To step back from the dog breed discussion, was anyone else disturbed by the joke's implications? (For clarity's sake that was: What's the difference between a hockey mom and a pitbull? Lipstick!) I appreciate or, rather, know what was meant. Tough, powerful female who will fight tenaciously, aggressively, loyally for America. Mooseburgers. Takin' on the Big Boys. Classic Republican myth-making (I say this with grudging respect). And possible only if the female candidate is unimpeachably feminine in other respects: Van Halen hot-for-teacher looks, sexy in a skirt suit.
But it also called up for me the parent who removes the element of play from school athletics. The parent who assaults the opposing coach and who instils fear and a dreadful sense of responsibility in her/his own daughter or son.
Back to breeds. Marion, certainly didn't mean to blame the victim. And what's the answer? Are all dogs ticking time-bombs? Should we outlaw all dogs of a certain weight or pound-strength in the jaws? The site you linked does not advocate breed legislation and has important tips for dog safety. In a country in which the cereal box must tell you those raspberries are a "serving suggestion" and McDonalds must warn you the coffee's hot, one can walk into a pet store and buy a Rottweiler no questions asked. Infants at home? Both parents working 60 hour weeks?
[This message has been edited by Mike Slippkauskas (edited September 08, 2008).]
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