Merritt Scott (Rusty) Miller

FELINA:   Well, Sam, now what are we going to do?
SAM:   In regards to specifically what?
FELINA:  America is going to war against Iraq.
SAM:   And Canada’s not.
FELINA:   We have humans in both countries we care about, darling.
SAM:   And we’ve been doing some sharing, Ma’am. Sounds like that time’s over. At least for awhile.
FELINA:   Or perhaps just begun?
SAM:   Felina, sometimes I think you forget you’re a cougar.
FELINA:   And sometimes I think you forget why we’re able to communicate with humans.
SAM:   I’ve often wondered about that. And I’ve never particularly enjoyed the privilege.
FELINA:   More’s the pity, then, eh, because you are rather flippin’ good at it, then aren’t you now, mate mine?
SAM:   Steady on, Lass. I’m not the only snarl in this den. Might just be time these humans with whom we allegedly communicate hear from you. Now then, eh? And with all due respect, ma’am.
FELINA:    I don’t understand this, Sam. I thought the States was about unity and cooperation. Unless I’m very much mistaken – and I truly hope I am – America just said that the United Nations and NATO don’t matter. That doesn’t sound to me like they want a democratic global human community. They want to rule the planet.
SAM:   That would be my take on it, Felina.
FELINA:   That is absolutely -- Sam, that’s not what --   Is this what the Creator --
SAM:   ( For the sake of the readership, she went on at some length and in language not truly appropriate this medium. And when she finally got the most of it out of her system, she gazed at me with sadness I’ve never seen before to this degree and for which I hold humans responsible and murmured: )
FELINA:   It’s going to be a very sad time for them, isn’t it, Sam?
SAM:   Yes, Ma’am.
FELINA:    Perhaps we should think about moving a little further north, then?
SAM:   Right now?
FELINA:   Before the sadness comes to our valley below.
SAM:   You’re sounding a little homesick, Felina.
FELINA:   For a land which has not engendered such incredible animosity, perhaps.
SAM:   And humans who might not make your caring for them so costly, Ma’am?
FELINA:    That would be nice, yes.
SAM:   As much as you care about American humans?
FELINA:    As much as I care about HUMANS, Sam.
SAM:   Canada could still get drawn into this, Felina.
FELINA:   Then at least we will be on the right side of the fight this time, Sam.
SAM:   And on that gentle note, and until next time, take care, stay well and may the Creator bless.

Previous Cougars...

ST. PATRICK’S DAY INTERVIEW WITH A LEPRECHAUN

FELINA:    Well, Dear, who’s your little friend?
SEAMUS:    Seamus Amos McSween, Esquire, Lass. At your pleasure and with a doff of the derby, then, eh?
SAM:   He’s a Leprechaun.
FELINA:    Thank you, Dear. I can see that. And a rather handsome one, if I may say.
SEAMUS:    You may, indeed, Lass. And be as flattered in the giving as I am in the receiving.
SAM:   I found him stumbling around in the woods near that still our shamrock humans down below have been hiding from Elliott Ness for the last seventy years or so.
SEAMUS:   And with good reason, Lad. If I do say so myself. I am a bit the expert in fine Irish whiskey now.
SAM:   So I noticed. You also got a real rapport with shamrocks and address ‘em on all levels.
SEAMUS:   For the Wee Ones, the shamrock is the staff of life, Sir.
SAM:   And the source of some trouble to the bigger humans you’ve inspired and bedeviled down the years, then, eh, Sir Seamus?
SEAMUS:    Ah, Lad, and isn’t that the truth, then eh? The sad and sorry truth.
SAM:   To quote the song --
FELINA:    “They’re killin’ even children for the wearin’ of the green.”
SAM:   And on or about St. Patrick’s Day, in a high mountain meadow in the Pacific Northwest, a long way from Ireland and talking to a bunch of clover, you and I meet. Darn lucky for you the Churchill Bar Kipling Ranch wasn’t running an early spring herd or you’d be souring milk at the Kelowna Inn and Arms.
FELINA:   Thank you, Dear. Seamus, if I may call you that?
SEAMUS:    With a voice as sweet as yours, darlin’ --
SAM:   Excuse me, elf?
FELINA:    Samuel.
SEAMUS:   As I was sayin’, then, with a voice as --
SAM:   We heard that part already.
FELINA: Sam!
SAM:   Then cut to the flippin’ chase. With all due respect. Ma’am.
FELINA:    My mate does have a point, Seamus. We are limited to time and space. So what brings you to our home?
SEAMUS:   The warmth of your hearth. And I understand that you communicate with the Biggers?
FELINA:   Upon occasion, yes.
SAM:   And mostly with some reluctance.
FELINA:   Thank you, Dear.
SAM:   You’re wel --
FELINA:   -- and if this were such an occasion, what would you tell them THIS Saint Patrick’s Day, Seamus Amos McSween?
SEAMUS:   I would say celebrate peace in Ireland, for it has come at last and in a way we could never have predicted.
SAM:   Against the backdrop of a globe at war, kind’ve makes your Troubles a fourth or fifth page headline, now doesn’t it?
SEAMUS:    Now that the Brit’s attention is directed elsewhere, aye, Lad.
SAM:   And all you had to do was fight for five hundred years or so and through two other global wars and the rise and fall of a few colonial empires.
FELINA:     We would say that Ireland’s time has surely come, Seamus.
SAM:   It’s been way too long gettin’ here, Leprechaun.
SEAMUS:    It has indeed, Cougar.
FELINA:    And on that gentle note, Dear Readers, until next time, take care, stay well and may the Creator bless.

