I only have time for one posting, I have been in Spain, Madrid actually for the past two days and have to catch up on shopping etc. before shooting off again next week. I detest bullfighting but try telling the Madrille?os that you are going to ban it and see what the public outcry would be then. I see you have been giving a few members a drumming down, but I will just say this.
My father-in-law was a member of a hunt and wore the pink for many years and there can't be anyone who loves foxes more than he did. That's not simply because they represented his sport, but he was passionate about them and their overall wellbeing. Even to the point of rescuing them from poachers, keeping them in a section of his barn and later releasing them. He also knew full well that the following winter he could well be chasing them.
In his time he must have seen the killing of many foxes, but it was indeed the chase more than anything that he enjoyed and nothing gave him greater satisfaction than a fox escaping and going back to burrow, or den if you prefer. Drag hunts are simply not the same. What he enjoyed especially was the camaraderie amongst the members of the hunt. There was no sniping at one another as you find all too often in fishing, everyone was a friend whatever walk of life he or she came from. They shared one common interest.
This is something anglers should think about, "United we stand, divided we fall." and if anything that will be what sees angling off. The fact that we bicker and find fault with all of our supposed companions and quite frankly, it quite sickens and disgusts me. I read the word "tolerance" elsewhere and by god you could all do with showing some to one another. I have never hunted, by the way.
I have to cut and run now because time is at a premium for me. When I'll be back with time to spare I do not know, but to end, my father-in-law passed away some years ago and his wish before he died was that if there is a place in heaven for him, it had better have foxes also.
