Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter

Sunday, August 06, 2006

China's brutality (Graphic content)

I am frustrated, outraged, sometimes at a loss for words, pissed off to the extreme... want to lash out brutally myself at those responsible. I want to make the monsters pay. I can imagine some satisfying justice in this world, become some kind of neo-vigilante, join the equivalent of the Guardian Angels... no, they're too passive for the state of my mood right now. Something more like this: an animal abuse version of the Boondock Saints. I want to make the monsters pay. Slowly. They are poison in society with their own sick agenda and mindset. Hate is not a strong enough word for my feelings about these people.

Grrr... the best that I can hope for is swift judgement and punishment through the proper channels. That's why I'm calling for tougher legislation regarding animal abuse. Make it a felony across the board, not just in a few states. I am sick to death of so many of these cases never going the full course or ending in aquittals.

I'd like to see it become law that shelters and pet shops comply with checking names on a database of convicted animal abusers before adopting out or selling a pet. I'd like to see jurors in such cases dole out more of a sentence than a slap on the wrist. I'd like the public mindset to go beyond the assumption that "boys will be boys" or "its not like it was a person" or "a pet is merely property." It's been proven nearly since day one that too often torturing and abusing an animal is a precurser to child abuse or domestic violence, in fact they very often occur simultaneously. There are tons of cases that illustrate this very point on the books right now. Just check out http://petabuse.com/

Sometimes its not just the individual cases that get to me. Sometimes its the attitude of a powerful organization.

Say you have always had a dog or cat in your household. You've always cared for that animal, made sure it had plenty of food, water, adequate medical care. Always took it to the vet when it was sick, always made sure your pet's vaccinations were current. But one day you're out in the neighborhood walking your dog. A stranger suddenly approaches and tells you he's been ordered by the government to exterminate all the dogs within a three-mile radius. Why? To ensure containment of rabies. He wrestles the leash away from you, other officials approach with canes or sticks and begin beating your dog to death... How would you react? This is what's going on in China right now.

Ok, so we live in America, not China... but put yourself for an instant in the other guy's shoes. If someone was killing your pet, would you stand by and let it happen? Not me. Not even if it was government sanctioned.

Who's with me on this? You can view and add your electronic signature to a petition designed to prevent this from happening again: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/131317412?ltl=1154864998
You can view the story I found at CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/08/04/china.dogs.ap/index.html?section=cnn_mostpopular

What happens now is up to you.

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