postheadericon The National Alliance for the Interest of Animals-NAIA

The NAIA has worked tirelessly for many years against anti animal legislation such as proposed by PETA and the HSUS and other animal rights activist groups.  Take a look at the site listed below and get a clear picture of the animal rights agenda.  Go to the NAIA website, just Google NAIA and join this organization that protects our rights to own and breed animals.

http://www.exposeanimalrights.com/

postheadericon THE MICHAEL VICK CASE-SHAME!

 

MICHAEL VICK IS AN EXAMPLE TO CHILDREN WHO WISH TO EMULATE CELEBRITY FOOTBALL STARS WHO ALL TOO OFTEN DO NOT GIVE THE BEST EXAMPLE OF ETHICS AND INTEGRITY.  ANY ABUSER OF ANIMALS SHOULD NEVER BE PUT ON A PEDESTAL. The real heroes in our world are those like the those of our military and others who make a difference in our world. 

I received this from a friend today and thought it very worth passing on.  Author unknown.   I, for one, will be emailing the commissioner of the NFL.  The example of the abuse inflicted on dogs tells children who worship our football stars that it is acceptable to abuse, mutilate, and kill animals.  Please let your voice be heard. Meredith

Please support those beloved animals who cannot protect themselves….keep this going by sending it to everyone you know…. many voices get heard!  

      Today the commissioner of the NFL reinstated Michael Vick, which means that by this fall he could be playing football again
and earning millions of dollars.  This is the same Michael Vick who
tortured, electrocuted, shot, and hung dogs that he had trained to fight but lost their fights.  He doesn’t deserve this reinstatement.  There are some real thugs playing professional sports these days, but he takes the cake.

        Make your opinion known to the NFL commissioner on this
issue.  Remember, it’s all about the money.  My email to him mentioned that I plan to boycott the games and all those sponsors who spend millions of dollars to advertise during NFL games and that I plan to encourage as many people as I can to do the same. 

        This is a shameful day for the NFL.  The commissioner
seems to think that Vick is remorseful….sure he is….remorseful that he screwed up his lush life.  Remorseful for the inconvenience and interruption of his life. Anyone who could hang or torture or
electrocute a dog is incapable of “normal” human feelings and certainly doesn’t deserve to profit from our hard-earned money. 

        You can email the commissioner at:


Roger.goodell2@NFL.net

postheadericon TOO FUNNY!Side Effects of Swine Flu

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postheadericon Happy 80th Al

July 20th is (or was as I am late in posting this) Al’s 80th birthday.  When I met Al on a blind date on January 20, 1984, I knew. After dinner having a drink, I wanted to put my head on his shoulder–the only person in the world that I ever did.  I had talked to Al on the phone for the first time two weeks before I met him; we talked about growing broccoli of all things and about his farm where we subsequently built our log ranch on the river in Delaware, Ohio, before the dogs necessitated we move to our larger farm in Marengo.  After talking to Al, I told my friends that I had met the man I was going to marry.  I was 39, successful in my career, had raised German Shepherds and was judging, doing community theatre, and enjoying my beautiful home in Columbus and the fact that my lovely mother lived with me;  in other words, I was used to doing exactly as I wanted as I had the freedom to do so.  I had ended a twelve year relationship with a  much older Middle Eastern  man because although he gave lip service to my dog involvement, he was really a control freak who little by little was reining me in.  I finally realized that I could not walk ten paces behind and ended it; I thought as used to my independence as I was and as driven in my career and dogs as I was that I would never marry or risk having another significant relationship as I could not allow myself to give up so much of me again. 

