Classical Values :: Activists with the power to ruin lives

Activists with the power to ruin lives

From a report that Glenn Reynolds linked earlier, I read that Joe Biden bought a pedigreed German Shepherd puppy from a breeder. Not much of a story there, but what happened later illustrates something I consider a very serious (and possibly unsolvable) problem.

Because of an unstoppable movement of single-issue activist fanatics, the breeder has faced huge legal problems:

EAST COVENTRY -- It was a proud moment for Linda Brown when then-Vice President-elect Joe Biden selected her kennel to purchase his new German shepherd puppy.

That was in mid-December.

For Brown, that proud moment was short-lived.

After the story about the puppy sale ran in the newspapers and on TV newscasts, three dog wardens from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture showed up on Brown's doorstep for a kennel inspection.

And they showed up again and again for four visits over four months.

She said she has also received death threats from animal activists against her and Biden, which were reported to the Secret Service and the FBI.

This is all too typical, and you don't have to be Joe Biden to attract the ire of these activists. As liberal feminist blogger Jessica Valenti found out when she dared commit the politically incorrect crime of buying a pure bred dog.

What ordinary people tend to forget is that animal rights activists have increasingly been put in charge of animal law enforcement.

The bottom line is that they consider dog breeding an egregious moral offense, and they see dog breeders the way anti-abortion activists might see a late term abortion provider. Or the way a child advocacy activist would see someone who opened a NAMBLA chapter. If you doubt me, I suggest breeding and selling pure bred dogs. Never mind that the dog itself is the product of selective breeding by humans; the activists ultimately want to end pet ownership, and for them, going after breeders is only one step. Breeders, of course, are in a tiny minority, and are thus extremely vulnerable.

Note the way the horror story unfolded for the unfortunate breeder who thought it was an honor to sell a dog to the Second Family:

Following a story about Brown and Biden in the Daily Local News, readers posted 131 comments, some chiding Biden for having the Secret Service with him when he went puppy shopping and others complaining he did not get the dog from a shelter.

Brown was taken to task for selling pedigree dogs.

Brown said she has read the comments, even the one that said she was sued.

"I'd like to meet that person," Brown said, adding that she has not been sued.

Some people were outraged about the photograph of Biden holding a 5-week-old puppy, Brown said. But, the breeder points out, Biden only came to select a puppy on that visit, left it with its mother and returned three weeks later to take it home.

Naturally, PETA led the charge:

Brown was not only vilified in posted comments to newspapers but also on the Web site of People for the Ethical Treatment Animals, or PETA.

According to a Dec. 12 press release from the animal rights group, it aired its controversial TV commercials "Buy One, Get One Killed" in Biden's home state of Delaware after he bought his dog from Brown. The commercial blames euthanization of animals in shelters on people who purchase pets from breeders.

What the story fails to point out is that PETA is not only against dog breeding, but all pet ownership, and has a documented record of routinely euthanizing dogs rather than putting them up for adoption.

After the activists complained, enforcement teams were sent in, and naturally (thanks to legislation drafted by activists) they were able to find technical violations. They didn't hold up in court, but of course the damage was done:

Brown also was cited for record-keeping problems and warned about maintenance and sanitation shortfalls by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

"I was cited for a piece of kibble on the floor and five strands of dog hair. They took a picture of that, they walked around, snapped pictures and don't tell you why," said Brown, who disputes all the items where she was written up.

Brown's case was heard by District Justice James DeAngelo in South Coventry on March 31. She was found "not guilty" for each citation, the judge's office confirmed Wednesday.

Chris Ryder, press secretary for the Department of Agriculture, said Brown was inspected in December because of a complaint. He said it was department policy not to release the name of the person who complained.

Brown's kennel, Wolf Den, was inspected twice a year by the agency and routinely had satisfactory reports until December 2008 when it had seven unsatisfactory inspection results out of 26, according to the inspection records on the agency's Web site.

