your softhearted approach and light handed demeanor is the very casual thinking that lets people like this get away with such things in the first place
The post above said nothing about going soft on people who did wrongs, explicitly stating it wasn't absolving wrongs. In other words, the people should be responsible for their mistakes, but that is what legal investigations are for. Just a newspaper coverage of this, with some unspecific or to be verified details, doesn't prompt rhetoric like:
They should be slowly beaten to death. Perhaps slowly to the point of taking 2 days to do it just as they took to execute the dogs as they did.
It doesn't help this is the type of situation where the initial mistake could have been disproportionate to the consequences the mistake brings upon others. Some people assume only some animal-hating, inhuman monster could do such things, or make such mistakes, but doesn't help anyone understand why such things happen. A well-intentioned person could easily make similar mistakes leading up to that bad situation. People for whom facing the death of an animal is more punishment than any jail time still end up in similar situations too, because sometimes it is a problem of lack of forethought and not planning for unexpected change in the future, regardless of how heavy a price they know there is for such things.
Of course there is a good chance that someone involved in this mess is a careless, grade-A asshole type. But to say that is a given makes assumptions.
An attempt at an understanding or caring hand is not mutually exclusive with a firm hand.
The post above said nothing about going soft on people who did wrongs, explicitly stating it wasn't absolving wrongs. In other words, the people should be responsible for their mistakes, but that is what legal investigations are for. Just a newspaper coverage of this, with some unspecific or to be verified details, doesn't prompt rhetoric like:
It doesn't help this is the type of situation where the initial mistake could have been disproportionate to the consequences the mistake brings upon others. Some people assume only some animal-hating, inhuman monster could do such things, or make such mistakes, but doesn't help anyone understand why such things happen. A well-intentioned person could easily make similar mistakes leading up to that bad situation. People for whom facing the death of an animal is more punishment than any jail time still end up in similar situations too, because sometimes it is a problem of lack of forethought and not planning for unexpected change in the future, regardless of how heavy a price they know there is for such things.
Of course there is a good chance that someone involved in this mess is a careless, grade-A asshole type. But to say that is a given makes assumptions.
An attempt at an understanding or caring hand is not mutually exclusive with a firm hand.