So the wild peacocks stalking and calling out in Makaha pushed someone over the edge.
Makaha woman faces charges in beating death of peacock
Woman charged in peacock killing
The story is a week old, but I still stumble into debates now and then. Is it that the peacock is beautiful and regal that it is cherished above, say, rodents or wild boars that are also nuisances and also meet unpleasant ends? Is it the fairly barbaric, hands-on way the animal was killed that has everyone riled up (whereas poisonings generally go unnoticed)? Is it the perpetrator's attitude, versus that of the community where she lived?
Now, Howard Dicus publicly asked the question I'd been mulling when later coverage of the story included Maloney's frustration with the press: Is the peacock basher being bashed? I, for one, saw a lot of Maloney on TV, and read a lot of quotes in the papers, and didn't get the sense she was being misrepresented. I think she was being perfectly and accurately represented... and the public, as a whole, didn't like her.
Makaha woman faces charges in beating death of peacock
The prosecutor's office was flooded with phone calls and e-mails from people appalled at the attack, Honolulu Prosecutor Peter Carlisle said yesterday at a news conference. Prosecutors plan to vigorously pursue the case, he said. [...] "I grabbed him by the tail, and I whacked him on the head," said Maloney, claiming sleep deprivation caused by loud screeches from peacocks in the area drove her to kill the bird.
Sandra Maloney was charged with second-degree animal cruelty, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine.Maloney said after the attack that she had asked unsuccessfully for authorities to reduce the population of peacocks in Makaha Valley.
Now, Howard Dicus publicly asked the question I'd been mulling when later coverage of the story included Maloney's frustration with the press: Is the peacock basher being bashed? I, for one, saw a lot of Maloney on TV, and read a lot of quotes in the papers, and didn't get the sense she was being misrepresented. I think she was being perfectly and accurately represented... and the public, as a whole, didn't like her.
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