Just when you thought you knew me

I've been noticing trend lately among animal based message boards and forums.  If you go on these forums and profess you love for animals of all shapes and kinds, promise to protect them when you can, save who you can and love them unconditionally, you get criticized for it.  People say that there are more important things in the world than some homeless animal, like starving children in Ethiopia.  Some of these people seem to assume that because we defend the helpless and the voiceless, that we are completely callous to human suffering.  What they're really missing, most people who are protective of animals, are just as protective over those humans that are helpless.  (children in particular)  And typically, these same people who are calling us out on our callousness, do nothing to help the causes that they are preaching.  I cannot tell you how many times I have cried at the thought of starving children around the world.  Or of the children that are forced into organized slavery from the time they can coordinate hand movements.  I cry for those who become homeless and cannot find a way to get their heads above water again.  I think those that feel animal suffering so very deeply, feel all living things suffering the same way.  I can do something about homeless animals, it's within my reach.  I cannot stop the starving children in Africa.  I cannot change their government.  If I had to choose between saving those animals and feeding those children, believe it or not, I would choose the children.  But this is within my grasp.  I can do it and then see the results.  If I send money to some organization that claims to feed starving children, I have no way of knowing that any money or food ever reached those kids.  I don't want to line the pockets of rich men.  I guess I'm just trying to say, if you're out there reading this and you have ever had the feelings about an animal lover that some of these people appear to have had, stop and think where are deep love and appreciation for living things comes from.  It doesn't matter to us if it's a cat, human or a hedgehog, we love them all.