Friday, November 25, 2005
Small Skirmish Against Large Cruelty ...
You don't hear much about US forces outside of Iraq, or Afganistan ... but there's a small counter-terrorism task group stationed in the Horn of Africa -- and they're engaged in a small battle against human cruelty.
From BreitBartNews: U.S. troops found two cheetah cubs _ one of them blinded _ being forced to fight each other for the amusement of jeering children in this dusty, forgotten village.
The soldiers of the U.S. counterterrorism task force for the Horn of Africa were in the region carrying out humanitarian work when they came across the three-month-old cheetahs "performing" at a restaurant run by Mohamed Hudle ...
The troops provided medical treatment to the blinded cub, fed them both and tried to persuade Mohamed to hand them over to wildlife officials. They contacted U.S.-based cheetah experts as well as Ethiopian authorities
U.S. military officials refused to discuss the animal rights turn their hearts and minds campaign took in Gode. But Befekadu Refera, an official of the Environmental Protection Agency in the capital, Addis Ababa, confirmed the U.S. military had contacted his agency about the cubs and even offered to fly the pair to Addis Ababa, 684 miles away for care.
You know, it's not in the military job description to help a couple of battered cheetah cubs, any more than it is to give toys to Iraqi children. But, it makes me proud to see that they didn't walk away from this small developing tragedy.
However, last week -- ego and human greed complicated the rescue.
"I don't see why I should hand them over," Mohamed said. "When I was younger I looked after goats and camels, so I know what animals need."
Mohamed said he would only give up the cheetahs if he was paid $1,000 for each cub _ 10 times the average income in this impoverished Horn of Africa nation with an estimated 77 million people.
His sons, 4-year-old Abraham and 2-year-old Nur, pulled the cubs' tails and dragged them around their sun-parched yard by ropes tied tightly to their necks. Other children followed, poking and teasing the frightened cats
Mohamed, 43, said he bought the cubs from poachers and he does not know what happened to the mother. The poachers had kicked the female cub in the face, blinding the animal, he said.
Deputy Wildlife Minister Ahmed Nisir has sent officials to try to secure the cheetahs' release and a government vet is expected to visit Saturday.
"Unless these cubs are properly looked after and cared for they will soon die," said Befekadu of the Environmental Protection Agency
That's a true statement.
It's a small thing, rescuing cheetah cubs. I don't agree at all with PETA, or with animal rights ... but, remember, in Genesis, when God gave mankind dominion over beasts, that dominion came with responsibility.
I don't think the right to abuse animals is given in the Koran, either -- quite the contrary. As a matter of fact, according to the Koran, Mohammed himself rescued a baby bird, putting it back in its nest ...
According to the article, Mohamed Hudle also has a hawk with a broken wing, I'm a little worried about the bird as well. While he may have rescued the cubs from poachers, I'm not sure that his intentions are humane.
I'm a little reminded of the AU's activities around Darfur -- the AU doesn't want foreign troops to help stop the slaughter -- only supplies, money, and lots of it. (Isn't that working well?)
You know, if anything can save the cubs, it's the US military. And, despite the international outcry over Darfur, it's beginning to look like the only hope the people have is for the US to step in, bigtime.
And, although the situation is gutwrenching -- I'm aware that women are being raped, and children are being hacked to death even while I'm typing this -- here's why I don't think we should intervene in Darfur: the US has done every single thing with Darfur that the "wurrrld" wanted us to do in Iraq. I.E., we've sent money, we've worked with the international community, and we're letting the UN treat it as a law-enforcement problem. And, sooner or later, we'll probably enforce a no-fly zone there -- which will do nothing to help villagers being murdered by men on camel-back.
The US handled Iraq differently, over the howls of the same people that are screeching for the US to get involved in Darfur.
So, what's happening in Iraq? The rape rooms are closed, the children in Saddam prisons have been released, the chipper-shredders that he liked to run people through are scrapped, and the genocide that killed three million of his own people over the past 10 years has been stopped. The Iraqi's are having successful elections, and the real estate in Baghdad has increased in value. So has the Iraqi stock market.
Bloody headlines are still being written in Iraq, though -- due to the efforts of foreign insurgents, cheered on, rationalized and in some cases, aided, by the same people who are screaming for US intervention in Darfur. That includes NYT's columnists, and alot of US Democrats.
Make no mistake, if the US did something effective in Darfur -- and we could -- there would be howls within days of US imperialism, and Bush arrogance. Screams of blood for oil. International peace marches. And, the Western media would ignore the thousands of villagers saved by US troops, and seize on perceived injustices perpetuated by a handful of nutcases, in the effort to relive Watergate ... and conveniently forget why the intervention was needed.
To intervene in Darfur would be a complete set-up ... and we should avoid this one, if we can. In the meantime, Bush is working with the international community on Darfur -- and isn't that what everybody wanted?
