A QUESTION OF GREENS' HYPOCRISY AND DECEPTION

So, The Greens have joined forces with the National Parks Association to support SAFE's little putsch against HuntFest.

For those of you newly returned from a long vacation under a rock, SAFE stands for Stop Arms Fairs in Eurobodalla.

Members of the deceptive 'SAFE' movement

The Greens have initiated a statewide photographic competition, which the party claims is in opposition to "the pro-gun, pro-killing HuntFest". But hold the phone!

I wrote to The Greens some time ago, expressing concern with regard to the party's position on hunting. Their guns/hunting spokesperson, David Shoebridge, wrote back and his response contains much that appears to be untrue. In particular, the following:

"The Greens NSW recognise the damage feral animals can do to our native wildlife and environment, and support efforts to control their population that are effective and humane. There are many hunters, like you, who are respectful of the life they take and responsible in the actions they engage in to protect private land."

And...

"While there are people like you who are committed conservationists, and hunt for this purpose, the establishment of the Game Council and the relaxing of firearms laws in NSW has made it easier for irresponsible individuals to engage in cruel and unauthorised hunting in the name of conservation."

So, The Greens are happy to acknowledge that there are responsible hunters, like me, who are committed conservationists, who do the right thing humanely and respectfully. The Greens also admit that this hunting can be attributed to committed conservationists, and it seems The Greens even support the ‘control’ (killing) of destructive feral animals. They also say their concerns revolve around hunters who do the wrong thing and the existence of the pro-gun Game Council.

My question to all my Greens affiliated buddies out there is simple: with the Game Council long gone (mission accomplished) and given that your party’s spokesperson admits that there are hunters, like me, who do the right thing, why do you sit in silence while your party attempts to destroy HuntFest?

Why is it that you are happy for your party to paint all hunters as evil purveyors of irresponsible death and carnage, and a threat to the community in order to destroy HuntFest, when your party has absolutely no evidence whatsoever to conclude that the vast majority of people who attend the event won’t be responsible hunters just like me?

Why are you silent while your party tars all hunters with the same dark brush?

I don’t hate greenies. In fact, I describe myself as a greenie; something, incidentally, I have in common with a great many hunters. But I do wonder why so many of my Greens affiliated pals are happy to have their party lie to and mislead the public about me and my hunting pals and culture, while showing the likes of Tony Abbott absolutely no mercy whatsoever when it appears he’s misleading the community.

No, I don’t even hate The Greens. But I do hate their opportunistic double standards, their deceptions and the fact that they will back a bigoted community movement that is willing to tar me and thousands like me with the most appallingly disparaging epithets, simply because we would like to enjoy a hunting and outdoors expo in Narooma.

So go for it, tell me why it’s different for your party to, on the one hand, acknowledge that there are responsible hunters like me, while on the other, claiming that the presence of HuntFest can only bring doom and tribulation to an entire community?

Is that not just as bigoted and socially irresponsible as supporting a group that stands against the building of a Mosque in Narooma, on the grounds that all Muslims are oppressors of women and suicide bombers? 

Finally, why are you happy for your party to support an initiative that has admitted, in writing, that it will not restrict itself to facts?  Way down at the bottom of the SAFE site's home page (here) the following rider appears in tiny ant-esque print:

"It is hard to know what is 'absolute truth'. For this reason, we quote our sources."  Talk about things that make ya go hmm.

Anyway, I'll get outaya way now....

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