Cruella De Vil Needs a Lobbyist

Just in time for the digitally remastered DVD release of Walt Disney's 101 Dalmatians, Representative James P. "Fighting Jim" Moran (D-VA-8) has introduced a bill, HB 891, to "ensure that domestic dog and cat fur is prohibited from being imported, exported, manufactured, sold, or advertised in the United States and to require the labeling of all fur products under the Fur Products Labeling Act."

Moran has gathered 163 co-sponsors for the legislation, which has been referred to the subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

One has to appreciate the precision of the legislative language in Moran's bill. Witness Section 2:

(a) Domestic Cat- Section 308(a)(1) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1308(a)(1)) is amended by striking `Felis catus' and inserting `Felis silvestris catus (or any species commonly known as a domestic cat)'.

(b) Domestic Dog and Raccoon Dog- Section 308(a)(5) of such Act (19 U.S.C. 1308(a)(5)) is amended by striking `Canis familiaris' and inserting the following: `Canis lupus familiaris (or any species commonly known as a domestic dog) or of any animal of the species Nyctereutes procyonoides (or any species commonly known as a raccoon dog)'.

When coon dog pelts are outlawed, only outlaws will have coon dog pelts.