02-09-2004, 05:17 PM
[font "Arial"] [/font] [center][size 4]Homeland Security [/size][/center]
[size 2]In our first Practical Sportsman Foundation newsletter, I wrote an article I called Hunting, Fishing and Homeland Security where I explain why I don’t think we can afford to let the outdoors slip in popularity, even though society takes the position that hunting and fishing and the shooting sports are politically incorrect. My starting point is the idea that the value of outdoor experiences goes way beyond recreation. And if hunting, fishing and the shooting sports continue to decline, our lives will become less secure. [/size]
[size 2]It’s important to face the fact that hunting and fishing license sales have been steadily declining over the past 10 years. There’s been a ripple effect on just about every outdoor-related business. [/size]
[size 2]In the past 10 years hunting revenues have dropped 12 percent; revenues from fishing have dropped 17 percent. Sportsmen aren’t participating and they aren’t spending like they used to, and this downward spiral shows no signs of ending. What’s been perplexing is that this outdoor decline hasn’t been triggered by any particular event; nor are these declines limited just to hunting and fishing. All kinds of competitive sports, memberships in clubs, and many recreational activities have seen similar drops in participation. And where is this drop-out rate most severe? With kids. [/size]
[size 2]The youth of America has replaced doing things outdoors, with doing things indoors. They call it "virtual reality." Staying home, in their rooms, kids today are doing what sociologists call "cocooning." They’re balled up in their own little fantasy worlds of computer games, music, television and the Internet. The problem with cocooning is that "virtual reality" has replaced "real reality." Computer games don’t teach kids how to solve real-life problems, and society is going to suffer for that. [/size]
[size 2]To win the war against terror, we have to have the resolve to defend our values. Our values. How do kids learn values from computer games? [/size]
[size 2]To win the war against terror we have to have the skills to make us self-sufficient during periods of chaos. We must have the determination to persevere. But a person who "cocoons," and spends their lives in the world of computer screens with earphones over their ears -- they don’t develop these real-life skills, or real life values. [/size]
[size 2]When you look at it this way, cocooning itself is terrorizing. We call what happened on 9-11 "terrorism" because it terrifies us. But the actions of Islamic extremists aren’t traditional terrorism. Nor are they waging a traditional war over money or land or resources. What we call terrorism is actually a [/size][size 2]Religious War over cultural values, and we are the devil. We’re satan in their eyes. [/size]
[size 2]These terrorists don’t just disagree with our attitudes, they detest our beliefs. They feel it’s their god-given mission to destroy freedom of speech and freedom of religion. They don’t believe in equality for women. They look with horror and disgust at our movies, TV and radio shows, books and music -- what we do here in America, and the values we teach, shake the foundations of their religious values. They believe that their God will reward them for carrying out suicide missions to kill us. [/size]
[size 2]There’s no reasoning, no middle ground, with people who think this way. [/size]
[size 2]Even though our most important value in this country is freedom, opinion surveys have been showing that a significant number of Americans are willing to give up, to cash in some of our constitutional freedoms, under the theory that giving the government more power, and the people less power, will some how make us happier and safer. If that is true, people who live under dictatorships should be the happiest and safest of all. But American life and American values are all about the freedom of choice to do what we want, as long as it doesn’t harm other people. [/size]
[size 2]Definitely a person who is living inside an electronic cocoon, watching the boob tube and staring at a computer screen isn’t hurting anybody. But a cocooner isn’t helping anybody, either. And when it comes to homeland security, or personal protection, there’s no security in a cocoon. [/size]
[size 2]And here’s the problem: [#ff0000]government doesn’t really want us to defend ourselves[/#ff0000]. They don’t want us to " [#ff0000]take the law into our own hands.[/#ff0000]" [#ff0000]They want us to call for help![/#ff0000], and let the professionals protect us. But, dialing "911" was no protection on "9-11". [/size]
