The deer crossing signs are for the motorists, not the deer! And, animals were NOT placed on the earth to make HUMANS lives better! And, neither were trees, for that matter! This article is ridiculous!

Kathleen, you by far win the darwin award for the most clueless out of touch republican in Avon Lake..Well, most republicansd are out of touch to begin with but you, take the cake with this moronic letter!.Are you seriously that out of touch to write a letter wondering why there are deer crossing signs because deer cannot speak or read!? Just wow..I weep for humanity on a daily basis because of so out of touch individuals like you... I am ashamed to be in the same race as you...Answer me this, why is it that you out of touch republicans only care about embryos but can give two sh_ts after that baby is born!? If you did, then you wouldn't be ostricizing every less fortunate person with your stereotyping them as freeloaders like most republicans do and assume..The hypocrisy within that political party is endless with which extends to the brain washed drones like yourself who choose to be a part of a party that can essentially give two s_its about you in the first place..

So you are for fracking I see and again, you are clueless to the dangers and repurcussions of it...You republicans are so cute...Please do us all a favor and fact check and actually learn the actual facts about every single topic above before you insert foot in mouth even more and deeper and embarrass yourself even more..I mean, I know facts are like kryptonite to you republicans but jeese do us all a favor and actually do it for once in your lives!!

Kathleen O'Brien Wilhem, are you freakin' serious? Do you really think those signs are for deer to read? Because I think you are serious.

Kindness to animals = support for Obamacare = support for abortion. This is your position?

and besides, we got through 8 years of bush, you can get through 8 years of obama..The difference is your precious bush started two wars and bankrupted this country for years to come that it clearly doesn't matter what the president is in office. If you think McCain would've mattered, I want to smoke the same weed you are smoking then! You out of touch republicans on your high horses make me laugh every day...

I don't even think most repulicans would support this stance because it doesn't even make sense..everyone knows the signs are for warning drivers of possibly hitting deer and most would never equate support deer crossing signs with pro-abortion. This blog sounds like it was written after a few glasses of wine..haha

Kathleen - Do you understand how expensive my whale "blinge" is?

Here's to you throwing back a few more tall gin's and writing some more tonight

This lady belongs on the Glen Beck show and we would now know where the two biggest nuts in this country are

Another anti-deer article? What is it about deer that intimidates this lady so much? We co-exist with deer the same way we co-exist with squirrels, chipmunks etc. Ninety-nine percent of the time they don't affect our lives in any way. Either appreciate them or ignore them. Why persecute them ?

Kathleen your message is not very clear. Help me understand

you said "eat them when hungry, feed them when they are"

What if both we and the animal are hungry simultaneously? Who should eat who?

your blog also insinuates that we can eat them? How do we proceed in the suggested manner with a bear or lion?

I'm a hip old granny who can hip-hop, bebop, dance til ya drop and yo yo, make a wicked cup of cocoa""

Bush "Al Qaeda hates us because our freedom".

Wilhelm: "I hate deer because of their freedom".

Having marched along with pro-life activists, I believe that life is sacred. Is Miss Wilhelm pro-life or pro-slaughter? Campaigning for the slaughter/extermination of those who can't read English? Very disturbing.

Ancestors of these deer were here long before Miss Wilhelm and her cronies. This is deer land. It belongs to them.

Shame on you Miss Wilhelm.

*good

I am grateful for this author's articles because the responses assure me that not everyone in Avon Lake is a angry and mean as she.

Oh, dear. Well, on the off chance that you read your comments and don't understand why the commenters above are behaving as they are: Dear woman, animals tend to migrate in areas on the same "tracks", which means that when a road is built, it may cross a deer path. You can't "unlearn" the deer to cross elsewhere, they will always tend to travel there, as they always did, for whatever reason deer have for doing what they do. So the signs are put up for motorists, to caution them that there might be deer on the road at this particular place. Are you getting this down?

The saddest part is, she had an editor...

I had high hopes that this was satire, so I'm so disappointed that the comments indicate that it isn't.

"Another anti-deer article? What is it about deer that intimidates this lady so much?"

Having two cars damaged by them is probably one reason why she doesn't like them.

If anyone who is knocking Ms O'Brien Wilhelm can write a better article, please do so.

I'm pretty sure my 4 year old could write a better article! Maybe she would not have hit the deer if SHE read the signs instead of thinking that the deer would...hahahahaha.

It's not journalism, it's the Patch.

"unscientific malarkey of loons". Pot meet kettle

Maybe she'd like signs that say "WARNING: OBAMACARE ABORTIONS NEXT 500 FEET."

