Don't Get Me Started...

I'm reposting this comment I made on Mike's Birding & Digiscoping Blog. It's in reponse to the piece he posted (and the ensuing discussion) about an incident involving a dog owner who was allowing his pet to roam off-leash in an area where that was clearly prohibited:

Amen! In my years of birding and just inhabiting the planet I've had to deal with all these problems, from being knocked off my bike to being bitten, to watching an idiot let her dog swim around a tern nesting colony.

As to the guy's lame arguement - I'm on the conservative side myself, but my understanding of conservative principles is that being responsible is one of them.

About the comment "Why is it that you [bleep]ing liberals can't just leave people alone?"...I wish irresponsible dog owners would leave me alone! I can't even walk the streets in my own neighborhood without carrying a weapon, and had to brandish a club a couple of days ago when three dogs came running at me and my dog, which was the only one on a leash. Two of my neighbors have been mauled while out walking. We all carry sticks. That's the kind of "freedom" your jerk in the park espouses. Very selfish.

I live in a part of Texas where jackasses rule and there are no dog ordinances, but in areas like yours where there are leash laws the answer I've found is to pressure the parks and local law enforcement to deal with the problem. I've found that works better than confrontations with scofflaws.