Welcome to the first of our weekly hunting accident roundups, wherein we bring you a sample of reported hunting incidents referred to as "accidents" in the press. It's a long one (ok, it's for just over a week).

Hunter shoots two boys inside a daycare centre (deer and daycare start with the same letter, so we can see how a hunter can get them confused)

Man has hunting accident without having to shoot at anything

Man thinks deer can walk on two legs and carry guns, shoots friend

Hunter forgets to stay in boat

Man actually charged with shooting someone in hunting incident (amazing)

Woman takes "hunting blind" literally, it seems

Hunter points rifle the wrong way (hint; point dangerous end away from you)

"Stray bullet" hits man

Hunters asked to report in to be accused of killing

Man kills toddler

Man on wanted on drug charges kills another in hunting incident

Another child killed indoors

Teen climbs fence with rifle loaded and cocked, shoots self

Hunter shoots hiker's dog (now this one has me pissed off)

Teen gets killed by boy illegally possessing rifle, family doesn't want him charged

Another duck hunting drowning (protip; learn to swim)

Man ties sling to trigger guard, shoots self, friend says it was a fluke accident

Hunter dies in vehicle

Convicted felon shoots man, says it's an accident

Hunter mistakes person on stump for bear

Another hunter points rifle the wrong way around

Hunter saves deer with head

Man mistaken for flock of birds

The best way to end poverty on the planet comprises the following steps:

1) Go vegan

Yes, it's really that easy. Why?

• Meat production uses more water than crops
• Meat production uses more land than crops
• Meat production results in more pollution and greenhouse gas production than crops (causing more expensive problems to fix)
• Meat causes diseases like cancer, heart disease, diabetes and stroke, even more expensive problems to fix
• Meat requires more energy (in production, transport and storage) than crops
• The crops fed to farm animals in the US alone could feed over a billion people directly.

The completely inefficient process of feeding perfectly good food to animals to eat much later on makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Fight poverty, fight greed, fight global warming, fight pollution; go vegan.

The RSPCA has demonstrated again that it exists solely to promote the exploitation of farmed animals by getting people to think of their pets as something better than the animal they had for dinner:

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,24412988-5006301,00.html

Some key highlights:

[QUOTE] Ms McDonald said she wanted to become president to "reform the RSPCA to do what it is supposed to do. It's supposed to get out to the public arena and advocate the abolition of cruel practices . . . factory farming, battery hens and pork production."

...

But RSPCA member and veterinarian Andrew Carter said resolutions like the one supported by Ms McDonald "would put off middle-of-the-road people and have a negative impact on membership"[/QUOTE]

And there it is in a nutshell; the RSPCA can't actually prevent cruelty as it might affect its income. If that's the case, what the hell is it for?

For another perspective on the RSPCA, try http://www.rspcawatchdog.org/

In a politically motivated display that amounts to little more than a media stunt, Japanese Police Issued arrest warrants for three Sea Shepherd Conservation Society activists on Monday.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gxu7XaDMTvQCldbgsUmYUS1w8lTg

When asked about the situation, Sea Shepherd's Captain Paul Watson said, "We are not worried about these arrest warrants because Interpol does not flag politically motivated warrants. The USA and the UK will not extradite their citizens to Japan for saving whales."

We discussed recent Japanese propaganda over the issue:

DV: A Japanese media report states that the arrest warrants issued Monday against three activists of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society are expected to curtail action against Japanese whale research ships. Do you foresee any change in SS tactics as a direct result of these warrants?

Captain Paul Watson: We intend to take a more aggressive stance this year with Operation Musashi. We are not down there protesting whaling; we are intervening against illegal whaling activities as defined by International Conservation law.

DV: The MPD is reportedly treating the alleged attacks as a criminal matter, with one senior officer describing them as "terrorist crimes." Do you recall any action by Sea Shepherd which could be classed as criminal?

Captain Paul Watson: We have not committed any terrorist crime. On the contrary we are intervening against terrorism. The Japanese whaling fleet is killing endangered whales in the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary in violation of a global moratorium on whaling. They are in violation of CITES, IWC regulations, the Antarctic treaty and Australian law for taking whales in the Australian Antarctic Territorial waters.

DV: Japanese media claim that international pressure on Sea Shepherd is getting stronger year by year. Is this your experience? Is support for Sea Shepherd growing or shrinking?

Captain Paul Watson: We are getting stronger. We grew by 25% internationally last year and 200% in Australia. We have growing support in Europe and South Africa, Brazil and the United States. Our international membership is 45,000+

DV: One Japanese media report claimed that "Sea Shepherd bases its operations in Australia, a nation opposed to commercial whaling. Despite this, Australian Federal Police in March questioned activists from the group involved in the alleged violent actions." Were any charges laid or any member of Sea Shepherd detained in Australia?

