mklaver
10-24-2013, 01:52 PM
This is a Letter to the Editor that was posted in the Peace Arch News this past Tuesday:
http://www.peacearchnews.com/opinion/letters/229134031.html
And here is my response - let's see if they print it:
Dear Editor,
I tire of the pervasive attitude than has crept quite deepinto society the past few years – the one that moved people to try to getanother’s hobby, pastime or activity banned if it is not in their own taste,style or desire. Mr. Lauder writes about how he is to explain to hisgrandchildren what is going on when they hear shotguns in the distance. Let mehelp him – “Well grandson/granddaughter, what is happening is what has beengoing on here for many generations – hunting of waterfowl. In fact, it has beengoing on here since the 1800’s and perhaps longer - much longer than I havelived here, and it will go on long after I am gone. It is a proud Canadiantradition that is passed down from generation to generation and in fact theremight be a Grandfather down there teaching his grandson or granddaughter thistradition.” We live on the Great Pacific Flyway where the waterfowl populationis extremely healthy and robust, numbering in the tens of millions, with farless than 1% being taken by hunters. Communities that do not allow hunting arenow overrun by Canada geese, destroying park land and making fields unusable.Ethical hunting is a safe and legitimate pastime for over a million Canadiansand has been a part of the fabric of Canada since there was a Canada. Anethical hunter is a conservationist, with the largest group that protectsbird habitat being Ducks Unlimited (which set aside the bird preserve inSerpentine Fen) which was established by waterfowl hunters and it’s payingmembers are hunters, primarily. I expect that if Mr. Lauder objects to the“slaughtering” of “defenceless birds”, that he is a vegetarian, not evenwearing leather shoes, gloves or jackets? The birds that die and wind up on mydinner table are hunted ethically, are killed quickly and have lived a freerange life, which is far more that can be said for any meat that objectors buyin the supermarket. In fact, The Vancouver Sun reported last hunting seasonthat the largest group of new hunters recently are vegetarians who stoppedeating meat for ethical reasons, but now turn to hunting as the animals theyhunt and eat have lived a free life and are ethically killed. Which brings meto my last point – if people in society keep trying to get activities bannedthat they find mildly annoying, if they try to get activities banned that theydo not particularly agree with or find a little distasteful, even though theycause them no harm, what are you going to do when they finally findsomething that you enjoy in their cross-hairs? You live your life and Iwill live mine.
http://www.peacearchnews.com/opinion/letters/229134031.html
And here is my response - let's see if they print it:
Dear Editor,
I tire of the pervasive attitude than has crept quite deepinto society the past few years – the one that moved people to try to getanother’s hobby, pastime or activity banned if it is not in their own taste,style or desire. Mr. Lauder writes about how he is to explain to hisgrandchildren what is going on when they hear shotguns in the distance. Let mehelp him – “Well grandson/granddaughter, what is happening is what has beengoing on here for many generations – hunting of waterfowl. In fact, it has beengoing on here since the 1800’s and perhaps longer - much longer than I havelived here, and it will go on long after I am gone. It is a proud Canadiantradition that is passed down from generation to generation and in fact theremight be a Grandfather down there teaching his grandson or granddaughter thistradition.” We live on the Great Pacific Flyway where the waterfowl populationis extremely healthy and robust, numbering in the tens of millions, with farless than 1% being taken by hunters. Communities that do not allow hunting arenow overrun by Canada geese, destroying park land and making fields unusable.Ethical hunting is a safe and legitimate pastime for over a million Canadiansand has been a part of the fabric of Canada since there was a Canada. Anethical hunter is a conservationist, with the largest group that protectsbird habitat being Ducks Unlimited (which set aside the bird preserve inSerpentine Fen) which was established by waterfowl hunters and it’s payingmembers are hunters, primarily. I expect that if Mr. Lauder objects to the“slaughtering” of “defenceless birds”, that he is a vegetarian, not evenwearing leather shoes, gloves or jackets? The birds that die and wind up on mydinner table are hunted ethically, are killed quickly and have lived a freerange life, which is far more that can be said for any meat that objectors buyin the supermarket. In fact, The Vancouver Sun reported last hunting seasonthat the largest group of new hunters recently are vegetarians who stoppedeating meat for ethical reasons, but now turn to hunting as the animals theyhunt and eat have lived a free life and are ethically killed. Which brings meto my last point – if people in society keep trying to get activities bannedthat they find mildly annoying, if they try to get activities banned that theydo not particularly agree with or find a little distasteful, even though theycause them no harm, what are you going to do when they finally findsomething that you enjoy in their cross-hairs? You live your life and Iwill live mine.