"YES I KNOW, THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO"

You may recall the story about actor W.C. Fields, a noted atheist, who was seen by his biographer, Gene Fowler, reading the bible on his death bed. The amazed Fowler questioned him about the reason for his apparent philosophical change.
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W.C replied he was "looking for loopholes".

In possible similar fashion I have somewhat modified my reading habits..

I am currently reading and struggling with a book entitled "The Story" - The Bible as one continuing story of God and his people.

In my haste to purchase the book for the worldy sum of five bucks, I missed the small print: "Selections from the King James Version." - which to me is a lot like reading unexpurgated Shakespeare.

So far I'm still  in the Old Testament and have almost made it through Genesis - I think.

This is the first time I've read a sequential version of the Bible since being required to  read word for word both the Old and New Testament during  my Freshmen year at Grove City College.

Actually, I'm kind of glad I am (sort of) re-reading the Bible (in cliff-notes fashion)  as I'm discovering some of what I've read has application to current news issues.

Do not panic dear readers!. Lord forbid as a man I have put aside such childish things as criticizing the emotionally incapacitated and/or morally challenged.

However, this new reading adventure has helped me to reason out something I saw in a newspaper recently regarding the newly elected Mayor of New York, and his desire to banish the horse and carriages that hang out around Central Park in Manhattan - east or west of those tantalizing Sangrias.

These familiar couplings of animal and vehicle are an old tradition.They are also usually a must for most visiting tourists - at least - those who apparently are not members of P.E.T.A. - and presumably still wear leather shoes to get around town. Let me explain.

 P.E.T.A's passion for almost any living thing on this earth (okay, maybe not humans) can sometimes make my blood boil for a couple of reasons.

Take one apparent ardent supporter of the Mayor who appears to be a P.E.T.A "wannabe". He argues that "carriage horses working the streets with motor vehicles, puts them in harms way for nine hours a day".

(My reading comprehensions skills have decreased drastically since my college days. At first, I thought  he was talking about hookers - not hoofers)

He then claims "because horses can become dangerous when they spook and run frantically down busy streets, they pose a hazard to us. No amount of regulation can stop a horse from spooking!"

But, that wasn't enough. Like most P.E.T.A supporters, this guy " was on a roll" and quickly switched from "cognitive" to "affect", in, well,  a "New York minute".

He continues: "Denying horses the chance to graze freely every day is inhumane. Without a pasture, they are unable to fulfill their most basic instincts. Our country was built on the backs of horses. It's time we reciprocate by taking them off of NYC's  inhospitable streets and giving them a humane retirement". 

So what's his next cause - you might well ask? Will it be to also ban bicycle messengers, recreational bicyclists, and pedestrians who, from what I've read, seem to suffer the same traffic problems as horses.

But you see, a supposition of that nature would suggest this (supposed) P.E.T.A  guy is as concerned about human beings as he is about animals. I am saddened to report that, quite often,when you question such an individual a little further. you learn that's not the case.

Fortunately, humanity is not without it's supporters.

A second quote in the article regarding the horsey/carriage matter appeared in opposition to that you've just read.

"A whole lot of people have lived apart from animals for so long that they've forgotten that animals are not 'differently shaped' people. Or, even if they are, people don't even want to stand around, purposeless, all day. Why would a horse?"

She continues. "The horses have been shaped for eons to move many miles in a day, with the friendship and security of a leader. They're in that job because they enjoy it and they're particularly suited for it, unlike any other species on earth."

(Nathan Detroit would have loved this "dame' and not just for her alleged  "horse sense".)

However, my non-partial agreement with her view is because of something I just read  in "The Story" (P2)

 "And God said, let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth, and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and everything that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good."

Maybe, I'm making too big an assumption here; but whether you're a creativity sort of guy or an evolutionist, it doesn't sound like horses, cattle, and even the creeping things were ever meant to be humans.

My read here is that unless one of those carriage horses was named "Mr. Ed" - I'm not sure whether either the guy or the gal truly know what horses want out of life.

Is it their desire to pull a carriage for food and board  - a hot bath -  a good combing every once in a while - the enjoyment of their leader,  the right to crap on the street without receiving a ticket -  or, is it their design   to just hang out  in the pasture fulfilling their basic instincts - whatever that might be?.

But, then again, what do I know? Maybe the answer is in the New Testament.

I do know I'm a little concerned about the creepy things.