Category Archives: Environmentalism & Animal Rights

Dayko Dog Didn’t Need To Die (Sean Hannity 100% Correct On Pet Food)

Environmentalism & Animal Rights, Ethics, Hebrew Testament, Morality, Parrots

Handlers clearly neglected a wonderful working dog, Dayko, who died of exhaustion (“massive coronary myocardial infarction and acute respiratory failure”), rooting for survivors of the Ecuador earthquake. Now the Ibara fire service is glorifying Dayko somewhat self-servingly, in my opinion, when a couple of big bowls of water infused with electrolytes would have kept Dayko alive.

I never understand it when people are unresponsive to my many educational posts about parrots. “I’m a dog person,” they shrug. Despite being a parrot person—indeed, nothing compares to a parrot for sheer intelligent, sociability, use of language (a thing no other animal musters) and cuteness—the plight of all abused and neglected animals pains.

37ILANA Mercer, Puckering With Precious Poi

Guiltily, Sean Hannity commented today on the radio about dog food. He thinks he’s wrong to feed his dogs chunks of what he himself eats. Mr. Hannity has clearly been told by pushers of fake food that dogs need extruded pellets.

WTF? And why? That people can be led to think extruded foodstuff, out of packets, is better for an animal than fresh food—a little meat, fish, chicken (BONES!), fruit, vegetables, nuts (for birdies)—is idiotic. (Birds do not thrive on seed or lettuce. They will become malnourished and exhibit deformities.)

Where in nature do animals eat processed food? I’m sure you can save money by going back to the old-fashioned practice of feeding your pets scraps or, still better, apportioning them a little of your food, before eating. As Mr. Hannity does.

The Hebrew Bible tells us to feed our (servants) and animals first.

In any event, this sweet soul didn’t need to die. Rest in peace, Dayko.

P.S.: Oscar-Wood, the parrot of the house is currently evicting all the “bad toys” from his toy box. (Parrots always have a plan; always up to something.) He keeps only the toys he likes. The room is strewn with “bad toys,” tossed high and low emphatically and as he gives me dirty looks: “don’t you know I don’t tolerate these toys?” He roots around, actively separating out the toys, until in the toy box remain only the favored wooden toys. Adorable hook-bill.

Trump Doesn’t Need To Talk Like A Conservative

Conservatism, Donald Trump, Environmentalism & Animal Rights, IMMIGRATION, Republicans

“Trump Doesn’t Need To Talk Like A Conservative” is the current column, now on WND. An excerpt:

With his decisive victory on Super Tuesday II (March 15), Trump is already winning for America.

We’ve won a reprieve. There will be no 13th Republican debate. It was cancelled by the candidate. Megyn Kelly can save her new outfit and mink eyelashes for the next liberal shindig she attends.

Despite the best efforts of Scarlet Letter “E” Republicans and conservatives, Trump has 673 out of the 1237 delegates required, 263 more than runner-up Ted Cruz. The New York Times—it lies a little less than Fox News—has conceded that “Rubio’s exit leaves Trump with an open path to 1,237 delegates.”

Alas, bar the last debate, in Coral Gables, Miami, March 10, the other 11 debates have not showcased the best of Trump.

And it’s not that Trump doesn’t talk like a conservative. Talking like a conservative is meaningless.

The Marco Mattel Doll mouthed near-perfect conservative bulletin points. Pull a string, and Barbie’s beau would disgorge conservative words and phrases from a rotating repertoire. Look the other way, and the Cuban Ken was passing liberal legislation with Chucky Schumer (Dem).

Talking like a conservative doesn’t mean a politician will act like a conservative.

Come to think of it, Republican presidents who talk and act conservatively are as elusive as Big Foot. There hasn’t been a sighting in maybe a century. A purist would cite Democrat Grover Cleveland as America’s last conservative president. He preached and practiced the maxim that “the people must support the government, but the government must not support the people.”

True, too, is that conservatives, younger ones, it seems, have adopted much of the Left’s Orwellian, illiberal thinking, thankfully alien to The Donald.

