If a child is cruel to animals it is only to be expected they will be cruel to humans. And perhaps this will be the generation of children without "natural affection" to which the Bible refers. Accounts of cruelty like those cited make it easy to believe we have reached that point here in America.

You had me till this~~

“It's an aftermath of the 60s,” Haddock says. “I haven't lost hope yet, but people have to realize what a problem this is.”

Nope the 60's were all about love and ducks man... Now the 70's and disco duck...

This is sad story...........

They say are future is our youths. 

I picked up my new Glock today... I'd like test out it's accuracy on these punk's kneecaps...I hope they catch them. 

There a a zillion of normal nice kids out there and a hand full of these ~ round up these(get the license plate anybody?) and fie them to therapy. Why did we stand by and let these morons continue in the duck beating? Late one night a car of nere-do- wells kept circling me,shouting insults as I walked. I stopped got out a pen and paper and took down the car license plate number~ they backed up ,apologized for the insults and drove off.

I would not have stood by and watched this type of thing in front of my home.

There always have been and there always will be some people that do mean and bad things. This is nothing new. Some act as if this generation is without ''natural affection''.........Every generation has there loser's. As the population grows so will bad people........

Ever seen "Magnum Force"? Remember what happened at the beginning of the movie to Carmine Ricca, his lawyer, bodyguard, and driver? That's what those punks deserve, with a video of the event being sent to their families.

This was very hard for me to read, having just lost my prescious pet a week ago.

I'm with you Sage, I would have been out ther with pen, paper & camera, maybe even my 45. I was followed when I was 14, I memorized the license plate number and as soon as I could called police. They got the guy, I testified in court, he went bye bye and lost his teaching credintials. Yup, was a Jr. hi music teacher.

So Haddock blames all this on the 60s and not having enough religion.  Only a sociologist can judge whether today's crime is correlated to the 60s, and only a theologian can judge whether we need some more of that old-time religion.

I guess Dean's an expert at EVERYTHING--except winning elections, that is.

Apparently, it wasn't known what was going on until it was over.

"One evening two weeks ago, 22-year-old Shannon Andrew and her 2-year-old daughter were in the driveway of her parents' Fairway Drive home, when a SUV load of men, each in his late teens or early 20s, suddenly stopped in front of the house.

Unnerved by their staring, Andrew scooped up her toddler and hurried inside. As it turns out, it wasn't Andrew they were staring at.

Peering into the fading light, Andrew could see and hear the young men as they leapt laughing from the car and began to “kick something up and down the street.” Later, after they tired of their sport and left, Andrew went to find what that something was. It wasn't until another car passed by, stirring up a cloud of feathers, that she spotted the still form lying on the street"

Dr. Dean Haddock, a Bakersfield psychologist, says repeated exposure to violence, family breakdown, violent video games and films and the lack of religious education have conspired to create a frightening and growing population of calloused children and teens.

“It's an aftermath of the 60s,” Haddock says. “I haven't lost hope yet, but people have to realize what a problem this is.”

I guess Haddock thinks that young people were angels in the 1950s. No wonder he's practicing in Bakersfield.

If we could ONLY have some more religion!  Then we could have another Inquisition and Salem Witch Trial!

WHY OH WHY CAN'T WE HAVE MORE RELIGION?  I WANT MORE AND MORE AND MORE AND MORE AND MORE.  MODERATION IN EVERYTHING.  EXCEPT RELIGION!!!!!!!!!!!

“It's an aftermath of the 60s,” Haddock says. “I haven't lost hope yet, but people have to realize what a problem this is.”

My husband noted an odd moment in his encounter with Bakersfield. In 1958, he was traveling from Whittier to Fresno on the Grapevine and picked up a hitch hiker. It wasn't unusual back then. In his years in the US Army Air Corp, he and thousands of soldiers and sailors resorted to hitch hiking to get into Los Angeles from Bakersfield.

On this occasion, the hitch hiker turned out to be something other than your average guy. He talked incessantly about his hatred for his mother, and at one point raised up, dropped his pants, and displayed the tattoos artfully done on the cheeks of his buttocks. They were bluebirds.

