In February of this year, in the town of Daniel, Wyoming, one Cody Roberts, owner of a local trucking company, pursued a young female wolf to exhaustion and proceeded to run over her with his snowmobile. Not content with this act of cruelty, Mr. Roberts then tied the wounded creature up and taped her mouth shut with duct tape. He dragged her into the local saloon, where she was tormented for hours as patrons recorded the scene with photos and videos. Finally, the tortured animal was taken out side and killed either by gunshot or bludgeoning.
It seems that Mr. Roberts was fined a mere $250 for his heinous actions, while Wyoming animal cruelty statutes allow for a $5000 penalty and up to two years in prison for such offenses. Justice would have been better served if authorities had treated Mr. Roberts to the full force of the law. Given that prisoners do not regard those who visit their meanness upon those weaker than themselves—rapists and child molesters at the bottom of the hierarchy—his fellow inmates, some of whom will be animal lovers, may not receive him with open arms. Even the most callous of offenders sometimes reveal a sense of justice and compassion, traits obviously deficient among Mr. Roberts and his coterie of acolytes on that terrible day.
Apparently, no one present possessed sufficient conscience, guts or gonads to protest this horrendous behavior. There are no reports that anyone did. One can imagine the scene. A crowd of drunken, low brow, low life bubbas hooting and cheering like goblins at the specter of the animal’s terror and agony. Such a scene would darken one’s dreams even if only imagined. However, for those with sufficient emotional calluses, the events can be viewed on the Defenders of Wildlife website, among the most active and uncompromising of environmental organizations.
Once again, one is left wondering at the phenomenon of individuals forfeiting their conscience, their very personhood, when subsumed in the loving arms of a mob. It is said that drunkenness reveals what sobriety conceals. The same can be said, it seems, of mob behavior. Having once surrendered one’s soul to the mob, the darkest of impulses can be given free rein. The long and torturous history of southern (and not a few northern) lynchings as well as the vandalism exhibited by the festering masses who looted and defiled the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 stand as stark evidence of such a painful reality.
The recent boast by South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem that she once shot to death her 14 month old wire hair pointer puppy named Cricket reveals yet another sort of dismal human personality. It seems that she did not so much want to torment and inflict pain on Cricket as to be rid of her. She noted that she “hated” Cricket, so it would be logical to conclude that she simply wanted to kill her. She describes Cricket as immature and difficult to control or train. Most breeds are still immature at such an early age. The training, however difficult it may have been, was the responsibility of Ms. Noem. It seems that Cricket once snapped at Ms. Noem when she grabbed at her collar. Why she failed to simply put the poor dog up for adoption is an open question.
South Dakota is not the end of the earth, and there are veterinarians available who could have provided other options. That Ms. Noem took Cricket to a gravel pit and executed her with a shotgun suggests spite, even revenge upon a helpless animal that somehow failed to live up to her master’s expectations.
When I first read this sorry tale, I could not help but remember a prison inmate who was a student in one of my classes years ago, a young man doing a five-to- twenty-five year sentence for armed robbery. Among several excellent essays he penned during that semester was one that sticks out in my memory, “When I Came to Prison I Said Goodbye to My Best Friend,” the dog he had raised from puppyhood.
A convicted felon, a man who was striving to turn his life around and improve himself, stood taller and exhibited greater compassion than does the current governor of the great state of South Dakota.
After supposedly ruining a pheasant hunt with her exuberance and because she had been inadequately trained by Ms. Noem herself, she was driven home in the back of a pickup. Like any joyful pooch, Cricket escaped at the first opportunity and proceeded to chase and kill a resident’s chickens, the sort of thing a dog bred and trained to hunt game birds might do. Questions arise, such as why if Cricket was such a misbehaving dog she was allowed to run loose at all.
Governor Noem, unrepentant to the end, continues to brag about her execution of the hapless Cricket. With whom, one wonders, is Ms. Noem engaged in an imaginary competition. She appears to be hellbent upon proving herself somehow worse than the worst among us. In that endeavor, she has succeeded. It seems that no dog, whether a lap dog or a sled dog, would be safe around Governor Noem. One can only view with dread the possibility that until this revelation came to light, she might have become Vice President of the United States. Perhaps the good folks in South Dakota should consider electing more dog friendly candidates to high office. I once resided in that great state and found the citizenry to be even tempered, courteous and helpful. They would be better served by more ethical officeholders.
A person defines themself by their actions. Words are cheap. Actions speak more loudly. A sociopath is defined as one who possesses no concept of right or wrong, no ethical or moral compass. They may appear normal, may convincingly mimic healthy human sentiments, but it is only an act. Scratch the surface and they feel nothing. The eyes are windows into the soul. Oftentimes, the eyes reveal the sociopath who lurks behind the carefully applied facade.
A psychopath, on the other hand, can be far more dangerous than a sociopath, deriving pleasure, even glee, by causing pain and destruction. Mr. Roberts and Ms. Noem have revealed their true selves, not only by their words but by their actions. Which category do the two of them fit into?
It has recently been reported that while on a deer hunt in the company of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Russian President Vladimir Putin shot and quartered two specimens. Hunting deer is certainly not a crime, but Mr. Putin proceeded to cut out the heart of one specimen, plop the still bleeding organ on a platter and pass it to Mr. Berlusconi, who promptly threw up.
Some will ask what demons infect such as as Cody Roberts, Kristi Noem and Vladimir Putin? Others will speculate about cultural, familial, psychological or sociological phenomena fostering abhorrent behaviors. Take your pick. All attempted explanations for human evil that manifests itself through acts of cruelty to other creatures seem to fall short.
Serial killers like the cannibalistic Jeffrey Dahmer often begin their grisly careers by visiting their cruelty upon pets and wild creatures before turning their attention to their fellow humans. Vladimir Putin has shown no reluctance to transfer his sadism to human beings.
We define ourselves by our inaction in the face of evil. While he may wear many guises, the leering countenance of Heinrich Himmler lurks among us at every turn in the historical road.
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