DOMINION by Matthew Scully

Animals are more than ever a test of our character, of mankind’s capacity for empathy and for decent, honorable conduct and faithful stewardship. We are called to treat them with kindness, not because they have rights or power or some claim to equality, but in a sense because they don’t; because they all stand unequal and powerless before us (DOMINION: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Action, by Matthew Scully, p. xii).

Matthew Scully’s 400-page book is a must read for any animal person, if for no other reason than the author was special assistant to President George W. Bush and deputy director of presidential speechwriting.

So for all you folks who think conservatives aren’t interested in the well being of animals, you might be surprised when you read this book based in investigative journalism (but very, very heavy on Christianity, which narrows its potential reach and can definitely turn people off).

The actual content of the book wasn’t so powerful for me, as I already knew the gruesome details. It’s the idea of duty that makes me think.

There’s so much talk, as we all know, of animals having the "right" to not suffer, etc… But the reality is that legally, they have no such right.  It becomes even more important, then, to treat them humanely–precisely because they don’t have the right not to suffer at our hands.