“As a society, we can
not tolerate cruelty
towards animals. People inclined to
inflict pain and torture
upon animals may
have a predisposition
to violence against
both animals and
humans.”
—Illinois Governor
George Ryan upon
signing two new
animal cruelty statutes into law. |
“These are the kids
who never learned it’s
wrong to poke out a
puppy’s eyes.”
—Robert Ressler,
founder of the FBI’s
behavioral sciences
unit, discussing serial
killers. |
Humane education is a
vital component of
violence prevention for
the protection of our
country’s citizens. The
past 18 months have
seen seven school
shootings. In each one,
it was learned that the
perpetrators had
abused, tortured, and
killed animals before
moving on to their
human victims. The FBI
uses reports of animal
cruelty in analyzing the
threat potential of
suspected and known
violent criminals. Teachers, parents and
students are being
asked and trained to
look out for the warning
signs. In fact, the U.S.
Department of
Education publishes a
pamphlet listing animal
cruelty as a warning
sign of a troubled and
potentially dangerous
child, but the
government does not
give help or advice in
preventing animal
cruelty among children. In 1933, the National
PTA Congress stated,
“Children trained to
extend justice,
kindness, and mercy to
animals become more
just, kind, and
considerate in their
relations with each
other. Character
training along these
lines will result in men
and women of broader
sympathies, more
humane, more
law-abiding—in every
respect more valuable
citizens.” Tomorrow’s
criminals and violent
offenders are in our
schools today. We
must go to them and
help them on a path
toward a safe and
peaceful future, for
society’s sake and for
their own. As
anthropologist
Margaret Mead said,
“One of the most
dangerous things that
can happen to a child is
to kill or torture an
animal and get away
with it.” In all of the
talks, town meetings,
and summits since the
Columbine tragedy, the
animal cruelty histories
of the children who
carried out other
school shootings have
been left out of the
discussions. Please
contact Secretary of
Education Richard
Riley today and ask him
to support humane
education as part of
violence prevention
programs in our
nation’s schools.
Richard Riley
Secretary of Education
U.S. Department of
Education
400 Maryland Ave. S.W.
Washington, DC
20202-0498
Tel.: 202-401-3000
Fax: 202-401-0596
|
|
May 1998
Springfield, Oregon
Kip Kinkel killed his
parents and two
classmates and injured
22 others. He had a
history of animal abuse
and torture, having boasted about blowing
up a cow and killing cats,
squirrels and other
animals by putting
firecrackers in their
mouths.
March 1998
Jonesboro, Arkansas
Mitchell Johnson and
Andrew Golden shot and
killed four students and a
teacher. A friend says
Andrew “shoots dogs all
the time with a .22.”
December 1997
West Paducah, Kentucky
Michael
Carneal shot and killed
three classmates at a
prayer meeting. Carneal
had talked about
throwing a cat into a
bonfire.
October 1997
Pearl, Michigan
Luke Woodham stabbed
his mother to death, then
shot and killed two
classmates and injured
seven others. In his diary,
Woodham wrote that he
and a friend beat, burned
and tortured his dog,
Sparkle, to death.
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