Maybe ignorance IS bliss

It takes effort to live somewhere like Bovinia and still remain informed about the rest of the world which, as far as most people here are concerned, does not exist.  Yesterday, while elsewhere swathes and crowds and whole nations jubilated over the demise of OBL, business continued as usual.  Cows, maypole, food, beer, gardening.  Only the observant and enquiring mind would have noticed the (out of date) local newspaper headline screaming 'Gaddafi's Son Killed by NATO'.  And overheard two people talking about it: I didn't know that OBL was Gaddafi's son.  Brief flicker of interest - oh, was he?  Back to the important stuff - so what colour geraniums are you having this year?  Hmm.

The throngs of people dancing on OBL's watery grave made me feel very slightly sick.  I am not sure why - perhaps they served as a caustic reminder of the vengeful nature of the human psyche.  In the words of a child - Titus - although he was terribly, terribly bad, was it 'right' to kill him and his family?  I had no answer.

The West would be wrong to attribute too much importance to OBL's death.  Who knows, really, how many of his lethal deputies are lying in wait, their ire only further incensed by disproportionate triumph over this one, albeit huge, catch.  Comeuppance, yes. Good job US forces, yes. Reign of terror over, no way. Retribution, here we come.

I usually like to sign off on a lighter note.  Deluded as I am, I persist with my reports on the bovine population.  I think we can safely say that they are all 'out' now.  And from what I can see, they are feeling pretty cheated.  Up until May 1 the weather here had been glorious for weeks, sunny day after sunny day, flowers and birds and butterflies in abundance.  You get the picture.  But now that the cows are back on the scene, it's a permanent downpour.  Everywhere I go I see them huddled under trees (stupid, as there's a lot of lightning - still, I guess they'll find out the hard way), looking doleful and... wet.  Bet that barn seems mighty inviting now.  Oh well - the grass is always greener, as the old saying goes.