Then I met Al and married him in six weeks start to finish.  I was not going to let him go!  I asked him what first attracted him to me and he said “my moxie”–a quality that has driven him crazy ever since.  Al hated New Yorkers because he thought them brazen and pushy; I am from Brooklyn–brazen and pushy.  It took me years to figure out why I often turned Midwesterners off; only a couple of years ago did it dawn on me that Midwesterners are more laid back; not as pushy or as verbally assertive and aggressive as those of us from the East coast especially my Brooklyn. Once I figured this out, I have used being from Brooklyn as my excuse for everything!!!  Anyway, after twenty five years of marriage, we are still working out the kinks!!!  We have gone through a lot together and share the same code of ethics and hopefully incorruptible integrity.  As different as we are on the surface, we think the same way and are really made from the same cloth. Al has been my rock, my security, my refuge, and my love.  Any success that Rattlebridge has enjoyed is due to his steadfastness; I depend on him totally and would be lost without him.

Happy Birthday, Al, and many many more to come.

befuddled as usual

 

 

 

 Al the Befuddled!!!

 

 

  AL AND TIA 

 

Al with his wonderful Tia who was his girl for 16 years:

 

 

 

 

 

Below is my favorite picture of Al.  He and Ch. Rattlebridge Kathleen, ROM, were enjoying being on the water in this photo. “Katie” lived to be 14.  One of Al’s fondest memories is showing Katie to two best puppy in show wins at two old club shows beating me handling Ch. Rattlebridge Reginald each day for Best Puppy!!KATIE AND AL

 

 AL AND MERRY WEDDING

 

One of our wedding pictures.

Al looks the same, but I will never be this thin again!!!

postheadericon Visiting California

I had the honor of judging the Summerfest cluster of shows the fourth of July weekend in Ventura, California, and had a marvelous time as I always do when I judge these shows.  Our hotel was located right on the beach and the shows next door at the fairgrounds. I caught up with some of my judge friends and really enjoyed their camaraderie.  I judged some lovely dogs.during the three days of shows and then traveled to San Diego with my really dear friends Jeff and Tami Byroads who got their first Cavalier “Tilt” from me. Tami recently showed Tilt at the Bay Area Cavalier Club specialty where he won Best Veteran. Tilt - Best Veteran

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Byroads home is San Diego is truly lovely, but the biggest treat, besides hanging out with my friends, was seeing my “kids:”  Tilt, Winnie and Costume Party.  Friends of Tami and Jeff’s were celebrating a birthday on the beach of the La Jolla Country Club. It was such a lovely night and the food was beyond delicious.  I went to California showing off my weight loss and came back with a bigger girth due to the desserts served at the party. The sunset on the beach was glorious.

sunset in san diego

Tami and I went to the San Diego zoo!  This Zoo is unbelievable and changed so much since my last visit several years ago.  The elephant exhibit was my favorite, but I enjoyed all we saw, just a little of the huge zoo.  Hopefully, all the walking took off a couple of ounces of dessert. 

I had the opportunity to talk to the Cavalier Club of San Diego about the responsibilities of breeding and ownership.  This is a rather new and very enthusiastic club who put on their first specialty show last February.  I was supposed to judge, but Al’s brain surgery kept me home.  Great club, great club members.   Until next time . . .

postheadericon We have our priorities all wrong . . .

I watched with interest the grief and mourning surrounding Michael Jackson.  Musical genius, yes!  In the televised memorial service, he was extolled for breaking down the barriers between black and white. Yet, I just watched a movie entitled Cadillac Records,  in which those great black entertainers coming before him:  Muddy Waters, Etta James, Little Walter, and Chuck Berry (with his own version of the moonwalk) transitioning the blues into mainstream and then rock and roll.  Great movie!  The point is that many Afro American entertainers paved the way for Michael Jackson without all the cloudiness of character that surrounded him and his way of life.  I am making no judgements, but we often worship celebrity and not the true character and real heroic behavior of those willing to die for what they believed was the greater good.  The following piece really moved me and I feel bears featuring here:

Subject: Soldier’s comment about Michael Jackson
       This is written by a young man serving his third tour of duty in Iraq. Thought you might find his take on the Michael Jackson news – interesting.
       ____________________________

       Okay, I need to rant.

       I was just watching the news, and I caught part of a report on
Michael Jackson. As we all know, Jackson died the other day. He was an entertainer who performed for decades. He made millions, he spent  millions, and he did a lot of things that make him a villain to many  people. I understand that his death would affect a lot of people, and I  respect those people who mourn his death, but that isn’t the point of my  rant.

