Idiot fined for killing bald eagle

[Boilers]

Bald Eagles?
Makes me think of this video.

YouTube - Over 30 Bald Eagles in the back yard

 

[hornadylnl]

Who is John Galt?

 

[Greg.B]

So your answer Indy 317 to what you feel are the ills of this country (which by the way I do agree with) is to speak out against the Flag and The Bald Eagle. To suggest that they represent the "America of now" vs the "America of then". Well I'm sorry but I don't agree with that, because the examples that you use to describe as how America is now is not what I see as the true America. Yes America is ill, yes America has problems (especially with the dear leader in power), yes America is on the verge of going on life support due to the idiots in charge. But another real danger is your type of thinking, the type to say I give up.

The America that I believe in is represented by the people who also happen to populate this forum. Good, honest, hard working, average hoosiers whom I happen to be proud to call neighbor. The ones who are the majority in this great country and thats why I still am proud to call myself an American, proud to salute the flag, stand up when the National Anthem is played, defend the Bald Eagle, and in general still be awe inspired by these so called symbols.

+1 and repped

 

[theweakerbrother]

Man, I sure am glad that Ben Franklin's bird wasn't picked because I don't want all of you that viciously angry when I'm eating turkeys. The bird nor the flag is neither holy nor untouchable. It is the IDEALS behind them that are important.

Ben Franklin on the bald eagle:

In a letter to his daughter, Benjamin Franklin wrote:

"For my own part I wish the Eagle had not been chosen the representative of our country. He is a bird of bad moral character. He does not get his Living honestly. You may have seen him perched on some dead tree near the river, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the labor of the Fishing Hawk; and when that diligent Bird has at length taken a fish, and is bearing it to his nest for the support of his mate and young ones, the Eagle pursues him and takes it from him.
With all this injustice, he is never in good case but like those among men who live by sharping & robbing he is generally poor and often very lousy. Besides he is a rank coward: The little King Bird not bigger than a Sparrow attacks him boldly and drives him out of the district. He is therefore by no means a proper emblem for the brave and honest Cincinnati of America who have driven all the King birds from our country...
"I am on this account not displeased that the figure is not known as a Eagle, but looks more like a Turkey. For the truth the Turkey is in comparison a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America . . . He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a bird of courage, and would not hesitate to attack a grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his farm yard with a red coat on."​

 

[Fargo]

I'm curious to know whether anyone here actually maintains that this guy whacked the eagle to disrespect the county, and if so why? I would put money on it that the dude is just an idiot who thought "I could shoot it so I will".

 

[Blue Tile Spook]

My opinion is that he didn't do it to disrespect the country, he showed disrespect to the country by 1) shooting an animal that it sounds like he had no intention of using for constructive purposes and 2) shooting an animal that is considered by some? many? to be a representative symbol of our country.

What does that make him IMO? Just plain, all around stupid.

 

[hornadylnl]

I'm curious to know whether anyone here actually maintains that this guy whacked the eagle to disrespect the county, and if so why? I would put money on it that the dude is just an idiot who thought "I could shoot it so I will".

Whether the guy killed it to thumb his nose at America or just being an idiot, it doesn't make any difference. The end result is the same. 1 dead bird. We decry hate crime legislation on here all the time but yet we want to further judge this guy on his thoughts? Are we now condoning thought crime legislation?

I kind of agree with Indy317. Our America would be nothing but a laughing stock to our founding fathers and we have nobody to blame but ourselves for letting it happen. This guy shooting an eagle didn't put us where we are today.

As has been said by others, we in this country do value animals over humans. You can say that it isn't DNR's job to solve murders so their reward money isn't taking away from murder investigations, it doesn't matter. Both agency's budgets come from the same place. Our wallets.

My John Galt reference is refering to the fact that we are only hurting ourselves if we continue to work in the current system that is designed to destroy us. If you read the book Atlas Shrugged, it will make sense to you.

 

[Errkola]

You know these "John Galt" references are BS, I see these at the various tea parties and it just makes me think "poseur". Make your point the first time.

as far as shooting a bald eagle, it is a stupid thoughtless act that should earn the shooter the revocation of any kind of gun rights thereafter. these are big targets that are easy to ID and everybody knows not to do it, so if someone's judgment is that bad then that should be the end of their right to a firearm.

 

[hornadylnl]

You know these "John Galt" references are BS, I see these at the various tea parties and it just makes me think "poseur". Make your point the first time.

as far as shooting a bald eagle, it is a stupid thoughtless act that should earn the shooter the revocation of any kind of gun rights thereafter. these are big targets that are easy to ID and everybody knows not to do it, so if someone's judgment is that bad then that should be the end of their right to a firearm.

Have you actually read the book? If everyone did, maybe they'd have a better understanding of what is going on today.

 

[Fargo]

as far as shooting a bald eagle, it is a stupid thoughtless act that should earn the shooter the revocation of any kind of gun rights thereafter. these are big targets that are easy to ID and everybody knows not to do it, so if someone's judgment is that bad then that should be the end of their right to a firearm.

