Why are we so violent? In my first post I talked about the pressure the human population is putting around the Washington, DC suburbs, and I am sure this is going on in other cities and suburbs as well. I received an email from In Defense of Animals, and they are suing the National Park Service for the decision to kill deer in Rock Creek Park. The NPS is hiring people to shoot deer at night with fire arms and cross bows. Can you imagine, that people near the park would support this massacre? I grew up around Rock Creek Park and cannot believe the level of violence to the deer has escalated to this degree. Imagine, if someone invaded your home and began shooting you! Well that is exactly what we are doing to the animals that inhabit Rock Creek Park. No matter what damage the deer are accused of causing, it is our moral imperative that we find humane, non violent ways of protecting young trees etc. I find it alarming that so many environmental and conservation groups are so quick to blame the deer for environmental damage. But they fail to put this in perspective to the damage that people are doing. I have been a major environmentalist for decades, but I don’t support the use of cruelty to stop tree damage. Bow hunting is particularly disturbing because the deer bleed to death from one or more arrows. The fact that people around the park would support the use of bow hunting to any sentient being is shocking. What is wrong with the people in our suburbs? Why do they support this violence to the deer? What are they emotionally projecting on to the deer? This hatred of deer and violence to the deer has become epidemic in suburban communities. Now that I live near the Blue Ridge Mountains I know I was not crazy when I thought this violence to the deer had grown to outrageous levels. But stepping back from the madness – I believe more then ever that we are going to pay in one way or another for all this tragic oppression and violence to deer. There is no way this is providing any healing for the environment. It only can bring back negativity to communities to shed blood and violence. I’ll always be an environmentalist, but I won’t support those who hate deer and want more violence. And unfortunately in way too many environemntal and conservation meetings that I sat in on, all I ever heard was unilateral hatred of the deer.