Early winter--how long until spring?!

Luciana and the dogs have been in heaven with all the snow. They all love to frolic and roll around in it. L. enjoys eating snow and icicles and the dogs enjoy eating the special crunchy bunny "treats" that they find under the snow. They are very weird dogs. Dej is learning how to really drive in Wisconsin. We've had more snow and ice so far this year (and it's not even officially winter yet!) than we have for several years in the past. If she makes it through this winter safely, she'll be an old pro by the end of it. I worked from home today because the ice storm made the interstate to unsafe to travel. I have to go in tomorrow, though, so I'm hoping the plows and salt trucks work all night long!

I've spent the last two days steaming over the Michael Vick slap on the wrist. 23 months. He will serve 20 months. He will spend 20 months in prison, which is not nearly enough of a hardship for any violent criminal. He will be adored and worshipped by all the small minded immoral freaks in prison. Oh, what a "punishment". I'm shocked and appalled that the judge didn't even give him HALF of the maximum sentence of five years. Five years wouldn't even be close to enough for all the violence and cruelty that used douchebag has inflicted. The judge had a perfect opportunity with this high-profile case to send the message to society that the animal cruelty of dog fighting is completely inexcusable and will not be tolerated. He blew it. When you consider the number of dogs he had fighting, and the ridiculously high number of bait animals used to train all these fighting dogs, he is probably serving less than a day for each life he cruelly ended. I find it also quite disgusting that the use of bait animals was barely addressed, let alone considered in his slap on the wrist punishment. Yet another injustice goes basically unpunished. I am suffering more than the douchebag ever will. I have incredible amounts of rage and sadness as a result of this case and yet again nothing to do with it but keep it inside and let it slowly kill me. He, with no conscience, goes basically unscathed. What we as a society are missing with this is that he is an extremely dangerous person. He is callous and cruel and a sociopath. He is a danger to EVERY living being--all species. People who are capable of committing such atrocities never, ever limit the atrocities to one species. I'm willing to bet my life that he has left several battered women in his wake. I hope to god he is never left alone with children. Someone capable of inflicting pain and cruelty on the most innocent and helpless of beings will not come out of prison in 20 months as a better or reformed person. He will be more dangerous and more difficult to catch next time. What is wrong with the human species that we actually enjoy watching others suffer and die? What is wrong with the black community that they, who have been so intimately acquanted with oppression, powerlessness, and violence, that they would ever defend someone who put another being through that. I would expect the reaction to be more along the lines of: 'it is not acceptable to make any living being feel that way', not: 'it is not acceptable to do this to us, but we have the right to do it to others.' Yet again, I'm left shaking my head, saying WTF! UGH! Time to shut up, as I'm starting to ramble out of anger and frustration.