Mississippi's Disregard to Save the Lives of Innocent Animals

Courtney Foster

Jour 377

D. Jackson

10/13/11

Word Count: 1,051

Mississippi’s Disregard to Save the Lives of Innocent Animals

            When the name Jeffrey Dahmer emerges, perhaps it sends chills down the spine or bodies cringe with terror. Commonly known as the deranged serial killer, rapist, necrophiliac of the late ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s who murdered 17 men and boys; Dahmer not only gained satisfaction from human abuse, but also found leisure in decapitating dogs, and impaling cats and frogs.

Now that the brain has been rattled by such an image, envision living in a town, such as Oxford, which does not implement any consequences for such carnage. The state of Mississippi stands as one of the four states including Idaho, North Dakota, and South Dakota that excuses animal abuse as a felony. Currently upholding approximately 116 cases alone, what could be the incentive behind permitting the freedom to subject innocent animals to such harm?  

Malcolm McMillin, sheriff of Mississippi’s largest county, Hinds County, supports making animal cruelty a felony; stating that “People who abuse animals often commit other crimes, including abusing children. What we know about animal abusers is that they’re often involved in child abuse, domestic violence, drugs, and other criminal activities.”

Since the 1970s, FBI investigations identified that most serial killers had killed or tortured animals as children or teenagers. Along with Jeffrey Dahmer, who performed his first animal brutality at the age of 10 years old, are other notable killers that have been connected to this concept. Carroll Edward Cole was charged with 35 murders,  and had also strangled a puppy as a child. Throughout his youth, Albert DeSalvo shot arrows at dogs and cats as they were trapped inside of crates. Recently, Luke Woodham, 16, Pearl, had tortured animals before commencing in multiple shooting sprees. A more recognizable case is that of the two Columbine High School students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. Before shooting 12 of their classmates, and later themselves, would brag to their friends about the animal mutilations they had done.  

Dr. Randall Lockwood, the senior vice president for anti-cruelty for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, states “A kid who is abusive to a pet is quite often acting out of violence directly experienced or witnessed in the home. About one-third of children who are exposed to family violence will act out this violence, often against their own pets.”

The line that distinguishes human abuse from animal abuse is very fine. People who participate in animal and human abuse usually do it for the same reason, and that is to seek power or control. As much of these sadistic individuals lack self-esteem, the ability to control an animal or a person is gratifying. Unfortunately, this violence acts as a double-edged sword, as victims of abuse sometimes become executors.

“When women abuse animals, they almost always have a history of victimizing themselves. That’s where a lot of that rage comes from. Those who abuse animals for no obvious reason are ‘budding psychopaths,’ they have no empathy and only see the world as what it’s going to do for them,” Lockwood said. 

Lockwood’s notion about women and their involvement with animal abuse directly correlates with the two cruelty cases that occurred in Lafayette County. Laquita Wells looked outside the window of her house in 2004 to see that her dog, Bighead, had been shot in the shoulder. The suspect has still not been identified. Fortunately, this individual does not have much to fear from his or her transgressions, other than a maximum fine of $1,000 and a maximum jail time of one year. Mississippi’s lack of punishment and lenient laws regarding animal cruelty instigated much public concern in the case of Lucy Leslie in 2006. After allegedly being accused of neglecting her dog which later resulted in its death, Leslie was only issued a citation by Oxford police.

Two Boxer puppies keep warm in their cages
 at the Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society

Cyd Dunlap, president of the Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society says “Mississippi does not have strong animal laws. If you see things like this, such as the Leslie case, please call Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society to report any cruelty or neglect. You can remain anonymous; we must stop this from happening.”

In an attempt to improve and bring awareness to Mississippi’s existing animal rights laws, committees have issued the House Bill 710, and if passed, it could potentially make animal abuse charges harsher than a misdemeanor.

“Please contact your representative to pass bill 710 to increase penalties for animal neglect and cruelty. The animals need your help,” Dunlap said.

Along with Dunlap, some Mississippi-based organizations have engaged in the fight for the protection of animals. Gail Brown, president of Mississippi-Fighting Animal Cruelty Together, otherwise known as MS-FACT, has been consistently visiting the State Capitol two days a week to meet with senators and representatives and discuss passing tougher animal laws. In addition to protecting animals, passing these laws would help to protect people from criminals who could potentially present violence against humans.

