On Amazon Reviews and Dogtown
First, I thought the Scully debate would die down but it hasn’t, so allow me to pass on that in addition to writing letters (if you are so moved, and Bea confirmed that Scully reads them at this address) to dominionletters@aol.com, here’s another suggestion:
"[P]lease go to Scully’s link on Amazon and counter all the uncritical praise by writing a proper review of his book and his politics." (The Customer Review page is here, and you’ll notice there’s already discussion in the comments section of the reviews post September 4 that was obviously due to Scully writing Sarah Palin’s speech.)
The return of the book, cut in half or not, is up to you, obviously. If you don’t think it’s silly or wasteful, go for it! Then there’s the library, a thrift store, prisoners, and eBay. Or your neighbor who’s a Republican, Christian omnivore. If you don’t want to spread the message of the book, recycle it or keep it for quotes. Or keep it because it moved you and do nothing. Or keep it because it moved you and write a letter expressing your disappointment.
Finally, yesterday Luke said (regarding my comment that I don’t think far right ideology deserves a break):
"Its the animals who need a break, Mary. I don’t see you are doing any good for the animals here except using your time to bash Scully and the ‘right’. Ummm, ‘right’, now thats a term you should explore."
Though I did say to forget about Scully because it’s not as if we have anything in common, that doesn’t mean his beliefs aren’t frightening to me. I would not want to live in a world of his creation. The far right stands for: anti-choice, anti-science (e.g., that silly evolution rumor and stem cell research), a god who has charged us with any kind of war, gay people are sick and drilling in ANWAR is necessary. What really scares me is that there might be enough Americans who were taken by Palin’s attractive appearance and Scully’s words that they’ll actually vote for that ticket without realizing what Palin really stands for.
She is staunchly anti-animal, and someone who is staunchly
pro-animal contributed to her success that evening. Scully’s the one
who "didn’t do any good" for the animals by penning that speech.
I probably wouldn’t have continued this discussion if I wasn’t
getting e-mails and comments from people wanting to do something and
suggesting things to do. I wanted to respect them and the fact that
they read my blog and wrote to float ideas. I think that was "right."
As for Dogtown, not to toot my own horn as a producer, but over a year ago I
suggested that Animal Planet do a series on the Michael Vick dogs with
Cesar Millan. The idea was to chronicle their journeys from rescue to
treatment to rehabilitation, while educating the public about the
breeds considered "pit bulls," addressing breed specific legislation,
talking about the history of the breed (they earned the name "nanny
dog" because of how well they dealt with kids), and of course, shedding
even more light on the hideous blood sport of dogfighting.
Well, there’s a two-hour program on National Geographic that’s exactly that, minus Cesar Millan. It’s an episode of DogTown (as in the DogTown at Best Friends) called "Saving the Michael Vick Dogs," and it’s airing again this
Friday, September 12 (check your local schedule for the time).
DogTown, and particularly this episode, reminds me of what we were
discussing last week when I asked if you ever thought euthanasia was
more humane than, well, not. Elaine wrote of hope,
and of course several people said we had no right to kill a healthy
animal (and note that in this DogTown episode, the narrator doesn’t
name names but does say, several times, that animal rights groups
thought the dogs should be killed). Within a scant six months, most of
the 22 dogs DogTown were awarded custody of were ready for adoption,
and the episode focuses on the four most challenging dogs, one of whom
can never leave DogTown by court order. The theme is one of hope and
love and not giving up on dogs whose demeanors and scars and
debilitating fears are simply no fault of theirs.
Check it out. And don’t forget a box of tissues.
