Thorburn’s double standards

I wish Kim Thorburn, M.D., would stop crying about being the victim of a culture war (“Conservation should not be driven by ideology,” Jan. 24). The old saying “the pot calling the kettle black” comes to mind here. To “respect others ‘values” while vilifying animal rights advocates is duplicitous. How about my 5-year-old granddaughter who considers herself an animal rights advocate?

I’m a meat eater who loves vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free foods. I’m an omnivore, a hunter who filled his deer tag last year, gardener, orchardist, fly fisher and wildlife conservationist. And I do not agree with Dr. Thorburn.

Dr. Thorburn is supposed to represent the interests of all Washingtonians in state fish and wildlife management, the vast majority of which do not hunt or fish and who hope one day for the chance for a rare sighting of a gray wolf, cougar or bear or to see hundreds of thousands of wild salmon spawning.

Maybe next on her list, Dr. Thorburn will push for renaming the Department of Fish and Wildlife to the Department of Hunting and Hatcheries? Then she can really dig into the hide of these culture warriors!

Timothy Coleman

Republic, Wash.