Kudos to cartoonist Brent Brown for nailing the absurdity of the legislature’s opossum bill debacle [“… Trying, Trying Again,” April 22, Xpress].
North Carolina is still struggling to create decent jobs, veterans are homeless, and children are going to school hungry, but the legislature is spending time and resources to make tormenting and killing opossums legal. Do hardworking and compassionate North Carolinians really want their representatives working on a bill that decriminalizes cruelty to animals?
The bill being considered in the General Assembly would create a free-for-all relating to opossums between Dec. 29 and Jan. 2, simply to cater to the Brasstown opossum drop — an event that denigrates and torments wildlife.
Those who are justifiably appalled by this colossal waste of time, energy and taxpayers’ money should get on the phone to their representative today to ask why the legislature is legalizing animal cruelty.
— Beth Amick Sparks
Prosperity, S.C.
I’ll tell you what’s cruel Beth… Planned Parenthood has opened a brand new death camp in Asheville where unborn children are brutally dismembered inside the womb. I saw a splashy banner ad for it today on this website. The ad made it look like this death mill was all about love, peace and healthcare. What a lie! Planned Parenthood, founded by Margaret Sanger – a proud racist and anti-Semite who advocated abortion and artifical birth control as a way to control the black population. Planned Parenthood who has directly killed millions of children in this country and destroyed the lives of millions of women they tricked into thinking that abortion would solve a “problem.” That’s what’s cruel right now in Asheville, North Carolina Beth. At least the opossums in Brasstown aren’t being hacked to death.
There are horrible things happening all over the world and there is no limit to how mad you can be at that or the amount of action that one can take for multiple issues. I am very glad that you are passionate about something that you believe strongly in but does that mean that you cannot be against animal cruelty at the same time? I despise cruelty on all fronts and try to join in the fight to stop as many as possible. I hope you feel that same. Fight all the cruelty you can!
I agree with Beth’s position that it’s pretty foolish to have our legislators spending time on possum legislation but I don’t think such legislation would trigger rampant abuse of possums either. If you’re the kind of person that would intentionally harm an animal or any defenseless being, I highly doubt the law is the mechanism preventing you from doing so. Just as it’s highly unlikely that a law-abiding citizen would see those three days as a prime opportunity to go maim a possum just for a few kicks.
For me, I don’t see the point of all the ruckus surrounding the possum drop from either side. Everybody seems to be wasting their time rather it be PETA, the folks in Brasstown or our fine representatives in Raleigh. Much ado about nothing, I say.
Jay, it matters to the opossum. Further, as a taxpayer, it should matter to everyone that ANY bill would ever be presented that overrides current legislation for a specific time period simply for the profit/benefit of one citizen, regardless of any determent to any other citizen or to any creature.
If I were a opossum I imagine I would prefer being slowly lowered to the ground in a plexiglass box than being torn apart in the woods by a coyote or a fox in search of lunch, but maybe that’s just me.
On the other hand this is really an absurd issue and I’m in total agreement about the notion of a bill overriding a law for a specific time and place being a bit troubling.
There is more to the story, “N”. Please do a little research.
Terry,
you have probably never been to Brasstown, so you wouldn’t know that for 364 days a year not much goes on there. On the 365th day Clay Logan provides some entertainment for the neighbors and curious passers-by. Clay doesn’t do this for his own profit, benefit, or entertainment, but as a service to the community. No admission charge. He even allows assholes to come.
Can anyone seriously believe that the Brasstown New Year’s Eve Celebration is ” an event that denigrates and torments wildlife”. Get real. Possums are careless animals that constantly present themselves on America’s roadways to be flattened by passing cars. Should we now ban cars – or roads – to protect possums? The lucky possum chosen for the drop not only has his life lengthened by being kept off the highway for a while, but is given a night to remember.