Pro-hunting sentiments belong in the Dark Ages or before

To the Editor:

I must take exception to the twisted concept proposed in last week's editorial by Brent Shrum.

His statement that "hunting …(is) one of those things that makes us human" is a statement that belongs in the Dark Ages or before. Pythagoras, the Greek mathematician stated 2,500 years ago, "As long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seeds of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love."

More recently, Leonardo da Vinci wrote, "The time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look on the murder of men."

Albert Einstein stated, "Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances of survival for life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet."

The connection between eating the flesh of fellow creatures and war has been paralleled by many, including Leo Tolstoy, who simply wrote, "As long as there are slaughterhouses, there will be battlefields."

I've been a vegetarian for over 40 years and found that it is a peaceful and healthful way of living. In my 65th year I'm healthier than in my 20th year.

My brother, who is nine years younger than me, as a young child sat at the dining room table, refusing to eat meat. Mother wouldn't let us leave the table until the plate was clean, so he'd stash the meat in his cheeks (like a chipmunk) and sit for an hour after the meal until he was forced to swallow it. He eventually became a meat eater and today is barely alive, having numerous heart attacks and other diet related problems.

I love living in Troy/Libby. Often I remark I'm living in paradise. However, the emphasis on hunting and parading those successful in the hunt as heros is gross. Thank goodness I enjoy the bounty of wildlife without killing.

James Peden