Ryder said the inspectors returned as a matter of follow-up to determine if the unsatisfactory matters had been taken care of. He said more than one inspector was brought in because Brown runs a large kennel.

Before going to court, Brown had to hire a lawyer. So far her legal fees are $4,000, she said.

"Never, never, never again," Brown said about selling a dog to anyone with a high profile.

I have nothing but sympathy for this woman, and for Joe Biden. If I were to breed Coco and sell her puppies, I would no more write about it in my blog than I would jump in shark infested waters with bloody meat strapped to my side. (I would be naturally hesitant to sell a puppy to a high profile celebrity, too.)

Like it or not, we live in twisted times in which selling pure bred puppies is considered a heinous moral offense. The bottom line is that if you breed dogs, you are vulnerable, as there are teams of well-organized, well-funded activists who regard you as morally akin to a child molester, and who can't wait to treat you that way.

It illustrates a larger problem, though. The majority of people don't seem to have any say in what goes on. Activists get their way and there is nothing democratic about it. Few people would ever decide to "stand up" to the activists, especially breeders, who have to keep a low profile, lest they find their dogs confiscated and killed, and having to face trumped-up charges.

As I discussed in a number of posts, a tiny minority of animal rights activists in Philadelphia decided that the elephants in the Philadelphia Zoo had to go. It made no difference what the zoo or the public wanted. The activists intimidated the zoo, and got their way.

No one stands up to them.

The problem is, while it's easy for me to advocate standing up to them (I attracted considerable ire for my elephant posts), in honesty I can't completely fault vulnerable people (like breeders, pet stores, or zoos) for not standing up to them. Putting yourself in their place, would you? Life is too short. How many people will stand up to single issue advocates with the power to ruin people's lives?

Still, I have some lingering questions. How did they get such power in a supposedly democratic society? Who gave it to them? Is there any way to take it away from them, or is it too late?

UPDATE: My thanks to Glenn Reynolds for linking this post, and a warm welcome to all. Your comments are appreciated, agree or disagree.

MORE: There are recent news reports about Barack Obama's choice of a pure bred Portuguese Water Dog as the White House dog. So far, both Obama and the dog's breeder seem to have escaped the treatment which befell Biden and the German Shepherd breeder.

Hmmm... I see that the dog was a gift from Ted Kennedy, who, while not the breeder, owns other Portuguese Water Dogs and seems to have acted as the middleman.

(Not surprising. Ted Kennedy would probably get a pass even if he were caught in flagrante delicto committing the actual crime of allowing two purebred dogs to mate!)

AND MORE: As details surface, the Obama Portuguese Water Dog story has intrigue written all over it:

The twists and turns of the Portuguese water dog's route to the White House make for the kind of intrigue that political junkies and the highly opinionated dog world delight in.

[...]

...conspiracy buffs might speculate that Bo was meant for the Obamas all along. Was his adoption engineered to look like a rescue--or at least blur the line to head off criticism that the Obamas had picked a purebred from a breeder?

It does appear that the dog was "laundered" for the Obamas, if that is the right word. The reason this has taken on the air of political intrigue is that daring to obtain a purbred dog has become a new morals offense.

Comments

How nice, you've been visited repeatedly by the lovely Marianne, who is currently holding forth like the never-wearied rook on the topic of elephants in the Philadelphia Zoo over on Phillyblog.

LB Philly · April 11, 2009 12:50 PM

"The bottom line is that they consider dog breeding an egregious moral offense, and they see dog breeders the way anti-abortion activists might see a late term abortion provider."

This 'logic' only makes sense to twisted pretzels.

Nevertheless, the zealotry towards protecting animals over human beings is definitely a heinous moral offense.

" How did they get such power in a supposedly democratic society?"

Good question, one which I often ask myself after several decades of supporting abortion without having a clue as to what that meant.

