Isn't it nice that this discussion can take place at all? Thanks to the modern conveniences (sterile canning, refrigeration, rapid transportation) we've all become accustomed to, we now have the option of gathering our own food or having others do it for us.
There is no right to hunt, any more than there is a right to an education, a job, medical care, a minimum wage, etc., etc., etc. The only right that humans have is to live their lives rationally to the best of their ability by their own labor, free from force or coercion, as long as they aren't infringing upon someone else's rights (an old idea that seems radical today). In my book, therefore, since hunting does not infringe upon any human's rights (unless it occurs on private property), it is a perfectly acceptable activity.
Hunting is a personal thing that each person must decide either to do or not to do. If someone chooses not to hunt, that's fine, and I support them as much as I do those who choose to hunt.
BTW, Dagny, could you, for the record, state unequivocally where you stand on the issue of hunting for me? Are you for, against, or on the fence on this topic? Maybe you've already stated your position and I missed it. If so, would you mind humoring me?
DAL
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Reading "Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal," by Ayn Rand, should be required of every politician and in every high school.
"Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are ruined."
--Patrick Henry, during Virginia's Convention to Ratify the Constitution (1788)
GOA, JPFO, PPFC, CSSA, LP, ARI, NRA
[This message has been edited by DAL (edited August 20, 2000).]