There have been some celebrities defending the dog killings by Michael Vick. However, none of the defenses of Vick are as bizarre as those put forward by Lawrence O'Donnell in his Huffington Post blog, What's Wrong with Killing Dogs? Posted on 08/25/2007 4:31:39 AM PDT by PJ-Comix
There have been some celebrities defending the dog killings by Michael Vick. However, none of the defenses of Vick are as bizarre as those put forward by Lawrence O'Donnell in his Huffington Post blog, What's Wrong with Killing Dogs?
What's wrong with what Michael Vick did? I have no inclination to do what he did with dogs, but I have no comprehension of what all the fuss is about. Most people who are upset about killing dogs or letting them attack each other have at some point in their lives caught a fish, which is as extreme a form of murderous torture of an animal as I can imagine.
Huh? Didn't O'Donnell ever hear of catch and release? It is done all the time. A fisherman catches a fish and then releases it so it can be caught over and over again. No "murderous torture" of an animal here since the released fish go back to calmly swimming in their watery environs again. From "murderous torture" of fish, O'Donnell goes on to the absurd flesh eating argument in defense of Vick:
Not only have most of them caught a fish, they have actually eaten many more of them than they've caught. Which is weirder, killing an animal or eating its dead flesh? Most of us have never eaten dog meat, but in some countries it is a delicacy. Is there something evil going on in those countries? Are they violating the natural order of things? Should we invade them or get the UN to intervene? They are killing and eating dogs for god's sake!!!
Perhaps in the insular Hollywood vegan world eating meat is considered weird. It could also be a failed attempt by the former producer of The West Wing at humor. O'Donnell then invokes natural law:
What is the moral basis -- the natural law, if you will -- that accords special respect and protection to dogs in our written laws? And how does that same natural law allow for fish being clubbed to death on boat decks if they haven't died already from the hook-in-mouth trick we so enjoy pulling on them?
Lawrence, in the course of typing up this blog chronicling your absurdities, I noticed a couple of small insects crawling across my computer monitor. Without a moment of guilty conscience I picked up a paper towel and instantly deprived them of their mortality. This is not something I (or most people) could do to a dog. So, yeah, there is a difference depending on the animal. Keep that in mind the next time the bug exterminator pays a visit to your home.
Following these laughable assertions, O'Donnell then compares humane euthanasia of sick pets to electrocuting dogs:
Our reverence for dog life resembles our reverence for human life. Up to a point. It's okay to kill your dog if you think your dog is too sick to go on living much longer or if you just can't afford medical help for your dog. And, don't worry, no legal authority is ever going to ask you to prove that your dog was really sick enough to kill or even sick at all. If you don't have the stomach for killing your dog yourself, you contract with a dog killer -- otherwise known as a veterinarian -- to do the dirty work for you. No federal law against that yet. Our dog reverence is so shot full of loopholes that there is no describable moral order to it at all.
If you think O'Donnell couldn't get any more aburd in his defense of Vick, you would be wrong. He actually suggests that eating hamburgers is just as morally repulsive as torturing dogs to death:
Between bites at McDonald's today there will be a lot of outrage expressed about Michael Vick getting off easy. I won't understand a word of it.
Between bites of a Big Mac today, Lawrence, I will ponder if President Jed Bartlet ever electrocuted his pet dog in The West Wing.
My radio talk show host summed it up well when he said of dogs: "Man, they just want to like you". Poor things.
I’m not getting involved in dog morality threads any more, because soon some FRimbecile will be along here to defend it.
It’s an insult to the bull dolphin... but there’s a resemblance.
I know what you mean.
What is the difference between Lawrence O'Donnell and a bull dolphin? One is a ugly, slimy bottom dweller and the other is a fish.
Wasn't that an old lawyer joke?
:)
Those are heartbreaking pics.......how can anyone watch that?
