Death(s) of American Symbol(s)

 I have just read an article that probably tops my "most disturbing, most anger driving" list of all time. The title: Second eagle found shot in Tennessee. At first glance of the title, I thought the article was going to be about brown eagles, a brown hawk even. Then, I read the secondary title: $17,000 reward for information on bald eagle killings ($8,500 per eagle/responsible subject). My brain declared: WHAT ... THE ... HELL !?! WHO THE F*CK IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD KILL THE FEDERAL SYMBOL OF THEIR COUNTRY?!?


Tennessee was home for me for 5 years and reading about how Wildlife agents found two mature (white head/tail) Bald Eagles SHOT dead... well... it makes me cringe and hate the morons who more than likely call themselves Tennessee-ans and would be capable of doing this act of treason. Yes, I call it treason. Why? Because there are some things in this country you don't do: You don't cut down state trees without permission from the state, you don't just burn an american flag without ceremony and reason, you don't let any american flag touch the ground, if you find a dead state bird/tree, you report it to wildlife authorities, you don't piss on federal ground, spray paint a federal building, nor do you say anything negative about the United States in a public setting without pissing people off to the point you could get murdered. Shotting a Bald Eagle is in that list of things you just don't do in the United States. The Bald Eagle is the NATIONAL BIRD. It's like assassinating Lincoln and Kennedy. It's a federal offense in my eyes. It should be a federal offense in everyone's eyes.

You say it's just a bird? Well, that bird is stamped on every US monetary bill and on every federal, state, and local government buildings, and not to mention, that bird is the symbol stamped on every document that is declared as being part of the United States of America. That bird is the symbol of every United States' President, every soldier in our great military branches of Army, Marine, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, every proud citizen who lives in the United States.

Am I blowing this killing of two Bald Eagles out of proportion? Perhaps I am, but I am damn proud of being an American citizen, and I despise any and all negative actions toward my country - foreign and/or domestic. By federal law, Bald Eagles are protected, and shooting them should equal a life sentence... or something that I lean more towards... Capital Punishment!

Seriously, who in their American mind would kill such beautiful, majestic creatures that symbolize our great nation?