Put Your Action Where Your Mouth Is

We received a newsletter from our city cleverly entitled “Contract for Seven Hills”. It covered a few topics such as the road resurfacing program, the sewer repair program, and park improvements. One item of interest was called “Deer Update”.

Not a typo. It wasn’t an advice column (“Deer” not “Dear”), but an update on the hunting of deer in our city. Here’s what it said:

“As we all know, residents voted in an advisory election about bow hunting of deer. With a large majority voting in favor, Council quickly legalized bow hunting. The first season was completed. Nearly 20 people received permits and 37 deer were eliminated (5 bucks and 32 doe). This is a good first step in reducing the population. Many are aware that a resident of Seven Hills sued the City and our Law Director to overturn this legislation. The City won this case in court. The decision was appealed by the resident and the City also won in the Court of Appeals.”

For starters, I don’t hunt. It’s not the hunting itself that bothers me, it’s all the after shtuff that does. I don’t want to have to drag it back to my car (deer have been known to run quite a distance after being hit), or go through the gutting stage. I’d much rather pay my neighbor, who does hunt, for part of the butcher costs, so my wife and I can enjoy her homemade burgers that are about half venison (YUM!)

That said, I’m also not a P.E.T.A. (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) person. Don’t get me wrong; if you mistreat an animal I would happily treat you in kind. But hunting, where the meat IS consumed, is not unethical treatment of animals. Darwinists would call that "survival of the fittest".

As the article stated, a large MAJORITY voted in favor of bow hunting. One person, who I’m guessing voted against, went so far as to sue the city.

I have no problem with a person exercising their rights to voice their opinion. The problem I have is that, like say writing a blog (ahem), it is easy to complain.

We have a society that loves to complain. We have no issue voicing our opinions (like, say in a blog - ahem). Probably because it is so easy to do in our social media world.

But sue? I’m sure the lawyers involved didn’t mind the income - er - work. But come on!

If you really cared about the deer, do something about them (beyond litigious, though admittedly, that IS something). But that’s tough.

Take your own land, put a large fence around it, and have any deer found wandering around Seven Hills brought to you. You can care for them. You can feed them. You can keep them healthy. And you can let them breed to their hearts’ content.

And you can take the money for additional appeals and use it there.

But no one wants to go that far. We say we care, but only when it doesn’t impact us directly.

So, do something. Me? I’m going to enjoy my venison burger.

© Emittravel 2017