PETA, from the MDNR website

[B420]

January 15, 2002

William Morrissey, Director
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Parks and Recreation Division
500 Lafayette Road
St. Paul, MN 55155

Dear Mr. Morrissey:

On behalf of PETA’s more than 750,000 members and supporters, as well as thefish, birds, and other animals that make Minnesota state parks their home, we respectfully request that fishing be banned in all Minnesota state parks. According to an article in U.S. News & World Report ("Parks in Peril," July 21, 1997), the park system is bending under the pressure of encroachment, underfunding, overcrowding, and pollution. Eliminating fishing and its harmful effects would take some of this pressure off of the parks and their inhabitants.

The violent process of fishing and its consequences do not complement the peace and tranquility of a state park. As you know, fish have a neurochemical system like ours and thus the brain capacity to experience fear and pain. Fish who are torn from the water suffer from being impaled, thrown, stepped on, or mutilated while alive. Many die slowly and painfully from suffocation.

Fishing has other victims, too: In one case among many, a young bald eagle was found by the National Park Service, near death because of injuries to his feet caused by fishing line that had cut through his flesh, resulting in a systemic infection and intense suffering. He required intensive daily care for three months before he was successfully released. Not all animals are as lucky. Millions of birds and other animals suffer, and many die, from injuries caused by discarded fishing hooks, monofilament line, lead weights, and floats. Animals who become entangled in fishing line are often trapped underwater and drown or, unable to feed, die slowly of starvation. In fact, many wildlife rehabilitators tell us that fishing litter is the single greatest cause of injuries to aquatic animals.

Minnesota state parks have traditionally made the compassionate choice to ban hunting, and we are asking you to take the next step. Fishing is just hunting in the water. The tide is turning on sportfishing with the widespread recognition of the sentience of fish and the desire to live a more compassionate, less harmful life. After reading the enclosed materials, we hope you will make the decision to ban fishing in Minnesota state parks and turn them into true havens for all.

Please contact me if you have any questions. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Dan Shannon
"Fishing Hurts" Campaign

Check out this BULLSH!T!!!!!
B420

[esoxthinker]

I would like to quote Jeff Spicoli, when I say, "THOSE GUYS ARE F*GS!"

Check this SH!T out!!!!!


In a civilized and cultivated country, wild animals only continue to exist at all when preserved by sportsmen. The excellent people who protest against all hunting and consider sportsmen as enemies of wildlife are ignorant of the fact that in reality the genuine sportsman is by all odds the most important factor in keeping wild creatures from total extermination.

Teddy Roosevelt (26th President)



esoxthinker

[Hotshot]

>The violent process of fishing and its consequences do not
>complement the peace and tranquility of a state park.

There is nothing more peaseful than fishing from a canoe early in the morning with mist still rising off the water, or wading a stream deep in the backwoods. What are these guys smoking???

[fishpoop]

Is there an E-mail address where we can send our comments to? I don't know how much muskie fishing is in Mn. state parks, very little off the top of my head, but if Peta gets a foot in the door here with this, where next?

Also is this posted on the walleye central portion of this site? If not it should be. We could use the help of all the walleye guys on this one, after all this is an attack on fishing in genearal not just muskies. In fact this should go on all the general fishing message boards that are out there in cyberspace. I hope someone with more computer savvy than I could post this elsewhere without haveing to type out the whole message.



Good Job B420 in getting this out!!
Great Quote Esoxthinker! we should use it in our e-mail campaign

[Esox46]

One thing about PETA, they are equal opportunity harassers! Don't eat meat, don't drink milk, can't own pets, don't kill animals and now, don't hook a fish!

Thanks B420 for bringing this up. I often check the PETA website to see what our most dangerous adversary is up to, but perhaps now better check DNR sites too.

Regarding how we should combat this. I would like to make a few suggestions. One, I know we are very angry but lets refrain from any vulgar or obscene comments regarding PETA. This will add to our credibility when we have to explain our side to those that may be indifferent to the sports we love. I know this isn't easy when dealing with the garbage that PETA is dishing up but lets allow them to look like the hot heads!

Also, we can help by supporting our Walleye fishing bros on the other board, Walleye Central, many who are debating the horrible anti-hunting Jeep commercial that PETA is currently praising. Similar discussion going on at MHM board. I know many of us Muskie anglers have been involved and have already signed the national petition against Jeep. For those who haven't, please check these boards out.

Seems like the constant harassment our hunting friends have been faced with for sometime is starting to come to roost in the fishing world. All sportsman must unite for again, PETA is an equal opportunity harasser when it come to their anti-hunting & fishing agenda.