Then one day around the age of 43 I thought to myself " ya know self, I'm not the distinctly unique human DNA which cannot choose to be aborted so how in the world did I get this right to make the choice?"

More often than not I am beginning to believe the power was given by Darwinian apes wearing black robes who think themeslves to be the smartest apes in the universe just because they obtained an Ivy-Tower degree.

Planet of the Apes...interesting movie.

syn · April 11, 2009 12:52 PM

How did they get such power in a supposedly democratic society? Who gave it to them? Is there any way to take it away from them, or is it too late?

Well I suppose we could form an activist group to target other activist groups for shutdown, but that would risk a paradox that could threaten the whole time-space contiuum thingie.

Or maybe not.

Eh, too much sci-fi lately I guess. Still, I do agree that these groups are annoying at times. What to do about them I haven't a clue.

John · April 11, 2009 04:09 PM

They got that power because too many people take them seriously. Rather, too many people have decided that it is good to pretend to take them seriously. Mostly in the government.

Phil T. B. · April 11, 2009 08:41 PM

Wow. Scary.

But I'd say the problem is not "activists with the power to ruin lives;" the problem is ideas with the power -- once accepted by individuals -- to turn government from a protector of individual rights to a destroyer of those rights. The ideas are sacrifice and altruism (in their moral, philosophic meanings; not in their bastardized, "common" meanings.)

Michael Gold · April 11, 2009 10:50 PM

The solution seems simple. Cut a few people's heads off and the survivors tend to stop fucking with you.

Letalis Maximus, Esq. · April 13, 2009 09:22 AM

How did they get this power? Lawyers gave it too them. Notice that the largest cost was that she 'had to hire a laywer' and her legal fees were $4,000. (Actually, I'm surprised they were that low).

Because any fool (or pressure group) can file a lawsuit -- or file a legal complaint with a government agency -- without paying ANY consequences if they are wrong, EVERYONE is subject to the whim of some judge (or bureaucrat) for massive financial damage.

How to fix it? Loser Pays. Europe is wrong about most things, but THIS one, they got right.

Unfortunately, since 99.40% of elected officials are themselves lawyers, we'll never see legal reform in this country.

bob · April 13, 2009 09:27 AM

Ask PETA to get involved with the cruel world of Greyhound racing.

Molly · April 13, 2009 09:37 AM

Interesting post. Sometimes as I'm flicking through the channels, I come upon one of what seem to be many shows about "Animal Cops" or some such thing as that. Where these pseudo-cops go driving around town in righteous indignation preaching, fining and sometimes arresting people.

Clearly, abuse of any living thing should not be tolerated, but those shows always struck me as peculiar in that these "cops" seem to wield and incredible amount of authority and ability to ruin lives, as described above.

And of course, NONE of these enforcement types are ever the least bit impartial. They are, through and through, activists who are in charge of enforcing laws.

It's crazy.

Tim · April 13, 2009 09:38 AM

Ask PETA to get involved with the cruel world of Greyhound racing.

Molly · April 13, 2009 09:38 AM

Greyhound racing means gambling. Gambling means organized crime. Organized crime means fuck with those people and you stand to get your skull cracked. Although they are on record as being opposed to greyhound racing, PETA knows better than than to fuck with the goombahs.

Letalis Maximus, Esq. · April 13, 2009 09:43 AM

I learned a long time ago that nothing covers you as well as your own video of the incident. Renting out my house after I moving into my bride's home I found that a move-in/move-out video inspections completely stopped all bogus claims. The same will happen to government inspectors harrassing someone for a piece of kibble on the floor. Heck, you know they have more $100 bills dropped on the floor by government than that!

SenatorMark4 · April 13, 2009 09:43 AM

Let's try that again...

Ask PETA to get involved with the cruel world of Greyhound racing.

Crickets chirping.

Seriously. They actually refused to get involved. Can you believe it?

Anonymous · April 13, 2009 09:44 AM

The anti-pet activists are trying to destroy the pet industry.