[size 2]Those heroes in the airplane over Pennsylvania possibly preventing that plane from plunging into the White House, all because some of the passengers got it together enough to take the law into their own hands. In the war against terror, that has to happen. If more people adopted the traditional values that we pick up as hunters and fishermen, our country would be more secure. [/size]
[size 2]After a terrorist attack that might shut down power, cut off water supplies and contaminate food, [/size] [ul] [li][size 2]how many "cocooners" would have the presence of mind to deal with survival? [/size][/li] [li][size 2]How many would have the skills to survive without their computers and telephones and microwave ovens? [/size][/li][/ul]
[size 2]I know cocooners can slay dragons and shoot criminals in video games, but how could they really defend their families against real live "terrorists"? [/size]
[size 2]When push comes to shove, it will be hunters, campers and shooters who will have the equipment, the knowledge, the experience, and the right attitude that will not only protect them and their families, but they’ll be prepared to lead others through the fearful times. [/size]
[size 2]But there’s a problem -- [#ff0000]the number of hunters and fishermen has been going down[/#ff0000]. [/size][size 2]We really need to turn that around, and I believe we have to do this through education. One of the missions of our Practical Sportsman Foundation is to use this TV show as a teaching tool to bring more people into the real world, and away from virtual reality. [/size]
[size 2]We believe that we can do this best through what I call "the big five outdoor activities" of hunting, fishing, camping, trapping, and the shooting sports. Nothing against competitive team sports, but organized games don’t really prepare kids for survival in the natural world. [/size]
[size 2]Golfing is fun, but don’t call a golfer for homeland defense. A golfer might master the skills of driving an electric cart, putting on a wet green, using a wedge in the sand trap, or washing his balls – but these skills aren’t very useful during an terrorist attack. A tennis pro, a homerun hitter, a 300 bowler, a skateboarder, a pool shark or a pinball wizard -- impressive skills, but nothing that puts food on the table. [/size]
[size 2]On the other hand, [#ff0000]hunters, and shooters and campers develop extremely practical skills, such as: gathering food; starting a fire; butchering and cooking wild meat; purifying water; navigating by the stars; building a shelter; keeping warm; reading the weather; knowing animal behavior; following tracks; camouflaging; first aid; setting traps; using weapons for food gathering or for self defense.[/#ff0000] [/size]
[size 2]Hunters and campers are the people who are best prepared for survival, and will be the most useful leaders when it comes to homeland defense. But how do we attract more people -- and more kids -- to these activities? By emphasizing the same thing that attracts kids to cocooning: and that is FUN. I think there are 3 main ingredients to making the outdoors fun for newcomers: one is teaching simple techniques, two is making it cool to use inexpensive equipment, and three is by teaching them the proper mental attitude. [/size]
[size 2]The attitude is really the key to fun, because fun is a perception, and it’s in your head. You’ve probably noticed that this TV show is not about selling sporting goods, or pushing products, or creating competition or pandering to politics. We’re dedicated to educating about ideas, and teaching individual values. Not everybody agrees on what our values should be, but in this article I suggest three for starters. [/size] [ol] [li][size 2]One is live and let live – don’t try to control how others find their fun, focus on your own methods of enjoyment. [/size][/li] [li][size 2]Another is that hunting and fishing for food is honorable. Historically, hunting and fishing have been like gardening -- food-gathering activities, not contests for money and prizes. [/size][/li] [li][size 2]A third value is that how you spend your time is far more important than how you spend your money. It’s true that a fly rod might cost $400; a Scent-Loc Suit $375; a new 4x4 truck can run 40 grand, but the time you spend outdoors with family and friends is priceless. [/size][/li][/ol]
[size 2]That’s my article in a nutshell. And I close with the reminder that it isn’t just the younger generation that is missing traditional values. A lot of older sportsmen seem to have lost the ability to have fun outdoors. That’s why we teach newcomers who never knew, and re-teach the old salts who have forgotten, "where the fun is." That’s the mission of the Practical Sportsman Foundation, and if we’re successful in familiarizing more people with the values and the skills that can only be learned through outdoor activities, I think America’s homeland will be more secure. That’s how I see it.[/size]
[size 2]MUSIC[/size]
