I can now exhale as Beth Hoskins is finally where she belongs for making those beautiful horses suffer... in jail. However, I dont feel much animosity towards her. She is who she is... a human hurricane inflicting destruction wherever she goes. However... Im sure there is some mental illness there. What I have absolute disdain for is a system that actually siphons off of her madness due to her family wealth. More on that a little later. She will not be there for that long... probably about 53 more days. But, she will be there for Xmas and New Years. It looks like the horses have a pathway to a better life. I dont think any of us should think justice was served... it wasnt. The 5 years that the horses have languished in limbo is an indictment on our judicial system. They will not get their lives back... this was not a victory here. I have dealt with so many misconceptions and controversy regarding this case. As many know, I had an on again/ off again relationship with an SPCA employee during this matter. I never concealed that relationship, and the relationship was ruled as being proper by the court. Ms. Hoskins had private investigators following us around at times. My boss, Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita, fired me as he said I was misleading regarding my relationship which was ruled as proper by the court. I dont think I was. Whatever. Mr. Sedita and I had butted heads beforehand regarding pleas that I thought were too lenient on animal abusers... I think he was waiting for an excuse/reason to fire me. He likes yes men... I cant do that. I dont really regret losing that job. I will say that the Hoskins case was some of the best work I ever did... I remember driving to Boston, New York almost every weekend to go over the medical conditions of each and every horse with an amazing veterinarian, Dr. Jean Feldman. I had her on the witness stand for about 24 total hours going over the medical conditions of 73 different horses. However, my legacy in relation to that case is my relationship with an SPCA worker. Such is life. Such is the media. No regrets. I thought I was seeing everything as to how this county government and its power structure worked while I was at the DAs office. I have seen so much more since I left. I have discovered awful truths about people that I used to be good friends with in law enforcement. Im considered a traitor by many in law enforcement due to the fact I am now engaged in lawsuits with people I used to be friends with. So be it. My loyalty is and always will be to the voiceless. Others frequently call me an angel and terms like that for the work I now do with animals. That is not close to the truth either. But for my love for animals, Im more or less just like a lot of self absorbed and selfish people out there. My love for them stems in large part due to the fact that they do not suffer from the frailty of the human condition. They just be. In comparison...we are so aware... human consciousness is a tragic misstep in evolution. We are all so sure that we are someone...we are so important... when the reality is, everyone is no one. As a collective unit, we are the earths destroyers. However, with that consciousness, my eyes are so wide open. It is so liberating to use that consciousness to explore as opposed to fixating on ones income, job, family, the way one is perceived, etc. It is also lonely. But, once you fall down that rabbit hole... there really is no coming back. Cases like Hoskins or Sprakers Border Collies are not just cases ... they are windows to deeper truths about society that those in power and so many other dont see. So many see things from a prism of self interest. I have seen a lot... I do have the utmost faith that I see things clearly. That is one thing I will say for myself. Anyway, if there is one thing this case has shown, especially in conjunction with current events, it is that there are many concerned and compassionate citizens who cared so much about these horses... worked so hard... and yet, the horses suffered for far too long. I will certainly include myself in that group. This, as with so many other matters, is a system failure. I believe the system is failing in every way, shape, and form. As opposed to political parties that have such little meaning or hold so few ideals, I hope compassionate people come together as one, as a movement, to try and better this society which is going in the wrong direction. What better way to build a movement based upon compassion and fairness?? Government is really not that hard... our current leaders make it hard by their subversive tactics and motives borne out of self interest. What am I talking about?? Lets take Hoskins. Who won that case? The horses?? Obviously not... many of them lost either their lives or their chances at a quality of life. Hoskins?? While she was coddled by the system like Ive never seen before, she is out a million dollars in attorney fees and fees associated with the case. Now shes also in jail. So who won?? The system. Lawyers made money hand over fist. On the civil case, the hapless SPCA paid their lawyer... a prominent local political figure... $300 an hour for five years. Dear lord. Judges made out well... the system won, to the detriment of everything else. Anyway, just a few thoughts to establish closure... my life was centered upon this case for a long time. I do want to at least thank everyone who cared about this matter and shared this strange odyssey with me. As is frequently the case, I met interesting and brave people along the way. I wouldnt trade doing advocacy for anything... the people I meet, as a whole, serve as my reminders that there is hope. They inspire me. I wouldnt get that elsewhere. However, in terms of the horses... I can say I was fortunate enough to have spent some real time with some of these horses. They are gentle and mystical souls that deserve far better than what this world has given them. Of course, the same can be said for so many animals... humans have epically failed as stewards of this earth. Anyway, onwards and upwards... there are many other causes and battles to be fought. This game is rigged.. we need to play a different game.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 10:58:11 +0000
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