Usually I don’t bring the hard hitting topics to my little corner of the intertubes, but some things cannot be avoided. Add to that the fact that I have been embroiled in a heated discussion over this topic all day I figured that it is worth mentioning.

The topic being that of the video of a sleeze ball throwing a puppy off of a cliff. Even typing those words make me cringe. I will not post the video on my site because it is deplorable, but having seen it—though a little warning of what the subject was before I clicked the link would’ve been nice—I will offer a brief description.

• A man is holding a black and white puppy by the scruff, he tauntingly comments on the “cute little puppy”. Another man pops into frame to join in the taunting.
• The man reaches back and throws the dog over the cliff, in much the same manner that one would throw a baseball.
• The camera tracks the puppy as it spirals through the air. During which you can hear yelping that may be coming from the dog (doubtful) or from someone out of frame mockingly imitating the panic of a defenseless animal (probable)
• Camera pans back to the “pitcher” as he smiles and shrugs as someone out of frame tells him that it was “mean”.

Now add to all of this the fact that this event took place in Iraq between a group of U.S. marines and you have the makings of a controversy, one that eventually landed on the front page of CNN.com this afternoon. A report in which the marine spokesman affirmed the marine corp’s stance against animal cruelty and confirmed that the officer involved is under protective custody after he had received various death-threats. The corp is also investigating the incident to determine it’s validity, which if confirmed could mean a dishonorable discharge for the officer(s) involved.

That being said, there are so many things wrong with this incident beyond that of the military that it’s hard to list them all. For some reason the thing that most people seem to be latching onto is the fact that he is a marine which has stirred up all sorts of debates about the Iraq war. Which has left me completely dumb-founded.

Let me preface the following with this, I am NOT a vegan. I enjoy eating meat, it’s quite tasty.

Anyone who knows me knows that I love my dog, and anyone that knows me well also knows my passion for dogs in general and how furious I get when I hear of any animal being mistreated. This is what I see in this video, an animal being mistreated. What rankles me the most is the distinct pleasure that the soldier got from killing the puppy. For some reason it felt that I was the only one making this distinction. While everyone else focused on the military and the war, I was/am able to see beyond the uniform and see a disturbed individual with a with a propensity for sadistic violence. So, I propose this slightly altered scenario:

I doubt it. He would immediately be pegged as a social deviant and a potential danger to society. This person would get his fifteen minutes in purgatory while the netsters and news media crucified him. Depending on where he lived he may or may not get off scott-free, but only after he was forced to endure some heavy psychological testing.

That is the point I am trying to make. Forget the uniform, as someone once told me the military is only a reflection of the general population, some soldiers are good, and some are bad. See past all of that bull-shit and try to comprehend what kind of a sick person would do that to an innocent/helpless puppy. As cruelty towards animals is often a precursor to more disturbing behavior, try to also imagine what such a person could do to anyone he perceives to be weaker than himself? Would he cold-heartedly commit murder? Might he beat and rape a woman or even more deplorable—if that is possible—a child? How often have you seen in the news a report of an infant being shaken to death because their caregiver couldn’t handle the crying? Wouldn’t a person such as our “brave soldier” posses the potential to do this as well?

I am not trying to say that, “Yes, he will do all of the above.” but I don’t think that this should just be swept away and forgotten. He has shown his sadistic side, he needs psychiatric aide of some sort. Lest we forget this incident until he shows up on the media radar in a few years for committing any of the above atrocities.

As disturbing as the clip’s star was, you must also look at those around him who are as morally culpable as he is for not stopping him. They were clearly catalysts in the event, subtly offering encouragement as the cruelty unfolded. I hate to sound like a cliche’ but it only takes one person to stop something like this. It is saddening that there wasn’t anyone brave enough to do what was right. It’s highly unlikely a person would’ve been chided for pointing out that throwing a puppy over a cliff classifies you as a sadistic fuck.

As you may be able to see, I am shaken to the core by this. It’s not as if this video has caused me to lose faith in my fellow man, trust me that ship has set sail long ago. I just feel the need to speak up for the dog, because like in so many incidents such as these the victim is unable to speak for themselves.

The truest sign of one’s character is how you treat those who are weaker than yourself.