We were all captivated by the images of our president and commander in chief nailing a pesky fly within the White House.
One can't help but speculate about the fly. Was it a spy fly, conceived by the North Koreans? Was it a science experiment fly that the first daughters accidentally let loose? Was it the proverbial fly on the wall that just wandered into the White House to see what was happening?
We'll never know. The quick reflexes of our fearless leader rendered the hapless fly into a motionless black speck on the otherwise spotless carpet, disposed of by one of the minions whose job it is to dispose of flies.
End of story? Oh no! The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has suggested that the president should have used some device, known only to PETA fans, that would have trapped the fly for subsequent release out of doors.
How interesting.
We have horses on our property, and the flies, like stars in the sky, are far too numerous to count. Should PETA provide this magical device so I can release the flies out of doors? But they are already out of doors. We do trap them, with sticky tapes and fly traps, and we even use special diet supplements -- for the horses -- so they don't breed in the first place. But apparently I would offend the good people of PETA by destroying these creatures that, frankly, bug me.
I have contemplated the economic consequences of letting flies run -- or, should I say, fly -- loose. Imagine all the workers who make fly swatters suddenly as unemployed as the buggy whip makers of long ago. There are of course, all the people who make fly traps, sticky tapes and numerous potions to keep the fly population somewhat under control.
I think our president contemplated all of this as he carefully eyeballed that fly before striking a blow for free enterprise, my hero.
-- Robert Dempster, Camarillo