Laws, Lions and Lunacy
Simply opening the day’s newspapers, or tuning into the electronic news media outlets, can often reveal rather jarring juxtapositions. Today some of the talking points are lions, the ongoing expose of Planned Parenthood, and various reactions to both.
The big one is the story about the lion shot illegally in Africa. Everyone seems to be talking about this one. For those not aware of the story, it goes like this:
Cecil the lion – the most famous creature in one of Zimbabwe’s national parks – was killed by an American hunter who has boasted about shooting a menagerie of animals with his bow and arrow, The Telegraph can reveal.
Walter James Palmer, a dentist from Minnesota, is believed to have paid £35,000 to shoot and kill the much-loved lion with a bow and arrow. The animal was shot on July 1 in Hwange National Park. Two independent sources have confirmed the hunter’s identity to the paper, which has also seen a copy of the relevant hunting permit.
And the most recent media reports about this now mention that he has made a public apology for his actions:
Walter Palmer, the US dentist and big game hunter who killed Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe, has written a letter to his patients apologising for the disruption to their treatment while the international furore continues….
In the letter, addressed to his “valued patients”, Palmer once again stated that he thought the hunt was legal and that the proper hunting permits had been obtained.
Plenty of people are very concerned about all this. And I certainly am not begrudging the fact that they feel outraged, but I am questioning why it is that once again an animal death generates so much concern and public attention, while the slaughter of innocent babies does not even raise an eyebrow.
As my good friend Kathleen Linger has put it, “People are upset because the lion was supposed to be protected in a safe haven, but what about the unborn babies who are also supposed to be protected in the safe haven of their mothers’ wombs? Just as this lion was lured out of its safe haven, so the abortionists rip the babies out of their safe havens.”
Moreover, folks like Ernest Hemingway and Theodore Roosevelt were famous for hunting lions and other big game in Africa and adorning the walls or floors of their homes with their trophies. And of course how many millions of carnivores depend upon others to do the killing for them every day of the year?
Already zillions of hours of media time have been devoted to this story, yet the mainstream media is barely even talking about something far worse: the gruesome killing of babies and the harvesting and selling of their body parts. Why no media coverage about this? Why no international outrage about this?
While a few brave and responsible media outlets like Fox News have covered the PP story, most are not. This story is surely of far greater moral weight, and cuts deep into the very basic values of any civilised society. Yet it is mostly met with silence.
That tells me a lot about the moral meltdown that is so characteristic of the West. Any society that can remain silent about the wholesale destruction of millions of babies, and not even bat an eyelash over a menu of body parts for sale is a society that no longer can claim to be part of the civilised world.
Another news item which is utterly shocking concerns a recent judicial decision. A judged has weighed into the PP mess and said it has to stop. The killing of babies and selling of parts? Um no, the video exposes of this. Yes you heard me right. As one report states:
The California Superior Court has issued a narrow temporary restraining order preventing the Center for Medical Progress (CMP), a pro-life group, from releasing further undercover video footage taken of three top-level staff of StemExpress.
CMP is the organization behind the series of three videos released over the past three weeks exposing the alleged harvesting and sale of body parts from aborted babies by Planned Parenthood – body parts that are then purchased by StemExpress.
CMP has alleged that the fees paid by StemExpress to Planned Parenthood violate federal law prohibiting the sale and trafficking of human tissue.
While Planned Parenthood has claimed that the fees paid to them by StemExpress merely cover their costs, and fall within the bounds of the law, the video footage released so far has appeared to show Planned Parenthood employees seeking profit as part of the transaction.
In the most recent video, released Tuesday, a Planned Parenthood affiliate vice president was caught on video describing how the abortion organization can maximize profit. “I think a per-item thing works a little better, just because we can see how much we can get out of it,” Dr. Savita Sinde said of the aborted baby.
The Associated Press, which broke the news about the court order, reports that the undercover videos of the Stem Express staff were filmed at a restaurant in May.
It is unclear just how significant an impact the court order will have on the release of subsequent videos in the series. David Daleiden, the lead researcher with CMP, has said that at least nine more videos are slated for release.
