police department, you are, in essence, admitting you have, to at least some extent, a criminal intent in your mentality. Just wait until you, or someone close to you, is in need of the assistance of the police. Suddenly, that guy or gal in the blue uniform pulling up in a police car, lights flashing, is the most beautiful thing you've ever seen in your life.
Cops are pigs? Nothing wrong with that. Pigs are actually pretty clean animals. They are protective of their species and generally gentle animals. The majority of two-legged pigs grew up in the generation which originated that pejorative term to describe police officers. And, btw, cops are just as likely to have a sense of humor as anyone else on the planet. Remember, they are people too. They have families, friends, they enjoy reading, playing basketball or hockey or watching the Super Bowl. They have family cars that break down and have to be worked on on a day off. They have bills to pay, mortgages to keep up with. They face all the same personal issues the rest of us do. You've probably encountered more than you know standing in line at Wal-Mart or Ralph's. Maybe struck up a conversation with them and exchanged pleasantries without knowing the person you laugh with in line at the grocery store is the same person you so readily castigate under the cover of anonymity online. That says more about your lack of character than theirs.
Now, before you make snap judgments ... No. I am not a police officer. Neither am I married to one or otherwise related in any way. From one coast to the other, though, I have known many. I've known good ones and bad ones. One important thing I've learned. You cannot judge cops or any other group/class of people as a whole. There really is no such thing. We are all individually unique and, inasmuch as we presume ourselves worthy to pass judgment on others, each one of us should be judged on our own individual, unique qualities and not those of a stereotype of hundreds of thousands of others. We all eat, sleep, love, get angry, laugh, play. The lucky ones have jobs we go to on a daily basis. Some of those jobs just happen to be as police officers. Imagine the chaos our society would be in without them.
A year ... great police work there, Vermont.
I have never seen hay stacks that look like that. . . . . . .
aaronvabch said;
"The 3 globs left of the cow look a little falic"
aaronvabch spells phunny.
I think this is pretty funny, and I'm glad they don't seem to be making a huge deal out of it.
I don't see what the big deal is it adds a little bit of humor to a thankless job. Geez leave the decals alone
They, being the officers, may not be making a big deal out of it, but I am sure the prison officials will raise a stink. Probably add time on to this person sentence.
Sell the decals on eBay. I'd buy one of the original cow-pig decals.
Glad they have a sense of humor about this. It's really very amusing.
I laughed my ass off. It took a year before it was noticed by the police? Makes you wonder how they survey a crime scene and still miss things. Why bother spending more money on something they already have. It would show that even with a mistake they have a sense of humour.
> Sell the decals on eBay. I'd buy one of the original cow-pig decals.
That's actually a really, really good idea. It won't solve Vermont's budget problems, but it could bring in quite a pretty penny - probably more than it would cost to replace them.
I thought the upside down erect penis coming out of the pine tree was even funnier than the pig.
or the three standing upright...oh wait, are those suppose to be haystacks? Nothing like what I saw growing up.
It's worse than just a pig. Read it left to right. A pig then a hand holding onto a hot dog and then a head waiting to eat the hot dog. The inuendo is pretty clear on that one.
Crazy!
It is funny; the pig gave me a chuckle.
Yes, I do see some UFOs in the sky off to the right of the moo cow.
I interpreted those "haystacks" as big sheep dogs, or @!$%#zu's or however you spell that cute dog with lots of overlapping skin folds.
Oink! ; -)
WOW! Some of the stuff you people matrix out of the patterns borders on sick!
Oh, yeh. And those "haystacks" really are supposed to be haystacks. You might want to go look it up online. Or maybe just go back and check your old book of nursery rhymes. Remember "Little Boy Blue"? "Where's the little boy who looks after the sheep? He's under the haystack, fast asleep." Haystack - a large mound or pile of cut hay.
Okay this cracked me up! Hopefully the police have a sense of humor too.
If that happened in Washington, they'd make him work it off at 25 cents an hour.
I agree, 'pride, integrity and guts!' Love that pork!!
PIG = Pride Integrety and guts
The noblest and smartest of farm animals, as people who have raised them know.
I like that(I also got a giggle out of the pig on the cow)
What about spelling?
FlyOverMe,
Don't forget they are one of the cleanest animals too...as people who have raised them know.
They (pigs) are actually the fifth smartest animal on Earth (according to the creatures that think they are the number one smartest animals on Earth).
they need to find the inmate and put him in the PR dept for corrections ,, looks to me that he is a bright one
Too bad Vermont doesn't print currency, I'd love to see what face would be on a $100 bill.
The Vermont State Police Officers must not be very observant if this decal with a pig on it has been placed on their cruisers for over a year and they just discovered it Wednesday. They must undoubtedly need more training in observation techniques or they all need glasses.
If you got in and out of a vehicle countless times a day, would you have noticed? I don't tend to study things I see over and over and over.
What about the person who install them?
If you were the one to install them, you'd probably just be making sure the edges are in the right spot, rather than focusing on the picture.
