Chuck, usually I do the same as you and take the time to read and respond to everything. But, my personal views being dismissed as if I'm a msm zombie instead of an independent thinker made me a lot less interested and patient.
That is a good video. Cats can be amazing. There is a video out there in which a cat runs off coyotes going after an elderly dog.
Chuck, I generally enjoy and respect your posts. I agree that if someone takes the time to put thought into a post, it should be read by the people engaged in the conversation. Again, I was really put off by the msm remarks, as if my views were not being appreciated as being my own. I apologize. Let's put that behind us.
My source was digging for as many exerts of Noem's book I could find and watching her interviews and giving a public statement. I didn't save the links but there are entire paragraphs from her book out there. What I have experienced and witnessed of animal rescue and raising dogs was also a factor of my views.
There may not have been as many services within reach. But, there are nationwide resources that are not difficult to find. I live in a rural area. At times I've lived in much more rural areas. My experience is that people who live in rural area and farmers love dogs too. It is very common for them to have dogs and cats, often pregnant or with a litter of babies dropped off at their places overnight. In too many cases of unwanted animals, they end up on the front lines of rescue. There is a study out there that points to 97% of people, including those in rural areas, consider dogs part of the family. I didn't post the study because I wasn't familiar with the source of the study. A study is only as good as it was conducted. But, from what I've seen having grown up between a suburb in Ohio and a very rural area in Virginia and the many places I've lived or spent significant time all over the country and Costa Rica, that study is close to accurate. I'd say at the very least 85%.
Ted, I heard the full account in Noem's words. I looked beyond the selective quotes. I just don't buy her story. When you put everything together, it doesn't add up. For a dog of that breed to be that young and aggressive toward people, something very bad had to have happened to the dog. The only other thing that could cause that is if the dog were going blind or had rabies. There is no mention of either one. Her story of taking an aggressive, dangerous, playful and happy young dog into her home with her young daughter doesn't add up. She is on a CYA tour. Her anger that she isn't good at masking is not doing well for her. She's being outright snarky in her interviews. I made the connection with the killing of the dog and goat on my own. I hadn't heard discussed the press until I stumbled across an op ed, that frankly felt like hit piece. I shared the views of the author. But, had no respect for the way she presented them. There are a lot of moving parts here. And, I do agree the media is loving the sensationalism of the story instead of giving it an objective presentation. That should be no surprise. It is what they do. Fox is as guilty of it every other one. My point here, Noem's actions and words speak for themselves.
I mess around in the Fox News comment section a little. Views of this are probably about 70/30 against Noem. Take away the liberal factor and is more like 50/50. That is a guess. In my circle of family and friends, they are all disgusted with 1 exception. Most of us are animal lovers, have lived in rural areas and a few grew up on farms. My friends in Tennessee who do animal rescue are disgusted. Although the influx of northerners and city folks have changed the demographics, my area is still Trump country. But, from the people I know, if he chooses Noem as VP or hints at a cabinet pick, Trump signs will be coming out of people's yards.
Noem said she hated the dog. She fumed about it having ruined the pheasant hunt and killing chickens. The picture I get from her behavior that day, which was followed by taking out a goat for behaving like a goat and talking about it with disgust, was that having a ranting hostile woman who was the aggressor with the dog. This wasn't caught on video tape. Much of it is left more people who take the time to delve into as much as they can find, without commentary, to piece it together. That is what I believe is the likely situation.
Noem's actions is what started strife among conservatives. The media's "War" against conservatives has been alive and well for decades. This is being hotly discussed now but just a blip on their overall radar. As I touched on earlier, if Trump stays aligned on a close level with Noem, he'll lose a significant amount of support. I wouldn't be surprised if it even cost him the election. Conservatives are used to media spin. Much of it will fall on deaf ears. It is what Noem did, not what the media says about it, that will cost him people like me.
