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Sandra Maloney v. The Peacock

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  • Sandra Maloney v. The Peacock

    So the wild peacocks stalking and calling out in Makaha pushed someone over the edge.

    Makaha woman faces charges in beating death of peacock
    The prosecutor's office was flooded with phone calls and e-mails from people appalled at the attack, Honolulu Prosecutor Peter Carlisle said yesterday at a news conference. Prosecutors plan to vigorously pursue the case, he said. [...] "I grabbed him by the tail, and I whacked him on the head," said Maloney, claiming sleep deprivation caused by loud screeches from peacocks in the area drove her to kill the bird.
    Woman charged in peacock killing
    Sandra Maloney was charged with second-degree animal cruelty, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine.Maloney said after the attack that she had asked unsuccessfully for authorities to reduce the population of peacocks in Makaha Valley.
    The story is a week old, but I still stumble into debates now and then. Is it that the peacock is beautiful and regal that it is cherished above, say, rodents or wild boars that are also nuisances and also meet unpleasant ends? Is it the fairly barbaric, hands-on way the animal was killed that has everyone riled up (whereas poisonings generally go unnoticed)? Is it the perpetrator's attitude, versus that of the community where she lived?

    Now, Howard Dicus publicly asked the question I'd been mulling when later coverage of the story included Maloney's frustration with the press: Is the peacock basher being bashed? I, for one, saw a lot of Maloney on TV, and read a lot of quotes in the papers, and didn't get the sense she was being misrepresented. I think she was being perfectly and accurately represented... and the public, as a whole, didn't like her.

  • #2
    Re: Sandra Maloney v. The Peacock

    Just in case someone doesn't know what a peacock sounds like:

    http://encarta.msn.com/media_461538253/peacock.html

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    • #3
      Re: Sandra Maloney v. The Peacock

      Even rat killings have entered the public limelight, and fines and jail time were on the table. http://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/16/ny...-a-rodent.html .

      If this person lived 20 feet from a bus stop, with buses blaring a loud verbal announcement 24 hours a day, would she have attacked The Bus with a baseball bat? I once saw a man in Brooklyn attack an ice cream truck with a baseball bat, so I know it's not inconceivable for a person to act that way!

      There are relatively few permitted outlets for raw rage to be expressed; it's taboo whether the target is an innocent living thing or private property (but the former is more heinous). I believe the public has a right to be upset.
      Last edited by Vanguard; May 30, 2009, 01:42 PM.

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      • #4
        Re: Sandra Maloney v. The Peacock

        I've had a thread going on Facebook about this subject asking my Makaha Valley friends to share their thoughts...those in favor of the peacocks-4, in favor of Maloney-0. Evidently there's more than meets the eye when it comes to the perpetrator.

        Yesterday I had breakfast with 2 friends who own and manage units in Makaha Valley. They brought up something I hadn't thought of. If Maloney is let off with only a wrist slap that could easily act as a license for others to commit the same crime.

        I believe in Buyer (or Renter) Beware. Condo complexes should disclose the presence of the birds in the valley as they tend to congregate around the grounds of the Towers and the Plantation. A friend of mine who owns 2 Towers units said this fact was disclosed when she purchased. To me, disclosure is legally prudent altho' probably not legally mandatory.

        In addition, Auntie D., from usenet days, shared this link to Princess Ka`iulani, aka the Peacock Princess.

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        • #5
          Re: Sandra Maloney v. The Peacock

          Originally posted by pzarquon View Post
          Now, Howard Dicus publicly asked the question I'd been mulling when later coverage of the story included Maloney's frustration with the press: Is the peacock basher being bashed? I, for one, saw a lot of Maloney on TV, and read a lot of quotes in the papers, and didn't get the sense she was being misrepresented. I think she was being perfectly and accurately represented... and the public, as a whole, didn't like her.
          Of course, with the bare facts presented, Maloney comes off looking not much better than Michael Vick!

          Maloney needed to learn the art of media spin, if she wanted to generate a sympathetic sounding story. That's what people like Karl Rove get paid big $$$$ to do.

          The armchair spinmeister in me would tell Maloney to not just "talk" about the peacock attack, but to simulate it again for the news cameras. Oh, if the lady offered to do that, the local news stations would just eat it up, I know.

          But WITH the following condition! She gets to pick the music that will be used in the background.

          1) A wild, "evil" peacock is shown encroaching on the complex property.

          http://www.thepocket.com/wavs/4psycho4.wav

          2) The lady re-enacts her "courageous" beating on an artificial peacock in slo-motion, to the heroic strains of Vangelis.

          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdmSdMnP-to

          By the time the spin mission concludes, the mayor will be ready to pin her with a medal of citation.
          This post may contain an opinion that may conflict with your opinion. Do not take it personal. Polite discussion of difference of opinion is welcome.

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          • #6
            Re: Sandra Maloney v. The Peacock

            Originally posted by Peshkwe View Post
            Just in case someone doesn't know what a peacock sounds like:

            http://encarta.msn.com/media_461538253/peacock.html
            They are loud and annoying. Up the road on the other side of the area we live in you can hear them yowling loud and proud from far away. People say "oh you're so lucky to have peacocks in the area" and I always tell them yeah
            but I'd rather have them where they are in the valley than in my backyard.
            Those suckers can wail! I have enough problems with several roosters and hens that the IDIOT next door feeds

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Sandra Maloney v. The Peacock

              Originally posted by leashlaws View Post
              They are loud and annoying. Up the road on the other side of the area we live in you can hear them yowling loud and proud from far away. People say "oh you're so lucky to have peacocks in the area" and I always tell them yeah
              but I'd rather have them where they are in the valley than in my backyard.
              Those suckers can wail! I have enough problems with several roosters and hens that the IDIOT next door feeds
              When I lived in Virginia we used to go to a friend's property and camp on it for the weekend. There were some guinea fowl that had gone feral...those sound like amplified nails going across a chalkboard. And they NEVER shut up!

