Comments on: To kill a deer

By: F Josephine Arrowood

F Josephine Arrowood — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:36:30 +0000

hey, Billybob, There’s more ways to deal with war than with guns and bombs. The power of the pen, to expand your mind – not explode your brainpan, unless it can’t hold the bigger picture. The power of the pen is why so many dictators anddespots jail, torture, and murder journalists and other writers.

By: Mobile

Mobile — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:58:56 +0000

My cousin was a Lt. Colonel in the air force and went into the green zone in Iraq. His first stop was Uday’s palace. When the marines were walking him around the came upon a large caged area where there were tigers. The marines feeling sorry for them gave them meat to eat as they were starving when Uday fled. They did not take the meat. When a female soldier walked by the tigers went crazy. Over time the locals told the marines that Uday would send a team down the road to grab any woman or girl married or not age did not matter and if they did not do what he wanted them to do, then he fed them live to the tigers. Can the Iraqi’s at that time call the police ? Uday was the police, we should fight them for that one reason alone. What if it were your daughter ? Sometimes war is a necessary evil. Nobody likes it but to have some order it has to happen and at times innocent people will usually get hurt or die. That is life’s sad part. The Iraqis (a few of which my cousin brought back to this country) are so happy that the US set them free and they are no longer under the rule of a monster and just as we died for our freedom they understand that they will have to also. They don’t like it but they like the end result so much better. Just another viewpoint for you to consider. Bad people who are evil cause this. Good people go about life trying to do their best and enjoy their friends and family. Good people have to bring justice to the bad people so we can have a civil life.

By: Pat Stinson

Pat Stinson — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:18:29 +0000

A beautiful piece of writing, Jacob, that brought back a couple of memories of my dad. Thank you.

By: David Early

David Early — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:04:26 +0000

Jacob:
Great essay–reminds me of one written by one of my favorite authors, Anne-Marie Oomen. It’s called “Cleaning Kill,” and appears in her book Pulling Down the Barn. In both works the authors honor the cycles of life and death, farming and harvesting, hunting and killing. On Veterans’ Day, on any day, a little reflection and introspection seem like a good idea. Some people responding to your article seem incapable of either.

By: Thornson McManara

Thornson McManara — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:26:56 +0000

Jacob,

The girls are upstairs playing with their American Girl dolls. I’m sure they have a ‘Teen’ magazine for you as well.

By: northern renegade

northern renegade — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:53:20 +0000

Jacob,
I enjoyed your introspective piece very much. As a hunter, liberal, and god fearing american, I too have struggled with the process of how we harvest our food. Michigan has the 3rd most hunters in america, and apparently we are a pretty liberal state. I say, hurray for you for writing your mind and not bending to the vocal right wing. Someone once said that we are all under one tent, and it turns out its a pretty big tent. I think that the part of the story that some of the commenters overlook is the part about you going out with your dad. It’s been my experience that some of my best memories are shivering at my dad’s blind as he pours me a cup of his coffee as I have no doubt forgotten my thermos again. The part that the right often gets wrong about the left is that we love our country too, we just have the sense and courage to speak up and question how we maintain our place in the world.

I’m glad you’re not a soldier too, but if you ever wanted to enlist, you have a wicked pen and could be a sweet propagandist. Keep rocking the boat! And don’t let these, “kill first, ask questions later” folks question your patriotism. Remember folks, it was people who asked questions and refused to conform that gave us this country anyways.

By: Sleeping Bear

Sleeping Bear — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:49:32 +0000

Jacob,

I like all the stuff about the shooting and cleaning of the buck your dad shot.

If you are still in High School, your teachers are feeding you a little bit too much of the “why don’t we all be friends and just get along” politics.

I will give it to you, any way you slice it, Fallujuh was nasty and morbid.

However it is good you are thinking about this kind of stuff.

Hey here is a Christmas gift for dad…You should get your father a subscription to a real magazine and not renew his The New Yorker subscription. : )

By: bruce

bruce — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:48:26 +0000

Jacob,
Checkout a piece written by Doug Stanton along a similar vein. It was broadcast on wiaa at some point and it is great with him reading it. I’m glad your not a soldier too. Probably for different reasons than the other guy though.
BH

By: Cletus Jackson

Cletus Jackson — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:43:56 +0000

Jacob needs a skirt.

By: billybob

billybob — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:09:28 +0000

In spite of it’s quaint grammatical and spelling errors, and north woods malaproprisms, the Sun is a nice little paper that your daddy kindly gave you. Your left wing political views, coming from someone who hasn’t ever fought for his freedoms, are inappropriate. Keep it light!