MARK KIESLING: Deer cull sounds like a necessary evil

When I was very young, a trip to my grandparents' home in Logansport in north central Indiana always held out an exciting proposition.

It wasn't my grandmother's cooking, or the gathering of the men around the television to watch a Cubs game, although those are good memories, too.

It was the possibility that we might, just might, spot a deer, particularly as we drove along U.S. 35 through the forested areas.

They were exotic creatures then. No one I know of in my school had ever professed to see one.

Times have changed. Now there are so many of them out there we are shooting them to thin the herd.

And it's causing a big flap in Ogden Dunes, where up to 40 deer will be shot unless the deer cull is quashed at the last minute.

People who favor the cull say it's going to cut down on the increase in Lyme disease in Ogden Dunes, a disease carried by ticks most often found on deer.

Opponents say there's no solid evidence the increase in the disease has been caused by an increase in the deer population in and around the town.

But it's causing hard feelings among many in this town of some 1,300 people along the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

It has caused attorney Larry Evans, who has served in public office himself, to accuse the majority of the Town Council of being "lawless," which seems a little over the top.

The town has gone through the courts, and Porter Superior Judge Roger Bradford refused to delay the cull as its opponents had petitioned.

"They don't respect the law," Evans said. "They don't respect the judicial process."

Is Bradford not a respected member of the judicial process? If the Town Council really wanted to be lawless, they'd just sneak out at night with laser sights and blow Bambi out of the woods.

No, the opponents have not gotten their way, and when people don't get their way the rhetoric tends to heat up, sometimes to the point of hyperbole.

The attorney working on behalf of those who favor the cull, Charles Parkinson, accused the opponents of deliberately and unnecessarily delaying the judicial process.

"They're sitting on a lot of rights," he said of the petitioners.

Now, a survey shows a majority of the town is opposed to the proposal. And the Town Council is supposed to represent the majority. Isn't that the American way?

Well, maybe. Except as Americans, we elect people who are supposed to act in our best interest, not necessarily an interest with which the majority concurs.

This is a republic, remember, not a democracy.

I think the majority are swayed by two things: One is the use of firearms within the city limits. The second is the thought of shooting a critter that might be Donner or Blitzen.

But I can't help but ask myself what their reaction would be if the object of the cull were disease-carrying rats or prowling hyenas and not deer.

The opinions are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at mark.kiesling@nwi.com or (219) 933-4170.