Overnight Open Thread: Priorities.(genghis)

This is a bit localized, but I bet every single state legislature facing massive budget deficits, which is all of them, is also dealing with critical issues like this.

”OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - When Sen. Ken Jacobsen passes from this life to the next, he wants to be buried with his deceased cat, Sam. There's just one problem - it's illegal.”

“Jacobsen points out that burial with pets is a long-standing human tradition dating back to the Egyptian pharaohs.”

“"I'm tired of the nanny state worrying about me and my cat," he said. "I assume there's a lot of people out there with pets who understand the connection."”

“Jacobsen's bill would give cemeteries the option of burying owners with their cremated pets as long as a written request is made. The remains could be buried in a grave plot before, during or after their owner's passing.”

Right on Senator! You fight the Man! Fight the power that be! But wait…opposition has arisen:

”Cemetery owners are opposed because they have to take into account the burial customs and traditions of all cultures and religions, some of which forbid burial near animals, said Paul Elvig, former president of the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association.”

“"The ultimate insult to a Muslim would be to bury a dog or a cat near or around a burial grounds," he said.”

””The animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals supports the idea.”

“"It seems totally discriminatory and mean to make these pets sit outside the graveyard gates," said Daphna Nachminovitch, vice president of cruelty investigations for PETA.”

So true, and it harkens back to the 60’s when dogs and cats weren’t allowed to share the same water bowl. Often, dogs were even denied accommodations and had to sleep outside in a shabby “dog house” while cats had their own little access door and were allowed to sleep on the bed, or at least a comfortable little basket-style “cat bed” with a fluffy pillow in the laundry room. Do we want to go go back to those days? No, I say! Down with feline privilege!

But even in this bill, discrimination lurks:

”The bill also requires the owner and pet occupy the same plot and that the animal is either a dog or a cat."

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posted by xgenghisx at 11:45 PM

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