Any crime involving harm to children is like a knife through my heart, and I'm with the 'no mercy' brigade on that one. My blanket heading for what justifies a death sentence would be 'robbing of innocence' so that would cover an awful lot.
Animal cruelty is sad, but in a different league, and just doesn't get me in the same way.
'Acts of God' / natural disasters? Awful, but beyond our control and I'm afraid I get a little 'compassion fatigue.' Having said that, my stepsister was one of the Brits lost in the tsunami, and her face was all over the papers. THAT was awful, and once I had a connection with someone lost to a natural disaster, it was a whole different thing. Since then though, I've had a little more feeling, but still begrudge the aid we're always sending.
DON"T get me started on benefits and the like. We have one income and I stay at home with the boys. We struggle to afford luxuries, but have kept our own home, own car etc the whole time I've not been working. Over the road on a council estate, there are satellite dishes on every house, cars that you wouldn't beLIEVE, motorbikes in many drives and everything else we can't afford, with most of the residents not working. A friend of mine - Health Visitor - says that inside it's often more of the same - huge tvs in every room, games consoles, huge fridges, dvds, plasma screens etc and nobody working. GGGggggrrrrrrrrr!!!!!
Other than that, I'm the nicest person you could wish to meet lol!!!!!