Plan B Forum

(What follows is a general discussion of direction, themes and characterization, rather than a disclosure of plot, so I don't think I am giving away any spoilers.)

I was impressed with the first episode. It appears to be setting up a conflict between an older Picard, who has retained the idealistic worldview of ST-TNG, and a bruised and jaded Starfleet, that has not. ST-TNG occasionally provided a glimpse of what could happen if Starfleet betrayed the fundamental values underpinning the Federation, in episodes like "Measure of a Man" and "Drumhead". In this new series, Starfleet appears to have jettisoned some of those values entirely, giving in to xenophobia by viewing entire races as expendable and suppressing scientific discovery.

Picard himself seems much more rounded here. He continues to be grounded in morality and duty, but the emotional detachment that came with the captain's chair is gone; here, he is also driven by a need for personal connection.

As someone who saw ST-TNG as the best series in the franchise, I am liking this shift. I hope the series lives up to its early promise.

One of the first things I did when I got home was watch this. I was quite vexed by the presence of "Number One". I am not a fan of pitbulls and consider those who are fans to be certifiable. Reading up I find that to my disappointment Patrick Stewart insisted on the pitbull being a part of the show. It is really irritating and Irresponsible given that shelters are overrun by pitties dumped there when it is discovered that they can and will eat the household. This will likely encourage more irresponsible breeding and in turn more dumping at the shelters. Responsible, "woke" producers would have picked a nice mongrel for the part. But then Stewart is the executive producer so.... The rest of the show notwithstanding, I am not sure if I will be able to stomach supporting the show because of this.

Apparently the bully type dog in the show is also sporting docked ears - I’m sick to think Stewart envisions us still mutilating animals for vanity in the 24th century.

Welcome to the future . . .

Number One, make it so....

Joe Guy wrote:Number One, make it so....

I would expect you to have Number One doing number 2.

I’d expect you to kick number one.

Joe Guy wrote:I’d expect you to kick number one.

It's not a puppy.

About three years ago my wife and I were walking home around 10 at night - we lived in Columbia MO then - and a large dog trailing a 10' blue leash came towards us. I expected the owner to appear over the hill any minute so I caught the leash and we waited. No sign. It was a pit bull, obviously intact male, and very friendly. Eventually after half an hour or so - it was too late to go banging on people's doors - I called the police. "Call the animal control people in the morning." Thanks guys. Luckily we had an enclosed back yard and it was summer, no rain forecast, so I could unleash him and leave him there for the night. We didn't want to leash him to a tree for fear that he might strangle himself. We gave him a couple of cans of cat food which he inhaled. The cats watched him through the sunroom windows. They were not pleased. "That fucker is eating our food." It took them a while to forgive us.

In the morning I called animal control. They came round and scanned him for a chip (none) and confirmed that he was approximately 2 years old pit bull. Apparently people breed them to show how hard and manly they are - cheaper than a Ferrari I suppose - but often, as TPFKA@W implied, find that they grow bigger and stronger then they had expected.

He was on their website for a couple of days and then came off it. We never did find out whether the owner had claimed him, or if he had been adopted, or indeed had been destroyed.

I'm not a dog person by any means; but I have to say that in the 12 hours or so we had him, he was absolutely no trouble and was totally friendly. Last I saw of him was him going into the back of AC's van and putting a paw up to the rear window as if to say "Have a good day, and thanks for the Friskies."

https://blog.dogsbite.org/2013/07/beyon ... uling.html

I encourage folks to read what’s at that link, in full, and then make an argument why the pit bull breed group should exist at all in an enlightened society - much less be multiplying at current rates and overrunning humane society shelters and rescue groups so that more and more and more families are bringing these potentials killers into their family homes.

Anybody who understands dog breeding understands that breeds are genetically hardwired to do the job they’ve been bred for decades and in many cases centuries to do.

