Peanut the Squirrel

The entire nation seems to be captivated by the demise of Peanut (or P’Nut), a pet squirrel who had been taken in by Mark Longo and his wife, Daniela, when Longo found the squirrel after witnessing its mother being killed by a car. Peanut became an internet sensation because of the posts Longo shared on various social media outlets, and he was also the center of the Longo’s animal rescue organization, P’Nuts Freedom Farm.

In an interview with TMZ, Longo reports that 10-12 agents showed up at their home with a search warrent requested by four different agencies and signed by a judge – all in the pursuit of a pet squirrel. Apparently, someone had complained that Longo was keeping “wild” animals (again, we’re talking about a squirrel here) in his home without a license, as is required by law. Longo says he was kept outside his home for five hours and, when he needed to use the bathroom, a police officer escorted him to his own bathroom. They interrogated his wife about her immigration status (all of a sudden, our government cares about a person’s immigration status?). They took Peanut the squirrel and a pet racoon named Fred and euthenized both under the pretext that Peanut had bitten one of the agents during the raid and there was no proof the squirrel did not have rabies, so it needed to be tested – except that Peanut had bitten Longo several times over the seven years he lived with the Longos and Longo suffered no consequences. Longo says he does not know who made the complaint, or why the state and federal government took such extreme measures in pursuit of a squirrel.

Our government must be the laughingstock of the world! May I remind you that over 8 million illegal immigrants have entered our country under the Biden administration’s open door policy, including 1.7 million gotaways – meaning they were able to avoid border patrol and are now in the United States. The House Oversite Committee reports that over 35,000 illegal immigrants with criminal convictions were apprehended at the southern border in FY2023 alone. How many more are among the 1.7 million gotaways who are now living in the United States? Too many of these illegal immigrants have committed crimes in the U. S., including violent crimes.

May I remind you that there have been over 400 attacks on Catholic churches since Roe v Wade was overturned, and only four people have been prosecuted for the same church attack. May I remind you that nearly 100 pro-life pregnancy centers have been attacked during the same time frame and there have been no prosecutions at all.

May I remind you that crime in many of the major cities of our country, including New York City, has increased to levels even the FBI, Biden, and the legacy media cannot manage to cover up, despite their trying.

May I remind you that over 50,000 lbs of fentanyl has entered the U. S. during the Biden administration, and that overdose deaths rose from fewer than 70,000 a year in 2019 to over 110,000 in 2023 (by comparison, the U. S. lost 58,220 in Vietnam). Oh, but I have good news on that front. Overdoses have declined about 10% between April 2023 and April 2024. Now, I’m not dismissing this good news. But why have overdose deaths dropped? According to an article by NPR, most experts say it’s a mystery. But consider the testimony of one Kevin Donaldson, an admitted drug user who lives on the streets of Burlington, VT. The article writes, “According to Donaldson, many people using fentanyl now carry naloxone, a medication that reverses most opioid overdoses. He said his friends also use street drugs with others nearby, ready to offer aid and support when overdoses occur.” So, Donaldson and his friends haven’t stopped using drugs. They simply now have access to naloxone so, when they do overdose, their friends can give them a shot of narcan to override the death-threatening drug. I suppose this represents a victory – of sorts.

Yet, in the midst of all these troubles, we can take comfort and feel secure that our state and federal governments are hard at work protecting us from the ravages of pet squirrels. Reports that the state and federal agencies were actually searching the Longo’s residence because Mark and Daniela were regular contributors to OnlyFans doesn’t change the fact that this represents an extreme level of cluelessness regarding government priorities and the use of taxpayer money. I’m no fan of pornography. I think it’s an epidemic that is ravaging the minds of men young and old. But, still. Ten or more agents and a five hour home search, plus the euthanization of two beloved pets, because an adult couple were making adult films for adults, an activity that is 100% legal in this country?

Is it any wonder that the Trump campaign has jumped on this matter, and rightly so, as an example of government waste and lost mission? I’m sure many will say that Trump and the Republicans wouldn’t do any better. But to me, this is endemic of the Democrat’s pattern of wanting to manage every part and parcel of citizen’s lives. Dems want a government that is in total control and everywhere, because they think that government is the solution to all problems, big or small (or, apparently, tiny). I’m dismayed that we’ve gotten to this point, where our government agencies are so concerned about the private lives of citizens that the only action they could come up with was an explosive response to what amounted to no problem at all.

I pray for my country.

Be Christ for all. Bring Christ to all. See Christ in all.