Wednesday, 26th March 2008
Bang Bang, you're dead
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If the elections demonstrated anything, they demonstrated that the hunting lobby is a spent force. The leaders of this group of men are now going around saying that they didn't direct their members to vote for any particular party this time, implying that next time they will. If you believe that, you'll believe anything. From the reaction of columnist Toni Abela in l-orizzont mere days after the result, it was clear that the MLP was expecting a boost from the hunters. Anyone with even an ounce of brain could see that there was an anti-PN slant to the way the hunters were speaking publicly, for all that they were being wooed by AzzNazz . Be that as it may be, as we all know, the PN got back in and the hunters are now faced with the very same Government against which they have been fighting and demonstrating for years. And they know this and are worried by it, too. How else would you explain phrases such as "God forbid the hunting season doesn't open"? My reaction to this sort of threat is "and what will you do about it?" I'm fascinated by the arrogance of these people. They think, after the electorate has made it clear that hunters and their demands are not a factor in the equation, that they can make ludicrous statements like that. Then they compound their arrogance by making thinly disguised threats about breaking the law. Which means, putting it simply, that it is now time for the hunting lobby to be told precisely where it gets off. And where it gets off is right here, as far as I am concerned. Spring hunting should be banned, once and for all and no waiting for court cases. I don't want my tax euros to be used to pay a fine because the government didn't have the back-bone to stand up to these people. I don't want these people to be allowed to carry on slaughtering anything that flies and I don't want them to be allowed to threaten and bully anyone who dares to oppose them. By their own actions and attitudes, these people have come to the table with dirty hands and I don't want to eat with them. It was bad enough having to put up with their posturing and preening before the elections, with their apologists whining about how the Government had fooled them. Now the country doesn't need to worry about these people holding us to ransom for their selfish ends. While on the allegation that they were fooled by the government in the run-up to the EU Referendum, incidentally, so what if they fooled themselves? It was necessary for the country to join the EU and if it was necessary to play on the innate laziness of people who like killing things with automatic weapons, people who seem to be incapable of looking after their interests professionally and properly, then so be it. These people are old enough to be allowed in possession of a lethal weapon, so it has to be assumed that they are old enough to understand facts that are in plain view. And the fact is that Spring hunting is illegal. A country that respects the rule of law cannot tolerate the law being broken. Therefore, Spring hunting must be banned. Is that such a difficult concept to understand? |
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Being your wish will not necessarily make it happen. Also I will not find another hobby as I am pleased with what I have done and will do till I am strong enough to carry a gun.
Also if ever spring hunting is banned in Malta it will not save many birds as hunters will have more time to spend on hunting holidays even within the EU with much better catches. Too bad that those hunters which are not well off enough to indulge in a hunting holiday would have been robbed of their chance to practice their hobby locally in spring.
To start with, as can be seen from subsequent posts, my comment about 'blasting a helpless bird to bits' are factual and not a reference to a cartoon.
Secondly, no-one voted to continue killing birds, we voted to join the EU and amongst other things, possibly retain spring hunting under certain conditions for a limited period of time and subject to review, and clearly these conditions do not apply and may never have applied at all.
You are quite right about not needing a referendum, ALL useless bird killing should be banned immeadiately without a referendum, but in the interest of your democratic rights, I suggest we have a referendum anyway.
As to instigating hatred and stopping the country economically, this is being brought about by hunters anyway, who we know have (a) instigated it and acted upon it as far back as the eighties and (b) 'stopped the country economically' by their serious negative effect on our tourism industry.
And finally, I suggest you see beyond your state of denial and start looking for another hobby. Hunting is destined to be banned. It may not happen today or tomorrow, but it is likely to happen before you kill everything. Get used to it..........
What I don't understand, and perhaps some lucid hunter might explain to me, is what they find attractive in killing something that is both beautiful and defenceless. Is thge gun a phallic symbol?
Well, your views are noted and your eyewitness can`t be contradicted. The situation with illegal hunting in Malta lately has taken a good step forward with the introduction of severe penalties. Hopefully more gunners will cross that imaginary line and join the real hunters in an attempt to reach the situation where birds of prey fly over hunters heads and remain unharmed.
seems you have alot to say to everyone... I do believe you to an extent when you say that watching such a magnificent bird without shooting at it I presume, is also a pleasure. However, many many birds of prey I have watched have ended up being blasted to pieces - yes sadly enough 6 or 8 gunshots fired at one go at the poor birds. Once I had the fortune or misfortune of collecting a young honeybuzzard after it fell very close to my house, and believe me the sight was not a pretty one! It 's chest and abdomen were literally blown open and the biggest gunshot wounds were to its stomach and intestines! After close inspection I realized that the stomach was almost wide open. I am truly not exaggerating and it is not a figment of my imagination. It was obviously hanging on to its last breaths when I saw it. So yes, I call that blowing the poor bird to bits - no need for any detonation. I called it a fortune in witnessing this barbaric sight in the fact that it opened my eyes to what hunting means to most maltese hunters. I call it a misfortune for very obvious reasons.
