Apparently she has been telling the story for years:
That is not normal. It is shameful, and for Noem to dine out on the story as she has done for years and then use it to sell books shows shocking judgment.
Four years ago, she was warned that the story would appall most Americans across ideological and party lines, but all she did was add the embellishment that the dog tried to bite her after the chicken fiasco.
Perhaps she had told too many people the story to keep it quiet, but now she claims that she included the anecdote in the book to show she was willing to do the “difficult, messy, and ugly” things that need to be done in life and politics.
Oh, I don’t doubt that was the PR plan, but the execution isn’t going well. Just the goat part of the story will likely harm her with a lot of responsible farmers – she left her billy goat loose to chase and butt kids? She hated it because it stank? Anyone who raises livestock as more than a dilettante hobby knows billy goats all stink; they all headbutt; fercrissakes they’re billy goats! And two shots with a shotgun to kill it? With a stroll to the truck for a second shell while the goat writhes in agony from the first blast?
Responsible farmers who have to put an animal down don’t blunder through the process the way she did, and don’t boast about it afterwards as if it’s admirable.
We may indeed need people who are “willing to do the “difficult, messy, and ugly” things that need to be done in life and politics”.
But we do not need people who willing to do “difficult, messy, and ugly” things that don’t need to be done. In fact, we should stay well away from them; at least, when their idea of “difficult, messy, and ugly” involves shooting anybody.
We also don’t need people who are incompetent at it doing “difficult, messay, and ugly things” that do need to be done. Mind you, in case anyone’s wondering, I don’t think a single thing she did was necessary.
Way back at 13 years old. A neighbors horse could not stand. The idiot neighbors did not take care of it. A Veterinarian and I built a plywood and 2x4 system to slide under it to get it on it’s feet. I was a big kid at 13 yo. And we lifted it using the leverage of the 2x4’s.
But the horse was not able to stand on it’s own.
We tried though. That is what you do.
Duster was it’s name. The Vet had to put it down. There was, of course no other choice. But, dammit, we tried.
From that point forward we took care of Dusters Mom, Brandy. Mix up the oats and a treat of molasses I think, and brought her to our property to eat grass.
I remember one time when Duster was healthy, he grabbed my leather belt and tried to lift me. He then stepped on my foot at the same time. Hahahah. That’s not gonna work.
I feel you must at the very least try. Even when the odds are against succeeding. Sometimes it works, often last ditch efforts do not. The survivor must live with themselves.
I’m sure that EMS people deal with this all the time.
I used to be on a search and rescue team. Never rescued anyone. But you should at least try.
No, farmers know the difference between putting down an animal on their property that is critically ill or injured and shooting a fucking dog in the face because you haven’t bothered to train it not to go after your fowl.
I’m an American but for cultural/social reasons I have watched several goats (and sheep) being killed.
In Islamic tradition, it is done by a surgical cut to the neck by a large sharp knife. I say “surgical” not as a euphemism but in appreciation for the skill of the slaughterer in dispatching the animal in what I estimate to be 10-20 seconds. Even that seems like an eternity.
I’m not a vegetarian but my wife is, and I use that as an excuse to not partake of any meal prepared using that animals flesh. It’s hypocritical and morally weak I know, but I just can’t. I can buy meat neatly packaged in a grocery store and eat it.
Isn’t there a well defined procedure for killing a goat or sheep in the Jewish tradition as well?
Again this is assuming that the target audience (conservatives) will have the slightest inclination to read this story deeper than what’s required to flatter their own biases.
You read all the details, you understand this is about a suburbanite LARPing as a farmer. Conservatives will scan “liberals are upset because they don’t understand that farm people have to make hard decisions about killing animals.” They’ll process that much of the story and then go no further, because they’ve already found the nut they’re looking for.
They’re not preparing for a debate with you, because they don’t really care what you think, they’re only interested in convincing each other that they’re wise and serious, and their crtitics are effete and sheltered.
I’m confident non-psycopathic farm folk don’t enjoy putting animals down, don’t brag about it, and do so humanely.
Noem would be the type of president who’d give the pep talk to soldiers about to engage in a major battle: “you know those bleeding heart Geneva Conventions? Fuggedaboutum!”
Probably has posters of Göring and Tojo hanging on her bedroom walls.
I don’t buy this for a second. This is not MAGAs winning at 5D chess while the rest us are playing checkers. That gives them way way too much credit.
The Occam’s razor conclusion is the most likely correct. That she said something that made her sound like a god-damned psychopath because she is in fact a god-damned psychopath and does not realize that everyone else is not a psychopath and would be horrified by this.
Its most likely the end of her VP consideration, even Trump will probably not choose a puppy killer as VP. Especially as there are plenty of other equally charisma free empty suits willing to betray their oath of office when asked (e.g. coincidentally JD Vance is on the political talk shows all of sudden after this story broke)
And “tough and strong”, and no one should question it.
Now, sure, to many here that sounds like…
… but that is itself part of the whole point that she and her type believe that anyone who would be horrified is somehow the one who’s got something wrong with them because they’re soft and weak.
I presume there are standard slaughterhouse legal regulations, and that those would apply to goats.
In terms of on-farm slaughter: I’ve described one case above (post #180). I believe a very sharp knife applied properly in the right place is also used, either due to religious regulations or to that being how the slaughterer learned to do it. In either case loss of consciousness should be almost instantaneous and fear and pain should be minimized.