Democrat's Cat Killed with "Liberal" Painted on Body

A cat belonging to Jake Burris, the campaign manager for Democrat Ken Aden, was found dead with his head bashed in and the word "Liberal" spray-painted on his side. Ken Aden is running against Republican Steve Womack for Arkansas' 3rd Congressional District. The cat was left on the family house doorstep and found by Burris and his 4 children upon their return home. The Womack campaign denounced this violent and brutal act, and, the local police are investigating the matter.

I wish I could say this is unusual but violent acts against animals as a method to send a message is quite common. spcaLA's domestic violence program, Animal Safety Net, began over a decade ago to deal with the use of a  pet, by the abuser, to control the behaviors of a victim.  We have seen pets harmed to assert gang turf or to perform an initiation rite. We have seen pets beaten to assert power and to intimidate others into compliance. Now, we see the torture of a pet as an expression of political partisanship.

Clearly, these acts are the works of cowards who choose to bully those who can't fight back rather than to deal with their own problems. Most assuredly these animal offenders are also capable of violence against people and must be prosecuted for these offenses to stop the escalation of violence. Sadly, this is not the last of it.

This cat was an innocent - neither democrat nor republican- not conservative or liberal, neither pro nor con, not for or against. Just a cat on a walk one Sunday in Arkansas.