Regarding the issue of spring hunting, then I can simply say that if the season is not opened it already is a huge step forward for the birds by minimizing the chance of their being hunted in a year. And I am not an avid bird watcher, just a common citizen who takes pleasure in watching wildlife and, where I like doing so, is mostly from my home. After I have witnessed hundreds of illegal hunting acts going on, then I'm sorry Fabian, but I do not have the utmost respect for hunting be it legal or illegal. I obviously do not like to see the legal game being blown to bits either, but the fact that I have witnessed so many birds of prey being shot down forces me to dislike hunting, spring or otherwise.
Dear J Pace,
I agree with your love for viewing birds in their natural habitat or during migration. I must say that this something I, like many hunters, acknowledge and practice especially during close seasons. If you were stolen from the pleasure on viewing that marsh harrier it would have been very sad be it open or close season. Nevertheless when taking game legally a hunter is not stopping you watching turtle doves or quail from your terrace or practice your bird viewing in other places like Buskett and other Bird Sanctuaries. In these areas you would be more likely to view Turtle Doves if you feel you want to see them.
May I point out the following.
My comments to Mr.Joe Dimech below may apply to you in full. This to avoid repetition.
There is no such thing as ` blast a helpless bird to bits`, this is just a fruit of your imagination or an association of hunting with a TV cartoon. To blast something to bits it needs to be detonated and this is not customary to ant hunting carried out in the world.
With reference to your mention of needing a referendum I must remind you that the last referendum we had spoke clearly enough where hunting in spring was to be allowed and there was no mention of autumn hunting meaning that it was to be left status quo.
Involving a referendum for every issue or hobby where there is no national agreement would only instigate hatred and stop the country economically.
Dear John Micallef,
Close to 100% of our countries problems are due to overpopulation for which I personally give blame to the late invention, introduction of TVs in Malta which left our post war ancestors little alternatives to fruitful nocturnal activites. Joking apart, your accusations to hunters who won`t allow others to use public road should be addressed to the Police not to the Times. With reference to your further accusations of Hunters not allowing the use of Camping Sites, Are these Sites declared as Camping Sites or private lands with low boundary walls? I have written in this same paper following the famous Birdlife Brochure 80% etc listing sections of Malta where hunting cannot be done and camping sites within these areas should be very possible. This apart from the fact that all areas (except private land) used for hunting can be used for Camping outside the hunting season.
On the other hand if you insist to venture in an area where hunting is allowed during the hunting season that is another story. I trust you would not try to hold a picnic in the centre circle of a Football Field 20 minutes in the first half of a game.
Dear Joe Dimech,
I am quoting some words which appeared on a recent quote in Bondiplus.
Democracy is a situation where Two Wolves and a Lamb vote for their Menu.
It seems you agree fully with this statement. I trust you would love to live in a Utopia where everybody loves the same hobby, like Stamp Collecting for example, eats the same food, likes the same sports and go to church at the same time.
Democracy goes further away from that and respect and values are at its base.
Hunting and Clay pigeon shooting are only similar as far as the unexperienced eye can see. The fact that guns are used and you might hear gunshots may mislead your judgement like many other people. I am listing some minor facts which will help you understand the differences between these two activities.
1. Guns used for Hunting are totally different than those used for most Clay Pigeon shoots. In fact Trap or Olympic Trap shotguns cannot be used for hunting as the way the gun is handled and the target shot at is totally different.
2. The cartridges used are totally different as well mostly to allow more speed for the cartridges used for clays while sacrificing load.
3. A clay comes out when you call for it and will go straight offering a challenge to those unexperienced shooters but only a nerve test to the experienced who have to manage an infinity of consecutive good shots to avoid grief. A game bird is an intelligent target who needs to be beaten on all fronts and that is the reason why hunters dress camo, must stay motionless for long times and must not fluster in the decisive moments during hunting. These amongst other things which would need books to mention not blogs.
