At the Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2013, town council meeting in New Llano, Louisiana, pit bull supporters crowded the town hall to protest the town’s breed-specific legislation (BSL), a pit bull ban that was passed in New Llano earlier this year.
Five residents spoke before Mayor Freddie Boswell closed the pre-council meeting to those living outside New Llano. Town attorney Jack Simms claimed that if they didn’t live in New Llano,
“the law won’t affect them.”
The dog lobby hears this one frequently, although not usually from an attorney who ought to know better. We often hear this ridiculousness from councilmen or mayors who chide us for our lobbying letters saying that if we don’t live in their town, they don’t give a rat’s patooty about our opinion, even adding that we are wrong for having an opinion about their town in their state in the first place. Their arrogance is downright insufferable.
To this absurdity and isolationist view I often offer this reproof: 1) We are all Americans. 2) Because we are all Americans we share the same Constitution. 3) Because we share the same Constitution, a violation of the Constitution in one area via something as stupid and ineffectual as a breed ban, and BSL is unconstitutional, affects every American everywhere.
How does a violation of the Constitution in one area potentially adversely affect every American everywhere? Because once the Constitution is weakened or negated, disorder and corruption ensue, and we need only look to the Revolutionary War fought against Britain’s tyranny to understand how very important our God-given, inalienable constitutional rights are.
So, instead of being scolded for attempting to exercise their 1st amendment rights to speak against those who 1) either don’t understand the Constitution and therefore casually negate its rights, or 2) who know BSL negates constitutional rights and don’t care because they’re corrupt, these good citizens should have at least been heard by the council and at most been lauded for being good patriots.
Shame on you New Llano government. You are a disgrace to the Constitution you swore an oath to uphold.