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[size 2]In our first Practical Sportsman Foundation newsletter, I wrote an article I called Hunting, Fishing and Homeland Security where I explain why I don’t think we can afford to let the outdoors slip in popularity, even though society takes the position that hunting and fishing and the shooting sports are politically incorrect. My starting point is the idea that the value of outdoor experiences goes way beyond recreation. And if hunting, fishing and the shooting sports continue to decline, our lives will become less secure. [/size]
[size 2]It’s important to face the fact that hunting and fishing license sales have been steadily declining over the past 10 years. There’s been a ripple effect on just about every outdoor-related business. [/size]
[size 2]In the past 10 years hunting revenues have dropped 12 percent; revenues from fishing have dropped 17 percent. Sportsmen aren’t participating and they aren’t spending like they used to, and this downward spiral shows no signs of ending. What’s been perplexing is that this outdoor decline hasn’t been triggered by any particular event; nor are these declines limited just to hunting and fishing. All kinds of competitive sports, memberships in clubs, and many recreational activities have seen similar drops in participation. And where is this drop-out rate most severe? With kids. [/size]
[size 2]The youth of America has replaced doing things outdoors, with doing things indoors. They call it "virtual reality." Staying home, in their rooms, kids today are doing what sociologists call "cocooning." They’re balled up in their own little fantasy worlds of computer games, music, television and the Internet. The problem with cocooning is that "virtual reality" has replaced "real reality." Computer games don’t teach kids how to solve real-life problems, and society is going to suffer for that. [/size]
[size 2]To win the war against terror, we have to have the resolve to defend our values. Our values. How do kids learn values from computer games? [/size]
[size 2]To win the war against terror we have to have the skills to make us self-sufficient during periods of chaos. We must have the determination to persevere. But a person who "cocoons," and spends their lives in the world of computer screens with earphones over their ears -- they don’t develop these real-life skills, or real life values. [/size]
[size 2]When you look at it this way, cocooning itself is terrorizing. We call what happened on 9-11 "terrorism" because it terrifies us. But the actions of Islamic extremists aren’t traditional terrorism. Nor are they waging a traditional war over money or land or resources. What we call terrorism is actually a [/size][size 2]Religious War over cultural values, and we are the devil. We’re satan in their eyes. [/size]
[size 2]These terrorists don’t just disagree with our attitudes, they detest our beliefs. They feel it’s their god-given mission to destroy freedom of speech and freedom of religion. They don’t believe in equality for women. They look with horror and disgust at our movies, TV and radio shows, books and music -- what we do here in America, and the values we teach, shake the foundations of their religious values. They believe that their God will reward them for carrying out suicide missions to kill us. [/size]
[size 2]There’s no reasoning, no middle ground, with people who think this way. [/size]
[size 2]Even though our most important value in this country is freedom, opinion surveys have been showing that a significant number of Americans are willing to give up, to cash in some of our constitutional freedoms, under the theory that giving the government more power, and the people less power, will some how make us happier and safer. If that is true, people who live under dictatorships should be the happiest and safest of all. But American life and American values are all about the freedom of choice to do what we want, as long as it doesn’t harm other people. [/size]
[size 2]Definitely a person who is living inside an electronic cocoon, watching the boob tube and staring at a computer screen isn’t hurting anybody. But a cocooner isn’t helping anybody, either. And when it comes to homeland security, or personal protection, there’s no security in a cocoon. [/size]
[size 2]And here’s the problem: [#ff0000]government doesn’t really want us to defend ourselves[/#ff0000]. They don’t want us to " [#ff0000]take the law into our own hands.[/#ff0000]" [#ff0000]They want us to call for help![/#ff0000], and let the professionals protect us. But, dialing "911" was no protection on "9-11". [/size]
[size 2]Those heroes in the airplane over Pennsylvania possibly preventing that plane from plunging into the White House, all because some of the passengers got it together enough to take the law into their own hands. In the war against terror, that has to happen. If more people adopted the traditional values that we pick up as hunters and fishermen, our country would be more secure. [/size]
