Fond of animals as I am, it's no surprise that I'd react with glee at the news that Shambo the Bull received a reprieve from slaughter by the National Assembly of Wales.
Shambo is a bovine who resides in his own pen at a Hindu temple — the Skanda Vale Temple — in Wales. Cows are sacred in the Hindu religion and the Assembly's threat to put the animal down mobilized the significantly sized British Hindu community — and Hindus worldwide. Members of the Skanda Vale Temple and their supporters had planned to form a human chain around Shambo's pen in an attempt to block government officials from carrying out their slaughter order. Officials said the animal had tuberculosis that could spread — even though Shambo was confined to his pen.
Bearing in mind this assault on Hindu sensitivities, there's another, totally different reason why I'm heartened by Shambo's new lease on life.
For years now, the British Government has been placating Muslims to the extent that some communities in this supposedly Western country are operating under sharia law. The government is so afraid of the big bad Islamic bogeyman that if a Muslim complains about a cartoon pig or the swirl of a Burger King ice cream looking like the word "Allah" written in the Arabic alphabet, immediate action is taken.
In fact, I would say that when Muslims demand "bend over," the Government asks "how far?", but alas, I know that jihad applies to homosexuals as well. But you get the point, dear reader. It hardly matters anymore who's doing the raping — be it an imam or government official — we're all getting fucked up the back passage, at least those of us who believe in freedom with brains uncontaminated by psychotic prophets or political correctness.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Dave Nalle
We don't kill people when they have TB. I imagine we ought to be able to find a way to manage a consumptive cow without killing it too.
Dave
2 - troll
...and Shambo looks on in disbelief thinking: 'hells bells...and I thought I was going to be given a way out of this fucked up gig...'
3 - gonzo marx
put the crack pipe down and slowly back away...
there IS help for those paranoid delusions, but you must let go of some of these udderly ridiculous ideas and not be cow-ed by that which seems strange to you
but i bet ya will look cute in the bee keeper suit
Excelsior?
4 - Clavos
"there IS help for those paranoid delusions, but you must let go of some of these udderly ridiculous ideas and not be cow-ed by that which seems strange to you"
gonzo...gonzo...gonzo...
Sigh...sniff
5 - gonzo marx
we will not cow-tow to the infidels and unbelievers!!! no need for Mark to milk this for all it's worth just so he can cheese off some more with just how much he thinks the UK is being steaked through it's heart by some minority population...
but i digress
Excelsior?
6 - Clavos
"but i digress"
PLEASE!! :>)
7 - gonzo marx
but Clavos, do you cower in the face of adversity?
if you have a t-bone to pick with me, then stand up and shout it out so i can filet the argument, or would you have London broil over the conflict while lunching on hamburger?
Excelsior?
8 - Clavos
Uh...uh...uh...hee...hee...hee...hoof...hoof...
[crouches in corner, mumbling frantically to himself]:
"I coulda been a contendah; I could made chopped liver outta him, gutted him, punched him right in the brisket, I just don't have the heart for it - wait, I know! I'll tail him, and as soon as he drops his guard, I'LL BRAIN him....yeah, that's the ticket! He'll be roast (no, wait, that's TOAST!
That's IT, That's it!! He'll be....wait for it...wait...
SHIT ON A SHINGLE!!!!!
9 - gonzo marx
oh Clavos, ya shouldn't stew over things like this, try and steer your mind away from the various beefs you may have and quit trying to horn in on my action cuz all ya do is wind up with some hoof in mouth
you keep up with the bologna and you could wind up with a one way trip to Salisbury, smothered in onions and gravy
and that's no bull
Excelsior?
10 - Mrs Jones
This afternoon it was announced that the judgement last week to save the TB infected bullock has been overturned by the Court of Appeal. When there is any risk at all that human health could be compromised, no matter what religions are involved, steps should (and will) be taken in order to eliminate that risk. Justice at last!!!!
11 - gonzo marx
well TB is one thing, but i guess it's good the bull didn't come down with a case of Anthrax....
heh
still wanna know how Mark here knew his burglar was a junkie... his prescience needs to be documented
Excelsior?
12 - Clavos
According to the USDA, the only way bovine TB can infect humans is if the drink an infected animal's RAW milk.
Shambo presents NO threat to humans.
