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March 15th, 2012
10:33 PM ET
Feds grant Native American tribe permit to kill bald eagles for religious purposesBy Eric Fiegel, CNN Washington (CNN) - It's the symbol of America, and for the first time, the U.S. government has granted a Native American tribe a permit to kill two bald eagles for religious purposes. The permit application was filed in 2008 by the Northern Arapaho Tribe in Wyoming and, after years of review, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued it on March 9.
"They did make a case for why the take of a bird from the wild was necessary," Matt Hogan, Denver regional director for the Fish and Wildlife Service, told CNN. Last year, the tribe filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the federal government for denying the application, saying it "unreasonably burdens the religious rights of tribal members," court documents stated. The case is pending. Hogan, who was in charge of granting the permit, says the lawsuit was not the reason the permit got approved when it did. He says it took time to make sure all the criteria were met and that the permit was in accordance with the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, which allows bald eagles to be used by Native Americans in religious ceremonies. The eagle "flies higher then any other creature. It sees many things. It's closer to the Creator," said Robert Holden, deputy director of the National Congress of American Indians. Holden said he was bothered by the comments he was hearing: that this permit would lead to a mass killing of bald eagles. "How stupid can that be?" he said. "It's a religion. It's what we do. We're more concerned about the eagle population than any culture in this Western Hemisphere. Why would we want to kill all the eagles?" Hogan said the permit's issuance will have little effect on the powerful raptor. Taking two eagles from the wild "will not in any way jeopardize the status of the eagle population, either in the state of Wyoming or nationwide," he said, "and the good news is bald eagles are doing quite well." That wasn't the case some 70 years ago, when the species was threatened with extinction, leading Congress to pass a law prohibiting the killing, selling or possession of the bird. In 2007, the bald eagle was removed from the threatened and endangered species list. Hogan said applications for a permit to kill or capture a bald eagle are rare. Native Americans often have to get bald eagle feathers for their ceremonies from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife national feather repository in Denver. Hogan said it can take years for the tribes to get the feathers this way, because demand often exceeds supply. Holden, who is part Choetaw/Shickasaw, sought to put some perspective on the situation: "If someone ordered a Bible or some religious artifact and they had to wait for a long time, how fair is that?" The permit is good until February 2013, and Hogan said he knows of no other applications being filed. As part of permit, the tribe has to notify the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service within 24 hours once the bald eagles are killed or captured. Hogan said he is still waiting for that word. soundoff (1,883 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 Next »
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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Can I have the feather? Please.
Why can they not go somewhere else where it is legal. There has to be Eagles elsewhere on this planet that the people there would not mind.
You're kidding, right? You're telling the NATIVE Americans that they should go somewhere else to freely practice their religion? If anyone needs to relocate, it's the rest of us non-Natives...
You're not contributing in a constructive or credible manner, erik. Let the adults handle this one. Thanks.
I side with the eagles. Why make them endangered again? One person gets the right and .....guess that will be an article next year.
Blood farts?
The person or persons who made this decision should be relieved of their positions within the government. This is complete nonsense. First, that a living creature should be allowed to be killed for a religious ceremony is one thing, that it is a bald eagle is another. It is the national symbol and as such should have some level of protection from this type of thing,
"This kind of thing" was going on long before the eagle became the national bird.
NO living animal should be used in a sacrifice. This is just barbaric. That this is even being discussed in this day and age is astonishing. Shame on this tribe for wanting to kill the symbal of our country for ANY reason.
Well,..doesn't the jurisdiction of our law end at the borders of Native American reservations anyway? I mean,...it's their land, not ours, much like this entire country belonged to them before we came an took it from them by force.... They'd been living off the land and taking what animals they needed for their ceremonies LONG before we came, and there didn't seem to be a bald eagle population scarcity then... I wonder where the REAL problems lay?
Could it be US, having come here, destroyed both the s.a.n.c.t.i.t.y of "Indian" populations, buffalo populations, eagle populations, and many others in our desire to conquer a land that didn't belong to us...?
And now we're b.i.t.c.h.i.n.g because they want to kill two eagles for ceremonial purposes?
I think WE'RE the d.u.m.b.a.s.s.e.s in this situation...
"The eagle "flies higher then any other creature. It sees many things. It's closer to the Creator," said Robert Holden, deputy director of the National Congress of American Indians."