[size 2]After a terrorist attack that might shut down power, cut off water supplies and contaminate food, [/size] [ul] [li][size 2]how many "cocooners" would have the presence of mind to deal with survival? [/size][/li] [li][size 2]How many would have the skills to survive without their computers and telephones and microwave ovens? [/size][/li][/ul]
[size 2]I know cocooners can slay dragons and shoot criminals in video games, but how could they really defend their families against real live "terrorists"? [/size]
[size 2]When push comes to shove, it will be hunters, campers and shooters who will have the equipment, the knowledge, the experience, and the right attitude that will not only protect them and their families, but they’ll be prepared to lead others through the fearful times. [/size]
[size 2]But there’s a problem -- [#ff0000]the number of hunters and fishermen has been going down[/#ff0000]. [/size][size 2]We really need to turn that around, and I believe we have to do this through education. One of the missions of our Practical Sportsman Foundation is to use this TV show as a teaching tool to bring more people into the real world, and away from virtual reality. [/size]
[size 2]We believe that we can do this best through what I call "the big five outdoor activities" of hunting, fishing, camping, trapping, and the shooting sports. Nothing against competitive team sports, but organized games don’t really prepare kids for survival in the natural world. [/size]
[size 2]Golfing is fun, but don’t call a golfer for homeland defense. A golfer might master the skills of driving an electric cart, putting on a wet green, using a wedge in the sand trap, or washing his balls – but these skills aren’t very useful during an terrorist attack. A tennis pro, a homerun hitter, a 300 bowler, a skateboarder, a pool shark or a pinball wizard -- impressive skills, but nothing that puts food on the table. [/size]
[size 2]On the other hand, [#ff0000]hunters, and shooters and campers develop extremely practical skills, such as: gathering food; starting a fire; butchering and cooking wild meat; purifying water; navigating by the stars; building a shelter; keeping warm; reading the weather; knowing animal behavior; following tracks; camouflaging; first aid; setting traps; using weapons for food gathering or for self defense.[/#ff0000] [/size]
[size 2]Hunters and campers are the people who are best prepared for survival, and will be the most useful leaders when it comes to homeland defense. But how do we attract more people -- and more kids -- to these activities? By emphasizing the same thing that attracts kids to cocooning: and that is FUN. I think there are 3 main ingredients to making the outdoors fun for newcomers: one is teaching simple techniques, two is making it cool to use inexpensive equipment, and three is by teaching them the proper mental attitude. [/size]
[size 2]The attitude is really the key to fun, because fun is a perception, and it’s in your head. You’ve probably noticed that this TV show is not about selling sporting goods, or pushing products, or creating competition or pandering to politics. We’re dedicated to educating about ideas, and teaching individual values. Not everybody agrees on what our values should be, but in this article I suggest three for starters. [/size] [ol] [li][size 2]One is live and let live – don’t try to control how others find their fun, focus on your own methods of enjoyment. [/size][/li] [li][size 2]Another is that hunting and fishing for food is honorable. Historically, hunting and fishing have been like gardening -- food-gathering activities, not contests for money and prizes. [/size][/li] [li][size 2]A third value is that how you spend your time is far more important than how you spend your money. It’s true that a fly rod might cost $400; a Scent-Loc Suit $375; a new 4x4 truck can run 40 grand, but the time you spend outdoors with family and friends is priceless. [/size][/li][/ol]
[size 2]That’s my article in a nutshell. And I close with the reminder that it isn’t just the younger generation that is missing traditional values. A lot of older sportsmen seem to have lost the ability to have fun outdoors. That’s why we teach newcomers who never knew, and re-teach the old salts who have forgotten, "where the fun is." That’s the mission of the Practical Sportsman Foundation, and if we’re successful in familiarizing more people with the values and the skills that can only be learned through outdoor activities, I think America’s homeland will be more secure. That’s how I see it.[/size]
[size 2]MUSIC[/size]
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