Cecil the lion, US airlines, and Planned Parenthood

Cecil the lion (photo by Daughter#3)

Until today, I have refrained from covering the story about the hunting of a lion in Zimbabwe. Here are some news reports about it:

August 4, 2015

The guide accused of helping an American hunter kill Cecil the lion told NBC News on Tuesday that he felt he did nothing wrong.

Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer allegedly paid Theo Bronkhorst $50,000 to lure the lion out of a wildlife reserve so he could shoot it with a bow.

The animal was a tourist favorite and subject of an Oxford University research project. Its death has provoked global outrage. …

A Zimbabwean government minister said last week that the country was seeking extradition for 55-year-old Palmer. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/cecil-lion-hunters-guide-theo-bronkhorst-says-hes-done-nothing-n403641

(CNN)The killing of Cecil the lion by a U.S. dentist in Zimbabwe drew a swift and passionate backlash. A petition urging Walter Palmer’s extradition to Zimbabwe garnered more than 220,000 signatures. TV host Jimmy Kimmel gave an emotional monologue condemning the killing. People sought to bring down Palmer’s dental practice through negative Yelp reviews and protests.

But some in Cecil’s native Zimbabwe and in the United States criticized the massive outrage over Cecil’s death and questioned why the loss of human lives didn’t seem to bring the same response.

When news of Cecil’s death first came out, many in Zimbabwe had never heard of the lion, said Fungai Machirori, a Zimbabwe-based journalist and social commentator.

“People expressed, ‘Will I look like a dumb person if I admit to not knowing anything about Cecil?’ ” she said.

“As time went on, the kind of international rhetoric that framed it as though the whole country was in mourning … that’s when the initial disconnect began for me.”

Cecil not particularly known in his homeland

McDonald Lewanika, the director of Crisis Zimbabwe Coalition, a network of activist groups in Zimbabwe, said that while Cecil was a “tourist phenomenon,” the vast majority of people in Zimbabwe did not know the lion existed. http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/03/africa/zimbabwe-other-problems-cecil-the-lion/

While I grew up in a family that hunted and normally ate what was hunted, I was not impressed by trophy hunting. I basically consider it wasteful and vain. However perhaps it should be mentioned that, in the past, I have seen documentaries which have indicated that allowing trophy hunting have helped preserve certain animals and helped local economies in Africa, whereas others disagree.

That being said, the mainstream media has made a huge deal about the death of an animal–not a human being–but an animal. There have been multiple stories every day about it. Notice also the following one:

An image of Cecil the lion and the images of endangered animals were projected onto the Empire State Building Saturday night in an effort to raise awareness about mass extinction. The unusual light show was part of a promotion for the Oceanic Preservation Society’s documentary “Racing Extinction” and featured endangered animals of different sizes and species.

The famous Zimbabwean lion who has been mourned across the globe since his death had not be originally included in the display but was added after his death, a spokesman for the Oceanic Preservation Society said, according to CNN. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/08/03/cecil-the-lion-honored-as-part-empire-state-building-light-show/

“It’s sad when wildlife is abused, but the Zimbabwean people have been suffering decades of abuse under the wily old Mugabe, who seems never to relent and never to go away,” Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch, told me last week.

The plight of Zimbabweans has forced them to live off the wild. Poverty, inefficient farms, a growing population, and fuel shortages have produced massive soil erosion and loss of forests. “With the damaged soil unable to grow crops, people continue to turn to poaching as a way to eat and earn income,” the African Wildlife Foundation has warned. http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/cecil-the-lion-and-robert-mugabe

The situation in Zimbabwe has been difficult for the people there for some time. The poor in Africa are in my regular prayers.

What finally got me to post about Cecil was seeing the following this morning:

August 4, 2015

American Airlines announced on Monday that it will no longer carry shipments of big game trophy animals, including rhino, elephant, leopard, buffalo, or lion carcasses, CBS News correspondent Anna Werner reports. The airline doesn’t serve Africa, so the move is largely symbolic.

Delta, which does fly to the African continent, announced its ban hours earlier, and United Airlines already prohibits the shipments. …

Supporters say hunting puts a tangible value on animals, and that it gives locals an incentive to protect them and preserve their habitats, Werner reports.

A 2005 study in the Journal of International Wildlife Law & Policy credited, “limited and sustainable use, through trophy hunting and live sales,” with helping to bring the African white rhino back from the brink of extinction.

“We know and believe that if we do it properly, that we actually sustain the herds,” Shanahan said. “They’re healthier herds, and they’ll protect these animals so they’ll live for generations.”