Actually, the dead ones don't tend to fly any higher than you can throw them.
My first reaction, was to laugh, because I couldn't get the visual out of my head. You couldn't be more right. But seriously, this is our national bird, and if you start asking to kill the bald eagle for "religious" purposes, then how many other individuals will come out of the wood works to kill this animal, or even worse, who's to say that you won't have some religious fanatic shooting down eagles? Religious purpose or not, leave the bald eagle alone. There are plenty of other birds you can pluck feathers from.
Our "national bird" was almost the turkey, if it'd been up to Ben Franklin (and we EAT hundreds of thousads of those every year), and the number of bald eagles that we kill every year as the result of habitat loss, environmental pollution, being hit by cars, and farmers shooting them because they think they are some other bird at a distance, FAR outweigh the mere two being asked for by these Native Americans,....you know,...the people who's land this was before OUR ancestors came here and stole it from them? Yeah,...those guys...
The bald eagle is no longer on the endangered species list, but it IS still protected on American soil, however, I'm not sure if that counts on reservations.... And besides, they have filed for legal permission,....for merely TWO!! They are going about this the right way, and they are doing it for reasons that don't defy some of our basic tennets of the Bill of Rights...
I say, let them take their two eagles, and let them continue respecting the rest of the population as they always have...(and which they've ALWAYS done a better job of at it than us, by the way....)...
Just leave the eagles alone! It's totally ridiculous. PETA. Step in on this one!!!!!
Yup, Obambam's administration strikes again. Ok to kill kids, and eagles, next up?
That comment is as S T U P I D as the situation you are commenting about! Way to go!
Not 'kill' kids, molest kids. Get it right.
Isn't the sap flowing yet up there? Don't you have somewhere else to be instead of attaching a political administration to this story?
How long did it take you to become that stupid? Did you have to study?
You must be mentally r.e.t.a.r.d.e.d Vermonter...where is your conservative outcry for "freedom of religion" now, a.s.s.h.a.t? Let me clue you in on a few little facts, laws legalizing abortion were passed LONG before Obama came into office, this country's jurisdiction ends at the borders of Native American reservations, our "national bird" was almost the turkey, if it'd been up to Ben Franklin (and we EAT hundreds of thousads of those every year, and the number of bald eagles that we kill every year as the result of habitat loss, environmental pollution, being hit by cars, and farmers shooting them because they think they are some other bird at a distance, FAR outweigh the mere two being asked for by these Native Americans,....you know,...the people who's land this was before OUR ancestors came here and stole it from them? Yeah,...those guys...
M O R O N...
Does it taste like chicken?
What?
Maybe we need to go back to killing Indians, and saving our bald eagles?
I'm with you Tim. Gitter done!
I say we kill Tim too. Because he is so d u m b!
A religion that kills is not a good religion. The Aztecs had human sacrifices, are their descendants supposed to be allowed to kill?
Noahs Arc?
My descendants crapped in public, so I demand this right too.
Noah's Arc?
Noah had a curved path? Did it lead to his Ark?
Oh, you're SO right Erica,...like all those animal sacrifices in the bible claiming that god found the odor "pleasing"...
"If someone ordered a Bible or some religious artifact and they had to wait for a long time, how fair is that?" NEWS FLASH: Books don't bleed when you shoot them, but birds do. And the idea of killing an animal for ritual purposes is a very bad precedent for those who want to kill whales or any other animals that shouldn't die for ceremonial purposes. It's the 21st century, and wildlife laws exist for a reason. If they were doing human sacrifice for religious purposes, would the feds look the other way on that too?
Um...I do have a slight problem with that statement. How many bibles are covered in leather? Just sayin...
Where I can understand your concern for the birds, Iwe MUST consider this...
Doesn't the jurisdiction of our law end at the borders of Native American reservations anyway? I mean,...it's their land, not ours, much like this entire country belonged to them before we came an took it from them by force.... They'd been living off the land and taking what animals they needed for their ceremonies LONG before we came, and there didn't seem to be a bald eagle population scarcity then... I wonder where the REAL problems lay?
Could it be US, having come here, destroyed both the s.a.n.c.t.i.t.y of "Indian" populations, buffalo populations, eagle populations, and many others in our desire to conquer a land that didn't belong to us...?
And now we're b.i.t.c.h.i.n.g because they want to kill two eagles for ceremonial purposes?
