Going To The Dogs



Okay, this is wrong, but it's
funny nonetheless...

“With Lolo, I learned how to eat small green chill peppers raw with dinner (plenty of rice), and, away from the dinner table, I was introduced to dog meat (tough), snake meat (tougher), and roasted grasshopper (crunchy).

Like many Indonesians, Lolo followed a brand of Islam that could make room for the remnants of more ancient animist and Hindu faiths.

He explained that a man took on the powers of whatever he ate: One day soon, he promised, he would bring home a piece of tiger meat for us to share.” 

--  Barack Obama writing about his childhood with his stepfather Lolo Soetoro in Indonesia.  Chapter Two of his, Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance.

Source:  The Daily Caller

Okay, so young Obama ate 'dog'. 

And, young Romney put 'his dog' in a kennel on top of his car to go on vacation.

Personally, I have never eaten Dog, nor have I lofted one atop our family's Town & Country to travel with.  What does any of this matter?  Well, it doesn't. 

None of the 'dog stuff' matters.

I've held off commenting on this because I didn't know exactly how to 'go at it'.  One one hand, it's a tremendous opportunity to run through a litany of jokes at the expense of the President's pre-puberty culinary choices, as follows (Courtesy of IMAO):

• If a liberal defends Obama’s dog-eating, just say – slowly, and with an honestly-confused look on your face – “yeah… but… Obama. Ate. A. Dog.” Ironically, said liberal will then get angry enough to bite the head off a terrier.
• Obama supposedly ate a dog to gain its powers. Was his goal to lick his own privates, or did he just want to eat cat turds out of a litter box?
• Many Americans are skeptical about whether Obama actually ate a dog, since he has yet to release his original, long-form recipe. 
• Some people are demanding that Obama apologize for eating a dog. Others call the notion ridiculous and insist that nothing short of reparations will suffice.
• At a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney responded to inquiries on Obama’s dog-eating by saying “it’s just a distraction”, and NOT – as some outlets reported – “a dachshund.”
• The thing that angers liberals most about “Obama ate a dog” jokes is that they don’t make the people who tell them look racist.
• Obama never actually said he ate a dog. He only said he was “introduced to dog meat.” Begging the question, “after the introductions were over, when did he say his goodbyes?”
• Meriwether Lewis (of Lewis and Clark fame) also ate dog. However, historians have yet to discover a single hilarious photo shopped image of him doing so.

R.I.P.  "Chomper"

On the other hand, I can go after the thing the way I initially reacted to it - with a fair amount of disbelief.  Not disbelief that Mitt Romney strapped a carrier to the top of his car, or President Obama chomped on Chomper, but disbelief that with the issues facing the nation today, these are the things which matter?

Let out that obligatory sigh you're holding, and ask yourself:  What does matter? 

Hmm, do the following matter to you more than 'Dog Wars 2012'?

• Our Economy
• Our National Debt
• Our Kids' Futures
• Our Nation's Future
• Our Constitution

Yeah, perhaps we should focus more on a few of these ditties for the upcoming election season?  They probably mean more to most folks than the President  being asked if 'Braised Whippet is better than fried Lab', or if Romney's 'Seamus' got sick in that kennel from motion-sickness, or due to the number of flies breezing down his gullet? 

Mediocre minds want to know!

Don't get me wrong, both stories are funny (in horrific and tragic ways) but they have nothing to do with anything which actually, 'matters' .  

What is most telling about the launch of "Dog Wars" by David Axelrod (Team Obama) is how LOW the Obama Campaign must go to fire the opening salvos to 'clear the field' of Romney as a candidate. 

Dogs?  Sure, why not?  It's nothing compared to how:  Barack Obama became the Junior Senator from Illinois by destroying first his Democrat opponents and then his Republican opponent.   

The other thing which came to light from this exchange?  How quickly Team Romney responded to the Axelrod Tweet which began the "Dog Wars" shot across the bow (wow wow).

Given this first butt sniff by David Axelrod, it seems that Romney and his team are "in it to win it".  As this 2012 Campaign season promises to take the level of personal carnage to a whole new level of 'Weird' - we'll see if  those nimble amateurs at Camp Romney can keep up with the professional character Terminators of Team Obama. 

I would normally close here with a, "It'll be EPIC", but I believe this will be an understatement when compared to  the actual events preparing to unfold on the National Stage.

But here's the thing:  Both teams, both camps, must remember that it's not about THEM - it's about US (as in 'United States').  While trading barbs over past pet history makes cheap political points and provides fodder for late night TV shows, they do not make our nation stronger, more secure, or self-reliant. 

They do, however, provide an opportunity for me to think back to when I was in Third Grade and this would have been 'milk-shooting-out-the-nose' hysterical.  However, sitting mere weeks away from my third year of the second half of my Century 'birthday'?  They just make us look kind of stupid for spending time on them.   Yes, this would include me, by extension, for spending time on this.  

I'll leave you with these parting thoughts:  As you think about the things which are important to you, decide who best represents your values, your beliefs, your vision for the future, and vote for THEM.

If you've been around a while you know I won't be voting against President Obama - but hey, that's just me.  You can vote for whomever you like.

Hey, since it's Friday I'll leave you with a bit of music to start off your weekend.  Enjoy your time with your family, your friends, and remember to pet your dog.  It's better to 'pet' your dog than it is to 'et' your dog.  

Enjoy!

President Obama: "Dog Eater," the Music Video