Dog-Fighting Trend – “Trunking” – No Depths to Cruelty when it comes to Man’s Best Friend

The Puppies shown above were recovered from a "trunking" suspect - image local10.com

From Local 10 Florida: “Animal Services recued a group of dogs believed to have been used for trunking”. “Trunking” by definition is placing two dogs in the trunk of a car and in order for them to fight to the death, once one of the dogs is dead; the “winner” is then locked in the trunk again with another dog. Local News 10 reported that those who participate in this latest “sport” drive around, with music blaring, and then simply pull over the car once the “fight” is over.

There are a few articles online, one dating back to 2011 from WMCTV in Memphis - Police there called it a “disturbing new trend” in dog fighting, and suggested that those participating were mainly young kids, and it was becoming increasingly popular.

The next time you hear loud music from the car next to yours, pay attention. According to Memphis Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Karen Rudolph, the people inside may be committing a crime other than violating a noise ordinance.

"There's other things to look for just than the loud music," she said. "There could be a cover up for the dog fighting, which is called 'trunking.'"

Dog-fighting is a felony, regardless of the circumstances in which the animals are tortured, and the possible gain that the individuals may receive from participating. Dogs, in general, and regardless of breed, are devoted to their owners and will do what it takes to please them. From a personal perspective, one fitting punishment might be to stuff these perpetrators into the truck of a car, with another animal, a little less defenseless than a dog, and see what happens. A large cat perhaps. As a dog owner, it is beyond comprehension that anyone could hurt an animal under any circumstances. It is this type of cruelty that has led to a misconception about specific breeds, mainly pit-bulls and pit-mixes. When going to the local dog park with my dogs (mini-doxy, puggle, and field beagle) they play quite nicely with all breeds, including pit bulls. It goes without saying, that if one were to take a dog of any breed, and place them in a situation such as that described above, the animal would, instinctively fight to save itself.

It is mind-boggling, to say the least, that our youth are so spoiled, mentally and emotionally, that they find this type of “sport” to be acceptable. There have to be several levels of cruelty taking place to allow for this type of scenario. It is our society’s lack of compassion when it comes to the defenseless, children and animals specifically that is at the root of the care-less attitude that allows for this to take place. This calls for moral outrage all the way around.

MA Dem Game Plan – Paint Gomez as a Right Wing Republican – The Next Scott Brown – Who are they Kidding?

Gabriel Gomez – image from the Boston Globe From Middle Class Beginnings Gomez Forges Unconventional Path

The dust has settled on the Mass. Senate Special Election primaries, with less fanfare than that received by the ice-cream man making his rounds in the streets of Massachusetts. The results, the dinosaur from Congress, Markey, Democrat, versus, Gomez, the young, Hispanic, Businessman, Republican. Granted so much is wrong with this picture it is almost laughable – given the fact that there appears to be a role reversal going on in Massachusetts Politics, and to boot, over half the states’ electorate could care less (and that may be a higher figure).

First, it spears as if the news outlets, try and they might, can’t generate enough interest in this particular contest – there are few Google News alerts compared to other similar contests in special elections nationwide. Secondly, the articles are predictable: The national media are suggesting that Republicans Hope Gabriel Gomez is the next Scott Brown” (ABC News), and “A Gomez Upset of Markey Don’t Count on It” (Washington Post).

Secondly, trying to prop up Ed Markey is proving difficult: Example: Veteran Democrat, Republican newcomer win Massachusetts Senate primaries” (Chicago Tribune), and Where Ed Markey Should Watch His Back (Washington Post)

On Gomez, he is hardly Scott Brown, or the Hispanic Equivalent to Scott Brown, he is Gabriel Gomez – Brown had a record to run on, and by all that is rational should have been reelected to the Senate, except he had the bad fortune to run in a general election where any Republican in Massachusetts would have had difficulty getting on the ballot – Brown’s record spoke for itself, and those low-information voters, the dead, the aged, turned out in droves. Brown was an underdog from the start – The only thing remotely connecting Brown and Gomez, is the fact that they shared the same party designation. Gomez is not an underdog, although he will be painted in that manner and has been against the “veteran” Congressman, Markey. Gomez is his own man – and unabashedly proud of who he is, comfortable in his own skin. Too bad for Markey there.