Who could forget something like that? My husband drove this fellow from Bakersfield to Madera, California and then went on his way.

Years later, during the trials of mass murderer Richard Speck, the reports noted that Speck had blue birds tattooed on his buttocks.

Did Speck live in Bakersfield? Who knows! Last I heard, he was incarcerated, had gone through a course of hormone treatments so he could grow female breast, and had made a video of himself having sex with prison inmates that was smuggled out of the penitentiary and shown on national television.

So much for the tranquility of the 1950s. Somehow it produced a monster like Richard Speck so blaming the "aftermath of the 60s" doesn't quite jive.

Yes, but remember, if you're going to hold witch trials, you need ducks to put on the scales. Everyone knows that if you weigh less than a duck, you're a witch! <Sorry, Monty Python reference>

I don't think we need more religion. We need better parents. We also need to turn off CNN and Faux News once in a while. I'm sure there have been duck beatings since the beginning of time, but no one ever knew about it. Since sex and violence sell advertising time, that's all they report anymore.

Throughout history, there have been bad kids (or, even, horrible kids!).  It's not a new concept.  It's not singularly attributable to one generation.  What is changing is our ability to gather information.  Even the smallest bits of news can circulate the globe in hours.  Stories like this one evoke such a powerful emotional response that people feel compelled to share it.  The actions taken by these boys (I can't use the term "young man" because there's nothing "manly" about their actions) is awful.  And, kids who abuse animals often go on to abuse humans.  But, it's very likely that they were abused or emotionally/physically neglected themselves.  For me, though these kids have obvious problems, I place most of the blame on their parents.  It happens in every generation, but that doesn't make it acceptable: there will always be parents who divest themselves of their children.  Instead of taking time to love their children and show them acceptable behavior, they teach violence and hate.  Instead of reading a book or coloring or sitting down to a craft with their children, they put them infront of a television and treat the child as an interuption.  It's the worst extravagance to ignore your children as if you'll have forever to teach and love them.  A parent's investment matters - and I'm not talking about an investment of money.  Time.  Care.  Love.  Interest.  Respect for what childhood is and an understanding of what it is not. 

I'm not a perfect parent.  But, my children, for now, are my purpose and focus.  Hearing stories like these makes me sick to my stomach.  How did these boys come to know torture?  How did they come to feel that it is acceptable to abuse power (of size or numbers)?

Religion won't help anything. The areas with the lowest-performing students are always the ones with the most churchgoers. There is a correlation between the two. Areas like Marin County that have a low number of churchgoers have the highest-performing students and the lowest crime. Porterville has more churches per capita than any town/city in The Valley. It also has the highest crime rate, and only 33% of its residents are high school graduates, and just 11% have completed two years of college.

"How did they come to feel that it is acceptable to abuse power (of size or numbers)?"

Well, Fox News, The Bush Administration, Grandpa Rumsfeld and the Abu Grebe Players, just to name a few. Not to mention the numerous examples of the "justified" violence brought on by religious zealots around the world. Don't let them watch the news...ever.

Yeah.  In the Middle Ages in Europe the Catholic Church cornered the market on literacy--probably helps explain why it was so powerful.  Nowadays it's cornering the market on illiteracy.  Hey, it'll take what it can get.

*Disclaimer--I have nothing against illiterate Catholics.

H8, there were lousy parents in this valley for decades before anyone ever heard of Bush & Co; the low-lifes who killed those ducks wouldn't know Donald Rumsfeld from Donald Duck. These punks have fathers, uncles, and grandfathers who teach them "never to back down from any man," which is a recipe for disaster. This won't be their last brush with the law; that mindset is permanent.

Still JBS, you have to admit, there's no better way to prove to your male friends on a fun Saturday night that you're NOT gay than beating up a duck. 

Good point JBS. They probably can't understand enough English to watch the news, and are certainly not smart enough to comprehend it...and I'm talking about the PARENTS!