(Sorry, gonzo. Had to address that beef before people began to ruminate on it.)
13 - Mrs Jones
As a matter of fact humans can contract bovine TB from close contact with infected animals - you may be aware that TB is airbourne and that is why infected individuals (animals, humans and other susceptible mammals) often present with lesions in their lungs.
Shambo, therefore, has the potential to present a HUGE threat to humans which visit his temple. Apparently the Community has 90,000 visitors per year. Just imagine it!
What's more - how cruel it would be to allow this poor animal to live in isolation away from its own kind?!!
14 - Gill Gardiner
This is marvellous news about Shambo - but are you sure? My interpretation of today's news was that a judge in London had reversed the decision of the High Court in Cardiff, and that Shambo isn't safe... ?
15 - gonzo marx
(:::insert sound of a cow tipping here:::)
Excelsior?
16 - Clavos
"As a matter of fact humans can contract bovine TB from close contact with infected animals - you may be aware that TB is airbourne and that is why infected individuals (animals, humans and other susceptible mammals) often present with lesions in their lungs."
Citation? That's not what the USDA says.
From the USDA site cited in my #12:
"Humans got infected through drinking raw milk, but with the introduction of milk pasteurization this form of human tuberculosis has become very rare in the United States." (emphasis added)
17 - gonzo marx
Clavos...the explanation lies in the fact that what she was talking about are airborne pathogens propagated if the TB has reached the lungs and pustulated...said pustules can then release infection from exhalation which is contagious
part of the disease, doesn't matter who has it
Excelsior?
18 - Clavos
gonzo et alia:
OK, MORE from the same USDA site:
"The most common cause of human disease is the bacteria (mycobacteria) called Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis). In 1995, almost 23,000 human cases were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In the past, another major cause of human tuberculosis was Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis), the causative agent of tuberculosis in cattle. Humans got infected through drinking raw milk, but with the introduction of milk pasteurization this form of human tuberculosis has become very rare in the United States."
The bacterium which infects cows is not the same as the one which infects humans.
And:
"In adult cattle 85% to 90% of infections are due to M. bovis and occur through the respiratory tract"
And:
"Meat inspectors working with infected animals are not at increased risk for tuberculosis."
Sure sounds to me like there's no risk to humans from an infected cow...
19 - gonzo marx
Clavos..ya misunderstand me...i hear where ya are coming from...all i did was try and point out where the concern arose from
if there is any chance for human infection, then the animal loses...pretty simple, doesn't have to be a big chance...any at all will do
and since when do you trust a government organization, especially one owned by lobbyists, about anything?
"conservatives"....HAH!
{8^P~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excelsior?
20 - Clavos
Moi??
21 - gonzo marx
i did wanna ask who this Alia was, and did yer wife know ya "et" her?
could be trouble brewing...
heh
Excelsior?
22 - Clavos
gonzo,
"Now you've done it. Here's another fine mess you've gotten me into."
23 - Mrs Jones
Clavos - It's a bullock, not a cow - do you know the difference? Hmm - perhaps not!!
By the way, I was not citing from USDA. This is fact, not based on some un-endorsed American website, but based on scientific studies and published papers. Recognised sources.
Gill Gardiner - I think you may have misunderstood somewhere along the line!
I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree - the judgement today, however, just goes to show that common sense has prevailed!
See you guys - it's been a good debate.
24 - gonzo marx
umm..the USDA is the United States Department of Agriculture...hardly an "un-endorsed American website", but rather a "recognized" source with solid credentials
just putting that out there for clarification...
Excelsior?
25 - Mark Edward Manning
Gonzo: " ...just how much he thinks the UK is being steaked through it's heart by some minority population..."
Oh, Gonzo, you're right. What was I thinking? There is no terror threat! Yep, I'm just paranoid. Gordon Brown was being paranoid too when he notched U.K. security levels up to "critical" after that car bomb attempts at the attack at Glasgow Airport.
Yessiree, it may be a forest, but how can you be sure those are trees?
On a different subject, I know our intruder was a junkie because he left one of his filthy needles behind like a calling card. Must've dropped it in his haste to get out. (That's not all he'd have lost, however, if I'd gotten hold of him.)
By the way, in this instance, the word is spelled staked, not "steaked." Just thought you'd like to know.