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              • #8
                Re: Sandra Maloney v. The Peacock

                It might have cop an attitude when the lady called him a peacock?

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Sandra Maloney v. The Peacock

                  Originally posted by Walkoff Balk View Post
                  It might have cop an attitude when the lady called him a peacock?
                  huh?

                  Anyway, my sister rented at the towers the the 70's. The peacocks lived on the grounds way back then, as well as in the valley. It cannot come as a suprise to someone who buys in the 2000's that the birds are there. If the woman was soooooo upset, she could have worked towards a humane resolution withing taking a baseball bat to the bird. I have a neighbor dog that bothers the heck out of me. Should I be allowed to take a baseball bat to the dog? Not. She just took the lazy way out by killing the bird, and then was dumb enough to get caught doing it.
                  Now run along and play, but don’t get into trouble.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Sandra Maloney v. The Peacock

                    Originally posted by Amati View Post
                    If the woman was soooooo upset, she could have worked towards a humane resolution withing taking a baseball bat to the bird. I have a neighbor dog that bothers the heck out of me. Should I be allowed to take a baseball bat to the dog? Not. She just took the lazy way out by killing the bird, and then was dumb enough to get caught doing it.
                    You're absolutely right. There's so many solutions that lady could have explored first before resorting to the baseball bat.

                    Boy, I hope her husband doesn't start snoring. Other spouses would try nasal strips or earplugs. Mrs. Maloney might go straight to you-know-what!
                    This post may contain an opinion that may conflict with your opinion. Do not take it personal. Polite discussion of difference of opinion is welcome.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Sandra Maloney v. The Peacock

                      We got chickens, feral pigs, roosters, rats and feral cats and feral people.

                      We don't kill. (Though it has crossed our minds....)

                      We practice "catch and release." Yeah, even with the rats. I've had enough of killing, TYVM.

                      There are rural areas (the H-3 corridor, for instance), where the impact on humans is greatly reduced. It's not always easy to do the "catch." Roosters - no sweat, rats, a little sweat. Pigs - hardly possible. Peacocks... well just figure out what they want.... Get a hogwire cage-trap, and... ZOOM! One less cock.

                      I don't know if 'humane' defeathering would cover costs, but one never knows....

                      We keep the cats, cause they kill the rats (one less catch & release).

                      Just installed a proximity alarm to scare the pigs - it's gone off 5 times already tonight....

                      There ARE humane ways to deal with pests. If she clubbed it and cooked it, it may have been less of a violation (hunting w/o a license?)? I hear peafowl are delectable!
                      Be Yourself. Everyone Else Is Taken!
                      ~ ~
                      Kaʻonohiʻulaʻokahōkūmiomioʻehiku
                      Spreading the virus of ALOHA.
                      Oh Chu. If only you could have seen what I've seen, with your eyes.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Sandra Maloney v. The Peacock

                        Originally posted by Amati View Post
                        huh?

                        Anyway, my sister rented at the towers the the 70's. The peacocks lived on the grounds way back then, as well as in the valley. It cannot come as a suprise to someone who buys in the 2000's that the birds are there. If the woman was soooooo upset, she could have worked towards a humane resolution withing taking a baseball bat to the bird. I have a neighbor dog that bothers the heck out of me. Should I be allowed to take a baseball bat to the dog? Not. She just took the lazy way out by killing the bird, and then was dumb enough to get caught doing it.
                        I thought she have gone through normal channels but went unheeded.

                        I'm wondering if the Humane Society is spinning to look like the good guys and make her the bad guy. It's possible.

                        And yeah, peacocks ain't that great, for an animal. I find ugly babies more acceptable than peacocks (trust me, there are ugly human(?) babies, some of which I have vocally informed their parents).

                        If a wild pig wanders into my backyard without a licensed tag on it, then yeah, I'm gonna kill it. If a wild pig wanders into my neighbor's yard eyeing their ugly baby ... there'll be one less ugly baby (and no need to wash down my baseball bat).

                        *missing smiley: sinister devil*
                        Beijing 8-08-08 to 8-24-08

                        Tiananmen Square 4-15-89 to 6-04-89

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                        • #13
                          Re: Sandra Maloney v. The Peacock

                          Originally posted by Kaonohi View Post
                          There ARE humane ways to deal with pests.
                          I dunno. Does Costco sell peacock-version of a mousetrap? (Da old-fashioned kine, that snap the buggah's neck.)

                          *missing smiley: devil*
                          Beijing 8-08-08 to 8-24-08

                          Tiananmen Square 4-15-89 to 6-04-89

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                          • #14
                            Re: Sandra Maloney v. The Peacock

                            Sadly, I bet the bird she attacked wasn't even the one that was persecuting her. I bet she grabbed the first one she could catch.

                            She must be real good with that bat; the peacocks at Waimea Valley have tiny heads and get out of the way pretty quickly.

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                            • #15
                              Re: Sandra Maloney v. The Peacock

                              Back in the day, being cruel to animals was one of three items, that if identified together, was considered diagnostic of sociophathy.

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