Democratic congresswoman shot in Arizona.

[mrstickball]

sapphi_snake said:

badgenome said:

sapphi_snake said:

While that is true, today we no longer need to hunt poor animals for food. There are already several animals killed and their meat is sold at supermarkets. There's really no point in all this extra killing.

I mean, I'm sure they have alternatives. I don't hunt, and I'm not starving. But I don't know any hunters who don't eat what they hunt.

And if there were no deer hunting where I live, the deer population would get out of hand in no time flat. I really don't think it's more humane to have animals starving to death and being hit by cars than it is to shoot them and eat them. I can't see how it's more humane to slaughter a cow than it is to shoot a deer, either.

You don't know people who hunt for sport?

No. And neither do I. I know dozens of hunters. Yes, there is a sport element involved (the thrill of the hunt), but they all use the meat to feed their families. I know many, though, that fish for sport and throw back their catch, which I never understood. Usually, you can find a few good hunters that will provide much deer to their friends and families, especially in times of need, since the meat usually keeps for a few years in freezers.

It must be a cultural thing. When you live in an area that hasn't been urbanized for thousands of years, have a government that allows you to own firearms, and a pretty strong population of great animals to hunt, people tend to do it, and enjoy it. 

It also brings you to respect nature and animals far more than simply going to the supermarket and buying a steak dinner. When you actually view the animal you shoot, kill, and carve up, you respect its life, and try to honor them with a clean kill (much like the indians did when they hunted in the same areas centuries ago). I think one of the reasons we care so little about factory farming is that we've detatched ourselves far and away from what it takes to actually raise or hunt food.