Death By Olympics

I have four cats. All of them were rescues, taken in by people who can't bear to have them taken off to already overloaded city and county animal shelters where the chances of adoption are exceedingly small. The window for a kind hearted soul to show up and take these abandoned or homeless pets into their lives is very brief, and the outcome for those not adopted is certain and relentless.

That in mind, there are two stories I've encountered this morning that really put a crimp in my head. The first is about the city of Athens, site of the 2004 summer Olympics. Athens has experienced a wide range of problems getting prepared for the thousands of people who will descend upon their city. In addition to finishing the constructon of the many facilities related to the Olympics, Athens has been cleaning up the city to put on a good face for their upcoming international debut.

To that end, they are committing mass killings of animals. Homeless dogs are being poisoned to death in large numbers to get them off the street before the visitors arrive. In addition to the story and gruesome pictures, there is also a video. The pictures are tough and the video quite graphic, so hold on tight.

Story.

Video.

As if that weren't enough, I turn my attention to the Washington Post, part of my daily indigestion of news and politics. There, on the front page, I find this:

Death By Circus

We are told the Shrub doesn't read newspapers, or much of anything else. Sometimes, I think he might actually be on to something.