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Saturday, April 9, 2011

Hunting in the box: Sport afoul

TOPIC: Re: canned hunts, "sport real object", where people pay to kill gun places docile animal, which is usually attracted by the "leader" in the client.

Ralph A. Saggiomo is an affable guy, one would certainly not mind to share some beers, some stories and discuss anything.

It 'grew up in a rural, remote parts of the country, and adheres to the values ​​of the settlers who lived inPennsylvania more than two centuries earlier. But it is also experienced in urban America. He was a Philadelphia firefighter 33 years, the last in leadership positions.

After his retirement he moved back to his farm of 75 acres in Sayre, Pennsylvania, and continued his work within the local civil society organizations to be both the president of Great Valley Ambulance, the Sayre Business Association. And 'member of the Pennsylvania Governor's Advisory Council for Hunting, Fishing andConservation and has been president of the United Sports of Pennsylvania, a group that claims 20,000 members.

For 60 years, Ralph A. Saggiomo was proud to have killed the fish and game, large and small. Name a domestic species, and is probably shooting at them were injured or killed.

He says he was told one of his most recent kills a Dall sheep, rather, is a Texas Dall ram, a lucrative target because of its thick curly horns was. The Ram, a hybrid of Corsicaand wild sheep are bred especially to look like the Dall sheep, native to the mountainous regions of Alaska and northwestern Canada. Dall sheep are a challenge to hunters because of their ability, sent into the steep slopes to escape. Domesticated Texas Dall rams pose no such problems.

What killed - "dispatched" and "crops" are the terms hunters euphemistically prefer - Saggiomo did not have more than 3,000 miles in subarctic mountain to go, he justrose to approximately 50 miles from his home in Tioga Boar Hunting area. Saggiomo day of the murder, a gift from his family, was fenced area.

said: "It 's been a great experience," Saggiomo laid the Pennsylvania House Game and Fisheries, which has been hearing the same distance in Towanda, an hour east of Tioga, not by the mainstream media and a area could lead many of the protesters. The Committee heard in Towanda, the testimony of a bill to prohibit whatfamous "box of" hunting. For a few thousand dollars, Great White Hunters - complete with hired guides, dogs and guns or bows - can go to a fenced area and shoot an exotic species. In most canned hunts, the animals bred are killed for having little fear of humans and are often attracted to a feeding station or driven towards the hunters, so they kill at close range. In some of the preserves - Tioga denies that he ever used these techniques - Pets drugged or tied to Operations. Some of the "big cats" in the video of an undercover investigation of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and funds were provided for animals declawed, placed in cages and then released, fear and non-aggressive animals were then killed a few meters from their prison, some were killed while in their cages.

Canned hunting draw the ethical debate is not only hunters, but ethics-challenged celebrities. Among the celebrities who participated in> Canned hunts, and mistakenly believe they are hunters and not cold-blooded killers, are Vice President Dick Cheney, who was backed up on several hunting, in which the killing, and Troy Gentry of country-rock duo Montgomery Gentry.

In December 2003, Cheney and nine of his friends - including former Naval Academy and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas), and some high-roller donors Texas Republican party - went to the exclusive Rolling RockClub in Ligonier, Pa., about an hour east of Pittsburgh. The owners of the club of the country, the good hosts, were released 500 pheasants domesticated and spring-ring from the neck up in the morning. Bird Dog and Retriever News reports that about 40 percent of all domesticated pheasants, if not pseudo-shot by hunters or die of starvation or be killed by predators in the first week of its launch, about 75 percent die within a month.

A Ligonier hunger was not a problem. Awarden told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that Cheney alone killed about 70 of the 417 killed that day. In the afternoon, hardly a drop of sweat have raised the good old boys dozens, perhaps hundreds, of equally tame mallards, raised his hand and pushed in front of guns waiting for the massacre had been slaughtered. No one thought of the guests, but by the time Cheney flew from the area, the mallards were plucked and vacuum-packed, after the Post-Gazette, ready for flight aboard theTaxpayer-financed Air Force The second pheasants The Hunting Party has not, according to (Texas), Dallas Morning News, were donated to a local food bank. However, no one involved indicated, the Food Bank, or recognize that preparing pheasant is cumbersome, and that such a donation, if it occurred, was probably more of a public relations maneuver or a tax deduction to justify their killing spree community service. Nor any "donation" alleviate the reality that peoplekill in this area fenced unpretentious, die because the thrill of killing a living animal, often seen with the pure joy of their prey, such as mixed. After a while, 'the animals are seen only as things to blow up, essentially living clay, hate is an attitude, the true sportsman.

