Quote of the Week

"One cool judgment is worth a thousand hasty councils."
- Woodrow Wilson



Thursday, July 30, 2015

Nobody Would Be Outraged if Cecil the Lion Didn't Have a Name

This week's internet outrage is Cecil the Lion being killed in Zimbabwe by an American who was on safari. The poor guy paid out, as reported on the internet, over $50,000 for the hunt and is now getting death threats for it.

Funny thing is, now it seems Zimbabwe officials don't understand the international anger. Why so many people are outraged over the killing of one Lion. It's simple really, the lion had a name.

Humans are very emotional creatures. Especially over things we attach ourselves to. And the best way to attach ourselves to an animal is to give it a name. Don't believe me? Try raising chickens and have your young child name them.

Now I could go on and on about wildlife conservation, but I won't waste my typing time. There is plenty of other blogs and articles out there about how it applies to our current internet outrage. Besides, I feel Wildlife Conservation is in some ways a lot like many other debatable topics like Abortion, Climate Change, the U.S. Constitution, etc. Either you get it or you don't and your mind is made up regardless of what I write. Right now I just want to explain the outrage.

A few days ago no one had ever heard of Cecil the Lion. Now some of those people are threatening the life of the guy who shot it. Yet they aren't threatening the lives of anyone else who has killed any of the roughly 600 lions that are hunted each year.

But then again those lions didn't have a name. There is nothing to draw a personal connection to. Nobody would be outraged if Cecil the Lion didn't have a name.

Friday, July 17, 2015

Semper Fi Sargent Holmquist


The sun sets tonight on a flag flown at half staff on my font yard. It has been lowered in honor for the four Marines who were murdered yesterday in Tennessee. Another senseless act. It's bad enough when something senseless like this happens, but it's even worse when it involves people and families you know.

This morning I learned that one of the Marines is a native of my small town of 1,500 people. It is one of those little speed bump on the highway towns where everybody knows everybody. Directions are giving by turning at someone's house or farm, instead of street names and avenue numbers. Like many around me right, I'm still kind of in shock.

Lowering the flag today was a different experience for me that is hard to explain. It was a very surreal experience. Something that happened over a thousand miles away has a very local and personal tie. I lowered my flag in respect for four fallen Marines. One of the Marine's mothers lives three miles down the road from me.

Semper Fi Sargent Holmquist