Stuff like that has been going on forever. It is NOT because of the 60s. That's just a sideways way of saying everything bad about our society is because of liberals. Many great things came from the 60s, like civil rights for instance.

It is true that Ozzie and Harriet are relics of the past, but that can probably be more blamed on the fact that in our present day economy, it takes at least 2 jobs in the family to make it. That means less quality time with the kids. In the 60s, there was more quality time with the kids.

We also have instant media attention to everything, and Bakersfield is 10 times bigger than it was in the mid sixties. People have been doing stupid crap like putting firecrackers up cat butts for decades.

There are plenty of good kids in this town, and of course we have our fair share of morons too. In fact, we have MORE than our fair share.  I wouldn't necessarily blame duck mutilating on a lack of exposure to Jesus. For all you know, these guys could be altar boys. But the point is taken that a lack of dicipline is a major component on bad behavior, and Jesus has been known to keep some people from their vices. But please, leave the hippies out of this, they're the ones with the flowers in their hands shooting you a peace sign. Corporate greed has killed a helluva lot more water foul than a flower child's prodigy.

Well actually, Marylee was just paraphrasing the good doctor.  What he really said was:

"It's cuz a all these goshdern free-lovin' commie hippies and ther devil-worshippin' spawns that ducks get beat up nowadays.  Why, in my day, my pa woulda beat my tail if I tried to beat up a poor duck fer crossin the road.  He he.  Why did the duck cross the road?"

That's when Marylee turned to tape recorder off.

My dad blamed the "downfall of American society" on the Beatles.

Stuff like that has been going on forever. It is NOT because of the 60s. That's just a sideways way of saying everything bad about our society is because of liberals. Many great things came from the 60s, like civil rights for instance.

Exactly!  Political ideology  has little to do with it.  You'll find bad parents on both sides of the spectrum.  Pretending that it's only a problem of "liberals" or the sixties is an excuse not to address the real problem.  Same with religion...religion is no guarantee that you'll raise good children . You can dress bad parenting and violent kids up on Sundays...they're still bad parents and violent kids. 

It is true that Ozzie and Harriet are relics of the past, but that can probably be more blamed on the fact that in our present day economy, it takes at least 2 jobs in the family to make it. That means less quality time with the kids. In the 60s, there was more quality time with the kids.

 Ozzie and Harriet weren't all that happy and ended up with two kids who imbibed in alcohol and cocaine.   And, once again, anti...I agree with you completely.  Now, don't get me wrong - I know some families NEED the double income (especially now).  But, I'm always struck by how most dual income families keep dual incomes so that they can buy more material stuff and take trips or throw parties that become the envy of  their circle.  I may be a liberal atheist, but my husband and I have agreed that one of us will always be around.  His job is flexible.  Mine is part time and so flexible that it doesn't take any time from my children.  We have turned down better jobs because it would mean taking time for our family.  We don't take fancy trips.  We stick to a budget.  We prioritize needs versus wants and it's worked out just fine.  We're living in a time of excess.   Of course you'll have to work two jobs if you're buying a new car every year and taking on mortgage payments you can't afford.  But, it's not a necessity---it's a choice.

There are plenty of good kids in this town, and of course we have our fair share of morons too. In fact, we have MORE than our fair share.  I wouldn't necessarily blame duck mutilating on a lack of exposure to Jesus.

There are plenty of good kids in this town.  In fact, there are some amazing kids in this town.  And, it is the good kids who will go on to be law makers, doctors, lawyers, and productive citizens.  The good still exceed the bad.

To bad you did not get any type of info on these kids car---maybe if they pass by you the next time, get their license number and report them---can't take personal attack comments---BUT I know myself or son, wife, daughter would have seen this happen we would have stopped it!!!!  Don't be afraid to get involved---just a HEY!!!  would have stopped them---HOPE they nab them, if you see the SUV call the police, at least those boys know that someone saw them---

It's time, Haddock says, for a “come to Jesus meeting.”

