by Jackie Stanley, President, Vermont Humane Federation
The most recent animal cruelty atrocities, which were documented by a federal inspector at the Vermont Packinghouse in North Springfield, VT, should result in criminal charges of cruelty-to-animals against the slaughter plant and the “third-party” truck driver, especially considering the plant’s previous bad acts against animals. (VTDigger: Investigation probes truck driver’s alleged inhumane treatment of pigs at North Springfield slaughterhouse – Dec. 9, 2024)
Many people will recall the 2009 case of cruelty to newborn calves at the Bushway Packing slaughterhouse in Grand Isle, VT. Undercover video showed workers at Bushway kicking, shocking and even throwing these infant animals off the transport truck when they were too weak to walk. Further cruelties, including animals being skinned while still conscious, caused significant embarrassment for Vermont’s ag industry and true public outrage.
Bushway was permanently shuttered by orders of the state and federal governments, and its owner and another worker were criminally charged and convicted of animal cruelty.
While there is no video (no doubt a relief to both the plant’s owner and the state ag department) showing the cruelties endured by the animals at the Vermont Packinghouse, there is evidence by way of an official written report from an eyewitness who is also a federal inspector.
There is no murkiness about who should seek justice for the animals who were documented being treated so cruelly at the Vermont Packinghouse in North Springfield. It clearly falls on the shoulders of the police department. The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) has no enforcement power in this case but, as Scott Waterman of the VAAFM pointed out, the agency “supports good investigations and subsequent criminal prosecution whenever the facts warrant it.” The Vermont Humane Federation hopes that the evidence gathered by the federal inspector with the USDA is honored and that charges are filed.
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Categories: Agriculture, Commentary, Crime
But I thought animals don’t matter to conservatives, so why is this on VDC to begin with? Animals were created by God for man’s disposal to do with as he pleases under any circumstances, says the many (on VDC alone of course). Regardless of what St. Francis or St. Roch, St. Gertrude, St. Anthony or even Jesus said “A righteous man has regard for the life of an animal”. What do they know compared to Vt.’ers?
No one reads Proverbs. Sorry, but your book of fairy tales from your sky lord is justification for abuses like this to happen. If god didn’t want things like this to happen, he wouldn’t have given us dominion over the animals. Genesis 1:26 ring a bell?
Waitaminute, I read Proverbs. Just this morning I was mulling over ‘a good wife is more valuable than gold or rubies.’ Makes sense, right? What would you rather have: riches or love, sex and children? Ideally both – but if you had to choose….. Chris, you’re missing out on some GOOD wisdom. Just sayin’, one respectful commenter to another.
I saw the light! It’s true, we need to respect all of Gods creatures.
I did have some drama, though. A mouse got caught in a trap I forgot to remove. The poor thing wasn’t dead as the trap had caught its hind leg. I showed the poor animal to my wife who said “ewwww, kill it”. I said “no. Joan Dunlap on VDC says that men should respect all of God’s creatures”.
So I brought it to the vet. The vet said nothing can be done. But she did offer an x-ray and rabies shot at the very reasonable price of $500. Of course I paid as it’s the least I could do. I bandaged the leg and brought my new friend Mickey home.
I now have a three legged pet mouse. Wife’s not happy but what do?
Categorizing conservatives as those to whom animals don’t matter is as wrong as saying there are conservatives to whom the environment doesn’t matter. It is as stereotypically prejudiced as any other categorical condemnation of a whole group because of the actions of some of the group.
Joan, you are right about what the Bible says about having regard for the lives our animals is righteous. Intentional, malicious cruelty to any of God’s creatures is just plain wrong, and there never is a reasonable excuse for it. That said, I have zero pangs of regret for killing mosquitoes, houseflies, mice, or rats that are invading my living area. Not pleasure, but no regret. I do not classify that as cruelty.
Responsible and ethical hunting and harvesting of animals for the purpose of eating their meat and utilizing the nutrients and resources they provide is a world of difference from the demonic cruelty exhibited by the inexcusable behavior of those referred to in this article.
No one should be coerced into eating meat or using animal products if it is objectionable to him and it violates his conscience. Conversely, no one should be shamed or vilified for choosing to eat meat and use animal products in their belief that, yes, God did provide some of those animals for our sustenance, culinary enjoyment, or clothing.
