Readers React: California left the coyote-killing party

To the editor: The reason California banned the repugnant and cruel predator killing contests is because California is behaving like the adult in the room compared with the states that kill for fun, sport and prizes. Any society that not only allows but also rewards this demented hubris will be a society that will be continually haunted by Sandy Hooks, Auroras, Columbines and so on. (“Nevada coyote-killing contest raises activists’ fur,” Dec. 29)

The millions of Americans who revere our wilderness and its wildness know that if you don’t respect all of life, you don’t respect life at all. This violence bleeds over into human-on-human violence.

So please, let’s quit fearing nature and trying to beat it into bloody submission. It’s time to finally acknowledge the importance and connection of all creation. Life should be celebrated, not slaughtered for prize money.

Tim Viselli, La Cañada Flintridge

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