Reader Tom Scott thinks there must be something in the water up there in Alaska. A man who used lethal force to fend off a moose that was attacking him is taking a lot of heat from the local yokels. Mike Vogel was out skiing around when the moose attacked him. Having been attacked by a moose in the past, Vogel came prepared this time. He unilaterally used his .44 caliber pistol to initiate regime change on the offending creature, but his neighbors think that he should have tried 12 years of appeasement and UN-style sanctions first.

First up is Steve Ryan, who thinks that simply detouring around the moose would be sufficient. He claims to be able to ride circles around slow dimwitted mooses, and figures a guy on skis could easily do the same.

Next we have Theresa Philbrick, who thinks that Mr. Vogel should lose his concealed carry permit. I think Mr. Vogel would probably go along with that considering that since they switched to "Vermont-style" concealed carry, Alaska doesn't require a permit anymore.

Last but certainly not least, we have David Harnell. Harnell says that it's Vogel's own fault for putting himself in that situation in the first place. By taking a few modest precautionary steps, he could have easily avoided confrontation with the moose. Harnell suggests that skiers travel in large groups of friends, never take their dog out of the house, and carry an air horn and pepper spray instead of one of those evil, mind-affecting guns. Either that or, according to Harnell, he should simply move to moose-free Michigan.

Those are all good suggestions, but it seems to me that sitting down and talking with the moose would be the best option. Once you understand Bulwinkle, perhaps you can figure out why he hates us.