An appreciation for hunting and the circle of life

Iknow next to nothing about hunting, but a random man in the gas station got me thinking about the sport. We were both waiting in line at the cash register. He turned to me and struck up a conversation about finding a severely injured deer while hunting in the woods. Archery season opened this past weekend. He killed the deer with a second arrow and took it to the game warden. Interestingly, the original hunter’s name was on the first arrow. The game warden contacted the individual and fined him for leaving the dying deer in the woods.

This is how I interpreted the story. I may have missed some details because I was simultaneously trying to check out and rush out the door to get to my child’s soccer game. Hours later, the story floated through my mind, and I began to feel sorry for that deer and curious about hunting in general. When expressing my emotion to my boyfriend and older son, both said hunting is necessary and not a bad thing, even though neither of them is the hunting type, per se.

We moved on from the conversation, but again, I kept thinking about it. Logistically, I understand that the sport helps regulate the wildlife population, and it feels like a timeless sport, considering hunting has been part of the human survival story since the beginning of mankind. What I didn’t think about until I conducted some research is that hunting is also a significant factor in terms of wildlife conservation.

Although some animal lovers see hunting to be cruel or unethical, it remains the “backbone” of U.S. wildlife conservation, according to N.C. State professor Chris DePerno. In an article published by N.C. State titled The Role of Hunting in Wildlife Conservation, Explained by Andrew Moore, the connection between hunting and conservation dates back to the late 19th century when unregulated killing and habitat destruction pushed many species, including bison, whitetailed deer and wild turkeys, to the edge of extinction.

In direct response, sportsmen began organizing conservation groups and advocating for more regulations. “Hunters do more to help wildlife than any other group in America,” said DePerno, who is a professor of fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology at the College of Natural Resources. “They not only provide financial support for state wildlife agencies, but they also play an important role in wildlife management activities.” Meanwhile, I have been moving toward a plant-based diet. I am learning that eating primarily plants, nuts and seeds is not only good for everyday health but also for longevity. According to a 2020 analysis published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, a higher intake of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and also coffee is associated with a reduced risk for all-cause mortality, while a high intake of red or processed meats was associated with high all-cause mortality.

This circles back around to the topic of hunting. Evolutionarily, we were not eating meat every day because hunting was dangerous and challenging for our ancestors. The bulk of our nutrition came from nuts, seeds, berries and plants. Meat was an occasional luxury. Further, we ate more fish than red meat, and in today’s world the countries that eat much more fish than red meat live longer and present less cases of cancer, diabetes, obesity and heart disease.

Several life experiences lately have helped me appreciate the circle of life, and this is another one. Perhaps we can glean some wisdom from hunters, past and present. Our ancestors knew their bodies needed protein but ate meat sparingly. Today’s hunters have a high respect for game and honor both wildlife and the use of the animal’s entire body.

Both scenarios are better than modern mentality, which seems to feel very little connection to wildlife or agriculture. Modern consumers simply shop in bulk at chain grocery stores and night after night cook high-fat, high-sodium meals with no thought to the food on their plate or the way the animal was slaughtered and processed.

For me, encounters such as the one at the gas station feel serendipitous, as if running into the chatty hunter was merely part of my current metamorphosis and journey toward a more sustainable and conscious way of eating.

I leave you, the reader, with two pieces of advice. First, never discount a conversation with a stranger. No one is put into our lives by accident. Second, begin thinking about the food you eat and where it came from. The only way we’ll ever improve the state of Mother Earth and our collective wellbeing is to consider how all living things are interconnected. (Susanna Shetley is a writer, editor and digital media specialist with The Smoky Mountain News, Smoky Mountain Living and

Mountain South Media. susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com.)

Susanna Shetley Columnist

We can normalize Trump’s criminality

To the Editor:

Every American should be troubled, attentive and very concerned about the mishandling of classified documents by the former president discovered by the FBI during their lawful investigation at Trump’s resort in Florida. Politics aside, the slow but steady erosion of respect for state secrets and the uneven prosecution of those who willfully violate long-standing laws governing security of classified material — in particular, the coddling of the powerful and the harsh punishment of subordinates — creates the inevitable extension of our seriously broken system.

