Two stories I have read today leave me convinced that before the internet my life was very staid and dull. How did I survive without stories that leave me chuckling or in most cases gasping for breath at their hilarity? Honestly, my days are much brighter thanks to stories of camels humping their owners to death (yes, in Australia somewhere), stories of dogs shooting their owners (don’t need to think where- it was in the great US of A), naked carjackers (this morning, somewhere in Maple Ridge, BC) among other human follies!
The first story that left me breathless with laughter today was one about an MP from Peru who has been reported to the Peruvian Congress for allegedly shooting his neighbour’s dog. Now that wasn’t chuckle-inducing news. I felt sorry for the dog- a 14 month old Schnauzer called Matias. A statement was promptly issued by the MP once his atrocious crime was made public. To quote the BBC news website, the MP, Miro Ruiz denied the allegation, and declared that he “loved” small animals. I was left wondering? Does this mean that by the trigger happy legislator’s reasoning anything larger than a Schnauzer is fair game? Also, why is this international news?
The other story is about Robert Mugabe likening Jendayi Frazer to a ‘prostitute’. What is it with decrepit African men thinking that referring to a grown, adult, respected woman as a ‘girl’ or making some sexually crude reference in the same sentence is an effective insult that will leave her cowering in fear and send her scurrying for cover? Ooh, like Jendayi Frazer is afraid of him!
…How many times in African political history, has someone tried to diminish a woman’s opinion or status by alluding to some sordid lifestyle or such crap?…Puh-lease! Even Daniel Moi (aka the professor of politics would have told Rob M that this isn’t the way to trounce those who oppose you)…
Does Mugabe really think anyone listens to him or takes him seriously beyond the ZANU-PF sycophants or anyone isolated from the truth about his regime? Honestly! In spite of history having proven that defiance/insults/crackdowns cannot last forever, that nobody can live forever, Mugabe persists in hanging on to power. Do people never learn from history? Look at Idi Amin, Mengistu, Siad Barre, Samuel Doe, Kamuzu Banda, Charles Taylor…the list is endless- they are all useful studies in what happens when leaders think they are omnipotent and eternally appointed to leadership! Mugabe should not think that he is a diamond- he is not forever!
4 Comments
May 29, 2008 at 7:12 am
Lord…that camel thing is sad!
May 29, 2008 at 8:39 am
i do wonder that a lot. where would i be without interwebs? then again the stories that make it onto it do make you wonder how it happened that they are of such import to merit the consideration that they get.
May 29, 2008 at 9:21 am
Haven’t read your blog in a while…but that camel story..oh my gosh!!! they can’t neuter camels?
June 5, 2008 at 12:35 pm
The Camel story is one of those that just leaves you shocked/breathless-with-laughter. Imagine having to eulogize this poor woman…how would you keep a straight face? I don’t know what happened to the camel…it’s not clear if he was taken behind the barn and shot dead, or whether he won a reprieve and now roams the Australian outback seeking out victims!