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Animal Cruelty is Not a Racial Issue

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Dear Source,
A few days ago my cable went out and instead of turning on the boob tube for some mid afternoon news, I found myself listening to the Mario Morehead Show. The " hot" Topic at least for the host was the issue of the animal cruelty bill recently over ridden by the Senate.
The dialogue I listened to was amazing in that for Mr. Morehead and a few of his listeners, this was something pushed through to satisfy the white community who somehow pressured the senators to do something that was contrary to the local culture and customs. Mr. Morehead seemed to focus on the extreme ends of this issue to make his point. For example he commented more than once that, "they say that there is a direct correlation to animal cruelty and serial killers." He also made it sound like that by simply passing this law, "they" – the white community, are saying that "we" – the black community are cruel to animals. He also mocked on several occasions communities or cultures who take dogs inside their homes and who show affection for their dogs.
I know Mr. Morehead is an intelligent man and I understand why an intelligent man resorts to oversimplification, to race bating and mockery. Mr. Morehead knows full well who his constituency is and he panders to them quite deftly.
It is a shame however that men of intelligence when finding themselves in positions of "leadership" decide to take the easy way out. Mr. Moorhead is not alone in this area in fact this is an epidemic in the black community.
I know as much about the animal cruelty bill as anyone who reads the paper. I never saw this as a black and white issue until I started hearing Mr.Moorhead take on things two days ago. Mr. Moorhead's position is ostensibly this, "a culture has a right to adopt customs and behaviors and because certain behaviors have been the custom for generations, it is the culture's right to continue these behaviors. We do not have to change our ways because of outside pressure."
If Mr Moorhead and leaders like him continue to have there way, you don't even have to think
about changing your ways!
When Mr.Moorhead and one of his guests mocked and joked about people who let dogs into their house, when Mr. Morhead mocked and joked about people who have different views from his, I heard an echo from a couple hundred years ago when two Danish guys sat around and joked about the point of educating Negro kids. You see it wasn't that long ago that the Danish culture believed it was okay. to enslave people and if Mr. Moorhead was around back then I suppose he would be defending the rights of the Danish people to preserve there customs. He would be defending the custom of their culture, he would be defending slavery. Or would he?
Shame on Mr. Moorhead for attempting to make this a black and white issue; and shame on those who let "leaders" like this do their thinking for them. A community or culture must question its behaviors and actions and adapt to a changing, enlightened world. If they didn't slavery might still be an institution that would be practiced today in countries outside of the continent of Africa.
I'm not going to attempt to defend the animal cruelty bill, but it is unfortunate that Mr. Moorhead and others can't or perhaps refuse to accept that while cruelty to animals may not turn you into serial- killer it will diminish the individual's value of "life" and as individuals and communities diminish the value of life it becomes easier to be cruel to more intelligent forms of life, i.e. you and me.
Was it necessary for those pieces of dung to shoot the man the other day when they robbed him of his money? Did they value life? Couldn't they have simply have robbed him and run? Is it not worth the attempt to teach our children the value of all life in that they might come to have greater value for their own life and that of those around them? Wouldn't that make for a better community?
My "Crucian" friends wake up and start thinking for yourselves for Heaven's sake. You have been following the same leaders for years and nothing has changed. Ask yourself how it is that the white community could bring all this pressure to bear and have the local senators pass a law for their satisfaction. If this were possible my friends, there are a whole lot of laws that would be passed and an animal cruelty bill would not have been the first. Get real. The black community has the power in these Virgin Islands. Certainly the leaders they elect are subject to influence by "groups" but to say that white people can push a law through the V.I. system is ludicrous at best.
I have chosen the Virgin Islands as my home and it is where I hope to grow old. It is troubling indeed that issues like this can be used by the demagogues to keep people apart instead of bringing "all" people together. I can only hope and pray that the future will bring leaders in all communities and subcultures that will have the courage to take a stand and turn away from the divisive ways of the past.
P.K. Joyce
Fredriksted, St. Croix

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