I’d like to post some concerns I have about hate crimes and Caboodle Ranch. I’m not a professional writer, so please forgive any errors I make as I’m writing this out of concern due to the increase in hate crimes in this country. Thank you in advance for allowing me to voice my opinion.
Back in 2009, the U.S. Senate passed the Matthew Shepherd Hate Crimes Prevention Act that would allow the death penalty as a possible sentence to certain hate crimes. As a native Washingtonian (Washington, D.C.), I had the opportunity to speak with those senators involved in passing this act.
Until the passing of this act, hate crimes were defined as crimes against not only race, color, religion and national origin, but also certain bias-motivated crimes based on the victim’s actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or disability. This definition has been expanded to include many additional circumstances, all circulating around hate for an individual or group.
The Matthew Shepherd Hate Crimes Prevention Act also gives the U.S. federal government jurisdiction over prosecuting hate crimes in areas where the current law is lax or the local police refuse to protect an individual or group.
The first conviction under this new law occurred when a federal jury convicted an Arkansas man back in May of 2011 for hate crimes committed against five Hispanic men who were verbally abused at a service station. The abuse spilled over into road rage which ended with all five of the Hispanic men being injured after being forced off of the road. Although this was a different kind of motivation, it all stems from hate.
This is the type of hate now being directed at Caboodle Ranch in Lee, Florida by people who don’t want to wait on the courts to do their job. Hate crimes, as defined by wikipedia, include lynching and witch hunts. I’ve read information from both sides of the case against Caboodle Ranch. Actions being taken by an individual or group of individuals could easily be seen as a hate crime as threats of death are involved. It’s also alleged people who wish to support the ranch and have publicly announced their support are also receiving threats.
According to the Nizkor project, one of the most common reasons people commit hate crimes is “the primal emotions aroused by the love of one’s own group. These deep feelings of group identity are particularly vivid in times of economical and political uncertainty and among people who suffered emotional neglect as children.”1
As a retired psychiatrist, I agree with the Nizkor project findings.
It may be difficult proving a hate crime has been committed unless extreme violence has taken place. It is, however, illegal in the U.S. to send threatening mail using the U.S. Postal Service. Federal Law makes it a crime to hurt someone if the threat is sent by “interstate commerce.” This includes the U.S. Postal Service, email, or otherwise over the internet2. They are punishable by fines, jail or both, depending on severity.
The U.S. Secret Service takes cyber threats seriously and acts alongside the Internet Crime Prevention Center in finding those guilty and prosecuting them.
I hope I don’t upset your readers at this fine cat site. If I do then I apologize. As a new subscriber I found it necessary to warn your readers that not everyone who loves cats love people. In fact, I find the opposite to be true in the Caboodle Ranch case. I’ve been watching the case these past few weeks and find myself sickened on some of the goings-on taking place outside of the courtroom.
Caboodle Ranch is a popular topic these days. Their Facebook page at Caboodle Ranch, Inc. as well as their opponents at Caboodle’s Angels, Caboodle Ranch Cruelty Case Info and www.caboodleranch.net have both sides of the issue covered quite well. I find myself amazed at the hate people feel for this one man. Now I’ve read Craig Grant and his supporters are receiving death threats. Our country, based on the legal belief “innocent until proven guilty” has gotten out of control, thanks to the internet.
Is this the work of only a few enraged members of one or another of these sites, or are there hundreds out there who wish him death. Never mind this is a decision for the courts to decide in a few weeks. Do those making threats against Caboodle Ranch in the form of letters and other internet activity realize they could face a fine and/or face jail time. Is this a game to them? Do these persecutors have nothing better to do with their time? I find this all very sickening to think these haters could be my friends or neighbor’s.
In this day of modern science, fingerprints as well as DNA evidence can be lifted from envelopes. IP addresses and internet sites can also easily be traced back to their creator. Those found guilty should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. I believe this not as a supporter of either side, but because many tend to think of the internet as a make believe world where anything is legal. Threatening someone harm through any means is wrong and those doing it must be stopped.
I feel the Caboodle Ranch case will go down in history due to the controversy it’s created by pitting one cat lover against another. It may also become famous as those against the ranch who threaten to physically harm Craig Grant, his staff and his followers could be prosecuted under the Matthew Shepherd Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Especially since several hate crimes have made headlines this year.
Regardless, it’s up to the legal system to inflict punishment. Individuals on a hate mission have no right to claim they love cats. When such a group acts on their own as judge, jury and prosecutor, it shows they are of lesser intelligence than those they are out to harm. It also shows serious disrespect of our legal system, which I admit is far from perfect. We, as American citizens, have the legal obligation to allow the courts to punish those found guilty of a crime based on the decision of a judge and jury. Anything else is barbaric. And illegal.
