When I moved to this city with its outstanding city college and university, I believed it to be an enlightened place to live. That is why I was shocked and saddened to see the rodeo come to town during Fiesta. I find it backward and barbaric to celebrate Santa Barbara’s heritage by tormenting innocent animals. One hundred years ago, circus sideshows had morbidly obese women and conjoined twins to gawk at. This ceased to be when mankind saw the immorality of this. The rodeo should be canned or at the very least confined to games between horse and rider.

We don’t celebrate the early American colonies by showing witch burnings, and we don’t celebrate the old South by holding slave beatings. Now it is time to stop celebrating Old Spanish Days with animal cruelty!

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