Rising Republican Kristin Noem brags about killing her dog, Cricket. And she criticizes Joe Biden for his bossy qualities.

“Commander” at the White House, Christmas 2021 Photo: Carolyn Kaster/ap/Picture Alliance

If you want to be a tough dog, you will kill someone. It is no coincidence that in 2013 Netflix began its first series production, “House of Cards” about the Democratic politician Francis Underwood, with exactly this scene. Don't hesitate and do what is necessary, regardless of any sentimentality: before long the neighbor's dog, injured in an accident, is strangled with his bare hands.

“Yellowstone,” one of the hottest American series of recent times, intensely exploring the current psychological state of God's own country, also begins with a quote from the “House of Cards” scene, only here es with the rancher and The great landowner John Dutton is a clearly Republican character, who from the beginning shoots his horse in the head, which also suffered an accident.

Kristin Noem, the Republican governor of South Dakota and vice presidential candidate in Donald Trump's election campaign, has now moved on in real life and describes in her autobiography, published for political self-promotion, how she shot her hair hard. dog, Cricket, with his bare hands because he wouldn't move. The animal, which was only 14 months old, apparently had trouble correctly identifying the birds: the dog, which was actually trained to hunt pheasants, did not pick them up properly, but instead chased them away and later shot the neighbor. chickens “like a hitman.” Then the lady did what a woman has to do. And then she wrote about it, clearly intending to present herself as a tough, Underwood/Dutton-esque person.

American culture turns into a dog fight. As expected, half of the population that was scolded upon waking up howled like a kicked dog. Joe Biden's team immediately announced that they would rather scratch the dogs than shoot them; What Noem was saying is that Biden was too lazy to take the necessary responsibility: he should have shot his German shepherd commander.

Criminally punishable in Germany

The presidential dog bit all sorts of security personnel for a while until he was finally kicked out of the White House. America in a doghouse: on the one hand, the effeminate inhabitants of democratic cities who serve illegal immigrants vegan welcome menus and a separate bathroom for every mood in their safe spaces on the university campus, and on the other On the other hand, the hard and honest rural workers. Population with calluses on the fingers. Many presses of the trigger of the revolver, thereby eliminating everything that stands in the way of the divine and, therefore, of one's own will as an annoying obstacle.

In Germany, by the way, the governor would even have been criminalized with her bold attitude. Under animal welfare law, a reasonable excuse is required to kill an animal. What this is is also a matter of debate, but if someone wanted to shoot his dog simply because he didn't catch the right bird or because the owner simply didn't want to bother training him anymore, SEK dog trainer would do it. Martin Rütter will probably show up immediately.

In Germany, however, a politician who brags about having killed a dog would probably not even need to run for office, regardless of which party he represents. It would be a PR disaster here if a candidate even damaged a dog's hair, much less poked a hole in its fur. When the killer recently tortured not only women but also dogs at the “crime scene”, ARD felt obliged to make it clear from the beginning of the film via a fade-out that, of course, no animals were harmed during filming. He Image I was still in shock (“dog lovers will suffer”). In satirical circles it has always been said that in Germany, due to the cancel culture, any joke can be made on stage about anything, except dogs.

So while in the United States Western-style right-wingers score points by showing a more utility-oriented relationship with animals, in Europe even Nazis are gentle animal pampers. It was not in vain that the National Socialists introduced the first animal protection law in Germany in 1934. When the fighting dog Chico, which had killed two people, was to be euthanized in Hannover a few years ago, animal rights activists and right-wing radicals organized vigils for the animal.

And in post-fascist Italy, so-called Puppy Yoga, in which puppies are used in yoga classes, was banned on April 29. Do not make them explode during breathing exercises: in these events the animals run freely in the class and only serve to relax the mental health of the course participants. But, Italian animal rights activists argued, the puppies were “objectified and exploited.” Companies specializing in dog leasing are now complaining that they have to stop their business operations. This would probably render the puppies useless. Kristi Noem would probably just shoot him.