Misplaced Priorities

Man Chains Himself to Tree at Brackenridge Park.

How does it feel to be chained to a tree like a dog in this hot weather?

Adam Moran with the group Dogs Deserve Better has a pretty good idea.
He chained himself to a tree in Brackenridge Park for 12 hours this past weekend to make a point.

"It was just an attempt to raise awareness across the city for all the dogs who spend their lives at the end of a chain 24-hours a day and it helps people realize what's going on when they see a person out there," Moran said on the Jack Riccardi show on 550 KTSA.

Moran says it was hot and he got bored, but he had it a lot better than most dogs tied to a chain.

"I don't have on a big heavy coat like most dogs do. I have the ability to sweat so I can cool off. I had people bringing me food and water and a lot of the dogs in the city who are in that situation don't have that luxury," Moran said.

Moran says when people see a dog chained up they probably don't think much of it, but they gain more empathy when it's a person.

Deep breath.

OK.

Let me put this in small words: humans are more important than dogs.

Most of our Texas prisons lack air conditioning. It's been at or near 100 degrees all this month and at least half of last month. This creates health hazards not just for the prisoners but for people working in the detention centers.

Should we be chaining dogs to trees and leaving them outside in this heat with no way to get out of the sun and little to no water? Of course not. Hell, I've called Animal Control about it before. Chances are all of us in South Texas have.

But honestly? I hear this and I think "Dude we have bigger problems in this city." (and state)

Let's see:

Young black men are still killing each other. If you live here, or you've ever lived here, you know that the East Side is a war zone. It's been that way as long as I remember. You've got young black men killing each other. Young black women having children with the expectation they'll raise those children with no help from fathers. Young black children of both sexes being raised with the concept of "ghetto fabulous" where this is all the hell they're supposed to aspire to in their lives. I know this 'cause I was raised on that side of town.

The issue of child porn is continuing to spiral out of control. This might be the only thing people want to face less than the problem of gang violence. And these stories are coming more & more rapidly. There are others who have spoken on this subject much more eloquently than I.

Mexico's drug violence is crossing the border more & more often. Not as popular as the swine flu, admittedly, but this is a Mexican import with much broader (and more dangerous) implications.

Violent crime, especially against women and children, continues to escalate.

But this dude isn't worried about rape and murder and DUI. Nah, that's all mild. What's really an issue? Dogs on chains.