Don,

I suggest that you go back and read my original post where I explicitly
stated that I do NOT know if animals have rights. My position in no way
depends on animals having rights. My objections are to callousness
masquerading as science or objectivity. If you are going to debate this
question with me, please do me the courtesy of responding to my position as
I state it, rather than stereotyping me so that you can knock down straw
men.

Steve Kimball
Federal Way, WA
skimball at halcyon.com

----- Original Message -----
From: Don Baccus <dhogaza at pacifier.com>
To: <skimball at halcyon.com>; Tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Thursday, May 13, 1999 2:18 PM
Subject: Re: Baby opossums ARE cute, damn it! (long)


> At 02:08 PM 5/13/99 -0700, Steven Kimball wrote:
>
> > Opossums shouldn't have been introduced into the Pacific
> >Northwest therefore I don't care that you, an individual opossum, are
> >bleeding or writhing in pain.
>
> I feel their pain. :)
>
> Unfortunately, that pain is overwhelmed by the pain I feel
> when I view the landscape, ravaged by introduced flora and
> fauna.
>
> There's a bit of a paradox at work:
>
> For those of you who believe animals have rights equal to
> those of people, is it not then true that they have
> equal responsibilities as well? We hold people responsible
> for the consequences of their actions, what is the basis
> for arguing that these equal animals shouldn't be held
> responsible for theirs? If they have souls, they have
> a conscience, they can sin, they can be saved, etc (any
> Catholics here?). They also, arguably, can be punished
> for their sins.
>
> Not that I believe that animals are people, or have the
> rights of people. Those who do hold such views, though,
> should hold to that view consistently.
>
>
>
> - Don Baccus, Portland OR <dhogaza at pacifier.com>
> Nature photos, on-line guides, and other goodies at
> http://donb.photo.net