Would you drive over a turtle?.

[papasmerf]

.....maybe a little poutine with the fries?

homefries are diced taters, onion, garlic, seasoned with salt, pepper a dash hot peppers, dill and rosemary.
fried to a golden crisp. or at least that is how I make them

 

[BEER]

homefries are diced taters, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, hot peppers, dill weed and rosemary.
pan fried to golden perfection

And a six pack.

 

[RAWD]

And a six pack.

Now you're talking.

Screw the turtles, come to my place next summer when the crabs migrate and we'll do up a proper beach boil party.

 

[cycleguy007]

Would you drive over a turtle?

Would you drive over a turtle?

Or any other animal for that matter. No, of course not... not intentionally anyway. But in SOME circumstances, I might. :don'twantto-see:/

A number of years ago, I was driving along a country road late in the evening, with Mrs. CG and the 3 mini bikes in the vehicle with me... out of no where a fox scurried across the road RIGHT in front of me. If I broke hard, or swerved to avoid it, I most certainly would have lost control of my van, (this was several vehicles ago...), and would have endangered the lives of myself, and my entire family. I didn't even react. I believe I may have clipped the fox's leg with my tire, but maybe not... I didn't hear or feel anything but it disappeared under my headlights almost immediately. Mrs. CG saw the whole thing (the mini bikes were all sleeping in the back...) and asked "did you see that?!". I said yes, and she said why didn't you react... and I explained, that if I had, I would have endangered the lives of the entire family.

Now, before you all think I'm this small animal hater, hunting down rodents and other animals etc with my car... lemme tell you another story...

About 9 years ago, an acquaintance of mine was killed in a car accident involving one vehicle, at about 6:00 a.m. while he was driving to work. Through the investigation, tire marks, path of the vehicle and eventual resting place etc, the police concluded that he must have broke hard and swerved into the tree's on the side of the road to avoid hitting an animal. There was no other reason for the tire marks, or to explain the path of the vehicle, and its final resting place other than the fact that there were forests on both sides of the road.

Yes, life is precious. But I will hold the lives of myself and my family (or anyone else in the car with me), above that of an animal. If I CAN brake safely, I will... but if there is no time... sorry, its road kill... Better it than me. :sorry2:

 

[RAWD]

Good call CG.

the exception would be for large animals; anything deer sized and up.

The brother of a friend hit a horse wandering the road late at night. She said he was driving their dads work truck. Half the horse ended up in the car (the back half). Truck was totaled.

 

[jumpingjackflash]

I am on side with CG, do what is in the best interest of the driver and passengers without intentionally hurting any animals.

 

[cycleguy007]

Good call CG.

the exception would be for large animals; anything deer sized and up.

The brother of a friend hit a horse wandering the road late at night. She said he was driving their dads work truck. Half the horse ended up in the car (the back half). Truck was totaled.

Exactly!

I almost hit a pug one day last summer... on my bike! :SayWhat?: Little fucker should have been on a leash! :don'twantto-see:/

 

[Kyra.Graves]

Then he got out of the way and watched over the next hour as seven drivers swerved and deliberately ran over the animal. Several more apparently tried to hit it but missed.

The idea that so many people deliberately ran over the turtles though it doesn't necessarily surprise me it does disappoint me. I often wonder how so many people can go through the world so detached and without empathy.

It reminds me of a quote by J.M Coetzee that I make a point of rereading regularly.

The question to ask should not be: Do we have something in common - reason, self-consciousness, a soul - with other animals? (With the corollary that, if we do not, then we are entitled to treat them as we like, imprisoning them, killing them, dishonouring their corpses). I return to the death camps, the horror that convinces us that what went on there was a crime against humanity, is not that despite a humanity shared with their victims, the killers treated them like lice. That is too abstract. The horror is that the killers refused to see themselves in the place of their victims, as did everyone else. They said 'It is they in those cattle-cars rattling past.' They did not say, 'How would it be if it were I in that cattle-car?' They did not say, 'It is I who am in that cattle-car,' They said, "It must be the dead who are being burnt today, making the air stink and falling ash on my cabbages.' They did not say, 'How would it be if I were burning?' They did not say, 'I am burning, I am falling in ash.' In other words, they closed their hearts.

~J.M. Coetzee

There is also a RSA Animate on The Empathic Civilization that may also be of interest, we do not all develop empathy in the same ways nor do we always develop it towards others in our same species or other species but perhaps as our global landscape changes we should be working towards that more and more. I cannot imagine there would be a negative outcome to a more empathic civilization and the benefits of it are immeasurable. Unfortunately studies indicate that high testosterone does affect empathy and perhaps until we begin to narrow the gender gap in our political arena we may not see widespread changes that we need to protect our young men and women as well as other species, maybe we need to start with the turtles.

Saving the life of one animal may not change the world, but the world will surely change for that one animal.

 

[jumpingjackflash]

My God Kyra, you are one intellectual biscuit. I couldn't say cookie you're too sharp!:biggrin2: