FARK.com: (7476411) Seven-year-old Montana boy born missing three fingers feels self-conscious about it, but he's told it doesn't mean a thing by a special visitor to class: Montana Senator Jon Tester, who's also missing three fingers

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		Seven-year-old Montana boy born missing three fingers feels self-conscious about it, but he's told it doesn't mean a thing by a special visitor to class: Montana Senator Jon Tester, who's also missing three fingers (helenair.com)		89
		More: Cool, Senator Jon, hamilton, senator, Hamilton's Washington Elementary

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feckingmorons		2012-12-08 08:55:57 PM

Good job Senator!

Relatively Obscure		2012-12-08 09:11:20 PM

Yay, a story that doesn't make me feel depressed.

puffy999		2012-12-08 10:00:54 PM

That is awesome.

Snarfangel		2012-12-08 10:12:37 PM

Are we sure he's seven years old? He may have held up all of his fingers and said "This many."

_{/I don't always go to Hell, but when I do, I travel business class.}

puffy999		2012-12-08 10:16:54 PM

MaudlinMutantMollusk		2012-12-08 11:25:18 PM

quatchi		2012-12-08 11:44:31 PM

Wait, when did Montana get a cool Senator?

I keed. Props to JT.

criscodisco		2012-12-08 11:55:35 PM

I'm usually a pretty negative person, but the look on his mother's face in the background says it all about a mother's love for her son.

dethmagnetic		2012-12-08 11:57:43 PM

puffy999: [i.imgur.com image 620x425]
[i.imgur.com image 620x425]
[i.imgur.com image 620x425]
[i.imgur.com image 620x425]
[i.imgur.com image 620x425]
[i.imgur.com image 620x425]

She's cute.
And terrifying.

RoyBatty		2012-12-08 11:57:57 PM

That's a great story and I am glad it was greened so we could see it.

We should remember though, the boy was born a freak while the Senator was born a normal who had an unfortunate accident.

Spad31		2012-12-09 12:11:39 AM

Nicely done.

GAT_00		2012-12-09 12:23:09 AM

quatchi: Wait, when did Montana get a cool Senator?

I keed. Props to JT.

Tester's a bit of a character.

Lionel Mandrake		2012-12-09 12:33:49 AM

Born that way? Kid got off easy, eh Gov'?

quatchi		2012-12-09 12:57:27 AM

GAT_00: quatchi: Wait, when did Montana get a cool Senator?

I keed. Props to JT.

Tester's a bit of a character.

I've heard the name here and there but I confess I don't know too much about him so I just wikied him.

He had previously served as the president of the Montana Senate and worked as a music teacher and farmer.

Farmer to Music teacher and now Senator and a cool one to boot? Respect.

His election as President marked a transition for Montana Democrats as they moved into the majority leadership of the Senate for the first time in more than a decade. Term limits prohibited Tester from running for State Senate for a third consecutive term. While serving as Senate president, Tester supported increased funding for public education and cutting taxes for small business owners and the working poor. He also worked to make health insurance more affordable and require public utilities to use more renewable energy

I like him already.

Apos		2012-12-09 01:15:05 AM

Handy advice, Senator Tester!

dickfreckle		2012-12-09 01:23:07 AM

DKinMN		2012-12-09 01:50:01 AM

dickfreckle: My best friend is missing a hand. The entire hand, mind you. She can do everything you and I do. The only time she ever needed my help was holding a dustpan while she swept it in. Badass girl, this one.

I'm a huge fan of people born or torn up, and yet manage to make the rest of us look like morans. I thought I had it bad being deaf in one ear.

[insert several awesome jokes about things that she can't do, despite your claim that she can do everything]

/like give two guys HJs at the same time
//not that I personally would do that

Amos Quito		2012-12-09 01:52:01 AM

FTA: "The 7-year-old knows firsthand the challenges of being different."

Oh, clever AND classy.

thisiszombocom		2012-12-09 01:52:54 AM

Only two fingers? Imagine all the shocking things he's missing out on

/ girls lOve a finger in thebutt

StreetlightInTheGhetto		2012-12-09 01:56:25 AM

image from the attack ad that showed Tester having 5 fingers on his left hand

The idea of asking the senator to come talk with the first-grader began with an advertisement during the recent political season that poked fun of an apparently doctored photo that showed Tester with fingers on his right hand.

The school's secretary, Janelle Hansen, had recently moved to Montana from Seattle and didn't know that Tester was missing fingers until she saw that advertisement.

She did know that Ethan was having a bit of hard time adjusting to his new class.

"The lightbulb went off and after talking to his teacher, I decided to see if we could get this going," she said.

Hansen sent an email to Tester's office and received a positive response. Initially, it appeared like it might be a few weeks before the senator would be nearby, but things changed and the appointment was made for Friday morning.

