Apologia Pro Vita Mia
By Michael The Libertarian
I was not able to write, yesterday. I had a couple of pieces "in the can" that I could have "run out", here, but I didn't feel that was in keeping with the spirit of what I promised myself (and, by extension - you, my dear readers).
Today's brain droppings are going to be a little bit of all-ovuh-duh-place (as we say in New York). I have to start out with something sad, but it is a part of what I want to talk about today.
My dog, Puppy, has been a valued part of my life for two-and-a-half years. On Wednesday, I had him out. I stopped to talk with a neighbor. I had been engaged for no more than about thirty seconds.
I turned and saw that he was chewing on something. I bent down and put my hand low, ready to tell him to "Give it", when he lunged at me and bit my hand, snarling as he did. He had drawn blood.
When he was younger, he had been a bit food-aggressive, but he has learned that food is always available and all he need do is ask, if his bowl is empty (He's part Jack Russel so: "Yes. He KNOWS how to ask for food").
He's two-and-a-half years old, now and he knows better so, maybe it's time for him to go. Silly, out-of-touch, me; I figured I would take him to the local (A)merican (S)ociety for the (P)revention of (C)ruelty to (A)nimals, thinking: They'd never do anything mean to Puppy.
I brought all his veterinary records, all his treats, a full 25 lb. bag of food, eight cans of food, and his winter coat.
The unfortunate issue, here, is: five weeks ago, he brought home a three week old kitten. I never wanted a cat (Hell, truth be told: I never wanted a dog, but ...), but Puppy started mothering the kitten right from the start so, they're kind of a "package deal". So, I also loaded up Kitty, a 25 lb. bag of Kitty's food, Kitty's treats, and favorite toy, and Kitty's little carrying kennel.
I get to the A.S.P.C.A. and take my charges out of the car. Puppy knew something bad was going on. He had spent about three hours in his kennel since the incident and it was obvious I wasn't happy. Normally, he loves to go for a car ride, but this time, when I put him in and told him to lay down, while I loaded all the other stuff into the car, he didn't even stand up. He knew I was (I've forgotten how to write the Roman numerals for "51", "6", and "500").
With Puppy, in tow (moving very slowly) and Kitty, in the travel kennel, I approached the office door. Well, luckily, they were closed.
As we headed back toward the car, a lady shouted after us. I stopped and turned back toward her. She informed me they were closed, but asked how she could help me. I wish she had made up her mind, before she came out the door.
I told her what was going on. She interrupted, right at the end and remarked how I had all his veterinary records and she could see (by the tag on his harness) that he's had all his shots. I could see by the look on her face, she knew this wasn't easy on me, either.
She asked about his behavior, over-all and I showed her how well behaved he is. I told her about all the extra stuff I had for both animals and I could see her eyes light up, almost as if I could hear her saying: "Taking these animals isn't going to cost us anything for a little while, anyway". Scumbags (You'll see why I typed that, in a minute).
So, she explains to me that I have to make an appointment to leave my animals there. She goes on to tell me that since Puppy has bitten me, he'll have to be "quarantined" for ten days. So I ask: "Quarantined in what respect?" She says (verbatim): "Well, you have to keep him in his kennel ..." I say: "Yes, in his kennel, but quarantined from what exactly?"
"Well, you can take him out to do his business, obviously." So, I'm beginning to think that he might not need to be quarantined from people, anyway.
"So, he doesn't need to be kept from people. Are you telling me he needs to be kept from other animals?"
"Yes", she finally says.
"Well, that's going to be a problem. I still have Kitty in the house."
"Oh, we'll take the cat, right now.", she exclaims, happily (it's a VERY pretty little kitten).
"I thought I needed an appointment? Besides, with the Kitty gone, I doubt Puppy will eat."
She asks me to wait and disappears into the office. She comes back a few minutes, later, wrinkles her pompous nose at the cigarette hanging out of my mouth and tells me: "We can take the kitten today and then, after you quarantine the dog for ten days, we can make an appointment to put him down."
"I'm sorry? What did you just say?"
"He's bitten someone. We wouldn't dare to adopt him out, but we can take the kitten, today."