Thanks,
Tony

[Mother]

How did they know what the birds , critters and fish want ?
I wanna know how they talked to the animals .Cause the next
time I catch a little "ski" I'm gonna work over the little SOB
until he tells me where the big girls hang out !!!
Last time I checked, all the chipmunks , birds and other
mammals really enjoyed my chips, peanuts ,bread or any other
foods I had lying around !!
Strange how these people cannot deal with their conscience of
being the 'top of the food chain' so they have to drag the rest of
us ,who(funny)figured it out when we were about 7 yrs, old, into
their view of the world and how to live ( This is America last time
I checked the map) what to eat , what to enjoy and who knows what
else.
They just feel guilty about being the #1 in the food chain . Oh
darn . Life ain't warm,fuzzy and it sure as H#LL ain't fair.
We did'nt battle to the top of the food chain only to be dragged
off the top by some candya$$'s who 'Feels' guilty about it.
Wa Wa Wa.

Scenario - Move out to the African Savannah wander around eating
twigs and berries . Suddenly you spot a tiger approaching you and
especially your 3-4 yr. old daughter - what to do ?
A-run B-defend/attack C-allow you and your family to be the next
meal ?
Of course it's C - Humankind will pay restitution to the animal kingdom for it's past atrocities . To assuage the guilt caused by
wanton killing and destroying of the animals and their habitat.

I wonder how many eary homonids / neaderthals or pre-historic
humans were killed by animals on our evolutionary path to today?
I wager to guess it would be an astonishing amount - tens of
thousands , millions ? And for how many years ? tens or hundreds of
thousands of years ?
We got our a$$es handed to us by them until maybe the last
6-8 thousand years - Then we invented a few weapons.
PAYBACK ?

We humans have the ability to reason , still some have yet to
figure it out.


Mother

[Da Bears]

I belong to PETA......People who Eat Tasty Animals!

Those stupid tree huggers can go rot in #####!

[Da Bears]

Okay, time for me to lash out! Last time I checked, human beings were classified as omnivores-we eat plants and flesh. If these PETA idiots don't wan't to act as they are supposed to biologically, fine by me! What really gets me is the fact that they drive there stupid little foreign cars with LEATHER seats from KILLED cows? And while they are driving their cars, do they KILL various bugs, snakes, squirrels, etc with their vehicle? That makes them the ultimate hypocrit! Hmm, aren't plants considered living organisms? Plants breathe O2 as well, right?

PETA and Greenpeace are a joke! While they kill animals with their cars, wear leather from cows, and donate thousands of useless dollars to do nothing towards wildlife preservation, I will continue to buy my hunting and fishing licenses, my habitat stamps, duck stamps, and deer tags, which go to promote the safety and health of our wildlife.

Reading that letter really got me ticked!

[djwilliams]

The same lame letter was sent to the Missouri Dept. of Conservation director. If I remember correctly, the director's response is included on the department's website. I believe PETA also sent this letter to Louisiana.
Again, check out the PETA site and you will find their plan for attacking fishing as well as educating children about the same.

All the best,
Don

[mikier]

Perhaps our old ways of "fishing with an angle" have not kept pace with modern times. Updating techniques to, say, a half a stick of TNT would prevent lines and sinkers from entraping innocent wildlife. The percussive technique of fishing is instant and painless for the fish, is non-selective of species, and resluts in a cleaner, safer harvest. Maybe I need to start a petition.... m

[Sackett]

It's like the ##### jovah's witnesses. These people some how got this twisted image in their head, and seem to believe that they are the ones that are right. And now they want to force this crap onto other, less educated minds. Sportsmen that use the resource, are the sole reason the resource exists. It was said early. Some of those shows on the Outdoor Channel are what give people the wrong image. You know, the endless hours of hillbillies shooting deer in game farms. It's barely even hunting. It gets ridiculous. Which is what PETA seems to be looking for to base an attack. It's just foolish to attack fishing, you have to be one ##### of an anal retentive ##### to do so.
Do they not realize the benefits that most states in the U.S gain from having outdoor hunting and fishing opportunities? Both socially and financially.
I dont think PETA should be squashed out of existance, they do some good, but boy, they sure'd better watch who they wanna pick fights with. I've never been more pissed off than when I saw the tv ad with Linda McCartney about 3 years ago, targeted against fishing. That definitely crossed the line. Later
Dan

[fishpoop]

Sackett: I'm curious, you state in your post that PETA "does some good." What good do they do? I have never heard of any good that they do, so as I said I'm curious. I want you to know that this is NOT a put down or an attack post. Just thought that you might have some info that I'm unaware of. Thanks

[JoeBucherFan]

To all PETA Members!

