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Steven Barrett
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| Joined: | Tue Nov 14th, 2006 |
| Location: | Hadley, Massachusetts USA |
| Posts: | 798 |
| First Name: | Steven | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic, Episcopal communicant, Baptist, Catholic |
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Posted: Tue Mar 11th, 2008 10:36 pm |
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Animal abuse is not as major a sin compared to murder, abortion, pushing drugs, child molestation, beating the living hell out one's spouse "to prove a point", putting her out to prostitution, etc., etc. wantonly polluting rivers and the air for crass commercial purposes, etc., but there's something, which albeit relatively minor compared to the above, that really gets me going: animal abuse!
I just saw (and linked) on a personal blogsite a shelter called Foster Parrots based outside of Boston. Some of the stories and photos are devastating and heartrending. Makes me both proud and ashamed to call myself human when I consider what we do to animals; especially those who have such beauty and distinct personalities and can give us so much pleasure in return.
Just think of that golfer who purposely aimed at a hawk in Florida while video taping a film on how to improve one's shots. Some improvement. "A million to one" shot of him hitting the hawk he said. He lowered the odds considerably by continually hitting balls at the increasingly frightened animal and finally hit him square in the head. Nobody stopped this guy according to Golf Magazine, and his fellow players still don't see what's so horrible about it all. Odd how we can love outdoors so much to play in it so long as the outdoors doesn't intrude upon our shotmaking capacity. He's only going to be fined at tops what pros like him might regularly wager over accurate shots during practice rounds (when there's no pressure, of course.) These pros are pros because they can pin-point their shots with precision most of could only dream of achieving. Million to one?
I could step up to the tee at a course in SC and not worry about a lazy gator some 20 ft away, but this macho pro who made a living of almost half a million on carefully sculpted huge land tracts, couldn't handle a screeching bird. Some courses are environmentlly sensitive, a lot of them were designed with that being the last thing in the architect'$ mind.
He's not alone and the staffs at any avian, especially exotic bird, sanctuary will tell you. Oh, we love our animal friends that we'll travel for miles and pollute their environs to see, but do we actually see?
I'm not into radical animal rights crusades, etc. They annoy me for different reasons, not to the least of which is refusing to work towards any compromise that could make us energy independent and keep our poorest of poor from having to choose 'tween food and oil. But I'm glad to see the Vatican spell out what we've known for years about animal and other forms of ecological abuse. Sure, it's not so easily text-proofed out of the Bible, but it's there and no doubt in the Catechism.
Yes, God made us in His image. But have we lived up to it concerning our stewardship of what He gave the world before He got around to making Adam and Eve? No, and the Vatican  stood up and finally laid it out right for the rest of the world's benefit. Took long enough, but that's humanity for you. After all, we're only the "image."
Last edited on Tue Mar 11th, 2008 10:40 pm by Steven Barrett
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For anyone suffering from a mental illness or has a loved one with a mental illness, my book "Lead kindly Light: A Devotional For The Mentally Ill" might be of some help: http://www.lulu.com/ (Use search box at the top of page.)
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kimdyuma
Member
| Joined: | Mon Oct 9th, 2006 |
| Location: | Arizona USA |
| Posts: | 774 |
| First Name: | Kim | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | cradle Anglican, Episcopal /Catholic-04/07/07 |
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Posted: Fri Mar 14th, 2008 02:25 am |
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| Don't get me started on the subject- We are deeply involved in our local animal shelter and it is very very hard sometimes.
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Adopt from your local Humane Society- Please spay or neuter your pets
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Steven Barrett
Member
| Joined: | Tue Nov 14th, 2006 |
| Location: | Hadley, Massachusetts USA |
| Posts: | 798 |
| First Name: | Steven | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic, Episcopal communicant, Baptist, Catholic |
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Posted: Fri Mar 14th, 2008 04:09 am |
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Dear Kim,
Boy, do I bet it is very hard and heartbreaking work. During the past few days I've been trying to steel myself for a blog I'm starting up as a sort of (very, very, informal) chat room and place for avian green horns and ranconteurs of "war stories" and outrageously funny occurances with parrots -- and the reason why I feel like I have to "steel" myself is simply the heartbreak and wasteful mistreatment of God's creatures. But take cheer, I'm going to share with you and anyone else volunteering in the same role as you're doing. Take a look at this linked interview with Sharon Matola, an ex-pat American living in Belize, and foundress of the Belize Zoo.
Keep fighting the good fight: it'll really make Satan's day!
God Bless ya! S.
Last edited on Fri Mar 14th, 2008 04:11 am by Steven Barrett
____________________
For anyone suffering from a mental illness or has a loved one with a mental illness, my book "Lead kindly Light: A Devotional For The Mentally Ill" might be of some help: http://www.lulu.com/ (Use search box at the top of page.)
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Annie
Banned
| Joined: | Wed Feb 14th, 2007 |
| Location: | Columbus, Ohio USA |
| Posts: | 734 |
| First Name: | Annie | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | nothing, Quaker, Mennonite, Presbyterian, Methodist, Anglican, Catholic |
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Posted: Fri Mar 14th, 2008 02:52 pm |
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The hawk guy was violating federal law. I would have made a citizen's arrest and made him sit with his golf bag on his head. In the pond. Under water. No snorkel.
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Annie
Ora et labora
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Steven Barrett
Member
| Joined: | Tue Nov 14th, 2006 |
| Location: | Hadley, Massachusetts USA |
| Posts: | 798 |
| First Name: | Steven | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic, Episcopal communicant, Baptist, Catholic |
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Posted: Sat Mar 15th, 2008 07:41 pm |
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 For how long though? The Church forbids capital punishment. Since this belongs to the feds, it's also unlikely you'll see this "professional" glugging under his bag for a while since Dubya's new AG can't seem to make up his mind about water-boarding, much less something along the line of what you're proposing for Isenhour.
Too bad he can't be forced to work for the US Wildlife service for a year at the rate of GS-4, shuffling papers for hours on end. All of course having to do with migratory birds. Of course!
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For anyone suffering from a mental illness or has a loved one with a mental illness, my book "Lead kindly Light: A Devotional For The Mentally Ill" might be of some help: http://www.lulu.com/ (Use search box at the top of page.)
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CajunRick
Network Helper
| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
| Posts: | 5081 |
| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Mon Mar 17th, 2008 12:59 am |
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Steven Barrett wrote: The Church forbids capital punishment.
I understand this is part of a humorous exchange, and it's not particularly on-topic for this thread, but this statement is incorrect. The Church considers capital punishment the right of government, although in today's society she does not believe that right should be exercised. It is still not correct to say it is "forbidden" in the way that abortion and euthanasia are forbidden.
If anyone would like to follow up on this issue it should be done in another topic.
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Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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