I got to see a real jerk in action today

[Crow]

I was driving home from the garden center, and a turtle was crossing the highway. I pulled over to get the turtle and move him off to a safer place, but as I was getting out of my car some idiot swerved so that he could run over the turtle and he crushed it.

It makes me angry. I am not opposed to killing animals for food. I'm not opposed to killing animals that are harmful to us--if nobody killed rats we'd all starve if the diseases they spread didn't kill us first. I'm not opposed to killing animals to put them out of their pain when they're suffering; that is a merciful thing to do. I've beaten dogs to break up a dogfight a time or two.

But what burns me is when someone tortures or kills an animal because they enjoy doing it. How sick does your mind have to be to enjoy inflicting suffering and death for it's own sake? Does that person also enjoy causing human suffering? Do they get a kick out of seing humans murdered? Somehow, I suspect that they do.

What the heck was that turtle doing to harm him? Not a thing. The worst that turtle might ever do to humanity is pee on someone who picked him up. And some jackass crushed him for the fun of it. Wheeeeeee!

Some folks waste the oxygen that they suck out of the air.

[Sparko]

amen.

[Jedidiah]

Sin

[Faramir]

Once, my dad swerved to miss a turtle, and over swerved and hit it with his other tire. He said, "I bet the guy behind me thinks I'm a real jerk."

Just saying.

[princesa]

I would have been upset too. I can't help but remember my reaction to hearing the news about the many kindergarden schoolchildren in China who were stabbed by a maniac who walked into their classroom. I remember not just being upset but at crying in thinking of the fear, confusion and pain they and their families must feel.

I was amazed at people who told me it was not normal to cry at that! We, rightly, are outraged at injustice and our natural instinct is to become emotional and infuriated at it. I was just reminded of that in reading this, sorry to derail.

[Crow]

Once, my dad swerved to miss a turtle, and over swerved and hit it with his other tire. He said, "I bet the guy behind me thinks I'm a real jerk."

Just saying.

Turtle was in the center turn lane. The guy went into the center turn lane to hit it then he switched right back into the regular lane. I could see it if he was going into the turn lane to make a turn. But nope, he was just going in to squash a turtle.

I've hit stuff by accident before too. It sucks, but sometimes it happens. This guy went out of his way to hit that turtle.

[Hamster]

Agree completely. I don't even step on snails if I can avoid it. I don't know why people kill animals for fun. The guy who did it would probably roll his eyes at you and say "It's just a turtle!" ... Yeah, it is just a turtle, but I'm wondering about is what kind of person deliberately runs over one so he can relish the feeling of his wheels smashing an animal

[Dee Dee Warren]

I seen that happen once and I never forgot it. Oddly enough, this weekend while I was out with my date, we drove past a turtle on the sidewalk, and I made the next u-turn to go back and get it to bring it to safety but by the time I got back another motorist had pulled over and was carrying it over to the pond to safety.

[gharfish]

>>>

[Taran Wanderer]

I agree with everyone above. I even avoid running over already dead roadkill. But I saw a documentary once about these big poisonous toads that had overrun Australia (I think the Australians had brought them in to solve some problem--does that strategy ever work out?), and in one scene they were all over a road, and a trucker was swerving back and forth to run over them. Apparently that's a common sport. So I guess in some cases the jerks can have their cake and eat it too. They get to hear the toads pop (that's seriously what they said was fun about it) and get rid of a pest at the same time.

[gharfish]

A controlled study done in Canada found that 2.7 percent of passing drivers went out of their way to hit either fake snakes or turtles, in equal numbers, the studiers had placed on a highway.

But why are turtles crossing roads ? --> This short article is really good:
http://davidasteen.blogspot.com/2009/04/turtleson-road-again.html

This is an easy to read and interesting article on our American land-dwelling box turtles! Sadly, their numbers are noticably dwindling.
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=17+1797&aid=943

That is an Eastern Box turtle photo I posted above.

Dizzle, I imagine, was trying to keep a Florida Box turtle from getting out in traffic...or maybe a Gulf Coast variety who was out of his range a little from the N, N-W. In my part of the country we have the Three-toed Box... (see the hatchling, below ?!)


