Recently, the following letter to the editor appeared in the Washington Post (emphases mine):
Don’t squish the cockroachesDidn't you know before you reached the signature to the letter that the author had affiliation with PETA?
Regarding the May 14 Health and Science article “Care about the environment? You shouldn’t be too hard on cockroaches”:
Just because we can squish cockroaches doesn’t mean that we should. While trying to get over my own cockroach phobia [katsarida], I did research and learned that they have many admirable attributes.
Studies have shown that cockroaches can recognize individual members of their family, they live together in closely bonded groups, and they make collective decisions, about where to seek shelter, for instance, that will benefit the entire clan. They also “talk” to one another about good sources of food and prefer to dine in groups rather than alone. In other words, cockroaches, unlike many people, cooperate with and are civil to one another in order to get things done.
I still don’t want cockroaches in my house, but now if I do see one, I resist the urge to squish and humanely show Mr. Roach the front door.
Paula Moore, Portsmouth, Va.
The writer is a senior editor at the PETA Foundation.
I could draw a metaphor between cockroaches and politicians, but I will leave it to commenters to do so. Have fun!
An insect by any other name is just as sweet.
ReplyDeleteIrrelevant, perhaps, but right for the spirit of the occasion, I believe:
ReplyDeleteOde on the Recent Banning
of Public Nudity in San Francisco
Oh what's the harm in being nude,
If no one's viewed while getting screwed?
Though natural that would be too crude,
Even if one's not a prude.
Every father –– every mother ––
Possesses one thing –– or another ––
As does every sister, brother,
So why the fuss, the muss, the bother?
As long as brother's made like dad,
And sister has what mother had,
There's no call to be sad or mad,
In fact it should make most feel glad.
If parts got switched, then there'd be cause
For consternation –– not applause ––
So, I guess at least should be one clause
Or two within a township's laws
Restricting what may be displayed
On side streets, park grounds, on parade,
In sunshine, rain, in light or shade
Deterred, not just deferred, delayed.
For most folks shy away from freaks,
And soon react with piercing shrieks,
And then there are the gawking geeks,
And those who publicly take leaks!
And then, comparison of size,
While never wise, engenders sighs,
Besides, the sight of flabby thighs
Might gag reflexes energize!
And so, since mobs are rarely quiet,
And many fatties will not diet,
Would-be voyeurs will not buy it.
So, just stay clothed. Why start a riot?
~ A FreeThinke Original
Forgive my failure to approach
ReplyDeleteThe topic subject of the roach.
The poor things may deserve to live
But for them I've no care to give.
Now, let us not forget the opportunities that these little morsels can provide under the United Nation's nutrition plan. MMMMMMMMMMMMMM !
ReplyDeleteDoes she feel the same about mosquitoes? Does she just let them take their fill of her blood? How about fire ants? Scorpians? Blck Widows?
ReplyDelete"You ARE going to share your cockroach recipes with us?"
ReplyDeleteNot just yet but: be patient, stay tuned and keep your wok pan at-the-ready. Good things are coming!
Save the Planet. Saute a cockroach!
ReplyDeleteThey taste better if they hit the hot oil while still alive (but you've GOT to throw the oil away, after)!
Boiling is for amateurs!
ReplyDeleteHad to be PETA related, or an escapee from a mental institute. I'm betting the person that wrote it really does NOT live with an infestation of cockroaches or anything else.
ReplyDeleteDebbie
Right Truth
http://www.righttruth.typepad.com
Ewwwwwww.
ReplyDeleteThe cockroach, like the horseshoe crab,
ReplyDeleteIs said to be successful
By Darwinists, 'cause we don't grab
The one and vermin's stressful.
True story, I've told it before but its good for a laugh.
ReplyDeleteMy wife told me that when she was little and stayed over night with her granny that her granny made the kids drink "tea-bug" tea if they wet the bed. (What she actually said was Pee-Bug, I misunderstood her.) I said,"What the hell is a tea bug?" She said, "Not "tea" bug, "PEE" bug. OK, What's a "Pee" bug? You know, one of those bugs that roll up in a ball. (Pill bug, wood louse, etc.)
My Wife's granny (Mae - about half Apache), would mash up pill bugs and make tea out of them to force on the kids that wet in bed.
I asked my wife if it worked and she said yes, even if you had to stay awake all night to keep from drinking it!
I found out years later that there is a homeopathic (magic) angle to it. Pill bugs don't urinate and they are crustaceans, not insects. They pass ammonia gas directly through their exoskeleton.
Warren,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your contiunation of moron control. I am also so enlightened to discover that what we used to call 'sow bugs' don't pee. Good Stuff, my friend!
Jon,
ReplyDeleteDuring my recent work-related burden at the end of the school term, Warren has been doing the heavy lifting here are Always On Watch.
Friends such as Warren and his wife come along once in a lifetime, I tell ya!
Sorry, but if I see a roach, it is a dead roach. Nuff said.
ReplyDeleteWell I've always had my suspicions about those "California Raisins".
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I know of that looks like a raisin with bug like legs is la cucaracha.
There's a famous story by Saki, Warren, about a very bad boy who plays hideous practical jokes and terrorizes his family by cementing dead flies to the tops of oatmeal raisin cookies and the like.
ReplyDeleteNaturally, that boy came to a bad end.
Saki, who very sadly was killed doing his duty for God and country during World War One, nevertheless left a large collection of short stories most of which are very funny, but many of which are eerie and even terrifying.
Hey, folks! Take it a little easy on your buggy friends. After all, even roaches qualify for a Fannie Mae guaranteed home loan, and will soon get their health care free thanks to ObamaCare.
ReplyDeleteJust when you thought he was gone....
ReplyDeleteMoslems?
ReplyDeleteSorry FT, I was distracted by a different type of cockroach and it took a little time to stomp the sucker.
ReplyDeleteI looked Saki up and read some synopses of his stories. I'll have to see if I can find the full versions to give a read. From what I read, his story plots were rather eclectic.
Cockroaches just did the same thing as the other animals also do for their family or clan. Yes they really have good attribute and senses that would let them find good source of food which is really good for them but definitely bad to our health. That is why most of the people hate them and afraid of them.
ReplyDeleteresidential pest services austin tx