“I absolutely will come out publicly in defense of my position,” said Trooper James McGuinty during an impassioned speech to a small crowd outside of the Machias Dunkin location. “If you drive something a little more rugged than a tin can, then it’s whatever.”
In a smartphone video taken Wednesday evening, McGuinty is seen turning to walk toward his cruiser, before turning around and adding, “There’s no hazard unless you’ve got a Prius. In that case, stay off the road so a June bug doesn’t total it.”
“Feed her the corn!”
Trooper McGuinty is one of many Mainers who are taking the charge in the “#FeedHerTheCorn” movement, a reference to a popular Maine-ism referring to revving one’s engine, and a sly pun on the fact that deer are often baited with corn kernels.
Proponents of the movement insinuate that Mainers should own vehicles that are capable of colliding with deer and other animals at high speeds while sustaining minimal or no damage.
One tweet reads: “Best case scenario: no scratches, no dents, and no grocery bill.”
Another Twitter user ponders this question: “If you hit the brakes, are you even a man?”
Many are rightfully concerned that this movement will not only cause a dramatic decline in animal populations around the state, but that the reckless promotion of such a trend will result in a spike in fatal motor vehicle collisions.
“Look, I get what he’s getting at,” said an anonymous Troop E officer who works alongside McGuinty, “but lots of guys don’t realize that their Ford Ranger just don’t got the kind of nut you want to cleave a deer in half when you’re pushing 75 on a straight stretch.”
“That’s the kind of thing that maybe a late 80s, early 90s model Jeep Grand Cherokee would do. Hell, I don’t think our cruisers could do it.”
Trooper McGuinty could not be reached for comment.