       Why is it that when ONE man dies, the whole of America loses
their minds with grief. When a man dies whose only contribution to the  country was to ENTERTAIN people, the American people find the need to  flock to a memorial in Hollywood, and even Congress sees the need to  hold a “moment of silence” for his passing?

       Am I missing something here? ONE man dies, and all of a sudden
he’s a freaking martyr because he entertained us for a few decades? What  about all those SOLDIERS who have died to give us freedom? All those  Soldiers who, knowing that they would be asked to fight in a war, still  raised their hands and swore to defend the Constitution and the United  States of America. Where is their moment of silence? Where are the people flocking to their graves or memorials and mourning over them  because they made the ultimate sacrifice? Why is it when a Soldier dies,  there are more people saying “good riddance,” and “thank God for IEDs?”  When did this country become so calloused to the sacrifice of GOOD MEN
and WOMEN, that they can arbitrarily blow off their deaths, and instead,  throw themselves into mourning for a “Pop Icon?”

       I think that if they are going to hold a moment of silence IN
CONGRESS for Michael Jackson, they need to hold a moment of silence for  every service member killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. They need to  PUBLICLY recognize every life that has been lost so that the American people can live their callous little lives in the luxury and freedom that WE, those that are living and those that have gone on, have provided for them. But, wait, that would take too much time, because there have been so many willing to make that sacrifice. After all, we will never make millions of dollars. We will never star in movies, or write hit songs that the world will listen too. We only shed our blood,  sweat and tears so that people can enjoy what they have.

       Remember these five words the next time you think of someone who is serving in the military;

       “So that others may live…”

postheadericon Introducing Pistols at Dawn

Rattlebridge Pistols at Dawn is a son of Ch. Rattlebridge Delta Dawn by Ch. Wildflower Jack-in-the Pulpit.  He is co bred and co owned by my great friend Sherri Meyer and me.

We have great hopes for him in the show ring, but his greatest asset besides his beauty is his outstanding Cavalier temperament.  He has never had a headache!

postheadericon More Legislation News and Views

KEEP UP THE FIGHT!!!  HSUS AND PETA ARE SHOVING THEIR AGENDAS DONE OUR COLLECTIVE THROATS.  WE DO HAVE RIGHTS!  READ BELOW:

A SAOVA message to sportsmen, pet owners and farmers concerned  about protecting their traditions, avocations and livelihoods from anti-hunting, anti-breeding, animal guardianship advocates. Forwarding and cross posting, with attribution, encouraged.
The following article from award-winning outdoor writer, Marc Folco, is well worth reading.  As an additional comment to the writer’s mention of HSUS anti-breeder legislation in the guise of eliminating puppy mills: HSUS is currently losing this state-level battle about 3 to 1; however bills are still pending in 8 states.
Susan Wolf
Sportsmen’s and Animal Owners’ Voting Alliance –
http://saova.org
Issue lobbying and working to identify and elect supportive legislators

Open Season: Firing back at the critics

June 21, 2009 6:00 AM

I get hate mail on the average of once a week, and I don’t know why. My column shouldn’t be controversial.
Hunting has been around since the caveman, and guns have been around shortly after the Chinese invented gunpowder — and our Constitution clearly states that U.S. citizens have the right to keep and bear arms if they so choose. So, hunting and owning guns are two of America’s oldest and most time-honored traditions.

Why make them — and my column — a controversy?

After 21 years of dealing with cry-baby anti-hunters and runny-nosed gun-grabbers that whine incessantly about my column, the outdoors lifestyle and the shooting sports, I’ve become thick-skinned. Their barbs don’t penetrate. Some hate mail I answer, some I don’t. Some I answer here.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), based in Washington, threw another of its hissy-fits recently because I wrote about how the wealthy animal rights group has been investigated after soliciting donations to reunite pets with their owners during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. They took in $34 million for that purpose but only spent $7 million on it. So, a whopping $27 million of solicited funds were used for something else.

