Wow, Moz is back for round 2! He's playing four dates at The Fillmore in San Francisco! I saw the Violent Femmes at this venue in '89.' I was a bit stoned so I can't remember all the details. But it was very punk--to me anyway--loud, raw, sexy!

Also, Moz is returning to The Pearl in Las Vegas. I don't blame him. The venue is really top notch. I'm also glad to learn that he has rescheduled the shows that he had canceled earlier this summer. And as far as I can tell, there has been no more talk of playing in Tehran.

I mentioned Moz and Tehran in my previous journal entry. A heated discussion regarding eating animals ensued. While some good debate came about, there was also some emotionally charged mud slinging going on. Each person who participated is a good person--I know this from my prior interactions with her/him. And though I am glad to see that entry is now laid to rest, this debate will continue...in many circles--now and for years to come. There is no win/win solution at the moment.

I do want to state for the record, that I do care about animals. Admittedly, I am a bit of a speciesist--I care for some species more than others. I won't apologize for this either--simply because it is the politically correct thing to do. It is true; I love cats. But, I don't get along with dogs. I love gorillas. Yet, I don't care much for birds. But I don't want to harm dogs or birds. Cows are OK. Pigs are special. So while I don't think twice about eating beef, I do my best to avoid pork. I value pigs more than cows. I prefer cats to dogs--gorillas to birds. All animals are not created equal. And therefore do not deserve equal consideration. A Lobster is a water bug--its central nervous system is as primitive as a cockroach. So I don't shed tears into the stock pot when I drop them into the boiling H20. OK, I've only cooked lobster once. But if it was cheaper and readily available, I would eat it with greater frequency. But... if I had to go into the wild and kill a deer... well, I would have an emotional toll to pay. I couldn't kill a deer without pause, reflection, sadness... it wouldn't be easy for me.

But, it would be almost impossible for me to kill a human. It would have to be in self defense. But for some people it seems, it would be easier for them to kill their own kind than an animal. Just recently, football player Michael Vick was arrested and charged with animal cruelty--he was running an illegal dog fighting ring out of his estate in Virginia. The public is outraged. The man has received so much scorn... more than if he had murdered his girlfriend instead. In the rap community, misogyny is the norm. Many of these men treat their dogs better than their female partners... this seems to tie into my point about people caring more about animal rights than human rights. And I'm not just talking about the values that people hold dear. There are actual laws to prove my point:

Dogs:
Henry Bergh, founder of the ASPCA, was particularly repulsed by the brutality of the dog fighting he saw in New York and elsewhere. His 1867 revision of the state’s animal cruelty law made all forms of animal fighting illegal for the first time, including bull, bear, dog and cock fighting. The federal Animal Welfare Act (1976) prohibits the interstate transport of animals for the purposes of fighting. In 1999, Title 18, Section 48 was added to the U.S. Code, making it a federal crime to “knowingly create, sell or possess a depiction of animal cruelty with the intention of placing that depiction in interstate or foreign commerce for commercial gain.” The term “depiction of animal cruelty” means any visual or auditory depiction, including any photograph, motion-picture film, video recording, electronic image, or sound recording of conduct in which a living animal is intentionally maimed, mutilated, tortured, wounded, or killed. As of 2007, dog fighting is a felony in all states except Idaho and Wyoming, where it is a misdemeanor. In most states, the possession of dogs for the purpose of fighting is also a felony offense. Being a spectator at a dogfight is currently a felony in 20 states, a misdemeanor in 28 and legal only in Georgia and Hawaii.

Women:
Men had the legal right to ‘beat their wife’ with a stick no thicker than their thumb until 1891. The police did not view domestic violence as a crime until the late 1980’s. Rape within marriage in the UK was only made illegal in 1995. (The Cruelty to Animals Act 1835 in the United Kingdom was the first legislation in the world that made dogfighting illegal.) Today, in California, a man can be charged with a felony if he causes physical injury to a woman. If he simply batters her, it is a misdemeanor.

Recap: Dogs were granted protection in 1867. Women became protected against the spousal rod in 1891. The Federal welfare act to protect dogs was established in 1976. Women are afforded protection by the police in late 1980's. In 2007, being a spectator of dog fighting becomes a felony in 20 states. Beating your wife, girlfriend, or lover is still a misdemeanor in many states.