Dakota Beacon

For almost two weeks we have been treated to photos, stories and interviews about poor Cecil, the lion slaughtered by a Minnesota dentist.  For the one or two people left on earth who haven’t heard about this news item, the man pursues his pleasure ranging about the world seeking the heads of exotic wild animals, notably here, Cecil. A favorite and familiar creature to locals, he was lured out of his safe game preserve by paid lackeys to his ultimate death.  The Great White Hunter brought him down with a bow and arrow, which was insufficient to kill the beast, but enough to disable and injure him, leaving him in pain, suffering for some five hours until one of the minions finally found and dispatched him with a bullet, the only humane moment in the affair.  And millions are now outraged and mourning the magnificent animal, whose photo belied his demise, giving the impression of a tame giant cat sleeping peacefully.  Subsequently, the great adventurer beheaded and skinned the cat, leaving his remains to rot in the tropic sun.

At home with his trophy the man now finds himself a pariah, apparently the object of contempt, losing his dental practice and fleeing into hiding as celebrities at home and abroad are screaming for revenge and right-wing show hosts are defending him.

I do not condemn hunting wild animals if done legally and safely, and if used for food.  I do not believe people who hunt should be hounded.  I personally would take no pleasure in this “sport”, but there are arguments that it is a natural process and when done right, we should not outlaw it.  I also know that a lion - any lion, including Cecil - is a dangerous wild animal and not a pet.  But luring a semi-socialized beast out of the safety he has known and waiting to ambush the creature falls short of “hunting”, in my book.  If the animal is posing no danger to a community, there is no excuse in attempting to trap it merely to take his head home in a bag.  So enough with the “hero hunter” image.

The Leftist celebrities of Hollywood and Broadway, the elitist society that can be counted on for such things, have gone into full attack mode.  No surprise there.  The media has been feasting on the story.  No surprise there either.  And sadly, it is no surprise that most of the conservative pundits and talk show hosts have fallen into the trap themselves.  Instead of noting the story if need be with quiet, rational commentary, as animal advocate Mark Levin did, and moving on to the vital stories of the hour, most of them relished the opportunity to play some sort of devil’s advocate, championing the hunter’s right to do this under the laws in force and noting the dubious distinction of pseudo-Republican President Teddy Roosevelt as a big game hunter, and then going forward to place this story opposite the disgusting revelations about the trafficking in baby parts by the abortion racket, finding it absurd that anyone should not object to that but be in a lather about the lion.

Firstly, it is not in the least incompatible, as Mr. Levin proved, to be disgusted by the wanton slaying of a protected animal for nothing other than the fun of taking his head off and carting it home to impress others, and to be morally outraged at the obscene treatment of living babies, in the womb, and now, as we are learning, born.  There is nothing to compare here.  But in making it some kind of “either-or” choice, these dufuses are driving a wedge between the Right and those who admire beautiful animals, especially younger people.  Do we need to do this in order to advocate for our unborn children?  Is that even sane?  And isn’t this just as distracting as the story itself?

If we are angry with the unethical practices employed by this hunter (“legal” or “illegal”), does this mean we don’t care about dissecting our babies?  And selling their organs?  Of course not, so why bring them up together at all?  I suggest some dimwit thought this up and the talking heads on radio just took it up without thinking.  Sort of shows you the wheat and the chaff, doesn’t it?  Why must we defend the creepy dentist in order to weigh in against the slaughter and dismemberment-for-profit of babies?

This is part of a bigger problem the conservatives have suffered with since the 1950’s.  We on the Right have been characterized as troglodytes who wouldn’t know culture if they served it with a crisp and whimsical chablis.  We are supposed to ridicule the arts, music, drama, movies, dance.  We are supposed to be some sort of cruds who are too “serious” to know about that stuff.  The Left loves this.  The Left created the image of Archie Bunker and ever since the Right has been dying trying to live up to it.  It’s been great, hasn’t it, ceding the arts and the avenues of popular communication to the Left?  Ask any successful dictator.  Try Stalin.  Some of his contemporary rivals sought to capture control of industry.  Some of the military.  Stalin took the long view.  He sought control of the media and of communication and the arts.  He wanted to influence permanently the hearts and minds of the people through these networks of culture and communication and education.  It worked - beautifully - for Stalin (quick, can you name his rivals?) and socialists have practiced it since.  Under different names, perhaps, but the same old bunch of guys.  

In America the Right has studiously avoided contact with Hollywood.  In reciprocation, Hollywood has shunned the Right.  Almost any movie made that attempts to show a conservative point of view is done on a shoestring budget, with limited release and few if any “big names” involved.  Some of them have been very good, nonetheless.  Too bad so few ever saw them.  Maybe it is not too late for conservatives in America to embrace the elements of popular culture, to try to communicate with the people rather than look down on them in an elitist sort of way, a sort of contradiction.  An elitist corps of culture-blind grunts - that seems to be how conservatives see themselves.  We endlessly lament that we have “lost” the younger generations, but don’t seem to be willing to reach them through our culture.

As one of the really odd ones, I can tell them that the various aspects of culture will not only enrich America but strengthen her.  How can we not hear the music of a Khachaturian or a John Barry, gaze into a Dutch portrait or a Renoir, or at a statue of Rodin’s, become lost in an opera of Verdi’s or a ballet of Tchaikovsky’s or read a truly great book, whether by Mark Twain or Tolstoy or Stevenson, or a play by Shakespeare or Shaw or Wilde and not be improved by the experience?  

We seem to have some kind of aversion to this.  The lion story is a case in point.  The lie is that conservatives don’t have a heart, they are hard-bitten jerks who “don’t care”.  The truth is that no political philosophy is more conducive to the freedom needed for real art and culture than conservatism.  Why do we feel the need to deny it?  It is not “soft” to regret the unethical hunting of a beautiful lion.  It is not “left-wing” or “socialist” to embrace the arts.  In fact, by maintaining the attitude that it is, we  encourage the politicization of arts and culture by the Left.  We can ill afford to do this.  So let’s just step out of the trap laid for us and admit that we can go to work to stop baby trafficking and deplore unethical treatment of animals all at the same time.   

Let’s let Cecil finally rest in peace, let the law take its course with the “hunter” and get on to the real issues - remember?  We are not safe in our homes or grocery stores because our government (Republicans included) is resettling drug cartels and jihadists in our neighborhoods and our "sanctuary cities" are lawless jungles, our border is dissolving before our eyes, our military bases and recruitment offices are targets and we are court-marshalling the heroes who defend them, our debt is soaring toward $2 trillion, we are spending our education budget teaching kids to question their sex or whether they even have one and to add 3+3 and get 7, we are permitting - scratch that - subsidizing - the slaughter and abuse of unborn babies for money, Obamacare is bankrupting us and the only uptick in employment is 100% in the immigrant sector.  Oh, and we are giving "death-to-America”-chanting Iranians nuclear war capability without even oversight.  Maybe our talk show guys could focus on one of these.