Can we stop talking about dogs in the 2012 Campaign, please?

Both sides. Seriously, friends. I get it, ok. Nearly thirty years ago, Mitt Romney transported his dog in a car-top dog carrier on a road trip. Also, over thirty years ago, as a child, President Obama was served dog meat and ate it.

I love dogs too, people. Seriously. I'm one of the world's biggest dog lovers. But this is blatantly stupid. So stupid that I'm even defending the President here.

Let's look at these stories realistically. We've come a long way in thirty years when it comes to safety. I'm willing to bet the Romney boys were quite possibly not buckled up and were in the cargo section of the station wagon. Simply stated, we as a society weren't as safety conscious as we are now.

Let me give you an example: How many of you have seen 1983l's National Lampoons Vacation?  In this famous scene, Clark shares a beer with his young teenage son during a roadside break WHILE DRIVING.  (A lot of modern parents would absolutely flip over giving half a beer to a kid that age.  I don't agree with that, provided this is done in responsible quantities (ie a half glass of beer or wine) with parental supervision is a good thing...takes the mystery away from alcohol.)  There are numerous other examples of films where a dad is driving his family and drinking a beer at the same time.

That was the time, friends. We were less safety conscious. Seat belts were in cars but not required/enforced by law. Drinking and driving was very loosely enforced if at all. Open container laws were nonexistent. People had 900 pound televisions on top of a TV tray.

As far as President Obama eating dog...he was a child. He was eating what he was served. Furthermore, eating dog meat is prevalent in many parts of the world, including nations that would be equally repulsed by the eating of beef. It's a cultural difference, friends. Some of the same people have pet sheep or pet pigs.  We eat those.  Tons of people have pet fish. Ultimately, they are all animals, friends.

I wouldn't want to eat a dog or a cat, don't get me wrong. But that is because I live in a culture where dogs and cats are pets. I have had multiple pet dogs. I have a pet cat now. Amber and Jazz and Buster and Shelby were/are dogs that do or did belong to me or a close relative. Same with my cat Benny. To me they are friends. This is because I am familiar with them and keep/kept them as a pet.  They were all socialized as pets and treated as members of the family.

As I understand it, in the nations where cats and dogs are food, they are not raised as pets then eaten. They are raised like we raise cows and pigs as I understand it. This is a cultural difference, friends, not a crime against canine kind. As I said, animals are ultimately animals, not human beings.

At the end of the day, friends, let's move on and talk about real issues. We have serious problems that require serious solutions. This election needs to be about the health of this country, not 30 year old stories about dogs. So let's move on to real issues. I'm begging you.