This is not a normal post for me.

I’m actually talking about current events while they’re still current.

I’ve actually taken a stance on an issue – two of them, actually – and haven’t censored myself.

I haven’t included happy photographs; but, let’s face it: the topics at hand are disturbing.

Death seems to make headline news; let’s look at two of them:

Part One: Cecil the Lion

I must admit I didn’t know of Cecil the Lion until he was gone.

As a hunter, I respect laws and boundaries. For instance:

The first year I could hunt alone, a ten-point buck came within 50 yards of my stand. I raised my gun and placed the crosshairs over its heart and lungs. Yet, I did not squeeze the trigger. You see, he was standing on property I did not have permission to hunt on. Yes, it would have been easy to shoot and – if successful – drag him onto my side of the line. I knew where everyone was; no-one would know. But I would know, and I just couldn’t do it.

There appears to be universal moral outrage over Cecil’s  death. However, the outrage should be directed at the right people and at the right thing.

A casual scroll through #CecilTheLion on Twitter reveals numerous threats against the dentist “at fault.”

I hope someone hunts down that asshole dentist

– @VinchenzoMgic

If you pay $50000 to kill a lion. U deserve to be eaten by lion.

– @ShoutoutAfrica

Cecil was hunted, killed, skinned and beheaded for sport. The guy losing his job is NOTHING in comparison.

– @MeggieLouWalsh

I say “at fault” quotes intentionally, since many sources indicate he paid a fee for a legal hunt. If this is indeed the case, then the company he hired is at fault; a technicality observed by Zimbabwe itself.

Now, even though I hunt, I too am outraged over Cecil’s death; no-one denies he was killed on an asinine trophy hunt. Why shoot anything just for the sake of shooting it? If all one does with a kill is stuff it, who benefits other than the taxidermist?

Unfortunately, too many people confuse trophy hunting with actual necessary hunting. People like this:

Hunting is not a sport and never will be. It’s stupid, disgusting, borderline criminal, and quite frankly unfathomable.

– @SchulGolfer1

Let’s look at a few things, shall we?

First, most dictionaries that I consulted defined a sport as an activity involving physical exertion and skill. By those basic definitions, hunting is a sport. Let’s make a comparison to basketball:

Basketball players make their own shots and are responsible for executing their plays accurately.

Hunters take their own shots and are responsible for the accuracy of those shots.

Basketball teams employ managers to guide their teams to victory.

Hunters may employ guides to find the target of their hunt.

Managers have been known to be dishonest; is this the fault of those they manage?

No basketball teams wins every single game; otherwise, it would be called “winning.”

No hunter shoots something on every single hunt, otherwise it would be called “killing” or “shooting.”

I know some people do, in fact, call hunting by these names.

These people are wrong for reasons I’ll make clear in a moment.

Specifically, this moment:

Second, hunting serves several purposes:

Hunting provides food.

I harvested two deer last hunting season; therefore, K and I have not had to buy beef since last October.

In addition, this meat came much cheaper than store-bought meat; factoring in all possible costs associated with the harvesting and preparation of my venison, it worked out to $2.25 per pound.

Furthermore, this meat could be classified as free-range organic. I thought that was “in” now?

Hunting increases the odds of survival in less-than-ideal circumstances.

I am not a doomsayer, but it’s nice to have the confidence and knowledge to harvest, prepare, and preserve meat just in case.

Hunting decreases surplus populations.

Predators that prey on domesticated animals or humans need to be kept in check.

All animal groups have an ideal size; when too many animals are present, they actually become hungrier, more prone to disease, and generally worse off in general. Hunting helps preserve nature’s balance.

Third, I agree that hunting may be disgusting at times, especially when it comes to field dressing a kill. However, there are gorier things on Netflix. It’s just one of those things one gets over.

Fourth, how is hunting borderline criminal? One would have to make the case that animals deserve equal rights with humanity.

Fifth, countless centuries of human existence prove that hunting was not only fathomable, but downright necessary. I thought Paleo was another one of those “in” things; did I miss something?

By all means, be offended and speak out, but do so in an educated and informed way.

Part Two: Planned Parenthood

Not a death, per se. More along the lines of 330,000 annually. What’s the quote I’m looking for? Oh, here it is:

When one man dies it’s a tragedy. When thousands die it’s statistics.

– Joseph Stalin

Recently, several videos have gone viral. These videos claim to show Planned Parenthood representatives discussing the “going rate” for fetal tissue. The topic of abortions was discussed on the Diane Rehm Show, where I heard this:

Abortion is a natural and necessary service vital to women’s health.

Would someone please explain how abortion is natural?

Sex is natural.

Conception is a natural consequence of sex.

Birth is the natural conclusion of conception.

Abortion is decidedly unnatural in that it seeks to alter the body’s natural process.

By the same logic, I understand the reductio ad absurdum could be made that vaccinations, inoculations, and pretty much all of modern medicine could be called “unnatural.”

For the record, I am not against such procedures; they are designed to prolong human life.

Abortion specifically targets and terminates human life.

Not everyone will agree with me.

I remind you that not all of us think that any clump of cells with 46 chromosomes is “human” or “a baby”. I happen to believe it takes more than flesh to make something human.

– Utah Cornell

What then, makes a human?

When does life begin?

If not at conception, then when?!

The current mantra “My Body, My Choice” is all well and good, except for the fact it’s hypocritical.

Why is it “My Body, My Choice” when it comes to abortion, but not food?

Why is it “My Body, My Choice” when it comes to abortion, but not vaccination?

Why is it “My Body, My Choice” when it comes to abortion, but not healthcare in general?

If it were truly “My Body, My Choice,” we’d all accept the consequences of our actions and not expect others to foot the bill – any part of the bill – when things don’t go according to plan.

In Conclusion

You know what I noticed? Nobody panics when things go according to plan. Even when the plan is horrifying. If tomorrow I told the press that 2,700 unborn children would be aborted, nobody panics. Because it’s all part of the plan. But when I say that one little old lion will die, well then everybody loses their minds!

Yes, I stole this from Heath Ledger’s Joker in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Night.

He’s really quite the philosopher.

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