http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1262250/Great-grandmother-tagged-selling-goldfish.html


Who says that British courts are a bunch of pansies? They sound pretty hard ass to me.

My first reaction is "why"?

Clearly GG never had a goldfish. If GG did, he would completely understand the unconditional love they have for their owner. The way they look at you with those big eyes, trusting that you are going to feed them without fail. That you would never, ever, ever flush them down the toilet. A 14 year old is not capable of handling that responsibility or understanding the vast range of goldfish emotion. At 14, you flush your helpless, loving, trusting goldfish down the toilet to demonstrate to your friends which way the water goes in the northern hemisphere, then you buy another goldfish for the southern hemisphere. This "grandmother" (as if!) clearly didn't understand kids these days.

Happy April 1!

A teenage boy just might try to swallow that goldfish on a dare or for whatever other "reason" teenage boys do things.

Taking care of a goldfish is just waaaaaaay too much responsibility for a 14 year old. What was that grandmother thinking? Probably all she was seeing were dollar signs, or more likely, pound sterling signs, as she closed that sale.

Clearly, Texas needs a similar statute. Right now, anyone can walk in off the street, plunk down 25 cents, and walk off with a goldfish. Our statute should probably be even stricter than the Brit statute--you can't own a goldfish until you are at least 18, and can pass a 100 question test on taking care of goldfish. A background check is a must, and if you've ever been on deferred for a class B or higher--too bad Jack. You can't own a goldfish.

The Europeans would be very impressed.

Hey, as long as we're looking at international law for our evolving standards of decency, I see no problem with it.

We should also consider adding a 7-day waiting period. That should help separate those who want a goldfish from those who simply want to go fishing.

And background checks. If your last goldfish didn't live more than a year, you don't get a new one.

Given the extreme dangers inherent in goldfish ownership, no protection of our children is too much. Indeed, eradication of all goldfish might be the only really safe action for the future of mankind.

Um, HELLO, Gretchen?! Just because the State has no record of the applicant actually having killed a prior goldfish somehow means their latest victim-to-be is fair game? What planet are you living on, anyway? Did it ever occur to you that there is NO RECORD of a substantial percentage of those crimes of violence, many of which may well have occurred before the applicants even turned 10? Surely, thorough interviews of all family members, friends/former playmates, teachers, school guidance counselors, and prior neighbors would help ensure that those who appear to have a "clean record" simply haven't been presented with the opportunity for goldfish murder and mayhem in the past few years.

I stand corrected.

And John, how about eradication of all children, not goldfish? Human extinction could guarantee the survival of the goldfish species.

Maybe when they learn to post on the TDCAA forum!

Thanks to the song from the story of Captains Courageous for the title.

[This message was edited by John A. Stride on 04-08-10 at .]