On the morning of Oct. 30, a peaceful animal sanctuary in rural New York was besieged by a squadron of stormtroopers from the state's departments of health and environmental conservation ("N.Y. conservation employees sent home as death of Peanut the squirrel spurs outrage, bomb threats," Web, Nov. 4). They'd received several anonymous complaints of rabies-vector wild animals being illegally housed as pets.

Five hours later, they left with paw-shackled Fred the raccoon and P'Nut the squirrel, an internet sensation beloved by hundreds of thousands, if not millions, around the world.

For many, internet-star animals have become our friends: There's Messi the puma from Russia, Bibi the monkey from Indonesia and Namibia's Minki the meerkat, to name just a few.

And just like with P'Nut -- who, wearing his teeny cowboy hat, we'd watch chow down on "Organic-Waffle Wednesdays" and joyfully leap onto his owner's shoulder -- these animals never fail to brighten our day.

Sadly, P'Nut's endearing videos have ended. The state of New York put him and his companion Fred to death just hours after the raid.

Fred and P'Nut weren't rabid. Nor were they overly furry members of Al Qaeda. There's no plausible explanation that could be given for their deaths. Maybe the New York Department of Environmental Conservation should stick to planting trees and ensuring residents' drinking water is contaminant-free.

This is an egregious example of a Democrat-led government that's metastasized into a gargantuan blob of limitless power.