Please be aware that there is a Congressional Hearing happening on April
23, 2009 which pertains largely to our hobby. This hearing is on the
Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act, HR 669, a bill which wishes
to revamp how species are regulated under the Lacey Act. Species not
appearing on the "Approved List" could not be imported into the United
States; therefore, all unapproved nonnative species could not be moved
interstate. In addition, trade in all such unlisted species would
come to a halt - possession would be limited and all breeding would
cease. Unless those species are included on the approved list import,
export, transport, and breeding would be prohibited. Exceptions are
limited and would not be available to pet owners across the nation.

A HEARING has been scheduled for April 23 and the pet industry needs to
be heard load and clear prior to the hearing! The anti-trade elements
are hard at work to stop activities involving non-native species.

You can contact members of the subcommitte by emailing or faxing your
opposition to HR 669 to their offices in Washington DC urging them to
amend the bill. You can also contact district offices to voice your
oppositon or request a meeting with your Representative. It is also
important to organize like-minded people in your district so several of
you can visit with your representative at the same time.

Spread the word to fellow hobbyists, friends, family, and like-minded
individuals and urge them to respond to this unworkable approach which
is an issue for all of us. Call, email, and fax your local newspapers or
tv stations. We need to get the word out.

More details can be found at the following link on
AC (http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums...acentral.com):
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums...d.php?t=188837
AC Petition : http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=86144566696

MFK (http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums...hkeepers.com):
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/fo...d.php?t=230852
MFK Petition :
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/fo...d.php?t=230948

A group has also been formed on Facebook at the following -->
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=86144566696

Dobby · April 13, 2009 09:46 AM

I totally agree but anyway human being is also under similar bad treatments...

Madelyn · April 13, 2009 09:53 AM

I was about to say what Bob just said. And I would add that not only will we never see legal reform, but it's getting worse. Back in August they passed a law called CPSIA purporting to make kids' toys safer, that actually declares open season on retailers and manufacturers of children's products (not just toys, but apparel, ballpoint pens, bikes, etc.)

Here's how the racket works: first this law sets up a testing regime that guarantees that (a) the only businesses left standing will have deep pockets and (b) noncompliant goods will slip through to the market. Then the law allows any yahoo who can borrow, rent, or buy a handheld XRF analyzer to walk into any store, start testing stuff, and *when* (not if) they find something noncompliant, they can sue the pants off the store, the manufacturer, and anybody else involved in the chain of sale.

This is not a mere theoretical possibility. The law went into effect in February and the scenario I've described is already happening. Also some businesses are getting threatening letters-- groups are going to complain about them to state AG's (which are empowered to bring legal action under CPSIA even if the Consumer Product Safety Commission doesn't find a problem) if they don't pull a product they don't like (in one case, pewter crosses). So don't think it won't happen, because it's already going on.

Sarah Natividad · April 13, 2009 09:53 AM

Well some old soviet tricks might do the job. One being misdirection. If PETA is killing pets in a facility they own then they too have to answer to some authority based on the laws they desired. So where is that kennel and who do I complain to? Not just once or twice but incessantly.

The other thing that could change such tactics is that the laws be changed that before any complaint can be acted upon the complainant must reveal their name and address. I believe our courts permit the accused to face their accuser.

JohnMc · April 13, 2009 09:59 AM

Electoral politics is the cauase of the problem because of raional ignorance;this gives loudmouthed bozos power.They can push through all kinds of nastiness under the radar and real human beings can than wonder what has happened to their liberty.

Allow adults ( anyone not getting money from the taxpayers ) to form juries and nullify any laws they determine as not in the public interest and to impound appropriations, not in the public interest, back to to the treasury. This is how you get a proper "res publica"- not the sham democracy that is failing us all over the western world.

