Monday, August 14, 2006
Bad Boy Goats, The Enemy Within
Every so often a story leaps out at you from the smoldering morass that is "Mess-o-potamia" that seems to encapsulate perfectly how things in general are going to hell in Baghdad in a handbasket.
Take for example this tale of the goat. Well, a number of goats probably. We like to think that more than one critter could cause so much consternation.
A story recently on NPR about the continuing deterioration of the daily living situation in Baghdad involved Shiites and Suniis once again dukking it out. This time over what I guess we would call animal husbandry efforts. Now the Suniis tend to be the ethnic group who raises goats, mostly in western Baghdad. The Suniis are regarded generally as a more affluent group than are the Shia, who in turn seem more religious in ways.
Problems arose because it is apparently the rutting season for the goats, and they are doing what male goats do everywhere during that period. Consequently their sexual organs are prominently on display at times.
This annoys the hell out of the Shia, and now that Saddam is gone they feel they can start to throw their weight around after years of oppression under his rule.
So they want, and are demanding, that the Suniis who own goats put diapers on them.
Or else we kill you.
I kid you not. I find it interesting they want to kill the goat owners, not the goats themselves. I guess we should say that's decent of them.
Meanwhile, in other, even more depraved corners of Baghdad, certain vegetable sellers in the markets are getting death threats.
Why? Because one happy wag arranged his zucchinis in what the offended Shia termed a "provocative manner," so that the produce resembled erect penises.
Hey, from my happy girlhood discoveries about the power of zucchinis, you don't need to preach to me, I am there already. No displays needed.
I suppose when record numbers of people died in sectarian violence this month in the country that it is no time for frivolity.
On the other hand, it is probably exactly the time for frivolity. When the world is crumbling around you, isn't it time for a little thought turned towards erections? As a way of contradicting the madness around you?
But will it be enough. Don't know. We'll see how many goatherders survive the rutting season in Baghdad.
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Take for example this tale of the goat. Well, a number of goats probably. We like to think that more than one critter could cause so much consternation.
A story recently on NPR about the continuing deterioration of the daily living situation in Baghdad involved Shiites and Suniis once again dukking it out. This time over what I guess we would call animal husbandry efforts. Now the Suniis tend to be the ethnic group who raises goats, mostly in western Baghdad. The Suniis are regarded generally as a more affluent group than are the Shia, who in turn seem more religious in ways.
Problems arose because it is apparently the rutting season for the goats, and they are doing what male goats do everywhere during that period. Consequently their sexual organs are prominently on display at times.
This annoys the hell out of the Shia, and now that Saddam is gone they feel they can start to throw their weight around after years of oppression under his rule.
So they want, and are demanding, that the Suniis who own goats put diapers on them.
Or else we kill you.
I kid you not. I find it interesting they want to kill the goat owners, not the goats themselves. I guess we should say that's decent of them.
Meanwhile, in other, even more depraved corners of Baghdad, certain vegetable sellers in the markets are getting death threats.
Why? Because one happy wag arranged his zucchinis in what the offended Shia termed a "provocative manner," so that the produce resembled erect penises.
Hey, from my happy girlhood discoveries about the power of zucchinis, you don't need to preach to me, I am there already. No displays needed.
I suppose when record numbers of people died in sectarian violence this month in the country that it is no time for frivolity.
On the other hand, it is probably exactly the time for frivolity. When the world is crumbling around you, isn't it time for a little thought turned towards erections? As a way of contradicting the madness around you?
But will it be enough. Don't know. We'll see how many goatherders survive the rutting season in Baghdad.
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