"The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed... unless you shoot a bald eagle?"

For the love of all that is good and holy, the government paid us to shoot them before during and after WW II. Then, DDT, the Clintonista's and EPA get involved and suddenly it is an intrinsic evil? Remember, this is a bird that has been shot on sight since BEFORE this country was founded by anyone who raised poultry and nobody thought they were peeing on the nation. Intentional disrespect to the nation aside, I am beginning to sense some EPA kool-aid in the water around here.

 

[hornadylnl]

"The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed... unless you shoot a bald eagle?"

For the love of all that is good and holy, the government paid us to shoot them before during and after WW II. Then, DDT, the Clintonista's and EPA get involved and suddenly it is an intrinsic evil? Remember, this is a bird that has been shot on sight since this country was founded by anyone who raised poultry and nobody thought they were peeing on the nation. Intentional disrespect to the nation aside, I am beginning to sense some EPA kool-aid in the water around here.

Repped. You said it better than I could.

 

[hornadylnl]

BTW, I like the Bald Eagle and what it is supposed to symbolize. I spent a total of 8 years in the Army and Guard and I have the utmost respect for this country, our flag, etc. But advocating thought crimes and loss of constitutional rights over an animal is extreme.

 

[meanone92]

There are some really great people out there! Not sure why anybody would do anything to go to jail. I made a stupid mistake and had to spend the weekend in jail. Was longest 2 days of my life. Really don't understand how there is so many repeat offenders cuz that isn't anything i could get use too!

 

[Benny]

There are some really great people out there! Not sure why anybody would do anything to go to jail. I made a stupid mistake and had to spend the weekend in jail. Was longest 2 days of my life. Really don't understand how there is so many repeat offenders cuz that isn't anything i could get use too!

Go on...





Yeah, my one and only jail experience was when I was a stupid teenager and drove "drunk." (Passed the field sobriety test, but illegal is illegal)

Haven't had more than 3-4 beers (over a couple of hours) and drove since.

My jail stint lasted about 8 hours before the Mom and Pops bailed me out...That was fun. :noob:

 

[ihateiraq]

if you kill an eagle you should be fed to one. eye for an eye.

 

[Bigum1969]

if you kill an eagle you should be fed to one. eye for an eye.

Short but sweet!

 

[eatsnopaste]

I was going to ask how some people could be so up in arms over one symbol of our country (bald eagle) while hollering and beating their breasts about how great it is to fly another symbol (the Flag) upside down or tattered. I realized if I did that though I would be flamed and called unAmerican and that I should move to another country, so I didn't...see I'm gettin' some learnin'!

 

[Jay]

For the love of all that is good and holy, the government paid us to shoot them before during and after WW II.

Folks in this country used to buy,sell, whip, and shoot slaves too....... perhaps we should continue to do so ? Oh.... I see...... maybe

how great it is to fly another symbol (the Flag) upside down or tattered

I must have missed that one, would you link it for me ? Seeing as how flying the Flag upside down is a sign of distress, who would think being in that situation is "great".

I would be flamed and called unAmerican and that I should move to another country

Well, if the shoe fits...... if it's ok to "flame" our Flag, then certain posted sentiments could very well draw flames. And since nobody wants to restrain anyone against their will, if you don't like it here, then leave. See, simple.

 

[dburkhead]

Please read the following, it explains above a little better.

No matter how much effort is put into murder investigations there will remain unsolved murders. That's one of the facts of life. So if one is going to use the existence of unsolved murder cases as justification for not investigating "lesser" crimes, then clearly no lesser crimes will be investigated. And if no lesser crimes will be investigated, then one is essentially saying that folk can commit them at will.

One might also consider that murder crimes are state criminal matters handled by local and state police. Crimes involving wildlife may be state and may be federal. In either case, they are generally handled by completely different organizations with completely different missions from the police departments. That the federal Fish and Wildlife service, or the Illinois equivalent of our DNR, is investigating a wildlife crime has nothing to do with the local and state police investigating murders.

 

[dburkhead]

Wasn't there a video link on here awhile back where an eagle swooped down a mountainside and pulled a goat off a cliff? Kinda looked like an act of aggression to me. The goat certainly wasn't a threat. Anyway, since the eagle is such a "national symbol", what does that symbolize? And before anyone says anything, yes, we can all justify it by saying the bird was just hunting for food. Of course, there is another video floating around of an eagle taking down a doe on a dead run. I believe this one was strictly for sport. Point is, I question whether the eagle is a true representation of the US.

(Roughly, as I remember it. My copy is buried somewhere)

I flipped the quarter over. "This is the chop of my house. The bird stands for courage, freedom, and ideals souring high." I did not tell him that the Eagle ate carrion, never tackled anything its own size, and would soon be extinct. A symbol means what you put into it.

Glory Road, Robert A. Heinlein (and the Eagle seems to have made a pretty big comeback since he wrote that).

"A symbol means what you put into it."