from CHIP NORTHRUP

Texans Say, Don’t

Mess With Cattle

To the Editor:
Had the local dairyman moved to Texas and knowingly allowed his cows to starve to death, he would have been charged with up to 25 felony counts, each carrying up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine per head – which adds up to 250 years in the state pen and $250,000 in fines.

About the same as for manslaughter. In New York, he gets a Class A Misdemeanor – up to a year in jail and $1,000 fine – the same as jostling someone on the subway or writing graffiti.

Helpful hint: If you do not or cannot take care of your livestock, don’t come to Texas. We may be a bunch of neolithic thugs with brains the size a persimmon, but we really get all riled up when someone is willfully unkind to livestock.

CHIP NORTHRUP
Coopertown