"No. You can kiss my Irish ass.", as I walk away.
I shouldn't have to stress that this place is the (A)merican (S)ociety for the (P)revention of (C)ruelty to (A)nimals, but let me go even further:
It's bad enough (in my mind) that these nuts have entered the "mainstream" in such a way that their edicts now carry the weight of law, but their interpretations of those laws are fakakta.
Some years ago, I did an article comparing how animals have become more important than humans, where I used abortion as a method of birth control and contrasted that with a guy, working in his garage (or workshop in the basement or whatever). He sees a rat. He swings his hammer (the only thing in his hand) and kills the rat. he gets eight years in prison. EIGHT YEARS! For killing a rat ... you know ... vermin?
So, while they were more than happy to take the Kitten, all the food and treats and toys (and the kennel) and charge me a "small fee", even though I didn't have that precious "appointment", all they could do with Puppy was kill him, as though he was nothing more than excess baggage. At the risk of repeating myself: Scumbags.
So, yesterday: Not such a great day for me. I just couldn't bring myself to write. Of course, that meant I was going to re-double my efforts, today.
While I'm not as connected to daily events as I normally am, there's a couple of things that jumped out at me:
First and foremost: those wacky Dumbocrats! Tom Perez, giving a lecture in Indiana said: "The Electoral College is not a creation of the Constitution. It doesn't have to be there."
Now, I was almost positive that was incorrect so, I did some exhaustive, time-consuming research (I typed: "U.S. Constitution Art. II" into Google search) and here's what I came up with:
"The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United
States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four
Years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same Term,
be elected, as follows:
Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof
may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators
and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress:
but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust
or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.
The Electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by
Ballot for two Persons, of whom one at least shall not be an Inhabitant
of the same State with themselves. And they shall make a List of all
the Persons voted for, and of the Number of Votes for each; which List
they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the Seat of the
Government of the United States, directed to the President of the
Senate. The President of the Senate shall, in the Presence of the Senate
and House of Representatives, open all the Certificates, and the Votes
shall then be counted. The Person having the greatest Number of Votes
shall be the President, if such Number be a Majority of the whole Number
of Electors appointed; and if there be more than one who have such
Majority, and have an equal Number of Votes, then the House of
Representatives shall immediately choose by Ballot one of them for
President; and if no Person have a Majority, then from the five highest
on the List the said House shall in like Manner choose the President.
But in choosing the President, the Votes shall be taken by States, the
Representatives from each State having one Vote; a quorum for this
Purpose shall consist of a Member or Members from two thirds of the
States, and a Majority of all the States shall be necessary to a Choice.
In every Case, after the Choice of the President, the Person having the
greatest Number of Votes of the Electors shall be the Vice President.
But if there should remain two or more who have equal Votes, the Senate
shall choose from them by Ballot the Vice-President.
The Congress may determine the Time of choosing the Electors, and the
Day on which they shall give their Votes; which Day shall be the same
throughout the United States."
True enough, the founders didn't give it a name, but they sure-as-heck mention "electors" a few times. I think Mr. Perez is hoping that the people he was speaking to are as dumb as the MSM.
Then, we have the poetic irony of the new revelations about collusion with Russia. Sorry, again, Dems. It's looking like Shrillary is up to her shoulders in corruption, again.
I have believed her to be a rampant criminal for twenty years or so, now. I'm hoping she'll be trading in a pants suit for an orange jumpsuit, this time. If I had done half of what this woman has done, I'd have been in prison, a long time ago. I would argue that people who enjoy the public trust should be held to higher standards and face steeper penalties, when they go astray, but so far, she-who-would-be-king has escaped true justice.
Lastly, just one that is really stuck in my craw: The "Freedom From Religion" society (or association or guild or what-the-heck-ever) sent a "cease and desist" letter to an Alabama high school demanding that they stop playing prayers, pre-game, because they're a public school.
There used to be some ambiguity about extra-curricular activities, but the SCOTUS has ruled. More's the pity. Scumbag adults in the NFL can disrespect our flag, willy-nilly, but our children can't be "exposed" to positive messages?
I think I should have titled this: "The World is Upside-down!"
- Michael