foiled again

I'll easily admit one of my main reasons for leaving my beloved prairie homeland was to escape rednecks. I soon learned the redneck character comes in all shapes, sizes, colours, religions and cultures. Since early on in my time here, I have seen boys aged about 14-17 riding their quads along the gulf road, doing wheelies, roaring the engines...very similar to what the boys in rural SK would be doing, except the Sask kids would be disturbing few people and not putting others in danger.

If you are up on Middle East politics, you will know there are currently elections going on here. Last night in celebration of something regarding the election, gunfire began at 3:30am. That's right, shoot your rifles in the air in celebration of elections. Rednecks, I say, rednecks. I suppose waking up to celebratory gunfire is preferable to conflict induced gunfire, though I would have been glad to have the extra hour of sleep and wake to my alarm. So now I am tired.

The gunfire is an odd phenomenon. A month or so ago, following wedding celebrations, men were shooting off rifles and as bullets travel upwards also they must fall. One bullet hit and killed a young girl. But why stop shooting guns and making a racket a putting people in danger? It's fun. I guess I'm a little bit grumpy from being waken.

A comment on the elections- one of my colleagues who is Kuwaiti and and attended American schools here, went to college in the USA, and returned to teach here, said she is not voting as she hates all the candidates. "We're Arabs, we're not good at democracy. We're used to being ruled and trust the ruling family. The ministers are a waste of time." Wonder what Mr. Bush would think of that?

And those are my thoughts for today. I am mostly amused, but in my special sarcastic, eye rolling way.