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COUGARS' CORNER

MARTIN LUTHER KING

FELINA:   The post just arrived. That video we ordered is here.
SAM:   That one from that outfit with the quarrelling rodents?
FELINA:  The one we ordered for the holiday we’re celebrating.
SAM:   Gotcha.
FELINA:  Dear, for the benefit of our readers who were not invited to watch with us?
SAM:   The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior, ma’am.
FELINA:   By your tone of voice, one might infer a human of some distinction?
SAM:   A human worthy of the trust invested by so many in him.
FELINA:   And of the honours accorded him?
SAM:   Some worthy.
FELINA:   And of his end?
SAM:   No more deserved than what happened to them little girls in that Dixie Church. Or them Freedom Riders they found in that earthen dam.
FELINA:   It was an incredibly intense time for them.
SAM:   With all due respect, ma’am, and mostly unknown to any as ever lived north of the Boundary.
FELINA:    Understood, Dear. Americans seem to have paid an incredible price for their freedom.
SAM:   Some sure have.
FELINA: But not all?
SAM:   No, ma’am. Not all. Not as much.
FELINA:   That almost suggests there might not be yet a “typical” American.
SAM:   Equality being the deciding factor? Being treated the same by the government and by each other? No, ma’am. Not yet.
FELINA:   His dream was so incredible. And so eloquent. I remember at the time it seemed to be a call to all human beings on the planet to strike, peaceably, for their place in the sun. He inspired so many, Sam. He’s been missed in the True North, as well. Now, Dear, may I ask you a question?
SAM:   Shoot. And pardon the pun.
FELINA:   Is human history really better for him or is he just another reminder of the folly of their creation?
SAM:   Ask Colin Powell, ma’am. As this land of many Americans prepares to sacrifice a few more of them for global peace.
FELINA:   And on that rather unsettling note…
SAM:   Until next time, then.
FELINA:    And for the record, Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior certainly did not live in vain, nor did he die for nothing.
SAM:   Whenever and wherever a single human being dreams of his or her place in the Creator’s world, Dr. King’s pitching the case.
FELINA:   So we join all our human friends on this day in praying for a time when Dr. King can free himself to preach to angels. As a reward for helping make a Heaven of Earth.
SAM:   Amen, ma’am.
FELINA: Until next time, then, eh?