So a stupid attack ad led a secretary to figure out how to get a hold of the Senator and give the kid a freaking awesome day. So, hey, *one* positive thing about crappy attack ads and Photoshop!

Quantum Apostrophe		2012-12-09 01:58:43 AM

RoyBatty: That's a great story and I am glad it was greened so we could see it.

We should remember though, the boy was born a freak while the Senator was born a normal who had an unfortunate accident.

shelacademy.edublogs.org

Snapper Carr		2012-12-09 01:59:42 AM

Give that kid a guitar

ModernLuddite		2012-12-09 02:01:15 AM

The mere mention of losing three fingers in a meat grinder is enough to fuel my nightmares for a long time to come.

*shudder*

Munchkin City Coroner		2012-12-09 02:02:33 AM

"The lightbulb went off and after talking to his teacher, I decided to see if we could get this going," she said.

THAT'S WHAT...oh...

quatchi		2012-12-09 02:08:01 AM

ModernLuddite: The mere mention of losing three fingers in a meat grinder is enough to fuel my nightmares for a long time to come.

*shudder*

For extra nightmare fuel... when he was nine years old.

/I'm not helping am I?

quatchi		2012-12-09 02:11:31 AM

StreetlightInTheGhetto: So a stupid attack ad led a secretary to figure out how to get a hold of the Senator and give the kid a freaking awesome day. So, hey, *one* positive thing about crappy attack ads and Photoshop!

The Law of Unintended consequences works both ways for good *and* ill.

This is one of the good ones. ^_^

Wrencher		2012-12-09 02:11:32 AM

Thumbs up!

tjsands1118		2012-12-09 02:13:03 AM

Cool, HIGH TWO, bro.

Mr. Ekshun		2012-12-09 02:13:33 AM

Kid's gonna have trouble when they start learning about base 8.

God-is-a-Taco		2012-12-09 02:13:40 AM

DKinMN:
/like give two guys HJs at the same time
//not that I personally would do that

You haven't lived

RoyBatty		2012-12-09 02:13:47 AM

Quantum Apostrophe: RoyBatty: That's a great story and I am glad it was greened so we could see it.

We should remember though, the boy was born a freak while the Senator was born a normal who had an unfortunate accident.

[shelacademy.edublogs.org image 313x500]

The wiki synopsis of that is interesting, and for a novel written in the 50s, seems intriguingly coherent with today.

L.D. Ablo		2012-12-09 02:14:02 AM

ModernLuddite: The mere mention of losing three fingers in a meat grinder is enough to fuel my nightmares for a long time to come.

*shudder*

I once worked at a PI law firm.

One of the clients lost most of her hand in an industrial grinder. We had pictures of, well, everything. Those still haunt me.

You hear about the huge settlements and wins for people who are injured. Yes, some get the big seven figure payments.

But it's never worth it. Never, ever. Nope. The people who get the big money are utterly farked up for life.

The biggest settlement I saw was for a teenage girl who was burned over 70% of her body from an exploding propane tank. She got $2 million. But what the poor thing went through and will have to deal with for the rest of her life isn't worth it. Not even close.

My Bologna Has A Maiden Name		2012-12-09 02:17:02 AM

Tester? Damn near shocked her!

/but couldn't quite...

starlost		2012-12-09 02:17:11 AM

My best friend is missing a hand. The entire hand, mind you. She can do everything you and I do. The only time she ever needed my help was holding a dustpan while she swept it in. Badass girl, this one.
I'm a huge fan of people born or torn up, and yet manage to make the rest of us look like morans. I thought I had it bad being deaf in one ear.

give her a 99 cent hand held can opener and a can of beans and see what happens.
she could have held the dust pan in place around her wrist with a strong elastic cord she could have put on herself.

ladyfortuna		2012-12-09 02:21:48 AM

Slightly disappointed I'm the leader on this: Dad??

L.D. Ablo: ModernLuddite: The mere mention of losing three fingers in a meat grinder is enough to fuel my nightmares for a long time to come.

*shudder*

I once worked at a PI law firm.

One of the clients lost most of her hand in an industrial grinder. We had pictures of, well, everything. Those still haunt me.

You hear about the huge settlements and wins for people who are injured. Yes, some get the big seven figure payments.

But it's never worth it. Never, ever. Nope. The people who get the big money are utterly farked up for life.

The biggest settlement I saw was for a teenage girl who was burned over 70% of her body from an exploding propane tank. She got $2 million. But what the poor thing went through and will have to deal with for the rest of her life isn't worth it. Not even close.

