ALERT: Please help prevent dove hunting in Minnesota

[Guest guest]

The full text of this alert is also available at:

 

http://www.geocities.com/srikanthk.rm/minnesota_doves1.html

 

Background:

 

An omnibus game and fish bill, HF 1591, introduced by Republican Dennis Ozment

and others consists of several draconian measures:

 

o Authorizes the DNR to create a mourning dove hunting season

o Authorizes a county board to offer a bounty to slaughter coyotes.

o Allows snares to go unchecked for 3 days (the current law requires that

snares must be

checked every day).

o Allows anglers to use two lines to kill fish

 

More details about the bill can be found at:

 

http://www.hsus.org/programs/government/proposedstateleg2001.html#Minnesota

 

http://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/cgi-bin/bldbill.pl?bill=H1591.2 & session=ls82

 

http://www.wlfa.org/interactive/features/Read.cfm?ID=545

 

(A point to remember about the last link above - we are looking up that site

just for

information, not for WLFA's dumb opinions!)

 

Please contact the members of the Minnesota House of Representatives asking them

to

OPPOSE HF 1591. Also, contact the Governor of Minnesota, Jesse Ventura, urging

him to

veto the bill if it ends up at his desk.

 

Action:

 

PLEASE e-mail the Governor and ALL the representatives of Minnesota:

 

(Jesse Ventura's address ends with state.mn.us. All other addresses end with

 

house.leg.state.mn.us)

 

jesse.ventura,rep.jim.abeler,

rep.ron.abrams, rep.irv.anderson,

rep.bruce.anderson,rep.thomas.bakk,

rep.connie.bernardy,rep.len.biernat,

rep.dave.bishop,rep.lynda.boudreau,

rep.fran.bradley,rep.mark.buesgens,

rep.lyndon.carlson,rep.george.cassell\

s,

rep.james.clark,rep.karen.clark,

rep.roxann.daggett,rep.greg.davids,

rep.jim.davnie,rep.andy.dawkins,

rep.steve.dehler,rep.jerry.dempsey,

rep.scott.dibble,rep.dan.dorman,

rep.john.dorn,rep.rob.eastlund,

rep.matt.entenza,rep.ron.erhardt,

rep.sondra.erickson,rep.geri.evans,

rep.tim.finseth,rep.betty.folliard,

rep.doug.fuller,rep.chris.gerlach,

rep.mark.gleason,rep.kevin.goodno,

rep.barb.goodwin,rep.gregory.gray,

rep.mindy.greiling,rep.bob.gunther,

rep.bill.haas,rep.tom.hackbarth,

rep.elaine.harder,rep.alice.hausman,

rep.debra.hilstrom,rep.bill.hilty,

rep.maryliz.holberg,rep.mark.holsten\

,

rep.larry.howes,rep.thomas.huntley,

rep.carl.jacobson,rep.mike.jaros,

rep.loren.jennings,rep.ruth.johnson,

rep.jeff.johnson,rep.sheldon.johnson\

,

rep.al.juhnke,rep.phyllis.kahn,

rep.henry.kalis,rep.margaret.kelliher\

s,

rep.tony.kielkucki,rep.jim.knoblach,

rep.luanne.koskinen,rep.phil.krinkie\

,

rep.gary.kubly,rep.william.kuisle,

rep.dan.larson,rep.rob.leighton,

rep.ann.lenczewski,rep.peggy.leppik,

rep.bernie.lieder,rep.arlon.lindner,

rep.eric.lipman,rep.darlene.luther,

rep.tim.mahoney,rep.harry.mares,

rep.carlos.mariani,rep.sharon.marko,

rep.paul.marquart,rep.dan.mcelroy,

rep.maryjo.mcguire,rep.bob.milbert,

rep.carol.molnau,rep.richard.mulder,

rep.joe.mullery,rep.mary.murphy,

rep.bob.ness,rep.bud.nornes,

rep.mark.olson,rep.joe.opatz,

rep.mike.osskopp,rep.tom.osthoff,

rep.maryellen.otremba,rep.dennis.ozment\

..us,

rep.erik.paulsen,rep.tim.pawlenty,

rep.michael.paymar,rep.gene.pelowski\

,

rep.maxine.penas,rep.doug.peterson,

rep.thomas.pugh,rep.jim.rhodes,

rep.michelle.rifenberg,rep.tom.rukavina\

..us,

rep.connie.ruth,rep.leslie.schumacher\

s,

rep.alice.seagren,rep.marty.seifert,

rep.tony.sertich,rep.rod.skoe,

rep.wes.skoglund,rep.nora.slawik,

rep.steve.smith,rep.loren.solberg,

rep.rich.stanek,rep.doug.stang,

rep.steve.sviggum,rep.dale.swapinski\

,

rep.howard.swenson,rep.barb.sykora,

rep.mark.thompson,rep.kathy.tingelstad.\

us,

rep.john.tuma,rep.ray.vandeveer,

rep.jean.wagenius,rep.neva.walker,

rep.dale.walz,rep.scott.wasiluk,

rep.steve.wenzel,rep.andrew.westerberg.\

us,

rep.torrey.westrom,rep.tim.wilkin,

rep.ted.winter,rep.ken.wolf,

rep.tom.workman

 

