North Carolina and about a half dozen other states present the world with a paradox only modern political theory can produce.
Sunday Hunting is banned. Not SABBATH hunting mind you, but SUNDAY hunting.
After years of rule by DEMOCRAT Governor James Hunt, DEMOCRAT Governor Mike Easley, and now DEMOCRAT Governor Beverly Perdue, all of whom presumably espouse values of equal opportunity, equal treatment under the law, anti-discrimination in all things big and small, when the topic comes to hunting, North Carolina Government conveniently overlooks the distinction between Sabbath and Sunday.
So if you are a member of a faith whose observance of the Sabbath falls on Sunday, the Government supports your belief with a ban on hunting for that day. (All others pound sand!)
Not all hunting mind you, there is no season or bag limit on nusiance animals such as coyote or nutria or groundhog. So a fellow can shoot his rifle all day Sunday as long as his target is one of the approved cull species.
But extend that right to harvest nutritous, all natural, organic, free range wild game such as deer or rabbit or squirrel?
Sorry, o ye of alternate faith, you must observe YOUR Sabbath as well as the officially sanctioned Government Sabbath of Sunday and limit your hunting time to five days instead of the six all others enjoy.
Where are the Separation-of-Church-and-State zealots when they are needed? Where is the outcry from the Family Values Crowd?
Because there is truly some bipartisan agreement on this issue.
If a fellow wants to take Mom and the kids camping to teach them how to fill the family larder with wild game when they are all free from the duties of school and work and can be together, legally, Saturday is the only day available.
If a family want to worship their Creator by gratefully partaking of his bounty with the harvest of wild game the State Government forbids you to do it on the offficially sanctioned day of worship-Sunday.
On the opposite side of the aisle, if some aging leftover hippie believes Church and State should ALWAYS keep their respective noses out of the others jurisdiction his ardor mysteriously fades when the subject is hunting.
If Leviathan Government elects to ban the harvest of game animals arbitrarily and capriciously, why IT MUST BE A GOOD THING for all the birdwatchers and hikers and treehuggers even if the activities take place on private land where no one from the great unwashed masses can legally congregate anyway.
We live in interesting times.
Mike Zlotnicki of the News & Observer documents the latest iteration of the debate at recent public hearings.
Tantalizing Excerpt:
Hearing draws big crowd
Mike Zlotnicki, Staff Writer
The proposal to allow bow hunting on Sundays brought 11 hunters to the microphone, with six opposed and five in favor. Five of the six opposed cited religious reasons.
Link to article:
newsobserver.com/802/v-print/story/1385855.html