ANNOUNCEMENTS

OBITUARY:

HAMLET, BELOVED COMPANION OF MOLLY HAMILTON-MANN 1991-June 8, 1999 Molly said, “Hamlet, who was 8 years old, sadly died on my birthday. He was my baby and I cry all the time thinking about him and the fact that he won’t be around for the holidays with us or to ring in the new millenium.”

MOHONK DEMOS CONTINUE MORE FREQUENT THAN EVER Jenny & Delia hold the, by now famous, “MOHONK KILLS YOUR WILDLIFE” banner that Jenny made this summer from a black sheet and shiny white tape! An idea for night demos is to use reflector tape. Folks coming off the NYS Thruway get to learn about Mohonk, and the banner makes it easy for us to have what we call Thruway “appearances” with some frequency because we only need two people. By the way, notice the Mohonk advertisement above Jenny’s head. Now which sign would you notice? Recently we’ve been joined by S.C.A.R – Student Coalition for Animal Rights, a fabulous animal rights group at SUNY, New Paltz. Wildlife Watch/C.A.S.H. volunteer, Chris Arenella, enhanced the banner with wooden dowels, making it easier to handle and hold taut, and she will be adding air flaps, though sailing over New Paltz in a high wind wouldn’t be a bad idea.

LETTERS

Dave Silverstein of Rego Park, sent us an article from Prevention Magazine, July, 99.

They suggested a relaxing visit to Mohonk Mountain House, taking “old carriage roads” to the “stunning vistas.” Well, they should take a second look. During “hunting season” they charge hunters to hunt and use those carriage roads while the other visitors are also using the trails. Mohonk might be a nice place to visit after they give up trying to make a buck off the hunters. Dave writes: “In my opinion they [Mohonk] will never be a respectable hotel, until they put ‘No hunting signs’ on their property.” We couldn’t agree with Dave more.

Amazing Jenny who is 18 and was visiting us from Taiwan for the summer wrote an incredible letter about the Town meetings in Kent/Lake Carmel that got published in two newspapers:

Regarding the killing of Canada Geese in Kent. I recently came to the United States to experience democracy. I wanted to learn more about animal protection, and I was convinced the U.S. ought to be a model for my country, Taiwan, and a lot of other countries. But I must say, on June 28th, in the Town of Kent, what I saw, what I heard, totally shocked me. The Canada goose problem was discussed. The first thing that really surprised me was that people were only allowed to speak three minutes. Also, one had to live in Lake Carmel to speak (even though wildlife belongs to all the people of the state), also a town board member threatened everyone by saying people would be “under arrest” if they disobeyed those “rules”. I thought this was a FREE-nation, and all people had the right to speak, the freedom to express themselves, but this really wasn’t what I saw! I wouldn’t call it direct-democracy but despotic dictatorship! And what followed were the interruption and sneering from the BOARD, as if they weren’t talking about a serious matter. As a matter of fact, I do think it is. There is no justification for deciding to end a life. The earth does not belong to humans only, and neither does the life of any creature.

I wonder why this is happening. Because for me, and I believe for a lot of others around the world, America is meant to be a real role model. I must admit that now the image is starting to crumble! As a leading country in the world, shouldn’t America be worthy by showing kindness to non-human beings? Jenny Hsieh, 18, Taipei, Taiwan

Ms. Hsieh will be starting law school in Taiwan in September and hopes to help animals when she returns to Taiwan. While here, she met with Prof. Robinson and Porto of Pace Law School, worked with Del Seligman, Esq., Lisa Weisberg, Esq. and volunteered to walk dogs at the Ulster SPCA.

A letter from F. Wein, a C.A.S.H. member, suggests that “volunteers disengage or better yet, throw away those barbaric traps. This is justified because trapping and hunting are murder – nothing less.”

A letter from Louisiana to C.A.S.H. on Oct. 24, 1999

My family and I would like to thank you for having this organization. We, too, are victims of hunting violence, for the past seven years of living hell from a “hunting killing club” 180 yards from our home. As soon as we moved to my grandfather’s home in 1992, June in the following months our motor home was shot we’ve been shot at while at our gate, in our yard, our home and while in our pasture. We have 36-40 pages of documented reckless gunshots fired from this hunting club. We are attempting to hopefully hear from an attorney we contacted recently. You name it, this hunting club has done it to us. We contacted Channel 3 news in Shreveport, last year and no results. We contacted Channel 10 in Monroe last week, still writing

We want to join your organization because non-hunters in this country don’t have any rights. I hate guns but have to carry a pistol when my dog and I walk through our pasture. Our recently appointed Governor will not listen to us, he is a hunter. L.S.

A big “THANK YOU” to Josephine Bellacomo who joined our hunting patrol on the heaviest hunting day of the year. Getting up at 4 a.m. to climb a mountain early in the morning to search for trespassing hunters, Josephine spotted one early on. With a few words exchanged, the hunter left. Following that, she stayed to make our Kingston Demonstration a memorable one. Part of the article that appeared in the Times Herald Record on Sunday, November 28, 1999 said: Car horns honked virtually nonstop yesterday afternoon as about six anti-hunting protesters, stationed at the Thruway traffic circle in Kinston, carried signs and banners calling for a stop to sport hunting. Some of those passing drivers smiled, cheered and gave a “thumbs-up,” in support of the protesters. [Shows the popularity of our cause.] Others, many with deer carcasses strapped to their vehicles, booed, gestured, shot the finger, or shouted a protest of their own. [Shows their vulgarity.] As the vehicles paraded by us with deer strapped to the tops of their cars, often two to a hood, I saw Josephine’s face express disbelief, disgust, but mostly sadness. Once she asked if I thought they had been shot together. I thought perhaps they had been. I heard her gently say a prayer for the victims of the hunters’ arrogance.

MUSIC TO MY EARS

In the Dec./Jan. 2000 issue of Bowhunter, M.R. James, the founder and publisher writes: Anti-hunting attacks will intensify – and become even more effective during the new century. Hunter haters are getting smarter….They’ve largely succeeded in perpetuating the myth that hunting and conservation are incompatible.

Savvy antis understand that the public initiatives and the ballot box are perhaps the most effective means of ending certain kinds of hunting, and each year they succeed in legislating some now -legal form of hunting out of existence.

Make no mistake about their announced agenda; the anti-hunters’ long range goal is to end all hunting. I believe it’s a distinct possibility they eventually will succeed….you can bet the ranch that whenever the precedent to ban hunting is eventually established in one state, the antis quickly will gather like circling vultures…to pick clean each and every bone…of the American hunter. [Editor’s note: Thanks, M.R., you made my day. Oh, by the way, does M.R. stand for Mr. Right?]

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Committee to Abolish Sport Hunting / C.A.S.H.
P.O. Box 562
New Paltz, NY 12561
845/256-1400