Sincerely,
Victoria
Washington, D.C., United States
Reference:
1. (www.nizkor.org/hweb/orgs/canadian/Canada/justice/hate-motivated-violence/hmv-002-02.html).
2. http://criminal.lawyers.com/Criminal-Law-Basics/Cyber-Threats-Like-Obama-Facebook-Poll-are-Crimes.html
I’ve been watching this case unfold from the beginning and watched from the background and read comments from both sides.
I believe the judges conclusions were (unfortunately) the right ones but am concerned re the fate of the feral cats. I have also managed an animal shelter and understand the difficulties faced by Craig Grant, although he was most definitely without the resources to look after that many animals and was irresponsible to continue as he did.
As a reasonably objective observer, I agree that the vitriol from the anti-CR supporters has far exceeded that from the pro-CL supporters. Absolutely disgusting at times. Elise, it’s a vindictive bitter person who takes pleasure in the misfortune of others.
There are many, many examples of threats like that (and worse) on the CR pages. The name calling is very bad also. We simply ignore them and concentrate on the task at hand. The feral cats will be placed with feral colonies (acclimated and introduced properly).
Michael has the screenshot of the comments Elise made on their Caboodle Ranch Cruelty Case Info page. It would not copy and paste and has been removed from their page. I apologize for the inconvenience.
The screenshot is on this page.
Do you only want to see Elise’s comments, or would you like to see the threats from the CR pages also?
Perhaps the haters should take note of what they’ve accomplished this past week and see how it places them in a hate crime setting. According to a screenshot from Caboodle Ranch Cruelty Case Info, Elise Perkins made the following statement(s):
This shows several things, including the fact that opponents against Caboodle Ranch (lovingly referred to as “the haters,” has now extended their hate not only to the ranch employees but to the 18000+ fans by “putting their names” on a list banning them from adopting a Caboodle Ranch cat. How long did it take to get that name list together? Don’t you think the ASPCA will have enough to do without having to search through such a list for those “banned” from adopting. Do you have the legal right to ban adoptions? Is the ASPCA REALLY aware that notices have been published on the internet that none of the 18,000 Caboodle Ranch supporters should even bother to show up because their names are on a “list?” I read their online newsletter detailing the adoption event and NOWHERE does it mention this! Is sabotaging an ASPCA adoption event a crime?
Who died and made you God?
The ASPCA can do their job without your “help.” I also seriously doubt they are monitoring the Facebook pages of 18000 Caboodle Ranch supporters. Unlike YOU, the ASPCA has much more important work to accomplish than spread lies and spew hate. If anyone’s Facebook page should be monitored, it should be those whose sole desire is to destroy Caboodle Ranch. That’s for the court to decide. Not a bunch of Judge Judy wannabees!
The opposition has also stated that thanks to their efforts, Craig Grants personal cats will not even be put up for adoption at this event. This shows their hate for Mr. Grant is more important than these cats finding a permanent home. They’d rather see these poor cats kept in cages than to go through the adoption process along with the other cats.
Combine these activities (I call them activities as it seems to be all these haters have to do with their time), and you have a hate crime scenario against a group of people and what they believe in. The hate accelerates on a daily basis as the court date draws near.
These are obviously people who hate people much more than they profess to love cats. Just because so many support the ranch doesn’t mean these supporters should be banned for an affiliation to a group they’ve likely never met face to face. Guilt by association, I believe, is the term.
Again, lots of psycho-babble trying to influence people using hate and scare tactics. You should be ashamed to call yourselves cat lovers! Everything I’ve read about Caboodle Ranch supporters has talked of how the ranch tried to save cats. Those against the ranch are doing their best to prevent many of these cats from finding homes by warning adopters away from the events. The adoptions should be based on overall compatibility and legally binding between the applicant and the ASPCA. Not because potential adopters are on or not on a list.
I’ve followed both sides of this issue these past few months. In my 38 years as a practicing family therapist I’ve dealt with many emotional issues. I’ve treated men and women who later were imprisoned for violence against family members. Never during those years have I experienced the level of hate I have on the topic of Caboodle Ranch.
I strongly urge many of you to seek medical and psychological treatment. There are drugs available with wonderful success rates for treating your condition. I suggest anger management classes as well as treatment for OCD as many of you appear asymptomatic. Adult ADHD is also a possible diagnosis since those involved keep repeating themselves over and over again and ADHD can cause behavioral, social , emotional, vocational and academic problems in adults. Symptoms of delusions of grandeur and systematized delusions are definitely being displayed by those against Mr. Grant. Perhaps if time were spent studying the various new drugs available instead of persecuting a man who will be found innocent or guilty by a jury of his peers, you may find comfort and healing through drug therapy along with psychotherapy.
