Conflicted

So los perros piratos are having trouble tonight---feeling very conflicted.  While they root for the poor and disenfranchised Somalians who have turned to piracy to survive, the incident of the Maersk Alabama, an American flagged and crewed freighter, has caused pain and uncertainty.  If the people of Somalia can only survive by plundering the high seas off the Horn of Africa,  the Pirate Dogs believe they deserve support.  But attacking American vessels makes the canines feel unpatriotic if they root for the pirates.  

In inimitable dog fashion, however, los perros have a solution.  The rich world needs to subsidize Somalia with aid and investment to allow the people of that failed state to rebuild their country and have options for survival and advancement that would make piracy moot.

Next, perhaps these fine specimens of canine intellectualism will turn their attention to Sudan and Darfur.............

Did You Miss This?

It's been a long week.  The Pirate Dogs have been doing a lot of sleeping.  They have been conserving their energy.  This will be a big weekend---Netflix sent Beverly Hills Chihuahua.  

So a couple of news items-----

The newest ads on MSNBC for Keith Olbermann's Countdown program have a "book of scoundrels" theme.  Too bad all he can think of as "worst person in the world" are lightweights like Sean Hannity, Rupert Murdoch, Rush Limbaugh, and Bill O'Reilly.  Not that there are any great intellects here, but being on the opposite side of K.O. doesn't by definition entitle one to such an epithet.  Now, Omar al-Bashir, the president of Sudan, here's a worthy "Worst Person" candidate.  He was indicted for genocide and war crimes by the International Criminal Court this week for actively pursuing, aiding, and abetting the killings and rapes in Darfur.  If he travels to the country of a signatory to the treaty that established this Court, he can be jailed and sent to the Hague for trial.  YAY!!!!

Next nominee--Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe.  On Friday the news reports were of the death of the wife of opposition leader and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in an accident involving the P.M.'s SUV and a tractor-trailer that pulled out in front of it, hitting the passenger side, ejecting Mrs. T and killing her, and injuring Morgan.  He went to hospital ignorant of his wife's death.  The "official" press releases from Mugabe's party Zanu-PF hinted at the possibility of "rumors of treachery."  DUH---this tactic has been used several times in the past to get rid of opponents of Mugabe and Tsvangirai himself has been beaten and imprisoned and tortured numerous times over the last ten years or so.  Hello, Keith??  You listening???

Finally, Rush Limbaugh's comment that the proposed health care bill presently being discussed in Washington D C would be called the "Teddy Kennedy Memorial Health Care Bill" is in such poor taste I can't even begin to express my outrage.  Of course, as I said above, ain't no great intellects there and that kind of comment proves my point.  There are limits, even in the mud pits of partisan politics and right-wing talk radio.  Rush, you deserved whatever Keith said about you tonight.

Enough for a Friday night.  Enjoy the weekend. I hope we get good pix of the Pirate Dogs enjoying their movie!!!!  I promise to post them if we do.