Dear WashPo: We think putting guinea pigs in the trash sucks too. Sincerely, "Southeast"

From The Washington Post article: 

Guinea pigs found in Southeast trash can 

Guinea pigs found in Southeast trash can

Six guinea pigs were found in wretched condition in a trash can behind a Southeast D.C. building last week, an animal advocacy group said.

The rodents, commonly kept as pets, were suffering from starvation, mite infestation and dehydration inside a filthy cage in the 2900 block of Knox Place SE, the Washington Humane Society said. Two of them were dead. Another died later.

Raise your hand if you can guess what today's "Rant of the Day" will be.

I'll give you a hint it begins with an "S" and ends with a "T" (not that! this is a family blog!!!)

The always expected, yet rarely specific "Southeast."

Anyone who reads CHotR for more than a day knows how The Advoc8te feels about the overly broad and at times inaccurate geographic labels in articles.  In this case the "Southeast" in the headline brings nothing to the bigger story of animal cruetly other than to imply, "here goes another bad thing that happens in  Southeast ."

Throwing tiny, defenseless, starving animals in the trash to die is bad enough.  It's one of those horrific acts that kind of speak for itself. Even us folks living in "Southeast" think that is terrible.  We love animals! Promise! The person (or persons) who committed such a crime are clearly soulless, inhumane creatures who deserve to be locked in a hot car for an indeterminate amount of time.  You can't make crimes against animals look any worse - oh wait, I guess you can.

The following article titles (including the one I used above) would have worked just as well:

Guinea pigs found in Southeast D.C. trash can
Guinea pigs found in Southeast [NEIGHBORHOOD NAME] trash can
Guinea pigs found in Southeast trash can

or perhaps:

DC Humane Society seeks help in animal cruelty case

The neglected, starved, mite-infested guinea pigs left to die in the garbage were bad enough.  The "Southeast" adjective in the headline was a tad much.  It really didn't bring anything factual to the article that the address wouldn't have provided more accurately or clearly.  The street address is far more helpful in garnering tips.

P.S.  Just to show how overly broad  the "Southeast" moniker is and how negative the "Southeast" title has become it's often overlooked that the Capitol Hill neighborhood is in fact in the Southeast quadrant of the city. Capitol Hill is just as southeast as Anacostia and Congress Heights. Or is it?  Is it the quadrant that seperates us or the river ?

It's the news and we should expect better.

P.S.WHS officials are asking anyone with information to contact the Humane Law Enforcement department at 202-BE HUMANE. Calls are confidential and a reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators of this crime. The reward is made possible through a special fund called the JUSTICE FUND which WHS set up for this purpose. Donations to this fund are accepted.

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