In the News: Update

Last week I mentioned a hunting accident involving a father shooting and killing his eight year old son. Since then, a few developments have surfaced that I feel are worth discussing. For those of you interested, this is the article that ran in the Minneapolis Star Tribune two and a half weeks ago and this is the most recent article released this morning.

According to the new release, the Belle Plain man had been trespassing on another's land, hunting without a valid licence and on top of that, the man had blood alcohol content of .05 three hours after the incident(which extrapolates to a .08 at the time of the accident) and tested positive for marijuana. Now I agree that just having marijuana in one's system does not necessarily mean the individual is under the influence of the drug; as I understand it can stay in the human system for weeks after consumption. I also understand that .08 is technically the legal limit and that many people are fully functional at this level. The multiple cases of beer found in his truck attest to the fact that this man could probably handle his liquor. However, I am still boggled by the irresponsibility of this man and can only see how this will continue to tarnish the reputation of hunters everywhere.

My father is a NRA Hunter's Safety instructor and one of the first and foremost rules stressed in the class is to be sure of your target and what is beyond. But when the man introduced drugs and alcohol into the situation, he stepped over the line even further. Did the alcohol affect his judgement? We may never know, but it does make the situation more bothersome. Yes, getting a case of beer for a weekend of hunting is tradition, that's why Miller produces blaze orange cans of High Life during deer season, but as it reads down the side of the case, those brews are "for after the hunt." I don't have children, but someday I will. The fact that this man was trespassing on other's property with a gun in his hands and alcohol in his system will make me think twice about sending them out in the back yard without a blaze orange jumper, possibly made of Kevlar.

In other news, a Wisconsin woman has been charged with child abuse for firing a BB gun at her 8 year old daughter. The projectile allegedly hitting the girl in the leg then ricocheted and hit the woman's 7 year old son. Apparently, the woman had been drinking with her boyfriend when he bet her a dollar that she would not fire the weapon upon the child. Brilliant.

Rush Limbaugh, in his infinite wisdom, has begun deploying guerrilla tactics in the '08 Presidential elections by sabotaging the Democratic Primaries in North Carolina and Indiana today. By calling on all Republicans to vote for Sen. Clinton in these contests, he believes he will continue to cause injury to Obama(who he expects to win the Democratic nomination) and his campaign come November.

And that's the news. Stay classy San Diego.