>

[Lepidopteryx]

Only once have I ever deliberately runover an animal. I was driving to work, and a group of teenage boys had found a snapping turtle in the middle of the street, and were taking turns running up to it and stabbing at the shell with screwdrivers. The poor beast's shell was split in several places and it was bleeding badly. I put the car in reverse, backed up to the end of the street, laid on the horn and floored the pedal, scaring the kids out of the road, and running over the snapper to put it out of its misery.

[Crow]

I'd have done the same in that case--it would have been kinder to flat out kill the turtle than to leave it knowing that the miscreants would continue to torture him to death.

I kinda wonder if any of those jerks ever think back on that incident and feel the least shred of remorse about what they did? It makes me curious about how they relate to other people if they get joy from inflicting suffering.

[Lepidopteryx]

I kinda wonder if any of those jerks ever think back on that incident and feel the least shred of remorse about what they did? It makes me curious about how they relate to other people if they get joy from inflicting suffering.

It's been my observation that people who have no compassion toward animals or who derive pleasure from hurting them have pretty much the same attitude toward other people.

[themuzicman]

We were driving home from somewhere the other day, and we're at a busy intersection, waiting at a red light to turn left, and we see two Canadian Geese with 5 little goslings doing a diagonal across the intersection

Of course, you can't get out of your car to help them, as they'll just attack you.

There were two close calls, but they made it to the other side... and then stopped 6 inches off the edge of the curb to eat some bugs that were there...

Fortunately, folks avoided them.


To the OP: he's just hunting... :egad:

(j/k)

[Darth Ovious]

I'm not going to be too well liked in this thread then. In my early teens I put a common house Spider in a empty Nescafe tin, set some paper alight, blew it out so it was smoking and then dropped it in the tin and put the lid back on to see if the Spider would suffocate. Which it did.

In saying that when I was a child I did gather all the house flies together and formed a fly hospital to nurse them back to health only to receive some dirty looks off my parents. :lol:

You just can't win. :shrug:

[Sparko]

I'm not going to be too well liked in this thread then. In my early teens I put a common house Spider in a empty Nescafe tin, set some paper alight, blew it out so it was smoking and then dropped it in the tin and put the lid back on to see if the Spider would suffocate. Which it did.

In saying that when I was a child I did gather all the house flies together and formed a fly hospital to nurse them back to health only to receive some dirty looks off my parents. :lol:

You just can't win. :shrug:

Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

[Darth Ovious]

Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

:lol:

Actually I still dislike Spiders a lot. Blame the movie Arachnophobia for it all.

A few months ago there was one in my room and I felt really uncomfortable with it around, especially because I've heard that you swallow so many Spiders in your sleep over a year or so.

I tried to get it on a newspaper or something but of course I don't like them so I need to keep a certain distance from them as well but the Spider just ran into a corner where there was a hole in the wall. In essence what I done then was block the hole. I don't know if there was another way out or not but I didn't want it in the room while I was sleeping.

As for Turtles, well we don't get many here so I've never done anything to a Turtle

[Faramir]

:lol:

Actually I still dislike Spiders a lot. Blame the movie Arachnophobia for it all.



I dislike spiders as well. I blame my dad, who is allergic to spiders (and other arachnids). Seeing his rational avoidance of spiders as a three year old, caused me to develop an irrational (I am not allergic) fear of them.

[Darth Ovious]

I dislike spiders as well. I blame my dad, who is allergic to spiders (and other arachnids). Seeing his rational avoidance of spiders as a three year old, caused me to develop an irrational (I am not allergic) fear of them.

I see what you mean. That would probably have an adverse effect.

When I was a kid I didn't mind them but this before I learned that some were poisionous etc and then I also got to see how ugly they really are with their 8 eyes, not to mention that damn Archnophobia movie. Made me feel quite paranoid about the things.

I find this the discussion about the Turtles quite interesting though because I wonder how the posters in the thread feel about swatting flys and crushing bugs. How do we determine our hierarchy of being here?

[mossrose]

I swat flies because of the disease they carry. And I will also kill a spider. But I would not purposely harm an animal on the road or elsewhere otherwise.

When we were in Halifax last fall, we were at a little park in the middle of the city where there was a pond with several geese and ducks.

At one point while we were there, all the birds decided to cross the VERY busy street.......at rush hour. The traffic was totally stopped in all directions for about 10 minutes as all the birds went across.

Then, about half an hour later, the same thing in reverse as the birds headed back to the park. Don't know what was on the other side of the street, but I assume this is a daily event, as the traffic all seemed to know what to expect.

