Hunters "shot" from all sides

Using religion to justify the unjustifiable will obviously backfire

It looks like the more the Hunters' Federation (FKNK) and the other hunting organization whose patron saint ironically is said to have received a "heavenly apparition" ordering him to stop hunting (the "St Hubertus" Hunters) write in newspapers in defence of the indefensible murder of birds, the more they get "shot" from all sides.

Following yesterday's letter from Joe Aquilina-St John, today's The Times publishes the replies from two local environmentalists regarding Christian saints and hunting.

John Schembri writes:

"I am in some agreement with Lino Farrugia (January 14 and previous correspondence) about schools being brainwashing institutions.

First of all I believe these institutions are staffed by educators. Somehow they never taught me the word 'educationalists'.

These educators are entrusted with human beings when these are very young. They start by brainwashing them to get along, turn them from being illiterate to, in most cases, being excited about learning. Eventually educators brainwash these humans to become like them or doctors, lawyers, craftsmen. Well, you get the picture. The brainwashing does create some undesirables. Of course, depending on which side of the spectrum a person is, these undesirables might be very popular. Let's leave it at that.

I don't think that St Augustine ever went hunting and he might be a great contrast to St Francis. I don't know much about either one, just, if dates are accurate, that St Augustine died in 430 and St Francis in 1226. Maybe 800 years made humans somewhat kinder towards other living creatures.

Now we might even be more aware. Man, being the most pernicious weed, has encroached dangerously over the environment of most other living things. One needs only hear the arguments about the harm we are doing to the environment.

It would be shameful if the Minister of Education were to stop educators making children aware of what challenges we are facing. The younger generation is getting more informed and more assertive.

Unfortunately, some of them will even become hunters. Hopefully not ones that will shoot at anything that flies".

To be fair to Lino Farrugia of the FKNK, the word "educationalist" does exist. It means "a specialist in the methods and theory of education". But that's where all the sense in Mr Farrugia's correspondence ends.

As to Mr Schembri's letter, not to repeat myself on what I wrote previously on the topic, I would only remove the last sentence. It makes no difference at all whether one shoots at "anything that flies" or whether one shoots to kill only legally unprotected birds. Life matters to all birds equally. There is no such thing as a responsible hunter. All hunting is murder.

With regards to Mr Schembri's very valid point that St Augustine's views on non-human animals (as opposed to those of St Francis) are perhaps understandable considering that he died in the year 430 (compared to St Francis who died in 1226), and as Mr Schembri correctly points out, in 800 years opinions can change considerably with further knowledge gained, perhaps St Augustine's views will be seen as more understandable when one considers that even a renowned philosopher such as René Descartes (1596 - 1650) still believed that non-human animals are non-conscious machines and "thoughtless brutes", and that "it is nature which acts in them according to the disposition of their organs, just as a clock, which is only composed of wheels and weights, is able to measure the time more correctly than we can with all our wisdom" (René Descartes - Discourse on Method). It is no wonder, then, that St Augustine, 800 years earlier than Descartes, would believe that to refrain from killing non-human animals is "the height of superstition"!

Meanwhile, George Debono writes:

"It is time that Lino Farrugia realised that his wishy-washy arguments in support of hunting fail to convince.

The saintly quotations he used in his latest letter were written hundreds of years ago when human beings were sparse, birds plentiful and when there were no supermarkets where all kinds of food could be found. The saints he quotes would have thought quite differently if there were as many hunters as today shooting birds (and other equally beautiful fellow creatures on this planet) almost to extinction, just for the fun of it".

Once again, the same applies to Mr Debono's letter. I would only add that numbers do not matter, and killing even one legally unprotected bird who is a member of a numerous species is still murder, since it still entails the unnecessary taking of the life of a sentient innocent.

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I had ignored Anthony Formosa's attack on Arnold Cassola of the Green Party, but had made a small comment on another attack on him by Mark Mifsud Bonnici (January 17) of the "St Hubertus" Hunters. I feel that Arnold's letter would be an interesting read, especially to Maltese voters who care about non-human animals, so I am reproducing it below.

Arnold Cassola writes:

"So now, Anthony Formosa from the hunters' federation (FKNK) has come to the rescue of Simon Busuttil regarding hunting in spring in Malta. In his letter (January 15), Mr Formosa has asked: 'Where was he (Arnold Cassola) when all the carob trees and fertile fields (in Wied Għomor) were bulldozed to make way for villas etc'?

The answer is very clear, Mr Formosa: Alternattiva Demokratika and I were on the forefront in the fight against the giving out of building permits in Wied Għomor, during the tenure of the then Minister, Michael Falzon. All Mr Formosa needs is to check the papers of the time.

As for Mr Formosa's assertion that 'Minister George Pullicino has accused Prof. Cassola and his party of damaging Malta's reputation over the hunting issue', yes, I can confirm that the Maltese government - through the Department of Information - has tried to discredit Alternattiva Demokratika on the issue by depicting me as a traitor of my country because of my call for the abolition of hunting in spring.

Indeed, other PN activists based in Brussels had even actually complained to the European Parliament authorities, asking them to prohibit me from speaking on the premises of the European Parliament.

I can assure Mr Formosa that no threats, on anybody's part, will prevent Alternattiva Demokratika and me from working for a Malta that is free from hunting in spring".

Addendum:

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Hunters, PN and MLP united

Arnold Cassola, in The Times of January 19, adds: "Had there been any doubt, it is now crystal clear. Following the letter by Anthony Formosa of the hunters' federation (FKNK), it is now the turn of Mark Mifsud Bonnici of the Kaċċaturi San Ubertu ("St Hubertus" Hunters) (January 17) to come out in defence of Simon Busuttil's stance in favour of hunting in spring.

The alliance between the hunters and the PN is now being openly declared. Mr Mifsud Bonnici stresses, in fact, that 'Dr Busuttil shows a sense of fairness and consistency by additionally stating that the 2008 spring season should be opened in line with his party's electoral promises'.

The picture is now clear: both the MLP and the PN are in favour of hunting in spring. Alternattiva Demokratika, instead, will work to ensure the prohibition of all forms of spring hunting. It is now up to the Maltese voters to have their say on the issue".