Should you be unable to afford treatment, visit your local Mental Health office. Most large counties have them now and charges are based on your income.
Hi Victoria. Great comment. Thanks for taking the time to make some sense out of this. The Caboodle Ranch story reflects badly on a section of society. The cats as usual come out well. They are the silent victims. I also believe, as you have said, that a number of individuals are expressing their anger, acquired as a result of something else, through Caboodle Ranch or they might have mental health issues. We all carry some sort of mental baggage but one or two of the people who have commented on this page (Natasha comes to mind) have problems.
It seems that the Caboodle Ranch story has exposed some of the darker side of what goes on in the heads of ‘ordinary people’, in American society.
Victoria, your ignorance and willingness to jump to conclusions is appalling.
First off, as we’ve said several times now, “all 18,000+ supporters” are not on the list. The people on the list are convicted animal abusers, people currently facing trial for animal abuser and hoarding, and individuals who have made terroristic statements about their intent to steal the cats and return them to Craig. In fact, there are MULTIPLE statements to this effect on the official Caboodle Ranch page as of this moment.
The adoptions ARE based on the screening process of the adopting agencies. Not on the list. But the list provides a convenient “short list” of high-risk adopters that require additional scrutiny. In most cases, a quick lookup on pet-abuse.com is all that’s needed to eliminate them from consideration. In the case of individuals advocating fraud and theft, screenshots of those comments have been taken and are available to the adopting organizations on request.
Finally, it is the Caboodle Ranch supporters who have sought to delay and sabotage the adoptions, not us. Here’s a perfect example:
“God knows we are doing everything we can, with limited funds, to stop the adoptions.” — Dale Swisher on Caboodle Ranch, Inc. Facebook page, August 6th, 2012.
Victoria, you are blind to your own prejudices. The anti-CR people are furious because cats have been tortured and killed through Caboodle Ranch’s fraud and neglect. The pro-CR people are furious because those lies were exposed.
I don’t know of any mental health professional who would dare to make a diagnosis and recommendation over the internet. This further increases my skepticism that you were ever a licensed therapist, but I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you were simply dangerously incompetent.
Victoria – It becomes clearer with each of your posts that you are not now, nor have you ever been a therapist. An educated professional would be able to comprehend the definition of hate crime. No mental health or medical professional would ever advise treatment of any sort based on internet posts, without an examination or consultation with the patient, much less advise medication.
No one died and made us God. No one has a “right” to adopt cats. It is, however, the “right” of the adoption agency to select who it adopts animals to – they have custody of the animals. Using whatever criteria they choose, the ASPCA will decide who will adopt the cats.
What exactly is your connection to Grant? You speak of him frequently? Do you know him? Have you been to CR, seen the cats? Do you have any personal experience with this case at all?
The courts have already decided the fate of the cats. They will also decide – with no help from us, or e-mails from the fans – the fate of CR and Grant. I have complete faith in them.
Thank the Lord that this author had the courage and integrity to write this most excellent article on hate crimes. Craig Grant, Rob Grant, Pavla Grant, and Nanette Entriken are most assuredly guilty of hate crimes against cats, and I applaud this author for taking on this corrupt, hateful, animal-absing bunch. Fingers crossed, they’ll all soon be in jail!
Did you ever read what it is your responding to ???? No I think Not….
Just another HATE rant anywhere they can get a jab in they will. I don’t think you people get it although cats should not be abused for any reason.
People have this thing call RIGHTS you know Court of law. Just because a bunch of Blabbermouths see things a certain way that just too bad. Get over it IT”S INNOCENT TILL PROVEN GUILTY Not the Blabbermouth said HANG HIM. Try and remember that stuff they taught in school would you. And stop with the I wish this and that will ya. People do have RIGHTS. So Sorry..
Oh and I forgot to tell you the only one CHARGED with Anything Is Graig Grant.
So your hatred for the other people is a wasted thought again. So Sorry..
Like I said read before you speak. It’s much better for the rest of us that way..
When It is no longer a soap box for the Haters they loose all Interest. Why does that not surprise me. If its not another place to come and rave like loons, there not interested. Just goes to show the true purpose. HATE !!!
Those of you so filled with hate as to not even comment on the actual topic give new meaning to the term “psycho-babble.” I won’t comment further, having proven my point. Some of you should learn to keep silent and be thought a fool or speak and remove all double. Michael, I applaud your ability to tread softly where fools surely gather.
Thanks Victoria. The comments do shed light on the nature of the problem that is ultimately about animal welfare. Humans are too busy squabbling to be focused on caring for animals properly.
In reponse to Victoria’s Quote:
“Some of you should learn to keep silent and be thought a fool or speak and remove all DOUBLE”
Victoria, maybe you should follow your own advice.