Standing on a soapbox today

I tend to shy away from "taking a stand" on issues. I think life is complex and it's sometimes difficult for me to give an absolute yes or no to something. I have strong opinions about issues but I'm nearly always open to listening to a different point of view and seeing the value of what someone else is saying. That said (I like that phrase), there are at least three issues that I'm adamant about. I'm sure I've mentioned them on this blog in the past and suspect I'll mention them again.

One is same-sex marriage. I don't believe it should be voted on or debated - it should be a given. Of course you have the right to marry anyone you choose no matter what gender. That's it. No discussion. 

The second is keeping libraries open and free to the public. Due to economic problems many communities have had library services cut and in some cases lost them completely. Admittedly this is somewhat selfish of me as I can't imagine life without lots of libraries! Seriously I think all communities deserve library service. I believe in knowledge and education and it begins through reading. If you're poor and can't buy books where do you go? The library. I could go on and on about this but I should get to my third issue since that's what the video is about!

So, third issue. Spay and neuter your pets! I found this video at The Conscious Cat blog and it made me cry (the video not the blog!). Our society has created an out-of-control pet population and refuses to take responsibility for it. If you have an animal and you aren't a responsible breeder than get it spayed/neutered. I don't see any other side to this. What I do see is what you'll see in the video - cats who will be killed because they have no home. Yeah kittens and puppies are cute. Not so much when they're dead. The second video, called Shelter Humor, is funny but it's also sad. Unfortunately there are people like that.