Thursday, February 25, 2010

Musings: Say It Ain't So

It was such a delight to wake in the night to rain splattering and spattering on the skylight, the leaves, the railing of the porch. And when Koko and I went out walking this morning all the plants were saying, “mahalo,” for the brief showers that failed to even touch all the soil, but at least washed off some of the dust so they can breathe.

I’m sure all the Afghanis are breathing a sigh of relief now that their saviors have finally taken Marjah and so can stop killing and maiming them. As The Washington Post reports:

Most of the wounded civilians recuperating at the whitewashed Italian-run hospital said their injuries were caused by "the foreign soldiers" - a claim that does not bode well for international and Afghan forces who are trying to get residents to renounce the Taliban and embrace the Afghan government.

Bernard Metraux, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Helmand province, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that as many as 40,000 people trapped by fighting in and around Marjah have little to no access to medical care.


As it turns out, all that death and destruction was apparently wrought for one reason, according to Washington Post reporters Greg Jaffe and Craig Whitlock:

[to] convince Americans that a new era has arrived in the eight-year long war…." U.S. military officials in Afghanistan "hope a large and loud victory in Marjah will convince the American public that they deserve more time to demonstrate that extra troops and new tactics can yield better results on the battlefield."

Meanwhile, the occupation is solidly under way as the U.S. rushes to install a new governor of Marjah. As the Christian Science Monitor reports:

The speedy rollout in Marjah of the new US strategy to “clear, hold, and build” is part of the renewed US strategy of wresting momentum from the Taliban. But some experts warn there is no way to install good government overnight.

Can you say puppet?

Much closer to home, I followed up on a comment left on a recent post and confirmed that yes, Dr. Becky Rhoades, director of the Kauai Humane Society, was indeed cited on Jan. 29 for having a dog on a section of the Path where dogs are not allowed. Hers was one of five citations issued since the ordinance took effect on Dec. 1, 2008.

Yes, this is the very same Dr. Becky Rhoades who is continually preaching responsibility among dog owners, who launched a citizen’s patrol to ensure people were picking up their dog’s doodoo on the Path and who told the County Council:

“I honestly believe we will have better dog stewardship if we pass these ordinances,” she said.

Can you say ironic?

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

I always sense there is some unspoken history there whenever Joan writes about Dr. Becky Rhoades. Maybe it's the sarcasm and thinly veiled antipathy.

Anonymous said...

I am a dog owner and I hope they keep dogs off the path.

Anonymous said...

I am a dog owner and I hope they keep dogs off the path.

I am gay and I hope they never allow gay marriage.

Anonymous said...

I know. The affairs, the divorces, property division, alimony . . . Yecch, who needs it?

Anonymous said...

"Can you say puppet?"

-- took some time, but some fairly independent people are running iraq now. afg is diff yes, but its a start


"Can you say ironic?"

-- pretty funny too

noBS said...

I canʻt say ironic about Rhoades but I can say something else but then Iʻd get bleeped off the page.

That is some good news that she got cited. Wonder if sheʻll have someone FIX her ticket?

Anonymous said...

I am not gay but I hope they allow gays on the bike path.

Anonymous said...

But not gay dogs.

Anonymous said...

I am not a gay dog but I hope they allow gay dogs to use the bike path.

Anonymous said...

I am straight but hope I can walk my gay dog on the bike path.

Anonymous said...

"I am straight but hope I can walk my gay dog on the bike path."

just don't let it stray.

Anonymous said...

I saw a local woman pushing her dog in a little doll stroller the other day down the path to avoid the $60. :)

Anonymous said...

The lege should have defined "walk".

Transvestite dogs in strollers are, however, allowed. Put your male dog in a dress and push him around in a baby stroller and you're OK.

I'm sure some "advocate of the people" lawyer type who's between "causes" will fight for your right to push a trannie dog.

Remember, in this country you're innocent until found money-less.

Anonymous said...

Dr. Becky Rhoades should be ashamed of herself. The law has not stopped dog owners from allowing their dogs to run free, as she said it would. If she herself cannot abide by a law that she advocated for, how can we expect anyone else to?

Anonymous said...

I'm bi-cyclical but I walk on (both) sides of the path.

Anonymous said...

Hermaphrodites are OK on the path, too, because they're "a bicycle built for two".

"Both concave and convex, they can serve either sex, and entertain themselves in between."

Anonymous said...

I make my humble living collecting scat of all types and anaerobically composting it into a value-added mulch for my exclusive clientele in houseplant market under the brand name Kauai Black Gold. All of these scat control laws ARE PUTTING ME OUT OF BUSINESS!

I care not the species, sex, or sexual orientation of the path user, but your scat is my families bread and butter.

PLEASE let the free market instead of draconian laws bent on restricting our freedoms and picking our pockets handle this "problem".

Anonymok

Anonymous said...

"...but your scat is my families bread and butter."

Thanks for that mental image. Now, I'll have to start drinking earlier than usual.

Anonymous said...

"Thanks for that mental image. Now, I'll have to start drinking earlier than usual."

You are welcome. Hydration is important for good bowel health and helps me put food on my family.

Anonymok