I have avoided this topic in the past until today when the Winona Daily news had the article if PETA stoping the fishing in MN state parks. This article filled me up with alot of Bullsh!t.. Our ancestors lived off wildlife and fish. Thats how they survived and it is a part of our heritige. PETA will never stop fishing anywhere as long as I am alive and believe me that is a promise. If I ever see a PETA member at a boat landing you better be able to out run my Dodge Ram. Liberal basterds!! How do you think the State Parks are funded? From the fishing licence money and other founded clubs! Definatly not PETA!
"Violet Process of Fishing" give it a rest!

JoeBucherFan

[Jamie Schmidt]

Please DO NOT check out the PETA website for more info...the more hits that site gets, the more money they can squelch from advertisers and supporters by showing how many people visit their site per day.

It is important to be pro-active with the tree-hugging nazis, but don't patronize their cause, or their supporters.

I personally am not worried about the "750,00 members" that the idiot is speaking on behalf of. That number doesn't add up to the number of people who buy MN fishing licenses. Its all about revenue at the DNR and they are not about to risk losing their habitat funds because of what 750,000 tree hugging freaks in California and Vermont think is right for the state of Minnesota.

Jamie Schmidt
Esoxjunkie Inc

[Dan D.]

PETA has been harrasing the company I work for for over 10 years why? because we make a female hormone from pregnant mare urine, some how catching its pee in a bucket inconveniences the horse. Peta recenty ran a campaign encouraging college students to drink beer instead of milk because milk of course came from a cow.
Think twice before you pay 9$ to see that new hollywood movie as many mega stars are active donors to peta. Be sure if you contribute money to a charity that some of the money wont wind up going to peta, you may be surprised that one of the best known charities was funding them.
People laughed a couple of years back when Minnesota passed a law making it a right to hunt and fish, its not so funny anymore.
The scary thing is that this B.S. is filtering into the puplic school system and children are being indoctrinated, the next generation may think this makes sense.
My buddie"s 14 year old daughter went to school one day all proud as heck about the big buck she got with her dad over the weekend only to have the teacher start critizing her on how unnecessary an evil hunting was in front of the whole class!

Dan

[GatorBaiter]

I'm with DaBears!!! That was well put, Thanx GatorBaiter

[trihull1959]

This letter to the DNR is only the tip of the iceburg when it comes to abserd thinking. Please DO NOT log onto the peta site to see what
"they are up to" because that only increases the number of hits they can show they get. More hits=more money from advertisers. Instead I hope EVERYONE will log onto
www.consumerfreedom.com to find out what these groups are doing and who is funding them.Please spend some time reading the information on peta and its many shadow groups.

Chuck Kuhlman

[fishpoop]

Dan D: I hope that you had a talk with your daughters principal. Perhaps you should offer to go into her class and give the hunting and fishing side of the story to counteract what the "teacher" said. Just a suggestion.

[55starfire]

i agree with everything that dabears said except plants don't breathe oxygen- they "breathe" carbon dioxide- and give off oxygen- the exact opposite of animals... now please continue bashing peta:D

zach sanders

[BrianF.]

The PETA philosophy is a classic case of ideoligical totalitarianism. Sound familiar? History proves just how dangerous this game can be.

In my mind, sportsmen and sportswomen will need to organize a equally large, equally well-funded, equally organized group in order to neutralize the influences being exerted by PETA. I don't see this happening so feel that we are losing the battle at this point in time.

BrianF.
Twin Cities

[dm8129]

The whole PETA issue is moronic, these are the same people that gave beer to college students here in Wisconsin, because they didn't think they should drink milk (it comes from bonded cows). I have been a fisherman for over three decades and I have to say I'm sick and tried of people telling me what I can and can not eat, sleep, buy, and do with my free time. I have been fishing for only muskies for almost 8 years now and I have never had a second thought about releasing any one I ever caught ( and there have been some nice ones). So I don't like some tree hugger telling me I can't fish, hunt, or eat Tuna because they say so.
They talk about the number of people who are members of PETA well I'll bet my last dollar there are more sportsman like me then PETA has on their inflated membership list. I guess the old addage should be applied here "People in glass houses should not throw stones", fix your life before you tell me and my fellow sportsman what we should do. Also I just have to say as for the reply about being hunted by a Tiger and my 3 year old daughter I'd grab the biggest weapon I could and kill it end of story. That's the way it is. PETA should go to Africa and protest when a pride of lions kills a poooor defenceless antelope, maybe they'll get the lions to switch to berries. I doubt it but they'd have better luck than trying to make me stop the one thing I do that I love in life other than my family.

[Timo]

One item that isn't always discussed is the fact that these people running PETA aren't doing it for free. They are making 6 figure salaries while inciting gullible/ignorant others to rise up. The people running PETA are doing it for self profit. Remember the more people they get involved, the more money they generate for themselves.

Rocks On,
Timo