Our reprentatives are in reality our agents. There is always a conflict of interest in such a relationship. Ober time our political gets to look like somethig out of "Lord of the Flies".

renminbi · April 13, 2009 10:01 AM

The problem is that the targets of PETA and like minded group have more decency than PETA. If they were as evil as PETA than PETA would be wiped off the face of the earth. But rational people don't do such things.

Most people have jobs and lives that do not allow them the time to do what PETA does.

Rob · April 13, 2009 10:01 AM

Our reprentatives are in reality our agents. There is always a conflict of interest in such a relationship. Ober time our political gets to look like somethig out of "Lord of the Flies".

renminbi · April 13, 2009 10:02 AM

Our reprentatives are in reality our agents. There is always a conflict of interest in such a relationship. Ober time our political gets to look like somethig out of "Lord of the Flies".

renminbi · April 13, 2009 10:03 AM

If you think this is bad, just have some jerk "neighbor" call child protective services on you. You have no rights whatsoever. I moved, not worth the hassle.

I'm still not sure I did the right thing by not blowing the jerks in for running an unlicensed daycare operation out of their own home, and posession of stolen property from the hospital where they worked, but I can live with myself. These people are stupid, and the deity has messed with their lives more than I ever could.

MarkD · April 13, 2009 10:03 AM

This is a widespread problem, where activists are increasingly being put in charge of government agencies, or promoted to high positions within the department with no vote from the people. The environment is a good example, and fisheries management is rife with people with polarized views against the commercial fishermen they regulate. Many teachers around here are put in charge of young minds and treat their classrooms like an activist retreat. How do we stop this?

Chris · April 13, 2009 10:08 AM

Chris · April 13, 2009 10:09 AM

"How did they get such power in a supposedly democratic society? Who gave it to them? Is there any way to take it away from them, or is it too late? "

A good number of people won't like hearing this answer-- but they got this power by becoming a force within the Democratic Party, and by voters making the Democratic Party the predominant one in the country.

As such- the voters gave them this power.

Is it too late? Let's put it this way- many people have a vested interest in the Democratic Party, and they aren't going to abandon it over any single-issue activists. Others have convinced themselves that the GOP is just as bad in any number of ways; in some cases they have a point but in many they do not. These people are never going to change their minds because they simply cannot force themselves to take the lesser of two evils; they always make equivalences between the two evils.

So, yes, I would say it is too late.

Gerry · April 13, 2009 10:12 AM

Hasn't PETA been accused of killing dogs and cats put in their care? There seems to have been a number of news reports about it.

Roy in Nipomo · April 13, 2009 10:23 AM

Want to solve the issue of "they were inspected because of a complaint"?

File a complaint in court for defamation, name "John Does # 1-100." Issue a subpoena against the state agency, demanding they name the complainant, then follow up with a defamation claim demanding lost profits, attorneys' fees, and punitives.

Cost to Get the State to Give Up PETA: ~$5000
Defamation Suit Where PETA Acknowledges No Basis For Complaint and Pays Massive Settlement: Priceless.

Some Law Talking Guy · April 13, 2009 10:27 AM

The last civil war, started by democrats by the way, was long ago....we are overdue for the next one......

The liberal left is a clear and present danger....the reaction is being compressed by these kind of abuses....the day is coming.

Far as I am concerned, fill the ditches and get a bulldozer......

George Dixon · April 13, 2009 10:28 AM

The last civil war, started by democrats by the way, was long ago....we are overdue for the next one......

The liberal left is a clear and present danger....the reaction is being compressed by these kind of abuses....the day is coming.

Far as I am concerned, fill the ditches and get a bulldozer......

George Dixon · April 13, 2009 10:29 AM

Well said.
I think the only way to fight back is to do just that, fight back. By speaking the truth loudly, clearly and publicly, we can shine the light on the reality of these movements. We need to show the good-hearted that they can better protect the defenseless without these groups than with them.

That's the whole reason I started the group Animal Rights or Human Responsibility, to raise awareness of what we risk losing. Thanks for speaking up!