In 2003, on two separate occasions, Samuel (Sandy) Berger entered the National Archives in Washington, D.C,. and stole sensitive government documents, stuffing them into his socks and pants.

Two years later, after he left his job as President Bill Clinton’s national security advisor, Berger pleaded guilty to the theft. He was fined $50,000, sentenced to three years probation, 100 hours of community service and denied a government security clearance for three years.

In 2016, a U.S. Navy sailor pleaded guilty to unauthorized use of sensitive information for taking selfies inside a nuclear submarine. The sailor, Kristian Saucier, was sentenced to one year in prison, then home confinement with an ankle bracelet and three years of supervision.

The Berger and Navy sailor examples were violations of the laws forbidding the possession or illegal use of security secrets. In Berger’s case, he was preparing for congressional testimony. In the sailor’s case, he was excited to be on a nuclear submarine and forgot his duty.

In January 2021 — just hours before Joe Biden was sworn in as president — Donald Trump shipped a dozen boxes of classified government documents to Mar-a-Lago. These boxes were then stored in an unsecured basement room allowing Trump aides to access them freely (it’s on videotape). These documents were clearly labeled “Top Secret” (among other terms), some so sensitive that protocols require them to be read, but not removed from, secure locations like the White House Situation Room.

In their search, the FBI listed documents relating to national security, the President of France, even nuclear matters. Obviously, there is no legitimate reason to have this kind of material in one’s home.

Donald Trump has always considered himself to be above the law and apparently thought he could take whatever he wanted after he lost the election, lie to the FBI about it, and not be held accountable. The reality is, the truth is, American citizens have gone to prison for a lot less.

The former president is renowned for his absolute disregard for the rules of law, but this inconvenient fact seems to bother his disciples, including the majority of the Republican Party, not at all. That does not speak well for the men and women who have made a clear and purposeful choice to violate their oath of office, emulating a man who willfully placed this nation (the nation he too was sworn to protect) in extreme danger.

The battle for the soul of the Republican Party is over. The challenges that will determine America’s future, from this point on, continue unremittingly. Trump proved beyond all reasonable doubt how ill-prepared America’s institutions were to deal with an unapologetic authoritarian who, throughout his entire adult life, has believed rules that apply to the rest of us do not pertain to him.

We must not, for any reason or perceived circumstance, out of fear, allow the Republican Party (or anyone) to normalize his criminality. David L. Snell Franklin

LETTERS

Rep. Clampitt’s values aren’t mine

To the Editor:

The current issue of The Smoky Mountain News (September 7) has a sticker affixed to the front page that states: “Mike Clampitt NC House District 119 Conservative Values.” I assume that this was caused to be affixed by Mr. Clampitt’s reelection campaign.

Rep. Clampitt, in The Smoky Mountain News last year, addressed his membership in the Oath Keepers as reported by that newspaper. He began by stating that you should “Never judge a book by its cover,” which he attributes to being a saying first observed during WW II.

This is the first of the inaccuracies of his explanation. The quote seems to come first from George Eliot’s “The Mill on the Floss” of 1860 where a character in the book refers to Daniel Defoe’s “The History of the Devil,” where it references the beautiful binding as compared to the inner writing. This is a fairly good analogy of Mr. Clampitt’s statements concerning this matter. He makes blanket statements of how he supports the Constitution, the rule of law, and how he is opposed to violence. He states that “A lot of good, well-meaning organizations become hijacked by overzealous individuals participating in an activity that becomes out of control.”

That is the cover of Mr. Clampitt’s book. In the inner written pages he never does condemn the Oath Keepers as an organization. He attempts to pass the buck, to pass the responsibility onto a few rogues that just happen to be the founding members and the leaders of the group. This is disingenuous. Mr. Clampitt either supports the Oath Keepers or must disavow them. Silence indicates tacit approval of the organization. Only actively denouncing them will set the record straight as to where he stands. If he cannot, or will not do so, he should resign from his position in the state government and end his reelection campaign as he has shown that he does not represent the people as a whole.