ahegeman

If you ever chased a wounded animal for hours you know what I am talking about. Yes, there are "clean" shots, but there are "not so clean" shuts too. While hunting with my dad (who I must say is pretty good at it) we lost a number of wounded animals including wolves and foxes. Tell me they suffer less than a slaughtered cow I started this argument because I truly believe that "control of animal populations" is a plain BS that hunters use to justify their hobby. If you have some evidence against this statement – please post it. I would dispute that anyone can consider themselves a pretty good hunter if they've lost a "number" of wounded animals. I've hunted for years, and have many friends who hunt, and can count on one hand the total number of animals that have been lost wounded out of hundreds of kills. I've never lost one. Blood trails will almost always lead to a body shortly. Everyone I've hunted with is fanatical about finding their wounded prey, and won't take a shot to begin with unless they're sure they can make it a quick kill. I also have a problem with this notion that anyone has to justify hunting. Nowadays not many people "need" to hunt, I will admit, but that's hardly relevant. If the State is going to ban something, they are the ones who should have a compelling case to do it. No one "needs" to skydive either, but that doesn't mean we should outlaw it. --------------------------------------------------------------- There is a fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'. --Dave Barry

That just brings a tear to my eye. --------------------------------------------------------------- There is a fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'. --Dave Barry

I like that one. --------------------------------------------------------------- There is a fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'. --Dave Barry

Clicky Never before has one man pandered to so many, so transparently. Even the WaPo called it the "Special-interest Group Hug". I mean, politics is all about pandering these days, but this guy is just so BAD at it. My favorite line: ""You think the RNC could get this many people of color into a single room? Maybe if they got the hotel staff in there." My second favorite line: "If Bill Clinton can be the first 'black president,' I can be our first 'gay president.'" I'm at a loss on both of those. I look forward to quoting him frequently in the future. Of course, this man didn't appoint a single black or hispanic person as a member of his cabinet in 12 years as the governor of Vermont. But why actually follow through when pandering will do? If the Democrats are lucky, having this raving lunatic screaming at the podium all the time will provide enough of a cathartic release to the far lefties to keep them quiet and allow the party to run some real candidates. --------------------------------------------------------------- There is a fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'. --Dave Barry

Humph. I should have known better than to believe something involving guns in the NYT. --------------------------------------------------------------- There is a fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'. --Dave Barry

I heard that one was shot in the leg, and another in the hand. Gosh, and I thought these fast-shootin' powerful "assault weapons" were supposed to be deadly? The guy could have done more damage with a bolt-action rifle and actually aiming instead of spraying. I'm glad he used Hollywood shooting techniques instead of the actual unglamorous effective method. You don't need to tell me that. I especially love the phrase "high-powered assault rifle", since "assault rifles" in general tend to be very low power compared to the hunting rifles most people shoot. --------------------------------------------------------------- There is a fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'. --Dave Barry

How many magazines does it take to hit that jug? You must be a better shot than me, I've only shot an AK once and I couldn't have hit a barn with the damn thing, but I'm deadly with my hunting rifle. I've got my eyes on an AR-15 at my local gun store. More accurate, but more tempermental. Yeah, this craziness over the .50 cals is lame, since as far as I know one has never been used in a crime. --------------------------------------------------------------- There is a fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'. --Dave Barry

I just saw another news article. Turns out it was an AK after all. --------------------------------------------------------------- There is a fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'. --Dave Barry

Please explain to me why teaching politically correct math is any different than Creationism in a biology class? --------------------------------------------------------------- There is a fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'. --Dave Barry

I didn't say "in math class". --------------------------------------------------------------- There is a fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'. --Dave Barry

An article I read did not identify the gun either, but did quote a police official as calling it an "assault-type rifle". He shot off a bunch of rounds and only hit one person? Musta been an AK. --------------------------------------------------------------- There is a fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'. --Dave Barry

