I am usually late to these things. I never promised to be first. I promised to give things some thought and come with a more comprehensive outlook. By now, you know that Kristi Noem (governor of South Dakota) is a noted dog killer. She volunteered this information herself in her book. You could even say she was bragging about it.

If you’ve been out of pocket for the last two weeks, she told this anecdote in her book about killing a 14 month old puppy because it was “untrainable.” She also killed a goat because it didn’t smell good and she didn’t like it. Apparently, she was a “farm girl” and that’s just how things are done on the farm.

A part of this is by design. Most progressives live in urban areas. So, if progressives object to this kind of behavior then it just highlights the difference between urban and rural America. Them city folk just don’t know how everything is done on the farm. They aren’t real Americans. They are snowflakes that want to virtue signal and cancel things they will just never understand.

It’s all a crock of bullshit. Anyone that has owned an animal or cared for an animal knows you don’t shoot that animal because “it cannot be trained.” Even if that is true there are hundreds of other options. There are people you could rehome the animal with. There are agencies like Second Chance Pets that will take the animal and rehome it for you. There are places that will allow the animal to roam free. It may not be the best life, but it is a life.

Admittedly, we are animal people. I have had as many as four cats at the same time. We had to put one of them to sleep several months ago. It was a sweet cat that had a horrible disease that was incurable and destined to cause him tons of pain. We also have a dog. He is fairly well trained now, but the first few months were rough. We have had a few hairy moments every now and then. He doesn’t like thunderstorms. He reacts around other dogs. He’s as smart as a whip, but he’s a dog. It’s what dogs do.

I suppose being an animal lover makes me weird. I inherited this trait from my mother. All of our cats have been rescues or second chance pets. Our dog was adopted as well. This is a trait that has been passed down to our daughter. I have always firmly believed that you can tell a lot about a person based on their disposition to animals. I’ve learned a lot about Kristi Noem the last couple of weeks. None of it has been good.

To be perfectly fair, I never was a big fan. However, she has demonstrated a cruelty and callousness that is breathtaking to see. It takes a cold and loveless heart to willingly kill an animal when its only crime was “smelling bad” or “being untrainable.” To brag about it is borderline sociopathic or psychopathic. Hell, the animal community debates euthanizing a chronically sick pet. There are those that believe that pets should be allowed to live a full life regardless of their medical condition. There are others that want to prevent needless suffering.

Then there are those that believe animals should be put down when they are inconvenient. I can’t fathom that. If they think animals are expendable then what do they think about people? Are some of us expendable? Maybe that is why we can play games with immigrants by threatening their lives and busing them half way across the country without their consent. It is only one small step from shooting a dog to discarding a human being. At least it used to be something we didn’t brag about. I guess those days are over.

Like TFG’s many trials, the hits keep on coming for Texas Senator Ted Cruz. But unlike the former guy, Ted’s problems are not entirely of his own doing.

Two days ago, Cruz’s campaign treasurer received a thick envelope with a 20-page long memorandum from the Federal Election Commission (4 pages of text and a 16-page attachment) asking him to present information to explain why 37 of his campaign contributors, either by oversight or otherwise, exceeded the legal monetary limits imposed on all contributors in order to achieve fairness and equity in our electoral process.

One contributor’s name stands out. Found on page 11 of the attachment is one Andy Puzder. Puzder wins a place of dishonor on Cruz’s wall of shame for his callous disregard for contribution limits. On May 25th of last year, Puzder ponied up 3,300 in American money to Cruz’s primary campaign – the legal limit – but then dropped an additional ten bucks in Cruz’s inbox this past February 23rd. Now, since Texas’ primary election was March 5th (Super Tuesday), the ten-spot was an illegal campaign contribution.

Oh, the humanity.

Andy Puzder, you probably don’t remember, was a failed cabinet nominee of TFG. Puzder is a fast food executive (Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s), that Former Guy nominated to be his Secretary of Labor. That’s rich, huh? What better way to thumb your nose at minimum wage workers than to nominate a fast food CEO to oversee labor relations?

And, not to imply his intent…OK, implying his intent, what better way to emphasize your fealty to the senator than to put a toe over the foul line for him? His name gets a flag on the FEC memo, and Cruz, who is not in any way, shape, or form on the short list for TFG’s Veep, takes notice.

That is not to say that others didn’t try, through cuteness of their own, to show their extreme loyalties, but you have to admit, Puzder’s efficiency is notably exceptional.

The Cruz campaign must respond to the FEC on this matter by June 3, 2024. Now, the question is, will that be before or after TFG announces his running mate?