Dog With Tits

As Voltaire did not say but might have:

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

Freedom of speech is an issue close to my heart. The very concept is under threat, from religious fundamentalists, right-on-do-gooders, humourless bureaucrats, spineless corporations, sycophantic media-whores and a largely indifferent public.

But hey. People in our culture do live way longer, and we treat our women better and have more stuff in general than at any time in human history... So it isn't all bad.

True, we need to consider carefully the battles we wish to fight. I certainly will defend the right of Christian Fundamentalists to argue that abortion should be banned or that talking-donkeys should be taught in schools... But rights without responsibilities are worthless... And they like everyone else should be held to account for the veracity and consequences of their actions.

Anyway. Now to the dog with tits.

A blogger called bpperry3 took a random picture of a dog from the internet and stuck some tits on it. The owner of the dog found out about this, and complained to various official parties that his copyright was being infringed. He managed to have the photoshopped image removed. Bpperry took umbrage, and has asked people to copy the dog-with-tits picture all over the net. He's not pretending that this a life-threatening or world-changing issue. But it is, after all, only a dog. With tits. It's not like Muttley is going to be upset - or even recognized in the street. Other dogs are not going to laugh and point at her (or is it him?).

I'll reserve judgment on the larger moral questions involved. The web is full of horrific images, ideas and calls to action that I would not defend.

But dudes. It's a dog. With tits.

(I've covered up the eyes in the image shown here, so as not to cause offence to the dog).