Erica Saunders
Animal Rights or Human Responsibility
http://AR-HR.com

Erica Saunders · April 13, 2009 10:31 AM

Yes, animal activists drive animal control legislation. Ever wonder why anti-barking laws are so ineffective, and why even cruel owners are never censured? The activists with the support of the pet food industry lobbyists make animal ownership as easy as possible, to sell more stuff, and to reduce euthanizing animals no matter how painful their new life may be.

Anonymous · April 13, 2009 10:55 AM

Letalis, that's funny you mentioned that. I was sitting back fantasizing that I'd get in the face of one of those activists R. Lee Ermy style telling them I'd tear his head off and you know the rest.

mishu · April 13, 2009 11:08 AM

Activist is just another word for asshole.

Anonymous · April 13, 2009 11:30 AM

Calif is back at it again,if you didn't know Eric SB 250.Trying to do what they couldn't accomplish with AB 1634 last year. The "activists" will just not give up...
I don't know the answer,like you said normal people with normal lives just don't have time to take on these clowns,but it looks like we may just have to figure out how...
It is about more than just dogs and cats here.

flicka47 · April 13, 2009 11:44 AM

The problem extends to other govt agencies. For example: the environmental protection agencies are staffed with environmental activists. Which effects which and what kind of studies they do, their conclusion of the data, and what regulations result from the conclusions. Not to mention the effects of the regulation on the economy.

John Smith · April 13, 2009 12:13 PM

For these liberal actvists it is all about religion, heresey, and using the courts as clergy to burn anyone they radomly deem to be a witch. They need only point, accuse and scream WITCH loud enough for everyone to hear and the bonfires and dunking chairs are brought forth.

Becky · April 13, 2009 12:26 PM

Ted kennedy woud get a pass if he were caought in flarante delicto...

No kidding. I'll betcha Ted Kennedy would get a pass if he drunkenly drove a car off a bridge and left a young women in it to die while he tried to get an alibi together instead of summoning help. I'll betcha.

Jim O · April 13, 2009 12:35 PM

Ted kennedy woud get a pass if he were caught in flarante delicto...

Jim O · April 13, 2009 12:36 PM

Molly � April 13, 2009 09:38 AM
Greyhound racing means gambling. Gambling means organized crime. Organized crime means fuck with those people and you stand to get your skull cracked. Although they are on record as being opposed to greyhound racing, PETA knows better than than to fuck with the goombahs.

It's the same reason the PETArds will throw red paint on an old woman wearing a fur coat but won't fuck with a biker wearing leather.

Ralph Gizzip · April 13, 2009 12:55 PM

PETA is against pure bred breeders.

Municipalities are now passing laws making it against the law to breed your dog if you do *not* have a license. (To ostensibly decrease accidental pupppies.)

So -- no pure bred dogs, no backyard bred dogs. No pet dogs.

Boy, feral dogs are a trip.

These people (PETA) are insane. We need some wake up calls here.

JAL · April 13, 2009 12:56 PM

The Left dominates the commanding heights of thought in this country, especially in media and education; as such, default thinking in our society is Leftish in orientation. Expansion of government power thus seems natural and desirable to an ever larger portion of the electorate.

That the government has such power is the problem. Few people even think to question whether/why the government has this power. What in the Constitution justifies government regulation of dog breeders? Or of animal circuses? Why is this necessary?

Government doesn't exist to right every wrong, though too many people believe it does. Last fall, I took a technology course at a local community college. Most of my fellow students were recent high school graduates. As the election drew close, discussion during lab time turned from geek topics to political ones. The questions I raised, such as 'Why do I owe you health insurance?' and 'Why are dollars I earn in December taxed differently from those I earn in January?' literally stopped the discussion cold. Nobody knew what to say. Very dispiriting.

In the past, when liberals asked me what change I would make, given the power to make only one change in the way government operates, I used to answer that I'd repeal the withholdings tax. Given the actions of the Obama administration, I'm not sure what my answer would be now.