The Washington Post suggests that the electorate in Massachusetts is Democrat – and the likelihood of a Republican wining is very slim indeed – except – it does happen. The fact that Obama bested Romney in his own state is not something that should be help up as anti-Republican – it was, more to the point, anti-Romney. Outside of the bubble that is Boston, Romney was never overly popular in his home state. The fact that Obama won Massachusetts handily against McCain in 2008 was also not a shocker – it as youth versus the old guy.

The Chicago Tribune Headline is the one that Markey will have to count on, to get anywhere, without seriously stuffing the ballots, putting poling locations in every senior center, nursing home and bodega, and enlisting the help of the Mayor of Bridgeport. The fact that Markey has experience in Congress, decades and decades of experience, a solid Democrat vote since Carter was elected.



Meet Ed Markey - Image Salon.com

Markey is Markey – he’s part of the machine, heck he probably can claim he built the machine that is Congress. That’s the one favorable that Markey has going into the race in a state that is made up of an electorate who a) does not care and b) is over 50% unenrolled – or non-partisan if one will.

Gomez on the other hand looks like a shiny new dime.

The Republican’s, from outside of Massachusetts, don’t hope or think that Gomez is another Scott Brown, they know he is Gabriel Gomez, with every single attribute the Democrats would have killed for in a candidate.

Gomez is aggressive in campaigning, and does not need to have the support of NARAL and the SEIU, Unions, et.al behind him – He just smiles and opens with a phrase in Spanish, then rips into his issues like a well-oiled machine. He makes no wild claims, is humble at the same time, and, although made mistakes such as writing a letter to Governor Deval Patrick, which was chock full of support for Obama, he did not apologize for being – Gabriel Gomez, not to the Republican’s – all 11.5% of them. He just noted he also liked McCain in 08 – enough said. He’s proven that he can win the Republican nomination in a three way fight, even with that letter to Deval Patrick. One might say that letter is money in the bank.

What Markey needs to win this race – Markey needs to be Gomez, that won’t happen.

What Gomez needs: troops to watch the opposition and keep them from stuffing ballots in nursing homes – He needs plenty of lawyers at the polling stations - That’s it.

The only other thing Gomez should do is campaign in Western Massachusetts – especially in the urban areas: Holyoke, Springfield, Chicopee, Pittsfield – Heck he may even get those hippies in the hill towns who would have voted for Markey – one swing or two in the next few weeks should do it.

Scott Brown won, or gave real hard chase in the aforementioned areas in 2010, because he was not Martha Coakley, and because they went door to door in the flats, in Holyoke – they took a page from the playbook of the Democrats, heck they were Democrats! Isn’t Gomez a former Democrat? That’s what all those, who are digging for dirt on Google: Gomez right wing, Is Gomez Right wing, Gomez Tea Party, etc. are finding out.

Some in the media are billing this as a race……while others are pointing to a reliable win by Markey- one would have thought so on the later, had one not realized that the hand has been expertly played. It may well end up being no race at all.

MA Special Senate Election – Match-up: Markey vs. Gomez - Youth and Diversity versus the Old Established White – Wait a Second! Gomez is a What?

Compare and Contrast: Ed Markey (Top) and Gabriel Gomez (Bottom) –– image wickedlocal.com

Something odd happened in the Massachusetts Special Election yesterday, there appears to have been a role reversal in the way one views the status quo of political parties. Normally speaking, the Republican on the ticket is viewed by low information voters (and die-hard progressives, etc.) as the “angry old white man” while the Democrat on the ticket is viewed as the hip, young, diverse “rock star”.

If, against the odds, Mike Sullivan had bested Gabriel Gomez in the Republican Primary, that would have resulted in a match of angry old white man against semi-angry old white man, Ed Markey. If Stephen Lynch had bested Markey, the matchup would have been kindly old-time Democrat against angry old white man. Although Sullivan could hardly be cast in the role of angry, but he is older, and he is definitely white. This nonsense is illustrative – given the fact that the mantra for decades has been that the Democrats are the party of diversity, while the Republican’s are made up of nothing but angry, old, rich, white men. This is taught on campuses, it is seen in the news, it is discussed, ad nauseum on MSNBC, yet there appears to be a flaw in this theory. There has been for eons, as one Senator Rand Paul attempted to point out recently while visiting Howard University, but, was lambasted for bringing up the past of the Republican Party, not the present. There are facts and then, there is propaganda. The facts are that regardless of race, gender or ethnicity, individuals choose a political party by their own ideology, for the most part.

