Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

The Allergic Pagan

Home
Pagan
A case of tree murder

A case of tree murder

Last updated on: July 10, 2012 at 6:53 pm by John Halstead

A case of tree murder 2012-07-10T18:53:28-05:00 John Halstead

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Below is part of the transcript of the Rachel Maddow show from last Friday, July 6, 2012. The story is about an Alabama man accused of “desecrating a venerable object”. What interests me is that the “venerable object” in this case is a pair of live oak trees on the campus of Auburn University. I share it here because it is a rare instance where our legal system recognizes the sacrality of an other-than-human life. The trees are still called “objects”, but it’s something at least. (I wonder what other “venerable objects” this law has been enforced to protect in the past.)

MADDOW: The other day in Opelika, Alabama, they tried to pick a jury for the trial of this man. He’s a University of Alabama football fan. He stands accused of criminal mischief and desecrating a venerable object. The venerable object in this case is a pair of live oak trees on the campus of Auburn University nearby.

The man accused is an Alabama fan. Auburn and Alabama are rivals. These two oak trees are where generations of Auburn students and fans have gone to celebrate wins by the Auburn football team, particularly those over Alabama.

These are Toomer’s trees, they are called. And team loyalty aside, they are pretty much as venerable an object as you could find in the state of Alabama.

In the first round of questioning in this case about the desecration of these trees, nearly half the potential jurors in the case said they personally had celebrated something about Auburn under those Toomer Oaks. So, that’s a big deal. What an institution Toomer’s trees are.

It is the cultural importance of those trees to Auburn University and Alabama as a state that made so surreal this phone call to a local radio show last year. Listen.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

CALLER: The weekend after the Iron Bowl, I went to Auburn, Alabama, because I live 30 miles away and I poisoned the two Toomer`s trees. I put Spike 80DF in them.

PAUL FINEBAUN: Did they die?

CALLER: Do what?

FINEBAUN: Did they die?

CALLER: They`re not dead yet, but they definitely will die.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

MADDOW: The man calling into a radio station saying he killed the Toomer oaks with tree poison, with an herbicide. And he did do it or somebody did it at least. It was not an idle boost.

Ever since they learned of the poisoning, Auburn has been trying to save their beloved trees. We reported a year ago on some of their efforts. They removed and replaced the contaminated soil from around the roots. They added activated liquid charcoal to neutralize the effect of the poison. They coated the leaves of the trees with what`s called an anti-transferent (ph) in an effort to keep the trees from drinking in more poison water.

This spring, they injected the trees with sugar, trying to feed the trees, since the trees are now too sick to feed themselves.

[…]

The Auburn horticulturist, Gary Keever, says the trees have been as low as 5 percent of their usual foliage. Professor Keever says they are painfully bare, they are in trouble. And if these were any other trees on campus, they would have been cut down already.

[…]

MADDOW: Tree murder. So that`s the deal with Auburn`s venerable objects, Toomer`s trees. Gary Keever says they’ve shown no sign of responding to these latest treatments, those injections with sugar. He says he`s not giving up yet, but he`s also too much of a scientist to avoid seeing the obvious outcome here.

Meanwhile, the man who is accused of poisoning the trees has now pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.

[…]

It is a case of tree murder. Where it may be impossible to find a jury of 12 people who have not been in love with the murder victim, in love with those trees or at least who do not already believe in their hearts they know who killed those trees.

This is a sports story. This is an Alabama story, may be a crazy old guy story or even a crime story. But what is it is turning into now is a story of profound human attachment beyond what we usually admit to and beyond what makes sense on paper.

[END]

One thing I can agree with accused about … he is mentally ill. Anyone who would do that is mentally ill. (I’m adding this to my list as reason number 99 why I hate sports.)

Uncategorized

Auburn

trees

Previous Post

June 30, 2012

"Once more into the fray ..."

Next Post

July 11, 2012 Who do the gods sacrifice to?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Ritual Scripts Theology Uncategorized

Select a Month January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

I am an ancestor of King David, born from a foreign widow's faithfulness. Who am I?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Obed Jesse Salmon Boaz