John O · April 13, 2009 01:08 PM

Ted Kennedy's gift is ironic. Portuguese Water Dogs are bred to be excellent swimmers.

chsw

chsw · April 13, 2009 01:57 PM

Of course, fortunately PETA is a group with a high enough profile to have attracted a few counter-PETA activists. This particular group has been studying PETA's annual reports and seeing that most of the animals PETA claims to "rescue" end up dead. Such facts ought to be more widely publicized, and they would go a long way towards discrediting the media darling of extremist animal activists.

Kurt · April 13, 2009 01:57 PM

Down here in Texas, animal rights activists would be well advised to not start any problems through intimidation. We, the good people of Texas, might not take too kindly to being threatened and might have some actions in return, if you know what I mean.

It's time for folks to stand up to these pansy activists. With their heads stuck between their legs, they won't look so intimidating.

MEP · April 13, 2009 01:59 PM

Jessica Valenti is a radical feminist, who plays a major role in ruining the lives of honest men through unfair divorce courts.

Different lefty factions warring with each other is good. They deserve each other.

Here is how Jessica Valenti has emasculated the man she is duping into marrying her.

Toads · April 13, 2009 02:21 PM

"(Not surprising. Ted Kennedy would probably get a pass even if he were caught in flagrante delicto committing the actual crime of allowing two purebred dogs to mate!)"

Snort!

Ted Kennedy would get a pass if he were himself caught trying to mate with a dog.

mariner · April 13, 2009 03:18 PM

The activists got this power by default when the majority abandoned it, in an effort to live up to their own moral standards and avoid being corrupted by it.

Too bad power doesn't just go away when it's abandoned. It gets picked up and used, typically by whoever is ruthless and petty enough to wield it against everything in the world, right or wrong be damned.

Tatterdemalian · April 13, 2009 04:07 PM

I would like to see an end to legislation through regulation where Congress grants some Executive department the power to make rules that are effectively laws but which are not voted on. I'm happy for departments to write up rules, but if they are going to be enforced by the government, they should be voted on by Congress. The executive does not have the power to make laws.

That wouldn't help with the bad laws but it might help with the proliferation of absurd regulations created by various entities staffed by activists.

Bolie Williams IV · April 13, 2009 04:34 PM

"(Not surprising. Ted Kennedy would probably get a pass even if he were caught in flagrante delicto committing the actual crime of allowing two purebred dogs to mate!)"

Or letting someone drown in his car.

Mary Jo Kopechne was not available for comment.

Chester White · April 13, 2009 05:33 PM

The power comes from using regulations to to advance one's political agenda. No regulations --> no regulators --> no cooted enforcement mechanism.

Do we really need to regulate dog breeding? Breeders and dogs have been doing pretty well for millenia without them.

Would we have had the efflorescnce of new dog breeds in the 18th & 19th century Europe it it were a regulated activity?

A Clay · April 13, 2009 06:12 PM

You know, basically PETA and its ilk are simply bullies. They pick on the weak (in this case, small business owners who can't afford to fight back in lengthly legal battles) and stay clear of the strong. Someone mentioned Greyhound racing, good example. I'll throw in another one, ever see a PETA supporter give a biker crap over a leather jacket? Or go to a cattle ranch and try to cause trouble? No. Reason: these are two groups of folks (bikers and cowboys) who won't take crap and are likely to leave the courts out of the initial discussion. They also tend to hang out in locations that have legal system that would be more simpathetic to their side (maybe not so much the bikers, but a county court in a rural agricultural area?). PETA are nothing but bullies, but unfortunately its had to stand up to them in their playground.