Gomez, is young, attractive, a newcomer to politics (sort-of), a first generation Hispanic American, served the nation in the Navy, went on to become a very successful businessman – in other words, living the American Dream. He is the Republican, so those who are unaware can pick up their jaws off that floor.

Ed Markey, on the other hand, is the old guy, normally hair is somewhat askew, and he appears to be grimacing rather than smiling. One might say he is rich, given the fact that he lives in DC, while maintaining his parent’s home in Massachusetts, though rarely setting food in the state. (Boston Globe) In advertising for the primary against Stephen Lynch, he pushed his NARAL rating, and his love for Planned Parenthood. NARAL rates political leaders on their support for unfettered abortion up to and including terminating a "fetus" that is born alive and breathing. (See the Gosnell Horror Abortion Trial in Philadelphia) (Bucks County Courier) – Markey is for Obamacare, higher taxes and no cuts to the Federal Government. Markey is the Democrat Party of today.

What a conundrum!

Once the ads start, it’s going to be a tough one – as Gomez is well-funded, and Markey has the weight of the Progressive wing of the Democrat Party behind him. The Polls suggest that Markey is the favorite, which, at present may be the case – against all the rules of logic, in the upside down world in which we live in Massachusetts.

One might suggest that Markey is going to have to get a lot of help from his friends come the election in June – this one might take a bit more “ballot stuffing” creativity than previous elections to ensure that Markey goes over the top with a 5 to 10 point finish. If Gomez can get out the vote, and ensure he plasters the state, and guilts those racially sensitive (i.e. racists) Democrats and Democrat leaning Independents (more important) into voting for him – Markey may have a rougher time of it. If this race grabs national attention, and it already has (Gomez has ground troops coming in from other states for the primary –young, college students), then there may be an upset. That’s a long-shot – again – maybe.

This is, in all seriousness, a chance for a first in the Bay State, which elected the first African American to the Senate (a Republican), and now has a chance to elect the state’s first Hispanic to the Senate (where he would join the growing Hispanic Republican Caucus in that august body.) This just became the race to watch.

Election date: June 25th, 2013 - In that election, one may vote for the candidate of their choice - for example, if one is a Democrat, one can go into the booth and vote for the Republican, and vice versa.

Visit: Gomez for Senate

Visit: Ed Markey dot com

Compare and Contrast!

Mass. Special Senate Election – Primary Yawn – Low Voter Turnout Expected – Anyone’s Game?

The Senate Candidates - (Top) Gomez, Sullivan, Winslow, (Bottom) Markey & Lynch - Impage metro.us

The Massachusetts Special Election Primary is being held today, with 5 candidates vying for two positions. On the Democrat side of the aisle, one has Ed Markey, multi-term Democrat, a fixture in Washington, and a progressive, over-the-top pro-choice, “I invented the light bulb” type of guy. Steve Lynch, Democrat, Congress, several terms, not entrenched as deeply, can communicate with the working class and votes both sides of the aisle, depends on what the situation is. On the Republican side, one has Gabriel Gomez, ex-Marine, picture perfect, wrote a letter to Deval Patrick asking to be appointment, because he was such a supporter of Obama, including casting his vote for him. Mike Sullivan, nice guy, big on social issues, as in not running away from them, but as exciting as watching paint dry- in other words a solid conservative. Rounding out the field, is Dan Winslow, Libertarian-Republican – a fiscal conservative with the libertarian view of social issues.

The media is decrying the lack of interest, and suggests low voter turnout, most likely caused by voter fatigue give the last election.

