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"I was faced with this dilemma a couple of years ago. After I had upbraided my then four year old son for killing a wooly caterpillar, he then saw me kill a wasp. Of course, he interpreted this as my accepting that killing things was OK. I came up with a simple rule which, so far, seems to have worked: it is never acceptable to kill any other living creature except for food, in self defence, or to protect others.
So killing a wasp can be OK, if it is to prevent it stinging (self defence). The flu virus mentioned on Thursday evening would be for it - you could kill that either in self defence or to protect others. Spraying greenfly just scrapes past the test on the grounds of protecting others (in this case, the roses). But the fly, whose only sin is to annoy, would survive. David Bell"

Dear Eddie,
following on from tonight's discussion re President Obama's annihilation of that poor fly.
Did you know that in the Middle Ages following St. Francis of Assisi, the Church ensured that all animals had a patron saint. However, there was a problem with flies, as Satan or Beelezebub, was the Lord of the Flies. Therefore, these poor creatures had no protection under the Church and could be persecuted without fear. All the best, Dr Nader Fekri, Bradford University"

"That guy can call himself a 'Professor of Philosophy'?
He was right about Obama's fly, its death was not a moral issue. But the 'professor' clearly hadn't clue why. It would be a poor idea to set about exterminating millions of flies, as parasites have a role. An excess of flies where not required by humans would indicate an imbalance in nature that needed attention, so getting rid of them in bulk attack without dealing with that would be a mistake other than as a local, temporary, limited measure to enable preparation of proper long term actions. Control of parasites should be maintained by attending to the intrinsic health of their hosts, avoiding excess. That applies to plants as well as animals. Isolated annoying parasites however can be dealt with summarily.
It takes less than half a minute to explain that, so why do you give air-time to bumbling idiots?
The idea that philosophers have been puzzling over these things for centuries overlooks the fact that intelligent people, including even a few self-styled philosophers, came to perfectly sound conclusions on all of them. Obama is clearly one of these. Thank God he does not consult philosophers and that he is President of the USA. James Baring"

"It's all has to do with the struggle for survival. Clearly the President of the USA is phyasically more powerful than that fly and so the fate of the fly was sealed the moment it settled on the presidential hand. (I did not see it, incidentally - having no access to television.) The first of the two attachments has a media dimension: both are from one of my poetry collections (Cobbett's Field ) still in print. John Vetterlein (Orkney - fly ambassador)"

(Here are the attachments:)

Mentioned in dispatches
(Omit the "I" , the "me" from poetry - and?)
That fly in my tent, flitting, irritating
as I try to rest between battles:
the Sun, slipping down across the canvas,
the fly at last content to rest too.
I lie with the back of my head supported in my hand:
I stare into the apex of the tent and wonder why,
why we are doing this - fighting
(even at school we were trained to fight,
yet punished for fighting amongst ourselves),
wondering why we do anything at all, why -
not just to get a mention in DNB , surely?
"saw action at the battle of..."
That fly is active again, action and activity;
now I have the advantage, the fly within reach,
I may swat it down with the other hand,
and, that done, snatch a little rest before the next battle;
please mention us in dispatches, the fly - and "I" .

The fly - a life
The fly settling securely, all intact,
a fly's delight amidst the stench, urine,
faeces, dried and clotted blood - children
four-to-a-bed, urine-soaked in fly paradise.
This poor child I know not,
I only hear her cry through the radio -
another slice of media dollop -
reported today forgotten tomorrow?

Stephen Hughes sent this:
"In response to Obama killing a fly;
If I accidentally kill anything I feel terrible, The poem bellow was responsible for this.

Little fly,
Thy summer's play
My thoughtless hand
Has brushed away.

Am not I
A fly like thee?
Or art not thou
A man like me?

For I dance
And drink and sing,
Till some blind hand
Shall brush my wing.

If thought is life
And strength and breath,
And the want
Of thought is death,

Then am I
A happy fly,
If I live,
Or if I die.

William Blake"

"In the greater scheme of things I don't care much about killing (a few) individual flies, but it's certainly a valid subject for discussion. Barak Obama engaged in a one-to-one, man-versus-fly confrontation, each combatant making the best use of their own natural skills. The outcome of such a battle is by no means predictable, indicating that the odds are fairly evenly stacked - even though the penalties for failure are a little unequal. I would however have very strong objections to any hypothetical plan to eradicate the entire species by means of mechanical or chemical warfare.
It's all a case of degree; and this basic dichotomy opens up a whole new can of worms.
I suppose before we can really decide whether President Obama's actions were justified we have to know the nature of the fly's intentions. On the prima facia evidence it would seem that other non-violent resolutions had not been given a fair chance to succeed before the 'ultimate deterrent' was employed.

Nonetheless, swatting a fly with your bare hands is a pretty neat trick isn't it?

Richard Gillett"

Paul Suri sent this:
"Interesting piece about concern for wildlife, notably the humble fly.
As a kayaker I am often on the receiving end of (sometimes extreme) hostility from fishermen who think they own the planet, or at least the bit they're stood on. When I pass by in a kayak I am often subjected to abuse with much huffing and puffing, and buried beneath the expletives will be a "you're disturbing the fish".
To which I reply "and a hook doesn't?"
Forget flies, fishing for pleasure? Not the fish's.