I do find it ironic that PETA is trying to make hay out of this when they just got busted cruising dog pounds for animals to kill and discard in public dumpsters for fun and giggles, it is also the PETA types that think dog fighting=hunting=fishing=owning a pet=spraying your garden for bugs=medical research
He’s a left-wing blogger and commentator on cable news shows. During the 2004 presidential race, he went totally loony one night on MSNBC when he was on with the head of the Swiftboat Veterans for Truth. He didn’t even bother to debate the issues, he just kept ranting over and over about how the swiftboat vet was a “liar..filthy liar...crummy liar...liar, liar, liar, liar....” Seriously, it was totally psycho.
O’Donnell can’t tell the difference between the truth and a lie, so I’m not surprised he can’t tell the difference between torturing a dog for sport and catching a fish for food.
He must be related to Rosie.
Pigs, for example, are every bit as intelligent, loving, and capable of pain as are dogs, and as unwilling to be killed or tortured.
And what about killing and eating lambs and calves? Just think about what that means.
For many years, some of my relatives, who are avid hunters (I do not hunt or fish), have denounced milk-fed veal because it is so utterly cruel. I.e., even those who often hunt for sport denounce such cruelty. "If you ever visit a place where they prepare calves for such slaughter," I have been told--but I have not visited such a place--"It will break your heart." The calves are kept in the dark, bound so they are unable to move, and bled repeatedly to keep them anemic--or so I am told. Just think about that.
Life is full of hardship, and it is necessary for us to harden our hearts to much of it so that we can survive (this is the lesson of the classic The Yearling). But do we want to harden our hearts excessively--or unnecessarily?
And at what point do we cease being human and become brutes?
Personally, I don't like killing animals or eating them, but I will if circumstances necessitate it--for example, if my family or I--or anyone for that matter--should be hungry enough or in need--but I will do it myself--or at least recognize what is happening and what it means and not close my mind to it. Denial is the most dangerous thing in the world. That's why it's important to be brutally honest with yourself, even if you can't be honest with anybody else.
As it is--I do not hunt, fish, or eat animals.
I do not enjoy killing them--or subjecting them to pain--even by proxy.
My wife and I are both vegetarians, and this is the reason.
What Vick did was wrong, and he should be punished--but no draconian punishment such as years in jail--maybe a few months or something like that.
People slaughter animals every day.
What about the greyhound dogs that are killed when they are no longer capable of racing?
What about the animals who are harvested to keep the ecology in balance?
In view of all this, the public outcry against Vick is bizarre.
Are there some animals who deserve protection because they are appealing to humans and others who can be slaughtered and subjected to pain because they are not? Perhaps so, but let's be honest about it and not allow ourselves to descend into denial about it.
In fact, they probably all grew up to be respected journalists.
O’Doofus might as well compare the killing of dogs to catching a football.
O’Donnell is a “creepy lying liar”!
From FReeper kanawa’s OUTSTANDING home page (MUST SEE)...
Ten Commandments for a Responsible Dog Owner
1. My life is likely to last 10 to 15 years. Any separation from you will be very painful to me.
2.Give me time to understand what you want of me.
3.Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my wellbeing that you rely on me as I know I can rely on you.
4.Don’t be angry with me for long, and don’t lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainment. I only have you!
5.Talk to me. Even if I don’t understand your words, I understand your voice when it is speaking to me.
6.Be aware that however you treat me, I’ll NEVER forget it.
7.Before you hit me, remember that I have teeth that could easily crush the bones in your hand, but I choose NOT to bite you.
8.Before you scold me for being lazy or unco-operative, ask yourself if something may be bothering me. Perhaps I’m not getting the right food, I’ve been out in the sun too long, or my heart may be getting old and weak.
9.Take care of me when I get old. You, too, will grow old.
10. Go with me on difficult journeys. Never say “I can’t bear to watch it” or “Let it happen in my absence”. Everything is easier for ME if you are there. Remember, I love you.
Thanks kanawa.
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