Post by cj on Jun 1, 2006 15:02:09 GMT -5
SUNDAY SHOULD BE A DAY OF PEACE,
NOT KILLING
By Terri David
There is a concerted effort by hunters to lift the ban on Sunday hunting in the states where it is prohibited. A Virginia Sunday hunting bill was defeated, and in Connecticut the prospects of a bill passing are slim. The North Carolina General Assembly will vote on the issue once the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC) completes a study with input from religious groups, landowners, environmental groups, agricultural organizations, hunting groups, hiking clubs, mountain bikers, etc. The general public has the opportunity for input as well, and the information on how to contact the WRC is given below.
The ban on Sunday hunting is based on religious beliefs that this day should be reserved for church, and goes back to 1869. It is amazing that Christian hunters are among those arguing that they need another day to inflict pain, suffering, and death upon the innocent creatures of the wild lands. It doesn’t seem very Christian to me. They say it is unfair, and they do have a point. You can participate in any other kind of legal recreational activity on Sunday. But what about the fairness to the animals and to the people that enjoy non-consumptive activities such as bird watching, hiking, dog walking, biking, etc.? Shouldn’t people be able to enjoy the wilderness at least one day a week without worrying about being shot by a stray bullet or for the safety of their animals, family or friends? Hunting accidents happen all too often. I’m all for fairness, and since hunters only comprise 3.4% of the NC population, why not let them hunt 3.4% of the time? That translates into 5.71 hours per week. According to a US Fish and Wildlife Service survey, the number of hunters declined 27.7% in NC over the last 10 year period studied, another reason not to increase hunting time.
Hunters also argue that their depraved form of recreation brings big money to the state, and Sunday hunting would increase revenues. What they fail to tell you is that wildlife watching is a much bigger business. The US Fish and Wildlife Service calculated that only 3.4% of the NC population hunts, but 26.9% of North Carolinians participate in wildlife watching, spending about twice as much on their activities as hunters ($827 million compared to $438 million). Sunday hunting could turn tourists away who are concerned about their safety in the woods, resulting in decreased revenues for the state.
The Wildlife Resources Commission is dominated by hunters, and their mission is to preserve hunting as a recreational activity (it is not a sport) and economic industry. The federal Pittman-Robertson Act exacts an excise tax on rifles, shotguns, handguns, archery equipment, and ammunition. This money filters down to the state wildlife agencies through the US Fish and Wildlife Services. The more hunters there are, the more funding there is for wildlife agencies, hence the aggressive recruiting of women, minorities, and young people. The WRC pretends to be interested in wildlife management when their goal is to make sure there is an abundance of animals to be killed. The WRC will certainly use its influence to lobby for Sunday hunting. It is important that people who appreciate the inherent value of wildlife and believe in the right of animals to exist without harm from humans take part in this survey. We need to be the voices of the animals whose lives are being threatened.
The arguments regarding Sunday hunting are about people and their interests, but little is mentioned about the animals and what hunting does to them. Not only are there the outright kills, but many orphans are left to fend for themselves (not always successfully), animals are wounded and left to die long and agonizing deaths from gangrene and starvation, trophy hunting leaves weaker animals to reproduce, killing of natural predators upsets the natural balance, hunting stress uses up critical fat reserves needed for winter survival, etc. Hunting is a bloody and ugly activity, not a benign bonding and recreational experience that hunters would have us believe. It turns the solace of nature into violent killing fields.
Mark Twain said, “Of all creatures ever made he (man) is the most detestable…he is the only creature that inflicts pain for sport, knowing it to be pain.” Joseph Woodkrutch, a naturalist and essayist, had this opinion of hunting, “When a man wantonly destroys one of the works of man, we call him a vandal. When he wantonly destroys one of the works of God, we call him a sportsman… How anyone can profess to find animal life interesting and yet take delight in reducing the wonder of any animal to a bloody mass of fur and feathers is beyond my comprehension.
We have the opportunity to save the lives of millions of animals if we defeat this effort to allow the killing of animals on Sunday. Lawmakers should not be increasing hunting opportunities when it’s been documented that eight times as many people enjoy peaceful activities in the woods. Comment is being taken by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission until August 31, 2006. Visit www.ncwildlife.org and click on “Comment on North Carolina’s Sunday hunting law.” Or write to Sunday Hunting Comments, 1722 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27669-1722.
Terri David is Vice-President of Carolina Animal Action, an Asheville-based animal rights group advocating on behalf of ALL animals. She can be reached at P.O. Box 19242, Asheville, NC 28815, animalaction@bellsouth.net, or 828-298-4647.
I found this in that eminent bastion of journalism "The Critter Magazine". LOL
www.crittermagazine.com/articles.htm
and their slogan is....
"Please Don't Litter, Spay Your Critter!"
and now for my reply...
quote:
Man is an animal correct? Therefore I am an animal. Correct?
Man is an omnivore and I, being a man, have to eat and being an omnivore I have to eat meat and plants.
Now here is the tricky part, So listen close....DEER ARE MADE OF MEAT YOU FRICKIN IDIOT!!!!!
So if you are advocating on behalf of ALL animals and I am an animal (If you don't believe me just listen to the new song by Nickle Back )you are advocating on my behalf. So I, in the interest of fair play and equal time, equivocate and advocate to you; Get the heck off of my back and let me do what comes naturally!
