Profiling: not right for man or dog
Let me preface this by saying I like police officers for the most part. I have met some who are just plain asses, but that can be said for most people. I believe they have one of the hardest jobs in the world and receive very little in the way of compensation. Most of the officers I know lean to the conservative side but will listen to your ideas before they shut you down. A conversation I had a couple of years ago came to my mind when I read yet another story on Breed Specific Legislation or BSL.
This particular conversation was on profiling and after my friend finished telling a particular story which had happened to him, he turned to me and asked, "You do think profiling is okay, right?" When I responded in the negative he seemed to take offense I would disagree. Now, I know these officers see the worst of the worst, but I still believe profiling is wrong.
As I was relaying this conversation to another conservative friend of mine, she said, "I believe in profiling. I think it keeps us safe."
She did think that until I compared what profiling does to man, BSL does to dogs. I would never, ever believe we should punish a particular breed of dog simply due to the breed, on the actions of one dog.
If a dog is a danger, note it as such and conduct yourself accordingly. Don't punish the dog simply on the basis of what one government or one neighbor has to say.
We in the animal community must continue to fight BSL with everything we have. So far in the state only one county, Dade, has BSL. This does not mean communities aren't still trying to ban certain breeds of dogs. They can't due to Florida's consititution and Dade was grandfathered in.
We are still fighting apartment complexes and insurance companies, though. The main reason we are fighting apartment complexes is due to insurance coverage.
So explain to me how I pay an insurance company scads of money each year for coverage, they can cancel me at any time, I have never filed any kind of claim, but they can tell me which breed of dog I can have. I think not. My homeowner's insurance now does not cover dogs at all. Any dogs. If one of my dogs bites someone, I will be footing the bill. The average payout in a dog bite situation is $10,000.
So I will continue to adopt any breed of dog I like, fight insurance companies tooth and nail to change policy, write my representative to make sure the laws are not overturned and educate people about BSL. I imagine all my dead relatives rolling over in their graves because of the amount of control we allow the government, local, state and federal, using fear as a factor, in dealing with our personal lives even down to the breed of dog we own. Pretty sad when you come to think about it.
This particular conversation was on profiling and after my friend finished telling a particular story which had happened to him, he turned to me and asked, "You do think profiling is okay, right?" When I responded in the negative he seemed to take offense I would disagree. Now, I know these officers see the worst of the worst, but I still believe profiling is wrong.
As I was relaying this conversation to another conservative friend of mine, she said, "I believe in profiling. I think it keeps us safe."
She did think that until I compared what profiling does to man, BSL does to dogs. I would never, ever believe we should punish a particular breed of dog simply due to the breed, on the actions of one dog.
If a dog is a danger, note it as such and conduct yourself accordingly. Don't punish the dog simply on the basis of what one government or one neighbor has to say.
We in the animal community must continue to fight BSL with everything we have. So far in the state only one county, Dade, has BSL. This does not mean communities aren't still trying to ban certain breeds of dogs. They can't due to Florida's consititution and Dade was grandfathered in.
We are still fighting apartment complexes and insurance companies, though. The main reason we are fighting apartment complexes is due to insurance coverage.
So explain to me how I pay an insurance company scads of money each year for coverage, they can cancel me at any time, I have never filed any kind of claim, but they can tell me which breed of dog I can have. I think not. My homeowner's insurance now does not cover dogs at all. Any dogs. If one of my dogs bites someone, I will be footing the bill. The average payout in a dog bite situation is $10,000.
So I will continue to adopt any breed of dog I like, fight insurance companies tooth and nail to change policy, write my representative to make sure the laws are not overturned and educate people about BSL. I imagine all my dead relatives rolling over in their graves because of the amount of control we allow the government, local, state and federal, using fear as a factor, in dealing with our personal lives even down to the breed of dog we own. Pretty sad when you come to think about it.
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