"A Bird of Bad Moral Character"

Benjamin Franklin famously criticized the Bald Eagle in a letter to his daughter, Sarah:

"For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the Representative of our Country. He is a Bird of bad moral Character. He does not get his Living honestly. You may have seen him perched on some dead Tree near the River, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the Labour of the Fishing Hawk; and when that diligent Bird has at length taken a Fish, and is bearing it to his Nest for the Support of his Mate and young Ones, the Bald Eagle pursues him and takes it from him."
– Benjamin Franklin, January 26, 1784

If not pleased by this bird's behavior, what should we think of people who behave in a like manner or worse? Those at the top of the income food chain likely didn't attain that wealth by simple, hands-on labor and minimum wage. Isn't our economy based upon the theft of labor, the exploitation of workers and natural resources. Maybe the Bald Eagle isn't such a bad choice after all. For my own part, I believe no bird deserves to be saddled with the responsibility of being an emblem for a vast and varied nation.

And speaking of moral murkiness, not so long ago the Bald Eagle was on the endangered species list, nearly vanishing from the continental United States. Persecuted by farmers and fisherman, shot indiscriminately for government bounties, and inadvertently poisoned by the misuse/overuse of the pesticide DDT, persistent organic pollutant. (By the way, DDT is still used in many parts of the world for indoor residual spraying to combat malaria and for agricultural pests in India.) Fortunately, the eagle population has made a strong come back in recent years following federal protection and the banning of DDT and they are once again a common site here in Minnesota.

Posted on 24 de janeiro de 2017, 04:20 AM by scottking