We all know how the public becomes outraged when hearing about animal abuse that animal welfare is a big deal with the American Public. As a member of the Green party I never thought I would ever endorse a GOP candidate. So what I am about to say surprises me to no end.

I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to Congressman Alan West. Rep. West has co-sponsored the Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act, H.R. 2492, to crack down on the criminals who finance dogfights and cockfights with their admission fees and gambling wagers. He has also co-sponsored the Puppy Uniform Standards and Protection (PUPS) Act, H.R. 835, to strengthen the protections for dogs in large-scale puppy mills; the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, H.R. 2966, to stop the export of American horses over our borders to Canada and Mexico where they are slaughtered for a high-priced appetizer; and the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act, H.R. 1513, to save taxpayers tens of millions of dollars by phasing out the costly use of chimpanzees in invasive research. Rep. West was one of the first co-sponsors of H.R. 3798, the Egg Products Inspection Act Amendments of 2012, which is supported by the egg industry and animal protection groups, to provide a stable future for egg farmers and improve the treatment of egg-laying hens. When I met with him in Washington D.C. to lobby on behalf of pit bulls I found him to be extremely caring and concerned about the cruelty and abuse heaped on this most misunderstood breed. I think the public should know about how caring Congressman West is about animals. The Humane Society of the United States has over 8 million members who care about animals and vote. I hope the other politicians take note of the fact that even though the animals cannot vote, they have a voice.

Anthropomorphism and Non-Human Animals

I have a confession to make. I have a betta fish. I know, I know, I should never have bought him. As with puppies, we see these poor bettas in tiny plastic cups and we want to bring them all home and give them a bigger habitat. But when we do that, we only create a market for for these poor little guys. But though I may preach a big game, I am only human, so I succumbed and bought a beautiful blue betta. I've had "Fuego" for a few months now, and I love him as much as I do my dogs and cats. He's a cool fish. He actually lies down on the bottom of the tank at bedtime, and goes to sleep like any other animal. The first time I saw him do it, I thought he was dead, but he was simply sleeping. Fuego (named for his gorgeous sapphire blue color--Sapphire, shortened to fire, then Latinized to Fuego) has a great personality.

But I fear he's lonely, really lonely. I have spent hours on the Internet trying to find out how I can resolve his loneliness. I have put other fish in the tank with him, with tragic results. They commit suicide (or are murdered) as they keep jumping over the side of the tank. they would rather be on the floor than in the tank with Fuego. Fuego keeps building beautiful bubble nests, which the experts assure me that means he's a healthy, happy betta who is looking for a mate. But I've been told if I put a female in with him, he will mate with her and then either kill her, or she will kill him. I guess that's one way of ending a bad marriage. I put a minnow in his tank and he hovered over "Gilligan" to assess him, then gave me a look that said "Hey, Idiot, this isn't a female betta!" and swam into his little cave and refused to come out. While I was watching, he seemed to ignore Gilligan. But when I found Gilligan on the floor a few days later, I knew Fuego either mentally or physically abused him to the point where Gilligan felt commiting suicide was preferable to life with Fuego. Sadly, this was not the first time this happened.

Am I anthropomorphically assessing my Fuego? Is it possible that he's "just a fish" and he isn't lonely at all? Some of the betta boards claim that bettas can die of boredom or lack of enrichment. I hope that's not the case. I guess I can get a female and then move her to another tank, but then I am buying another betta and perpetuating the idea that people buy bettas and the pet store will just order another one.

So if anyone has any ideas, comments suggestions, guidance or advice, I'm all ears. I have a mirror outside the tank but he's wise to that. So if anyone has any OTHER ideas, please let me know.