I like lions. I like whales, cephalopods, glow worms, wildebeests, butterflies and all types of cnidaria. I think the natural world is terribly terribly important, and not just because it's pretty, but mainly because I have to live in it for the rest of my life. I've never thought that being pro-life and being... well... pro-other kinds of life are incompatible. I object pretty strongly to the implication that because I don't like what Planned Parenthood does, I must be someone who doesn't care about other things too.
The whole weird (and dumb) thing with Cecil the Lion, that no one had ever heard of before last week, reminds me of the story of the guy I met in downtown Toronto one day while he was handing out pamphlets for Greenpeace or the World Wildlife Federation or something. I was on my way to the bank, and at the corner of Queen and Bay streets he nabbed me with, "Do you have a moment to talk about the environment?" Being a West Coast environutter at heart, I was happy to chat, so I grinned mischievously and said, "Sure, if you've got a minute for the unborn." (I don't know where this came from, seriously; this is not my style at all, but...)
He looked a little taken aback, but to do him endless credit he didn't start screeching, but only said he didn't understand. I explained what I did (at that time research director for Campaign Life Coalition). He looked rather sad when he said, "Oh, then we are in conflict." I asked him why. He said, "Well, reduction of human population is necessary to save the planet." I asked him how he knew that, and said, "I disagree. I think that setting mankind against the environment - as though he is not part of nature - is what has caused this problem to begin with. I don't see why we can't save the humans and the whales."
We parted on very friendly terms, and after that we saw each other on the downtown Toronto streets fairly regularly and never failed to stop and say hello or wave.
Things don't have to be screechy. They can be explainy instead.
~
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