China Blocks Dog Politics & Vigil Site - Are Dog Owners Dissidents?

Last year, Chinese dog lovers in nine different cities participated in the My Dog Votes Candlelight Vigils Against Breed Bans.

The My Dog Votes vigils drew literally hundreds of dog owners in each city who were mourning the loss of their own dogs in the wake of the mass dog killings.

Over 500,000 innocent dogs  were killed by the Chinese government, allegedly in response to a rabies outbreak.

Here in  the West, dog owners were outraged as CNN and other news organizations published stories and images of roving death squads that literally snatched dogs from the arms of dog owners.

Chinese Doggie Death Squads

Paid by the dead carcasses, workers so earger for money they beat dogs to death in the streets, and tossed them into garbage trucks.

It's one year later, and while numerous vigils were planned in China again, we've been worried about the lack of contact from My Dog Votes Candlelight Vigil Organizers in China.

Now we know why. 

The Chinese goverment has blocked our websites, according to The Great Firewall Of China, a website which tests and tracks websites that are blocked in China.

The screen caputures show that no one within China can access our websites  here at www. DogPolitics.com or www.LightACandleSaveALife.com or email us.

Dog Politics - Blocked For Politically Sensitive Content

China is infamous for blocking free speech and punishing reporters, dissidents and anyone that doesn't tow the party line.

Reporters Without Borders, a watchdog group of journalists around the world, tracks incidents of government interference in countries where the people - especially journalists - suffer intimidation, imprisonment and even death for reporting the news.

Maybe the Chinese goverment doesn't want anyone in the West to recall the atrocities perpetrated against the Chinese people or all those innocent dogs.

Maybe the Chinese government would rather forget that episode, especially while they are busy pumping PR on the Today Show  about the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

And maybe the Chinese goverment was worried that so many young Chinese, distraught over the loss of their dogs, came to the vigils en masse - such an outpouring of emotion over dogs.

ANd maybe the Chinese government didn't like that Chinese dog owners found out about the My Dog Votes Vigils here on Dog Politics.

Dog Owners, Dissidents & Democracy

Do you think the Chinese government could have handled three fatalities from rabies diffferently - or to you think sending death squads into the streets was a deliberate strategy to intimidate people?

Did you know that dog ownership in China is a relatively new concept, and owning a dogs was virtually forbidden under the old Communist regime?  (As if we should differentiate this from the new Communist regime).

Did you know that dog ownership in China is a sign of relative affluence, brought on by the influx of Western investment, jobs, money and influence? 

Many of these new dog owners in China are young and part of the burgeoning middle class.  Some even import dogs from the West, like Newfoundlands and Golden Retrievers - and perhaps it is these people who may not be so rigid in their allegiance to the old regime?

And perhaps in that context, the Chinese goverment, which visited Dog Politics numerous times, decided that the content here was too  "sentitive" for the Chinese audience. 

Dog Ownership, Free Speech & Civil Rights

There is a lesson in this for all of you, and that is this:

Dog laws and policies are NEVER about the dogs, but about the PEOPLE who own the dogs.   Anti-dog laws 9and I am NOT speaking about leash laws) are about you - keeping you down and in your place.

Anti-dog laws are about limiting your free speech, your property rights and undermining your civil rights.

So when your local or state goverment wants a breed ban -it ain't about the dogs.  Neither are limit laws, anti-tethering laws, mandatory microchipping laws - or any other anti-dog laws.

These laws create violations, and trigger the loopholes hidden in these laws - which allow law enforcement to bypass probable cause and the need to obtain warrants, thereby circumventing due process and violating your civil rights.

Anti-dog laws are the super-highway to warrantless search and seizure, racial profiling and a whole host of other illegal activities perpetrated by those in government power against the people.

Thank God - and Dog - we live in a democracy.  Because then next time your local politician wants a breed ban to "protect" the public, or an anti-tethering law to "protect" animals, you can hold them accountable in your next local election and vote the suckers right out of office.

Dog Ownership, Free Speech & Civil Rights

Until then, I invite all dog owners to stand in solidarity with dog owners in China, Ireland, The UK, Canada, Spain, France, Germany, Australia, Portugal and anywhere else the goverment wants to take your dogs away from you.

Take a stand against breed bans, civil rights violations, and human rights violations.

Join The Vigil - Light A Candle, Save A Life 

Barbara

Comments

[KC KS KILLS DOGS]

Kansas City, KS has been violating citizens rights for years! It isn't limited to just dogs either. Last year they proudly implemented the pit bull amnesty program where they killed over 200 plus dogs in 2 wks. Animal control thought nothing of going into dogowners yards and confiscating any dog they thought they could get away with stealing. This year AC's sordid pattern continues. Right now a boxer mix dog (complete with an adoption contract and rabies certs stating boxer) is being held in the city pound. Nikko, the dog, has been held since about July 14th with no release soon. AC showed up for the first court date with no proof that the city vet had even seen the dog, and only offered a "change of dog ownership form" for the dogowner. If the dog owner signs the form he incriminates himself and has to admit his dog is a pit bull. With the coerced signed confession Judge Ryan will then charge the dog owner anywhere from $300-$1,000 and/or 90 days in jail. Just take the dog, Nikko, out of this picture. Isn't it a crime to charge a person without proper evidence? Isn't it a crime to force confessions out of people? Isn't it a crime to steal a person's property? There are so many Constitutional violations going on in Kansas City, KS right now, my head spins! KC, KS is the "New China".

[Anon]

Something interesting is going on closer to home ... the state of Illinois health department is banning the popular end-of-summer "doggie dip" events. No, you won't be able to swim with your dog at the local pool before they drain it.

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/512309,6_1_NA16_DOG_S1.article

[gail schellinger]

To get a new, clear perspective on some of the inner workings of China I suggest you may want to read the book 'China Syndrome,' sorry I can't remember the name of the author. It is a relatively new book and available in libraries. This book is shocking in its description of what the Chinese actually like to eat, and the cover-up of an epidemic, even to their own citizens of the SARS virus which was a result of this practice.

Considering what happened to the family owned flock of milk and meat producing imported sheep in Vermont, by our own government (read Mad Sheep),and the cover-up of mad cow disease in Washington State (blamed on Canada who got a great deal on reconstructing Iraq in trade for taking the fall), I am not surprised by anything that comes out of China.

[Mahlon]

"Anti-dog laws are the super-highway to warrantless search and seizure, racial profiling and a whole host of other illegal activities perpetrated by those in government power against the people."

Hear, hear! and cheers for Dog Politics from the bright BLUE State of New York.

Its not about the dogs. Not anymore, its not.

Civil rights are EVERYONE'S concern.

[PBurns]

""Dog laws and policies are NEVER about the dogs, but about the PEOPLE who own the dogs.""
_ _ _ _

A bit of an overstatement, I think. We have a lot of dog laws: leash laws, laws requiring vaccines, laws dealing with noise, laws governing what happens with dangerous dogs, etc. If you mean "breed specific laws," you might have a point.

On the other end of the spectrum, the "banned in China" web site seems to depend on some odd algorithm of words, and may not have too much to do with content. Hard to tell. My two dog sites are banned (perhaps because the word "penis" shows up as a medical term), but two very political sites I also run do not.

Also, it apepears that "banned in China" does not necessarily mean a web site is entirely banned. I actually have a few Chinese readers on the dog sites even though they are supposedly banned. It turns out that whatever mechanims is being used to block URLs is not controlled by the national government, but by local and regional governments within China.

P.