LETTERS

Fallacious reasoning

The logic in Bryan Hendricks’ opinion piece on limiting wildlife interaction is questionable at best and destructive at worst. He makes a generalization fallacy by using the specific case of overzealous and unethical photography guides at a breeding colony in Tampa Bay, Fla., to suggest that all wildlife watchers may be harmful to wildlife.

Colonial breeding waterbirds are indeed sensitive to disturbance, which is why the National Audubon Society is working hard to protect rookeries and beach nests in Florida and elsewhere. If a rookery occurs on a Wildlife Management Area in Arkansas, it should be protected from intrusion. But to say that promoting hiking, birding, photography, etc., conflicts with the Game and Fish Commission’s mission is a sweeping generalization without merit.

Contrary to Mr. Hendricks’ statement, the effects of nonconsumptive activities on wildlife have been well-studied. Researchers have investigated the conservation and societal benefits of nature tourism, as well as the ways to minimize harm. The North American Nature Photography Association and the American Birding Association each have a code of ethics regarding interactions with wildlife, as does the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. In my experience, most photographers and birders follow these guidelines. A few photography profiteers do not represent birders or the nature tourism industry, just as poachers do not epitomize hunters.

It is a shame that the piece seeks to promote divisions when all who love and enjoy using the outdoors should unite to protect it.

DAN SCHEIMAN Little Rock Bad economic choice

With regards to cutbacks on educational grants to veterinary students, I would offer some more current info.

While it is true that there are local shortages of large-animal vets, producing more will not help, as the federal programs that forgive studentloans to practice in these areas have failed. They are economically depressed areas that will not support a veterinary practice.

Also, the American Veterinary Medical Association’s most recent reports give $64,000 as the U.S. average for salaries to new graduates from veterinary school. In Arkansas, it is definitely lower.

The real news is that financing a veterinary education today is a bad economic choice.

KATHLEEN A. McCUNE Eureka SpringsThat vital difference

Recently, while I was out of town, Richard Cheney claimed that the Benghazi incident was one of the most disturbing events he could recall in his career.

Perhaps he has forgotten that, excluding Baghdad, there were 11 attacks on U.S. embassies and compounds with 60 killed between Jan. 22, 2002, and Sept. 17, 2008. Perhaps he has forgotten that Republicans cut embassy security funding requests by $296 million in 2011 and 2012.

Perhaps he has forgotten Watergate, Iran-Contra, and the betrayal of Valerie Plame Wilson (a covert CIA operative specializing in weapons of mass destruction). These last two were treason, in my opinion.

Perhaps he has forgotten Sept. 11, 2001, the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, 3,000+ killed. Perhaps, but I don’t think so. I believe Sept. 11, 2001, was the pretext he and Bush needed to drum up support for their already planned invasion of Iraq; the others were just part of politics and not really scandals.

Why the difference? The president is a Democrat. That is why Benghazi is a major scandal. Not only is he a Democrat, he has a funny name and an unacceptable complexion. All the other events happened during administrations with presidents who were white Republicans, the right kind of people.

Viewed this way, Cheney’s comments may work for conservatives. They don’t work for me.

JAMES B. SAWYER FayettevilleAt heart of the matter

Re Dan Vega’s recent letter: He justifies abortion by the argument that the fetus has not taken a breath before being killed. It is his opinion that “at the heart of the matter, a fetus is not a baby,” and he argues that “the soul or spirit” enters the body on the first breath.

What about the heart? Does the heart of the child start beating a few weeks after fertilization? Does the fetus receive oxygen throughout gestation? At the end of life, is the heartbeat also taken into consideration as well as the last breath?

After considering the heartbeat, the movement of the fetus, the ultrasound videos, the formation of a unique human being in the fertilized egg, it is my opinion that abortion is the taking of a human life. Speaking up for and protecting human life is everyone’s business.

His was a somewhat reasonable (although I believe incorrect) argument until he started attacking thosewith a differing opinion as “scheming deceivers and manipulators” who “delude themselves with the same self-righteous rhetoric used to dupe and herd others.” Was that necessary to bolster his argument?

PAULA HARP Siloam SpringsWould be no cowering

Re Nate Bell’s tweet: The truth do sting at times. Fact: Two punks held a city of two million in lockdown for two days. Don’t go to work. Don’t go to school. Don’t go shopping. They are out there and you might run into them. Stay home and keep your doors locked.

I have read several letters explaining this behavior. The most amusing one said that the citizens bravely cowered in their homes. They bravely followed their instructions. Seems to be a problem here, but I’m still thinking about it.

Another letter stated that because our founding fathers fired the shotheard around the world near Boston, the residents today can’t be accused of cowering in their homes.

Our founding fathers were independent, freethinking men. They had no need to wait for instructions from Washington or anyplace else. Our founding fathers were a different breed of men than most of those found today. I submit that they would have taken down their assault rifles (whatever those are) and within two hours the two punks would either have been shot or hung. Just a thought.

JAMES HILL Fayetteville