The Kill Bill From the House

Submitted by WhitesCreek on March 18, 2010 - 11:43am.

So you thought our legislators were just (polite term)dithering around, what with our state facing massive revenue deficits and serious problems with unemployment and our jobs being sent offshore. Well I've got news for you...Being a lawmaker is "hard work...hard." So yeah we know that while you may think that stuff is important, your elected officials have to prioritize their efforts to work on the most important things first. Like this:
Our legislature thinks you ought to be able to kill anything you want as long as it's not on the endangered species list and they voted on this fine Tennessee Constitutional Amendment that looks like it hinges on the word "reasonable", always a sketchy prospect in this state. I mean it looks like we will finally be able to hunt dogs and cats, right?

The citizens of this state shall have the personal right to hunt and fish, subject to reasonable regulations and restrictions prescribed by law. The recognition of this right does not abrogate any private or public property rights, nor does it limit the state's power to regulate commercial activity. Traditional manners and means may be used to take non-threatened species.

WhitesCreek's picture
Very "reasonable" to me...
Submitted by WhitesCreek on March 18, 2010 - 11:45am.

Or maybe it means we'll get to hunt for dogs and FISH for cats.

I think I see what they mean
Submitted by RICK on March 18, 2010 - 4:04pm.

It says "Traditional manners and means may be used".
I personally interpret this as meaning the way people have been hunting and fishing all of the time. I can't see anything about dogs or cat, or any other domesticated pet. There are animal cruelty laws on the books for that. And there are still laws for hunting out of season, and hunting and fishing without a liscense.

WhitesCreek's picture
The only species I see
Submitted by WhitesCreek on March 18, 2010 - 7:33pm.

The only species I see excluded are the ones that are "threatened", so...Dogs were considered food until recently. How far back does "tradition" go?

onetahiti's picture
Lewis and Clark
Submitted by onetahiti on March 18, 2010 - 11:51pm.

The party of Lewis and Clark ate a lot of dog and reportedly most of them even preferred dog over venison and fresh salmon. There are many references.

"the dog now constitutes a considerable part of our subsistence and with most of the party has become a favorite food; certain I am that it is a healthy strong diet, and from habit it has become by no means disagreeable to me, I prefer it to lean venison or Elk, and is very far superior to the horse in any state."
Source: Meriweather Lewis, Sunday April 13th, 1806 (Link...)

"We thought it necessary to lay in a Store of Provisions for our voyage, and the fish being out of Season, we purchased forty dogs . . . "
Source: Journal of William Clark, October 17, 1805

"Our diet extremely bad . . . all the Party have greatly the advantage of me, in as much as they all relish the flesh of the dogs."
Source: Journal of William Clark, October 10, 1805

In one Pacific Northwest village, the river was teeming with salmon, yet the expedition ate dog; except for William Clark, they apparently preferred dog meat to fish.

-- OneTahiti

I thought it was already
Submitted by grasshopper on March 19, 2010 - 8:36am.

I thought it was already legal to hunt in Tennessee. Why the amendment?

WhitesCreek's picture
Can't hunt cats. It's just
Submitted by WhitesCreek on March 19, 2010 - 9:11am.

Can't hunt cats. It's just not fair.

Good one WC
Submitted by RICK on March 19, 2010 - 2:31pm.

I don't like cats either, but I guess I'll pass on hunting them.

WHAT??!? Don't like cats???
Submitted by RoaneBooster on March 19, 2010 - 3:07pm.

My God, man... I'm appalled. See (hear):
Link...

Cat is SPECIAL! Let's be multicultural, now :-)

RB

WhitesCreek's picture
I like cats
Submitted by WhitesCreek on March 19, 2010 - 5:42pm.

They are excellent in Vienamese soup.

Kidding! I'm kidding! Geez...

The trouble comes when
Submitted by harrimanite on March 20, 2010 - 10:24pm.

The trouble comes when people turn their cats out to roam the neighborhood, using a child's sandbox as a litter box, gnaw a wooden door out so they can "hang out" in a neighbor's garage, set up sleeping quarters on their neighbor's patio furniture, have kittens by the neighborhood stray cat and add even more troubles to the homeowner's who don't have cats!!!!
BE A RESPONSIBLE CAT (OR DOG) OWNER, PLEASE!!!

I like cats so well I have
Submitted by ConcernedCitizen on March 19, 2010 - 6:34pm.

I like cats so well I have one I refer to as my only son. We've had him for the last 14 years. I hate the thought of someone hunting him.

RB
Submitted by RICK on March 19, 2010 - 3:08pm.

They don't like me either. That makes us even.

My sister
Submitted by RICK on March 19, 2010 - 8:28pm.

My sister was eating Chinese food once while she lived in Florida. I was there visiting. I walked up behind her and said "MEOW". She hasn't eaten Chinese since!

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