About a month ago, I relayed a sad story about a girl who let her ferret
starve to death.  For those who didn't see it, here it is: Some kid in
Pennsylvania had a ferret, decided it was too much trouble, that it bit and
smelled and simply stopped feeding it and let the poor thing die.  The poor
thing was just a baby, about 10 weeks old.  The girl just didn't have any
feelings about it at all, and neither did her parents.  This was relayed to
another ferret owner, who was heartbroken to hear this because she would
have gladly taken the ferret and cared for it, but didn't hear about it
until it was too late.  The person that relayed the story to her was a
neighbor, who was a classmate of the little brat.  The ferret lover
contacted a few humane groups and reported the incident.  The agencies
said they would need the name and address of the guilty party and her
family and then action would be taken.
 
Well, would you believe that the next door neighbor, her family, and her
other neighbors all suddenly clammed up and wouldn't give any information
and pretended not to know anything?  Now, the agencies and the concerned
person's hands are tied because without the information they can't do
anything?  So, because the neighbors and friends all want to protect this
cruel smug little brat and her family, they are going to get away with it
scot free?  Well, I can't let this happen.  This is eating away at me like
you wouldn't believe.  I keep picturing this poor ferret sitting there,
slowly dying, looking up with big innocent eyes, wondering is this all life
is about?  What the heck is wrong with society that people think children
are so innocent that they should be protected from punishment, even when
they do something so outright mean as this, while their parents don't even
try to stop them?  Do you know how I can at least get this made public?
I'm hoping that it can at least get to people's consciences and that a few
of the neighbors who wouldn't open their mouths would see it and feel bad
and fess up?  I am so darn bitter about this.  I can't help it, but when we
were kids, OUR parents weren't so permissive and ignorant to what was going
on.  I am so upset about this I'm splitting a gut over it.  Many of today's
kids, and today's parents just don't have any respect.  I say many, because
not all of them are this way.  I have met many kind children who were
taught a good example by kind parents, then there are those that are just
apathetic and in the middle and maybe by publicizing it, the ones in the
middle can be swayed to the side of conscience.  After all, it has to be
good parents who teach kids that all life is precious, not just human life.
I am so upset, I want to carve this on every billboard in the state of
Pennsylvania, and the country, until the message gets across.  This is
not just neglect, it is outright torture and cruelty.
[Posted in FML issue 3416]