Choke the Chicken

You’ve probably read by now that the Marine Corps 1st Division in Kuwait is using live chickens as decidedly low tech warning lights for Iraqi chemical weapons. You might not have read that the chickens are dying — from eating too much sand. Not too bright, those domestic fowl.

No reason to fret, though. Those resourceful leathernecks have come up with a slightly higher tech replacement:

With most of their two footed “chemical attack detectors” gone, the marines looked around for a replacement. And found one, a critter nearly as clueless (at least in a combat zone) as chickens. It seems that many, if not most, of the hundreds of journalists assigned to combat units can’t be bothered with carrying around their chemical warfare equipment. So many [marines] plan to use the journalists (at least the ones who refuse to take their chemical protection gear with them) as chicken replacements.

Not too bright, those domestic foul.