Nothing is unlinked. There is always something that leads to an event, sometimes subtle warnings that may foreshadow the things yet to take place. Warnings often left unheeded.
It is a proven fact that many children who abuse animals grow up into unstable adults who, still with no respect for life, turn their aggression to other humans. There have been hundreds of cited cases where murderers, rapists, serial killers, as well as other violent criminals, have had a background of frequent animal abuse. They had been desensitized to the suffering of others had they been taking part in these crimes as children or even just raised in an environment that takes animal abuse as a norm. Torturing an animal is not only sick; it can also be the first sign of a mentally disturbed individual who needs professional attention.
Even so, animal abuse remains a misdemeanor in sixteen states. This means any person who intentionally harms an animal cannot be sentenced to prison for more than a year. For an issue that should be black and white, these states don’t seem to be catching on.
This injustice needs to be taken care of. What seems to be common sense clearly isn’t to some—if the pain of a living thing isn’t enough to pass this law, the direct link from murderers to animal abusers should be taken into account. We now know a good sign of a criminal-to-be, and to get the message through to these people the laws need to be strict and unyielding. Less than a year in prison is not enough—not for an animal life, not for a human life.
A friend once said to me humans are superior to animals. But how can we claim to be so when we’re not even wise enough to help solve the problems we know the answers to?
