Here in the U.S., and pretty much ALL of the civilized world, money is still the standard method of financial transactions. Barter is generally not accepted. Especially when it involves a large, potentially dangerous, carnivore instead of currency.
Apparently, though, Mr. Fernando Aguilera of Florida hadn't heard of this. Thirsty, wanting a beer, and having no money, he decided to catch a live ALLIGATOR (a 4 foot long juvenile), carry it into a liquor store, and offer to trade it for a 12-pack. Being a gentleman, Mr. Aguilar was willing to take any brand they'd give him.
The owner of the store not only declined Mr. Aguilar's gracious offer, but called police (the alligator was underage).
Police have charged Mr. Aguilar with possessing an alligator (and, subsequently, assaulting a TV reporter). The alligator has been returned to the wild. And, inevitably, a local official said “I have never experienced anything like this in 25 years in law enforcement.”
And in Florida, that means something.
Thank you, Don!
Did someone at least give that poor guy one beer before tossing him in jail? I lived in FL, and I liked beer, but I never wanted a beer bad enough to chase down an alligator to trade for it. He deserves a cold one.
ReplyDeleteGee, Grumpy, I would have thought the alligator chasing and possession would have occurred AFTER the drinking part.
ReplyDeleteI can only imagine what the cop said when he got home, "Honey, they were just animals tonight."
Because they were.
If someone came into my store sporting a live alligator purse, I would have given him all the beer he wanted. I'd have even thrown in a bag of Lay's chicken & waffles potato chips for the gator.
ReplyDeleteI'd only give you a six-pack for an alligator. If it looked good, I'd possibly throw in a bag of pretzels.
ReplyDeleteI do wonder where he got the gator, and why.
No lie, this story brought me back to those thrilling days of yesteryear, when we would actually drink this stuff:
ReplyDeletehttp://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/hop-n-gator-mixture-of-lemon-lime-gatorade-and-beer.25504/
It was for real.
That sounds like something that'd happen in Darwin Australia, we have a special breed of people up there, it'd be a salt water croc though.
ReplyDeleteIt was the first time in her career when the officer uttered the words, "Put the 'gator down!"
ReplyDeleteI used to live in Florida. I think the economic collapse that followed the housing bubble bursting, the boredom that comes with unemployment, and the ready availability of drugs have lead to a state that spends more time high than sober.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't move back there unless someone offered me enough money to retire somewhere saner by 40.
Sad part is, this is a true story. I still live in FL and this kind of craziness happens all too often. I have theorized it is caused by the oppressive summer heat that has addled so many people's brains.
ReplyDelete... or maybe it's just that Florida attracts the dregs of society. If anyone can come up with a better explanation I'd love to hear it.