WORLD — No matter what faith, spiritual
doctrine or moral precept there is, you can count on there being
someone who will try to misrepresent it and—as is the case with global outlaw Osama Bin Laden and his
Taliban cohorts—pervert its message under a contrived banner of
righteousness and religion. In the weeks to come, there is bound to be a lot of turbulence as the world
tries to sift the "good guys" from the "bad
guys", since this war is not directed against any quantifiable nation
or people or religion but rather at the isolated bands of terrorist guerillas who
exploit them all.
But maybe it's not so hard to figure
out who's who.
Simply ask: "Who's
side are the dogs on?
"I care not for
a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it."
— Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States of
America
Dewclaws up. |
The new war against terrorism has
certainly focused the world's eyes on the courageous canines working in New York City
and Washington, DC. But dogs all over the planet—of all cultures,
creeds and breeds—are no less worthy
of admiration for being the first and best line of defense against
terrorist acts.
Below: An
Uzbek frontier guard and his dog stand watch in Termez, Uzbekistan
bordering Afghanistan. American and British ground troops arrived
in Uzbekistan on Friday, shoring up a loose coalition of states ready to
support military action against the Taliban.
(Photo: Sep 25, 2001, AP / Efrem Lukatsky)
It may be easy enough to recognize
those with whom dogs enjoy keeping company. Now, what about those
whom dogs mistrust? Appropriately enough, just as roaches
scurry from sunlight, the terrorists, fanatics and their regimes seem to
shrink from any association with canines.
"Happy are those who [died] and did not
witness the playing with dogs. Now in our society women wear hats
and men hold dogs!"
— Gholamreza Hassani, a mid-ranking cleric speaking at a prayer
sermon in Urmiyeh, Iran near the border of Afghanistan, August 24, 2001.
Dewclaws down.
"Angels do not enter a house that has
either a dog or a picture in it."
— Islamic
Fundamentalist Hadith #1214
Dewclaws down.
Note: This proverb has no basis in
the original text of the Holy Qu'Ran; the prophet casts no such
aspersions toward dogs. (Source: The
New York Times 8/24/01 article "Beware Growling
Ayatollahs").
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In Bangladesh, a Yellow Lab, Black Lab and German Shepherd—three expert sniffer dogs—guard
against possible terrorist bomb insurgencies at a public appearance of former
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in downtown Dhaka.
(Photo: Sep 28, 2001,
AP / Pavel Rahman) |
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Lakenheath, eastern England: Nobody can accuse this dogface of being
out of uniform.
(Photo: Sep 19, 2001, AP / Ted Blackbrow)
It wouldn't be Oktoberfest without a
welcome German Shepherd to reassure revelers that risks are
minimal. Authorities had considered cancelling the 16-day festival
in light of terrorist actions in the past. In 1980 a bomb attack
killed 13 people at Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany.
(Photo: Sep 22, 2001, Reuters / Michael Dalder)
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Rule 46, Oxford Union Society, London:
"Any member introducing a dog into the Society's
premises shall be liable to a fine of one pound."
Dewclaws
down.
"...Any animal leading a blind person shall be deemed to be a
cat."
Ok,
dewclaws up.
Note: This edict has
absolutely nothing to do with terrorism, culture or morality,
but it's pretty funny. |
"If a dog will not come to you after having looked you in
the face, you should go home and examine your conscience."
—Woodrow Wilson, 26th President of the United States of America
Dewclaws up. |
"Despite the official hostility [in
some Middle East territories], dog ownership has been on the
rise. Because of the widening access to satellite
television, children have been intrigued by foreign scenes of
children and their pets."
— Neil MacFarquhar,
Tehran correspondent for The New York Times
Dewclaws up. |
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