@jackjohnson: the installers might have well been inmates too. I know when some states phase out old police cars, inmates are detailed to remove decals etc. Perhaps in VT, they install them too. (?)
Anyway, I think it was a funny, creative prank.
It took me a few seconds to see the pig in the cow! I thought it was those yellow things to the left,LOL! It's been a long day!LOL
John, give them a break. I'm pretty sure an officer isn't going to pay as much attention to his car decal as he would a crime scene. If you were the police, you probably wouldn't have noticed it either. Do you walk around your car and inspect every detail before you get in it?.. I know I don't..
Funny Stuff. That is a waste of talent.
Besides the fact that whoever did this in jail, he/she is freaken brillant!! i smell BACON!!!!!
What is the other yellow thing to the left of the cow?
There is nothing funny about this and the person is already lock up for doing something normal individuals do not do,I hope they add another ten years to those who feel its alright to commint a crime while in jail! Not to mention the waste of more taxpayer funds to keep this low life from hurting others!!!
Spoil sport.
They should get the death penalty for making us laugh! People take themselves way to seriously!! I know why some go to jail and it does not take much. Some are not even as bad as the jailers and you know this as well as I do. All criminals and felons are not dangerous to others. Some smoke an herb and are treated like they commited a crime, when bars are all over filled with potential drunk drivers.
Are you kidding? You really need to loosen up. Even the police personel saw the humor and know that in today's day and age it is not that serious of a crime or insult. You should be more interested in locking up corrupt lawmakers and politicians instead of a the culprit of a satirical paint job, the poor SOB is already locked up. Think of all the cops that get off on DUI's and various crimes that you would not get away with. Laugh a little and your life will be more enjoyable and those around you may start to like you more. peace.
really dude?? define normal for us please!!!!
".. from hurting others.."
wow, the pig image hurt you? I hope for your sake you haven't read any of the other stories MSN has to offer, believe it or not theres actually people dying n' stuff......
BigMac - Exactly what crime did he commit by doing this?
Lighten up big Mac...dont have a mac attack!
Oh, lighten up, for heavens sake.
hey Mac get back on your meds, it was hilarious even the cop they interviewed thought so...j4ck4ss.
BigMac - You are in desperate need of a laxative.
Chill! Sounds like you may be more worked up about it than the VT police. For all we know, the prisoner who designed the decal could have been locked up for smoking some pot. Something a lot of "normal" people do. May not be a violent offender at all.
lighten up.
Go eat another big mac.
Big Mac, I need to borrow your backside. I want to insert a lump of coal and come back later for my diamond.
Plates and signs are made in prison, not jail.
Many Sign businesses went out of business between the government taking the Hi-way and road sign business from private owners...and the fact the PC people of the world didn't like to see signs on the side of the road - so only select signs were allowed (the giant ones). The old owner of the Seattle Sonics was one of the select few who cornered the market. Many lost their businesses while others got rich.
Our family lost our Sign business of 30 years - that's why I went and got a Union job...if you can't beat em - join em.
To me it represents agriculture, if you have cows, you gotta have pigs. At first glance I almost thought the cow did look like a pig.
Shows promise for the dept of corrections.
LOL NICE, " I LIKE ALOT" (Dumb and Dumber) !!!! Now I just wanna bitch how I feel in no particular order. Like the Police said they found some humor as well. In this @!$%#ty life that i call a depression in this Country.People need to smile or laugh because,,,,,,,, all the rich politicians laugh at the poor and middle class people,,,,,, they think like BIG MAC throw the key away at the loser who is in jail or prison acting funny when life is @!$%#ty for him,obviously he has some trust from the system to come close to a cruiser,(cop car). rich politicians , corrupt, arrogant, don't worry about there bills ,health care , car payments, family members in need , losing homes ,losing hope,need a job,oh no problem i'll send my jet to pick you up my dear its on the tax payers F*** it lets have a $1000 meal when we get back as well and leave a $10.00 tip (Cheap ASS) .They need to be on welfare , survive off of foodstamps,send 5 resumes out a day trying to get a $15.00 but will settle for a $12.00 cause they are forced to. Instead of taking the jet to their next meeting try taking the greyhound that would save a ton of money,, if everyone of them did it and gave that extra money to our homeless or poor and instead of $ 35.00 breakfast muffins try eating at mickey d's or pizza hut for your conventions( SAVE BILLIONS A YEAR THINK ABOUT THE MONEY THEY SPEND THATS OURS .One more thing lower the gas prices to $1.75 for the next 4 years the country will turn right around ,companys can hire more laborers,more trucks can hire more drivers to deliver food that the prices will go down .More money for people ,people can go on VACATION once again. My grandfather was an avid fisherman and hunter that has been a cancer survivor for 15 years now when he was supposed to die 6 months after he was diagnosed with a rare cancer(HES STILL HERE !!!. he used to drive everyday to count game animals,(DEER,BEAR,TURKEYS)etc. for the Game Commision which he loved ,he took all of the grandchildren and did it for free.Traveled like 20 miles an evening, it seems like his health is not doing so well, he cant go fishing or hunting as much cause he cant spend that money to do them things as much anymore. Hes not SMILING like he used to do.I am trying to say I wish some people could trade lives for one day with some of us .I'm sure they wouldn't take life for granted,don't get me wrong theres people who help but not enough do !! I love to laugh and joke and joke but not so much anymore. I just had to vent !! For anyone who is reading this, I watched a very interesting documentary on PS3 on huluplus kinda like Netflixs . GOOGLE A DOCUMENTARY CALLED GASHOLE. I'm def not a conspiracy theorists but this made sense and probably alot of you readers will remember this back in the 1970's.