There is no better example of "the unscientific malarkey of loons" than this article.

FUNNY HOW YOU SAY ANIMALS CAN'T READ WHEN IT LOOKS LIKE MOST OF THE COMMENTERS HERE ARE SHEEPLE. OPEN YOUR EYES TO BEARACK MOLEBAMA'S ANTI-HUMAN PRO-DEER AGENDA. THE ANIMALLUMINATI IS REAL!!!

Animalluminati-I'm stealing that.

OK, this has got to be either terrific satire or terrifying stupidity.

Oh dear.

This is satire, right?

If you read her other articles you'll see this is sadly not satire. She's pretty anti-deer. And anti-reality.

Kathleen, you are about to become an Internet celebrity. But have no fear: Your sworn enemy, the deer, will no nothing of this, because they can't read. But I guess you already knew that.

You, my dear, are an idiot.

so when my dog stops being hungry I'm going to eat him.

OMG... my belly hurts from laughing so hard.

What in the heck was this article and why did I just waste my time reading it? It doesn't even make any sense. I will give you some credit though because I can't stop laughing! So thanks for that anyway!

Way back when I got my driver's license, my driving instructor gave me the best driving advice I have ever gotten: just drive assuming that everyone on the road is an idiot and will do something really stupid at any moment. That was his way to make me check my mirrors, I guess. This post just re-enforced that advice like nothing else could. Kathleen is allowed to share the road with me (and us). Think about that for a minute! She is honestly convinced in her stupidity that those signs are there for the deer to read for their protection. Wouldn't it be awesome to be stuck behind her in traffic?

The problem you aren't addressing is the continued reduction in education spending. If your Republican representatives would restore funding to public schools, then these deer can get back into the classrooms and start learning English. Deer do not have the money to go to private schools, and the more we reduce public school funding, the more accidents we are going to see caused by illiterate deer. If you want to know why the cost of healthcare is rising, it's not Obamacare, but under educated deer, and that, my dear, rests on your shoulders.

Haha that was great both Adi and Michael E!

These comments are hysterical!!! ....especially Michael and Kevin!!

Everyone knows that these signs are used to denote spots where hunters can bag a deer without traipsing through sensitive habitats. The problem arises from the "No Parking" sign. It's not only dangerous to fire a gun from a moving vehicle, but also much harder to hit your target.

She should run for congress because if Michele Bachmann can get elected then she'd fit right in!

It's a shame that the author probably thinks people are leaving mean comments because they don't like her politics, so she can go back to the Republican circles act like a big deal because she got under the skin of "sheeple."

But really, she's getting mocked because she's so stupid.

Can't decide if this is an Onion cross post or the greatest troll of all time

Wait for it, people - if Kathleen's one take-away from these comments is that there are no actual words on these signs, we might actually witness the pure gold of her follow-up idea - providing deer with cameo pendants.

Her intended point, I'm assuming: "These signs are wasting taxpayer money because they are unnecessary"...??

The author of this article seems to be suffering from the Dunning-Kruger effect. "Not only do these people reach erroneous conclusions and make unfortunate choices, but their incompetence robs them of the metacognitive ability to realize it." In other words, they are too stupid to realize that they are stupid.

She damaged two cars because she failed to read the signs that say "Look out! Deer may cross here"

I suggest there be legislature brought to the politicians to start reading classes for all the illiterate deer in the country. I think it would not only create jobs, but allow these deer to see where it is legal for them to cross.

We could charge 100 bucks for the class, as that is a decent amount of doe for all the deer in the country.

Silly Americans. Do you not understand satire?

Have you read her other posts? This is not satire...silly Jo Had...

I support No Deer Left Behind

Kathleen:
I'm not sure what planet you're from, but here on Earth, animals can talk. Just because you cannot speak their language, or are too consumed by your disdain for them to learn their language (and all their respective dialects), doesn't make it OK to dismiss their right to pursue their own happiness here. There's no rule I know of that says, "If you don't speak a language, then get off the planet."

Moreover, it is inappropriate to criticize humans posting of signs like the one of the deer silhouette in your accompanying photo. For not only can animals speak, they can also read symbols. Imagine yourself as a deer from out of town seeking the company of your own species, and tell me with a straight face that a deer crossing sign would not be a godsend for you!

And don't get me started on plants, for your drive-by attack on trees was as horrific a smear on nature as your animal ambush. You would do well to listen to Stevie Wonder's classic album, "Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants" from 1979.

I look forward to your retraction as you reflect on this abomination.

