In a message dated 05/01/2000 5:59:56 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

<< And Astrobird fodder too, hmmm?  :)
 hugs,
 Mike
  >>
 Yeah!!! Astro Bird fodder!  You are too cool for thinking of her.  That was
the other thing that ticked me off.  My cousin kept going up to Astro and
putting her finger in her face.  People seem to have a natural tendency to do
that to birds but it's a very antagonistic gesture from the bird's point of
view.  I kept telling her that Astro was not "user-friendly" but that didn't
stop her.  It's just that when people do it, it induces and reinforces
negative social behavior and I have never promoted that with Astro.  She has
never known anything from me but love, and respect for what birds find to be
socially acceptable.

I'd like to say that Astro is my service bird (ha!), but really... I'm her
service person.  Her wings are clipped for her safety, and she is a caged
bird (only when I'm not home though).  She was bred in captivity and the
intention was always the she would be someone's pet.  She was "disabled" from
jump street.  I really relate the wing clipping to my own disability.  I
can't walk very well, and she can't fly very well.  Inasmuch as I do this to
her, I am obligated to provide her with the best and happiest life possible,
for as long as she lives.

I've got all kind of disability rights stuff going on over here: People
disability rights and animal disability rights.  Man, no wonder I can't
sleep!

Anyway, yeah Mike -- they're Astro Bird fodder fur shur.

I did it again -- long e-mail having nothing to do with cp. Please forgive
me!!!