I received an email this morning from the subject of a news article that I commented on nearly a year ago in this post.  In the post I commented on the comments of one of the students who was interviewed about the killing of some livestock at Krum High School by dogs.  The subject, a Ms. Kara Arnold was quoted as saying the following:

“For us, it was like a small version of Sept. 11,” Kara said. “We never thought this would happen.”

My response was that this was moral equivocation of the worst kind.  To compare the deaths of a few animals to the deliberate murder of 3000 people is an outrage. 

In the interest of fairness, I present the email I received from Ms. Arnold this morning:

I randomly came upon your comments on the Denton Record Chronicle article from Dec, 7th, 2002. Now, I know that was a long time, but what you said against me was an outrage! First, I have never and will never have any thing to do with PETA! What I meant by my quote, that they randomly took out of a long interview might I add, was that before Sept. 11th we (Americans) felt safe and then we were attacked on our own soil. We didn’t feel as safe as we did before Sept. 11th. That was the feeling of the attacks at our school barn. We had never had attacks and this one attack made us aware that is possible. In NO WAY was I comparing the death over 3,000 innocent people to this event and PLEASE don’t take my words and make it into something its not! The reporters did a poor job of portraying what I was trying to say! I got a great education at Krum High School. That education got me accept into Texas A&M University where I am working on a degree in Agriculture Journalism. That says a lot by itself. So next time think before you just go off on some one you have never meet and do not know! Thanks Kara Arnold the proudest member of the fighting Texas Aggie class of ‘07

And my reply:

Ms. Arnold,

The quote as written in the newpaper left no room for equivocation.  You were quoted as saying, “For us, it was like a small version of Sept. 11.”  If you really didn’t say that, then I apologize to you.  I do understand that newspapers often get things wrong.  However, if you really did say that, I stand by EVERYTHING that I said.  There is no room for moral equivocation as far as I’m concerned in this matter.

I like the “randomly came upon” part in the opening.  It’s OK to admit that you’ve Googled yourself.  Almost everyone does it. 

Anyhow, I do hope that she was misquoted.  But if she did say it (even if taken out of context), I think the statement was the wrong thing to say.  On the bright side, at least she was outraged at being accused of being a PETA member…