Captain Paul Watson: We have not been questioned by the Australian Federal police. The AFP did do a forensic investigation of our ship after the collision with the Kaiko Maru in February 2007 and the investigation backed our position that our ship was rammed by the whaling vessel.

More information about Operation Musashi and other Sea Shepherd campaigns can be found on the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society website, http://www.seashepherd.org/.

The Australian "Hen Welfare Advisory Group," an egg industry front to provide propaganda to assist in allaying concerns about hen welfare, proves that there is no way to use hens without cruelty. From the site's explanations of each egg production method:

Cage

• Reduced social interaction with other birds.
• Considerably less space to roam, but enough space to stand upright and stretch their wings.
• Inability to display natural behaviours like nesting and dust-bathing in most cages.
• Conventional cages do not allow hens to perch which can result in lower bone strength and increased bone breakage during removal of hens at the end of lay.

Barn

• Greater occurrence of manure-borne diseases and parasites.
• Larger flock sizes make it more difficult to identify and remove birds for treatment.
• Higher likelihood of feather-pecking, infighting and cannibalism in this system.
• Increased risk of flying into objects leading to increased bone breakage during lay.

Free Range

• Greater exposure to the elements and predators.
• Greater occurrences of manure-borne diseases and parasites.
• Larger flock sizes make it more difficult to identify and remove birds for treatment.
• Higher likelihood of feather-pecking, infighting and cannibalism.
• Increased risk of flying into objects leading to increased bone breakage during lay.

The industry's own propaganda can't describe a way to use animals without cruelty, because there is no such thing.

A new online shop is raising funds for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society by selling products that set out in print what we've all known for years; Paul Watson is phoquing awesome!

http://www.cafepress.com/watsonrocks

If you're wondering where the spelling came from, it's a play on the French for "seal" as used in a shirt originally sent to Captain Watson by the seal clubbing Neanderthals themselves:

http://www.seashepherd.org/editorials/editorial_080505_1.html

The new shop, created and run by a Paul Watson fan, is a direct response to the sealers' attempt at humour and all proceeds go directly to Sea Shepherd. More designs are planned for the future.

174 horses have died since last March in horse racing in the UK:

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/racing/
mckelvey-is-174th-horse-to-die-in-a-race-in-just-one-year-805235.html (URL wrap warning)

[QUOTE]The RSPCA said the race had been made safer following negotiations with the racing authorities.[/QUOTE]

The races would be a lot safer for the horses if they didn't happen.

Axes and rocks were the weapons of choice for fishermen who attacked the Sea Shepherd crew aboard the Farley Mowat while in dock:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2008/04/04/stpierre-watson.html

A classic comment:

[QUOTE]"We cut the rope and let the boat go.... If they want to come back I tell you this time there's going to be some violence, 'cause we won't let him back in the harbour. No way."[/QUOTE]

All this while police stood and did nothing. This all proves that the police are all part of the same violent animal exploiting extremist system that needs to be completely overthrown if the planet is to survive.

The Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker CCGS Des Groseilliers twice rammed the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ship Farley Mowat today:

http://www.seashepherd.org/news/media_080330_2.html

[QUOTE]

"I'm beginning to wonder if anyone on the bridge of the Groseilliers has a license to command a ship," said Captain Alex Cornelissen. "The incompetence of the Coast Guard has already cost the lives of four sealers this week-end and now they are ramming ships in dangerous ice conditions. This is unbelievable. It's like the Coast Guard has declared war on seal defenders and the sealers are collateral damage."

[/QUOTE]

That says it all.

In a new low, Japanese whalers have shot Captain Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/03/07/2183690.htm

So far the Japanese have:

• Killed whales for commercial profit in a whale sanctuary illegally
• Endangered the environment by refueling ships in the sanctuary illegally
• Detained Sea Shepherd crew members illegally
• Brought firearms in the Antarctic treaty zone illegally and
• Shot Sea Shepherd crew members illegally

Do they need to start detonating nuclear weapons in the antarctic before anyone other than the Sea Shepherds will act?

Proving that the Australian Customs ship Oceanic Viking is in the area to assist the whalers to murder whales in peace and nothing more, it helped the whaling fleet by deliberately leading the Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin in the wrong direction:

http://www.seashepherd.org/news/media_080118_2.html

This sickening behaviour is a direct betrayal of the whales, the Australian public and of everyone one the planet who relies on Sea Shepherd to stop the killing.