"A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel."
-Proverbs 12:10 (NIV)
I like animals. I think they're cool. I even have an animal friend. A couple of events this week got me thinking though.
I read about the plea deal, NFL WR, Donte' Stallworth received. Basically, he hit and kills a construction worker with his car while driving drunk. He is then sentenced to 30 days (that's right, DAYS) in jail, 2 years on house arrest, and 8 years on probation, along with having his driving license taken away for life. Now unlike many others, I'm not really that concerned about how light the punishment was that Donte' received. I think he made a foolish mistake and is going to pay for it the rest of his life. However, what I do find disturbing is the fact that former Atlanta Falcon, Michael Vick, was sentenced to: 23 months in federal prison with 3 years probation following release and a 3 year state prison sentence, which was suspended upon condition of good behavior. In comparing the two crimes and their relative punishments, I'm confused by the huge discrepancy. This is of course ignoring the fact that had these been the average "Joe", they'd both be playing hot potato with the soap even as we speak.... but I digress.
Michael Vick was convicted and incarcerated for his crime of....um....well....
What exactly did Michael Vick do? He was "cruel" to animals. Oh, and he killed a few as well.
Now I'm going to need a little bit of help because I'm beginning to lose track of the reasoning used to differentiate the "Vick crimes" from game hunting, bull fighting, etc. What's the difference? The animal suffers. The animal dies. What about exterminators killing the pesky rats and roaches in our households? Do the lives of those animals hold less value than the domesticated, cute and cuddly cats and dogs we love so much? How about the leader of the free world, Barrack Obama, snuffing out an innocent and defenseless fly? Do I hear "impeachment"?
I believe that it is the responsibility of mankind to protect and take care of God's gift of creation. I think it's important to have laws in place to protect animals from the cruelty of those so reprobate that they derive pleasure from inflicting pain and suffering on the very things we were commissioned to safeguard. However, I also believe it's important for us to be consistent with our beliefs as a society. If torturing and killing animals for sport and without "cause" is wrong, where is this imaginary (and fluctuating) line of demarcation as it relates to the varying worth of animal life. Moreover, if we are to be vigilant about protecting animal life, shouldn't we be all the more passionate to keep and preserve that of our own species? I mean, let's face it, all life is important. Even if it happens to be resting peacefully in the womb from which it was conceived...but I digress. Not.