4. Hunting in Malta being carried out mostly on land owned/rented by hunters helps keep the country greener and cleaner. In these past years where urbanisation was rampant the few people who took care of most of the countryside are Hunters and Trappers. This was done firstly to improve the hunting grounds and hopefully obtain more catches but, as you may know from other life examples, competing hunters who raised trees remained with their same fair share of game as they remained on a same level playing field as they kept divinding the same piece of cake. On the other hand the real winner in this was the environment which enjoys more flora and fauna. No clay pigeon hunt would have induced this increase in quality of the natural habitat of Malta.
I hope these few facts help you understand better that clay pigeon shooting and hunting are totally different.
Romanticism aside, why on earth should I be denied the simple pleasure of looking at any type of species of birds flying in the sky without the fear of having to witness yet another senseless killing?! Incidentally, this same terrace is often loaded with lead pellets during the hunting season. And yes, most hunters DO shoot at anything that flies, be it a protected species or not! So please spare anyone with the details of how spring hunting is allowed as only turtle doves and quails are hunted, even if Dr Borg Cardona might not be able to tell the difference between the turtle dove and the ostrich!
The hunters are now faced again with a PN Government, but a chastised one this time. The Minister against whom “they have been fighting and demonstrating for years” is no longer responsible for hunting affairs. Now the Prime Minister himself will deal with the issue. Not bad for a spent force, eh?
You pontificate: “Spring hunting should be banned once and for all”. Apparently you have already forgotten you recently wore a T-shirt declaring spring-hunting illegal. If it were truly illegal, how come it wasn’t banned? How come the government, of which you are the self-styled champion, never banned it in five years? How come the government has even declared its determination to defend spring-hunting in the European Court of Justice? The reason is that, contrary to your biased opinion, the Maltese government has shown consistency in its position vis-à-vis spring hunting of turtledoves and quails. That must have been a very good reason for hunters with Nationalist Party sympathies to vote PN. Yet you obstinately refuse to acknowledge this probability.
You don't want your tax euros to be used to pay a fine. Relax. This particular canard has already been ably demolished and laid to rest months ago by the Sunday columnist ‘Roamer’, MEP Dr. Simon Busuttil, and others.
You don't want these people to be allowed to carry on slaughtering anything that flies. Your arrogance is matched by your naivety in believing that infamous lie propagated time and again by the anti-hunting brigade. Your statement amounts to an offensive slander against all hunters which nobody can take you to court for. What you don’t understand is that Birdlife Malta have ‘bagged’ you by taking advantage of your feelings following the incident concerning your son. David Borg Cardona is right. You have no leg to stand on, except your personal grievance.
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You have every right to be a declared anti-hunting activist like any other person who wants to join your position. This does not mean that you do not deserve respect and I never insulted you in any way. The fact you are insisting that hunting should end does not mean that it will so your comments to this effect do not bother me. What you need to understand is that hunting is a legal activity which is enjoyed by your own countrymen (not to mention millions of other EU citizens) and your position will not change this. Commenting about the legality of the activity in general makes you a prosecutor in this virtual window. I could be against other activities which might bother me but this does not mean that I would embark in a vain crusade to abolish such activities and call them illegal just because I am against them.
Regards to all.
Can you explain a little better that the clause in question, which by the way was available to be read (and hopefully understood) that in simple language states that "Malta MAY APPLY for a derogation in order to permit Spring hunting, if it could be proven....etc,etc. The operative words here are MAY APPLY for...
Well, please tell Mr. Borg that Malta did apply, providing information supplied by the respective hunting associations and which after EU made its own assessments, proved inadequate to justify Spring hunting. (A derogation amounts to a temporary permit to allow an activity which is contrary to existing rules and usually contains a sunset clause)
There is no basis to accuse anyone of misleading the hunters. It is the spin on the facts contained in the treaty which attempts to confuse some minds.
Therefore, since the former government in its wisdom chose to push the issue to the limit, the case is now in front of the EU court. Both major parties have agreed to abide by the court's final decision.
Any threats implied or otherwise by the hunters amount to blackmail and should be dealt with accordingly.
The inclination to hunt is a primitive urge. As humans evolved we have discovered and created ways - such as gambling, fast cars, extreme sports - to satisfy this urge. Some people haven't managed to progress beyond killing. Simply because spring hunting is allowed in the EU it doesn't make it acceptable. Neither does it lessen the guilt of the killers. Just because there are the rules, it doesn't mean the game is fair.
The atrocities committed by hunters, locally, are known and well-documented and I don't see why anyone in his (or her) right mind should want to lift a finger to help the hobby. On the contrary, as a civilised nation we should fight the good fight and do our utmost to stop this violence.