The restraining order reportedly only pertains to the footage of the Stem Express employees, meaning that any other footage, including that featuring Planned Parenthood employees, can still be released as planned.
In an exclusive comment to LifeSiteNews after the release of the court order, Daleiden said that, at the end of the day, what happened in the courtroom may actually be a victory for the pro-life group.
“The ruling is very narrow, concerning only one specific meeting, and it is temporary and contingent pending further litigation,” he said. “The judge actually threw out completely the part of StemExpress’ case where they were asking to suppress the documents on their baby parts sales.”
“It was a much better day for us than it was for them and Planned Parenthood.”
As Kathleen also pointed out, why does this sound familiar? Surely courts in Germany in the 30s and 40s would also have blocked any attempts by concerned citizens to expose the nasty secrets of the Nazi killing machine. Hitler and his colleagues literally got away with murder in part by covering up what they were doing and silencing the critics.
So on it goes. We have fighting in the courts as to which is worse: the evil trade of PP, or the exposure of their dastardly deeds by concerned organisations. Incredible. But most of the media is utterly fixated on some poor lion. Again, don’t get me wrong: I am no fan of any unnecessary animal cruelty or killing.
But some folks are calling for the dentist to be hanged! Really. Sorry, but when these same folks start calling for the money-making mass murderers at PP to be suitably dealt with, then I might start to take them more seriously. Otherwise their selective moral outrage does not impress me one lousy bit.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/zimbabwe/11767119/Cecil-the-lions-killer-revealed-as-American-dentist.html
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/animals/cecil-the-lion-dentist-walter-palmer-writes-apology-letter-to-patients-20150730-ginhav.html#ixzz3hLP1E3kc
https://www.lifesitenews.com/static/breaking-court-blocks-pro-life-group-from-releasing-new-undercover-videos4.html?utm_source=LifeSiteNews.com+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=051858afec-LifeSiteNews_com_Intl_Headlines_06_19_2013&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0caba610ac-051858afec-326193646
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Bill, you’re absolutely right to call people out on this double standard.
Yes Bill, it’s a very strange world we live in nowadays, whereby the death of an animal creates more outrage than the sale of baby parts. Having said that, I am not in favour of killing animals simply for the pleasure of it.
I am also amused that SSM is such an urgent social issue, yet we don’t hear much about the homosexuals being tossed off buildings in the name of Islam.
Bill,
You may or may not choose to publish my comment, but I feel compelled to respond to your article. With regard to the killing of the beautiful lion in Africa – I think no less of it, than the wanton killing of unborn babies. Just because people decry the senseless killing of an animal, doesn’t mean (at least for myself) that the silence on abortion by the general media is any less horrific. You have to remember and I’m sure you do, that today’s media is driven by a leftist agenda that has wormed its way into every aspect of it. Abortion is not going to be mentioned because they would be admitting to the obvious wrong that is happening, so they will push other stories forward – mostly for the blinkered audience they cater for. For myself, I believe all creatures on this earth that were created by God, do not warrant mistreatment – be they animals or humans. Life is precious in all its forms and that is what God intended – to care for life. The dentist in America, obviously enjoys the slaughter of high profile animals simply for the pleasure of killing. Cecil’s life is no less precious in the manner that he was killed, as is the helpless baby that is torn from the womb. I always remember a terrible case in the North Territory where an aborted baby survived for more than a hour and was left to cry in a dish. I simply can’t imagine anything more evil or vile than that and it goes on all the time. I think what the slaughter of the lion really says, is that there are so many people in this world who care little for the sanctity of life and that is what evil does – the devil if you will, who encourages us to dismiss God’s handiwork as just something to blatantly destroy without a moment’s thought.
Thanks Elizabeth. If you read my piece you will see I did not of course seek to fully defend his actions. My aim was to point out the gross hypocrisy and double standards employed here. But anyone who claims to be a biblical Christian does recognise differing values in life. Jesus himself made this perfectly clear in Matthew 10:29-31: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” So yes we are to be good stewards of planet earth and care for all life, but not all life is equal – human life is simply of greater value according to God. So that will of necessity be my stance as well.
