 | Rudolph Giuliani and the Ferret Issue |
It promises to be one of the more interesting issues of the 2008 campaign season, and that says something about the excitement of the 2008 campaign season so far: Ferrets.
Rudolph Giuliani has a ferret issue.
You know how Giuliani talks about all the serious measures he took as mayor to make New York City safe? Well, it seems that Giuliani focused quite a bit of attention on keeping New Yorkers safe from ferrets.
In May, 2001, just months before New York City would be savaged by attacks from Al Quaeda, Rudolph Giuliani was busy working on the threat posed to New York City from ferrets, the weasels kept by many people as pets. Giuliani led the way in ensuring that a ban on walking ferrets in public. Giuliani likened the threat to the public from ferrets to the threat from tigers.
By gum, Rudy Giuliani is right! Ferrets are just as dangerous as tigers… or foot-long tigers, maybe… kind of like pet kitty cats. Hmm.
On a radio talk show, Giuliani slammed an activist pushing to preserve the right to walk ferrets in public in New York City. Giuliani told the activist, “”There is something deranged about you. … The excessive concern you have for ferrets is something you should examine with a therapist. … There is something really, really very sad about you. … This excessive concern with little weasels is a sickness. … You should go consult a psychologist. … Your compulsion about—your excessive concern with it is a sign that there is something wrong in your personality. … You have a sickness, and I know it’s hard for you to accept that. … You need help.”
Aesthetically, I’m not fond of the idea ferrets as pets. A childhood friend of mine had a pet ferret, and mostly I remember that it was a foul tempered animal with messy poop.
That said, I don’t understand Giuliani’s anti-ferret activism. Then again, John McCain owns a ferret. Maybe that political rivalry has something to do with it.
Some people seem very passionate about ferret legalization, even appearing at events dressed as ferrets in order to lend publicity to the cause.
I haven’t come to a conclusion on Giuliani and the ferret issue, and I’m interested in hearing what other people think about it. What does Rudolph’s anti-ferret drive tell us about his qualifications to be President?
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It’s both telling and entertaining that the weasel giuliani was against competing weasels. HHhhmmmmmm, sounds like the present repub primary race…
The scientifically impossible I do right away
The spiritually miraculous takes a bit longer
Comment by ClapSo — 7/15/2007 @ 5:32 pm
The little claws on the feet are a nice touch.
Comment by Jim — 7/15/2007 @ 6:50 pm
I’ve always thought wild animals were supposed to be, you know, wild. It’s not fair to them to keep them in captivity. I’ve kept a few reptiles and such, but always released them into the wild after a few months.
Guiliani was probably right, there’s something disconcerting about a grownup who wears a ferret suit in public, but doesn’t a president need tact and diplomacy?
Comment by Iroquois — 7/15/2007 @ 10:55 pm
Why is Rudy so rude? He must have been bitten as a child.
Comment by The Animist — 7/16/2007 @ 4:24 am
Ferrets don’t exist in the wild, they’re far into domestication, and have been for hundreds of years. They’d probably die if they were released, their polecat instincts are pretty watered down.
I missed the part where dogs aren’t ever dangerous.
Comment by HareTrinity — 7/16/2007 @ 6:57 am
Good point, Hare.
I often hear Republicans talk about how it’s important to kill mountain lions living in the wild, because someone gets mauled by one every couple of years or so. Domestic dogs, on the other hand, kill year after year. Yet, Republicans don’t call for preemptive dog hunts.
That point being made, I have never found ferrets to be as cuddly as ferret owners evidently believe them to be.
Comment by J. Clifford — 7/16/2007 @ 7:14 am
A ferret killed Rudy’s pet chicken when he was a kid. Her name was Henny. He arrived home one day from school to find the bloody scene of the murder, feathers and blood all over his swingset, and a small egg which he clutched to his narrow chest as he wept, “Henny! Heeeennnnnnyyyyyyyy!”
Ever since then, Rudy has hated ferrets and considered people who like ferrets little more than terrorist sympathizers. He also has an aversion to bloody feathers.
Comment by Minion — 7/31/2007 @ 12:43 pm
I am a ferret owner, and if you train them correctly they are not fowl tempered but they sure can be poop machines. A ferret is similar to a dog or cat in that it needs attention, love and disciple. If you just leave it in a cage they will be moody, unhappy, and distrustful.
I listened to the Giuliani tape on youtube, and he was very rude and unprofessional with the man on the phone. Just because he does not like the animal does not mean he can disregard all the information on ferrets and act like a jack ass. I am a republican, but it is hard to respect a man with such a short temper and the audacity to claim people who push for ferret rights are deranged. Let’s hope this guy doesn’t make it too much further.
Comment by Matthew — 8/15/2007 @ 4:08 pm
i am proud that you done that you did that I have two ferrets at home
Comment by walt wiston — 3/21/2008 @ 6:04 pm
Domestic ferrets (Mustela Putorius Furo)are NOT wild animals. They are domestic pets like any house cat or dog. To release them into the wild would kill them quickly since they do not have hunting instincts for eating wild prey.
By the way, I’m the photographer of the image used in this article. It was taken at a Legalization Rally we held on January 1, 2008 in the San Fernando Valley, CA.
Another truth, ferrets are legal in every state of the United States except for California & Hawaii. Is California truly an island unto itself? Is the California Department of Fish & Game more “in the know” than any other wildlife protection agency in the whole United States? Or, is this law outdated and in dire need of change? I tend to lean towards change.
California citizens’ rights have been trampled on for decades. Its a sad statement of the usually forward-thinking state of California.
To the author of this article. Please try to visit with a ferret again sometime. Apparently, you weren’t able to socialize with a ferret kept by a responsible adult who took the time to properly train and socialize their domestic pet. A well-kept and well-socialized ferret neither bites to inflict pain, nor smells offensive. The pooping part… well, that’s somewhat controllable but is something that must be trained.
Lance M.
President, Ferrets Anonymous
http://www.ferretsanonymous.org
Comment by Lance M — 7/22/2008 @ 1:52 pm
where did you get that costume
Comment by alessia — 8/19/2008 @ 9:41 am