While we were visiting Miami for the Readers' Favorite book awards ceremony, my friend Claire Stanton Wells sent me a link to this article about Georgia Regents University and unnecessary, painful dental experiments being performed on dogs under the guise of scientific research. Quite frankly, the story got my blood boiling. It shouldn't be very difficult to guess which side I will naturally take in this controversy -- the side of the dog, of course. Otherwise, I should be forced to give back the gold medal I just received for my book Always a Next One: true stories of dog fostering. I simply cannot and will not tolerate the idea of dogs or cats being tortured or allowed to suffer needlessly, especially not here in my home state. The salient facts in the article were quite clear--dogs have been used for the purposes of experimental dental surgery, and then put to death for a piece of their jaw. For those of us dedicated to the cause of animal rescue, this needless and barbaric practice is totally unacceptable. It flies in the face of everything rescue groups stand for. Life is a precious gift, not to be squandered for frivolous reasons. These poor animals deserve better. Humane advocate Nathan Winograd has demonstrated that given time, no-kill shelters will work. Man's best friend should never put to sleep for lack of space, or the want of a good home. Only incurably sick animals, or those suffering from severe injury that cannot be healed and rehabilitated should ever be humanely euthanized. Aggressive spay-and-neuter or "SNAP" programs have … [Read more...]
Archives for November 2013
The worst sort of liberal
What is the worst sort of liberal? A person who says something really terrible, then accuses his most hated political enemy of making the offensive statement. For example, meet liberal Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen. Theoretically, he gets paid big money to express his opinions about politics, not mine. But in a recent column purportedly about Chris Christie and the Tea Party, Cohen wrote about newly-elected mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio: Today’s GOP is not racist, as Harry Belafonte alleged about the tea party, but it is deeply troubled — about the expansion of government, about immigration, about secularism, about the mainstreaming of what used to be the avant-garde. People with conventional views must repress a gag reflex when considering the mayor-elect of New York — a white man married to a black woman and with two biracial children. (Should I mention that Bill de Blasio’s wife, Chirlane McCray, used to be a lesbian?) [emphasis added] This family represents the cultural changes that have enveloped parts — but not all — of America. To cultural conservatives, this doesn’t look like their country at all. Really! What exactly constitutes a "conventional view?" For whom does Mr. Cohen claim to be speaking? The columnist suggested that he had been misunderstood by his usually reliable liberal readers when they called for him to be fired. He even had the audacity to claim that it hurt his feelings to be called a racist. Oh, cry me a river, Mr. Cohen. I believe the applicable expression for him would be hoisted with one's own … [Read more...]
A disgusting new low for Mike Luckovich
There are several reasons I refuse to subscribe to my local newspaper, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. That I would be helping pay the salary of the cowardly Mike Luckovich ranks at the very top of the list. Luckovich relentlessly bashes conservatives, especially those associated with the Tea Party. There is no balance to his world view. On those rare occasions he goes after the liberal Democrats on an issue, the kid gloves are invariably worn. Today's cartoon may be his most obnoxious and offensive ever, which is really saying something. It pictures an elephant, obviously representing Republicans, on CNN's Crossfire program. His debate opponent across the table? None other than the icon of Christianity himself, Jesus of Nazareth, to represent the Democrat perspective. The topic of debate displayed was: "Should corporate subsidies for the rich be cut instead of food stamps for the poor?" In fairness, the cartoon does inspire a fair question to ask -- what would Jesus do? Would Jesus advocate giving away "free" cell phones to able-bodied people perfectly capable of work, but too lazy? Would Jesus have given Solyndra half a billion taxpayer dollars to squander, with zero accountability and nothing to show for it? Would Jesus support politicians who seem hell-bent on bankrupting an entire nation, spending more than three dollars for every two dollars of revenue? Did Jesus say it was okay to lie in order to achieve your goals? For politicians to steal from their political opponents in order to buy votes from their constituents? Was Jesus a … [Read more...]