Peace be with you.
The Humboldt County Board of the Supervisors has come up with yet another plan to save the people of Humboldt County from a problem that does not exist. The plan initially requires owners of non-pedigreed dogs and cats 4 months or older to sterilize their beloved pets, but alludes to the Supes overall plan to prevent any and all poor people in Humboldt County from having pets. The rich, beautiful people of course can purchase expensive, high-strung, inbred, and obnoxious pets, and breed them at will. The poor, struggling, working people will be required to purchase their pets from these inferior gene pools. Not only is this new proposed law unconstitutional, but will create many more problems then the ones the Supes believe will come in the next century or two if they don’t stop people from enjoying pets today.
The first and foremost reason not to pass this “doggy eugenics” law is that the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. Commonly called “due process,” the 14th amendment says that, “ALL PEOPLE ARE EQUAL UNDER THE LAW.” Not just rich pedigreed dog owners, but even mutt owners are to be treated equally. You can not enact a law that allows for one group of citizens to enjoy a civil right or protection of the law that doesn’t apply to every single American.
The second good reason not to pass the law is also a constitutional affront. The Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution bans the taking of a person’s property for public use in absence of a court ruling and “just compensation.” In other words if the County takes my poor dogs testicles, in the name of the “public good,” (i.e.: shelter workers have less dogs to shelter), then they owe me all the revenue I would ever earn from the reproductive capabilities of said testicles.
The third reason that this obviously shortsighted law is a bad idea is the loss of innovation in animal husbandry. Take Griz as an example. If I owned a pure breed sled dog like a Malamute or a Husky I wouldn’t be able to run him on the streets. Only because of his unique blood lines does Griz have the pulling ability and the feet to be able to perform the work he performs. Many of you have asked for Griz’s puppies if or when I finally allow him to have puppies, but with this law you will never have that opportunity.
In the United States, property rights include animals. I have a right to enjoy and use my property, including the reproductive capabilities of my animal(s), so long as I refrain from violating others rights by owning that property. The purposed law is not based on violation of other law. A crack pipe is illegal because it might be used to smoke crack, which is illegal. Even if my dog mates with another dog it will have violated no law. It is still legal in the United States to breed dogs regardless of their “social class.”
A fourth reason for stopping this stupid law is the fact that punishing the whole class because one student does something wrong is bullshit! It is not my fault that the parade of “animal welfare workers” who advocated this law in front of the Supes is composed of irresponsible pet owners who need personal intervention to do the right thing. I am not an irresponsible pet owner, and I don’t need a law to refrain from producing unwanted pets. I spend a lot of time and energy training my dog to behave. I do not allow my dog to run loose, and I do what ever it takes to keep him away from dogs in-season. Just because I’m poor should I be punished by the loss of future board-joring dogs?
Finally, there is the same old promise by the enforcers – “we will only use this law in the most grievous situations.” Boy, if I could bring back a life for every time I heard the cops tell us that I could bring back a whole lot of the people killed by cops in less-than-grievous situations. Again, I wish to emphasize – THE COPS ARE LYING TO US!
They describe this law as a “tool.” They already have enough tools shoved up their “arsenal.” Corporate sponsors (Target stores are proud sponsors of the Eureka SWAT team), juristic complicity of elected officials (how long does it take for a DA to investigate a murder), Federal militarization, presidential moratorium on civil rights, and city mandates to violate both the actual Constitution and its implied spirit, are just the tip of the iceberg of tools the cops use against us.
Is it realistic to think that those who aren’t responsible pet owners now are going to be responsible pet owners because of a new law? No, it will mean that fewer will register their pets, fewer will retrieve them if lost, and hundreds will be deemed new criminals - which could include jail time. Other problems I foresee from this insane legislation are factory pet farms, forgeries of doggy diplomas, dog napping rings, and the dilemma of a poor person facing a burdensome fine or drowning a puppy.
I love my dog and he loves me. He’s 125 pounds, 4&1/2 years old, has 1&1/2 inch canine teeth, and can pull me around like a rag doll, but I have easily maintained his virginity. I always will promote responsible dog husbandry, but I can’t get behind this law. The proposed law is classist, unconstitutional, and wrong.
Humboldt County is shitting on its poor people in order to make a community of the rich, for the rich, on the backs of the poor. In its mere proposal of this ordinance, the Board of Supes have failed to balance the identified interest (the so-called “good of the society”) against our sacrifice of significant individual rights. If we allow this ordinance to pass on May 1, 2007, we will have again allowed the government impermissible intrusion into the lives of its citizens. Stop this travesty of justice before it starts, and seriously consider not reelecting any of the good ‘ol boys who keep pushing this class war in Humboldt County and its cities.
Remember: think local – act local!
love eternal
tad