May 12, 2010

Quote of the Day

"I hate the internet."
-- Columbia, MO Police Chief Ken Burton in his second press conference on Corgi-gate.

Posted by Dr. Frank at May 12, 2010 11:37 PM | TrackBack

Comments

And this in response to "Have you learned anything from this?"

Thanks for the link, Frank. After reading this article, I find myself appalled and more than a little nauseated by the flippant and arrogant nature of Burton (another fine moment: "We did some things wrong."). Therefore, even though I have not (and will not) watch the You Tube Video (I used to work in an animal shelter, and have endured a broken heart repeatedly), I am angry enough now that I reverse myself in relation to my prior posting, and whereas before I was only in favor of decriminalization of pot, I am now in favor of comprehensive police reform. That is a police chief who, no matter how long he has served, needs to be taken out of office immediately.

Posted by: David at May 13, 2010 02:37 AM

I don't blame you for not wanting to watch the video, David. It was a traumatic experience for me, and it (obviously) made a big impression on me, as it has on so many people. I think it did something valuable, as unpleasant as it was, though: I'd been reading about these cases for years, and disapproving strongly, but there was always, I now realize, a kind of "disconnect." I guess sometimes you just have to see it to really get it.

Posted by: Dr. Frank at May 13, 2010 05:58 PM

And that trauma does not lessen with subsequent experiences of witnessing an animal's pain. To put it this way: when I would help animals who came into the animal shelter who were abused (whether willfully, purposefully, or neglectfully; and sometimes all of the above) to the point of causing all of us to be sick, each experience didn't "toughen us up" for future experiences. In fact, each exposure to animal cruelty was even worse than the prior experience. That is why I cannot watch the video - it is something I can never get used to seeing.

Posted by: David at May 13, 2010 07:37 PM

Frank,

What about the pitbull that was killed? There has been hardly any mention of the pitbull.

Posted by: Marfrans at May 13, 2010 08:26 PM

Here's another one (no dog, but an old woman) reinforcing the point about police getting it wrong:

http://wsbradio.com/localnews/2010/05/woman-hospitalized-following-b.html

Posted by: Don at May 14, 2010 11:18 AM