JANUARY EDITORIAL

Is It Instinct Or Intrigue?    

Today I took Mandy the dog for her daily constitutional. We trudged off, actually I trudged, she gamboled, into the barren snow swept bleakness of the nearby hydro field in search of exercise and fresh air. Or so I thought; apparently the presence of a foot or so of fresh powder snow means something entirely different to the dog than to myself. To the dog, a foot of new snow signals the beginning of the field mouse season. The HUNT was ON!

I don't really know why my dog hunts mice. She doesn't catch very many. She kills few of those that she catches and eats none of them. It can only be some deep-rooted instinct that causes her to snuffle through the windswept snow in ardent pursuit of these timorous creatures. Mandy's long-standing feud with the neighborhood squirrels is evidence of the fact that she cannot abide rodents and I assume that in antiquity, these animals were a prime source of food for canines in the wild, just as wolves and coyotes rely on them for sustenance today.

Of course, I do not get involved much in her hunting activities and therefore found my mind wandering a little while she chased around harassing Mickey and Minnie. My thoughts today centered on the possible parallel between the dog's irrational behavior and the equally irrational behavior of George Walker Bush. I found myself wondering if the American President's single-minded pursuit of Saddam Hussein is also some sort of deeprooted instinct. It has become increasingly apparent in recent weeks that George is planning to go to war regardless of world opinion or the lack of evidence. There are those who claim that in the absence of clear proof of the existence of the much vaunted 'weapons of mass destruction', George will simply manufacture some. Perhaps, he knows that they exist because the U.S.A. provided them in the first place when Iraq was at war with Iran all those years ago. He just doesn't believe that Saddam has already depleted his arsenal.

On the other hand, the conflict between Islam and Christianity, could not possibly be instinctive because religious extremism, like religious devotion, is learned behavior. Could there be some other explanation for the unreasonable animus of the Commander-in-Chief of the American forces? George the Elder also fought a war against Saddam that failed to resolve the problem. Is junior seeking to finish up the job his daddy started? I would say no. Daddy could have finished it himself in '91. He just chose not to do so to the everlasting chagrin and complete bewilderment of his own General Staff. So, what gives?

Both George senior and junior sought and made their personal fortunes in the oil business. Saddam Hussein is a supplier of oil. He still is, in fact, supplying a significant portion of the oil needs of the U.S.A. under the 'oil for food' agreement. What has happened in the past between these oil men, that now makes it necessary to resolve the conflict through force? Maybe George Walker Bush is merely being over-cautious, in the face of Hussein's rumored military might. But maybe some of the cards have not yet been placed on the table, and none of the rest of world knows what is really going on.

Is it INSTINCT or INTRIGUE? I'm not sure, but I smell a RAT!

Your comments on the above editorial are welcome!
Page created by : James Richard Hughes

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