One level of cruelty below a rodeo? Really? IMO they're not even in the same room when it comes to cruelty, pinched testicles and all. Rodeo sports are not gentle, but they aren't especially cruel, either.
What do you think happens to those bulls once they're done riding them? The sport certainly isn't injury free for the animals even before their ultimate ends - when you're encouraging an animal to jump and flop around like that, injuries are bound to happen. If we're talking about an activity that's got a strong possibility of leading to injury and eventually death (rodeo) versus one that's almost certainly going to lead to injury and death (dog fighting), I'd say it's fair to call it a difference of degree. Certainly rodeo isn't as awful, but it's hard to call it humane, either.
I think you'd agree with me that we Americans could free up plenty of jail spaces by taking the perfectly reasonable step of legalizing marijuana. As long as that particular bit of idiocy is in place, the whole argument about violent offenders (against people or animals) getting turned loose is a bit beside the point. But there, my political leanings are getting the better of me :)
I agree absolutely - the drug war is a farce. Interestingly, though, there are a lot of parallels between the rationalizations for banning drugs and banning dog fighting. The big arguments in both cases are that they lead to secondary, more serious crimes being committed, that they encourage street violence, and that they are immoral activities. Now, I certainly think dog fighting is more wrong that doing drugs, but I also think that we have to think rationally about how to punish dog fighting, if for no other reason than that the way we treat our scum reflects on the way we'll treat everyone else. Sure, people who are into that "sport" are pretty damn hard to defend, but that doesn't mean that they don't have rights and don't deserve to be punished for their actions in a rational manner that isn't tied to a knee-jerk desire to get vengeance on someone who would hurt a cute puppy. Anyway, just as I don't see drugs (particularly hard drugs) as being a black and white issue, I also think dog fighting deserves a bit more of a nuanced treatment. It's not something I agree with or would ever want to see happen, but at the same time I don't think it should rise to the level of serious prison sentences, even in the case of a large organization like Vick was running.
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Look at it this way
Tue Jul 31, 2007 at 02:05:33 PM EST
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For the record, rodeos are probably almost as violent at dog fight...but with one big advantage. At least with rodeos, the bulls and horses have a pretty fair shot at some payback.
True Story:
A former brother-in-law of mine was a true Texas Wannabee and he loved the rodeo. He even managed to rope me (ahem) into going once. We had a bit to drink, to say the least and I found myself rooting for the bulls...especially when this one cowboy got his ass absolutely handed to him by 2000 pounds of pissed off quadruped. He lived...even walked away, thanks to the clowns.
Got some funny looks that day.
Gooooooo, Bulls!
It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine
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Re: Look at it this way
Tue Jul 31, 2007 at 02:44:55 PM EST
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What's up with the clowns anyway?
It is easy to buy small plaster models of what you think life is like.
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Terms
Tue Jul 31, 2007 at 02:51:53 PM EST
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Ah, now if you want to make a direct comparison to bull riding, then dog fighting is maybe two levels below that in cruelty. Maybe. But I've had relatives who did barrel riding competitions, and a friend who showed pigs for 4H; when I hear "rodeo", bronc and bull riding isn't the first thing that springs to mind. Roping calves is rough, but I'd say there's more chance in the human getting hurt in that event.
When it comes to the war on drugs, I think we're going to have to agree to disagree, and which will lead to about the same results re: dog fighting. Pot is simply nothing in comparison to other drugs- including alcohol- when it comes to addictiveness and potential criminal behavior. As a result, I favor legalizing marijuana, but not anything else, except perhaps ecstasy, and that's a tough call. (And yes, I have direct experience with quite a few illegal drugs. But that was long ago, at a dumber age.) Raising an aggressive dog, for guard duty or personal defense is one thing, but torturing and training a dog to kill is quite another-- about the same as smoking pot to drinking meth, I'd say, and I have no trouble putting folks in jail for using or dealing meth. As long as incarceration is the way punishment is doled out (and that's a whole 'nother argument, right?), locking people up for dog fighting doesn't bother me a bit.
For the record, I don't think of five years as serious jail time-- more like 10-20. With good behavior and early parole, that five years can turn to 3 or 4, which is in the same range as a college degree or a military enlistment, neither of which constitute a long term commitment IMHO. Jail and prison suck more, obviously, don't get me wrong, but 20 years is approaching a third of your adult life, if you're lucky, and that's some serious time indeed.
Ex ignorantia ad sapientiam; e luce ad tenebras