While the Left controls the intellectual means of production—schools (primary, secondary, tertiary), media, foundations, think tanks, publishing prints—the “Respectable Right” is hardly on the outs with the liberal smart set.

Both factions are agreed:

Endless immigration is a net good, as long as it’s legal.

Source of immigration is insignificant, as long as it’s legal. At heart, every Afghani, Iraqi or Somali are just closeted Jeffersonians.

Racism: Whites have come a long way and have a long way to go, ad infinitum.

Michelle Fields: New Conservatives get as exercised as liberals about pursuing legal remedies for hysteria.

In such a national emergency as Fields caused, the advice of Humphrey Bogart, playing Rick Blaine in “Casablanca” (channeled by Woody Allen in “Play It Again Sam”), should be considered: “I never saw a dame yet that didn’t understand a good slap in the mouth …”

Fields, a reporter, claimed she was assaulted by the Republican front-runner’s surrogate. She offered iffy evidence for her allegations. Fields had scrummed Trump. She was too close for comfort to a candidate who’s the target of daily death threats. Solemnly, conservatives took to debating the “assault” endured by Fields and the merits of a legal remedy.

The law is an ass. But so are these conservatives. (The Fields matter has since been settled: Megyn Kelly will get Fields a spread in Vogue, Kelly’s alma mater.) …

… . Conservative talk is not all it’s cut out to be. When it comes to philosophical convictions (the stuff discussed above), most conservatives more closely resemble their beltway liberal friends than Republican Party voters. …

… Read the complete column. “Trump Doesn’t Need To Talk Like A Conservative” is now on WND.

Operation Parrot Bone Grab

Environmentalism & Animal Rights, Family, Ilana Mercer, Parrots

Missing from the picture of Oscar-Wood in chicken-bone heaven is operation bone grab. Oscar-Wood Mercer swooped down onto the counter, grabbed the chicken bone and flew up to the top of the cabinet to savor. (It’s hard to believe, but unlike the kitchen, which Oscar-Wood has modified, the rest of the home is tastefully appointed and quite lovely).

2015, bone grab

2015, bone grab II

UPDATE II (12/19/016): Open Your Hearts & Minds To Parrots; You’ll Be The Richer For it

Conflict, Environmentalism & Animal Rights, Parrots

They are so much more intelligent than dogs and cats (which, make no mistake, I love)—yet they are treated like ornaments to display, expected to eek out a life (often as long as that of a human being) in the confines of stark, dirty, small cages; their wing feathers clipped to permit only a pathetic, helpless hop (and no fighting chance against the family dog or cat).

Parrots—from which I’ve learned so many lessons about my own humanity—do not have the advocates dogs and cats have. When last did you see the Humane Society soliciting donations with reference to the plight of the ptisatine family? Parrots do not even make the Humane Society’s list of needy.

In fact, the achingly beautiful piece penned by our Charles Bergman (a Washington State treasure), circa 2013, is still one of the few features on the Humane Society’s site pertaining to parrots.

The emotional needs of an animal who can reason on this level of abstraction are considerable. Watch:

Alas, parrots can be “picked up” at a yard sale like objects; discarded old chairs. Here’s the latest in a sad saga:

AVALON – Edmund bites and is “pathological.” Arthur is long-suffering, a sweetheart who tolerates the bad behavior of his roommate. Both talk too much.

Or, more accurately, too loudly — a trait that landed their owner, Elaine Scattergood, in court Monday on a noise complaint citation that police issued her in response to a caller who squawked about the chatty birds. Judge George Neidig held the charge for 90 days, saying if no further violations were reported, Scattergood’s summons would be dismissed.

“I wanted a definite ‘not guilty’ plea,” Scattergood said afterward at her home on 30th Street, where she shared the news of her probation with Arthur and Edmund. “I don’t feel good about this at all.”

MORE.

UPDATED I (4/30/016):

UPDATE II (12/19/016):