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[Name] Peter [Date] 03/19/12 06:11 pm [Message] 
Thanks Melanie, This might require more discussion than is warranted here, but my main objection is that so much human time and effort is expended to replace ("make up for?") the time-honored traditions and balances of Nature, including the introduction of Homo Sapiens on the Earth. The next general objection is that the federal government is the sheriff, judge and jury here. Not so good IMO. Further, in brief, to answer your questions: -- the use of any legally obtained (or previously owned) item for religious purposes is fine -- my notion of Freedom of Religion is pretty wide open. This would include Native Americans using the carcasses of dead Bald Eagles from their reservations. If the current federal law does not permit this, it should be changed IMO. The federal government should NOT be involved in this factually narrow situation; -- Native Americans should be allowed to kill healthy Bald Eagles on their Sovereign Soil if necessary for religious purposes. This might be controversial, but fishing for Salmon on their reservations has been approved in this way (fishing is killing, right?). Isn't this what Sovereign Soil is all about?; To be clear -- the entire continent of (what we now call) North America must have been a wonderland for all native people for thousands of years! Many nights I dream of having lived in the times before The Others invaded from Europe and other areas. Yes, "we" (not sure what you mean exactly by this term) have probably done enough. But to sancture the federal government to "do more," it seems to me, is NOT a great solution. Actually, I doubt is there is a word for "native" in the ancient languages -- why would anyone refer to themselves as a native (in contrast to the "non-natives" who had not appeared yet)? "Many Rivers to Cross" on this issue me thinks? PS -- The photo of that dead Bald Eagle head from your link, up close, got caught in my throat, with a federal employee (one assumes) holding up what looks like an Onion PhotoShop joke. Did you not have a similar visceral reaction? PS2 -- I object to zoos and and aquariums as licensed jails for animals.
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