Killing Cecil the lion turned hunter into hunted. Good

Note to Walter J. Palmer, Minnesota dentist:

You are not Teddy Roosevelt. Also, in case there remains some confusion, you are not Ernest Hemingway.

If anything, you are no longer a big game hunter. You are the hunted.

And that is a good thing.

Spending over $50,000 to kill a lion with a bow and arrow is grotesque.

Hunting, even this type of hunting, has not always been obscene. There was a time when killing big game had something to do with protecting people and livestock and crops and so on.

Now, it's just for fun. For bravado.

For shame.

Because the lion you killed was Cecil, a major tourist attraction in the country of Zimbabwe and a truly majestic animal, with his black mane, you have gone from stalking wildlife to putting targets on the backs of everyone who, in your words, pursues an "activity I love and practice responsibly and legally."

The worldwide reaction to your actions isn't aimed solely at you, of course, though it must seem that way.

What you did has gotten people to question the viability of such a cruel "hobby" in the 21st century.

The late-night comedian and talk show host Jimmy Kimmel stated it simply and well, saying, "The big question is: Why are you shooting a lion in the first place? I mean, I'm honestly curious to know why a human being would feel compelled to do that. How is that fun?"

National Geographic says that over the past century Africa's wild lion population has dropped from an estimated 200,000 to about 30,000.

Your arrow didn't kill Cecil right away. He suffered for 40 hours before being found and shot.

That's not sport.

I come from a state where deer hunting is wildly popular and necessary. Since many of the animal's natural predators are no long around the herd needs to be culled. And the hunters I'm familiar with didn't simply skin the animals and walk away with the head.

The venison was stored, shared and eventually consumed.

An argument could be made that the level of condemnation you're receiving is out of balance with the offense. That's true. You're taking the heat for all other wealthy, self-centered big game hunters.

Still, unlike the animals you kill, you're aware of being stalked.

And you have the ability to fight back.