Dr. Walter Palmer, the Minnesota dentist who killed African tourist attraction Cecil the lion and sparked an international controversy, has gone underground.
Palmer's life has been for all intents and purposes ruined for killing Cecil, cutting his head off and skinning him. Palmer says he hired professional guides and had all the papers and permits to hunt big game (including lions) in the area in which he killed Cecil.
It's a sad and somewhat brutal tale that will not end well. This is not defending Palmer, who seems pretty sketchy. If he poached Cecil - and Palmer has a history of lying to wildlife authorities and paying tens of thousands of dollars to kill big game all over the world (and, oh yeah, he settled a sexual harassment suit out of court), then he should be prosecuted.
But are we really saying that killing a lion is worse than killing a human being? There are hundreds of murders - even those of kids - in this country that do not get a fraction of the outrage this has generated.
Sorry, but the real-life atrocities here at home and across the globe make it tough for me to lose too much sleep over the death of a lion, no matter how charismatic - which Cecil certainly was. And what about Zeb the zebra or Randy the rhino? Why is there no more outrage with the poaching deaths of Zeb or Randy?
Heck, PETA, which is supposed to be an international group of protesters that protects animals, tweeted that Palmer should be hanged.
What? Hanged? Right. How many of those wanting Palmer killed would be for the death penalty if he had killed Cecil the lineman instead? We're betting less than half.
Whatever.
Maybe we could figure out a way to throw Palmer into the lion's den. That would show him.
Unless of course the interweb morality mob thought that was a move toward an Old Testament-type of punishment. We all know we can't incorporate church and state, after all.
Presidential payoff
President Barack Obama announced in May that his My Brother's Keeper initiative will start financially rewarding young black males for success in school and the workplace.
He said supporters and sponsors of this program are not doing this out of charity or societal guilt.
"They're doing this because they know that making sure all of our young people have the opportunity to succeed is an economic imperative," Obama said.
Awesome.
My Brother's Keeper released a report saying the financial incentives for young black males would benefit the economy as a whole.
Super, but here's my question: When we are investing in young people, should we, in a time when we are looking to be more inclusive, look to invest in all at-risk young people, be them white, black, purple or teal, or whether they have an XX or XY genetic coding?
Just a thought.
Feedback requested
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam is touring the state later this month to look for the roads and bridges that need the most work.
Well, fine, readers of Chattanooga, what say you? What roads do you think need to be addressed and why? Email me at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com and I'll do everything possible to get that list to the governor.
Saturday's star
To the town of Port Angeles, Wash. - 19,000 strong - here's a big tip of the visor for you.
Led by Leslie Robertson, the lady who championed Port Angeles' chase against Chattanooga for an outdoor magazine's online title of "Best Town Ever," the town sent 20 banners of signed messages of good wishes and sympathy after the tragedy here more than two weeks ago.
Class move, all the way around.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6343. Follow him on Twitter at jgree son@timesfreepress.com.