2. I didn’t say they were, I said that they should be. Killing an animal can be done humanely.

3. That’s a good point, I didn’t consider that. However, are you saying that it is your view that I should be allowed to set my own animal on fire with no consequences? If so, I’m sorry I just can’t go agree with that.

1) the distinction between animals breed for food and dogs is not absolute. consider into which category – food or other – china or india would put dogs and cows. my point is that our love and respect for dogs (as opposed to cows) does not mean that a dog is somehow inherently different or more worthy than a cow. so i don’t want to send someone to jail because they have different feelings about dogs than i do.

2) also, animals breed for food are NOT turned into food as humanely as possible. they are turned into food as efficiently as possible.

3) the huntsville case is distinguishable from vick’s because the dog/victim belonged to another person. at the least, respect for property rights demanded punishment.

http://journalismisforrockstars.wordpress.com/2007/05/31/michael-vick-to-be-indicted-on-dog-fighting-charges/

On a similar note, should the kids who doused a neighbor’s dog with gasoline and set it on fire a few years ago in Huntsville not have been punished? (I actually don’t know what happened to them, although the police were involved).

On the dog fighting, I have to disagree. I don’t see why it should be legal to torture any animal, human or otherwise. But that’s a matter of opinion. Some people believe that the suffering of any animal other than a human is meaningless and others do not.

danny,

all is well.

dan, kathy,

thanks.

joe,

if it was up to me, there’d be no in between stops, go at the gas station or hold it is my rule. but even before the babies came along i was never in charge of rest stops.

about the dogs, i know it’s horrible, but i just don’t want to put a human in prison because of something that human did to an animal.

as for the tie to gangs and other activities, well, if the dog fighter commits other crimes, of course he ought to be arrested for those crimes.

joy,

again, i know it’s awful, but that something is barbaric does not necessarily mean it ought to be a crime. the barbarism must be so bad that it justifies not only the harsh consequences of criminal sanctions but also the resources you and i have to spend to implement those sanctions. criminal sanctions are justified in your illustration about the child abuse, for instance,
because another human being – and a defenseless one – is being seriously harmed. when the victim is an animal, though, i think the balance is in favor of no criminal sanctions.

that doesn’t mean i think there ought to be no repercussions. like i said, i hope vick loses his career over this. but i don’t think he ought to go to jail for it.

I would rather be killed suddenly like the cow you ate than lose a dog fight and then get set on fire and tossed aside to die, only to lie around till somebody finds me and be taken to then be taken to the Bessemer Animal Control facility, where I just lay suffering for over 24 hours before they take me to GBHS to be humanely euthanized.
Read about this all over my blog

In addition, as in Vick’s case, dog fighting is always tied to gangs, drugs, illegal firearms, child endangerment and prostitution. Yes I said always.

And those cute dog in your pictures. They sometimes steal them to use in training their dogs to fight and kill.

But Wheeler, welcome back to blogging!