This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
I couldn't quite follow Robert Kirby's May 4 column in response to PETA's request for a roadside memorial plaque for the turkeys that died in a recent truck crash.
He said that was ridiculous, and went on to tell that he personally has murdered lots of animals, including shooting five cows. I suppose, as he is a humorist, that in some way he thought his shooting of the cows (that would step in front of trains), would elicit a few chuckles. His story made me cringe.
I guess he can feel a kind of superiority and machismo by showing a lack of empathy for animals, but to a lot of people that disconnect is actually inhumane and deeply painful. Animals that are treated cruelly and abused unnecessarily deserve to be advocated for. No laughs found here.
Julie Mark
Salt Lake City