`speechless' Brings One Word To Mind: Cute

At Least 4,200 Fans A Game Is Team's Goal 
A National Consultant Outlines The Economics Of Putting A Team In The 
Projected Arena

Friday, December 16, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1B 





Giving the children a shot &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It's an old saying, something to the effect that ``the future is in the
hands of our children.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Apparently, one animal-rights group is taking the adage to heartThe Fund
For Animals, Inc. is launching an all-out campaign to end programs in more
than 30 states that are intended to turn children into responsible hunters who
value safety and understand that hunters comprise the largest wildlife
conservation group in the world. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Maryland-based Fund For Animals calls itself "the nation's largest and
most aggressive anti-hunting organization." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Targeted are children's hunts, in which young people are issued special
hunting permits, and hunter education classes in public schools. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Currently, Pennsylvania does not offer special children's hunts or offer
hunter ed courses in schools. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But, the potential ramifications of the Fund's actions in this state are
many. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The very last thing we need in this violence-prone world of ours is to
have our 8-year-olds and teenagers run around in the woods assassinating
helpless animals," said the Fund's president, Cleveland Amory. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That's misinformation and emotional pandering spewed out by one of the
best. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Certainly, no state allows 8-year-olds to possess hunting licenses, no
hunter gallops around in the woods like a long-distance runner, and no hunter
assassinates animals. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Obviously, violence in our society has had a rather dreadful impact on
Amory. He has come to form a rather baseless relationship between social
problems and hunting. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "There is absolutely no justification for the use of public funds, public
agencies, and public lands to teach children to kill harmless animals for
pleasure," said Heidi Prescott, the Fund's national director. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 More emotional pandering. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 There is a whole lot more garbage in a Fund report titled "Targeting Our
Children." Two examples are in order. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Therefore, one of the major roles played by state-sponsored children's
hunts is to desensitize children to the pain, fear and death of other living
animals." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 I personally resent being compared to an animal, even by a radical,
left-wing group that argues that the beasts of the fields are on even par with
human beings. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Of course, indoctrinating children into sport hunting is dangerous not
only for wildlife, but also for children." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Sorry. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Wildlife faces a greater danger from those who would not turn children into
hunters. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And ignorance is no excuse. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Hunters and shooters have made available $159 million to benefit wildlife
for next year through excise taxes paid on sporting arms, ammunition and some
archery gear, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The federal government distributes this funding to states based on land
mass and the number of hunting license holders in that state. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Next year, Pennsylvania will receive $6,399,486 for wildlife conservation. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That money will come in addition to revenues from state hunting license
sales. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Could any animal-rights group, including the Fund For Animals, possibly
come up with that kind of money to benefit wildlife? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The answer to the rhetorical question is obvious. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 I find all of this nonsense reprehensible and philosophically vacuous. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Fund wants to benefit wildlife, but by ending hunting it would take
away the only major source of funding for wildlife conservation and wild-land
acquisition. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 What's the point? Could it be to dehumanize people by humanizing animals? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Fund promises to follow through with its campaign with "legislation,
litigation, education and direct action." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 I take that promise as something of a threat. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Direct action could mean many things. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Perhaps, like a few scientific labora

Giving The Children A Shot 
It's An Old Saying, Something To The Effect That ``the Future Is In The Hands 
Of Our Children.'' 
Apparently, One Animal-rights Group Is Taking The Adage To Heart.

Giving The Children A Shot It's An Old Saying, Something To The Effect That ``the Future Is In The Hands Of Our Children.'' Apparently, One Animal-rights Group Is Taking The Adage To Heart.