Rhino hunt; police chase; Lege newbies; Asian wars

Rhino hunt

Often lost in the debate surrounding Corey Knowlton’s recent black rhino hunt, and in discussions of hunting as conservation generally, is that the protection of a species should not be our sole moral consideration.

We must also examine whether killing one creature in order to increase the population of a species is morally justified. Such actions certainly violate many of our regular sensibilities.

Imagine someone suggesting we auction the right to kill a Somali child if the auction raised sufficient funds for Somali charities. While we would favor supporting the Somali charities, the violation of an innocent party’s interests would be so egregious that it would be ipso facto immoral — regardless of the effectiveness of the charity.

One need not think that animals deserve equal moral consideration to find such an argument compelling, as it is quite obvious from our current knowledge of biology that many animals are quite sentient, and that in itself should be sufficient to recognize that they have interests.

These sorts of sacrificial hunts should be seen for what they are: opportunities for the elite to buy a “right” to behave unethically.

— Zack Robinson, Hurst

Police chase

I’m usually fully supportive of law enforcement, but was the lengthy May 27 chase by Fort Worth police really necessary?

If public safety is truly a priority, wouldn’t a much earlier PIT (precision immobilization technique) maneuver executed by a standard patrol car while on the freeway have been a better idea than allowing the fleeing suspect to extend the chase to secondary streets and into residential areas?

I’m likewise usually supportive of the media’s efforts to inform the public, but I have to wonder if this chase warranted the level of media coverage, and if this coverage didn’t actually became part of the problem by subtlety encouraging people to seek out the chase and gawk at it.

Certainly there is inherent risk of multiple helicopters operating in close proximity as they follow such an event. Two TV station helicopters had a fatal mid-air collision in 2007 in Phoenix, and it leads one to wonder if some sort of pool coverage agreement by the Metroplex stations might be a better idea.

— Mark Monse, Coppell

Local lege newbies

The old saying “Be careful what you wish for” comes to mind when thinking about some of the recently elected officeholders from Tarrant County.

Of course U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz leads the pack in being a total negative nationally. Unfortunately, our local Legislature newbies are following his lead. State Rep. Tony Tinderholt of Arlington and state Sen. Konni Burton of Colleyville appear to religiously follow the Cruz lead.

Tinderholt, arguably a good soldier, has no clue what he’s doing in Austin. He chooses to just say “no” — à la Ted Cruz — as does Burton.

Here’s a challenge: Name one positive accomplishment by this Tea Party trio since they took office. Then ask yourself: Is this what I wanted when I voted for them?

All zealots are extreme. Is the Tea Party extreme, or perhaps just not very good for us?

— Jeff Knight, Arlington

Asian wars

This year is the 40th anniversary of the conquest of South Vietnam by North Vietnam.

The U.S. fought communism in Asia twice in the 20th century. The conflict in Korea ended in a draw, but I’m sure the South Koreans consider it a win.

Vietnam ended in a draw but we didn’t stick around to ensure that the North Vietnamese didn’t violate the peace treaty (as we have in Korea) and the South was conquered by the North.

On a scale of 1 to 7 (1 most free and 7 least free), Freedom House ranks North Korea as a 7, Vietnam as a 6 and South Korea as a 2. Their per-capita GDPs are, respectively, $1,800, $5,635 and $35,277.

I sincerely hope that Jane Fonda, Tom Hayden, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Bill Ayers and all their lesser-known accomplices are willing to accept responsibility for assisting the North Vietnamese in enslaving the people of South Vietnam to a communist regime that is only slightly less oppressive than that of North Korea.

— Jim Lawrence, Arlington

This story was originally published June 2, 2015 at 5:40 PM with the headline "Rhino hunt; police chase; Lege newbies; Asian wars."