I'm not sure if my NCOIC really believed me, but when he asked why I didn't want to learn any of the mechanic stuff like most of my unit, I cited the 8 years of piano and violin I'd learned, plus all the typing I did both in and out of the military. I like my fingers where they are, and damn if I'm going to risk them unless it's the digits or my (or someone else's) life.

Britney Spear's Speculum		2012-12-09 02:29:09 AM

Ring
Ring
Ring
Ring
Ring
i.imgur.com

MONTANA PHONE

GungFu		2012-12-09 02:31:31 AM

Never too young to be a metal-head.

Whooo.....\m/.....The Ace of Spades.....\m/.....The Ace of Spades!

Oznog		2012-12-09 02:32:18 AM

L.D. Ablo: ModernLuddite: The mere mention of losing three fingers in a meat grinder is enough to fuel my nightmares for a long time to come.

*shudder*

I once worked at a PI law firm.

One of the clients lost most of her hand in an industrial grinder. We had pictures of, well, everything. Those still haunt me.

You hear about the huge settlements and wins for people who are injured. Yes, some get the big seven figure payments.

But it's never worth it. Never, ever. Nope. The people who get the big money are utterly farked up for life.

The biggest settlement I saw was for a teenage girl who was burned over 70% of her body from an exploding propane tank. She got $2 million. But what the poor thing went through and will have to deal with for the rest of her life isn't worth it. Not even close.

Well it's not like my fingers are made of meat (NSFW) or anything.

Oznog		2012-12-09 02:33:24 AM

Nevermind.

SpinStopper		2012-12-09 02:34:42 AM

Makes me proud that I (mostly) grew up in Montana ;)

phrawgh		2012-12-09 02:36:21 AM

Snapper Carr: Give that kid a guitar

[img515.imageshack.us image 358x288]

www.guitarlessons.com

Would like a word...

DVOM		2012-12-09 02:37:39 AM

ladyfortuna: I'm not sure if my NCOIC really believed me, but when he asked why I didn't want to learn any of the mechanic stuff like most of my unit, I cited the 8 years of piano and violin I'd learned, plus all the typing I did both in and out of the military. I like my fingers where they are, and damn if I'm going to risk them unless it's the digits or my (or someone else's) life.

I was an auto mechanic for 20 yrs and I don't remember ever seeing a mechanic with less than all of their fingers.

ladyfortuna		2012-12-09 02:44:33 AM

DVOM: ladyfortuna: I'm not sure if my NCOIC really believed me, but when he asked why I didn't want to learn any of the mechanic stuff like most of my unit, I cited the 8 years of piano and violin I'd learned, plus all the typing I did both in and out of the military. I like my fingers where they are, and damn if I'm going to risk them unless it's the digits or my (or someone else's) life.

I was an auto mechanic for 20 yrs and I don't remember ever seeing a mechanic with less than all of their fingers.

I dated two mechanics, the bruises, scraped off skin, and general lack of mobility was reason enough to be concerned. You can't deny the *possibility* of losing fingers in that job.

The Southern Dandy		2012-12-09 02:50:24 AM

♫♪ Some folk'll never lose a toe, but then again some folk'll, like Cletus the slack jaw yokel. ♫♪

www.simpsoncrazy.com

cc_rider		2012-12-09 02:59:10 AM

Wait a minute, is subby trying to tell us that a congressperson who is not facing an election, actually did something useful, and downright...nice? I think I'm going to have to check some other sources to make sure this isn't fake "news".

/Just kidding, good on him.

fanbladesaresharp		2012-12-09 03:02:09 AM

starlost: My best friend is missing a hand. The entire hand, mind you. She can do everything you and I do. The only time she ever needed my help was holding a dustpan while she swept it in. Badass girl, this one.
I'm a huge fan of people born or torn up, and yet manage to make the rest of us look like morans. I thought I had it bad being deaf in one ear.

give her a 99 cent hand held can opener and a can of beans and see what happens.
she could have held the dust pan in place around her wrist with a strong elastic cord she could have put on herself.

My GFs 11 yr old was born with only a thumb on one hand, and dammit if that kid can't destroy people on madden 11 on Xbox. He manages.

the_chief		2012-12-09 03:18:57 AM

I was born without three penises.

SpaceBison		2012-12-09 03:27:36 AM

starlost: My best friend is missing a hand. The entire hand, mind you. She can do everything you and I do. The only time she ever needed my help was holding a dustpan while she swept it in. Badass girl, this one.
I'm a huge fan of people born or torn up, and yet manage to make the rest of us look like morans. I thought I had it bad being deaf in one ear.

give her a 99 cent hand held can opener and a can of beans and see what happens.
she could have held the dust pan in place around her wrist with a strong elastic cord she could have put on herself.

Yeah but the handjobs she gives gotta be just a tad below par though, right?