Letter to the Editor

Letters to the editor for Sunday, Sept. 9, 2007

According to the argument offered by Paul Ostrow and Betsy Hodges against outright banning of circuses with wild animal acts (Opinion Exchange, Sept. 6), the city of Minneapolis should not take the most morally and ethically correct action unless other major U.S. cities are likely to follow our lead.

Unfortunately, regardless of the degree of bureaucratic oversight, by continuing to allow circuses with wild animal acts into our market we are condoning and financially supporting the initial act of cruelty perpetrated on these beautiful creatures: capturing them and removing them from their natural habitat, then keeping them as our prisoners for no better reason than human entertainment (and the money from it).

While Ostrow's and Hodges' proposed protections are long overdue, we should not feel forced to stop so short of a truly ethical response to circus animal cruelty. Further, their property-tax scare tactic exposes the sad hypocrisy that we would do the right thing if only we could be assured that no one would feel any financial impact.


LAUREN FITHIAN, MINNEAPOLIS