This being Bakersfield, I'll bet every one of them has already been to such a gathering.  Most likely on multiple Sundays.

How did this blog turn into a rant about Christians? It is highly doubtful these kids were practicing "Christians" in any shape or form. Actually, it seems to be more a societal-media problem that results from norming deviancy up- Turn on the TV, and what do you see? A child molester on one channel, a sex pervert on the next, a cannibal who eats little girls, a greedy politician who beats his wife, a mother that fatally bathes five children in a tub,  a doctor that rapes girls while they are in his office, and the constant drip, drip, drip of inhumanity that covers us like vomit.

Go back a hundred years ago and read the kind of  red flag "discipline" reports that were common in that era. Little Susie giggled. Little Tommy threw a spit-wad. Little Romeo put ink on little Susie.

Those were the days and you can check them out by reading the historical records that are kept in the schools.

They exist and tell a story very unlike today. They tell a story that should make us so-called sophisticates shudder with self awareness at what we have done to our society, the horror we are responsible for- and certainly a harsh judgment is our way coming. Some journalist should take me up on this challenge to look into historical school records for discipline and compare them to today. I did it for myself and was shocked at the horrific mirror they represent.

This is the age of the brutal vulgarians, and there is no doubt about that.

As to the Salem Witchcraft phenomenon, medical research has shown a high probability that the community was seriously impacted by a hallucinatory fungus that afflicts crops in that region. Sometimes, explanations can be more than prejudice may want. 

"To bad you did not get any type of info on these kids car"

In today's world, someone always has a magnificent recording device at their fingertips. A cell phone camera would have brought these punks down. Unfortunately, we forget to use them, or don't know how to do it quickly. If you have one (and most of us do) practice using it. See how fast you can get it out, opened up, select camera, aim and shoot. Pretend it's a quick draw contest. Mine takes about 5 seconds. After you master the quick draw, start doing it in random situations for practice. If everyone had the presence of mind to start snapping pictures, think how many creeps we could put away.

 How did this blog turn into a rant about Christians?

It didn't.  Marylee quoted someone who seemed to think religion was the answer.  The more likely scenario is that religion had already failed.

random, failed on what basis? Can you be specific? Thanks. 

It really kills me to hear of such stories and think that there is still hope for humanity--too many senseless taking of life-any life-in the name of 'kicks'....there isn't a day that doesn't go by that I don't drop to one knee and bow my head and ask...this can't be your plan--is it?

Lingtaowoo, You will be dropping onto your knees more than you ever did before. I don't know if random drops to his knees, but that will be his last answer, in the end.

Failed to keep them from becoming horribly dysfunctional human beings, gaslight.  

It would be irresponsible not to speculate that weekly lessons about a vastly more powerful being who maintains his own personal torture chamber might have influenced their treatment of an animal which couldn't possibly have fought back.

I mean, kids *DO* learn by example, right?

random, You are very general here, can you get more specific? Thank you. 

I think we need more paragraph structure. Thank you. 

All right, I'll get very specific.  The god described in the Christian fantasies about an eternal Hell of punishment for more than 80-90 percent of all the human beings who ever lived is no better, morally, than three teenagers who torture a helpless duck.  Religion in general needs to improve the quality of their deities before claiming any kind of "high moral ground," and almost certainly the offenders in this case had at least some religious indoctrination--if not regular church attendance--that somehow failed to impart the message that you don't inflict intentional cruelty on something that cannot defend itself.

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Me, I haven't been in church for 20 years (and that for a funeral) and do not believe there's anyone keeping score up there.  But  I would never think of committing such an act.  The United States is one of the most religious countries in the world, and has one of the worst records on crime.  Norway, one of the least religious countries, has one of the best records.  Whatever the solution to this problem is, I doubt religion is a big part of it.

Your second sentence is muddled. Can you please clarify it in the light of archeology, paleontology, and archaeobiological findings? I think you are onto something, but you are missing some elements. Thank you. 

