Obama: Correct by Accident

[Gus Van Horn blog]

By Gus Van Horn from Gus Van Horn,cross-posted by MetaBlog

Barack Obama threatens, if elected, to introduce confusion about the meaning of the term "individual rights" to the highest level of the government of the freest nation on earth:

Democrat Barack Obama says he won't just be a president for the American people, but the animals too.

"What about animal rights?" a woman shouted out during the candidate's town hall meeting outside Las Vegas Wednesday after he discussed issues that relate more to humans, like war, health care and the economy.

Obama responded that he cares about animal rights very much, "not only because I have a 9-year-old and 6-year-old who want a dog." He said he sponsored a bill to prevent horse slaughter in the Illinois state Senate and has been repeatedly endorsed by the Humane Society.

"I think how we treat our animals reflects how we treat each other," he said. "And it's very important that we have a president who is mindful of the cruelty that is perpetrated on animals." [bold added]

Consider that last sentence in bold in light of the following episode in Zimbawe not too long ago:

Hungry Zimbabweans threatened to kill and eat a giraffe after it wandered towards the outskirts of the capital Harare, it has emerged.

Scores of people rushed to the scene after the adult giraffe entered Seke district from surrounding farmland. Police said several wanted to butcher the animal "for the pot", according to the state-owned Herald newspaper.

"We have to guard the animal," said one officer. "We have to remain here until it is taken to a safe place."

The incident comes as wild game increasingly falls victim to President Robert Mugabe's policies, with impoverished Zimbabweans turning to any possible source of meat. Poaching is reportedly rising rapidly, with two elephants recently killed in Hurungwe. [bold added]

When, as I summed it up before, "tarving human beings are being forbidden at gunpoint to eat animals," the true meaning of Barack Obama's words becomes apparent.

While it is true that wanton cruelty to animals does reflect a poverty of spirit and can indicate psychological problems, to claim that animals have rights on a par with human beings is quite another thing. In fact, it is to claim that man has no rights.

"[H]ow we treat ... animals reflects how we treat each other."

Indeed it does. Just look at Zimbabwe, Mr. Obama.

-- CAV

http://ObjectivismOnline.com/archives/003192.html