September 19, 2008 by Dusty
Of course the reality is..aerial hunting isn’t hunting..its morbid and its a painful death for the animal. Pass this around. I grew up in a family where we didn’t eat store-bought meat until I was 7 or 8. I know hunting and this ain’t fucking hunting. My republican father agrees and is appalled.
From the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund.
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14 Responses to “Palin loves aerial hunting.”
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I agree with your outrage. However, consider our abuse of baby cows (i.e., veal cows). This industry would not currently be in existence without our consumption of cow milk: pregnant mother cows have their baby’s taken from them, the majority of the baby boys are then sold to be turned into veal, so we can drink their baby’s milk because it tastes good. Therefore, we ought to extend a similar outrage to our exploitation of many, many other groups of nonhuman animals.
This isn’t about farm animals Alex…it’s about the inhumane killing of wild animals, many times just for …cough..sport.
Point taken; however, the underlying premise is that such killing causes unnecessary suffering – It’s “inhumane killing” – and therefore my comment meant to draw out the conclusion of this premise. Further, it defies credulity to assume that there exists a dichotomy between this treatment of animals and our collective treatment of “farm animals,” as you call them. They are linked because both systems are justified by the same paradigm and implied assumptions that the interests of animals don’t count. It’s all linked, Dusty.
Do decry one implies a challenge to the other: How can we say that killing for sport is wrong, when we kill billions – billions – of animals annually simply because they taste good? What’s the difference between forcing another to suffer for the trivial desire of “entertainment” and doing the same to satisfy the trivial desire of gastronomical pleasure?
Alex, I respect your pov therefore respect mine. I eat meat. I do not look down my nose at you for your beliefs and I ask that you do not do that to me here…on my blog.
I take offense at your general characterizations of meat eaters.
Yeah, but I gotta draw the line on veal also. That’s just plain torturing animals. You can argue a burger cow gets a swift death, but I can’t see how anyone can be involved in the veal industry and retain their soul. Sorry
And I DO draw the line at eating veal Robb..haven’t eaten it in decades.
With all due respect to everyone with an opinion here, I don’t think the real issue is whether or not it is a politically or morally correct to advocate for or against animal based food sources. Part of a healthy diet that will sustain human life is the inclusion of proteins, fats, grains and plant material, all in reasonable, balanced amounts, as needed and as available. If you have not read it, you might want to check out “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan, it will really open your eyes about humans and food.
The real issue, for me, is what is the motivation for Governor Palin to encourage the slaughter of any animals, and particularly by such a cowardly method by shooting them from the air, with no hope of escape by the targeted animals. Why is she putting a bounty on dead wolves, is there some kind of wolf over population problem, in the vast expanse of Alaska, or is she just responding to the mindless blood lust inherent in her testosterone deficient “political base”?
I believe the Constitution does give us all the right the bear arms, to use them to defend our lives, and in earlier times in our history, to put food on our tables or clothing on our backs, but it does not give anyone permission to use guns indiscriminately and irrationally., to perpetrate crimes or the abuse of any living being. Apparently in Alaska it is considered “sport” and part of personal machismo to kill animals, not by traditional “hunting” techniques, and out of necessity, but only for human gratification. No different than Canadians clubbing infant seals to death, simply for their pelts, in a day and age where technological and human development have produced so many suitable alternatives to feed, cloth and shelter humans.
Palin probably never had my wife’s vote anyway, but when the aerial wolf hunting story came out, Palin could have been Ghandi, Mother Theresa and Bambi all rolled into one and wifey would gladly drop a nuke on her. Talk about the ugly American…
This is my point Dusty. We condemn, my self included, these actions in one breath, and then in another, we contradict ourselves. In effect, we are accepting the same premise that underlies ariel hunting to justify our daily actions.
Consider veal and dairy, which is often mentioned but rarely considered:
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/dairy-and-veal/
Robb and Dusty, the link above proves the intrinsic connection between the dairy we consume daily (because it tastes good) and the veal industry you both condemn so strongly. How then, if we continue to support the veal industry by our consumption of dairy, can we criticize Gov. Palin for accepting the killing of animals for sport? We eat dairy – and therefore tacitly agree to all the suffering of the baby cows (i.e., veal) (of course, mom’s must be pregnant to produce milk) wrapped up therein – because it tastes good. It’s a form of moral schizophrenia really, and, as I said before, it is all tied together.
Big Fella, it is about the ethical paradigm that we exist in, which justifies both veal production and ariel hunting for fun. Notice, you label the method (i.e., ariel hunting) “cowardly”, while we consume flesh from animals raised and killed for us in ways that even the coldest amongst us would find disgusting. These hunters, to be honest, sound less “cowardly” than the majority of us. At least they make their own kills, as disgusting and unethical as I find that to be.
Quote:
“No different than Canadians clubbing infant seals to death, simply for their pelts, in a day and age where technological and human development have produced so many suitable alternatives to feed, cloth and shelter humans.”
What about leather? Consider how those animals are raised and killed. Indeed, it’s reasonable to argue that those seals felt freedom, if only for a moment, which may suggest that their lives were better lived than the cow killed so we can eat his flesh and wear his skin, even though perfectly viable alternatives exist. Further, you allude to sustenance hunting, as a moral justification for some examples of hunting. This is erroneous, of course, given that we now kill 10 billion animals annually, not including marine life, for food in the U.S. alone. I will accept this as reasonable if those who hunt do not consume any portion of the billions of animals killed for us to eat them. If they both hunt and eat at the “steak house”, the argument you allude to is baseless.
I have read the “Omnivores Dilemma.” Might I suggest that you read “The Ethics of What We Eat,” by Peter Singer and Jim Mason, and “The China Study,” by T. Colin Campbell, for proof that your argument about what we require byway of flesh, etc. is erroneous and based on invalid assumptions about diet and health. Indeed, even conservative dietitians argue that it may, in fact, be healthier to live a life free of both dairy and flesh.
Yeah, it sucks to be a human. I’d been a vegetarian for some years and then moved to Bakersfield. Sorry, the smell of tri tip was too intoxicating and I slipped back into meat mode. Haven’t drunk a glass of milk in nearly 30 years, though. My doctor says I’m the poster boy for cholesteral count, but also says you can only control that partially through diet.
Could I be a better human by becoming a vegan? I think so, however, I’m also a realist. Population-wise, the world is heading toward oblivion without a thought about controlling how fast we can pump out another billion “miracles” to consume what’s left of the planet’s dwindling resources. So while I’m on my own conveyer belt to the abattoir, I might toss another guilt-free steak or two on the bbq.
In “The Year of Living Dangerously” the dwarf quotes Tolstoy after he gives away all his money to the poor, “Now, what must we do?” Being a pessemistic cynic, I have only so much sympathy that I can devote all the causes that need my attention. Some things get short shrift. But when it comes to the aerial hunting of wolves, the very least I can do is to not support it by voting beauty pageant contestants with rifles into office.
I don’t drink milk either.
Well said Robb.
Thank you to Big Fella and Alex for their pov’s.
Dusty, you don’t consume dairy? Good for you. That’s a sad commentary on ethical reasoning today, Robb.
Sad and realistic.
we’re missing the point here……(i’m a vegetarian,drink milk & eat ice cream).the issue is we have a coward w/lipstick hunting from the air.i’d like to see her try to kill w/her bare hands..she’d never do it cause she’s a coward.those who tell me they’re voting mccain/palin get a look @ peta magazine pictures i provide….there’s nothing like taking a good look @ slaugthered animals…..mccain the “hero” chose as his running mate palin the “coward”……could someone also tell me what makes mccain a hero?is is that he got caught and was a pow?