Purrs 4 Peace Week 24: Announcement - Hunting for Peace not Animals

I ask people why they have deer heads on their walls. They always say because it's such a beautiful animal. There you go. I think my mother is attractive, but I have photographs of her.
-- Ellen DeGeneres

In the midst of deer season, we devote the purrs this week to ending the barbaric practice of hunting animals.

"Of all the animals, man is the only one that is cruel. He is the only one that inflicts pain for the pleasure of doing it." - Mark Twain

I understand the overpopulation argument for some hunting activities. To that I say, can we not deal with such issues without killing animals? The U.S. is one of the most technologically advanced in the world. We have some of the greatest brains on the planet. The answer to our problems doesn’t have to be killing or torturing.

I was appalled to discover that more than 100 million animals are killed during the “sport” of hunting each year. Just as shocking, is that for every animal killed two others are hurt and not recovered by the hunter. Many suffer slow and painful deaths by blood loss, infection or starvation. Others suffer permanent injury.

And what of the cost to the humans involved in this activity? There must be a price to the SOUL of a person who enjoys killing an animal. Certainly, we know that serial killers of human beings begin by practicing their cruelty on animal victims. I am not saying that all hunters will become serial killers, but there is a certain resistance within to the taking of life. When one takes the life of an animal, part of that resistance is chipped away. It is easier to take human life once a person has killed an animal. Therefore, why do any human parents think it is a good idea to train their children in such blood sport?

"Killing animals for sport, for pleasure, for adventure, and for hides and furs is a phenomena which is at once disgusting and distressing. There is no justification in indulging is such acts of brutality"

Week 24 of Purrs 4 Peace details are as follows:

• Week twenty-four’s appointed time is Sunday, November 22, 2009.
• Participants should purr for three minutes commencing at 3 p.m. EST (U.S.) which is 8:00 p.m. (20:00 hrs.) GMT in the U.K.
• The cat’s human staff should assist their cats with the project by stroking and nuzzling the cat at the appointed time.
• Please post your cat name and the country you purr in at www.confuciuscat.blogspot.com as a COMMENT if you are participating in this historic project. (posting a link to your own website-if you have one-is encouraged.) Or let me know by message on twitter or facebook.
• Posting purrs on facebook ( Acolytes of Confucius Cat or as friend to Alley Mason) and twitter (@ConfuciusCat) is encouraged, since it inspires purring in others, but not required. On twitter please use #purrs4peace in your tweets.

This week we purr to end the barbarity. We purr to sustain life. We purr for the emergence of love. We purr to spread peace.