Hate Mail

I don't get a whole lot of hate mail, but when I do I'm reminded about the kind of people we're dealing with in the animal rights crowd.  The grammar and spelling are uniformly atrocious and the curse words would make a sailor blush.  This particular specimen is unusually pathetic.  I don't know whether to laugh or cry, but I thought my fellow trappers should see what kind of things are being said about us.  This email is a crazed mixture of barely interpretable anti-Christian and anti-trapping profanity, so reader beware.  Harsh language ahead....

Trapping and Christian Ethics



Dr. Stephen Vantassel


I recently had the pleasure of corresponding with Dr. Stephen Vantassel, who is dean of students and tutor of theology at King's Evangelical Divinity School.  Dr. Vantassel has done extensive writing and research on human-wildlife relations from a Biblical perspective, and one of his articles will be of particular interest to trappers.  "Should Wildlife Trapping Have a Place in a Christian Environmental Ethic" is a scholarly, Biblical critique of some of the main claims of the animal rights movement.  It is an excellent article, and I highly recommend that you read it and share it with others who are interested in this subject. 

Dr. Vantassel's website can be found here, which includes information on his book Dominion Over Wildlife?  An Environmental-Theology of Human-Wildlife Relations.

We can be thankful that Dr. Vantassel is shedding the light of sound scholarship on the animal rights debate.

The Sour Face of Animal Rights

An incoming link to TSR led me to discover a fringe animal rights group called "Negotiation is Over."  Nothing like advertising your lack of civility and reason!  Most people would not be proud of such shortcomings but I guess some wear their bitterness as a badge.  The website is a soupy mixture of communism, terrorism advocacy and "animal liberation."

Power to the cockroaches!

Just a sample of their manifesto:

We form this new group out of the need for a radical social approach to veganism and animal rights that transcends bourgeois liberalism; the need for a global Left that renounces speciesism and all other ancient and lingering prejudices and forms of oppression; the need for post-hierarchical worldviews and democratic and ecological societies; and the need for total liberation and revolutionary transformation.

Good Lord, it must be exhausting to be one of these non-negotiators.  So many things to be against, and so much to transcend, liberate, transform, etc.  It's a tough row to hoe, trying to erase human history and remake the planet by blogging.   

I wonder if these people have any joy in life, with the world being such an oppressive place and all.  Their website is dark and angry.  I know a few liberals who have some sense of humor but I guess the further left you go the more dour and humorless you have to be.

I'm guessing that "Negotiation is Over" will never really blossom beyond the ivory tower into a popular movement.  Unless you are trying to elicit blank stares, you need a rallying cry a bit more interpretable than "Join us in a radical social approach to veganism and animal rights that transcends bourgeois liberalism!"  That's a bit much.  "Hope and change" is more on the popular level (but just as meaningless).

Every trapper I know is a sensible person, willing to talk and debate, and able to appreciate what's good in the world.  I never met a militant trapper who angrily tries to force his way of life on others or advocate terrorism.  Evidently our biggest assets in the ongoing "animal rights" debate are the qualities of civility and reason.  If the other side lacks even these, maybe it's all we need to win.

So, stay reasonable, friendly and open-minded.  It's always the best bet.  

Pro-Fur Friday on November 26

The PETA wackos have declared Friday November 26 "Fur-Free Friday" and plan to hold "events to educate holiday shoppers about the cruel fur industry."  I'm sure the throngs of shoppers competing for iPods and Barbie Dolls will be happy to stop and hear about how animals are people too.  Anyway, if you happen to be among the brave souls who go shopping on that day, try to wear some kind of fur garment, or take along your wife and ask her to wear that beautiful fox coat you had made for her (you did have one made for her, didn't you?)  We can support the fur industry by making fur more visible.  Why should the wackos be proactive while we trappers sit on the sidelines and shake our heads?  Let's make November 26 "Pro-Fur Friday."  After I check my traps in the morning and skin my catch in the afternoon, I just might find the courage to go to the mall wearing my 'coon skin cap.

 Image from USA Foxx & Furs

    Nothing looks better on a lady...

Are Animals People Too?

