And the 2014 poacher of the year goes to...

[Scott McKee]

This GUY!!!

Apparently the author has been let go by the High Plains Reader.  Is this article a keen insight into the mind of the habitual poacher, or just an angry twenty-something who is still pissed off he didn't get that new boat for his 16th birthday?  (Daddy was such a meany head. Oh, woe is me!)

[Tony Scime]

I've always been confused by what a "right" is. What "rights" were we born with?

I think the only real "rights" we have are those we give ourselves and those we're allowed to have by those with the "might" (might makes right). Many times those "rights" conflict. So we were all born with the self-determined right to do whatever the hell we want no matter the consequences. And the rest of us were all born with the "right" to try to stop us (especially if they believe the "rights" we exercise do harm to the rest of us). Was I born with the right to drive drunk? Sure, if that is how I want to exercise my purported free will. And the rest of us have the "right" to try to stop us. Those with the "might" even have the "right" to punish (at times severely) those who exercise the rights they were born with to do harm to others.   

The concept that "might makes right" is not necessarily a bad thing, while the rights we were all born with can be very bad, indeed.  Hopefully those with the "might" are what we would consider "good people" (they may be us) who will protect us from those individuals who believe they have the "right" to do whatever the want.

In a more pragmatic vein, the only real rights we have, and the manner in which most of us understand the concept, is that our "rights" are derived from those in power or some written document. In a Democracy, that tends to be the populace, more or less. And if we all agree to abide by a written document such as a constitution, then we can, to some extent (questions of interpretation) allow those legal rights. So most current rights we have have been granted to us by constitutional or legislative agreement.

I guess I'm rambling. Bottom line - that guy is an idiot.

[Mike "the facilities" Fortunate]

Wow what a fool! They should cancel his food stamps for the month since he now has "food"!!! ...unbelievable

[Scott Kitchen]

Very sad, self centered, "I am a victim' world view from this young man.

[John Jarosz]

Unfortunately, he seems to think he's "entitled" to anything he wants.  It's that old "entitlement" thing that seems to keep springing up these days.  Fortunately it doesn't work that way.  If one lives in a society, there are certain ways to live and behave.  If he disagrees, then he needs to work at changing the rules.  If the rules are overly restrictive, he needs to work at that, too.  Our club works the same way.

But doing whatever the hell one wants under the umbrella of "it's my right" doesn't hold any water.  It's like you read about people who say their "freedom of choice" is restricted.  If someone can show me where the term "freedom of choice" is written in the Constitution, I'll be happy to agree.