 

SAMPLE LETTER

(** Please sign and add your Minnesota address, if you have one **)

 

Please oppose HF 1591

 

Dear Representative,

 

I am contacting you to urge that you vote against HF 1591 that contains

draconian measures to

finish off the wildlife and fish of Minnesota while encouraging animal-killers

with " bounties " .

The provisions of the bill include:

 

o Authorizing the DNR to create a mourning dove hunting season

o Authorizing a county board to offer a bounty to slaughter coyotes.

o Allowing snares to go unchecked for 3 days

o Allowing anglers to use two lines to kill fish

 

Firstly, let's not forget that Timothy McVeigh, a hunter, was encouraged by our

laws to kill

animals and he eventually went on to destroy several human lives too. In the

words of Nobel

laureate Albert Schweitzer " Anyone who has accustomed himself to regard the life

of any

living creature as worthless is in danger of arriving also at the idea of

worthless human

lives. " Provisions such as offering a bounty to kill coyotes and allowing snares

to go unchecked

for 3 days leaves very little doubt that the bill encourages people to

disrespect life.

 

Also, specifically regarding the provision to allow hunting of doves, there are

several extremely

compelling reasons to not do so:

 

1. Statistics show that 20 to 30 % of the doves shot by hunters get wounded and

are left to die

excruciatingly painful deaths.

 

2. Doves damage neither property nor crops. In fact, they help farmers by eating

weed seeds on the

ground.

 

3. Doves are primarily used for target practice which can easily be done using

clay targets.

 

4. Federally protected birds such as the American kestrel and the sharp-shinned

hawk are often

mistaken for doves and will undoubtedly be shot if a dove hunting season opens.

 

5. Dove hunting will contribute to the discharge of lead shot in the

environment. Toxic lead shot

poses a risk to wildlife, especially to waterfowl, who ingest the pellets while

feeding.

 

6. Doves are recognized as a symbol of peace all over the world and this makes

it all the more

inappropriate to take away their lives.

 

As a represenative, you are in a unique position to help out animals as well as

human beings.

I urge you to use that position in a responsible way and make a conscientious

decision to

oppose HF 1591.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Auctions $2 Million Sweepstakes - Got something to sell?

 

 

[Guest guest]

An omnibus game and fish bill, HF 1591, introduced by

Republican Dennis Ozment

and others consists of several draconian measures:

 

Here is the letter I have sent:

 

Dear Governor/Representative,

 

Please vote against HF 1591. I believe it is an attack on the

fish and wildlife in Minnesota and encourages humans to take too

light an attitude about the taking of life. My understanding is

that the provisions of the bill include:

 

~Authorizing the DNR to create a mourning dove hunting season

~Authorizing a county board to offer a bounty to slaughter

coyotes.

~Allowing snares to go unchecked for 3 days, which is too long.

~Allowing anglers to use two lines to kill fish, instead of one.

 

In my opinion, hunting and killing should only be done if/when

meat is necessary to prevent starvation. I understand that this

is the very basic Law of the Jungle, as well as the message God

gives to humans in the Old Testament. I think the casual

attitude that present-day North Amercian humans have about the

killing of animal life and the eating of flesh is an error that

is negatively impacting our society in many ways, especially

health and longevity. I think that tightening up on hunting

practices would only be of benefit to those who have yet to learn

of the benefits of reducing the consumption of animal flesh in

their diets. For information along these lines, please refer to

www.pcrm.org which is the Physicians Committee for Responsible

Medicine.

 

In my opinion, hunting birds and animals to reduce their numbers

is a cruel and aggressive means of asserting control. I think we

humans can do much better than that. Veterinarial technology is

available to introduce anti-reproductive hormones into animal

populations. This method can be focused completely specifically,

effective in a spectacular AND peaceful, gentle way. Within one

cycle of the seasons, by interfering with the specie's

reproduction, the numbers can be reduced dramatically. If

control of a population is desired, this method is what I

propose.

 

As a representative, I see you as being in a powerful position

to foster the use of peaceful methods of animal control when

necessary, and to nurture human awareness of the responsibility

we have to care for animal life, and of our own lives too. I

think that opposing HF 1591 is the sensible, responsible and

conscientious decision to make. Please take that action.

 

Sincerely,

Deborah Pageau B.Sc.

Gibsons, BC

Canada