This is a picture of the birds before they crossed the road, which you can see behind them with all the cars coming and going.

[Darth Ovious]

I swat flies because of the disease they carry. And I will also kill a spider. But I would not purposely harm an animal on the road or elsewhere otherwise.

I'm married to a Buddhist as you know, so I'm banned from harming anything in front of her. :lol: Funny, my wife is still a meat eater though.




When we were in Halifax last fall, we were at a little park in the middle of the city where there was a pond with several geese and ducks.

At one point while we were there, all the birds decided to cross the VERY busy street.......at rush hour. The traffic was totally stopped in all directions for about 10 minutes as all the birds went across.

Then, about half an hour later, the same thing in reverse as the birds headed back to the park. Don't know what was on the other side of the street, but I assume this is a daily event, as the traffic all seemed to know what to expect.

This is a picture of the birds before they crossed the road, which you can see behind them with all the cars coming and going.

Sounds like Christmas dinner to me. :grin:

[mossrose]

I'm married to a Buddhist as you know, so I'm banned from harming anything in front of her.

So you save all the flies and spiders you find, feed the flies to the spiders and then kill the spiders when she isn't looking?

:whistle:

Sounds like Christmas dinner to me.

:mossrose:

[Darth Ovious]

So you save all the flies and spiders you find, feed the flies to the spiders and then kill the spiders when she isn't looking?

:whistle:

Remember I'm a contractor, so I go back home to my wife at the weekends. We are however going to be moving in together at the start of next month. However, yes, you are correct, if my wife isn't looking then :whistle:



:mossrose:

Hey it's OK to eat animals for food and also it will save me money from buying one down at the shops. :yummy:

[ApologiaPhoenix]

When the Princess and I were out this weekend, I took her to a little pizzeria not far from her house and someone had tied a dog to the signpost outside without any tags. She went up to the dog immediately giving it all the love and attention she could and when we went inside, she was asking around immediately to find out whose dog it was.

My immediate thought was that you can tell a lot about someone by how they treat animals and I saw the character of my lady then in her love for animals, something I need to work on more.

I think at this thread also about what Ravi Zacharias has said. What makes you laugh shows God who you are. What makes you cry shows God who you are.

[princesa]

When the Princess and I were out this weekend, I took her to a little pizzeria not far from her house and someone had tied a dog to the signpost outside without any tags. She went up to the dog immediately giving it all the love and attention she could and when we went inside, she was asking around immediately to find out whose dog it was.

My immediate thought was that you can tell a lot about someone by how they treat animals and I saw the character of my lady then in her love for animals, something I need to work on more.

I think at this thread also about what Ravi Zacharias has said. What makes you laugh shows God who you are. What makes you cry shows God who you are.


Very true and you get an Amen b/c you mentioned Ravi Zacharias and I am addicted to hear his audio lectures/sermons.

[Crow]

I swat flies because of the disease they carry. And I will also kill a spider. But I would not purposely harm an animal on the road or elsewhere otherwise.

Everyone kills. We encounter stuff that carries disease, bites us, or whatever. We eat animals and plants.

But there is a big difference in one who kills to stop harm or to eat something and one who kills because it is fun to kill. It's the same difference between taking your kid to the doctor for injections and sticking pins in her to hear her scream.

Pain is sometimes necessary. But pain shouldn't be fun. If someone thinks it's fun to inflict pain or kill, that is one sick puppy.

[mossrose]

Everyone kills. We encounter stuff that carries disease, bites us, or whatever. We eat animals and plants.

But there is a big difference in one who kills to stop harm or to eat something and one who kills because it is fun to kill. It's the same difference between taking your kid to the doctor for injections and sticking pins in her to hear her scream.

Pain is sometimes necessary. But pain shouldn't be fun. If someone thinks it's fun to inflict pain or kill, that is one sick puppy.
I absolutely agree.

[Manwë Súlimo]

When the Princess and I were out this weekend, I took her to a little pizzeria not far from her house and someone had tied a dog to the signpost outside without any tags. She went up to the dog immediately giving it all the love and attention she could and when we went inside, she was asking around immediately to find out whose dog it was.

My immediate thought was that you can tell a lot about someone by how they treat animals and I saw the character of my lady then in her love for animals, something I need to work on more.