At least we can do something about a couple of abused cubs down in the Horn of Africa. Doesn't mean much in the long run ... but says alot about our soul. ¶ 6:15 PM
You don't hear much about US forces outside of Iraq, or Afganistan ... but there's a small counter-terrorism task group stationed in the Horn of Africa -- and they're engaged in a small battle against human cruelty.
From BreitBartNews: U.S. troops found two cheetah cubs _ one of them blinded _ being forced to fight each other for the amusement of jeering children in this dusty, forgotten village.
The soldiers of the U.S. counterterrorism task force for the Horn of Africa were in the region carrying out humanitarian work when they came across the three-month-old cheetahs "performing" at a restaurant run by Mohamed Hudle ...
The troops provided medical treatment to the blinded cub, fed them both and tried to persuade Mohamed to hand them over to wildlife officials. They contacted U.S.-based cheetah experts as well as Ethiopian authorities
U.S. military officials refused to discuss the animal rights turn their hearts and minds campaign took in Gode. But Befekadu Refera, an official of the Environmental Protection Agency in the capital, Addis Ababa, confirmed the U.S. military had contacted his agency about the cubs and even offered to fly the pair to Addis Ababa, 684 miles away for care.
You know, it's not in the military job description to help a couple of battered cheetah cubs, any more than it is to give toys to Iraqi children. But, it makes me proud to see that they didn't walk away from this small developing tragedy.
However, last week -- ego and human greed complicated the rescue.
"I don't see why I should hand them over," Mohamed said. "When I was younger I looked after goats and camels, so I know what animals need."
Mohamed said he would only give up the cheetahs if he was paid $1,000 for each cub _ 10 times the average income in this impoverished Horn of Africa nation with an estimated 77 million people.
His sons, 4-year-old Abraham and 2-year-old Nur, pulled the cubs' tails and dragged them around their sun-parched yard by ropes tied tightly to their necks. Other children followed, poking and teasing the frightened cats
Mohamed, 43, said he bought the cubs from poachers and he does not know what happened to the mother. The poachers had kicked the female cub in the face, blinding the animal, he said.
Deputy Wildlife Minister Ahmed Nisir has sent officials to try to secure the cheetahs' release and a government vet is expected to visit Saturday.
"Unless these cubs are properly looked after and cared for they will soon die," said Befekadu of the Environmental Protection Agency
That's a true statement.
It's a small thing, rescuing cheetah cubs. I don't agree at all with PETA, or with animal rights ... but, remember, in Genesis, when God gave mankind dominion over beasts, that dominion came with responsibility.
I don't think the right to abuse animals is given in the Koran, either -- quite the contrary. As a matter of fact, according to the Koran, Mohammed himself rescued a baby bird, putting it back in its nest ...
According to the article, Mohamed Hudle also has a hawk with a broken wing, I'm a little worried about the bird as well. While he may have rescued the cubs from poachers, I'm not sure that his intentions are humane.
I'm a little reminded of the AU's activities around Darfur -- the AU doesn't want foreign troops to help stop the slaughter -- only supplies, money, and lots of it. (Isn't that working well?)
You know, if anything can save the cubs, it's the US military. And, despite the international outcry over Darfur, it's beginning to look like the only hope the people have is for the US to step in, bigtime.
And, although the situation is gutwrenching -- I'm aware that women are being raped, and children are being hacked to death even while I'm typing this -- here's why I don't think we should intervene in Darfur: the US has done every single thing with Darfur that the "wurrrld" wanted us to do in Iraq. I.E., we've sent money, we've worked with the international community, and we're letting the UN treat it as a law-enforcement problem. And, sooner or later, we'll probably enforce a no-fly zone there -- which will do nothing to help villagers being murdered by men on camel-back.
The US handled Iraq differently, over the howls of the same people that are screeching for the US to get involved in Darfur.
So, what's happening in Iraq? The rape rooms are closed, the children in Saddam prisons have been released, the chipper-shredders that he liked to run people through are scrapped, and the genocide that killed three million of his own people over the past 10 years has been stopped. The Iraqi's are having successful elections, and the real estate in Baghdad has increased in value. So has the Iraqi stock market.
Bloody headlines are still being written in Iraq, though -- due to the efforts of foreign insurgents, cheered on, rationalized and in some cases, aided, by the same people who are screaming for US intervention in Darfur. That includes NYT's columnists, and alot of US Democrats.
Make no mistake, if the US did something effective in Darfur -- and we could -- there would be howls within days of US imperialism, and Bush arrogance. Screams of blood for oil. International peace marches. And, the Western media would ignore the thousands of villagers saved by US troops, and seize on perceived injustices perpetuated by a handful of nutcases, in the effort to relive Watergate ... and conveniently forget why the intervention was needed.
To intervene in Darfur would be a complete set-up ... and we should avoid this one, if we can. In the meantime, Bush is working with the international community on Darfur -- and isn't that what everybody wanted?
At least we can do something about a couple of abused cubs down in the Horn of Africa. Doesn't mean much in the long run ... but says alot about our soul. ¶ 6:15 PM
