Aleppo Boy is all better now, living more safely in an Assad-controlled area of Syria. The family of Aleppo’s famous bloodied boy chose a government-controlled territory over the rebel-held Idlib province. (That would’ve been John McCain’s preference for them.)
Do you think members of the London Bridge attack trio once looked as cute and as helpless as Allepo Boy? And then The Snakes bit. (“Take me in, silly liberal woman.”)
The Snake (made famous by The Donald):
They are so much more intelligent than dogs and cats (which, make no mistake, I love)—yet they are treated like ornaments to display, expected to eek out a life (often as long as that of a human being) in the confines of stark, dirty, small cages; their wing feathers clipped to permit only a pathetic, helpless hop (and no fighting chance against the family dog or cat).
Parrots—from which I’ve learned so many lessons about my own humanity—do not have the advocates dogs and cats have. When last did you see the Humane Society soliciting donations with reference to the plight of the ptisatine family? Parrots do not even make the Humane Society’s list of needy.
In fact, the achingly beautiful piece penned by our Charles Bergman (a Washington State treasure), circa 2013, is still one of the few features on the Humane Society’s site pertaining to parrots.
The emotional needs of an animal who can reason on this level of abstraction are considerable. Watch:
Alas, parrots can be “picked up” at a yard sale like objects; discarded old chairs. Here’s the latest in a sad saga:
AVALON – Edmund bites and is “pathological.” Arthur is long-suffering, a sweetheart who tolerates the bad behavior of his roommate. Both talk too much.
Or, more accurately, too loudly — a trait that landed their owner, Elaine Scattergood, in court Monday on a noise complaint citation that police issued her in response to a caller who squawked about the chatty birds. Judge George Neidig held the charge for 90 days, saying if no further violations were reported, Scattergood’s summons would be dismissed.
“I wanted a definite ‘not guilty’ plea,” Scattergood said afterward at her home on 30th Street, where she shared the news of her probation with Arthur and Edmund. “I don’t feel good about this at all.”
UPDATED I (4/30/016):
Bouncing back in #Brazil: Lear’s Macaw. #birds #LearsMacaw #poaching http://t.co/iq0ATj4cbR pic.twitter.com/K9tq0OcsBJ
— Ed Joyce (@EdJoyce) March 6, 2015
Unfortunate name for a worthy effort. https://t.co/6dCPGwKdM4
— Ilana Mercer (@IlanaMercer) April 26, 2016
UPDATE II (12/19/016):
These kind of clips get a lot of admiration. But they are simply awful. An utterly vulnerable, likely clipped,… https://t.co/lNN4NBoTVL
— Ilana Mercer (@IlanaMercer) December 17, 2016
Dana Perino and Megyn Kelly teared up today, as they recalled together (on a show that is billed as news analysis) the warmed-over wisdom and fortune-cookie profundities that tumbled from the mouth of George W. Bush. This was one of the more repulsive scenes that American television has thrown up, of late, although not quite as repulsive as the the success of Perino’s schmaltzy book.
The thing, which I assure you has zero edifying content—Perino is a cipher in a skirt whom only the predatory political process could have elevate—is # 1 on Amazon. Or so said celebrity journo Megyn Kelly. Stomach turning too is the number of “Shares,” “Likes” and fawning comments this bimbo and the anchor enabler received on Facebook and beyond.
Dana, in case you haven’t seen her around (lucky you), was a spokesperson for a man who was barely able to speak. She always smiles with pride when her boss’ “modest” government expansion is hearkened to nostalgically on Fox News. You remember the broad sweep of the Bush limited-government program: Medicare Part D, “No Child Left Behind,” and the fiscal fiascoes that are the wars in Middle East and South-central Asia.
On another show—where Dana’s female cohosts appear swaddled in ugly, short, rubber or spandex frocks—Dana exhibited her appreciation of art by promoting her boss’ paintings. As you can see, Bush’s “art” shares a certain barren quality with the art of another mass murderer.
As much as these two women attempt to delude themselves and their fans that they are non-mainstream and oh-so ethical; they are part of a “media circle jerk” whose very essence is antithetical to ethics. Here, Dana uses her perch at Fox News to promote her book. Megyn Kelly uses her own slot to promote her husband’s books and the books of other colleagues and pals like Perino, ensuring that literary claptrap gets a rapturous reception and ratings.
Other than interfering with the decision of Missouri Governor Jay Nixon to declare a state of emergency in Ferguson, on the eve of the grand jury’s decision in the matter of Michael Brown, as well as instructing local law enforcement authorities in “proper” policing, not to mention inserting himself qua long-suffering black man into the narrative of oppression—the attorney general of black America, Eric Holder, delivered these not-so veiled introductions, Friday:
* To Police: “It is vital to engage in planning and preparation, from evaluating protocols and training to choosing the appropriate equipment and uniforms.” (How about adding garlands around the neck, Hawaii-style?)
* Guess whose side the AG is on: The “demonstrations and protests … have sought to bring attention to real and significant underlying issues involving police practices, implicit bias, and pervasive community distrust.”
* Listen-up, you “nation of cowards,” hurry up and change your errant ways: “… demonstrations like these have the potential to spark a sustained and positive national dialogue, to provide momentum to a necessary conversation, and to bring about critical reform.”
* “… progress will not come easily, and long-simmering tensions will not be cooled overnight. These struggles go to the heart of who we are, and who we aspire to be [an Obama oft-repeated cliché], both as a nation and as a people—and it is clear that we have a great deal of important work to do.”
True to type, Holder has taken sides.