Bill is 100% right on this. I noticed exactly the same thing. It is breath taking how upside down the medias priorities are in Australia.
We need more Christian media to counter the hostile anti Christian secular media. Keep up the great work Bill.
I think Jesus called it “straining a gnat and swallowing a camel”. Otherwise known as hypocrisy, and often practised by those under spiritual deception or blindness.
It’s heartbreaking and a deliberate way of diminishing and devaluing God’s image and gift and openly defying God.
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”
And with respect, Peter, SSM IS an urgent social issue for the Christian, because it goes to the very heart of God’s plan for mankind. When we depart from this, we do so at our peril. Ancient civilizations crumbled as the result of homosexuality, other perversions, and the disintegration of the family unit. What may seem initially to be an alternative choice for some individuals will inevitably grow steadily until it corrupts a whole nation.
And one questioner on Q&A said he thought 2 women dying from domestic violence each week in Australia was far more serious than any Islamist threat. If we get upset over 2 women being killed each week in this fair land through domestic violence, how about getting upset over almost 2,000 little helpless unborn Australian babies being killed in the same week? Selective outrage, I would say.
You’re absolutely right, Bill. The hypocrisy is overwhelming and actual nauseating. The non mention, let alone the total disregard of the killing of babes in the womb – by the millions – day in and day out, truly exposes that they hate having their “dirty little secrets” being under the spot light. God sees and one day they will have to give an account to Him. This day is called the Great White Throne Judgement and the world is on a collision course with it.
I too share the outrage over the double standards. I’ve just sent an email to “Our ABC” asking why we’ve not heard anything about the PP scandal. I urge everyone to do likewise, and be sure to check the box stating that you require a response.
In the meantime, wrt Cecil, read this and wonder.
https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/networks-covered-cecil-the-lion-more-in-1-day-than-abortion-videos-in-2-wee?utm_source=LifeSiteNews.com+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=c9d3dbb39e-LifeSiteNews_com_Intl_Headlines_06_19_2013&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0caba610ac-c9d3dbb39e-399309809
I think we should be encouraged by the response.let me explain. When Ashley Madison and the planned parenthood scandals occurred, it became obvious to me that God is not going to continue to allow us to sin by pretending we don;t know.we are going into the tribulation period eyes wide open! the media attempt to deflect from planned parenthood with a dead lion…oh all those goddess earth worshipers and animal over human worshipers must be grieved..points right BACK to abortion, and shows clearly who is lost in an Avatar movie fantasy and who is actually awake and aware (I believe without the Holy Spirit you are absolutely totally clueless as to what is truly happening.) We even had a “surprise” blood moon over the US on the day the court legalized gay marriage. and after years of talk of blood moons..people noticed. Expect to see more surprising news in the future..and remember,,,God’s plan continues. Maranatha !
Elisabeth, if you are still watching this post, every good thing, in this case the legitimate concern over the senseless death of the lion, becomes a bad thing when it gains importance and attention beyond its significance and eclipses the attention the other matter should have had due to its more significant value. I believe this is the devil’s favorite way of destroying God’s work. He doesn’t straight away put something forward that is obviously wicked, but slowly distorts and takes out of context that which was made good by God. It was de facto relationships where sex was still between a male and a female, but the “exclusively for life” part was relaxed and it moved slowly on from there. Only now where all the preliminory relaxations of God’s perfect law have ben swollowed and accepted by society do the schemers deem our society to be ready for the next step. And we all know that truth, the best defender of the innocent and the underprivileged will be the greatest casualty of this great exercise of the flipping over of values and will need to be permanently and constantly suppressed.
Many blessings
Ursula Bennett
You raise a good point, Ursula. And, once again, I go back to the illustration of the frog placed in tepid water and gradually being boiled alive, whereas placing him in boiling water would result in him immediately jumping out (albeit burned!) This is happening everywhere today. People are gradually but steadily being sucked into an acceptance of values and behaviours that, in a previous generation, would have been immediately refuted. Absolute values are no longer acceptable. Everything is in a state of flux. Gone are the days when there was a clear line of demarcation between right and wrong. This is not surprising, considering that the Bible is no longer regarded as our guide and is even ridiculed by many.