COUGARS' CORNER

FOUR PLUS EIGHT

FELINA:     Well, I sure hope we don’t have to do that again for awhile.
SAM:   Uncle Sam keeps rattlin’ his saber, Felina, and Ottawa holds the scabbard, we’re going to be a lot busier. Remind me how we got into this again.
FELINA: I told you I thought we should attend the funerals of those brave Canadian lads killed by those unfortunate American airmen.
SAM:   And I let you talk me into going along.
FELINA:     Essentially, yes, Dear. You knew I would be sad and you did not want me to feel that way alone.
SAM:   You talked me into it.
FELINA:     Yes, Dear, I did. Are you sorry you came along?
SAM:   Of course not. I mean, it’s not like it was a diplomatic mission or anything.
FELINA:   You sound angry, Sam.
SAM:   You got good ears, Felina.
FELINA: And this is where I ask you what has incensed you so.
SAM:   Sounds like.
FELINA:   So why, Dearest, do I see lightning in your emerald amber eyes? And by the way, what does the expression “Killed By Friendly Fire” mean?
SAM:   Killed By Friendly Fire is military lingo for “ooops.” It means good guys accidentally killed other good guys.
FELINA: And I assume that sometimes happens in war?
SAM:   Yes, Felina. Sometimes. More often than others.
FELINA:    Dear, please. Just come out with it.
SAM:   Ma’am, those Maple Leaf soldiers killed and injured were done in by a drug, methamphetamine. I...
FELINA: Is that the “speed” we’ve heard so much about in the American Northwest?
SAM:   Yes, Ma’am.
FELINA:    And these American pilots were on that drug?
SAM:   Yep.
FELINA: That’s horrible. I imagine their wing commander must be furious with them.
SAM:   Felina, that drug is military issue. They’re in trouble if they don’t use it.
FELINA:    Oh.
SAM:   I’m sorry.
FELINA:   That’s just …
SAM:    Felina…
FELINA: I heard you. Just give me a moment.
SAM:   Take as long as you need, darling.
FELINA: So our four soldiers were killed by American pilots using this horrible drug which is illegal in both Canada and the United States? And all the pilots are required to use this narcotic?
SAM:   The ones in the American Air Force, yes, Ma’am. But not the Navy or any of the others. That we know of.
FELINA:    This is simply not cricket. Not by any bloody interpretation of the game, then, eh?
SAM:   It happens, Felina.
FELINA:    Not to US it does. I may be militarily naïve but our lads do not need to be administered a raging flipping bloody narcotic to inspire them to duty to Queen and Country. I cannot imagine Military Roads tolerating this an instant longer than necessary.
SAM:   So if you could address the Maple Leaf brass hats, what would you say to them?
FELINA: I would tell them that if Canada must engage in combined operations with the United States, it must never again include their Air Force.
SAM:   Might be a tall order to fill.
FELINA:   For some, perhaps. But not for the Maple Leaf.
SAM:   And on that gentle note, dear readers…
FELINA: Thanks for dropping by and until next time, then, take care, stay well and may the Creator bless and keep you.