I'm a Military Man and I smile at our Troops all the time. God Bless them all !! I might volunteer to go back to make some decent money if things dont get better (unemployed). God Bless the United States of America and Never Forget 911. Smile and laugh ,joke and be funny !!!
Thank you :)
I think it's cool and they should leave it on there. There is no harm no foul.
Big Mac--Get a life!
I find this funny. A little humor in life is necessary. Mac - have you never pulled a prank?
A pig is not as offensive as many other things -- in example, take a look at the Original "Little Mermaid" DVD cover 1st edition. One of the towers on the castle is a falic symble -- I bet Disney thought that artist was "normal".
Jeez, dude, cool your tool and lighten up!!
And Workingmom8, its phallic, not fallic...maybe that's what made you a mom, not knowing what a phallus was.
Sounde like ol' Mac there is 3 fries short of a large order.
@Bigmac-1185614 - It is funny as hell even the State police can see the humor in it!!!
Where's Waldo??
HA ! Nice work.
I totally agree.
J Knight grats on posting what PIG really stands for.... and come on, even tho this is a waste of taxpayer money that crap is funny...
That is very funny! I could not see it at first, but lmao!
He was just following the new "truth in advertising" guidelines...
Nonsense, Big Mac. As a Vermonter I hope we don't start locking up everybody "doing something normal individuals do not do" I hope our state police have a sense of humor about this and he/she gets a reduced sentence for creative behavior.
Imagine how Mac would spew if he saw what some midwest sign painter put on a cop car shield on his last day working for a sign company. Where it generally says "To serve and Protect" under the city name, he had neatly lettered "We'll kick your ass and eat your doughnuts too". It took the police two weeks to find it. Funny story in the local paper.
At least it's not as bad as New York's SHCOOL sign.
Do ya think that was faked? I mean really there must have been like 4 people there doing that and nobody went "Hey I don't think that is right, SHCOOL should only have one capital letter"
I could be completely wrong, but the caps are not the only problem i'm seeing here. Hmmmmm..lol.. I think the c comes be4 the h.... school....lol.. or have I been spelling it wrong my whole life? lol
that was great Giblets. you must be a comedian or need to look in that direction. :) Brandhi almost got the humor in your answer. Still laughing...
so funny!
Someone with way too much time on their hands -- oh, wait, that's what being in prison is all about. Hope the guy gets a job offer as a commercial artist when he gets out.
I'm wonder when the cop said, "If that person had used some of that creativeness he or she would not have ended up inside." How does he know? Maybe a counterfeiter did it? Now this guy who did that should possibly be pardoned.
Trust, if he or she was a counterfeiter, they would have been in federal prison. Maybe got a couple of years for painting a picture on an underpass.
Funny, but what in the world are those 3 things on the other side of the tree?
They look like they stepped out of a Zelda video game.
I looked it up in Wikipedia, as I was also confused by them. They appear to be poorly rendered bales of hay.
those aren't poorly rendered bales of hay, they are kodama. A japanese forst spirit, this guy is super funny and good ^_^ (spirit)
I don't see what the all the fuss is about. Those three "haystacks" on the left are funnier than anything else in the whole seal! That Vermont's state seal is painted so bizarrely, I couldn't even find anything else wrong in the picture! They don't look like haystacks. I don't know what they look like. Three blobs. Up close they look like little dogs. Far away.....I don't know, but haystacks aren't what come to mind. Every time I look at them I crack up! ROFLMFAO! Thanks for the laugh today!
More porperly called shocks, stacks, stocks ... not bales... seen in wheat, rice, grain or hay harvesting, back before mechanical harvesting allowed bales or the current huge rolls now seen in farm fields.
That's a really good one!...No one ever noticed....shows you that they have a lot of trust in the convicts they arrest...like good friends.....lmao!! Now the state has to spend more money to have it corrected. I'm sure some high paid inattentive state employee inspected it and signed off on it....and they are embarrassed by the pig no doubt.
Well the beauty about good graffiti artists is that they can put their artwork in places where you don't even realize that your looking at it
Yes they will have to pay the $0.25 per hour for prison inmates to correct it. I see Vermont going broke.
Bad cop, no donut.