The circus and why I don't take my children

Yeah, NOT taking one's children to the circus is as about as un-American as, say, not eating apple pie or refusing to sing the "Star Spangled Banner."

I do both of those -- with great gusto -- but I won't take my children to the circus and here's why.

Circuses abuse their animals. Period.

Everyone reading this likely knows about the radical and oftentimes nutty animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

I am not a member of PETA nor do I condone a lot of what they do in the name of animal protection. Frankly, I think they turn off more people than they recruit.

But when it comes to circuses and animal abuse, PETA has got the story and I, for one, hope they are able to convince those who need convincing that it's time to do away with this archane form of so-called entertainment. They have filed a petition with the US Dept. of Agriculture asking for the revocation or denial of the animal exhibitor license issued to Ringling Bros.

Many years ago, I had the privilege of writing and having published an opinion piece in the now-defunct Houston Post newspaper about the cruelties of the circus and why folks should think twice about bringing their children to see one.

I took apart all the popular arguments in favor of the circus because, well, none of those arguments hold water in the modern age.

Finally, I said then what I'll say now. If you see an elephant dancing on its hind legs, a bear riding a bicycle, or a tiger jumping through a ring of fire you can rest assured of the only fact you need to know: That animal endured horrific "training" to finally convince it that dancing, bike riding, or fire jumping was better than not performing.

I've explained this to my children and they get it. Now it's time for the rest of America to "get it" too.

For more information on animal abuse in circuses, you can simply google the topic. I warn you, though, that some of the video footage you'll be able to access is heartbreaking and brutal to watch. Make sure you need that degree of convincing before you click "play."