First, I dispute your assertion that Barbaro is getting "all the press". It seems to me that there are a LOT of different issues in the current news right now. Barbaro has not been big news for quite some time. A follow-up story once in a while hardly constitutes complete domination of all news media.

Second, you compare Barbaro's coverage to a theoretical human child who had been hurt. But that is really comparing apples to oranges. This horse hurt himself in a spectacle that was seen all over the country (if not the world). He was the favorite for that race and was expected to have a long and glittering career. He was destroyed by human greed. It's an important story, symbolically, for the abuse and dominition of other species on this planet by humans. His injury and recovery raises important questions that should be pondered by the news-reading public.

Third, your point about people rallying around animals is true. There are reasons for that, which I could go into with a lot of depth, but this post is getting long-winded already. The short reason is that animals are seen as innocent victims of much of what is done to them by humans. It creates a certain amount of instinctual sympathy in those that have an empathetic spirit. That is a good thing. We need more empathy for our fellow creatures on this planet, not less.

Fourth, it is possible to care about both people AND animals. BOTH should receive the best medical care available. The money that has been spent on Barbaro would never have found its way to the healthcare of impoverished children. That's just reality.

If it bothers you, your energy would be better spent campaigning for a universal healthcare system for this country, rather than griping about one horse's well-deserved vetinary care for an injury resulting from human greed.