I'm not replying directly to your query, Missy, but felt this was the right thread to make a comment....
On Face Book, my status right now reads:::
LOTS Of stuff on My Mind Thinking about friends, family, hopes, out cries and what we can change and what we can't. BUT. Just because something can't be CHANGED TODAY, doesn't mean we go quietly. NO NO NO> Sometimes we just keep keep ringing the bell, clanging the pots, walking the path, naming the names, demanding answers, shining the light and doing what we can to write the script for the day to come. So... *deep breath*
I"m not sure what will eventually come from all the ruckus, out cry or hoopla over this issue.
If we all set out to have Vick tossed off the Eagles team tomorrow, all NFL 'heads' fall to their knees in shame, and Vick ending up working in a rescue shelter for the rest of his life, we could very well end up considering our 'outcome' a failure........But surely we will not set this unlikely outcome as our measuring rod for 'success'.
Despite huge numbers of irate animal lovers promising to boycott products, write letters, and hold signs, the harsh truth taunts us; big bucks, big business and big balls win.
(oops. I'm not sure I meant that, but the muse spewed it, so it stays).
We can stir up some dust, wave some signs and become disappointed and angry when 'nothing' changes----Vick plays, people 'forget', fans trickle back in and we feel like we did it all 'for nothing'.
OR...................
We can Remember, There are other ways to define 'winning' and 'change'.
Right now, there are people who are speaking out, standing before cameras and writing in blogs, all in outrage over animal torture. MAINLY, PIT BULL TORTURE. People who may not have ever said anything about any topic in the past. Every day people, who are taking their shocked senses and asking 'what they can do'....
People like my friend Bruce, who are avid animal lovers, but have rolled their eyes at the
crazy people who would want an 'animal that is genetically bred to do one thing and one thing only, and that's to destroy and kill other dogs'.
((this is what he said to me in his office 18 months ago, when I first shared my dream of owning one some day)))....
But now, Bruce, in his ethical and moral ways, is standing toe to toe with sponsors and foes, to defend these animals..........THE PIT BULLS,,,,,,,,,,
These same people who right now may not want to OWN a pit bull, but to stand by and let this happen?? To hear of one of our well paid celebrities bend himself around the same bars that would restrain the freedom of the average Joe.....?? NO.
When we, as rescuers, owners and obsessives, (ahem), keep shining the light of reality on the rank and repugnant societal blindness to the horror of dog fighting, it's these good people who can't help but stand up and join the crowd.
And think about that for a bit..........Now that so many people are shaking their heads, muttering under the breath, mentioning the news at work, and discussing the HORRIBLE ness of what was done to these dogs, it's going to become awfully difficult to later, both CONDEMN AND DEFEND the same breed, in the same breath.
Today the pit bull is the victim.
Will BSL be eliminated?? no.........most likely not.
Will every home house a rescued pit bull.......I hope not.
But we will have less BSL supporters standing for something they THOUGHT they believed in.
We'll have people who don't automatically shun a breed because of bad press.
Bad Press can destroy or it can Create.
I'm an Artist, Baby.............I CREATE.
And just like my daughter's murder.
We may not get anyone thrown out of their job for dropping the ball. We may not get a law changed TODAY.
But people starting talking........and the more I encouraged, questioned, exposed, posted, interviewed, called, suggested, the more press I got.
I went from a face book page to a web site, to interviews to a Play.
People are listening.
People are comparing notes while they shake their heads in commiseration of similar stories.
We'll keep clanging the bells because it's the sound waves that change things in the long run----We'll keep holding the light, long after the fickle societal limelight dims. We'll be there with signs at games, we'll be there on Face book, reminding, we'll be there walking dogs in a parade. We'll keep reminding people who The Bad Guy Really IS.
We're going nowhere, Vick.
Jody, off her soap box for now....
“Hope has two beautiful daughters: their names are Anger and Courage.
Anger that things are the way they are.
Courage to make them the way they ought to be.”----Augustine
, if it doesn't work for you(or for your friends and family) to Boycott, then you can work through other avenues.
