This week as every week, I receive through Care 2 and the regular mail such sad and even terrible accounts of animal abuse. Every one of them is painful to read. Less you think I don't care about human suffering, I do. Some years ago I remember seeing on Oprah a Muslim woman buried with only her head showing. Because she was caught in the act of adultery, her head was pelted with heavy stones and rocks until she expired. Where was her partner? Wasn't he also guilty of adultery? And what a horrible punishment for an act which so many are guilty of- BOTH men and women.
I was grateful recalling a similar event in Christ's life when He also came upon a woman caught in adultery, and she, too, was about to be stoned for this "crime." I loved the image of Jesus printing with a stick in the ground the sins of each man holding a stone ready to throw it. Each one slowly dropped his stone and walked away. And Jesus asked the woman where were those who would stone her? They are gone, she replied. Then Jesus said to her - nor will I condemn thee. Go and sin no more. What a difference in these two accounts. I will always be grateful and love Jesus for this, and of course, His whole life which culminated in a painful death on the cross for us.
This topic also brought to mind Saddam Hussein. There was one account which showed him tenderly holding a sweet innocent kitten. Then suddenly -without provocation, he slammed her viciously into a wall and told his servant to take her little bloodied body and make a stew. What a cruel man, but he was also cruel to his own people. One particularly cruel event involved a prisoner he held. The wife pleaded with him to send him back to her. He obliged - he sent his dismembered body to her.
TURKEY DOG RAPE. This week from Care 2 the despicable account from Turkey of a little dog being raped and killed. The picture of this precious little dog with her legs partially in an upright position tells the story of the horror she experienced before she was brutally killed. And this happened outside of an office building. She screamed and nobody made a move to help her. The article said that dog rapes are not unusual in Turkey. If true, what a blot on this nation's reputation. Here are two of the comments at this petition Care site:
Michelle: "Will email the mayor. Forwarded to friends. I will also forward this story to IDA, IFAW, PETA International, WSPA and other relevant groups. This cannot be allowed to continue anywhere in any country for any reason under any circumstance. As I commented in my petition, the only animals in a country like this are the two-legged kind. This is a souless, Godless nation. To listen to that creature scream and not intervene; to tolerate sexual assaults and murders of innocent creatures on a daily basis is an outrage." God bless you Michelle. Your heart is pure gold.
And someone quoted Martin Luther King Jr. "Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way." How extroardinarily beautiful and only a beautiful person like MLK, Jr.
could have said it so well.
ABOLISH BOWHUNTING AND END THE BRUTALITY. I'm looking at a picture of a young doe who was hit by a bowhunter's arrow which went right through her nose, throat and neck. It isn't a pretty picture and I can only imagine how painful this was for her. The caption read: "This is how "Miss Doe" spent her Christmas 2008 and was finally euthanized 2 days later. This is the horrific cruelty of bowhunting!" I agree. I would like to ask the hunters - were they to be hunted, would they prefer being killed with a gun or a bow and arrow? Using the bow and arrow, in our opinion, is not a compassionate or swift- killing device. In the pre-gun era - that's the only thing hunters could use. But we are living in the 21st century - when we don't EVEN NEED TO HUNT FOR FOOD IN THE FIRST PLACE ANY MORE. And to baffle the mind - New York legislators are thinking that maybe 12 year- olds should be allowed to use a bow and arrow when hunting. Two thoughts - 12 year-olds will only cause more animal suffering using bows and arrows; grown adults do enough of this already as in the case of the doe. And why are 12 year-olds hunting to begin with? In my opinion, hardly a way to grow up caring and compassionate.
CACHET. Now, I'm looking at the beautiful picture of Cachet who is no more. But the way he was killed is horrific and unconscionable. The caption read: "A young vibrant horse (living in Victoria) was shot, stabbed and scalped in a paddock with other horses and no one has been caught for this cruel barbaric act that only a coward would do." I truly hope that the cruel perpetrators will be caught because in Victoria the maximum penalty for aggravated animal cruelty is two years' jail time or a $24,000 dollar fine. In my opinion, it should be both.
RACE HORSE TRAINERS CONVICTED OF CRUELTY. Here in Ohio two race horse trainers were convicted of cruelty. I'm disappointed with their small punishment. Sandra Plato, 69, of Cleveland, spent five days in jail followed by 13 days of house arrest. She must also serve five years of probation, and she is barred from having horses. The judge also ordered her to get a mental health evaluation and relinquish her state trainer's license. Her co-defendant, James Eafford, 69 of Parma was convicted also and was ordered to pay $2,740 in restitution. He was also sentenced to probation and his trainer's license was suspended for 6 months.
Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary in Ravenna took in eight of Plato and Eaffod's 10 starving, lice-infested horses. Four of the thoroughbreds couldn't be saved. I hope Ohioans who can will help support this wonderful animal sanctuary who, like all of them in animal rescue work, ALWAYS need our monetary help.
I was angry with the light sentences given these two people who caused so much suffering to these poor horses, but then we were told that it's not all the judge's fault. The fault lies with Ohio's weak animal cruelty laws. Yes, Ohio, I am ashamed of this and the legislators who care so little about animal suffering. Here's what two of the commentors had to say in this regard:
"It's way past time for Ohio to get some serious legislation on animal abuse. Did you know that starving horses scream?" (No, I didn't. What terrible suffering for them!)
"Would like to see Ohio get real FELONY time for Animal Abuse/Cruelty/Neglect."
ACTION ALERT: MAKE IT ILLEGAL TO EXPERIMENT ON PRIMATES IN IRELAND! I gladly signed the petition and of course, I'm only too aware that for many, many years we have been using our primates in the US in the most cruel and diabolical ways AND are still doing so. No one can convince me that this experimentation is necessary for our health needs. Compassionate researchers could find compassionate non- animal research models. Sorry to say though that the National Institutes of Health will not even allow non-animal protoculs. I say shame on them. Thanx to Physicians for Responsible Medicine who have been able to convince many of the premier teaching hospitals to close down their dog labs and use alternative non-animal alternatives instead.
This topic re primates ALWAYS brings to mind one of the most horrific uses of the primates that I have read, and sorry to say there are many more. In order to make a "better" helmet for the NFL, helmets were tested on the primates. Their helmeted heads received constant blows and I can only imagine that if they survived this horrendous pounding, they either died or went crazy.
I am a believer that a picture is worth a thousand words. Anyone interested can easily find pictures to accompany most of these accounts on the internet.
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