'It Looks Like The Killing Fields' (a republican and his cows)

[Mrs. Overall]

http://www.komotv.com/stories/36343.htm

BAY VIEW, WASH. - Kevin Geagen's German shepherd took a romp at his neighbor's Bay View ranch. Two weeks later, the dog was dead. Suspicious, Geagen investigated. On his neighbor's land, he discovered carcass after rotting carcass of cattle - some in standing water, some skulls stuck in trees, some bones covered with moss.

He took his findings to the Skagit County Health Department. Armed with a search warrant, health and law enforcement officials found the remains of at least 172 cattle in fields, in a shed and in a run-down truck on the property northwest of Mount Vernon. Matt Kaufman, an environmental health specialist with the health department, said it was among the most severe cases of disregard for public health and animal husbandry he had ever seen.

Roger Pederson (the ranch owner) is known in the Bay View community as a man with firmly held political views. He ran, unsuccessfully, as a Republican for a seat in the state House of Representatives in 2002. He was a vocal opponent of the Port of Anacortes redistricting from three commissioners to five. Pederson is also well known for his unsuccessful lawsuit to stop the Skagit Public Utility District from extending municipal water service to Bay View. He has also opposed efforts by the health department to investigate failing septic systems in the Bay View area.

(It's interesting that the media focused on his political views)

[undergroundpanther]

1. I would love

It if people could collect newspaper accounts of grisly things like this republicans or their "type" do or are involved with..Be it torture, sex,murder animal abuse..
It would be interesting to see how involved with sadistic habits republicans are or "leaders" are for that matter.Remember these are the bits of info that came to light,who knows what atrocities they will not talk about or get busted for)
Bush had involvement with funeral gate,blew up frogs as a kid,and apparently had some grisly fun at Yale with Geronimo's skull..

I see a pattern here,that may prove politicians especially right wingers are not all that sane or humane.

[fighttotheend]

3. You said it....They are a bunch of nuts

For instance my brother, favors Bush, I know, I know, but loves animals...The two just dont go. You know what they say

THE GREATEST TRICK THE DEVIL EVER PULLED WAS MAKING US BELIEVE HE DID NOT EXIST. Hence, his BUSHness.

[Gyre]

2. Felony animal abuse charges should be filed.

Skagit County District Attorney's office should be getting some phone calls/emails asking for a criminal investigation.

Gyre

[magnussun]

4. Living in political stereotypes

As a person who lives in rural California (I can't speak for red state republicans), I can say with certainty that republicans treat their animals the same as democrats. There are as many democrat hunters as republicans here.

There is an assumption that if one registers republican, they hate animals. Not true. They may oppose animal rights laws in general, but the worst cases of abuse and neglect I have seen have been in druggie families who have liberal views but don't vote.

I will say that republicans tend to let their cats roam, and democrats tend to keep them indoors. That's more responsible, but republican cats have more quality of life.

Being an independent, I am middle ground. My cats get to go outside, under strict supervision.

An end note on ranching, from a rancher's neice: Ranchers take excellent care of their cows. Though they do tend to murder coyotes and cougars to protect their stock. And while they may feed stray cats, they do not get them fixed, unless it's the "old-fashioned" way.

The guy whose dog discovered the carcasses: dogs roaming are the worst animal threat to livestock. I should know--we lost a year old colt to a pack of domestic dogs with idiot "city refugee" owners who let them roam. They ran him through a barbed wire fence. The owners had been warned on several occasions to fence their dogs. This happens all the time, and unfortunately, often the dogs get shot.
Thankfully, I am a kind neighbor. When the same problem cropped up last year, I went to the owners' house and told them their dogs were chasing the neighbor's cows and that he would shoot their dogs if he caught them chasing his cows again. They built a fence. The neighbor is a jerk, who brought his own dog over here, unleased. I was outside supervising my cat (he can't go outside without parental supervision) and asked if his dog would chase my cat. He said no, and three seconds later he ran my cat up a tree. The dog was not reprimanded. A week later, he brought the dog over again, unleashed. I told him that if his dog chased my cat again, I would call animal control, or if necessary, shoot the dog to protect my cat. He hasn't come around lately...I wonder why?

[msmcghee]

6. I generally enjoyed your post . .

. . until I got to:

"They may oppose animal rights laws in general, but the worst cases of abuse and neglect I have seen have been in druggie families who have liberal views but don't vote."

That's a popular meme that needs to be stamped out IMO. People who neglect animals are assholes - not liberals.

Are you making a connection between having liberal views and abusing animals? I'd suggest that's off by about 180 degrees. Having lived and worked on ranches in the past it's been my experience that animal abuse is usually done by males who have something to prove regarding their manhood. I never asked them their political persuasion but I suspect they'd be happier on the side that tends to bully anyone weaker than themselves. They did seem to have a lot of disdain for government.

I don't know what you mean by druggie families. There is a difference between people who smoke pot occasionally and people who run a meth lab in their basement. If they abused their animals I suspect they'd lie on the meth lab side of that line. Most pot smokers I have known tend to treat their pets more like members of the family. I do.

Liberal doesn't mean - "don't give a shit about anybody but them self" - except to conservatives.

[magnussun]

7. reply

Well, I didn't mean to attack liberals and I am sorry. But most druggies around here do share many of your views insofar as helping the needy, because they ARE needy. There is an attempt here, and it's considered acceptable, to link animal abuse to conservatism, and that is wrong too. Animal abusers are simply assholes without a conscience, and they can come in any race or political background.

M

[MisterP]

5. that some skulls'd been found in the trees shows deliberateness

and that this sick orgy went on with the guy's okay

[Bigmack]

8. Sounds like Satanic ritual stuff....

to me.

Those people can't fool me with their religious posing... they're Satanists - every one of 'em. Well, that's the story we should spread, anyway .