Happy Groundhog Day! Maybe to you. To me, theres nothing happy about it. A day that used to be dedicated to a harmless bit tragically turned fatal nine years ago. Living in the shadow of New York City I have heard countless stories of Bill de Blasio but this one takes the cake. Nine years ago, Mayor de Blasio visited the Staten Island Zoo and Charolette the Groundhog for a groundhog's day tradition. As the handler passed off Charolette, Mayor de Blasio flung the rodent to the ground--seemingly overwhelmed with joy as she fell nearly 10 times her own height. Pictured below is from the moment the 'accident' occurred and the smug a-hole is grinning ear to ear.
Just days after the Mayor's attack, Charolette was pronounced dead from internal injuries. Now de Blasio has an extensive PR budget at his fingertips and every zookeeper asked had claimed the injuries were not sustained from the Mayor's actions.
This leaves me wondering how much taxpayer money was stuffed in the zookeepers pockets to keep them quiet and not defend the animals they once swore to protect. As I continued to sift through old news reports it seems that de Blasio quickly shifted blame to fellow politician Sarah Palin for alleged animal abuse she had proudly displayed just one month prior. This became just the tip of the iceberg for our political leaders and their apparent neglect of animals.
In January of that same year the internet had taken to Sarah Palin's facebook as she boasted pictures of her son using their family dog as step stool. The series of pictures set off an army in the comments from dog owners to veterinarians to PETA members.
The commenters had a field day, and I cannot say I disagree with remarks.
"As a dog trainer...this is a worst case scenario. Hundreds of children end up in the hospital each year by doing just this. Sadly most of the dogs that react are euthanized. Most irresponsible of all? Stand back and take pictures." -Polly C.
Polly's right, the dog stands up for himself who gets the last laugh?
"You have no respect or compassion for animals. I have been a veterinary technician for over 20 years, do you realize how painful that is for your dog?" -Gail R.D.
A truly irresponsible display from the Alaskan who quickly seemed to turn back the clock to pass the spotlight to fellow Republican Mitt Romney. How far does this trail go? Just how many animal lives have been lost that Washington is covering up? We know about corruption but when it comes to animals is where I draw the line.
Palin brought to light the acts of the Romney family back in 1983. Who, on a 12 hour road trip, locked their dog in a carrier on top of their car. The family dog, Seamus, experienced anxiety and diarrhea which was noticed on the back window of the car about halfway through the trip. Palin was able to dodge a bullet passing off the blame to Romney is an all too literal smear campaign.
Romney has admitted to the story, as well as stating the family returned Seamus to the carrier after washing him off for the remaining 12 hours of the trip. Despicable. This is where the blame train stops...for now. Romney bit the bullet and took the fall, but who really knows what else these people are hiding.
So this groundhog's day please remember Charolette in addition to all the animals that are victims of politicians abuse.
Sweet ground hog handler outfit though