COEUR d’ALENE – A man charged with unlawfully shooting and killing a grizzly bear had so many supporters at his arraignment Tuesday in federal court that the judge had to move the hearing to a larger courtroom.
Even there, every seat was taken as his family, friends and neighbors, young and old, squeezed in.
via Grizzly shooter garners support – Coeur d’Alene Press: Local News.
TAL Commentary: In a free country, a wild animal that strays on your property is yours to do with as you please. But in a police state, the government claims ownership of animals it has not even homesteaded, and puts their interests above those of men, women, and children.
That we are forced to finance the prosecution of Jeremy Hill and the protection of grizzly bears is a travesty of justice. I’m not against protecting grizzly bears. In a free country, I could easily be persuaded to donate to, or invest in, an organization that seeks to provide grizzly bear habitat by purchasing the land and homesteading the animals that live there. But I would never be in favor of forcing anyone to finance my interest in the protection of animals. That’s a sick, twisted thing to do.
The dark irony is that public-sector protection of animal species creates social conflict, manifest injustice, and a disdain for the interests of wildlife, all while doing a poor job of species protection when compared to what is achieved in the private sector. That alone is ironic an unfortunate. But taking money from people by force to protect animals and put humans in a cage — that’s not merely ironic. It’s wicked.
For Liberty,
Manny Edwards