I think at this thread also about what Ravi Zacharias has said. What makes you laugh shows God who you are. What makes you cry shows God who you are.

Her concern towards the dog shows God's compassion to His creation.
Her marriage with you shows God's grace to the undeserving.

:tongue:

[gharfish]

.....
I find this the discussion about the Turtles quite interesting though because I wonder how the posters in the thread feel about swatting flys and crushing bugs. How do we determine our hierarchy of being here?These turtles are thinking social animals that have a nervous system that registers physical pain like a bug or fly cannot.


>

[ApologiaPhoenix]

Her concern towards the dog shows God's compassion to His creation.
Her marriage with you shows God's grace to the undeserving.

:tongue:

Hard to be an insult when I agree on both counts.

[Manwë Súlimo]

You're no fun.

[ApologiaPhoenix]

You think I would have said anything else to that?

Someday the horny doofus will learn....

[Manwë Súlimo]

God's destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the eventual destruction of sin shows God's wrath.

God's creation of AP shows God's warped sense of humor.

[ApologiaPhoenix]

Once again, I agree on both counts.

[Manwë Súlimo]

That's it, I'm taking my ball and going home.

[ApologiaPhoenix]

That's it, I'm taking my ball and going home.

Everyone can celebrate. I found a way to make the horny doofus go home.

[Darth Ovious]

Hard to be an insult when I agree on both counts.

No offense Nick, but I fully believe that you are deserving of her. I don't think there would be any better candidate than you. You're a top guy Nick and she is better off with you than some horny doofus who would take advantage of her. :whistle: not naming any names.

[Tobias Reiper]

I was driving home from the garden center, and a turtle was crossing the highway. I pulled over to get the turtle and move him off to a safer place, but as I was getting out of my car some idiot swerved so that he could run over the turtle and he crushed it.

It makes me angry. I am not opposed to killing animals for food. I'm not opposed to killing animals that are harmful to us--if nobody killed rats we'd all starve if the diseases they spread didn't kill us first. I'm not opposed to killing animals to put them out of their pain when they're suffering; that is a merciful thing to do. I've beaten dogs to break up a dogfight a time or two.

But what burns me is when someone tortures or kills an animal because they enjoy doing it. How sick does your mind have to be to enjoy inflicting suffering and death for it's own sake? Does that person also enjoy causing human suffering? Do they get a kick out of seing humans murdered? Somehow, I suspect that they do.

What the heck was that turtle doing to harm him? Not a thing. The worst that turtle might ever do to humanity is pee on someone who picked him up. And some jackass crushed him for the fun of it. Wheeeeeee!

Some folks waste the oxygen that they suck out of the air.

I realize this is an old thread but if I may play devil's advocate for a moment, where were you parked in relation to the turtle?

The reason I ask is because a lot of people when they see a vehicle on the shoulder will swerve the other direction if possible. I'm not ashamed to admit that I have hit animals in that situation. I see a car at the side of the road, always approach with the assumption that they're getting ready to open the door to raise the hood, check a tire, etc., keep one eye on the vehicle and another eye on the other lane to make sure they're not returning to the vehicle or crossing the road, and swerve if it won't cause a head on collision.

When the worst case scenario is pinning someone against the door of their car because they're not paying attention when they get out and I have a semi riding my tail, making it risky to slow down, I'd rather hit the animal than risk hitting a person.

I'm not arguing that some people don't go out of their way to hit an animal. I've lost many cats that way. The turtle might not have even been on his radar when he saw your vehicle, though.

I will admit I avoid hitting animals in other circumstances, partly because it wouldn't be justified in most cases and mostly for fear of tire damage, but if I can't stop in time to avoid hitting a possum I feel a sense of satisfaction. While they don't get as much credit as the fox, possums are notorious chicken thieves and given the number of people who raise chickens around here a public service is done with each one run over.

By the way, never swerve to miss an animal unless you want a chance to test your vehicle's crash test rating. On two lane roads if you swerve to the right you could roll your vehicle. If you swerve to the left you could get a very quick introduction to someone going the other way.

It's not much safer on four lane highways, either. My girlfriend almost rolled her SUV trying to avoid a possum.

[Thespia]

but if I can't stop in time to avoid hitting a possum I feel a sense of satisfaction.


An opossum. Just sayin'. :ahem: