On the edge of common sense: Using swine to eradicate waste is a 'no-brainer' idea

I had deja vu when I saw a photo of goats walking through garbage on an Egyptian street. The headline read: "A Little Late, Egypt discovers the Flaw in Killing all its Pigs." Apparently, swine were a major factor in Egypt's garbage disposal industry. Goats were a poor substitute. The whole mess is the result of the government's decision to eradicate all the nation's pigs to protect people from the swine flu. It must have seemed like a "no-brainer" for the "no-brains" in charge. There are plenty of examples of "no-brains" enacting "no-brainers." Hawaiians importing mongooses to kill the rats and ending up wreaking havoc on the native birds. Nobody looked to see that mongooses were diurnal and rats were nocturnal. Or how 'bout the "no-brains" who imported kudzu and starlings? Or the "no-brains" trying to protect some endangered plant or insect or snail, not caring if it eviscerated whole towns and communities. But who knew that pigs were a part of Egypt's ecosystem? What a wonderful example of the recycling cycle! People eat pigs ... pigs eat garbage ... people eat pigs! I'm wondering if this is something we could incorporate into our own "green movement."...read more