A squirrel managed to get into our indoor - outdoor den while we were away. A few days after we returned, the poor lost thing turned up dead in a corner of the room. Since it's more outdoor than in, and has a screen door, it must have entered in hybrid way that I didn't anticipate. At any rate, it seems to have electrocuted itself in our house, then froze during the great Georgia freeze of two weeks ago.
So, I thought it appropriate to give it a burial and funeral, and make a vlog of it.
The reason is simple: all too often we are exposed to images of people shooting animals. The latest example being Sarah Palin shooting moose in Alaska, then rubbing America's nose in it. It's helping to producing hard attitude among us, where we don't care about life. It's a horrible message to send to our kids.
What's a wee bit bothersome are some of the video comments on YouTube. Without sharing them, I'll just say this modern habit of coming up with a stupid argument to justify heartless acts - from the use of guns to racial discrimination - is getting beyond the pale.
I'm sick of it.
Life, in all forms, is to be celebrated. Just because we hunt for food doesn't mean the animal being hunted wants to be in that position. Moreover, we're conditioned to think that animals don't "think," but really how the hell do we know, anyway?
Some of us don't seem to think either.
So, this is my bid to right things. Yes, I'm a meat eater. I'll admit that. But also use meat alternatives when they're available. And just because I eat meat doesn't mean I have to want to hunt or not feel sad if an animal is killed, especially on my property.
And that's not supposed to happen.
We can draw the line. We should draw the line.
It's the civilized thing to do.