China, If it isn't SARS, or Buried Trains, it is Dead Pigs

Wednesday March 20, by Jerome F. Keating Ph.D.

Hum the following to yourself to the tune of "Where have all the flowers gone."

Where have all the piggies gone, long time passing!

Where have all the piggies gone, long time ago,

Where have all the piggies gone, Dumped in rivers every one,

When will Shanghai ever learn? When will they ever learn?

Shanghai remains the boomtown of Asia, but all that boom has its drawback--the above references the 12,000 dead pigs that have been recently dumped into the rivers that feed into Shanghai. Where did they come from? (one farmer--a fall guy?--recently admitted to dumping them, but is one farmer responsible for 12,000 plus pigs? Not counting the ones that may have sunk or floated out to sea.

Don't worry the government that tried to hide SARS until it started spreading outside its borders, and the government that pretended that train accidents didn't happen because they buried the wrecked cars with the dead bodies, assures everyone that all is well in the Middle Kingdom and the drinking water is safe.

Such are the benefits of having a non-transparent government and a media that is not free. Think about it. But in the meantime, don't take any pork from China.