Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Oakland Police Shoot Deer

Mercury News reports.








I'd say this should be treated like any other misuse of a firearm by a police officer. The offending officer shouldn't get the usual slap on the wrist because this kind of poor judgment makes him unfit, plain and simple.

Yet, I wouldn't want to exaggerate the incident either. As much as I oppose hunting as a sick endeavor, and find this execution of a trapped animal especially odious, I don't support a media circus that results in the officer being punished more than his colleagues who wrongly shoot humans.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

3 comments:

  1. It's a good thing we can trust the police to be the only people allowed to carry weapons!

    Also, Mike? "sick endeavor"? Hunting is more sick than butchering a cow, or cutting its throat to make it kosher?

    Unless you're a vegetarian, that statement made you a hypocrite. You seem to believe that moral issues cease to exist if you don't confront them directly.

    Props if you are a veggie though--at least it would be morally consistent.

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  2. Thanks, Anonymous. I'm a morally consistent vegetarian, and the reason is the treatment of animals. I'm not a fanatic though, I don't do the vegan lifestyle. But, for me, butchering cows and hunting deer are both disgusting activities.

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  3. That makes sense.
    I sometimes hunt rabbits, as you just can't buy them in this country.
    The guilt I feel comes only from the animal's suffering, which (with a gun) I can minimize better than can a butcher.
    Were I to feel guilt unrelated to the animal's suffering, I would quit eating meat entirely: paying somebody else to do it is morally equivalent.
    This is why I get a little touchy about meat-eaters who denounce hunting.
    Good on you: I can't relate to your beliefs at all, but at least they make sense.

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