Old Yeller Wasn't Worth Shit Anyhow

Governor Kristi Noem has displayed the savage brutality of today's Republican Party.

Kristi Noem hunting. Photo by New York Post.

I remember watching the Walt Disney classic, Old Yeller as boy with my Grandad. I also remember not enjoying the film that much. The only thing I even remember with any clarity from the film was the way that my Grandfather sobbed at the ending. As a ten year old kid I wasn't stone hearted to the emotional ending to the picture, but I certainly had not expected my own Grandfather to cry at a movie.

For folks of a certain age and older, Old Yeller is a hallmark picture of their childhood and it brings back fond memories of a film that makes most people burst into tears. The film is often seen as one of the most universally cried at movies in American cinema history.

In short, the story is centered around a young boy and his beloved dog Old Yeller. We see the puppy and the boy grow up together but near the end of the film, Yeller is bitten by a rabid wolf and has to be put down at the end as he will only face a long and painful death. Humanely, but with great sorrow, the family euthanizes the dog and tears normally flow forth in buckets.

This week, North Dakota Governor, Kristi Noem shared a story that essentially makes the end of Old Yeller look like a gentle walk in the park. Gov. Noem seemingly was far more interested in a Quentin Tarantino retelling of Old Yeller.

News leaked over the weekend that in her forthcoming memoir, Noem shares a story that involves her killing a family dog, named Cricket, due to its poor hunting skills and lack of trainability. Noem summarily executed the dog in cold blood because it was in Noem’s words, it was “untrainable” and worthless.

Additionally, she describes how she “hated that dog.” In addition to the dog, she also shot a rowdy goat to death as well. That killing required two shots, according to Noem. Later in the story, Noem even admits that the day that she murdered Cricket, her daughter Kennedy, who was roughly seven at the time, came home and asked, “Where’s Cricket?”

Since the news of this story has broken, Noem has snarled back at critics saying that she “can understand why some people are upset about a 20-year-old story of Cricket, one of the working dogs at our ranch, in my upcoming book . . .”

“The book is filled with many honest stories of my life, good and bad days, challenges, painful decisions, and lessons learned.”

“I hated that dog,” Noem admits, adding that Cricket had prevent be “untrainable” and “dangerous to anyone she came in contact with”.

“At that moment,” says Noem, “I realized I had to put her down.”

This was a cold, calculated killing of an animal that was not living up to Noem’s needs and desires from the dog. Because the dog didn't fit into Noem’s preferred uses, it needed to be extinguished. Without intending to do so, Kristi Noem has unveiled the true nature of today’s Republican Party.

Oh, and to add to the true nature of today’s GOP, Noem bragged that she gave her one year old granddaughter a shotgun.

The cruelty of Noem’s actions should be far less shocking to us all than they actually are in the moment. This political party that preaches of “right to life” has no interest in any life other than their own. They care not about you, your family, or your life, they simply want to know what you can do for them. If you serve a purpose, you are welcome. If not, get the fuck out or we will cut you. The message has been clear for years, now we have a dead dog to help further the point.

So where is the tearjerker ending for Cricket?

The only people crying for Cricket possess empathy and if you’re still ensconced in the GOP you have lost or turned off your empathy a long time ago. I expect the right wing line-towers in my sphere will find myriad ways to turn Cricket into the oppressor instead of the dead victim in this situation. It is the playbook for the new cruelty of today’s conservative movement.

In their version, Old Yeller would be a diseased menace that had to be put down, and the shooter would be lionized for his courage. Empathy would be damned. They would gin up fear of an invading horde of infected Old Yellers each time it suited their own political advantage. You cannot love something that does you no good. Nary a tear would be shed for Old Yeller. He would be a terrible enemy that had to be obliterated from the Earth. The family would then pretend they had never cared for that evil monster in the first place.

I’ll anxiously await the justifications, and the doubling down on why killing an innocent dog made the world a better place. Then, I will wonder if the Nazis talked about dogs before they talked about the Jews and the homosexuals and the Catholics. Next, I’ll wonder what purpose I and my loved ones must provide to a woman like Kristi Noem if she were to ascend to the Vice Presidency.

From there, I’ll have to figure out where to run before I am out on the line with Cricket.

Cheers,
Matty C

How many dogs have you killed? Have you shot a pet for being untrainable? We would love to hear about it.