In his letter to the editor, HSUS’s Michael Markarian skirts that issue and also avoids the notion that the group is pushing to get 41 dog bills enacted in 26 states that are cloaked as eliminating puppy mills, but go to the extreme, as usual. Language in such bills has included mandatory spaying/neutering (or pay $500 per dog per year that is not spayed or neutered), reporting all puppy sales to local authorities and eliminating the practice of humane tethering.

Markarian uses diversion, and says that the group campaigns vigorously against abusive hunting practices. They also (falsely) claim that I defend inhumane practices. Inhumane? By whose standards? Those of animal rights extremists? By their standards, all hunting is inhumane and the group’s underlying agenda is to eliminate all hunting.

HSUS President and CEO Wayne Pacelle has been quoted as saying, “If we could shut down all sport hunting in a moment, we would,” as quoted by the Associated Press in Impassioned Agitator, Dec. 30, 1991. “Our goal is to get sport hunting in the same category as cock fighting and dog fighting,” as quoted in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Oct. 8, 1991. And, “Sport hunting — the killing of wild animals as recreation — is fundamentally at odds with the values of a humane, just and caring society,” HSUS Website 2003.

And according to a report from the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA), Pacelle recently criticized in his blog, those who disagree with the group’s agenda, practically accusing them of not being in step with American culture, the report says.

Pacelle suggests that HSUS opponents should, “start adjusting to the evolving ethos in American culture. You’ll get ahead through innovation and adaptation, not stubborn adherence to custom or current business operations.” He also stated that other animal rights groups, “miss the bigger picture, and our interest in reaching mainstream Americans.”

“Mr. Pacelle’s own words pull the curtain back and unveil the real intent of the HSUS,” stated USSA President and CEO Bud Pidgeon. “He admits to attempting to ‘mainstream’ the group — at the same time he criticizes ‘custom.’ There’s only one reason to do this and that is to fundamentally change America to correspond to the HSUS agenda.”

The HSUS is also involved in a lawsuit to stop the delisting of the gray wolf as an endangered species in the Great Lakes states, where the wolf has rebounded to thriving and healthy populations, far exceeding the goals that were established in order to remove it from the list. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — under the both the Bush and Obama Administrations — has determined that the wolf numbers are more than sufficient for it to be delisted. But that’s not good enough for the HSUS and other animal rights groups that are spending money on the lawsuit.

Could it be that the money being donated by people who are duped into believing they are helping doggies and kitties, is being used by these groups to fund those expensive anti-hunting lawsuits which tie up the courts with nonsense? We already know that a lot of the money feathers the nests of high-paid executives at the top of these groups.
Without an animal rights agenda, they’re out of their quarter-million-dollar salaries and would be slinging tofu at a vegan joint. You want veggie fries with that?

Just this week, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is in an uproar because President Obama swatted a fly. So, is swatting a fly (or a mosquito) now considered inhumane and abusive by animal rights’ standards? Are we now to adhere to the animal rights doctrine that mainstream America does not swat dirty, disease-carrying insects?

I see the animal rights brigade as nothing more than a noisy band of half-baked control freaks, led like sheep by cunning executives interested only in job security, who want to dictate how we spend our leisure time, what we eat and how we raise our own private pets. If you don’t like hunting, don’t hunt.

If you don’t like meat, eat weeds. Don’t want puppies, get your dog spayed. But why are they trying to shove their ridiculous agendas down our throats and make controversy out of “truly mainstream” activities that have been “custom” for centuries? It’s a free country, and if I want to hunt, eat meat, raise a litter of puppies and stomp on a bug, I should be able to without worrying about those whiny breast-beaters trying to outlaw it all.

Another recent hate letter was from Floyd, who thought my story about feeling the effects of approaching 50 just plain stunk and he wrote, “Write a book and do an autograph session with your raccoon hat and western jacket. Your description of stink is nothing compared to your articles.”

