My mother was listening to a radio show recently and Ted Nugent was a guest.   For those of you unfamiliar, Ted was a big rock star in the 1970’s and still tours.  He’s a proud patriot and provocatively states his far right opinions besides his love and passion for hunting.   This is not new information, but my mom told me something he said that absolutely devastated me and that I couldn’t stop thinking about.   He said that it’s outrageous and laughable that animals would have rights.

I’m not sure where to begin with this because there are many avenues to go down.   I felt personally attacked that a human being could be so callous and certain that animals solely exist for him and others to be eaten, tortured, and killed in order to decorate their homes with creepy taxidermy that puts on display the machismo and pride that some men feel is their right.

This mentality kills me.  It puts me into such a place of despondency and hopelessness.   That this man and many others could look into the piercing eyes of a lion, bear, deer, etc. and only see it as something they salivate over extinguishing, horrifies me. Trophy hunting, where men go into a fenced in piece of land and pay enormous sums to murder while filled with adrenaline, dopamine and excitement.   These are stunning animals who know they will be brutally murdered in the guise of fun.   This sickens and haunts me in a way nothing else can.

I know there are all kinds of people on this earth, trying to survive and enjoy the world as best they can.  I will never understand or comprehend why anyone would feel that animals are worth nothing.  I get quite angry coming across this opinion, which to me is as heinous as it gets.  

I also must admit that Ted wrote a few songs that I really like.  I think “Stranglehold” is a fabulous song and I’ve rocked out to the long guitar solo in it many times.   As much as I despise him as a human being, I can still take pleasure in that song and others.   I find that I’m able to separate who people are in their lives and the art and work they put out.   A lot of people out there would agree with Ted.   After all, this is not an uncommon attitude in many parts of the world.

When I come across such animal insensitivity, especially among people who love their dogs as much as their kids but have no problem killing a different species, it baffles me.   How do people feel so much for one animal and so little for another?  I’m pained by this and hope and pray that there are tons of humans on this globe who feel the opposite and make their lives about conservation and helping these creatures who have no voice and are powerless against humans trapping them and hurting them.  

I don’t know how to reconcile this.  I don’t know how to put it out of my mind.  I will never forget this as long as I live.

When I’m with my cat Bubby, I’m in heaven. Every time I stare at her, it’s like I’ve never laid eyes on her before.  I marvel at her beauty and beating heart.  Her purr calms me and puts me at ease.   The pleasure I derive from her presence is unlike any other.  I want to protect her, make her feel safe at every turn.   The mere idea of someone wanting to hurt her and stuff her is too much to bear. 

I must always remind myself that humans are primitive.