Do bears and coyotes have to stop hunting on Sunday as well?
NOT KILLING
By Terri David
There is a concerted effort by hunters to lift the ban on Sunday hunting in the states where it is prohibited. A Virginia Sunday hunting bill was defeated, and in Connecticut the prospects of a bill passing are slim. The North Carolina General Assembly will vote on the issue once the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC) completes a study with input from religious groups, landowners, environmental groups, agricultural organizations, hunting groups, hiking clubs, mountain bikers, etc. The general public has the opportunity for input as well, and the information on how to contact the WRC is given below.
The ban on Sunday hunting is based on religious beliefs that this day should be reserved for church, and goes back to 1869. It is amazing that Christian hunters are among those arguing that they need another day to inflict pain, suffering, and death upon the innocent creatures of the wild lands. It doesn’t seem very Christian to me. They say it is unfair, and they do have a point. You can participate in any other kind of legal recreational activity on Sunday. But what about the fairness to the animals and to the people that enjoy non-consumptive activities such as bird watching, hiking, dog walking, biking, etc.? Shouldn’t people be able to enjoy the wilderness at least one day a week without worrying about being shot by a stray bullet or for the safety of their animals, family or friends? Hunting accidents happen all too often. I’m all for fairness, and since hunters only comprise 3.4% of the NC population, why not let them hunt 3.4% of the time? That translates into 5.71 hours per week. According to a US Fish and Wildlife Service survey, the number of hunters declined 27.7% in NC over the last 10 year period studied, another reason not to increase hunting time.
Hunters also argue that their depraved form of recreation brings big money to the state, and Sunday hunting would increase revenues. What they fail to tell you is that wildlife watching is a much bigger business. The US Fish and Wildlife Service calculated that only 3.4% of the NC population hunts, but 26.9% of North Carolinians participate in wildlife watching, spending about twice as much on their activities as hunters ($827 million compared to $438 million). Sunday hunting could turn tourists away who are concerned about their safety in the woods, resulting in decreased revenues for the state.
The Wildlife Resources Commission is dominated by hunters, and their mission is to preserve hunting as a recreational activity (it is not a sport) and economic industry. The federal Pittman-Robertson Act exacts an excise tax on rifles, shotguns, handguns, archery equipment, and ammunition. This money filters down to the state wildlife agencies through the US Fish and Wildlife Services. The more hunters there are, the more funding there is for wildlife agencies, hence the aggressive recruiting of women, minorities, and young people. The WRC pretends to be interested in wildlife management when their goal is to make sure there is an abundance of animals to be killed. The WRC will certainly use its influence to lobby for Sunday hunting. It is important that people who appreciate the inherent value of wildlife and believe in the right of animals to exist without harm from humans take part in this survey. We need to be the voices of the animals whose lives are being threatened.
The arguments regarding Sunday hunting are about people and their interests, but little is mentioned about the animals and what hunting does to them. Not only are there the outright kills, but many orphans are left to fend for themselves (not always successfully), animals are wounded and left to die long and agonizing deaths from gangrene and starvation, trophy hunting leaves weaker animals to reproduce, killing of natural predators upsets the natural balance, hunting stress uses up critical fat reserves needed for winter survival, etc. Hunting is a bloody and ugly activity, not a benign bonding and recreational experience that hunters would have us believe. It turns the solace of nature into violent killing fields.
Mark Twain said, “Of all creatures ever made he (man) is the most detestable…he is the only creature that inflicts pain for sport, knowing it to be pain.” Joseph Woodkrutch, a naturalist and essayist, had this opinion of hunting, “When a man wantonly destroys one of the works of man, we call him a vandal. When he wantonly destroys one of the works of God, we call him a sportsman… How anyone can profess to find animal life interesting and yet take delight in reducing the wonder of any animal to a bloody mass of fur and feathers is beyond my comprehension.
We have the opportunity to save the lives of millions of animals if we defeat this effort to allow the killing of animals on Sunday. Lawmakers should not be increasing hunting opportunities when it’s been documented that eight times as many people enjoy peaceful activities in the woods. Comment is being taken by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission until August 31, 2006. Visit www.ncwildlife.org and click on “Comment on North Carolina’s Sunday hunting law.” Or write to Sunday Hunting Comments, 1722 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27669-1722.
Terri David is Vice-President of Carolina Animal Action, an Asheville-based animal rights group advocating on behalf of ALL animals. She can be reached at P.O. Box 19242, Asheville, NC 28815, animalaction@bellsouth.net, or 828-298-4647.
I found this in that eminent bastion of journalism "The Critter Magazine". LOL
www.crittermagazine.com/articles.htm
and their slogan is....
"Please Don't Litter, Spay Your Critter!"
and now for my reply...
quote:
an Asheville-based animal rights group advocating on behalf of ALL animals
Man is an animal correct? Therefore I am an animal. Correct?
Man is an omnivore and I, being a man, have to eat and being an omnivore I have to eat meat and plants.
Now here is the tricky part, So listen close....DEER ARE MADE OF MEAT YOU FRICKIN IDIOT!!!!!
So if you are advocating on behalf of ALL animals and I am an animal (If you don't believe me just listen to the new song by Nickle Back )you are advocating on my behalf. So I, in the interest of fair play and equal time, equivocate and advocate to you; Get the heck off of my back and let me do what comes naturally!
Do bears and coyotes have to stop hunting on Sunday as well?