Do it for me. Sniff.
Today is Humane Lobby Day at the Tennessee State Capitol. From the Humane Society of the United States press release:
More than 140 citizens from across Tennessee will gather at the state Capitol today to meet with their lawmakers and urge them to pass legislation to stop puppy mills and to increase the penalties for spectators at animal fights. The citizen lobbyists will be participating in Humane Lobby Day, which is organized by The Humane Society of the United States.
The goal of the day is to work towards passing new legislation to regulate commercial breeders that sell directly to the public (a.k.a. puppy mills) and increase the penalties for spectators at an animal fight from a Class B misdemeanor to a Class A misdemeanor (being a spectator at animal fights that do not include dogs is a Class C misdemeanor).
Last week, the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office raided a cockfight and arrested 48.
In February, almost three hundred dogs were found at a home in Sparta living in squalid and inhumane conditions.
State Sen. Doug Jackson (D-Dickson, the fightin’ 25th!), who introduced SB0258 (companion bill HB 0386 [pdf] by Rep. Janis Sontany (D-Nashville, the figthin’ 53rd!)) which would offer some regulation of puppy mills, said that he was “never a fan of regulating commercial animal breeders until he set foot on a farm in Hickman County”:
After seeing that and the magnitude of that and the amount of suffering that was taking place … it was clear in my mind to support this kind of legislation…Animals have just become more important to me.
Please tell me this is something we can all agree on. C’mon, do it for the puppies.
Any progress is good. You cant think any of this is ever a waste of time. It all add’s up. And will be great one day
I was reading some of the comments to this story(the one in the Tennessean). There thoughts where pretty much, that the sumner county sheriff’s office should be out arresting rapists, murders instead of busting up rural traditions.. also asked absurdly if the baby would be cited and charged! You know maybe we should pass the English only amendment, it would probably keep these kind of folks out of the city.. Peace out
I can’t see any argument for it.
I agree with you. It is absolutely ridiculous that it’s so hard to pass legislation against cockfighting in TN. Come on legislators, even most backwoods rednecks are against cockfighting!