Coincidence Or Bad Omen?

Lately, there have been a great deal of odd mass animal deaths around the world, which has led to much speculation about the cause and whether or not it could be somehow associated to the 2012 phenomenon. Scientists have linked a number of the mass bird deaths to the unusually cold weather and/or upper level hail. And that makes sense. But, what has shocked me is that it's not just fish and birds that are dying off mysteriously.

Over the weekend, 200 cows in Wisconsin were found dead in a field. Though this particular event could have been linked to a virus, it's a little disturbing that all of these mass deaths are happening so close together and in a variety of different species. I mean, there have been reports of crabs, blackbirds, buffalo, seals, penguins, bats and all different kinds of fish found dead in masses all over the world. Granted, it could be a mere coincidence, I have found it greatly unsettling to just accept that.

While I'm not big on conspiracy theories and have not bought into the fact that Dec. 21, 2012, will mark the end of the world, I've found it difficult to simply believe that these mass death trends are "natural" and "normal." And that's when I started thinking back to the episode of "Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura" where the former governor of Minnesota went on a mission to learn more about the 2012 fiasco. Evidently, he found people who were building underground condos in order to survive the apocalypse. Not only that, but he discovered a so-called government bomb shelter that was being built so that prominent government officials would survive as well.

While I admit to rolling my eyes at some of the crazy things depicted in that particular episode, the fact that this is all happening now makes me wonder if the government has more involvement in the 2012 conspiracy theory than what they're leading the public to believe. That being said, it wouldn't surprise me if extra attention is being paid to these animal deaths in order to instill fear in the population.

There is also reason to chalk the hype up to media coverage, as well. As scientists have speculated, this kind of thing happens all the time, but rarely garners this much attention. In all actuality, those who believe that the world will come to an end next year are likely the ones who are provoking all of the hype surrounding this so-called "Aflockalypse."
As such, I am still greatly resistant to jumping on the "End of the World" bandwagon. If it happens, so be it. And if these mass animal deaths are a sign of a forthcoming doomsday, there's really not a whole lot we can do to stop it. But, I will definitely be making plans for New Year's Eve 2012. However, if the Bears make it to and win the Super Bowl, that right there would be a sure sign that the apocalypse is near.

Jennie Oemig
Staff Writer
Trempealeau County Times