Such a human-centered approach to life on this planet is so two centuries ago. Get with it!

This is the sort of argument you'd likely hear from eavesdropping on an overzealous attention-seeking teen at a mall Food Court

I had hoped this was an attempt at humor, but sadly it wasn't funny, timely, nor poignant. Just another example of how writing should be left to writers... Oh and it's "bling" not "blinge."

wait, so this isn't satire? this isn't The Onion? there's really a person who writes & publishes this & thinks she's making a point? good lord, i weep for the future sometimes ...

Whichever school district(s) produced this "Kathleen O'Brien Wilhelm" non-animal should be sacked and burned to the ground forthwith and the soil sown with salt.

Best. Troll. Ever.

... only if she in fact knew the definition.

Dear Kathleen,

I understand your point completely. My neighbor, who owns a terrible dog known for biting, has placed a "beware of dog" sign in her yard. This has helped minimze the harm perpetrated against other dogs, cats, birds and squirrels, as they wisely read the sign and stay out of the yard. However, this horrible neighbor has done absolutely NOTHING to warn people in the area of the problem! ANy suggestions you have would be helpful!

Dear Kathleen,

You are a very unintelligent human being.

What religious drivel! I firmly believe that the "dominion" over earth and animals clause in Genesis contains the most destructive words ever written. These words have given humans an excuse to desecrate the earth and disregard other creatures lives.

HAHAH This story is now being mocked at a national level on Gawker. hahaha

I had to read it twice, but I think I got it now! My dog can't read deer crossing signs, so I need to eat him when I get hungry and then run out to buy jewelry for seals? For a follow up article, please let me know the most appropriate place to buy for seals. Jared's? I'm going to run outside and fire up the grill for some real hot dogs.

Someone has a deer persecution complex.

Wait, wait! I thought Gilda Radner and her alter-ego, Emily Litella, died in 1989? How is it possible she/they are hiding out in Avon Lake and still writing columns?

Kathleen O'Brien Wilhelm is an embarrassment to her community and to journalism in general. Shame on the Avon-AvonLake Patch for providing this woman with a public forum to showcase her ignorance.

...I think either I missed something or I just don't understand the article. Let me try to analize...So, the deer are a metaphor for expendable lives aloud to live vs. unexpendable lives that are killed? Well, why play 'riddle me this batman' ? If you got something to say, just come right out and SAY it. If you seriously have a vendetta against deer, you have got to be joking for wasting everyone's time. I feel stupider for reading it, honestly.

... does anyone remember SARCASM??! What's wrong with the folks that think this is serious.. er, is that they're actually serious.

Snakes can't read those "Don't tread on me" flags, either. We need to stop making those, too

Congratulations Kathleen! People are laughing at your ridiculous statements as far as New Zealand!

I don't know how American politics work, or what position you hold, but I really hope, for the sake of our entire planet, that you aren't very high up.

.. man, that stopped the whole thing ..

I must ask... is Kathleen really as stunned as it appears about ... the deers cant read remarks or is this a gag...i find it hard to belive that anyone would publish this much stupidity and ignorance...... just asking !!!!!!

So we all know this was on Gawker and it's obvious that there's a lot of out of towners posting here. In Avon Lake the talk is whether or not to kill the deer and it has been for years. Posting the signs is saying "keep the deer", but many people support killing the deer which are everywhere. Too bad people are so mean on here, jumping on without knowing any of the back story. We ALL know including Kathleen the deer can't read I think the point is why cater to the deer, let's just get rid of them.

Or maybe she is being funny, but we probably should have signs anywhere in the areas the deer are just to save the cars.

*towner

.. it absolutely IS sarcasm... whether you like it or not.

Her last paragraph deflates the phony "sarcasm" excuse.She summarizes and restates her main points.

The article is consistent with her previous articles- it comes across to readers as sincere.

Sure it is....unfortunately I know otherwise. She has made her thoughts on deer very clear in the past. You obviously know her well, therefore I put you in the same category as her....nuts!

I have a sense of humor....I found it hysterical! Not recognizing ignorance is even more dangerous!

Comments are now closed.

This is a joke, right?

A masterpiece of unintended hilarity.

As a native Ohioan and current expat, I often find myself having to explain my countrymen's strange sense of humor to non-Americans. However, explaining sheer wilful ignorance is a horse of a different color. I am embarassed for north-central Ohio, for America, and frankly for the human race.

Cancel that. Comments reopened. (Nice try lady.)

Wait! Don't close the comments yet, this is too much fun.

LOL. where the hell is Avon Lake and what in the world is in the water there?