					Cougars' Corner by Merritt Scott (Rusty) Miller

	AMERICA DECLARES WAR ON IRAQ Rusty Miller Readers' Forum Click Here!
	FELINA: Well, Sam, now what are we going to do? SAM: In regards to specifically what? FELINA: America is going to war against Iraq. SAM: And Canada’s not. FELINA: We have humans in both countries we care about, darling. SAM: And we’ve been doing some sharing, Ma’am. Sounds like that time’s over. At least for awhile. FELINA: Or perhaps just begun? SAM: Felina, sometimes I think you forget you’re a cougar. FELINA: And sometimes I think you forget why we’re able to communicate with humans. SAM: I’ve often wondered about that. And I’ve never particularly enjoyed the privilege. FELINA: More’s the pity, then, eh, because you are rather flippin’ good at it, then aren’t you now, mate mine? SAM: Steady on, Lass. I’m not the only snarl in this den. Might just be time these humans with whom we allegedly communicate hear from you. Now then, eh? And with all due respect, ma’am. FELINA: I don’t understand this, Sam. I thought the States was about unity and cooperation. Unless I’m very much mistaken – and I truly hope I am – America just said that the United Nations and NATO don’t matter. That doesn’t sound to me like they want a democratic global human community. They want to rule the planet. SAM: That would be my take on it, Felina. FELINA: That is absolutely -- Sam, that’s not what -- Is this what the Creator -- SAM: ( For the sake of the readership, she went on at some length and in language not truly appropriate this medium. And when she finally got the most of it out of her system, she gazed at me with sadness I’ve never seen before to this degree and for which I hold humans responsible and murmured: ) FELINA: It’s going to be a very sad time for them, isn’t it, Sam? SAM: Yes, Ma’am. FELINA: Perhaps we should think about moving a little further north, then? SAM: Right now? FELINA: Before the sadness comes to our valley below. SAM: You’re sounding a little homesick, Felina. FELINA: For a land which has not engendered such incredible animosity, perhaps. SAM: And humans who might not make your caring for them so costly, Ma’am? FELINA: That would be nice, yes. SAM: As much as you care about American humans? FELINA: As much as I care about HUMANS, Sam. SAM: Canada could still get drawn into this, Felina. FELINA: Then at least we will be on the right side of the fight this time, Sam. SAM: And on that gentle note, and until next time, take care, stay well and may the Creator bless. Previous Cougars... ST. PATRICK’S DAY INTERVIEW WITH A LEPRECHAUN FELINA: Well, Dear, who’s your little friend? SEAMUS: Seamus Amos McSween, Esquire, Lass. At your pleasure and with a doff of the derby, then, eh? SAM: He’s a Leprechaun. FELINA: Thank you, Dear. I can see that. And a rather handsome one, if I may say. SEAMUS: You may, indeed, Lass. And be as flattered in the giving as I am in the receiving. SAM: I found him stumbling around in the woods near that still our shamrock humans down below have been hiding from Elliott Ness for the last seventy years or so. SEAMUS: And with good reason, Lad. If I do say so myself. I am a bit the expert in fine Irish whiskey now. SAM: So I noticed. You also got a real rapport with shamrocks and address ‘em on all levels. SEAMUS: For the Wee Ones, the shamrock is the staff of life, Sir. SAM: And the source of some trouble to the bigger humans you’ve inspired and bedeviled down the years, then, eh, Sir Seamus? SEAMUS: Ah, Lad, and isn’t that the truth, then eh? The sad and sorry truth. SAM: To quote the song -- FELINA: “They’re killin’ even children for the wearin’ of the green.” SAM: And on or about St. Patrick’s Day, in a high mountain meadow in the Pacific Northwest, a long way from Ireland and talking to a bunch of clover, you and I meet. Darn lucky for you the Churchill Bar Kipling Ranch wasn’t running an early spring herd or you’d be souring milk at the Kelowna Inn and Arms. FELINA: Thank you, Dear. Seamus, if I may call you that? SEAMUS: With a voice as sweet as yours, darlin’ -- SAM: Excuse me, elf? FELINA: Samuel. SEAMUS: As I was sayin’, then, with a voice as -- SAM: We heard that part already. FELINA: Sam! SAM: Then cut to the flippin’ chase. With all due respect. Ma’am. FELINA: My mate does have a point, Seamus. We are limited to time and space. So what brings you to our home? SEAMUS: The warmth of your hearth. And I understand that you communicate with the Biggers? FELINA: Upon occasion, yes. SAM: And mostly with some reluctance. FELINA: Thank you, Dear. SAM: You’re wel -- FELINA: -- and if this were such an occasion, what would you tell them THIS Saint Patrick’s Day, Seamus Amos McSween? SEAMUS: I would say celebrate peace in Ireland, for it has come at last and in a way we could never have predicted. SAM: Against the backdrop of a globe at war, kind’ve makes your Troubles a fourth or fifth page headline, now doesn’t it? SEAMUS: Now that the Brit’s attention is directed elsewhere, aye, Lad. SAM: And all you had to do was fight for five hundred years or so and through two other global wars and the rise and fall of a few colonial empires. FELINA: We would say that Ireland’s time has surely come, Seamus. SAM: It’s been way too long gettin’ here, Leprechaun. SEAMUS: It has indeed, Cougar. FELINA: And on that gentle note, Dear Readers, until next time, take care, stay well and may the Creator bless. Rusty Miller Readers' Forum Click Here! COUGARS' CORNER MARTIN