Posted by
beltway girl on Saturday, August 30, 2008 1:18:25 AM
Dogtown. A place where dogs were brought to lick their physical and emotional wounds. Little animals subject to tremendous abuse at the hands of the curiously interested Michael Vick. Michael Vick, himself a perverse and bizarre type of victim of his times. Had it been a hundred years or so ago down south, he would have attracted people to his theater of the uncaring, completely unacceptable, and arguably insane. As it is, though, he was skewered and his career went down in flames.
Dogs in our culture are loved. They are revered. They are cherished.
But imagine a different world.
Imagine a world where dogs are not really considered... human! Imagine a world where dogs are considered to be non-viable life forms, incapable of actual survival, in many cases, without their owners.
Imagine a viability test for dogs. Imagine the Supreme Court noting that some dogs are able to survive outside their homes, without the life-giving support of their owners. But others, well...
You know, the cut, it's gotta be made somewhere. Some of the owners, well, they just don't want their pets. Now did they choose to make their pets in the first place?
Yes, They, Did!
Right. But do they want them now?
No, They, Don't!
What if these owners are teens?
If your daughter... made a mistake. Would you want her punished...
with a puppy?
Once the pet is a pet, it is a pet. Is it possible for it to be anything else?
Well, the Supreme Court might devise a test. A horse is a course, of course, of course. But what about this problematic dog?
The statement with the horse might leave this open to a discussion about equal protection under the laws. But that aside for the moment, the Supreme Court might devise a test to see if the pet's viable. Imagine this viability test for dogs. Again, is the pet capable of survival outside the home without the support of its owner?
And is there a compelling interest on the part of the state to step in and prevent a Vick from hurting this non-viable pit bull?
You know, it's a necessary evil. Pets happen. Sometimes, owners are in a comfortable position to accept them. But sometimes not.
What if this owner has no money? What if this owner is on welfare? What if this owner is a senior, and eating dog food herself? A living testament to the Reagan legacy.
What if the pet is unwanted? What then? Can we actually force the owner to sustain the life of the pet?
Such a thing could never happen in the United States of America. Were it to happen, and someone asked you whether you could live in such a society, how would you respond?
Yes, We Can! That's Senator Obama's response.
No, We, Can't, answers Senator John McCain, and Sarah Palin seconds the nomination.
Conservatives! Welcome to Dogtown!