Tucker Carlson to Michael Vick: It's a Dog-Kill, Dog-Killer World

Tucker Carlson thinks Michael Vick should be executed. While filling in for Fox News host Sean Hannity Tuesday, Carlson made no attempt to hold back his thoughts on Vick. The news panel was discussing how President Obama personally called the Philadelphia Eagles owner to praise him for giving Vick a second chance. Carlson's views might be a little bit on the aggressive side, but he is not alone in thinking that sentences for animal cruelty cases are marshmallow-soft.

It would be intriguing to see Carlson's commentary on these other animal cruelty cases that hit the newswires in recent years.

Dog set on fire

In April of 2006, a 22-year-old man from Dallas became mad at his dog because she wouldn't mate. He became so irate that he stabbed her. Like that wasn't cruel enough, he then went on to douse her with gasoline and set her on fire. The pit bull mix was cared for by a shelter, but died after 10 days of suffering. The man responsible received a four-year sentence.

Puppy beat to death with rock

I'm sure that everybody has had a neighborhood dog at one time that would just not shut up. You would be trying to sleep or just be in an irritable mood and just wished it would quiet down. You might yell, "Shut up!" or might cuss the dog out. A former Los Angeles County assistant fire chief did something that thankfully almost none of us would do. He got so frustrated by the noise of his neighbor's 6-month-old puppy that he beat it to death with a rock. The man received a jail sentence of 90 days.

Puerto Rico debate

I would think that most any animal lover always thinks the punishments are too light for animal cruelty cases. A lot of sentences involve less than one year behind bars, and, in some cases, less than a month. In Puerto Rico, things are a little different.

One case that stands out is where a man dragged a horse behind his truck. The horse had a rope around his neck and was to trail the truck, but could not keep up. The horse was dragged for around 15 minutes, but was able to survive. Under new, stiffer cruelty-to-animal laws in Puerto Rico, the man was sentenced to 12 years in prison. The penalty has been a subject of debate because of the fact some people found guilty of second degree murder don't even get that long.

The call for harsher punishments

Tucker Carlson might be calling for the extreme, but his point is valid. Animal lovers or not, many people think the punishments for such cruel acts are way too soft. In pretty much any animal cruelty case this side of Puerto Rico, people are calling for harsher sentences. As Carlson points out, President Obama and many others are praising Michael Vick for taking advantage of his second chance. What exactly are we so proud of? Did anybody really expect to see him in the news for killing more dogs? Is that what it would have taken for people to think he wasn't rehabilitated?

Sources

CBS News

Dallas Morning News

Los Angeles Criminal Legal Blog

Yahoo News