The owners of the Country Club did not say what, if anything, the Pot-Shot Safari Cheney in charge, but other exclusive club to go to the country / Canned paid for eachBird or duck killed. E 'in the financial interests of the owner to ensure it is easy prey.

Even easier prey was a black bear named Cubby. assassinated in October 2004, Troy Gentry, who had paid about $ 4,650 for the bear tamed on a "preserve" private Sandstone, Minnesota, and then added, as if the bear was killed in the wild. There was also an edited videotape of stalking and killing the singer, who became an expert archer sees. There is no law against murderof animals, if done on private property. But in August 2006, Gentry was in federal court for a violation of the Lacey Act, which defend the false identification of any animal is prohibited.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (DN.J.), with 10 co-sponsors, a bill (S. 304) in February 2005, the highway transportation of exotic animals in order to maintain the ban on killing them private. "There is nothing sporty or fit to shoot an animal that can not escape," saidLautenberg, when he introduced the bill, and said: "In a time when our culture we try to curb the violence in the form of canned hunting is definitely one of the gratuitous violence that do not belong to our society works." This law is buried in the Senate subcommittee on the judiciary. A companion bill (HR 1688), the House of Representatives Sam Farr (D-Calif.) introduced with 39 co-sponsors, is buried in the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security. Under theRepublicans controlled Congress, neither bill is likely to leave the committee.

For his part, President Bush wants to amend the Endangered Species Act on the trophy hunting Americans who kill endangered species in other countries for importing into SU The proposal is to allow roots in the Safari Club International, its political action committee has up to $ 800,000 in campaign contributions, especially for Republican candidates since 2000, after an investigation by the HumaneU.S. society. The plan is supported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the former deputy director was chief lobbyist for Safari Club before his appointment by Bush. He is now with the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

Many of the animals in canned hunts are surplus animals purchased circus retailers, buying votes, and zoo animals, animals sold for canning are often old and arthritic. Dozens have preservedBears blacks to buy, zebras, giraffes, lions, boars, and almost all species, the customer can be killed only to be photographed, and then skinned, stuffed and mounted. Ralph Saggiomo sheep can come from a breeder in Missouri. The owners of Tioga, Saggiomo said, "have been kind, helpful and human."

The "human" owners are the Gee family, their "real" believe, really a private farm. Like the ones that grow alfalfa and corn. A 1550-acre privateCourt - to a fenced area of ​​150 hectares that "Sure Shot" probable. And while the people "all over the world," the killing of animals in Tioga, offers significant transaction "farm", "economic benefits" for the community, said Michael Gee. There are 14 Pennsylvania companies and about 1,000 in the nation, that the owners claim to be the poster children for the Chambers of Commerce and, of course, the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service.

Thisin particular "farm," the website said, "has a high success rate hunting hunting, youth hunting with dogs, guided hunting, hunting trophy, hunting almost any kind of Sunday ... big game you can imagine. " What can image "costs $ 70 per day for room and board, plus a kill fee and additional costs for skinning and mounting. Pay $ 595 and you can kill a Texas Dall ram at the Rocky Mountain RAM or RAM Corsica . Buffalo are at least $ 1,250. Elk bulls for $ 2,000 to come. And inIf you're having trouble killing one of the nation's 30 million white-tailed deer - during the coming, Arco crossbow, muzzleloading, shotgun, rifle or seasons, only to Tioga - 1.6 million of them in Pennsylvania alone. For $ 1,000 "and" to please the hard block, with a rack of 10 points for installation in your very own trophy room in suburban America. Tioga rates are the lowest level of the scale. In other preserves, prices for white-tailed deer with trophy racks can be more than$ 5,000. The cost of some of the exotic "trophy" class of animals, usually found only in Africa south of Sahara are well over $ 15,000.