LUTHER KING FELINA: The post just arrived. That video we ordered is here. SAM: That one from that outfit with the quarrelling rodents? FELINA: The one we ordered for the holiday we’re celebrating. SAM: Gotcha. FELINA: Dear, for the benefit of our readers who were not invited to watch with us? SAM: The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior, ma’am. FELINA: By your tone of voice, one might infer a human of some distinction? SAM: A human worthy of the trust invested by so many in him. FELINA: And of the honours accorded him? SAM: Some worthy. FELINA: And of his end? SAM: No more deserved than what happened to them little girls in that Dixie Church. Or them Freedom Riders they found in that earthen dam. FELINA: It was an incredibly intense time for them. SAM: With all due respect, ma’am, and mostly unknown to any as ever lived north of the Boundary. FELINA: Understood, Dear. Americans seem to have paid an incredible price for their freedom. SAM: Some sure have. FELINA: But not all? SAM: No, ma’am. Not all. Not as much. FELINA: That almost suggests there might not be yet a “typical” American. SAM: Equality being the deciding factor? Being treated the same by the government and by each other? No, ma’am. Not yet. FELINA: His dream was so incredible. And so eloquent. I remember at the time it seemed to be a call to all human beings on the planet to strike, peaceably, for their place in the sun. He inspired so many, Sam. He’s been missed in the True North, as well. Now, Dear, may I ask you a question? SAM: Shoot. And pardon the pun. FELINA: Is human history really better for him or is he just another reminder of the folly of their creation? SAM: Ask Colin Powell, ma’am. As this land of many Americans prepares to sacrifice a few more of them for global peace. FELINA: And on that rather unsettling note… SAM: Until next time, then. FELINA: And for the record, Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior certainly did not live in vain, nor did he die for nothing. SAM: Whenever and wherever a single human being dreams of his or her place in the Creator’s world, Dr. King’s pitching the case. FELINA: So we join all our human friends on this day in praying for a time when Dr. King can free himself to preach to angels. As a reward for helping make a Heaven of Earth. SAM: Amen, ma’am. FELINA: Until next time, then, eh? COUGARS' CORNER FOUR PLUS EIGHT FELINA: Well, I sure hope we don’t have to do that again for awhile. SAM: Uncle Sam keeps rattlin’ his saber, Felina, and Ottawa holds the scabbard, we’re going to be a lot busier. Remind me how we got into this again. FELINA: I told you I thought we should attend the funerals of those brave Canadian lads killed by those unfortunate American airmen. SAM: And I let you talk me into going along. FELINA: Essentially, yes, Dear. You knew I would be sad and you did not want me to feel that way alone. SAM: You talked me into it. FELINA: Yes, Dear, I did. Are you sorry you came along? SAM: Of course not. I mean, it’s not like it was a diplomatic mission or anything. FELINA: You sound angry, Sam. SAM: You got good ears, Felina. FELINA: And this is where I ask you what has incensed you so. SAM: Sounds like. FELINA: So why, Dearest, do I see lightning in your emerald amber eyes? And by the way, what does the expression “Killed By Friendly Fire” mean? SAM: Killed By Friendly Fire is military lingo for “ooops.” It means good guys accidentally killed other good guys. FELINA: And I assume that sometimes happens in war? SAM: Yes, Felina. Sometimes. More often than others. FELINA: Dear, please. Just come out with it. SAM: Ma’am, those Maple Leaf soldiers killed and injured were done in by a drug, methamphetamine. I... FELINA: Is that the “speed” we’ve heard so much about in the American Northwest? SAM: Yes, Ma’am. FELINA: And these American pilots were on that drug? SAM: Yep. FELINA: That’s horrible. I imagine their wing commander must be furious with them. SAM: Felina, that drug is military issue. They’re in trouble if they don’t use it. FELINA: Oh. SAM: I’m sorry. FELINA: That’s just … SAM: Felina… FELINA: I heard you. Just give me a moment. SAM: Take as long as you need, darling. FELINA: So our four soldiers were killed by American pilots using this horrible drug which is illegal in both Canada and the United States? And all the pilots are required to use this narcotic? SAM: The ones in the American Air Force, yes, Ma’am. But not the Navy or any of the others. That we know of. FELINA: This is simply not cricket. Not by any bloody interpretation of the game, then, eh? SAM: It happens, Felina. FELINA: Not to US it does. I may be militarily naïve but our lads do not need to be administered a raging flipping bloody narcotic to inspire them to duty to Queen and Country. I cannot imagine Military Roads tolerating this an instant longer than necessary. SAM: So if you could address the Maple Leaf brass hats, what would you say to them? FELINA: I would tell them that if Canada must engage in combined operations with the United States, it must never again include their Air Force. SAM: Might be a tall order to fill. FELINA: For some, perhaps. But not for the Maple Leaf. SAM: And on that gentle note, dear readers… FELINA: Thanks for dropping by and until next time, then, take care, stay well and may the Creator bless and keep you. © Merritt Scott (Rusty) Miller, 2003 Rusty Miller Readers' Forum Click Here!
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