Thursday, April 21, 2005
Ecological politics and stray cats!
Anything that makes national news, however one would look at it, is telling you something how the world is changing. It is also telling the reader why is it necessary for those changes to take place and why they sometimes today may take the foreground. Back in the early 1990s or even the 1980s, it would be absurd to think of as one would read about the Wisconsin Conservation Congress* resolution approved by the county voters there that it is okay to shoot stray cats.
Animal rights activist including myself would think that this disturbing. However the problem with allowing stray cats to run amok is that they are endangering birds and other small prey animal,not to say nationwide there are supposedly 80 million stray cats on the loose.*
The semantics of all this is that the resolution itself is in accordance with most if not all wildlife and animal endangerment laws that would simply designate stray or 'feral' cats as 'unprotected.' That would mean that like places in Minnesota and South Dakota, people will be able to shoot cats that appears dangerous or do not have collars or tags on them. These cats unlike the monkeys that run around the streets and parks of India are merely 'abandoned' creatures, not a 'religous' or 'indegenous' aspect of American culture. That is to say there exists the notion of 'abandonment,'that would nullify anything that would take too seriously people who have claims to treat their pets like humans.** There are believe it or not the growth of 'dog courts' and lavish dog houses on the market.
What all of this is say not to contradict myself above is that one could apply and assess any and all forms of creatures, including human beings, in the way they permeate basic institutions. Like the monkey that roams around the streets in India there numbers have become so much that 1) they are ecological burdens and 2)that they pose as some sort of nusiance.Of course, one would see the idea of a 'let loose' attitude of allowing stray cats being shoot as cruel, whereas a likely and more reasonable remedy would be pet adoption, neutering and in cases, euthenasia.***
For the most part, there is a such thing as ecological politics reaching grassroots and local levels but more importantly to areas to test and measures society ability to take care of their pets and children.
*USA Today April 13, 2005 p.3a
** This term is often referred to as being derivative.
***The Terri Schiavo case in which her husband succeeded in having her feeding tube removed are among the many ethical choice that depsite what the opponents of euthenasia want to believe given massive population growth, an aging population in the US, Japan and parts of Europe and a failed social structure in which prisons and a prison culture are fast replacing what was left of welfare and social institutions not too long ago that society must deal with.
Animal rights activist including myself would think that this disturbing. However the problem with allowing stray cats to run amok is that they are endangering birds and other small prey animal,not to say nationwide there are supposedly 80 million stray cats on the loose.*
The semantics of all this is that the resolution itself is in accordance with most if not all wildlife and animal endangerment laws that would simply designate stray or 'feral' cats as 'unprotected.' That would mean that like places in Minnesota and South Dakota, people will be able to shoot cats that appears dangerous or do not have collars or tags on them. These cats unlike the monkeys that run around the streets and parks of India are merely 'abandoned' creatures, not a 'religous' or 'indegenous' aspect of American culture. That is to say there exists the notion of 'abandonment,'that would nullify anything that would take too seriously people who have claims to treat their pets like humans.** There are believe it or not the growth of 'dog courts' and lavish dog houses on the market.
What all of this is say not to contradict myself above is that one could apply and assess any and all forms of creatures, including human beings, in the way they permeate basic institutions. Like the monkey that roams around the streets in India there numbers have become so much that 1) they are ecological burdens and 2)that they pose as some sort of nusiance.Of course, one would see the idea of a 'let loose' attitude of allowing stray cats being shoot as cruel, whereas a likely and more reasonable remedy would be pet adoption, neutering and in cases, euthenasia.***
For the most part, there is a such thing as ecological politics reaching grassroots and local levels but more importantly to areas to test and measures society ability to take care of their pets and children.
*USA Today April 13, 2005 p.3a
** This term is often referred to as being derivative.
***The Terri Schiavo case in which her husband succeeded in having her feeding tube removed are among the many ethical choice that depsite what the opponents of euthenasia want to believe given massive population growth, an aging population in the US, Japan and parts of Europe and a failed social structure in which prisons and a prison culture are fast replacing what was left of welfare and social institutions not too long ago that society must deal with.
# posted by Jamie @ 1:03 PM 
