today dave & i did our civic duty for tn’s humane lobby day. we went to “the hill” and met with our state representative and state senator to get their support on a puppy mill bill and an animal fighting bill. dave was our spokesperson for both meetings and did a bang up job – to quote him “i opened up my mouth and hoped words came out in an order that made sense.” it was a very daunting experience but even i was able to sputter some words out.
i can tell you that legislation at this level is a crazy thing; there’re people everywhere and they’re all going a bunch of different places and all supporting different things. it was comfortable to enter a potentially adversarial meeting with people who shared my ideals. when you’re with people with like-minded interests (be it animal protection, or music, or religion, etc) there is this common place you come from that allows a certain connection to happen, like you’re saying “i know, right!”
in the end no fisticuffs ensued and we were pledged a “yea” by both sensible fellows. it was kind of heartening to see that lobbying on this level has the potential for success. now that’s a day well spent!