I think WE'RE the d.u.m.b.a.s.s.e.s in this situation...
I remember when folks used to kill bison just for the tongue. Killing an animal simply for religious purposes seems to be equally idiotic.
You remember? How old are you?
I just started a religion that is allowed to beat the snot out of anyone who harms an eagle. That was coincidence. Seems that I got some work to do.
So you're saying you're how old exactly?
religion as a business is what kind of gets me. At least the Indians practiced theirs without someone getting filthy rich, the church forinstance. Religion as a business is based off fear and false promises and anyone that can prove other wise does not exist. Sure you can point at your local religeous books and say it says so right there but then a comic book says superman exists too. The bible is a bunch of stories that were told over and over again and got changed over the two hundred years before they were ever written down. Even when it was written down it was changed to fit the time and need of the church! What is this new and old bible nonsince, should it not just be a bible or what ever book or belief you follow. Now the Indian, they have their beliefs and if the Eagle is their Bible then who are we to stop them from obtainnig it. We let any other wacko belief get their box to preach from, and in fact will even give them the box if necessary. These First Nation or Native Americans were crapped on a couple of hundred years ago by our forefathers and they not only deserve but should have the tools of their beliefs and we should never stand in their way if we indeed believe in Freedom of Religion.
Really Syb? I'll tell you what,...how about I watch and laugh as you head on over to a Native American reservation (you know, the soil of THEIR nation) and attempt to practice your new-found faith...
And just remember,....Custer died for your sins...
Religion: Making no logical sense for thousands of years.
The eagle is not the highest flying bird. Not even close. According to National Geographic, 2011, it is the bar-headed goose. The turkey vulture can get pretty high too. So your notion that the eagle is the closest animal to "god" is incorrect. But then... what do facts mean to the religious? Nothing at all.
Also, if you respect the eagle so much, why kill it?
Backwards people lead us backwards.
Not to mention the question of which god. Native American tribes generally subscribed to pantheons in their religions. Which bird flies closest to the god of death? The emu? The burrowing owl?
How do people with such limited mental faculties, as demonstrated by the following quotes, rise to a position of such responsibility and authority?
"They did make a case for why the take of a bird from the wild was necessary," Matt Hogan, Denver regional director for the Fish and Wildlife Service, told CNN.
The eagle "flies higher then [sic] any other creature. It sees many things. It's closer to the Creator," said Robert Holden, deputy director of the National Congress of American Indians.
Both statements are untrue (there's at least one bird that flies higher - an Asian goose), and no such "case" was established as far as we can tell from this article. And if it's simply the feathers that are necessary to fulfill the belief system, surely there must be a way to obtain them that does not involve the wanton slaughter of an unwilling participant in this ceremony.
In my view, any "faith" that relies on the suffering and/or killing of another living being is nothing more than barbaric. I do not use the term "barbaric" in an attempt to insult anyone or any religion; I mean it simply as a descriptive adjective. If you don't want to be viewed as backward, then get with the 21st century. Even the Catholic church recently (in the late 1990s) finally decreed (officially) that the earth is round.
I couldn't agree more with every word you said. This is a horror.
Ha true but the Catholic Church also says condoms are against god's will. I guess we can give them another 50 years to come around on that one too.
Well said. I admire Native American culture and am justifiably horrified at the way the US govt treated them throughout our history. However, for a culture that claims to respect the Earth and life in its many forms, the practice of killing an animal without it being required for their very sustenance seems hypocritical. Can't they just wait for one to die of natural causes?
All of you spouting you nonsense about how "horrible" this is have GOT to find a clue about "perspective"...
Where I can understand your concern for the birds, we MUST consider this...
Doesn't the jurisdiction of our law end at the borders of Native American reservations anyway? I mean,...it's their land, not ours, much like this entire country belonged to them before we came an took it from them by force.... They'd been living off the land and taking what animals they needed for their ceremonies LONG before we came, and there didn't seem to be a bald eagle population scarcity then... I wonder where the REAL problems lay?
Could it be US, having come here, destroyed both the s.a.n.c.t.i.t.y of "Indian" populations, buffalo populations, eagle populations, the balance of the natural environment and habitat, and many other things in our desire to conquer a land that didn't belong to us...?
And now we're b.i.t.c.h.i.n.g because they want to kill two eagles for ceremonial purposes?
