Letter to the Editor

This is a copy of the letter I sent to the editor of the newspaper. It was in response to oneof several articles dealing with the question of bear trapping. Maine is the only state to still allow it. Tradition and Maine heritage are their constant hue and cry. It enrages me.

Shameful tradition

It is more than irritating to have so-called sportsmen keep referring to animal rights activists as "extremists" as if that were a dirty word. It is "extremely" cruel to kill animals, especially for sport. The basic argument seems to be that we have always done it. So what? Hundreds of thousands of traditions have been left behind to reflect the more compassionate sensibilities of modern human beings.
Don’t forget the Roman Games were once a happy way to spend an afternoon; people brought picnic lunches to public hangings; and witches were burned at the stake before a cheering crowd. The rest of the United States has grown beyond the delights of such torture. Our traditions aren’t necessarily anything to be proud of.

Eastport