Representing and Speaking for Animals
Plato once said: "The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men."
Oliver Goldsmith, The Vicar of Wakefield, wrote that “law grinds the poor, rich men rule the law.”
Marsha Blackburn said: "We are a nation of laws with respect and recognition of the rule of law."
There are also sayings along the lines of, in a just society the rules (not the rulers) govern society. And not the rulers make the rules; they merely enforce the rules, and never selectively (see the above remarks about "rich men"). It's no secret that, on average, rich men tend to be more sociopathic and cruel, even uncaring for animals. Those tendencies of theirs lead them towards affluence, or hoarding; they're not good at compassion, giving, relaxing. It's all take, take, take, seldom give (unless there's something to be gotten in return).
At the moment I am challenging the local authorities regarding animal welfare, seeing that it's happening in India. I am inspired by activists who go as far as hunger strikes because of their strong belief that it's not wrong to feed birds, just as it should not be a crime to offer food to homeless people (yes, the US has actually begun tackling this alleged "problem").
I never thought I'd find myself in a birds debate, spending many hours and spending money on phonecalls to that effect. I'm a tech person, not an animal activist, but if activism becomes necessary (due to circumstances) outside of technology, then why not do it?
I intend to challenge the Council; raising questions like what law prohibits or limits animal-feeding. Most of them won't even know how to answer this question (even if some answer exists) and instead resort to something petty like "I don't like it". The more authoritarian ones might resort to role-playing (I am this kind of important person, hence do what I tell you, no questions answered, let alone asked).
If I ever choose to take this matter to a tribunal with animals-centric NGOs on my side, it'll get some press coverage for sure. Unlike technology (or a niche thereof, e.g. Free/libre software), this is the sort of thing that can appeal to everyone. Anyone can understand these matters.
We support animal charities and believe human companions are not limited to domesticated pets like cats and dogs (dog farming is Big Business) - nature is good for mental well-being of society and healthy ecosystems, both flora and fauna. Earlier this year I learned how to lodge lawsuits - even in the UK High Court - so I have some practical experience doing that. More than 20 years ago I chatted with an American pilot in the gym for about 4 hours straight (until it was closed, so we had to go separate ways). He told me I'd be a good lawyer, even if I was just a Ph.D. student at the time. He said I could argue my points well and convince people. In recent years I found that I quite like doing this, even if it's a "hobby" as a Litigant in Person (LIP). My wife and I filed 3 lawsuits [1, 2] against truly nasty people who deserve to be held accountable.
Yesterday (despite being on holiday) I spoke for over 20 minutes with a lady called Tracy. She worked with the local authorities and was very sympathetic towards me. Even without taking this to a tribunal perhaps we can achieve a compromise and set precedent for people who love to feed animals. █