“Mississippi has come a long way in the last two years, but still has a tough road ahead to get necessary laws in place needed to protect our precious pets from violent acts of abuse and living in inhumane conditions where they continue to suffer each and every day,” Brown said.

In an effort to cease the issue of animal abuse and bring awareness, Oxford citizens can access information and public records, such as the cases of Laquita Wells and Lucy Leslie, and more local animal brutalities on Pet-Abuse.com. This website offers a complete detailed database showing every abuse case that has occurred in each state. The webpage provides local and national interactive maps showing the cases where the alleged and convicted abusers have had a history of animal cruelty. Most importantly, there is a chart that displays the state, year, maximum jail time, and maximum fine, counseling, and protection orders of each case.

Also, lending a hand to the Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society can aid in expanding the knowledge of this crime. Located on 413 McElroy Drive, volunteers can walk, feed, and perhaps adopt the homeless animals.  

The Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society houses many
young puppies waiting to be adopted

The OLHS mission statement declares “Our mission is to improve the plight of lost, unwanted, abandoned, and homeless animals by providing shelter, care, rescue, adoption services, and foster homes; to investigate incidents of animal cruelty, abandonment, and neglect; and to promote responsible pet ownership by advocating spay/neuter, permanent identification, and the humane and compassionate treatment of animals.”

Contact List:

Cyd Dunlap (president of Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society)

(662)-236-7633

info@oxfordpets.com

Gail Brown (president of MS-FACT)

gbrown@ms-fact.org

Jeffrey Dahmer. (2011). Biography.com. Oct 11, 2011. Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/jeffrey-dahmer-9264755

Lauren, B. (2011, January 12). Making animal abuse a felony. Retrieved from http://www.petanim.com/9113/jlbenton/making-animal-abuse-felony/

Pet-abuse.com. (2001). Retrieved from http://www.pet-abuse.com/pages/home.php

Expansion Causes Concern for Smaller Schools

Word Count: 522

                                  

 College football has undoubtedly been through many changes since the days of the hard-nosed, leather helmet wearing-scholar athletes. The game has developed into a giant enterprise in which only the strong will survive, even if cheating is the solution. Money and the fear for some schools being left behind, when the realignment of the NCAA is all said and done furthers the expansion process of certain conferences such as, the PAC 12, SEC and the new Big 12. With this expansion, smaller schools are looking at a bleak future to say the lease.

            The expansion process began with Nebraska moving to the BIG 10 and Colorado to the PAC 10. These schools were followed closely by smaller schools, who still had the money and recruiting power to compete with larger programs. For smaller schools with successful athletic programs, a move to a larger, more accredited conference is a great advantage for recruiting.

“Joining a powerhouse conference is a major weapon for smaller schools,” said Kyle Horine a senior safety on the Ole Miss football team. “The region in which these smaller programs recruited from has definitely expanded to other states.” Student-Athletes are excited about joining a smaller program that competes on a national stage.” Horine, a fourth-year walk on, was not highly recruited out of high school. 

With the expansion of the larger conferences, the end could be near for many schools. Schools that have taken on the role of a bottom feeder in a powerhouse conference are treading water to stay afloat. Senior Baylor University student, Chad Crowell shows no optimism for his school’s future.

“We have not been the most successful in years past, but it is not fair to the students and alumni who have put in a great deal of effort to support a less than mediocre program,” he said. “What will happen when we move to a smaller conference and lose all of our support?”

Colorado, Nebraska and Texas A&M have already made the jump into other conferences and rumor has it that Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Missouri and possibly Texas will relocate in the near future. How will this movement out of the BIG 12 affect smaller schools in the SEC, such as Ole Miss?

“Expansion could be good for Ole Miss,” said Brandon Marcello of the Clarion-Ledger. Officials say that adding Texas A&M to the SEC would add dollars to conference.”

