It's a Character Issue

Recently Governor Mary Fallin went on a canned hunt, shooting an elk inside a fenced area, then proudly posing for a picture with the animal's carcass. I don't view the Governor's actions as a bit of benign amusement, but instead as an indication of deep character flaws.

Consider what exactly is involved in the “sport” of hunting; an innocent animal with almost no way to defend itself is shot down in cold blood by a “sportsman.” The animal's only chance to “win” the contest is to run away, and hopefully avoid being shot at another day. (Of course, in this case even that opportunity was eliminated through the use of a fence.) It really only takes two things to be a hunter; a finger strong enough to pull a trigger, and an absolute absence of any ability to comprehend the principles of justice and compassion.

If you think this doesn't matter to the governance of our state, consider this recent insurance rule change approved by Governor Fallin. What it does, in short, is allow insurance companies to avoid the automatic enrollment of newborn babies until the next open enrollment period. So if you have a child in January, and your enrollment period is in December, the insurance company can leave your child without adequate health coverage for nearly a year.

The point of all this is that we shouldn't be surprised when someone who lacks the moral compass to prevent her from attacking and destroying innocent lives in one arena goes on to attack and destroy innocent lives in another arena.

Hunting is a character destroying activity. It encourages those who engage in it to suppress any feelings of justice and compassion they may feel. It always an activity that is completely one-sided, whereby those with weapons attack those who have absolutely no way to defend themselves. When we see a politician who engages in this activity we should take every opportunity we can to get them out of office and keep them out of office.