ENDANGERED SPECIES
Safe in a zoo
In the aftermath of the Christmas Day tragedy at the San Francisco Zoo, the Dec. 29 letter of the day asked to "stop the imprisoning of animals in zoos."
In a perfect world, leaving animals to live how and where they choose would be the ideal. Unfortunately, the ever-increasing encroachment of civilization on wilderness areas coupled with the lucrative poaching market make nature's conditions much less than perfect for rare, exotic animals like Amur tigers, giving us record numbers of species on the threatened and endangered lists.
If not for zoos, animals like Tatiana the tiger from San Francisco would not have existed. The aggressive breeding programs of zoos are the last best hope of keeping endangered species, including Asia's big cats, from complete extinction. Having the animals in accessible locations like zoos keeps people aware of diminishing wildlife habitat and species endangerment and hopefully working toward larger solutions to these issues.
THOR CARLSON, ST. PAUL
THE SECOND AMENDMENT
Clearly for individuals
I would like to remind the writer of the Jan. 3 letter "Can't trust high court" of a couple of facts.
First, the Bill of Rights is the section of our Constitution that deals exclusively with individual liberties, not the rights of states or the militia.
Regarding the individual right to bear arms, it is made abundantly clear when James Madison, the Constitution's principal author, wrote in Federalist Papers (No. 46), "The advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation ... forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition, more insurmountable than any ..."
Second, the U.S. Supreme Court decision to halt Al Gore's attempted theft of the 2000 election was made on sound principles of equal protection and due process guarantees. Additionally the court's action was subsequently supported by over a dozen national newspapers which continued counting in Florida and determined George W. Bush indeed won in all cases.