Saturday, August 27, 2016

I think there needs to be an investigation into the harassment the Cincinnati Zoo has been experiencing.

August 23, 2016
By Fruzsina Eordogh

..."We are not amused by the memes, (click here) petitions and signs about Harambe...Our zoo family is still healing, and the constant mention of Harambe makes moving forward more difficult for us. We are honoring Harambe by redoubling our gorilla conservation efforts and encouraging others to join us."...

Just a couple of things. The Cincinnati Zoo acted responsibly in acting quickly to save the boy any injury or worse. I already know if the child was seriously injured or worse the calls for closing the zoo would be overwhelming.

The picture above is exactly the stance Harambe had taken when he went to the boy's rescue. There is no doubt in my mind that Harambe was attempting to rescue the boy. In the picture below right the Silverback was waiting for the boy to climb onto his back. Of course, the child was not going to climb on the gorilla's back, nor would he assume any other behavior of an infant gorilla.

When watching the film of the event it was obvious there were two things happening. The boy was unsafe and could have been injured by the fall alone. Realizing he could be injured any additional trauma (rough handling by the Silverback) would create more risk for the child.

I am convinced Harambe had no intention of harming the boy, but, he was also unsafe. He was in the moat that surrounded the gorilla enclosure. It wasn't really a place in the enclosure where he frequented. I think Harambe was under stress. It was that stress that made him unpredictable. I think any stress could have grown into behaviors that could have harmed the child when he didn't mount Harambe's back as expected.

The risk to the zoo, which already was the target of threats from a tax request of 2014 (click here), along with the risk to the child was more than the zoo authorities could allow. It is just that simple.

Harambe was great. There is no doubt he was a valuable member of the Cincinnati Zoo and the Lowland Gorilla species. (click here)


June 1, 2016
By Tim Zimmerman

...It is easy to blame the child's mother—and many did. (click here) But any parent can tell you that it is near-impossible to keep track of a young child every instant you're with them (I lost my son in an airport once). It is easy to blame the zoo for its decision to kill Harambe and for its poorly designed enclosure—and many did. But this was the first time that anyone had jumped into Gorilla World in the almost 40 years that it's been open, and it is hard to fault the zoo for an agonizing choice that offered maximum protection to a young boy....

...If I have any blame to cast, I reserve it for the crowd, which shrieked and panicked, seemingly agitating Harambe and making it all the more difficult for zoo employees to see a way to a peaceful recovery of the boy. “[Harambe] showed a combination of protection and confusion. He stood over the child, held him up, moved/dragged him through the water (at least once very roughly), stood over him again,” primate expert Frans De Waal observed in a Facebook post. “Much of his reaction may have been triggered by public noise and yelling.” Note to future zoo crowds: when a child ends up in an animal enclosure, back away and stay quiet so the animals at least have a chance to remain calm....

I suppose the Cincinnati Zoo staff could post "Quiet" signs near the new enclosure. (click here)

I think the nasty attacks on the Cincinnati Zoo is far more worrisome than most care to say. The Koch Brothers is a multi-billion dollar enterprise that literally warned the Cincinnati Zoo to not ask for a tax on the referendum to assist in their mission. Why? I find it extremely strange that such an industry would warn any zoo of organization to end an effort to obtain funding for their mission. It is disturbing.

Koch industries did not only warn the Cincinnati Zoo, it carried out a campaign to defeat the measure once it was on the ballot in 2014. It is a really peculiar practice for a family corporation with reach globally as well as in the USA. None of it makes sense to me.

No, I don't believe for one minute the boy was planted in the moat. These things happen. But, the hate campaign that followed is far more than any organization should tolerate. I think it is being orchestrated for some sick reason in an election year.

I want all this investigated to end the hatred of the zoo and it's professional staff.

There is no doubt Harambe was an incredible Silverback, but, to hate the zoo that cared for him when his death was in mercy of a child is extremely strange.

The closing of the website for the Cincinnati Zoo is disturbing when realizing the international respect for them. What next, closing the zoo? Realizing the zoo was attacked by wealthy oil men is enough to be concerned for the destination of the zoo should anything happen to the public. Perhaps if the zoo hadn't been attacked the outcome here might be different, too. I consider the closing of the website detrimental to the zoo and it's patrons. There is liability here and I do believe unlawful behavior. I think it needs to be rooted out and ended. There is too much as stake including a world class zoo in the USA.

