“Snow capped mountains, ripplin’ streams; it’s not heaven though it seems, in Kernville, California U.S.A.”

Old desert rat that I am, when the heat of summer begins to make its demands on us here in the Kern River Valley it’s sometimes nice to think about winter’s snow capped mountains ringing us all about here in this corner of the world of which O’ Dell Johnson sang those many years ago that makes for beautiful though cold days. The birdbath freezes solid during such a time so I have to go outside to break up the ice and refill it with water from inside the cottage. One of the things you learn if you live as I do in this environment is keeping a supply of water in jugs for those times when the well or pipes freeze. And while we “critter people” never hear a “thank you” from birds and animals, we enjoy their company and share the belief that they are nonetheless grateful for our attention to their needs; and we also share a belief that the critters are more inclined to gratitude for the help given them than many people. But I doubt birds and animals raised to slaughter as food for human consumption would express a like gratitude.

Critter people, and there really are such, my daughter Karen being a perfect example, a chip off the old block, seem to have a special sense of communication with birds and animals. From earliest childhood, I would engage in “conversations” with various birds and animals, never knowing what if anything of these conversations was really understood by the particular critter I was addressing. As a boy, my grandfather told me this talking to birds and animals was common to our Cherokee ancestors, and while nothing of which to be ashamed would best be kept to myself, a caution I was later to pass on to my daughter Karen.

Birds and animals can be trained in many remarkable ways, ways in which there is a clear and obvious understanding intelligence at work in these. Many birds and animals show near human characteristics in caring for their young, there are many accounts of birds and animals even coming to the aid of humans. And many of us see near human intelligence; even communication with us in the eyes of some animals.

Henry Thoreau had a remarkable affinity to birds and animals. Like me, he eventually gave up his fowling piece and fishing rod having reached the conclusion, though not of dietary consideration, that the eating of animal flesh was not “convenient to the imagination.” Little by little, Henry came to believe he fell in his own estimation of himself in the raising of animals for slaughter, in the killing and eating of animals, that the uncleanness of such a diet of animal flesh was somehow unworthy of the civilized mind, that it even showed a lack of consideration for the value of life itself.

While I don’t “preach” vegetarianism, Henry pointed out in example the cannibals after being presented the better ways of civilized behavior left off the eating of one another. But whether slavery, cannibalism, or the wholesale murder of one another through wars, a better way of civilization must be taught and learned by example. However, throughout history it seems there have never been sufficient examples to prevent the wholesale bloodletting of wars; so much so that Stalin could correctly point out the murder of one is a crime but the murder of millions is only a statistic. For this reason I find no fault with those who say “there is no god.” Unless you subscribe to the diabolical in the theological sense as I do, there is more than sufficient reason for not believing in any gods, least of all any gods having believers that promote cruelty and murder.

Still, I have had my part in hunting and fishing, in raising various birds and animals for slaughter, and have had occasion to kill some just to end their suffering; “mercy killings.” But when it comes to swatting flies and mosquitoes, killing rats, roaches, and ants this doesn’t seem to count as murder of the innocent to most people despite some claims to the contrary. Now I could have said despite some “nut case” claims to the contrary, but in politically correct speak that would automatically have classed me as someone that is “intolerant.” However, there is no doubt in my mind those that find fault about such a thing do not themselves have any deep feelings for flies, and as Bridgette Fonda pointed out in Lake Placid “Nobody likes mosquitoes.” Even the venerable Albert Schweitzer despite his “Erfurcht von leben” was in the business of killing germs and had to give way to the practical realities of people killing animals for food without calling this murder.

The Old Testament prohibition in the Decalogue distinguishes between killing and murder, cities of refuge being provided in the case of accidental killings allowing the circumstances to be evaluated objectively by others. It is not that Zoroaster and Confucius were without genius; what gives the lie to any kind of claimed superiority by those who make claims of superiority for Oriental writers and philosophers, for example, is the very fact of the obvious superiority of Western Civilization over all others. Would those who make claims of the superiority of Buddhist, Hindu, or Islamic writers wish to live in such societies and the cultures resulting from these as opposed to the truly civilized nations of Western Civilization? I think not, no more than the millions of illegal aliens invading America from Mexico want to remain in that third world nation. But I honestly wonder how much longer America can sustain the level of illegal aliens and the corruption among our own politicians before we face the conditions prevailing in Mexico?

At present there are an estimated 3 billion people worldwide living in conditions no better, and in many cases worse than those of the beasts of the field. Right now here in America there are millions living in what is called “third world conditions.” But one result of civilization without concomitant wisdom is the potential for wiping out billions of people. Should it come to this, will it only be a statistic? It is certain the quality of life for Americans is suffering due to the hordes of ignorant illiterates illegally invading our nation, and these third-world slaves will make any kind of quality of life increasingly difficult for the legitimate citizens of America. Our nation cannot possibly absorb even the numbers that want to come to America legally.

While the matters of killing and murder can be placed in their proper context in individual cases, it is when these become philosophical statistics that the real horror of such a thing must be appreciated. Right now the world seems set on a course of Stalin’s philosophical observation. The questions of abortion and euthanasia as matters of moral argument for example may soon give way to the wider argument of who deserves to live or die in the billions on a global basis. Now, wouldn’t that make for an interesting topic among the presidential contenders rather than being the sole purview of the mad mullahs of Islam? I have no doubt the question circulates among the wealthy and powerful where people like Kennedy and Bush, though pretending hypocritically to be so different find common ground. For people like these, in the end it may amount to no more than swatting flies where the only distinction made is in the various degrees of killing as has always been the case in the wars men make.

Why should it even be a question those that want pets should be responsible for this not resulting in millions of unwanted animals being put to death? But what will not answer and be held accountable to civilized behavior and social conscience, especially the continued breeding of unproductive mouths among humans will of necessity give place to the uncivilized without conscience of any kind.