Mike · April 13, 2009 07:49 PM

Animal welfare activists (as opposed to animal rights activists) have a uniformly negative view of PETA. It's well known amongst animal welfare circles that PETA is against owning pets, though the general public doesn't realize that because PETA tries their best to downplay it. Case in point, check out PETA's FAQ. First question is �Does PETA believe that people shouldn�t have pets?� The simple answer would be "No, PETA is not against pets." That answer is not present in their rambling response. It's the dog that didn't bark (pun intended).

PETA had to have been involved. With the serious problem of "puppy mills", no serious activist would give a damn about kibble on the floor or dog hairs.

dorkafork · April 13, 2009 08:59 PM

It's funny how quick the so-called animal "rights" activists are to trample over actual human rights.

I'd say that they seem to morph into Little Dictators rather quickly... except that I don't think there's any actual "morphing" (change) involved there.

Seerak · April 13, 2009 09:14 PM

The making of anonymous complaints is Stalinist. Back in the day, in Soviet Russia, if you didn't like a neighbor you could drop an anonymous note to the KGB, and then men in black trenchcoats would visit him in the middle of the night...or so I've heard.

Very bad business.

And I'm not a fan of Sen. Biden, but you'd think he'd be able to squish this.

Tennwriter · April 13, 2009 09:56 PM

Kind of related...yes, the problem is lawyers, but it's also that these activists are just MISERABLE PEOPLE who enjoy flinging their misery on the rest of us. They found a way to get power and spread that misery.

Yes, it's everywhere. It's just psychopathology.

It hit me one day a number of years ago...took my kids to an aquarium, don't remember which one, but they had dolphins. My kids wanted to see dolphins jump through hoops and splash the crowd, or bounce a ball off their snout.

We DID eventually get to see those...but first, we had to get inflicted by a rather long (it seemed to last forever) speech about THE ENVIRONMENT. And that would have been okay, but the speech was an attempt to make us guilt-laden, as if we had personally savaged Flipper and the gang. Go the beach, do any boating? GUILTY of pollution and not giving a damn.

A few seconds of "hey folks, try to keep the beaches clean" or some such, fine, but...everywhere, we're assaulted by all we've supposedly done wrong. And its the same people, the activists or their supporters, who ONLY have enjoyment when they themselves are miserable and/or when making OTHERS miserable.

It's not that the rest of us want pollution or don't give a damn about anyone or anything else...and of course, we have less pollution than about anyone else, and we're the most charitable people in the world (statistics bear that out), but these miserable wretches and their own unhappiness...they need to be kept away somehow, someway, from the rest of us, who actually want to enjoy our lives in some other form than SHARING misery.

Maurice · April 13, 2009 11:18 PM

i love how peta is so outraged when they put 99% of the animals they have in their shelters to sleep.

chesbomb · April 14, 2009 12:50 AM

Does the name Peter Singer ring a bell? It should because he is currently an ethics professor at either Yale or Harvard. He teaches ethics, which is really a joke because he does not have any ethics where humans are concerned.

Peter Singer is one of the founders of PETA. You should look him up by doing a google search and learn a little bit about him and what he advocates.

By the way PETA does not always win. They lost a big one in the U.K. recently. :)

The laws that you have in your country are horrendous.

Maggie · April 14, 2009 04:40 AM

Peter Singer is one of the founders of PETA. You should look him up by doing a google search and learn a little bit about him and what he advocates.

By the way PETA does not always win. They lost a big one in the U.K. recently. :)

The laws that you have in your country are horrendous.

Maggie · April 14, 2009 04:41 AM

i love how peta is so outraged when they put 99% of the animals they have in their shelters to sleep.

That is a LIE. They KILL the animals.

M. Simon · April 14, 2009 11:35 AM

I have just heard about this amazingly unbelievable incident with the breeder of Biden's puppy. Incredible. And I just heard that the Obama's are getting bad press because they did not take a shelter dog over Bo even though he was a "rescue". Sounds like PETA is out to rule the world. Can we drop a bomb on their headquarters and knock them off the face of the earth?

Nancy · April 18, 2009 10:46 AM