The Zealots

There is a theory  that everyone and everything is six or even  fewer steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person in the world, so that a  chain of interlinked friends and their statements can be made to connect any two people in a maximum of six steps.  In our world of internet, of Twitter, LinkdIn, and facebook, we are friends with friends of friends of friends of friends who are friends of somebody really important and famous, those who used to dwell hid away in their secluded ivory towers.  Now we are privy to their political views, and their favorite brands, what they like to watch and T.V., and maybe, which annoying facebook game that they like to play.  I hope they don't send me a request to play one.  I will definitely "unfriend" them. 

Mostly, it's wonderful, and isn't just a liar for con artists, perverts and voyeurs, but it can truly connect people. It's a small world. 

We have found that this network can raise awareness and funds for a worthy cause. Even our own president claims he would address any petition posted on "We the People"  that generated support of

Preventing the majority of attacks is a waste of public resources.

10,000 people.  Pit Bull advocates near and far jumped with glee when Obama announced his opposition to BSL as he introduced the new addition of another dog to the family.  It opened my eyes, how political leaders clearly don't check to see how old a study is, and the other side of the story, if they have an adviser with seemingly squeaky clean Humane $ociety connections, and it sounds like political correctness...how could he have not chosen to support the right side of the cause? Not far from his side at that time, was Cesar Millan, who has besides pit bulls,  has another issue near and dear to his heart.  "Wag the dog"?   At about the same time, all the way south in Florida, residents in Maimi-Dade County voted to keep their twenty year pit bull ban. 

   Of course, I support the right for pit bull owners to stand up for what they believe in, they truly believe "it's all how you raise 'em", and that they have a right to own whatever kind of dog they desire.  They

"It's All how you raise 'em"

don't realize, it's not a right, but a priviledge to own a dog.  With all of their outrage of the pit bulls that "somehow" get out and attack, are used as weapons, and who are still used for dog fighting, you think they would want some kind of legislation so that owning a pit bull would be impossible for the kind of people who abuse and fail with them.  Maybe they DO get it....they really have observed that the majority of the problems is having Joe Schmo or his feminine do-gooder counterpoint owning dogs that attack and maim and give the dog a bad name.  You can't own a goat in city limits, and you need a special permit for a Tiger.  Where I live, Ferrets are banned.  What puzzles me, really, what TROUBLES me, is the mob the support some causes seem to generate, and how some  blaring and heinous injustices are ignored completely.  Sometimes, they are so angry over what was said, and don't seem to understand the context, ignore little words like IF,  and they look for a person to crucify.  Sometimes, the outrage is enough to inspire threats of death.  These from the same people who want to crucify someone for what they THOUGHT they said or ever wrote.

Here is just a sample of some well known cases of outrage.....

Not all of them are pit bull cases, just to illustrate how crazy can grow in the petri dish of social media.

I.  Lennox the dog:  Lennox was an American Bulldog/Lab mix, who charged the dog warden of Belfast, Ireland and was after two years and despite many untold legions of supporters around the globe, was nonetheless, put to sleep.  There are  pages on facebook, trying to save his life.  "I am Lennox" is a popular meme that arose, still persists.

17,202 people signed a petition to remove the dog warden,  Alexandra “Sandie” Lightfoot, from her post.  She has since been promoted.

II. Hawthorn, CA police shoot a Rottweiler and receive death threats.   At this point, 121,365 people have appealed to Police Chief R. Fager, to fire the deputy who made a choice for self preservation.

The owner of the Rottweiler has now hired a fancy attorney and is suing the department.

III. Onion, a dog who killed the grandchild of his owner, had the support of 13,500 signers and the Lexus Project.  Now he lives somewhere, and the people who live next door to him don't know about his history of killing children who bump him as he is napping.  By the way, the Lexus Project was created to save a Greyhound named Lexus that killed a Pomeranian.  They have come a long way......

IV. There are numerous petitions and facebook pages dedicated to silence an advocacy for dog bite victims, because the majority of reports are by pit bulls.  It's strange an advocacy for being able to own what ever type of dog desired would advocate against the freedom of speech. These have between 50 to 2,000 signed supporters. Most of them seem to be written by C- High School Student Pibble advocates. 


V.  A Firefighter in Torrington, Connecticut, was demoted for using company computers to post on a
facebook page for pit bull victims, on how to kill or defend oneself from an attacking pit bull.





For some reason, all of the media reports seem to miss the that this is a list of ways to kill or disengage a pit bull  IF the pit bull is  "latched onto someone else".    This outrage was generated from a group of facebook advocates who harass pit bull victims and people who support BSL.  

Not satisfied that he has been demoted and lost $10,000 in annual wages,  the pit bull advocates are still petitioning that he loose his job. At this point, there are 34,900 people who think that a person should loose their job over a list of ways to help free a victim from the grips of a pit bull's jaws.   Pit bull advocates should keep the list handy: they are the folks who may need this kind of advice most.   Like this attack for instance!

VI:  A police officer in Filer, Idaho, shoots a Labrador running at large.   Outrage spreads around the globe to fire the police officer.  A facebook page made in his dishonor is populated about five times more than the town.   Someone from Chicago, Illinois, made a petition for this Idaho police officer to be fired.

VII: Klonda Richie, of A 57-year-old woman who was found mauled to death by two neighbor's (pit bull, Bull Mastiff, Presa Canario ?) dogs in Dayton, Ohio. She  had made several complaints to police about the dangerous and possibly inhumane condition in which these dogs were kept, and the dog warden, never once was able to investigate the situation. 


Here is the petition to fire do nothing animal control officer Mark Klump.  Now he's a hero helping to find homes for her 26 cats.  This is hard work he could of avoided had he just come over, and see what the problem was.  Oh, and this nice lady may still be alive. This petition has at this point, 231 supporters.


How connected are you, and where will the direction of your outrage take its course?