For instance: I have recently adopted a border collie rescue after losing my beloved Little Bear to incurable illness last spring. This is my first border collie, she is a young dog (@ 1.25 years) who has never been formally trained yet (I’ve only had her 3 months and she’s been on strict exercise restriction following arsenic treatment for heartworm, so not yet ready for the challenges and excitement of obedience classes). Despite her total lack of training, she exhibits all the characteristics of border collies and as such is very different from the hound mix who was my first dog and the shepherd mixes who were my 2nd and 3rd dogs.

Bully breed dogs have been bred for thousands of dog generations to fight and kill. Period. The myth of the nursemaid dog is very much a myth, there is almost zero factual evidence supporting it. Yes they can be affectionate and loving like any dog, but unlike most dogs, when they snap and go beserk (as ANY dog can), they are far more capable of killing than just about any other breed. For that reason in my opinion their usefulness is far outweighed by their dangerousness. I wouldn’t live with one, I wouldn’t want to live in a neighborhood with one, and if I ever showed up at the dog park and one was there, we’d be headed in the opposite direction ASAP because I don’t want to watch my dog mauled to death by one. And plenty of the maulings and killings by bully breeds have been perpetrated by dogs who never experienced a moment’s abuse or poor training - that is the biggest myth of all. Very nice people, responsible dog owners have been killed by the dog their loving hands fed and petted.

I think these dogs are very ugly to boot - although to be honest I can’t be sure I would find them so unattractive if I didn’t know how many dogs, children and adults had been mauled and murdered by the breed. I hope someday they are eradicated from existence - there are too many other better breeds to choose from.

obviously intact male

This is another aspect that I REALLY find irksome. The ignorant asses who think a bully breed is a fine choice of family dog also frequently fail to get them fixed.

I have seen countless tales of pitbulls who are described as wonderful and loving members of the family who one day snap and maul a child, a census taker, whoever is available at the moment. The dense owners always cry and lament that they simply don't understand it, their pitbull was different, as their child lies in a hospital with more stitches than a baseball or in a morgue. It's rather along the lines of those who decide a chimpanzee would make a great pet-oops there go my eyeballs.

TPFKA@W wrote:...wonderful and loving members of the family who one day snap...

That happens with humans, too. Unfortunately humans, unlike dogs, have access to guns...

TPFKA@W wrote:

Joe Guy wrote:I’d expect you to kick number one.

It's not a puppy.

Oops. I forgot that you only kick helpless puppies. This dog could kick back.

This was in the news today. https://www.wishtv.com/news/dog-attacks ... lafayette/

Horrible. I bet the owner claimed that his dog had never killed anyone before that day.

Joe Guy wrote:Horrible. I bet the owner claimed that his dog had never killed anyone before that day.

Congratulations Joe you have reached a new low.

Is this in poor taste?




Maybe, but also pretty accurate.

Econoline wrote:

TPFKA@W wrote:...wonderful and loving members of the family who one day snap...

That happens with humans, too. Unfortunately humans, unlike dogs, have access to guns...

I would rather be shot than mauled, well neither would be preferable of course. In a perfect world we would not have guns nor pitbulls. Nor dachshunds, which is the only breed to have attacked me, in a patient's room. You want sheer terror? Put one of those little fuckers on stilts.

TPFKA@W wrote:

Joe Guy wrote:Horrible. I bet the owner claimed that his dog had never killed anyone before that day.

Congratulations Joe you have reached a new low.

I don't think so. I only slightly exaggerated what pit bull owners always say after their dog kills or maims someone. I'm no lower than I was prior to writing that, in my humble opinion...

Joe Guy wrote:

TPFKA@W wrote:

Joe Guy wrote:Horrible. I bet the owner claimed that his dog had never killed anyone before that day.

Congratulations Joe you have reached a new low.

I don't think so. I only slightly exaggerated what pit bull owners always say after their dog kills or maims someone. I'm no lower than I was prior to writing that, in my humble opinion...

Not to worry Joe, I am sure if you work at it you can sink even lower. I would expect nothing less.