Our society increasingly treats animals like people.  There are thousands of examples all around us (besides Disney movies).  There are pet portrait painters, animal funeral services, and rich prima donnas who leave millions in trust funds for their lap dogs.  Just the other day I saw a commercial for cat food that boasted of having antioxidants to reduce kitty cholesterol.  "Animal rights" almost seems like a moot point in such an atmosphere.  We are not only being told that animals have rights, but that animals are people, too.

I understand the attachment people can feel to the family pet.  It's an attachment I've experienced in my life.  But I increasingly feel as though society is crossing into weird and dangerous territory, with the line between humans and animals being purposefully blurred.  Movies, commercials and cartoons regularly portray animals as little people, talking, thinking and entertaining us.  This imagery leaves an impact on how we as a society think about animals, especially as our growing urban culture has less and less interaction with real animals.  Our thinking is being shaped, whether we know it or not.       

The whole idea of "animal rights" is built upon this blurred line between animals and people.  Do we even think clearly anymore about what rights are, who really has them, and where they come from?  There is a lot of fuzzy thinking going on in this realm (to say nothing of the new American "right" to health care).  For instance, PETA says on their website that "the capacity for suffering [is] the vital characteristic that gives a being the right to equal consideration, " and, "we believe that every creature with a will to live has a right to live free from pain and suffering."

I think most everyone would agree that "consideration" is due to animals, but is the ability to suffer really the common denominator that puts humans and animals in the same category, deserving "equal" consideration?  We all have nervous systems?  Is that it?  Surely, there are a few other qualities to consider besides our nerve endings. 

Worse, these people think a "will to live" automatically bestows the "right to live free from pain and suffering."  This is nothing more than a dreamy fantasy turned into a pseudo-philosophical political platform.  They dream of a pain free world, therefore everything has a right to be pain free, and everyone who does not live in their dream world full of fantasy rights is cruel and backward.

What about the lion that hunts and kills the antelope?  Does the lion have the right to eat and avoid the pain and suffering that comes from hunger?  Or does the antelope's right to live free from pain trump the rights of the lion?  Do lions and antelope even consider such things?  And if they don't, doesn't that separate them from us?

What PETA really hates is reality.  Their Disney movie pseudo-philosophy, in which animals are just little people in fur coats, was dreamed up in the urban halls of academia, miles away from the real world.  But even if the majority of us don't sing their lyrics we are still dancing to their tune.  Most people would not throw red paint on someone wearing a fur coat, but more and more of us are eating vegan, paying thousands for pet medications, buying antioxidant cat food and giving Fluffy an expensive burial.

How long will such a society put up with trapping?     

Israel to Debate a National Ban on Fur Trade

The Israeli Knesset is set to debate a bill on September 2 that would place a national ban on the production, processing, import, export and sale of animal fur products.  Although the Israeli fur trade is tiny, animal rights activists are hailing this bill as an example for other countries to follow.  "A ban on all fur throughout the country would be a world first -- a major stand against the animal cruelty inherent in the worldwide fur trade -- and it would set an example that other countries would look to and follow," says a statement by Humane Society International, an animal rights organization which sent two officials to testify before a Knesset committee in Israel this year. 

Ronit Tirosh, the originator of the bill, is confident it will pass.  "The chances of it becoming law are very high. I started a long time ago, and we took it step by step," she told AOL News. "I hope that many other countries will follow us. The world is moving forward regarding the rights of animals."  The story at AOL news can be read here.

This is a stark reminder about how much ground the animal rights crowd is gaining.  If it can happen there it can happen here, and you can bet that the leftist wackos already have a strategy in place to push similar legislation in the USA.  It is now more important than ever for trappers to support the fur industry and become active members in local trapping associations.  Make your voice heard.  If we are silent, they win. 

American Idol Contestant Shoots Back at PETA

Kristy Lee Cook, an American Idol contestant and host of a new reality hunting show on TV, has taken a beating from PETA.  In a recent news article she shot back at PETA, defending herself and the rights of all outdoorsmen (and women).  "Given that hunters have done more for American wildlife conservation than any other group in history, I make no apology for being one," Cook said. "Indeed, I join the ranks of millions of American hunters who celebrate our outdoor heritage and who conserve millions of acres of wild lands. These same people support more than 600,000 jobs across the country and provide a critical voice to encourage more investment in American conservation."

     In contrast to such a reasonable and wholesome perspective, PETA continues its campaign of celebrity nudity to generate interest in its agenda.  Something is wrong when you have to resort to softcore pornography to make a political point.

