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| Middle East |
| Israeli Troops Battle Giant Rats (no, for real) |
| 2003-12-31 |
| Israeli soldiers stationed in the tense West Bank city of Hebron have recently been battling an enemy they define as more scary then Palestinian militants: enormous rats. I repeat, not "(demo)’Rats) The rats, lured by In Vietnam, the rats were so big we took potshots at them with our .45s. They just gave us their evil, taunting rat-laugh and threw the bullets back at us, so we got out the M-79s and LAWS. That way, we could shut them up with just a few solid hits, usually no more than 3 or 4. The powers that be frowned on this sort of thing, but it helped pass the time. The rodents have grown so large that soldiers are calling them the Hebrew equivalent of "crats" due to their increasing similarity to the Only if you’re a strong young guy with a rifle, rather than a kid or an old lady on a bus. Hebron is divided into Palestinian and Israeli-controlled zones. Israeli soldiers guard the Jewish enclaves, where about 450 settlers live, surrounded by 130,000 Palestinians. Friction between the two communities is frequent. Hebron Mayor Mustafa Natche said garbage sometimes piles up in the Israeli-controlled area of the city for several days before Palestinian garbage collectors receive permission from the army to enter and clear it away. "This is, of course, affecting the health of Israelis and Palestinians living in the area," Natche said. "So does bombing and sniping, but that is a religious obligation," he continued. |
| Posted by:Atomic Conspiracy |
| #6 OP -- while driving home from the parents' on Christmas Eve, I saw a raccoon poking his head out of a storm drain. He turned to follow me as I passed, so he was definitely alive. They don't exactly live in the middle of the city, but I think it gives a clue as to where possums and raccoons are hanging out in a city. (Next, of course, come the infamous sewer coyotes...) |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2003-12-31 3:52:47 PM |
| #5 We've seen "Willard", now if we could just upgrade to "Ben".. Giant rats _serving_ the US forces in the Middle East, spying upon and attacking the Islamoloonies for us. Hey, OP.. I see you live in the Springs. I used to call that home, and live only 200 miles away these days. Perhaps we might schedule a get-together sometime? Ed. |
| Posted by: Ed Becerra 2003-12-31 2:21:33 PM |
| #4 "No, Willard, no! Noooooo!" |
| Posted by: Mike 2003-12-31 12:31:07 PM |
| #3 I've got a nice tomcat I'll let them borrow. Leo is a mixed breed, looks like a Russian Blue, and weighs in at about 25 pounds. He killed and dragged home a possum the week before Christmas. What a possum was doing in the center of Colorado Springs is beyond me. The next-door neighbor had a real problem with raccoons until recently. Leo came home with a gashed ear and the tail of a raccoon back in September, and the raccoon problem seems to have disappeared. I don't know of any rat that would stand up to him. The only problem is, rats tend to pack up, while cats hunt individually. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-12-31 11:03:49 AM |
| #2 The public sanitation in the town must be breaking down for such a problem to occur. No a good sign. |
| Posted by: Bernardz 2003-12-31 11:01:34 AM |
| #1 In Chicago, we call them "superates." Had a big problem w/them in the 70s and 80s. |
| Posted by: Anonymous2U 2003-12-31 3:00:21 AM |