Justice And Other Things

The two high-school students charged with felony animal cruelty charges in Longmont (for herding wild Canada geese into the street and then running them down in an SUV) both got plea deals - community service and a suspended sentence.  Does this really teach teenage boys not to destroy wildlife just for their own satisfaction?
  Two of the three college boys charged with felony animal cruelty charges here in Boulder, have also made plea deals.  The third claims he is "not guilty."  The three young men (19 to 21 years old) beat a raccoon to death with a baseball bat, a hockey stick, and an extremely dull machete.  Witnesses say the young men were "very excited" and jumping and dancing around, yelling, "Get him! Get Him!"  I admit that having a raccoon raid your trash can is not good - but the raccoon didn't need to be beaten to death for over 15 minutes by 3 people who each outweighed it by 10 times it's own weight.  The two who have plead guilty have the same community service and suspended sentences as the younger boys who ran over geese for the fun of it.  Since the third young man has plead "not guilty," he will go to trial.  Maybe he will learn some manners in jail.
   I can see, in the country, far from a veterinarian, having to kill an animal that is horribly injured - I do condone mercy killing in that instance. A baby rabbit, skinned alive by a lawn mower and with a broken back, that is squealing continuously, needs to be allowed to die quickly.  But young men today seem to be a lot more blood-thirsty than they were when I was growing up.  I mean, you went out hunting during hunting season - hopefully, you made a good shot, with either your rifle or bow, brought your game down cleanly, and had something to put in the freezer.  You didn't go out just to kill something.  I really do think that the proliferation of violent games that one can play on a computer, or Game Boy station, or whatever, have made today's youth extremely calloused to death in the real world.
....  On another note, the US Army Corps of Engineers, has come up with a plan to restore old, traditional oyster beds in the Chesapeake Bay.  The corps, which holds the first meeting tonight in Annapolis, says the plan is the first comprehensive bay-wide strategy for large-scale oyster restoration.  Nineteen areas, 11 in Maryland and eight in Virginia, have been selected for restoration. Those waterways include the Eastern Bay, Tangier Sound and the Nanticoke, Choptank and Chester rivers in Maryland. The Pocomoke, Rappahannock and James rivers are among the areas in Virginia.  The plan also calls for sanctuaries where harvesting won't be allowed covering 20 percent to 40 percent of historic habitat.
    I've been in contact with a woman who is writing a book about the genetic make-up of the "wild" ponies that live on the islands off the east coast.  I gave her all the information I had on the Virginia side of the Chincoteague ponies - including Mom's memories of the size and coat colors of the ponies when she was a girl.  She's been checking my info and is surprised at how accurate my memory is...
   My kits are having a blast this morning - I took care of the Thore household early this morning, then spent time with Ooch.  Then I came home to Lovey and Nedi - I gave them a special breakfast, and have been loving them to pieces.  Lovey is sitting on the corner of my desk, and Nedi is sitting in the open patio door, soaking up the sunshine.  The weather folks say we'll have a mix of snow and rain Saturday night, so I hope the kids enjoy the weather while they can.