Yes I agree with many former bloggers who site evidence of violence in 1950s and 1960s.  I think this is an age-old problem and nothing new.  What Charles Manson and his followers in the 1960s.  Also there is the Zodiac killer in 1970s in San Francisco and Freeway strangler in LA in 1970s and 1980s.  it just goes on and on.  Also from some movies about LA history, it seems that there was plenty of crime in 1940s and 1950s with LA Confidential showing mob connections with police department.  Also look at The Dahlia in LA.  That has to be one of the most gruesome murder/tortures I have ever seen.  The young aspiring starlet in LA who was cut in half and then the killer tried to put her upper and lower body parts back together -- YUK!!!!   I think any time in history you can look and see plenty of horrible crimes -- some in the name of religion. 

I am not sure either that religion is the answer.  I was raised in the Catholic church and have since lost all respect for religion.  However I do occasionally go to Canyon Hills.  I have found them to be closest to what I am seeking in relgiion. 

You know I posted something about rudeness in young people and that they have no respect for their elders.  This seems to be a pervasive problem and might be contributing to some of the abusive crimes committed.  I know not all young people are like this, but there are enough around to make it a problem.   Now the hard part is how to fix this.     

May I suggest a course of reading comprehension classes, gaslight?  Adler's "How To Read a Book" is well thought-of.

soxford, Your "I think" is baseless. Why not explore that? It is a presumption, isn't it?

random, can you be more specific? I have known Adler for many years, do you know him? Thank you.

random, Your first sentence is also muddled. Can you please clarify it in the light of archeology, paleontology, and archaeobiological findings? I think you are onto something, but you are missing a few things. Thank you. 

Who wouldn’t be appalled at the behavior of those morons who had nothing better to do with their time than torture a small animal? I see this as the same sort of mindset among those who think spray painting garbage on other people’s property, busting up restrooms and other acts of pointless destruction and cruelty as something they should do.

Yes in the minds of these fools there is an obvious disconnect between society and their own interests, or at least what they perceive as their interests.

The roll of parents, society and church certainly has a part to play that for some apparently is not being played today but another possible contributing factor may be a point Allen Greenspan made in his book, “The age of turbulance” and that of the growing disparity of incomes between the top one percent and everyone else.

Not that it justifies any type of this behavior; it of course does not. But it may be part of the feeling on the part of some that they are not connected to or responsible to the larger social structure therefore have some sort of lame brained idea that the sort of bad behavior is something that’s’ okay.

Oddly enough when confronted with their stupid crimes of pointless vandalism some youths asked why answered, “Because we can.” As you pointed out there is a moral gap here.

In school or home in upbringing more emphasis needs to be placed on moral values and responsibility for one’s actions. In a culture where someone else is always responsible for bad outcomes from motorists running railroad grade crossings to unintended drownings from foolish behavior the tendency to hold someone else responsible contributes to the disconnectedness some may feel for that which they have no stake or responsibility.

jbs: "My dad blamed the "downfall of American society" on the Beatles."
 

Silly man. Everybody knows it was because Elvis danced on Ed Sullivan.

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Is it just me, or is "gaslight" a Turing Test gone horribly wrong? Brainless, infinitely regressive, completely pointless. Shall we start calling them "Eliza"?

gaslight wrote: "Your second sentence is muddled. Can you please clarify it in the light of archeology, paleontology, and archaeobiological findings? I think you are onto something, but you are missing some elements. Thank you. "

I believe he's speaking from social science, Gaslight. What from dinosaur bones and fossils would explain the religious myths of social groups? He's talking about the very same religious myths that have been passed from ancient middle eastern religious tradition to people living right now; stuff you don't have to read in the fossil record. You can read it online in a gazillion web sites that repeat it ad nauseum.

Ray, it might also help if you look up the dictionary definition of the term "gaslighting" and apply it to the current situation.

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However, to clarify it down to his level, Mark Twain was once asked why there's evil in the world if god exists.  He replied that there is evil *BECAUSE* god exists, and "god is a malign thug."

I believe he was joking about the first part of his answer.

I always learn something from Mattloch~ thanks!