Egypt took preemptive measures as President Hosni Mubarak ordered the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of pigs. Such an action says so much about the incompetence of the Mubarack regime. Scientists state that there is no evidence that pigs, at least all pigs, are spreading the flu. As if swine just mutates in any pig and the government has to destroy the property of farmers to prevent an outbreak. Those Egyptian pigs were fine. No other government has taken such action.

The United States, a pork consuming nation, has far more pigs than 90% Muslim Egypt. The Mubarack regimes knows only policies grounded in ignorance. Given that the Mubarak regime has no monopoly on stupid ideas on behalf of Arab governments, it is a good thing that almost all other Arab nations lack pigs lest more private property would have been destroyed most likely without just compensation.

The Lebanese have also taken preemptive measures. A minister in the country has advised the people to suspend momentarily with the customary greeting kiss. A lot more thoughtful than destroying pigs. Until recently, Israel was the only country with swine flu. Now it is joined by the tiny, Persian Gulf, island nation of Bahrain.

Bahraini health officials reported the Gulf island’s first suspected case of Swine flu Thursday after an American traveling via Bahrain International Airport was discovered with high fever. The 40-year-old man - who was reportedly traveling from Florida, and transited in Frankfurt, Germany - was discovered as he was passing through the airport’s thermal cameras.

Bahrain is geographically isolated and home to a population numbering less than a million. It is rather surprising that of all Gulf nations it would be the first to report swine flue, particularly when one considers the international traffic moving into Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar.