Lesson: Study Before Barking

I’m a little confused today.  My human says that rules are necessary for order and that we must respect authority.  She also says that there are times when you must rise up against authority because the people in those positions are abusing their power.  My question is:  When?  When do we stand up against it and when do we respect it?

Shasta says that it comes down to one simple thing.  If the people in power are using that power to further their own interests, or those of friends and family, instead of for the good of the community, that is when we are supposed to stand up and fight against them.  OK, that makes sense. 

My human says that even when we take a stand, we must do it in the proper way.  She says that we can’t just accuse those people of doing bad things, but that we must KNOW they are and be able to prove it.  She says that we should tell everyone we can and show them the evidence when asked for it.  She says that we look foolish if we just start saying things and can’t back up what we are saying.

My human also says that it ain’t just those politics people that abuse their power but those news type people too.  She says that’s why smart people don’t listen to them anymore and do their own research.  I’m not sure what research is, but I do know that my human spends a lot of time reading things from lots of different places even though it’s all about the same thing.  She says I shouldn’t take what somebody says as gospel just because they are on TV or in government, but that I should read about it myself and then make up my own mind.

So let me get this straight.  It ain’t enough to just bark about it, I have to prove what I’m saying or I look like a goof ball with no clue.  I know I’m just a puppy and like to chew up my human’s shoes (even though I know I shouldn’t), but that seems right to me.  What do y’all think?

"Woof"ing Chick-fil-A

My human has just informed us that we get a “special treat” tonight.  She’s going to Chick-fil-A and buying dinner for us.  I’m so excited!  We don’t get that kind of treat very often, but she says we’re good conservative canines who deserve to show their support too.  YAY!!!!

Something that I have to study is The Constitution of the United States.  And I have learned that the very first Amendment guarantees American citizens the right of free speech and the right to freedom of religion.  My human says that Mr. Cathy exercised both when he made his statement about supporting traditional marriage.  She also says that his remarks did not indicate that he was bigoted or discriminated against gay people.  He simply stated his views and opinions.

I think it’s kind of silly for people to be getting all mad and stuff at Mr. Cathy for having an opinion.  My human says his company doesn’t discriminate against any group in their hiring practices and they don’t ban anyone from their restaurants.  So if he didn’t hurt anyone or tell them they couldn’t come there to eat or work for his company, what’s the big deal? 

The only thing I can see that his company does that is unfair is…they won’t let me in until I get my therapy dog certification.  It really hurts my feelings that I can’t go but you don’t see me whining about it.  I think some people need a really long timeout so they can think about how foolish they are acting.