Friday, April 09, 2010

Friday Hound Blogging

You know, it occurs to us as we look back over the last little bit of the spacetime continuum traveled by our particular world line that events have not been kind to the bubbas. Or perhaps we should use their christian name, Confederate Southern Americans.

Generally that would not concern us on FHB day as we turn our attention to the skinny dogs, but it seems the growing intolerance of certain segments of this failing Constitutional Republic has bled over even into the realm of greyhound racing.
A white employee of Southland Greyhound and Racing lost an appeal Monday of a judge's dismissal of her lawsuit in which she claimed a black supervisor harassed her and promoted another white woman ahead of her.
Now, leave aside for a moment the fact that this lady doesn't seem to grasp the finer points of the concept of discrimination, since she is complaining another white person got a job that she, a white person had applied for. Perhaps she's just figuring that since there's a black person in the mix there must be discrimination going on somewhere, because lord knows black folks complain when white folks get a job over them. Good for the goose, good for the gander sort of thing, we guess.

The point is that it appears, like the bubbas,  the overlords are the last social group it's acceptable to discriminate against. We mean, what kind of justice is this:
A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis issued a split ruling that said Dianna L. Helton of Marion didn't have enough evidence to bring her claims to trial.
Evidence? Evidence? Wait. Can't you see that she's white? Well, this will not stand because Ms. Helton has engaged the crack legal team of  Dewey Cheatim and Howe:
A lawyer for Helton said Monday he may ask for a rehearing before the full 8th Circuit. "With a different panel, it could have been 2-1 in our favor," attorney Marc I. Baretz of West Memphis said Monday. "Or it could have been 3-0 against. You just don't know."
Right. Because if it had been different, it wouldn't have been the same, or it could have been worse. That's complex , advanced legal trial theory right there boy. And it's a good thing too, because the fight can't stop here. This kind of wanton disregard for privilege is tearing this country apart, not to mention the devastating effect it's having on the lives of hapless overlords.
Tampa Bay area tracks say the pending gambling agreement between the tribe and the state leaves them out in the cold. "It's devastating,'' says Vera Filipelli, spokeswoman for St. Petersburg's Derby Lane greyhound track. "I think we all got sold down the river.''
So true, so true Ms. Filipelli. It's like all those times that evil little tart Becky Thompson told you everyone was meeting in the park and you went there, but they never showed. Later you found out they never intended to go to the park, but just told you that so you wouldn't follow them to the mall.
None of the changes will help parimutuels compete against the array of casino games at Seminole Hard Rock, said Filipelli. "People come in here looking for slots,'' she says. "And we don't have them.''
 Oh, it's the park all over again isn't it Ms. Filipelli? They say, "You go over here and set up your heartless exploitation of innocent animals for profit business, and we'll be right along to spend our money." But they never show do they? Later you find out they weren't at all interested in the dogs suffering so you could make your trailer payment.

Breaks your heart to see that kind of callous disregard for another living creature's feelings, doesn't it Zip?


Zip is a very affectionate gentleman. He is a greyhound-mix, with glowing green eyes, shorter snout and a short tail. In his manner, though, he is 100% greyhound (except that his nose doesn’t drip!) Like other greys, he ‘roos’ and talks a lot, especially when he’d like a snack. Zip is also a major love bug and loves to crawl onto your lap if you are on the sofa. He is always a very mellow and calm boy. It appears that Zipper is partially deaf. When he is in the yard and his family calls him he will not respond if he isn’t looking. If they use visible hand signals, he will respond. He can hear you if you yell loud enough. Zip would do well in a working family home with well-mannered children, 10 and up. He is good with other dogs and would do best in a home with another dog for him to play with. Zip would do best in a house over a condo or apartment.  For more information about this dog, and other rescued racing greyhounds looking for homes, go here. If you don't know about the plight of racing greyhounds go here.

1 comment:

greygarious said...

Happily, the tide of public opposition to dog racing becomes stronger by the day - it's great to see it affecting FL tracks, the last entrenched bastion in the USA. Meanwhile, Spanish GH/Galgo rescue efforts are even harder due to massive winter flooding there. Till 4/14,www.carpecanem.com is holding a benefit auction for Scooby, a major Spanish haven for Galgos. Take a look, including my granny-square crocheted GH coat and matching hat/mitten/scarf set for the owner, and unique pair of GH-head mittens. The ears are squashed in the photo - they look better than that. I was proud of my idea, save for the eyes which, unlike the real thing, don't have it!