But Wayne Pacelle, who is president of the Humane Society of the U.S., said trophy hunters target some of the biggest, most magnificent animals, which is bad for species health. Creatures that are killed cannot reproduce and pass on their genes to future generations. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/american-airlines-and-delta-ban-shipment-of-big-game-trophy-animals/

I had seen the report about Delta yesterday, but when I heard that American Airlines also made an announcement, it got me to decide to post about media coverage on a couple of topics.

Notice also the following:

August 3, 2015

Since last week, social media gurus have pumped out tweets about Cecil, the famed African lion shot by an American dentist. But the story of aborted baby parts sorted and dissected in the name of “research” by Planned Parenthood didn’t make the cut on Twitter. The broadcast networks tweeted updates about Cecil at least twice as much as they did about the abortion giant. Newspapers and online outlets followed suit. …

As with their news shows, the three broadcast networks, ABC, NBC and CBS focused their efforts on Cecil instead of the videos uncovering Planned Parenthood. http://newsbusters.org/blogs/culture/katie-yoder/2015/08/03/guess-who-10-news-outlets-tweeting-cecil-lion-more-abortion#sthash.weMJDAVn.dpuf

Less coverage of its practices is something that Planned Parenthood has pushed for (see Planned Parenthood pushes for media blackout regarding its sale of human baby tissues). And its accomplices in the mass media have apparently gone along with that to a degree.

The Bible teaches:

20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; (Isaiah 5:20)

1 Cry aloud, spare not;
Lift up your voice like a trumpet;
Tell My people their transgression,
And the house of Jacob their sins. (Isaiah 58:1)

The mainstream media should be declaring the practices of Planned Parenthood as evil. Political leaders such as Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have come out and made statements defending Planned Parenthood, whereas Republican leaders have tried to block federal funding to it (of which they lost a vote yesterday, but are still working on it).

The reality is that in the past several weeks, there have been videos released showing that the US Planned Parenthood has doctors and other employees who are willing to change abortion procedures, not to help the woman that they perform abortions on, but to secure more viable human tissues to be sold (e.g. StemExpress changes website, but still is selling baby body parts).

While this has caused some outrage in the USA, I have yet to hear about US companies who have declared that they will no longer do business with Planned Parenthood, will no longer be in the human baby body part selling business, or will not transport aborted tissue.

Abortion is the taking of a human life. The ways that abortion can be done are horrific and worse than shooting a lion with a bow. While Planned Parenthood claims to obey all the laws (which the undercover videos I have seen show is not true), the babies still end up dead and apparently sometimes parts are available for sale at some clinics.

Planned Parenthood is in a horrific business–much more horrific than big game hunting–what Planned Parenthood does is truly outrageous.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Abortion, the Bible, and a Woman’s Right to Choose Do you know what the Bible teaches on this? Has the Roman Catholic Church allowed abortions? What about the real Church of God? Some may also, or instead, wish to view the YouTube video Abortion, the Bible, and US Debt.
Africa: Its Biblical Past and Prophesied Future What does the Bible teach about Africa and its future? Did the early Church reach Africa? Will God call all the Africans?
The Ten Commandments Reflect Love, Breaking them is Evil Some feel that the ten commandments are a burden. Is that what Jesus, Paul, Peter, James, and John taught?
Just What Do You Mean — Repentance? Do you know what repentance is? Have you truly repented? Repented of what? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject.
When You Sin: Do You Really Repent? This is an article by Charles F. Hunting.
Hillary Clinton, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States This is a 188 page book for people truly interested in prophecies related to Hillary Clinton and the United States, including learning about many that have already been fulfilled and those that will be fulfilled in the future. It also discusses Republicans. The physical book can be purchased at Amazon from the following link: Hillary Clinton, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States: Is Hillary Clinton Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic Catholic, Hopi, and other America-Related Prophecies? $11.99.
Hillary Clinton, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Amazon Kindle edition. This electronic version of the 188 page print edition is available for only US$3.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Hillary Clinton, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Amazon Kindle edition.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Edition for Second Obama Term This is a 160 page book for people truly interested in prophecies related to Barack Obama and the United States, including learning about many that have already been fulfilled (which the book documents in detail) and those that will be fulfilled in the future. It also has a chapter about a Republican choice. This book is available to order at www.barackobamaprophecy.com. The physical book can also be purchased at Amazon from the following link: Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States: Is Barack Obama Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic Catholic, Kenyan, and other America-Related Prophecies? What About Republican Leaders? Second Edition for Second Obama Term.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Term-Amazon Kindle edition. This electronic version is available for only US$2.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Term-Amazon Kindle edition.