I wouldn't really care if Sarah Palin could actually hunt or not if it weren't for the people who think that being willing and able to fire a gun somehow makes one more "real" than a person with an advanced degree, and who cast votes based on that assumption. (I still don't care, to tell the truth.)
Except that, this Thanksgiving for the first time in probably a dozen years, my family didn't hike to the top of the hill on the back part of our land to shoot down mistletoe for Christmas decorations. (It grows at the tops of trees, and there just aren't many better ways to get it down.) The patch is still growing. But from to hill top there are four houses within sight, and another six or seven within a quarter mile or so. It isn't the isolated place it was when we moved there 20 years ago, and that means it isn't safe to fire off weapons, even a .22.
My dad hunted all his life, and so did his brothers. I never hunted deer, because I'm impatient and I don't do mornings (especially not in November - it's still dark outside, people!), but I've always loved target shooting, usually just with a .22. And my dad kept every gun he owned in a padlocked cabinet in his office, and he made sure that my sisters and I, and later his grandson, respected what they could do. Once the area around his acreage got too developed for high-powered rifles to be safe, he restricted his property to bow-hunting. And yet he still has to run off idiots every year (who are trespassing, by the way), like the guy who set up a stand not 100 yards from the house.
My dad hasn'y hunted in awhile. Part of it's just getting older. But basically, he doesn't want to get shot by one of these jackasses who don't know what they're doing.
So this is my issue: I really don't care that Sarah Palin's "hunting" skills are as full of shit as any part of her image. But it bugs me to think of anyone seeing this episode of her show and thinking that this is how you're supposed to handle a gun. Don't use it as a walking stick, don't go near the trigger until you're ready to pull it and for the love of pete stay frakking quiet.
P.S.: the game can smell your hairspray.
1 comment:
I, too, stopped hunting for some of the same reasons. Now, I am not a vegetarian, and I know how meat gets on my plate, but I do not like to kill animals like I did when I was younger.
There are few things more dangerous than a gun in the hands of a coward. Too many people feel brave with a gun in their hands but have no clue when it comes to responsible gun ownership and accountability.
I have not watched Sarah Palin's reality show nor do I plan on watching it. From my perspective, she is a fake and a farce who appeals to the fears and insecurities of narrow-minded zealots.It is a sad commentary when such a person can prosper from the weaknesses of people who buy her books and pay to hear her speak.
Wake up! What credentials does this woman have other than a loud mouth that spouts ignorant rants?
PS: Fox urine covers the smell of hairspray.
Post a Comment