Law: This law needs to be passed

[Coopdog]

With all the evidence showing that animal cruelty is a precursor to human cruelty, why is there any debate on this law???

Unleashed: Supreme Court to hear dog fighting video case - A blog for animal lovers on pets, dogs, cats, shelters and animal rescue - baltimoresun.com

[sophistacavy]

This is the comment I submitted:

Yay for Annie!! Took the words right out of my mouth.
If we allowed photos of dog fighting and videos of dog fighting to circulate, it would be like waving a worm right above the fishes nose just out of reach. Or, growing marijuana all over school campuses, and telling students that it is illegal for them to smoke it or posses it.
It's kinda like: "DUH!!"

[Oliversnana]

I love it, very well put!

[Mrs.Smith]

I can't thank you yet by a button. But thanks for this post!

[Coopdog]

I just posted this on the blog site:

With all the evidence showing that animal cruelty is often a precursor to human cruelty, why is there even a debate on this issue? Freedom of speech should not include allowing people to engage in illegal acts that cause intentional pain and suffering to an innocent animal, film them, and then display them for entertainment and/or profit. I shudder to think that this country has become so afraid to offend anybody that it is willing to condone brutality in the name of freedom. Please pass this law!

[Res Judicata]

There is a bit of misconception here. The law was passed by Congress. But someone challenged it in court and the case has wound its way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, who decided that they are going to hear the case and decide on the constitutionality of the law. And there are very few exceptions on free speech -- I can remember four or five from Constitutional Law, so I do not hold out much hope unless the Justices somehow fit animal cruelty into one of these exceptions. I do not see our current Court doing so.

[Mrs.Smith]

I don't understand why people don't want to pass it. And how is treating animal lives like that free speech?

[fieryone]

From the article: "Last year, however, a federal appeals court declared the law unconstitutional on First Amendment grounds. The judges said the protection for free speech includes depictions of even illegal activity."

Simply possessing child porn, whether you personally took the photos or video or not is also illegal and they wouldn't even dream of using the "free speech" angle on that, so why do they do it here? It's the same thing. Both things are abhorrent and both things lead to even more dangerous behavior down the road. I don't get it. Except that animal lives will never be as important as human lives in the eyes of the law. Even if studies do show that animal cruelty very often does lead to human cruelty.

[blackarrow]

Originally Posted by Mrs.Smith

I don't understand why people don't want to pass it. And how is treating animal lives like that free speech?

Animal abuse isn't free speech, and that's not at issue. It's the legality of owning a recording of it, not the abuse that's recorded, that's at issue.

Someone might make a tape undercover so as to take it to the authorities so that the ringleaders could be prosecuted, and that person could in theory be prosecuted for making the tape. An animal rights organization could own such a tape for the purpose of showing how severe and disgusting the problem is, and that could be prosecuted.

[Mrs.Smith]

Ok If I get this. Your saying that people that are trying to stop this (animal rights organization and people undercover), they could be put in jail. But the people that are starting this disgusting behavior is off the hook?

Have we got anywhere with this law (other than it passing that one time), has (on record) the abuse went down even just a little?

[blackarrow]

No, I am not saying the people doing the abuse are let off the hook. They're just covered by a different law.

I think it said the law was in effect for ten years or better before it was struck down.

[Mrs.Smith]

O.K. thanks for the info blackarrow.


As for animal cruelty & having a record of it -
I get that we have laws, I know we need alot of laws. But sometimes I just feel that some laws are TOTALLY wrong for us. I really dislike people that think they can do whatever harm they want just because they 'feel' that it isn't wrong to them. Kinda just like what someone said ahead of me in this post. If this was going on with children, people would be outraged. I see no difference between children & animals...both are innocent, both didn't ask to be here, both need love, both need protection from scumbags, & both deserve the right to live a wonderful life. I hope that one day we won't have the fear of a human mistreating a living creature. But to be brutally honest with myself, that chance is slim to none.....There is always going to be that precentage that don't care if its right or wrong.

How many bills do we have that cover animal cruelty? Any links to info about it?

[Res Judicata]

This website has links to state animal cruelty laws and the federal Animal Welfare Act.

Cruelty Laws

[Mrs.Smith]

Thanks Res!