Tioga, like most preserves, guarantees a kill. Customers are told "can kick up to get what they want to do." No hunting license is required, there are no limits, hunting is permitted on Sunday, and is "killing is usually made of 25-100 meters." This "farm" also tells potential customers, "wild goat and sheep with big horns are numerous.Hunting is the ideal sport for hunters. "The Rocky Mountain ram, with" their large, curved, curled horns make a great trophy "Gee family tells potential customers. Of course there are some limitations. No one under the age of 10 is allowed to shoot.

Heidi Prescott, undoubtedly feel like a peace activist in a convention of Army recruiters, was the only House committee hearing that he wanted to fish, hunt, or have had close ties to the hunting industry. Prescott is a seniorVice-president of the Humane Society of the United States, which has a stake of 9.5 million, more than three times as the National Rifle Association. Prescott showed members of the Committee on current events and an undercover videotape in a separate box of hunting. Before the hearing, Michael Gee told a local newspaper that animal rights activists "just trying to get an extreme case to prove their point, and use it as a" springboard "to ban hunting." If you says somethingThe video is from Tioga, a lie, "Pete Gee, Michael's father, said the undercover investigation of an Emmy award-winning investigative reporter Melanie Alnwick of WTTG-TV (Fox News), Washington, DC The news - but not the videotape of the brutal killing of a boar, probably for another game in Pennsylvania - was filmed in early May 2006 in Tioga, according to Aaron Wipe, WTTG executive producer for special projects.

The majority of "kills" on the "farm" of animals from hemorrhageout. The animals suffer from minutes to hours, says Prescott. Canned hunting, says Prescott, "is as energetic as a puppy shooting in the shop window of pets." Sporting agree with you. The concept of "fair chase" hunters rooted in culture. The Boone & Crockett Club and Pope and Young Club (bow hunters), two of the three major organizations trophy speed kills, refuse to hunt applications from people who packed the boxes in their "trophy" on A. The Safari Clubmeans that people are looking for recognition, but only to restrictions that can not meet most preserved.

The committee members were not convinced that canned hunting should be banned. Rep. Tina Puckett (R-Towanda) told a reporter before the hearing he believed a ban on canned hunting "might try to hunt early to say" no "to protect hunting, then what can not." He said that he would not support the proposed law, "in regard to down-the-road". Rep. ThomasCorrigan (D-Bucks County) says that the bill, which co-sponsor with 38 for the test, because canned hunts are "unsporting, cruel, and the image of all hunters."

The House committee has kept throwing questions at Prescott, has cleverly defeated.

The bill prohibits the hunting and canned hunting is the first step towards the elimination of all. Not so, said Prescott. Of the 22 states that already ban, "the hunting cultureis still strong. "He pointed to Montana, the cultures is one of the greatest fighters in the nation. In 2000, following an initiative of the hunter, was the first state to ban canned hunting, reinforcing the values ​​that true sportsmen who believe in fair chase.

The condition of 900 deer and elk farms are prohibited. The bill specifically excludes deer, elk and other deer.

The bill would prohibit farmers or butchers to kill animals for food. "No judge in their right mindthat would be interpreted as, "said Prescott, the Humane Society, said:" happy to work with representatives to change them, if the members were truly concerned about this. "

Ralph Saggiomo his official biography of the Governor's Advisory Council for Hunting, Fishing, Nature published a "love of nature," and has "spent most of his life enjoying the outdoors and was able to transmit his passion to all his children, whosuccessful hunters, fishermen and hunters. His grandchildren are now carrying on the tradition that his father and grandfather passed on him. "Although still active athletes of the Unified Pennsylvania, if Saggiomo was a sportsman, he was not a domesticated animal that has been attracted his curiosity and shot have not had the opportunity to escape. If he truly understood the beauty and grandeur of nature, animals would have allowed their lives without the intrusion of people who live to killnot for food or clothing, but because their hormones are in a trance, and the subsequent killing of "trophy", which he says is now infused in his cave.

[Walter Brasch's current books At unpatriotic America: The federal government violations of constitutional rights and civil rights and "unacceptable": the federal response to Hurricane Katrina. Both are at amazon.com and other online sources. You may contact Dr. Brasch brasch@bloomu.edu or through itsSite www.walterbrasch.com. Readers may also wish Making Burros Fly:. Cleveland Amory, Animal Rights Pioneer, by] Julie Hoffman Marshall

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