Walking in the Valley A weekly column for those who live and walk in Silicon Valley by Barbara Dahlgren

Perhaps I should "let sleeping dogs lie" but I just can't seem to let go of the Leo the dog story. Now don't get me wrong. I like dogs. We used to raise Spitz's and our kids have had everything from a Beagle to a Shitzu as pets over the years. Everyone knows that Andrew Burnett blew it when he hurled little Leo into traffic, which resulted in the dog's death. To have that much rage has to be some form of temporary insanity. But to receive three years hard jail time seems a bit excessive when a year would probably accomplish the same results. Then again, he may be able to get paroled after one year. I'm not sure how the system will work in his case. But we do want a reformed man coming out of prison, don't we? Already, inmates have dubbed Burnett as "poodle boy." Three years of snide comments and who knows what else in prison will probably not reform Burnett but make him bitter. Like I heard someone say, "He's just a Dachshund and a Pekinese away from three strikes and you're out."

What I really don't understand is all the sympathy Andrea Yates gets after depression led her to kill her five children? Yes, I empathize for her agonizing depression but it will be interesting to see how much, if any, jail time she receives. At least Leo the dog had someone to speak for him. Andrea Yates has more people speaking for her than her poor dead children. As Burnett's lawyer stated in the Mercury News, now "the value of an animal in our society is akin to that of a human being." It may be considered more valuable in some cases. For example, the book Facing the Wind by Julie Salamon recounts the true story of Bob Rowe who took a baseball bat and bludgeoned his three kids to death. He then called his wife at work, asked her to come home, and coldly killed her the same way. He spent two and a half years in a psychiatric facility and when released, remarried and had another child. Yes, I know these people are insane. But that argument can be made for almost anyone who commits an unspeakable crime.

What constitutes insanity, anyway? Is it just being mentally unstable? Is it being unreasonable? Is it being of an unsound mind? If so, we are around an awful lot of insane people everyday. Bob Rowe was described as a "charming and kind man." The sniper who takes pot shots at innocent bystanders is usually described as a quiet, gentle person who wouldn't harm a fly.

If you're looking for rhyme or reason in our judicial system, you won't find it. Some of these things won't be straightened out until Christ returns. And regarding insanity, I really think it is only with Christ in our lives that any of us will remain somewhat sane until that happens. And may God protect us all from ourselves and the other crazy people we meet everyday!

©July 2001

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