Insulting Depiction

Of the Battle Flag

Friday's syndicated political cartoon that disparaged the Confederate battle flag cannot pass without comment. Equating the flag to demeaning depictions of President Obama and especially the Nazi swastika is an insult to your readers. The satire falls flat.

I can neither abide racists who use the battle flag for their vile purposes nor others who perpetuate the stereotype that the display of the rebel flag is a form of hate speech. The cartoon serves to inflame passions (obviously mine) and harden positions.

I've long accepted that many of those outside the region cannot understand Southerners' devotion to our past, warts and all. Undoubtedly, it's complicated. But bear in mind that although North Carolina was no leader in secession, the state suffered more than 20,000 casualties during the war, far exceeding any other Confederate state. By and large, those soldiers fought under the flag that you ridicule (perhaps unwittingly).

John Cates

Southern Pines

Offensive Language

I had the misfortune of attending Friday night's showing of "Looking for Eric" at the Sunrise Theater.

I consider myself to be an open-minded man. However, I found the language of this movie to be most offensive. After listening to the "f" word for more than an hour, I left the theater in disgust.

I support many of the endeavors the Sunrise Theater brings to the community, especially the First Friday concert series. I can only hope that in the future those individuals selecting the movies show more discretion.

Jeff Rivnak

Pinehurst

Concerned Breeder

As a recent resident of Pinehurst (and recent Pilot subscriber), I am disturbed by discussions of SB 460, the Puppy Mill Bill.

As a concerned hobby breeder with intact animals, I wonder if The Pilot's subscribers understand that despite its name, SB 460 does not target "puppy mills" but rather the careful breeder who has taken more than 20 years to build their line, and in all likelihood has a kennel setup that rivals a deluxe hotel.

Of the 160-plus breeds currently registered by the AKC, most have strong parent clubs that guide members in breeding programs and contracts, with codes of ethics. Thoughtful hobby breeders do not spend time or money whelping pups in deplorable conditions or selling them to homes that have not been heavily researched. Most hobby breeders sell their dogs with a contract that states we are the first resource for questions, issues or return of the dog. If a purebred dog gets into a bad situation, most shelters know to call the parent club to assist in its rescue.

The Irish Setter Club of America has a nationwide rescue program to retrieve and re-home any Irish found in a shelter, or other poor situation, and attend to its medical needs prior to re-homing. Almost all of the AKC-registered breeds have some form of rescue plan in place.

And we are our own police. When a breeder sees abuse of any kind, we are the first to call the AKC inspections department or local animal welfare. And we follow up (translation: pester and hound). There is not a hobby breeder among us who does not deplore animal abuse.

When the writers of this bill get it right and target the abusers, they will have the full strength of every dog lover behind them.

Karolynne McAteer

Pinehurst