A TOTAL DOWNER

"HENRY... WATCHED A MAN DEAL WITH A PAIR OF OXEN THAT WERE SO EXHAUSTED THEY COULD MOVE NO FARTHER. HE BUILT A FIRE UNDER THEM AND THEN BEGAN TO POKE AT THEM WITH BURNING BRANDS, BUT THEY STILL COULD NOT MOVE THE LOAD AND SO WERE SLOWLY ROASTED ALIVE BEFORE HIS EYES."

MAN'S INHUMANITY TO ANIMALS LIVES ON WITH THE ARREST OF THE ATLANTA FALCON'S QUARTERBACK FOR DOGFIGHTING, GAMBLING AND CRUELTY TO ANIMALS, SHOOTING DROWNING OR HANGING SOME ‘INCOMPETENT’ DOGS.

LET'S RETURN TO THE KLONDIKE STAMPEDE OF YESTERYEAR, 1897, TO ADD TO AND REINFORCE IMAGES OF THE DEVIL'S WORK. GOLD RUSHERS AT SKAGWAY DESCRIBED CONDITIONS THERE AS "LITTLE BETTER THAN A HELL ON EARTH." NO TONGUE OR PEN COULD DESCRIBE THE TRAGEDIES THAT ENFOLDED IN THIS PART OF ALASKA. ON DEAD HORSE TRAIL, CROSSING WHITE PASS, TRAVELERS COULD "TRACE THE TRAIL BY BLOOD ALONE," WHERE 3,000 HORSES DIED. ALSO IN 1897, OF THE 1800 HUMAN STAMPEDERS WHO TOOK THE ALL WATER ROUTE TO DAWSON IN THE KLONDIKE, ONLY 43 REACHED THEIR DESTINATION.

IN 1897, A REINDEER HERD FROM NORWAY THAT WAS TO FEED STARVING KLONDIKERS, EXPERIENCED VIRTUAL EXTINCTION DUE TO STARVATION. OF THE 539 REINDEER ONLY 114 SURVIVED THEIR TREK TO DAWSON. FOR THE 22,000 GOLDRUSHERS SUFFERED UNTOLLED SUFFERINGS ATTEMPTING TO CROSS CHILKOOT PASS.

I QUOTE AGAIN FROM PIERRE BERTON WHO SUMS UP MAN'S GREED AND INHUMANITY TO ANIMALS IN HIS DEFINITIVE NARRATIVE OF GOLD FEVER: "ROTTING HORSEFLESH WAS THE TELLTALE PERFUME OF THE KLONDIKE STAMPEDE."

REFECTION OF THE PROGRESS OF CIVILIZATION - OR IT STATUS TODAY IN DOGFIGHTING OR SUICIDE BOMBINGS - CAN BE A TOTAL DOWNER.