In his 2015 book, “The Meaning of Human Existence,” Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson writes that we, as a species, are “innately dysfunctional.” He may well have had the annual Rowell Ranch Rodeo in mind.
After our anti-cruelty demo at the rodeo last weekend, I was astonished to see a booth selling life-size toy replicas of AK-47 assault weapons, replete with sound effects, only one day after the high school massacre in Santa Fe, Texas. Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association = NRA?
The rodeo costs Hayward Area Recreation and Park District money every year, plus growing bad press. Every Bay Area animal welfare organization has written letters of concern, and an online petition has garnered more than 180,000 signatures condemning the rodeo’s inherent cruelty.
Suggestion: Donate the property to the East Bay SPCA, and turn it into a farm, animal sanctuary and education center for Bay Area school children. Meanwhile, boycott all rodeos.
Eric Mills Oakland
Original article: https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/05/27/letter-rodeo-sold-toy-guns-a-day-after-high-school-massacre/