Brother Brent, there you go again and have made my point perfectly. You see, you don't know me from Adam; yet you make the following judgement; "Sadly, your comments ..... illustrate the gulf of ignorance that encompasses the hunting community and which is, in large measure, responsible for the bad image that many nonhunters see as representative of those who do hunt". Now I can't, and don't feel bad about about your personal judgement of me as an individual because you have obviously judged me with the same measure you used to judge RMC; but the Holy scriptures caution us to "judge not, lest we be judged". so you see Friend, when you decided to stand in judgement of another; you opened the door for others to make judgements on you.
As to pesonal attacks and negativity, if your insinuation that I have in some way contributed to the ignorance among the hunting community; and further, that my direct actions are "in large measure, responsible for the bad image that many nonhunters see as representative of those who do hunt" is not a negative judgement and personal attack on someone whom you do not know, then what could possibly constitute such action? Like everyone else I know still hunting these days, I do everything I can think to teach good ethics and make a positibe impression while hunting; afterall, we never know who's watching do we? For all I know Iowa could be a lot further into PC land that Georgia; but anyone who is honest will admit that the anti-hunters/anti-gunners cannot, and will not be satiated until all hunting is stopped and we are disarmed. So I ask again Friend, as as hunter have you ever made that split second decision to take a shot that you regretted afterwards? Have you recovered 100% of the birds you feathered over the years? If you honestly have, I tip my hat and bow in humble reverence as you would be the ony hunter I've met in 50 years of hunting who can claim such perfection!
And as regards my "self-righteous" comments, I didn't make one remark that wasn't true and based on observations seen first hand on this forum; and will therefore firmly stand behind every line. My grandmother used to say "a bit dog always holles"; so if the truth stings, let it sting.
As to me personally Brent, I could care less how you or any other readers judge me; I am who I am and too old for criticism to have negligible impact now. And I certainly don't have any animosity towards you, but I do care about this great forum, and the negative impacts personal attacks have had on readers and contributors over the years. This forum was intended to be, and has served as an invaluable asset for the sharing of double gun information among collectors and enthuiasts; and much of the information shared here cannot be found anywhere else. You see Brent, there is this "law" of nature that basically states "for every action, there is an opposite and equal reaction"; therefore, whenever a poster feels personally attacked, the reaction will either be another negative response that escalates (as illustrated by this thread), or withdrawal. I know for a fact that there are those with valuable information no longer sharing that resource because they were personally attacked, others who are now reluctant to contribute over concerns that their comments/contributions would be denigrated; and others who have been totally turned off by such negativity in general. If you think not, consider those posters/monikers that were once seen on a regular basis and are now seldom seen. While we certainly have the right to our own opinions, as well as the right to express our differnces; my disagreeing with you, or you disagreeing with me doesn't make either of us right or wrong. And certainly differences of opinion exist in the area of ethics, what is clearly "black" to you may be clearly "white" to another; so the final determining factor is each man must ultimately be accountable to his own conscience while in the field. Personally, I appreciate different opinions; they give me cause to think, but there are a variety of ways in which our differences can be expressed without causing alienation of the individual to whom they are intended. Dave can moderate his forum in any manner he chooses; but if the Golden Rule concept were observed more frequently by some prior to making their post/s, the fellowhip amongst kindred spirits here would be significantly improved.