The real problem is that the candidates are lackluster: one has two dinosaurs (Markey and Sullivan), one neophyte (Gomez), and then to good candidates (opinion) who would make for an interesting election – Winslow, the state Representative, who has the Libertarian bent, and is amusing, meaning he has a sense of humor, but appears to be serious as far as how his vote would be cast (and there’s good indication given his time in the Mass House, that it would be with forethought and not necessarily predictable. The same goes for Lynch, not predictable – looking out for the folks, similar in scope to Winslow. That combination would give Massachustts a win-win situation in a general election – a rarity.

However, it is Massachustts, and Markey is the anointed Progressive, unless the turnout is extremely low, and the troops just can’t get behinds Methuselah - an upset by Lynch is unlikely.

On the Republican side, one might anticipate Sullivan pulling it off – he’s got the nod of the rank and file Republican’s and any tea-party, pro-life groups behind him. Gomez has been running some slick ads, that make him very appealing, but with dvr, that’s not going to cut it – any upset would come from the underdog in a perfect world, Winslow, who has had zero media attention – unless on points to the endorsement of the Springfield Republican, which...carries little weight. – Low information voters do not read newspapers (E online perhaps, but not the – news)

This blogger will go and cast her vote this morning, anticipating a short wait in line, and a predictable outcome to the race. Not one of the candidates has crisscrossed the state, with any amount of flare, and has generated little grassroots interest outside of the Commonwealth. My pick – Winslow, for what it’s worth – on the GOP ticket, but…a Libertarian, cannot stress that enough, when one would like to see the two party stranglehold on Washington loosened a bit.

While Additional Persons of Interest are Sought in Boston Terrorist Attack, Poll finds more American’s afraid of Government than Terrorism

From the Chicago Tribune: Additional persons of interest are being sought in connection with the Boston Bombings, and we are asking for a little help from the Russian’s who originally warned the FBI about the family. From Russian wiretaps of conversations between mother and son, it is apparent “Jihad” was part of the family religion (Haaretz). Therefore, to believe that there were only two young men, acting out some sort of personalized action against the U.S., is ludicrous. One has to understand that those who are fanatical followers of a given religion, especially one that exhorts its followers to commit suicide and, while doing so, kill innocent children and civilians, it is both personal and global. As the United States allows immigration in so many forms, from refugees, to “undocumented” (illegal) aliens, those living in the U.S. really have no idea of who their neighbors may be. Or what they might be “cooking” up in the house next door.

What we have is a system that gives the benefit of the doubt, and given the information passed onto the FBI by the Russians regarding the older brother, one interview with him was sufficed to give him a pass. from, might treat it more lightly if there weren’t multiple tips associated with that individual. Therefore, gross misjudgment might be the charge, as well as a healthy dose of political correctness.

Meanwhile in Boston, there is a bit more than anger at the fact that the brothers involved in the bombing were on state assistance, of one form or the other. (Boston Herald). Apparently, refugees or those who are not citizens are able to apply for EBT (food stamps) and state assistance, but should those be denied? Not if the individual is in dire need. It brings into focus the need to go back to an FDR style of welfare – workfare. During the 1930’s, in the deep depression, those who were in need were given food, shelter and a salary for working – building bridges, parks, etc. It gave those on assistance the wherewithal to take care of themselves and their family, with a little pride, while not being given a “free ride” that would have caused a riot. One might think this is what should be happening today, especially in the case of the able bodied who might be a terrorist, hold ebt cards and drive late model cars, while shopping for pressure cookers.

It is not wonder therefore, that a new poll release suggests that more Americans are afraid of the government than they are of terrorists. (Fox News). Of course, it was personal liberty that was highlighted, and the giving up of personal liberties apparently crossed party lines, in the negative. There was also a belief that the U.S. has more to fear from Homegrown terrorists than from those coming in from abroad. What we should have learned from 9/11 was that the world, as we knew it, has changed dramatically, and that we, as citizens in this nation, and of this world, should have real concerns, and remain ever vigilant against those who might want to blow up a restaurant, a mall, a marathon, or a school. Perhaps if the brothers, or more to the point, their parents and a spouse, were seeking aid, were put to work, their perspective may have changed, or, they would have moved to nation where they could live the high life while planning to kill.

Perhaps that type of policy would give the government higher ratings, especially with those taxpayers, and those who are “on the dole” but would prefer to be working.