FollowUp 1: Dogs Against Romney

That Mr. Romney is on two national animal cruelty registries does not surprise me at all. 

The first, Pet-Abuse.com, is based in Southfields, NY and is connected to the national Animal Abuse Registry Database Administration System (AARDAS). According to its website, the registry provides “a database enabling animal adoption agencies to research potential adopters for possible prior abuse history within and across state and national lines."  

Mitt Romney’s listing in the Pet-Abuse.com registry is for “neglect/abandonment” and can be found here: http://www.pet-abuse.com/cases/11676/MA/US/ 

The second registry listing Romney is Inhumane.org , a New Hampshire organization that is part of the New Hampshire Governor's Task Force for the Humane Treatment of Animals. It bills itself as "a resource for any organization that deals with animal adoptions.”

Mitt Romney’s listing in the Inhumane.org registry can be found here: http://www.inhumane.org/data/MRomney.htm

Both registries are maintained so that animal welfare organizations, Humane Law Enforcement officials, animal shelters, rescue operations, and breeders can share information about animal abuse offenders and conduct background checks before allowing people to adopt or purchase a pet.

Dogs Against Romney asks: Should the United States of America have a president who isn’t even qualified to adopt a pet?

The question is important.  How we treat those who we see as not equal to ourselves is a good indicator of the quality of a person.  Mr. Romney's treatment of a dog is brushed aside by his supporters and they attempt to redirect attention by pointing out some of how President Obama was raised (at least one time eating dog in Indonesia).  But the question is how Mr. Romney treats those who may be less than himself.  Given his wealth, it is easy for him to see most of us as considerably less than himself.  His perspective on the poor and the contrast with his perspective on corporations is important.

13 February 2012, Original Pedantic Political Ponderings post.