Bankrolling the president
The right wing propaganda machine that is AM talk radio is currently all over the imminent perils of illegal immigrants and radical Islamist terrorism, and the president admittedly wants Obamacare reform because he needs the money saved by denying medical care to those who cannot afford it for his tax cuts, his border wall and increased military spending.
Meanwhile, his generals have staged an impressive fireworks show of American machismo by firing 59 Tomahawk missiles, not all of which hit their target at an air force base in Syria, and dropped a 21,000 pound mega-bomb on a mountain in Afghanistan, killing, all in all, maybe 100 ISIS fighters at a cost of 79 million dollars.
Added to this, American taxpayers are footing the bill for security on his weekend jaunts to his compound in Palm Springs as well as that for his children’s business trips promoting the Trump logo all over the world. Manipulative hyperbole may work in contract negotiation, but how well it translates into governance and foreign relations remains to be seen. There have been bankruptcies, both financial and moral, in his business operations.
Robert Porath, Boulder
Never transport living beings as if they were luggage
The death of a rabbit named Simon after a breeder reportedly shipped him as cargo on a United Airlines flight from Heathrow to O’Hare is a reminder of why we should never transport living beings as if they were luggage.
Every year, animals are lost, injured and killed on flights. Some have escaped after their carriers were damaged and become lost inside airplanes and hangars. Others have bolted, never to be seen again, after airline employees let them out during layovers. Many others have been cooked alive or died of hypothermia inside cargo holds, which can quickly reach deadly temperature extremes because they are designed for luggage — not living beings. Being separated from their guardians and stuffed among the baggage in a noisy, dark, strange place with fluctuating air pressure is also extremely traumatic for animals.
If you must fly with your animals, always take them in the cabin with you. Pre-trip, ensure that the carrier is large enough for the animal to comfortably stand up and turn around and small enough to fit under the seat. For animals who are too large or unsuited for air travel, being driven by car or staying home with a trusted caretaker is far safer and less stressful.
For more tips on traveling with animals, visit PETA.org.
Lindsay Pollard-Post, The PETA Foundation
