You stated that “Being a country girl I know that the dogs were only
giving tongue…and would never touch [the deer]“. May we invite you to
view our Ward Union video presentation at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4V9l4ChELo which includes a scene
showing dogs biting the hind quarters of a deer (e.g. around the 3:53
and 4:04 marks). In fact, the dogs are so keen to get the deer that some
of the hunters are seen mercilessly kicking one of dogs in the head and
whipping others to try and drive them away.

In addition to being bitten, the deer have to endure a gruelling cross
country chase during which they suffer cuts, bruises, distress and
exhaustion. There have also been instances of the deer being killed
during the hunt, e.g being choked to death while being recaptured by
hunters.

Before happily defending the Ward Union, we ask you to take a few
minutes to watch our video. Most people are entirely disgusted when they
realise what really happens during this hunt.

Those who wish to join our campaign against carted deer hunting can find
more details at http://www.banbloodsports.com

Look at it another way..if someone kicked your pet dog to death on your doorstep, would you say: Ah sure, there are worse things happening in the Third World…or down at the local hospital?

If someone tortured your cat or threw it in a Halloween bonfire, as “sporting” people HAVE done to many cats, would you laugh it off, saying:”why worry about a cat when Bin Laden is still in his cave planning another 911″?

Deal with the issue…The politics of distraction and “what-about-ery” have nothing to do with addressing the issue up for debate. Each issue must be considered and debated on its owns merits.

It’s easy to point the finger elsewhere and waffle on about unrelated issues that have no bearing on the issue being addressed.

Is stag hunting cruel and unacceptable or is it not? That is the essential question to be answered.

The vast majority of Irish people, according to professional opinion polls, say yes, and want it banned…as dog fighting and cock fighting and badger baiting, other delightful so-called “fieldsports” were banned.

Sincerely,

John Fitzgerald

For information on wild deer (not the carted variety) see http://www.deeralliance.ie

Cheers.

It also appears to me that you wish to put forward the perception that people who support hunting are all people who have blood smeared “upper crust faces”. Your attempts to make the hunting debate a black and white one by turning it into a form of class-war are unhelpful, misleading and have no basis in fact. This class-war diatribe was one of the main reasons that hunting was banned in the UK. It will not work in Ireland because we as a nation have closer ties to the rural community than in the UK. I have lived and worked in Dublin for the last 10 years but I still know that, throughout the country, cows have to be walked down the road to the milking parlour twice a day and that hunting in is a tradition supported by people from all walks of life not just hooray henrys as you would like us to believe.

Thankfully most people have some connection with the countryside and will not be fooled by your bullshit.

If you disagree with hunting, that is your own choice. If you want to impose your views on others, that is your choice too and I have no problem with that. If you attempt to have a ban imposed on hunting, that is once more your choice and I have no problem with it; some people choose to hunt and some people choose to oppose hunting.

You have absolutely no right to label the people who enjoy hunting as being:
a) likely murderers and child abusers, and
b) all toffs and hooray henrys.

It is insulting and in no way accurate. I know that there are arguments to be made on the anti-hunting side of any debate but on the basis of your rantings above, you are clearly not the person who should be putting them forward.

Gerry has said that there are far more pressing concerns for people than whether we should ban hunting. I agree with him. When hunting can be debated in the UK house of commons for over 400 hours and the bombing of women and children in Iraq for a mere 18 hours, you have to say that there is a serious lack of focus on what is really important.
The hunting debate is one that has many grey areas, it is not black and white. There are arguments that it is cruel and there are arguments that it is natural and not cruel.

There is one thing for sure though, “smart” bombs tearing children to shreds in the name of western democracy is plain wrong and deserves far more of our attention. Children homeless on the streets in Ireland deserves far more of our attention. The traffiking of girls from Eastern Europe to work as sex slaves in Ireland deserves more of our attention. More people dying from suicide in this country than are killed on the roads deserves more of our attention. I agree with Gerry that there are a thousand things more important that we should be worried about and debating as a nation. If John can’t see that then I agree with Gerry once more, he is a dunce.

Take off your dunce’s hat, Gerry, and remove the rose -tinted spectacles through which you view the Happy Hunting Grounds. You might have a different tune if two rottweulers were ripping your intestines out. It’s never so amusing or entertaining when it’s happening to yourself, is it?

Have a nice day.

John Fitzgerald

Are they ‘townies’ when they pay huge money to buy houses that allow the farmers to sell the land at exorbitant prices?
Are they ‘townies’ when they move in and breath life back into some moribund country village?
Are they ‘townies’ when the taxes they pay on their jobs in the city massively subsidise the rural / agricultural economy?

It is not unreasonable to object to chasing a wild animal into a school yard. It is unreasonable to object to such concerns because the person is a ‘townie’.