I think WE'RE the d.u.m.b.a.s.s.e.s in this situation...
whats is this government going to pass next, human sacrifice for religious purposes. pathetic
For gutless Guest:
Actually, what I am presenting is straight from your sick bible and you clearly can't refute it. It is quite on topic because the subject is animal sacrifice required by religion. Read it again, and respond in detail or just go away:
The bible is also very clear that you should sacrifice and burn an animal today because the smell makes your sicko Christian sky fairy happy. No, you don't get to use the parts for food. You burn them, a complete waste of the poor animal.
Yes, the bible really says that, everyone. Yes, it's in Leviticus, look it up. Yes, Jesus purportedly said that the OT commands still apply. No exceptions. But even if you think the OT was god's mistaken first go around, you have to ask why a perfect, loving enti-ty would ever put such horrid instructions in there. If you think rationally at all, that is.
So get out your sacrificial knife or your nasty sky creature will torture you eternally. Or just take a closer look at your foolish supersti-tions, understand that they are just silly, and toss them into the dustbin with all the rest of the gods that man has created.
Please, stop referencing that Christian book of nasty, AKA the bible, as a guide to, well, anything.
Ask the questions. Break the chains. Be free of religion in 2012.
http://whywontgodhealamputees.com/
You sir, are a fraud. You are pretending to have read the Bible, but clearly have not. It is the fat of the animal that is burned upon the alter, not the meat. The meat was to be eaten.
Bob,
The reason for animal sacrifices before Jesus Christ was to cleanse the sinner of his sins. Once Christ came to be the ultimate sacrifice, there was no longer a need to sacrifice animals. Christianity is a way of life, Love God and Love others. It is not this evil force you speak of. Have a wonderful day and remember God loves you!!
Please make the ritual of killing rats rather than eagles... they're vermin that carry disease... Kill them instead!!! there's a wood pile in my neighbors yard which harbors them... Come and kill them!
Nope, you fail on that explanation, and on explaining why the sacrifice was ever put in there.
Actually, what I am presenting is straight from your sick bible and you clearly can't refute it. It is quite on topic because the subject is animal sacrifice required by religion. Read it again, and respond in detail or just go away:
The bible is also very clear that you should sacrifice and burn an animal today because the smell makes your sicko Christian sky fairy happy. No, you don't get to use the parts for food. You burn them, a complete waste of the poor animal.
Yes, the bible really says that, everyone. Yes, it's in Leviticus, look it up. Yes, Jesus purportedly said that the OT commands still apply. No exceptions. But even if you think the OT was god's mistaken first go around, you have to ask why a perfect, loving enti-ty would ever put such horrid instructions in there. If you think rationally at all, that is.
So get out your sacrificial knife or your nasty sky creature will torture you eternally. Or just take a closer look at your foolish supersti-tions, understand that they are just silly, and toss them into the dustbin with all the rest of the gods that man has created.
Please, stop referencing that Christian book of nasty, AKA the bible, as a guide to, well, anything.
Ask the questions. Break the chains. Be free of religion in 2012.
http://whywontgodhealamputees.com/
If religious nuts want to sacrifice one of their own, I'm cool with that, leave the eagle alone!
HA. Funny, but I'm not for that because I would bet a lot of money that right before the sacrificial hour, the previously brainwashed will suddenly see the light and decide he/she isn't quite so into this whole idea after-all... (snicker)
Eagle to Native American.. Mother earth has told me she is tired of fried eagle and wants go up the food chain and try human meat.
She taught me a new ritual and magic words to say that will make her happy while she eats her new sacrifice. I contacted the US government and declared that my religion requires the sacrifice of 2 native Americans to meet the religious requirements of my god ritual. They questioned me at length on the validity of my request. But, I told them that I am 100% sure that a human being is now required by mother earth to honor her instead of eagles. This of course will a sincere ritual that will be celebrated annually. I am to choose the best specimen I can find and do the ritual as I was told to do by my spirit mother that only I can hear. The remains of the human will not be wasted and the parts we keep for our talismans will be held in great regard. Well, after much deliberation on religious rights and freedoms in this great nation, we were granted our right to practice our faith as we have been instructed by our great mother Earth. What a great nation we live in.... praise mother earth for our wonderful bounty of sacrifices to her wisdom.... and thank the great mother earth for our religious freedoms.
Error between chair and keyboard.
Religion ruins everything. Period.
Reason, good
Religion, bad
Bingo. You win.