I have had a difficult time with this rant, even beyond what I normally experience with the mental blocks that I typically deal with. This rant has been brought to a head by an incident that took place in San Diego a few days ago where a total innocent was abducted and cruelly treated ending in that innocents death. The full story about can be read at The Snipe's page about Bert, and you can link to it from HERE and after reading that story, and following the links on that page if you so desire, you can return here after closing the new window that opened.
The treatment of Bert by the individual struck me as more than just a cruel attack on Bert. Since Bert did indeed have a collar and identification tag she was more than a stray animal, she was a cherished part of somebody's family. She had learned to trust people in her neighborhood, and to share her affection with them. Unfortunately for her this lead to her betrayal and cruel treatment and then to her death.
But this is more than just an attack on Bert. It was a personal attack on Bert's owner, and also on everyone in the neighborhood who knew her as well. Taking a pet, not a stray, but a pet who had a family who would be looking for her, and missing her, and who would be potentially devastated by her loss and by the cruel acts upon her, indicated that he was striking out at not only Bert, but at everyone who knew her as well.
I cannot understand the reasoning for such actions. I am at a loss to be able to accept that a person could be so cruel and malicious towards anyone or anything. It adds to the confusion I have regarding the recent attacks in the United Stated and other countries as well. It strikes me as another kind of terrorism, attacking one innocent in a manner to make additional innocents feel helpless and unsafe in their own home and neighborhood. I sincerely hope that the individual responsible for the attack on Bert is made to pay for his cruelty, not just his actions in regards to Bert directly, but to the additional impact his actions have had on Bert's family and neighbors who also felt the pain of what happened.
Though a bit shorter than I originally wrote, and actually this is the 15th draft of this particular rant, I will close here and leave it to you to agree or disagree as your feelings dictate to you.
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