It has often been said that if you go far enough to either the right or the left you pretty much end up in the same place. I see this as the left's counterpart to the strange insistence of many on the right to teach Creationism in schools. Either way you are shortchanging the kids' future to satisfy an interest group. --------------------------------------------------------------- There is a fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'. --Dave Barry

Someone once said that free speech is good because it makes it easier to identify the idiots. This guy is a worthless POS who's not worthy of the freedoms he's got, but at least we know that any further opinions of his can be safely ignored. --------------------------------------------------------------- There is a fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'. --Dave Barry

REAL free trade would do wonders to reduce poverty in the world. They could leverage their lower cost of living into cheap imports into the industrial world, and begin to build up wealth that way. It would simply allow them to follow the same industrial progression the US went through. Industry will lead to markets and wealth, trade unions will form and expand that wealth to the workers, and everyone will be better off in the long run. Short term it will hurt many people, but it seems to be the only sustainable solution short of ever-lasting welfare. --------------------------------------------------------------- There is a fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'. --Dave Barry

That is way too cool. Thanks for sharing. --------------------------------------------------------------- There is a fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'. --Dave Barry

I get ribbed a lot for the 2 years I lived in Idaho, but I loved that state, too. Great people, too, as long as you stay out of Hayden Lake. --------------------------------------------------------------- There is a fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'. --Dave Barry

I'm pretty sure the columnist wouldn't "spin" on Bush's behalf given that he's been consistently anti-Bush on everything. Read some of his other columns. He's never been a Bush fan, and he was very much against the war. --------------------------------------------------------------- There is a fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'. --Dave Barry

Sweet! Congrats on the milestone. I hope I'm still jumpin' in 20. So do you owe beer? I mean, its not like its your FIRST decade. --------------------------------------------------------------- There is a fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'. --Dave Barry

Thankfully I caught him in time where I don't have to tube him. Just barely. --------------------------------------------------------------- There is a fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'. --Dave Barry

I'll be here all night. My hawk is sick and I need to stay up with him. Gotta feed him a little bit every 2 hours until he gets his metabolism back together. --------------------------------------------------------------- There is a fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'. --Dave Barry

Glad to hear it - that wasn't up when I checked Snopes as I always do. Guess the journalistic standards in the UK aren't any better than ours. That it is still a "technical possibility under current law" still makes for an interesting discussion, however. --------------------------------------------------------------- There is a fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'. --Dave Barry

Probably only once And I bet he'll take a chunk out of me while I'm trying. --------------------------------------------------------------- There is a fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'. --Dave Barry

Yeah, I agree with you on that. I just posted that story because it seems to me like one of those irreconcilable dilemmas modern society is always dealing with. I think of myself as a logical person. I support unemployment insurance (short-term welfare, if you will) as having a place in a civilized society, despite my libertarian leanings. I also think prostitution should be legal, even if I think its immoral. People should be able to do what they want with their bodies as long as they aren't hurting anybody else. But its obvious to anyone that no once should be pressured by the state into selling their body into prostitution. How does one reconcile those three thoughts in this situation? Here you have a case where the two values of collective welfare and individual freedom clash, and the clash is SO obvious and SO overwhelming that you can't just ignore it. Just excepting the sex industry doesn't address the underlying conflict, it only minimizes a symptom enough that you can ignore it, but the conflict is still there. What about a devout Christian who doesn't want a job as a receptionist at an abortion clinic? Should they lose their unemployment benefits? An unemployed environmentalist offered a job at a logging company? I know those aren't perfect analogies, but I think its along the same lines. These sorts of conflicts of individual morality vs collective welfare are always going to erupt when the state involves itself so deeply in our lives. --------------------------------------------------------------- There is a fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'. --Dave Barry

Jazz is mad at me. I made him spend 2 hours hunting in the rain last weekend. --------------------------------------------------------------- There is a fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'. --Dave Barry

Shiny happy people are fine. In small doses. I get enough shiny happy people at work. I think I also called the Bonfire a 'lovey-dovey "you're so wonderful!" congratulatory circle-jerk' once. I was proud of that one. --------------------------------------------------------------- There is a fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'. --Dave Barry