Disturbing event here in Camrose

[Robert****]

This is a tragedy that happened to some close friends of mine here in the small city of Camrose. It is just unbelievable. We are all shaking our heads here in disbelief.

"Police in the Canadian province of Alberta have charged four teenage boys with killing a cat by cooking it in a microwave oven during a recent break-in.

Police allege that after breaking into a home in Camrose, near Edmonton, last month the four teens took a cat living there and cooked it inside the oven, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Sunday."

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_New...king_cat/2539/

[WackyT]

That is just sick and disgusting! I have always believed in an eye for an eye for any crime you commit. Place these kids in a giant industrial microwave and let them feel exactly what that poor cat felt.

[tjcurtin1]

Look at our popular culture - death and destruction on TV and in movies as entertainment and then (apologies to you gamers) video games in which you score points for perpetrating horrific acts of violence.... Why should we be so surprised?

[ted s]

That is absolutely sickening !
I am speechless. Unfortunately, the Young offenders act will no doubt protect
the heartless little bastards from the true punishment due.
14 and 15 years old ?! How can anyone actually bring themselves to do this ?

[stingx]

Only the lowest of low scum would mistreat an animal like that. These same pieces of crap are also very likely to harm children too. I don't know about Canada but if I were in charge here I know exactly how to clear out over populated prisons.

[oldguy]

Too sick for words....

[Jimi75]

Look what poor values our race has reached. This is sick and I can not believe which disgusting mind is able to treat an animal like this.

[duhvoodooman***]

Look at our popular culture - death and destruction on TV and in movies as entertainment and then (apologies to you gamers) video games in which you score points for perpetrating horrific acts of violence.... Why should we be so surprised?

Exactly. A decadent society produces deviant behavior like this. Sad....

[R_of_G]

Two points...

First and foremost, these kids are despicable. I am more willing to forgive acts of violence against people than against animals. With people there is always the remote possibility the violence was deserved but overdone. With animals, there is no excuse. The punishment should be as harsh as local laws allow.

Secondly, I think blaming the media is a bit much. I'm not saying the images people get from the modern media should be held up as an ideal, but I think it's far too easy to shift the blame in that direction. Can somebody point to a time before video games and show me a society without violence, without crime, without horrible acts?

If you want to blame parents for allowing the tv to raise the child than that I agree with. It's not the tv's fault that the parent doesn't (a) take the time to check what the kid is watching, or (b) talk with the kid about what he/she sees on tv and in video games and explain the difference between that and real life. My parents let me have a tv in my room when I was 8. I had video games all along as they were being invented. The difference is, I also had parents who paid attention to me and explained to me the difference between fantasy and reality.

[Lev]

I am more willing to forgive acts of violence against people than against animals.

+1 - We have 3 cats and this is really sick beyond belief.

[R_of_G]

+1 - We have 3 cats and this is really sick beyond belief.

We have two whom I love no less than I would my own human child. Had this been one of mine I would be out for blood.

[Bloozcat]

If someone did that to my cat, they'd better hope that the authorities got to them before I did...

Hopefully, the Canadian authorities are looking into the home lives of these boys. Animal cruelty is often an indicator of child abuse, and often manifests itself later in life when the child reaches adulthood and become the abuser himself. This is pretty common knowledge, but here's a link that discusses the problem.
http://www.sniksnak.com/ac/abuse.html

[duhvoodooman***]

R_of_G,

I can't speak for TJCurtin1, but my point was not to blame the media, but what I see as a continual slackening of moral standards in our society as a whole. The media ultimately only provides what we ask it to by our buying & viewing habits. Reading the news each day only seems to reveal new low points in how we treat our fellow man, animals, and our environment in general. And rather than focus on what is truly important, instead we choose to wallow--and revel--in Britney's latest pathetic misadventures. Hence my comment that ours is a decadent society, and getting worse by the day. It's truly sad, IMO.

[R_of_G]

I see what you're saying DVM, and to some extent I agree. We could impose all the moral standards we want [though I find them subjective] but ultimately it comes down to personal responsibility. The parents of these kids seem to have abdicated theirs.

[stingx]

When it comes to f00ked up kids I ALWAYS look to the parents. You know the apples don't fall far from the tree...

[Spudman***]

Interesting how we defend the very animals that other cultures look at as merely food.

Ya it's stupid to do what they did, but is it any different than before microwaves? Haven't kids always done stupid things to animals or even each other? How come nobody is outraged that children in Brazil are carrying guns and shooting other children simply because of infantile reasons like "he just made me mad or he swore at me or any other number of childish reasons?

RoG and Sting are right that parents are the reason these things happen. Education and moral blueprints are the parents responsibility for sure, but I'll also blame a society that has made people believe in a capitalistic way of life to the extent that both parents have to work and cannot attend as readily to a child's upbringing. If you spend more time around a child and teaching a child they do and develop as they see and learn. Want good kids? Be good and teach good.

Voodoo makes a good point too about the fact that we accept this kind of information as part of our daily intake. So lets look at the fact that because of instant worldwide information we hear more often about these types of events. I'm sure these things went on before. We just never heard about them as often because information wasn't readily available. If Robert had not of posted this most of us probably wouldn't have any idea that it happened and life would continue on as usual.

You guys are all worked up over this cat incident, but nobody is saying anything about innocent people being blown up, killed or tortured around the world. Why is that?

[R_of_G]

You guys are all worked up over this cat incident, but nobody is saying anything about innocent people being blown up, killed or tortured around the world. Why is that?

Believe me, if we were allowed to talk about "politics" here, you'd have heard it from me a LONG time ago.

[Lev]

You guys are all worked up over this cat incident, but nobody is saying anything about innocent people being blown up, killed or tortured around the world. Why is that?

There are millions of sickening atrocities happening all over the world every day and commenting on this particular cat incident in no way minimizes those incidents. The concept of kids with machine guns blowing each other away is abhorrent to any sane human being. But because it's not something that most of us have to deal with on a daily basis is becomes easier to block from our consciousness. That's not to say that it's right to block this stuff out!!

This particular story I guess hit a chord with many of us pet owners and animal lovers because it's something we can relate to more easily than the issues you mention. Hence I felt sickened when reading this story.

[Spudman***]

Believe me, if we were allowed to talk about "politics" here, you'd have heard it from me a LONG time ago.

Me too.

I'm curious how this cat issue is any different than human issues? Is it that humans are a political subject and animals aren't? It seems as if at the bottom of this it is about taking life needlessly and unrepentantly. Where and why should we draw a line between humans and animals?

I'm not trying to stir the pot. I just want to understand why there are these differences.