Let the punishment fit the crime

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

By Grace Hammond

Dogfighting is illegal in Wyoming. The issue is settled; the law is on the books. Yet the state insists on keeping one foot out the door when it comes to punishing dogfighting’s perpetrators. Why?

Wyoming is one of two states where dogfighting is not a felony. Idaho, our next-door neighbor, is the other.

When the Michael Vick case limped across the nation’s televisions, bloody, gruesome and sad, a sense of collective outrage came knocking at Wyoming’s door, demanding an explanation for the pithy lip service our state pays to dogfighting laws.

Last session, Rep. Rosie Berger introduced a bill to make dogfighting a felony. It survived the House, but died when the Senate failed to bring it to debate. Idaho, for its part, has seen Rep. Tom Trail try (and fail) to change their antiquated laws three times.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a legislator or lobbyist who will tell you that dogfighting “just isn’t that bad” or isn’t usually accompanied by a host of other unwelcome vices. The reason legislation has failed is the context of the law.

Citizens and their representatives aren’t worried they won’t be able to dogfight anymore – most find it repugnant – rather, the laws are a jigsaw puzzle, and Wyomingites are concerned with the periphery of the dogfighting piece, the pieces of the law where the corners might touch. They are worried about their rights to ride their bulls, brand their cattle and maintain their own properties without interference.

Republican Rep. Sue Wallis voted against the bill to increase penalties for dogfighting and explained to the Wyoming Eagle-Tribune that she feared the law could have unintended consequences. One point hit home: Under the proposed legislation, domestic violence would become a lesser crime than animal abuse.

When the Vick case tyrannized American media, it was impossible to ignore the fact that the kind of outrage the nation directed at the NFL for dogfighting had lain dormant during the series of rape and domestic violence charges that made regular visits to the league over the last several years. Sad, yes. Problematic, absolutely.

Wallis is right: We should question our domestic violence laws and our lazy cultural attitudes toward it – but not because of dogfighting. And yes, we should maintain branding and property rights – but not because of dogfighting. Further, we should celebrate our culture with rodeos and church potlucks and whatever we like – but not because of dogfighting.

It’s time for the state to deal with one issue at a time. If everyone agrees that dogfighting is abhorrent, let’s take that final step and let the punishment fit the crime. If next we have to consider other issues, like our property rights or the rights of Wyoming women to be safe in their own homes, so be it. We shouldn’t be afraid of introspection. If right is on the side of our laws, they'll hold up to scrutiny.

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Let the punishment fit the crime | Planet JH News Article: Editorial

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