Well written, Floyd, but I beat you to it. Already working on my book — a collection of short stories, my favorite stinky articles. Hey, I might even name it that. “My Favorite Stinky Articles, by Marc Folco.” It’s got a nice ring to it. And thanks for the idea of wearing a coonskin hat for the book signing. Don’t have a coonskin one though, so I’ll have to wear my full-length coyote hat, made from a coyote that I shot (I’ll let you pet it if you buy a book). I don’t have a western jacket either, so I hope my buckskins will do (I’ll let you play with the fringe if you buy a book).

And if my articles stink so badly, why read them? If I think a writer stinks, I’m not wasting my valuable time reading his/her putrid rubbish from start to finish. I already know that fresh pile of doggie poo the puppy left on the carpet is going to stink, so I’m not going to sniff it.

Another reader was irate because I won a couple of humor awards from the New England Outdoor Writers’ Assoc. for 2008.
“Only you would make a joke out of killing a small defenseless deer — and your ilk rewarded that story on top of it. You and your kind are callous and disgusting,” M.S. said in reference to my story about shooting “teacup whitetails,” one of the award-winners. M.S. went on to say, “You are the most politically incorrect writer I have ever read!”

Well, my stories have won more than a dozen New England and national writing awards (many of them first place), so maybe you’re the one who is lacking a sense of humor. Laughter is the best medicine. Have a dose. Aint we got fun! I do have to agree with one thing. You hit the nail on the head — I am politically incorrect. And proud of it.

I am a man who tells it like it is, whether readers like it or not. I don’t write by anybody’s standards except my own, and those of the newspaper of course, where I can’t slander or use profanity. I wear my heart on my sleeve and say what I feel and think. Anybody who cowers to political correctness is a rump-smoocher in my book.

The end of “My Way,” as sung by Frank Sinatra, says it nicely:

“For what is a man?
What has he got?
If not himself
Then he has not
To say the things he truly feels
And not the words of one who kneels
The record shows
I took the blows
And did it my way.”

Marc Folco is the outdoor writer for The Standard Times. Contact him at openseason1988@aol.com
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090621/SPORTS/906210384/-1/NEWSMAP

http://tinyurl.com/ns7blw

The message above was posted to West Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri residents by the Sportsmen’s and Animal Owners’ Voting Alliance (SAOVA) on one of ten regional read only elists.

SAOVA is a nonpartisan volunteer group working to protect Americans from the legislative and political threats of radical animal rightists. It is the only national organization fighting this struggle for both sportsmen and animal owners, natural allies, in these arenas. Visit our website at http://saova.org for this program’s goals, methodology and list signup details.

postheadericon FIRST TEACHING ASSIGNMENT

I began teaching too many years ago at Miami Trace High School in Washington Court House, Ohio, where I had lived for three years with my vagabond always moving family. I taught college prep English and Theatre and directed the plays.  Although I could not stay for more than one year at Miami Trace  as I was living in a rooming house and sending all my money home to my mother and the four younger kids in the family; I needed to move back to the Columbus area and find a teaching job that paid more. However,  I loved that first year of teaching my seniors who were only four years younger than I was.  Last summer, some of my “kids” had a mini reunion a practice that has continued.  My kids have told me that I was the teacher who most touched their lives; this sentiment is worth more to me than all the wins in the dog show world.  I am honored to have touched  the lives of some of the finest and most successful adults I know.  I would love to go back and do it all over again.  Instead of going into secondary administration, I went into elementary as I hate football and basketball and high school principals must go to all games while I wanted to go to dog shows!

I am in the middle, front row.  image

postheadericon Murphy and Sandy!!!

imageMy friend Sandy just sent me this wonderful photo of her Murphy.  Sandy came to us for a girl, but all I had was this little boy.  I finally convinced Sandy that the boys are always special;  my favorite saying is that Cavalier girls love you, but boys fall in love with you.  Sandy tells me that I was so right (of course!!!); she cannot picture life without Murphy who just earned is Canine Good Citizen and is on his way to therapy dog and maybe other titles.