Today I was reading a book and had Fox News in the background.  I feel better when I multi-task.  My eyes on the words of the kindle, pressing "Page Forward" every minute or so, whilst my ears listening to the news.



The book was about a chimpanzee named "Nim" and how as an infant, he was raised as a baby human male learning ASL (sign language).  When Nim became too old to handle, they sent him away to a "sanctuary."  From wearing human clothing and sleeping with a pillow, blanket and mattress, he was placed in a cage - overnight. 

Whenever his human teachers would go to Oklahoma to see him, he would sign "help", "key", "release", "run."  Awful, eh?

The reason why I open with this introduction is because I'm working on my "Project Bonobo" - and it should show my dear Reader I am a lover of animals of all kinds.

My ears took over the balance of power from my reading with "PETA wishes Obama hadn't swatted that fly..."  What?!

I looked up at the big screen and saw the President making a motion with his body, which looked like he killed a fly during an interview in the White House.  PETA stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.


I tried to find "Catcha Bug" on Google, but this is what popped up.  I don't think this is what PETA sent to the White House.


PETA sent the White House a "Catcha Bug Humane Bug Catcher" so anyone there can humanly release a fly (or anything that flies) back into the outside world. 

I believe in cause and effect.  What would happen if the fly that was supposed to be exterminated ended up being released only to fly into the eye of someone riding a bike on Constitution Road, causing an accident?  Or even a typhoon (butterfly effect)?

                                                 Left: rendition of the "Butterfly Effect." Right: An actual scientific explaination, which I thought was really cool.


There was a small addition being put on at a Buddhist monastery in Tibet.  When the monks were digging, they came across a bunch of earthworms.  They carefully moved all the worms and then resumed the building.  To kill a pest would seem to go against "non harming" which is basic to many Eastern religions and philosophies. Not hurting others by thought word or deed is known as Ahimsa, and it is an important value in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and other faiths.  HOWEVER, if the "pest" becomes a threat to your livelihood or may spread disease, it's a different story.

But PETA, to get themselves involved is absolutely...well, stupid.  I would bet many would think the same as me.  There have been many times I have "caught" things in my room and released it outside, but there has also been times I exterminated it.  Mosquitoes for one.

PETA should pick and choose their battles.  They make themselves come across as too conservative and far-left, alienating those animal-lovers like myself.  Has their existence become so boring they have to attack someone for killing a fly.  Which incidentally has a lifespan of 15 (males) to 26 (females) days, and can DOUBLE their generation in a MONTH, leaving us with 999,999,999,999 more flies when Obama's fly is taken out of the grouping.

Never say never - a fly can be someone's pet.


Pick and choose your battles, PETA.  Or risk alienating yourselves as crazies.

To make this a little bit more balanced blog, Peta remarked to Fox:

"We support compassion even for the most curious, smallest and least sympathetic animals," PETA spokesman Bruce Friedrich said Wednesday. "We believe that people, where they can be compassionate, should be, for all animals."

A fly is curious?  I'm sorry, a cat, dog, even a tarantula or a salamander, but not a fly.  Sorry.

I did manage to finish my book on Kindle shortly right after.
pick and choose your battles fly peta killing fly nim chimpanzee fox news Turbo Tagger