I was once excoriated on this forum once for simply posing a question in which I wondered and asked how many folks who were vehemently against hunting or eating the meat of animals also supported the intentional and violent slaughter of preborn human babies. I was not accusing anyone of doing that, but merely pointing out that if there were hypothetically any readers who were strident in their defense of animals—which I have no problem with—but supported the “right” of moms and dads to pay someone to kill their preborn babies, I do have a problem with that because it is rank hypocrisy, and most definitely an inordinate sentimentality.
But please, do not conflate my asking the question with accusing or categorizing every person who is passionate and vocal about protecting animals and choosing not to eat meat, with their supporting the abortion of human babies. As I don’t wish to be stereotyped, I hope not to do that to others.
I am truly disappointed with the cruelty of any animal. This is beyond human decency. Jesus said an eye for an eye, do unto others as you human or animal want to be treated. Ashamed of these slauterhouses, how can you sleep at nite after hearing them scream in pain? How dare you try to justify this abhorant abuse, then sell their meat. I have more respect for a snake. No respect for persons involved in this madness. I trust an animal way, way before I trust a human being. GOD please help these poor abused, criminally slaughtered animals. Where is the protections for them? I am deeply saddened by all animals going through abuse.
Chris, just to clarify: I read Proverbs.
Also, the logic you apply in your reply to Joan Dunlap looks like Swiss cheese.
Basically what your logic tells us is that you blame an imaginary god—whom you tell us you don’t believe exists—and his instructions to us—which you believe are inspired by a God you don’t believe exists—for the perversions of His created order and the evil choices and actions of those whom He created in His image. It’s the age-old blame-shifting and evasion of personal responsibility and accountability modeled by Adam when he justified himself and blamed God for his own sinful choice to violate His explicit instructions to him.
“It ain’t my fault for disobeying Your explicit instructions to me, God. It’s that woman You gave me. Yeah, she gave me the fruit and made me do it.”
If we apply your logic, we could extrapolate it out to the absurdity of its logical extreme by saying that if God didn’t want leaders to abuse their authority and treat people unrighteously and unjustly, He wouldn’t have created government.
Another example, if we were to apply your logic, would be to say that God’s command that we shall not murder is justification for people to murder, because if He didn’t want things like this to happen, he never would have allowed people to invent guns, knives, and poison.
We are neither victims nor robots, but have been created with that pesky thing called free will.
The first step towards repentance, if you are going to quote the Bible—which you tell us is a fairy tale created by an imaginary god—is, instead of excusing myself by blaming God for creating me and giving me His instructions for how to live, I humbly take responsibility for my own sin of rejecting and disobeying Him.
If the following is a fairy tale, I’m staking my life on it:
“And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.”
Hebrews 11:6
“O Lord, You are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for Your help.”
Psalms 86:5
“But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, He will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of His Son while we were still His enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of His Son.”
Romans 5:8-10
Vt Rocks: Don’t know what will eventually happen to those with stone-cold hearts as you are describing, but I’d guess at the very least that you certainly aren’t righteous as Jesus stated. But then again, what does HE know, right??
Chris: No one “reads Proverbs”? Except for the 1.3 BILLION Catholics for starters – not to mention the rest of all Christian sects combined amongst Messianic Jews, religious scholars, etc. Yeah, virtually “no one”.
And Thanks, Martin Green for your gracious, enlightened, & civilized reply. As I’ve made clear in many past posts on this site, I am not a vegetarian and I myself hunt & eat wild game; I was replying & often reply & shall continue to reply to the savage, sickening, and yes, unrighteous behavior employed by those on this site who kill and even torture animals in the wild for sheer “sport” and “tradition”. Peruse past threads and you’ll find them.
What was being done to those innocent animals at the hands of those pathetic “human beings” ought to be vigorously PROSECUTED and they ought to be IMPRISONED by the newer FEDERAL CRIMES against intentional CRUELTY TO ANIMALS signed into LAW by none other than: POTUS Donald J. Trump at the end of his last effort! A bipartisan effort, I might add.
Cruelty to animals demonstrates nothing less than a sick mind & DJT has up to seven years in prison waiting for you.
As war against humanity rages on by design, the justification to sooth or prop up one’s ego is to point out the speck in another’s eye while the plank remains in their’s.
The bigger picture is always missed while the owners and controllers of this world play God to decide who lives and who dies – animal and human alike.
Anyone ever find those monkey’s that escaped the biolab in South Carolina? I heard all but four of them. When will the activists go after the biolabs? Don’t forget what Fauci did to those beagles. It is going on every single minute of every single day. We can do better, but collective agreements are hard to come by when one out of a million atrocities is singled out by activists who don’t comprehend the real sinister plots and plotters pulling their strings.