Muscle Shoals police officer on administrative leave, accused of shooting deer on duty: A Muscle Shoals police officer is accused of shooting a deer on TVA property while on duty Sunday, according to The Times' news partner, WHNT news 19.I have to admit that I feel sympathy for Officer Scoggins. Given that the TVA is a federally owned corporation, one would assume that hunting would be permitted on it, and per a page the TVA site, hunting is considered alongside other recreation activities. Hunting on TVA lands is also discussed on this forum, with the consensus there being that it is permissable.
I'm not a hunter, so I am not well versed on hunting laws in Alabama, but I am an anachronist (not anarchist), so I am inclined to support the notion that public lands, and most of TVA property should fit that definition, should be available for public use.
So if hunting is allowed, what is Officer Scoggins crime? Was engaging in personal affairs during work hours? This would be quite an extreme example of such, but again, hearkening back several generations, I think this wouldn't have been given a second glance in our glorious "Mayberry" days. What would Sheriff Andy Taylor have done? Ol' Andy would have bagged it and tagged it and invited all of his friends over to enjoy that with which the Lord had provided. There would have been deer barbeque, potato salad, and sweet tea for all.
Unfortunately, we don't live in that simple time anymore. We live in a complicated world where everything has multiple consequences and simple actions have complicated responses. Was Officer Scoggins wrong to shoot the deer? I don't know. One can only hope that someone swooped in to gather the carcass and turn it into something tasty.
No comments:
Post a Comment