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TIM WILDMON: Pontotoc County pit bull death requires additional scrutiny
by Tim Wildmon
Feb 06, 2011 | 1229 views | 6 6 comments | 4 4 recommendations | email to a friend | print
You probably read about the man, Ronnie Waldo, who was recently killed by three pit bulls in Pontotoc County. Waldo went over to his neighbor's house to borrow something and was attacked by the dogs. What a sad, unnecessary, tragedy.

I saw that his death had been ruled an "accident" by the Pontotoc County coroner. This may be deemed an accident in the sense that it was not planned or premeditated, but that should not mean that the owner of the dogs should not be held responsible for the death of Waldo. It is my understanding that the authorities are still considering what to do about this situation.

Everyone reading this column knows that pit bulls are capable of ripping a human being to shreds. Talk to people and no one wants to live by a neighbor with a pit bull. Go to You Tube and you can watch news account after news account from around the country about pit bulls attacking and killing children and adults. Waldo was a 51-year-old man who had no chance to fight off these three beasts which mauled him death and left what the reporter who covered the story for this newspaper called a "grizzly scene."

What if this had been a Girl Scout knocking on the door to sell cookies and she had her limbs ripped from her body by these dogs? Would there even be a question charges would have already have been filed holding the owner accountable?

According to the PetsDo website, pit bulls are the most dangerous breed of dog. Here is what it says: "A pit bull is a fearless dog that will take on any opponent. They will lock their jaws onto the prey until it's dead. Pit bulls have a reputation of mauling people to death and they are highly sought for dog fighting."

I have never understood why, with over 150 breeds of dogs in the world, someone insists on having the most dangerous kind of dog. When was the last time you read about someone dying from Collie attack? When was the last time you read about a Labrador mauling a child? Really, what is the difference between having a pit bull and having a tiger?

If you are going to own dogs that can kill people you have to bear responsibility for them when they do, I don't care if the victim is on the property of the pit bull owner. The man was going to borrow something from his neighbor. He wasn't breaking in the house. And now he's dead.

***

President Obama is not providing leadership when it comes to addressing the most critical problem facing our country which is federal government debt. So says The Washington Post in an editorial that was reprinted in Monday's Daily Journal. This was somewhat surprising given that the Washington Post is widely considered a liberal newspaper editorially supportive of Obama. Yet, it has now expressed disappointment and frustration that Obama does not seem to understand the urgency or the magnitude of what we are facing.

Here's the opening paragraph: "In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Obama failed to present a credible plan for long-term debt reduction. It's no secret that we think he made a big mistake."

You know a lot of people questioned George W. Bush's intellect during his presidency. But say what you want to about President Bush, the guy made the hard decisions and then took the blame when things went wrong. He recounts the good, bad and ugly in his memoir "Decision Points," which is an excellent read.

I believe what is going on here is that President Obama does not want to reduce the size of the federal government because it will be too much of a downer for him. It's much easier to hand out money through trillion dollar stimulus programs. He reminds me of the doctor who sends in the nurse to tell the patient that his arm is going to have to be amputated. Obama the doctor doesn't want to deliver the bad news. In this case, he wants the Republicans to announce a plan to cut programs which he can then demagogue against. There is no presidential leadership on this matter.

Towards the end of the Post editorial it says this: "The White House may have decided that debt reduction is so tough it has to await what officials, speaking not for attribution, have termed a 'forcing event.'"

Wow. What they are saying is that the president may not even have a plan. They called this possibility "scary." Again, this is from one of the most prestigious, and Obama-friendly newspapers in America.

I am beginning to wonder if the number one crisis facing our country today is not above our president's pay grade.

Community columnist Tim Wildmon is a Lee County resident. He is president of the American Family Association, but the column represents his personal opinion unless otherwise noted. Contact him at twildmon@afa.net.
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