I'm at the petition site, doing my armchair activism thing, and I can't shake the feeling that a lot of our problems can be solved without too much money or even that much dedication. In fact, a lot of our problems could be eased by NOT doing something. Well, that seems like just the thing for a thread topic at Armchair Activism.
The one that comes to my mind the most is companion animal overpopulation. Can you believe that people are STILL breeding animals? And not only that, but people are still BUYING bred animals. How is it that that's even still allowed? It's the same way I feel about dog bans. Don't ban people from having certain dogs. Ban people from BREEDING dogs in general. We won't run out. There will always be oops litters at the shelter, waiting to be adopted.
Seriously, type into http://www.goodsearch "Jack Russell terrier rescue", or any other popular breed. There are a thousand hits. BECAUSE DOG BREEDS AREN'T GOING TO GO AWAY IF WE STOP BREEDING THEM. And as for breeders' incomes? I'm not that concerned about that. They'll figure something out. They can wash dogs for a living.
If there were temporary - say three years - bans on breeding cats, dogs, rabbits, and - dear goodness, yes - GERBILS and such, shelters, rescues and sanctuaries would find some relief.
Just imagine how many lives could be saved just by forcing people who want a pet to adopt instead of buy.
Just Posing's opinion. Post yours.
So I'm at the click-to-donate action page on Care2, and I think about the same things I think every time I'm there. But now that I'm using this Posing's Random Musings thread as my personal blog, I figured I'd write about it.
I always wonder how people can go and click on ONE of the sites, but then stop. Why not click on all of them? The children site today has over 5,000 clicks already. Then the primates one is just over 1,000. I get that maybe some people save one of the sites as their homepage so they remember to click. But why don't they continue? It literally takes two minutes or less to click them all. It just seems like if you have time to click on one, you probably have time to click them all.
Okay, maybe someone has an issue with a particular click site. Down with those primates, they say, they're nothing but trouble. Everyone has their own opinion, right? So they don't click on the primates one. But just skip that one and do all the others. Why pick just one to support? How can somebody support global warming but not primates? Or support big cats but not little ones? (Or the other way around!) And how can you support breast cancer research, but not an end to domestic violence?
The Hunger Site has the same issue. Some people are like "sure, I'll support breast cancer research, that makes sense. But those hungry children? That's just crazy-talk."
So I understand clicking or not clicking. I don't get doing it halfway, or half-heartedly.
I greatly support any and all efforts to increase the impact of PeaceCorps and AmeriCorps. These are valuable programs for our communities, in America and around the world. They are fantastic learning experiences for youth, and unforgettable opportunities for seniors. I was at President Obama's last rally in Manassas, VA this week, and he promised that those young people who served their community through volunteering would be ensured higher education. THIS is the way to create and maintain the best nation in the world. Teaching young people compassion, and rewarding them with education is a fantastic idea. So is tapping into the vast experience of our senior citizens. PLEASE make this a priority as soon as possible. TIME magazine reported that President Obama and VP Biden believe in expanding the service Corps. I truly hope they will see that through. The new administration has the nation's support; I hope they will use it to spur a revolution of service to our communities. Thank you to the staff and administration, and good luck.
(This was a note I sent via http://www.change.gov )
