I think that what Gordon is saying is that, when one person starts
eroding at another person's rights (whether they be "right" or "wrong" in
their thinking), it places the complainer at no higher of a level than
the complainee.  You can take one look at California and see that the
rights of all ferret owners and potential ferret owners in Cali. are
impinged upon because some people there feel that ferrets should not be
kept as pets.  Seriously, how can one be complaining about Cali. not
allowing people certaing rights (owning ferrets), yet expect the same
style government to ban domesticated animal parts and pieces for sale
because they find them to be offensive.  Another example would be that
of pornography.  In parts of the U.S., it is not allowed because some
people of that area many years ago decided that they didn't want it sold
in stored in their county.  Their decisions have influenced years of
oppression for all people in their county.  Whether you feel this is
fair or not, you can agree that this is oppression.
 
I, at one time, had some pet chickens.  Bird, my one-eyed chicken, was so
tame that I could pick him up and carry him around in my arm cradled on
his back.  He loved to have his stomach (breast) rubbed.  Princess,
another of my chickens, also loved to have her stomach (breast) rubbed
while being carried.  While I COULD (and did) find them a home on a farm
that would let them live out their days once they got older, rather than
one that would kill them, I did NOT protest the local KFC's because they
sold chicken parts.
 
Point is - while everyone here does have a right to say, loud and clear,
that they do or don't like the Ferret Pelt being on eBay, just remember
that it's pretty two-faced to be fighting for people to have rights in
Cali. and at the same time, fighting to take away someones rights.
While there's no way that I would own a ferret pelt, that's My Personal
Preference(TM), and, since the ferret who owned the pelt in question
supposedly died of natural causes, it was not harmed to gather the pelt.
The way I see it, no harm, no foul.  (Though it may be distasteful to
me.)
 
[EC]
[Posted in FML issue 4681]