Anoxia in a mountain top mission at 10,000 feet is impossible to avoid.

Soldiers can be equipped with oxygen tanks, but, there is no reassurances the tanks will stay intact with bullets and hand grenades flying around. There is a chance that once a hand grenade would blow up an oxygen tank it would explode and not leak. That might be true with bullets as well. Now steel bullets might inhibit an explosion, but, that is not a guarantee.

The best decision in regard to these encampments is to bomb the hell out of them. End of discussion.
I don't think I understand why there is a question about a Medal of Honor. If the Air Force Secretary can see the devotion to his unit then there is no question. Certainly there is no doubt when another man walks away from his unit not once, but, several time into the clutches of the Taliban only to have his own television program. Give me a break. Sergeant Chapman is an American to it's highest regard. He saved the lives of others and served his country by doing so.


August 27, 2016
By Sean D. Naylor and Christopher Drew

...Now, (click here) more than 14 years after that brutal fight, in which seven Americans ultimately died, the Air Force says that Chief Slabinski was wrong — and that Sergeant Chapman not only was alive, but also fought on alone for more than an hour after the SEALs had retreated. The Air Force secretary is pushing for a Medal of Honor, the military’s highest award, after new technology used in an examination of videos from aircraft flying overhead helped officials conclude that the sergeant had killed two fighters with Al Qaeda — one in hand-to-hand combat — before dying in an attempt to protect arriving reinforcements....

He died on a foreign mountain top without a second thought as to his responsibility. That is a devotion to his country no one can deny was uniquely heroic.

The Air Force and "Six" can say what they want about Chief Slabinski, but, I have a few things to say, too. The expedition was impossible for Americans not trained at high altitude. The al Qaeda fighters had an advantage, their genes prepared them for high altitude.


...Chief Slabinski’s team was ordered to establish an observation post on top of the mountain, Takur Ghar, during Operation Anaconda, an effort to encircle and destroy Qaeda forces in the Shah-i-Kot Valley in easternAfghanistan, about 25 miles from Pakistan. The battle occurred less than three months after bin Laden had escaped at Tora Bora, and American commanders still hoped to capture or kill senior Qaeda leaders....


The oxygen content at sea level is 21 percent or close to it. (click here) We know from such events as the Mexico City Olympics that people born and raised at higher altitude have an athletic advantage.


A mile up in altitude is 5280 feet. Mexico City is 7,382 feet above sea level. Takur Ghar is 10,469 feet. That is nine feet over 2 miles high in altitude.


Oxygen at high altitude (click here).

"Six" was struggling not only with cold, but, also with an effective oxygen content of 14.3 percent. By all rights that alone would eventually cause the death of those not genetically predisposed to prolonged oxygen deprivation. Now considering the temperature the air would be slightly more concentrated as cold air condenses somewhat. But, "Six" was operating at approximately 68.4 percent of normal oxygen content. That is extreme and it is a high category exposure to oxygen content.


Chief Slabinski may tell a tale today that he can remember, but, his judgement was impaired at the time he made it. There is no way Chief Slabinski can be correctly judged by the USA higher command or his peers. He is faultless in leaving Sergeant Chapman behind in saving the lives within his unit. It is far easier to pass judgement on Chief Slabinski at sea level than would occur at more than 10,000 feet elevation.


It was a very dangerous mission and one that compromised "Six" metabolically as well. The only reason I can fathom for a decision to have taken this long to recognize a Metal of Honor for the sergeant is the fact they didn't capture or kill bin Laden. 


(Tora Bora is a very controversial incident. But, if I remember correctly there were men that heard bin Laden over a radio and asked for back up. The failure in this mission does not belong to the soldiers or their hierarchy, it belongs Donald Rumsfeld. If one unit was compromised to carry out a mission, then every other mission would be similarly compromised under the leadership at that time. Daisy cutters. We are lucky the soldiers came back and not killed in friendly fire.)


Sergeant Chapman is most deserving of the Metal of Honor. He never declined a dangerous mission and was determined to see it though to the end. There is nothing more that can be asked of an airman. He is an extraordinary hero by every measure as is his unit.