According to the SEC, Ole Miss makes up the bottom portion of athletic budgets in the conference with $47.6 million. Texas A&M has an athletic budget of $75.8 million pushing the Rebels farther down the pecking order in the SEC. This poses some concern considering if the SEC were to cut schools from the conference, Ole Miss might be the topic of discussion.

While we can only hold our breath and wait to see what the future holds for The University of Mississippi, other schools are relocating to bigger conferences with more money and national recognition.

“We do not know the outcome this expansion will have on college football, causing concern for diehard fans across the country,” said Marcello.

Sources:

            Kyle Horine- Kdhorine@olemiss.edu

            Chad Crowell- (401) 575-6492

            Brandon Marcello- The Clarion Ledger (bmarcello@gmail.com)

What 2011 holds for investigative reporting

I really enjoyed this article and how at first lay gave us a preview of what to expect. I like how it started off in a negative tone but quickly became positive. The journalists that were interviewed and asked questions all touched on different topics. The journalists explained that even though layoffs have taken a major toll, that investigative journalists still could thrive on their own. Polly Kreisman gave great pointers on what every journalist should know how to do to become and continue to be good journalists. What struck me the most was how all the journalists said that money is always the issue, and people will always want to read about money.

what 2011 journalists hold response

The article was very informative. Newsrooms will continue to grow throughout the 21st century. It tells us once again that the journalism field is a very hard businesses. Small businesses/ journalists get buried under the bigger journalists, especially nonprofit organizations. Joe Bergantino says nonprofit organizations will not succeed, or have a very hard time doing so. I agree with him. Everyone wants to make money, and if money is not coming in than your business will lose itself fast. Nonprofit organizations need to find their voice and their way of staying alive or they will soon die out. This article also gave me good ideas about story ideas. I liked the 7 things a reporter should know as well. the Editing part is the most important I think. You need to know that you are writing true facts and getting your information right the first time.

Article response: "What 2011 holds for investigative reporting"

My first response to this article is: I am overwhelmed. It seems that it continues to become more and more difficult to be skilled enough to work as a journalist. The number of things that we, as aspiring journalists, should be proficient in is a long list and a complex one.
Secondly, I, like Joe Bergantino, wonder if this turn to nonprofit will succeed. I believe that it will be difficult for these businesses to sustain themselves for the long haul, and they may also have to eventually close down due to lack of funding.
Also, it is obvious that the article's predictions about the top stories of 2011 were correct. But really, government spending and the environment are two topics that never go out of style. There are always new angles that can be found regarding both.

Jennifer Wilson

What 2011 holds for investigative reporting response by Gjoko Dungevski

The article clearly points out the advantages of the 21st century. What struck me though, and I partially agree with Joe Bergantino's three things that nonprofit newsrooms will continue to grow. Will nonprofit media outlets be capable of sustaining their business? Personally, I don't think so. I think that it's all about the money and that news organizations, especially news organizations, won't risk their lives to get certain information for nothing. His second comment on whether or not all this investigative reporting will be worth reading/watching? Well, frankly, I believe that at some point the public will be overwhelmed with so many details and so much information that in the end they will become ignorant and won't care as much as they care now (because it bothers them that they are not "well informed"). I do believe that the public is well informed about so many different things that now they are just bored with what they know and want to dig even deeper.
My last comment adds to my comment on Joe Bergantino's first issue. Well, it's all about the money! And just as Cheryl Phillips says, "Follow the money and the story will follow," that's how stories will keep people interested in what they are reading. They won't care as much for who was elected for president (maybe not all people) or what was discussed on certain meetings as they would care about where and how [t]heir money is being spend and who benefits from it.

Finally, I believe that investigative journalism is more related to civic journalism than it is to traditional journalism.

Courtney Foster "What 2011 Holds for Investigative Reporting" article response

I thought this article was a good guide to us as aspiring journalists becuase the article gave us insight on where and how to find good stories. I thought the mentions of Twitter and Facebook and other social media being used as helpful tools to find and inform news is very relatable. I liked Polly Kreisman's list of 7 things a reporter should know how to do: (set up a WordPress site, edit video, embed digital photographs, etc). The main information from this article that was helpful was when Cheryl Philips says "I think good investigative stories can be found almost anywhere."