Back to meat cutting while waiting on paradise to arrive

To the Editor:

I must take exception to the twisted concept proposed in last week's letter to the editor by James Peden. His use of the term "twisted concept" to describe the belief in the validity of hunting animals for food seems to be almost fightin' words, but being that he is evidently a non-violent person, I suppose we just have to assume that he is just "believing strongly" in his vegetarian position.

Although Mr. Peden is older than myself, I have been a meat eater longer than he has reportedly been a green eater, and I have found that hunting and enjoying wild game "is a peaceful and healthful way of living."

I am happy to grant Mr. Peden the liberty to refrain from eating meat if he wishes, but the "twisted" aspect of his logic seems to me to be that he wants to make everyone believe that eating meat is evil, and he brings in Pythagoras, Einstein, Da Vinci, and Tolstoy to help convince us.

I don't know much about what's his name, Da Vinci or Einstein, but I have learned quite a bit about Tolstoy. Tolstoy spent many a year in confusion and uncertainty, trying to reach his own conclusions about just what was good and what was evil. Tolstoy wrote some wonderful and amazing stories and essays, in my opinion, but after his religious conversion it seems that he felt that he was justified in sort of just picking and choosing which parts of the Bible he wanted to believe in, and try to abide by, and this seemed to lend itself to the mental anguish and instability of his later years.

Mr. Peden feels he is living in paradise, the only problem being the many "gross" Neanderthal types who are also here in paradise enjoying the natural bounty of wild fish and game. I also believe in paradise; it is a biblical term, and it seems that when paradise does arrive, those that are taking part in it will not be killing animals for food, but biblically speaking, I don't believe that that time is here yet.

So, excuse me, I have to get back to my meat cutting. Really.

Jim Valentine

Troy