Coyotes in the News

Two recent news articles provide an interesting contrast.

First, Coyotes are apparently terrorizing a New York city suburb.  Two separate attacks on young girls have cops shooting at Coyotes and parents keeping their kids indoors. (link)


 And yet, another article describes how a Coyote trapper hired to cull the population and reduce human conflict in Wheaton, Illinois, received death threats from leftist animal rights groups.  (link)

One can only conclude that there are people out there who think human life can be sacrificed and threatened for the sake of animals.

PETA Does Porn

The trappers I know are all about tradition, family and the love of the outdoors.  We don't have to resort to sleazy tactics or shameless marketing just to advance an agenda or get people to agree with us.  In contrast, I have begun to notice that our opponents are a particularly cheeky crowd.  They have resorted to sex to sell the animal rights agenda.

PETA's website promotes an animal rights video made by porn star Jenna Jameson.  The video intermixes scenes of a slaughterhouse with narration by the pouty porn star.  It's a weird combination.  The video is directed against McDonald's and is called McCruelty.  Get it?  McDonald's and McCruelty?  If that's not clever enough, they got as their spokesperson a true expert with impeccable credentials gained by having sex on camera.  Maybe she should run for the Senate.

PETA also has a naked Christian Serratos in an anti-fur advertisement that is captioned "I'd rather go naked than wear fur."  Of course the ad features a full view of the actress's behind.  I wonder if a partnership between PETA and Viagra is in the works?  

PETA's website headline is currently "2010's Sexiest Celebrity Vegetarians."  This kind of tabloid mentality says all you need to know about PETA and their agenda.  Use a pretty face instead of a good argument and you'll always get a few weak-minded followers (in a country that elects a community organizer as president). 

So, who is the sexiest celebrity vegetarian?  It's Olivia Wilde.  Yeah, she's pretty.  I've never seen a trapper that looked anywhere near as good.  OK, PETA, I guess you win.  The great debate over the relationship of people and animals in the world is over.  You have the sexiest celebrity on your side!

If only she was a trapper....

       

 Olivia Wilde 

(Image from Wikipedia)    

Anti-Trapping Lies Never End!

I'm all for open, honest discourse, and I can always appreciate a respectful argument even when I disagree. I understand that there will always be people who just can't understand trapping or appreciate why we do it. That said, nothing makes my blood boil more than lies told openly to poison the public and prop up a weak political agenda. Take for example the "Born Free USA" website (I'm not going to provide them the dignity of a link, but they can be found with a Google search). I was not even aware of this organization until recently, but this characterization of trapping on their website made my jaw drop:

"Once an animal is caught she may remain in the trap for several days before starving or slowly strangling to death. If the animal is still alive when the trapper comes to check the trap she will be beaten over the head or shot. In addition to the desired animals, trappers also catch non-target animals, called "trash." Non-target animals include deer, birds, squirrels, endangered species, cats, and dogs."

First of all, is every animal caught a female? Why use "she" when the masculine pronoun has always been the accepted generic reference in the English language? I know why. It's because....oh, never mind. What about animals in traps for several days? I guess they have no clue about mandatory check periods. I have never come upon a "starved" animal in any of my traps when checking them daily, which I must do by law. And really, do trappers want to starve animals? I'm sure that would make their pelts look great. And, according to this article, if starving doesn't work then the next best thing is to beat or shoot the animal. What world do these people live in? I'm sure it is a sanitized suburban existence wherein the thought never crossed their minds that mankind (excuse me, womankind) has always relied on harvesting animals for our sustenance. They make it sound like a newly invented, twisted pastime to go out and "beat and shoot" animals. And "trash" animals! I have been around many trappers and I don't ever remember one of them calling their non-targets "trash." Is there some secret trapper's slang dictionary that these people got hold of? Ah yes, and finally, the DEER that always get caught in my raccoon sets! Those trashy deer! So, imagine this: according to this article it seems to be a regular occurrence that female deer get caught in foothold traps and are left to starve!

These people need to be answered. Write them (I did) and tell them how misinformed they are, and therefore how ridiculous they sound. It might not do much good but at least they will know there are some people out there who will hold them to account for their misinformation. More importantly, join the National Trappers Association and your state organization to help defend trapper's rights. Also, get this video out to all of your friends on the internet: