This video of Washington banker Joel Armstrong rescuing a bunch of fuzzy ducklings who, left alone by their mother, were leaping one-by-one off the ledge outside his office at Sterling Bancshares has been making the rounds for a few weeks, warming the hearts of whoever views it. And at first, we have to admit, we made an “aw” noise inside our cubicle. But soon enough, our hard-nosed journalistic instincts kicked in. Where did this heartwarming video of a TARP-sponsored banker rescuing fuzzy wuzzy ducklings come from? we asked ourselves. Obviously, it was filmed by ABC, but if this was a spontaneous act of kindness from one man, how is it that a film crew was there to film the whole thing from multiple angles? Perhaps, we said to ourselves, it happened over a number of hours, enabling the people of Spokane to call the local media. But if that’s the case, why didn’t someone also call the fire department, which could set up one of those trampoline things — a TARP, if you will — underneath the balcony, thereby ending Joel’s dangerous game of Avian Roulette? Something isn’t right here. Developing!
