Tuesday, August 4, 2009

"Shoot to Kill"

I've said this about people whose children rob convenience stores using threats of violence or weapons: If you want your demon-spawn to come back alive, teach them how to behave in a civilized world. You expect civilized behavior of the clerk at the store when he deals with your children. You expect it of me when I deal with your children. Expect that of your children and you've got a shot.

My ride, that is, my car, is worth more to me than the life of some idiot who wants to steal it, break it, or burn it. That is because like so many people my age, and I am over 18, I don't have the time or the energy to walk as far as my job is. My house is worth even more, and if I have a home business, a farm, or a profitable kennel, that is also worth more than the lives of people who want to break it, burn it, or steal it. I advocate a shoot to kill mentality for home invaders, vandals, car thieves, and of course anyone who sets fire to anything that belongs to you. A fire should legally be considered a death threat and a deadly assault. Whosoever initiates an arson attack should be considered a dangerous person who should be shot to death on the spot.

There is a tremendous difference between violence that is used to coerce people who are minding their own business and violence that is used to defend what rightfully belongs to you on your own property. The first is wrong even when the law does it. The second is right.

Most puppy mill raids are illegal, period. If you can get the legal representation that will follow up on it, the city, or usually the county that conducted the raid is responsible for damages when they do them. It's difficult to impossible to get away with asserting your rights by using a gun, but insist enough and you can get something done legally. That's costly and I can understand people who simply run out of money, time, and energy.

A "shoot to kill" mentality in this arena means that one should be willing to go all out to gain a legal redress of grievances. Someone's going to have to build a law firm that is willing to predate against a county government and local humane societies. "Shoot to kill" means that your legal team goes after all assets belonging to whoever judgments are gained against, and you don't back down because they claim "it was for the animals" or "we won't be able to help the animals if you bankrupt us." You don't fall for the sociopath's "pity me" act either.

A particular humane society has such a horrible history of attacking owners for no good reason that its hundred-year-plus history should be brought to an end. Saving animals by destroying their homes and owners is the wrong way to do things. Profiting by illegal acts is wrong. They even take animals out of circumstances that they are comfortable with and place them in far worse circumstances. They should be treated as the criminals that they are. I won't name the one I'm thinking about largely because they aren't the only one. Don't pity them. They've had over a hundred years to learn how to take care of animals and if they don't understand how it works that's their problem.

Even a somewhat less than standard commercial breeder is better than most of these so-called humane societies and SPCAs and they do one thing that is positive: They breed. Above all a species needs to breed and propagate to survive. The pet trade is how humans assist in this vital function. I don't place the rights of animals above human rights but it is fitting that the pet trade works for the animals, perhaps better than it works for the humans involved. Humans are the one species that is often willing to live with the excrement of another species just to keep that other species alive. We also work our hearts out for them. Give us a lot of credit.