stupidity_is_a_disab's Journal: Blind Hunters Topic - Response to the Ignorant and Cruel

I just read the ignorant comments regarding Blind Hunters. How stupid, uncaring and cold can people be? I can't help but be reminded of the song "How can people be so heartless, How can people be so cruel? Easy....To be proud, Easy to be cold...Easy to say no, easy to be cold..." For those that had nothing but cruel comments and jokes and those that replied with "Awe, c'mon Laugh, it's funny". I have only one thing to say. "Blindness is not particular about who it hits. It does not discriminate. Blindness happens to rich, poor, intelligent and ignorant, old, young, black, white, red, yellow, purple. It doesn't matter who you are or where you come from. Wars, accidents, diseases and many other situations can take your sight in the blink of an eye. (No pun intended). It happens every day. The war in Iraq has produced over 1,500 veterans with irreparable blindness. We see kids at the VA that come back from Iraq that are 21 years old and blinded from their sacrifice. Would those of you that think allowing a blind person the opportunity to hunt being so ridiculous tell this 21 year old that he can no longer hunt? What you that have posted such ugly comments do not know, is that the blind that want to hunt, probably hunted their whole lives until they were struck by blindness. The joy of hunting for them is the smell of the woods, the sounds of the birds and squirrels in the woods, the feel of the morning sun coming up and hitting their face. The chill of the morning hunt still excited to get that big buck, or the doe they shoot in order to put grain fed meat on the table for their family. That in itself is an awesome feeling for a blind man. He can still contribute and he is not worthless. In regards to the safety issues of giving the blind, laser sights for their guns as well as the extra double scope for their companion who assist them in the hunt and in getting an accurate clean kill. Whether you are for or against hunting, the ability of a blind or low vision hunter to hunt with dignity without the ignorant remarks like I read under the Blind Hunters subject that is now closed for future comments is purposeful. After all, how many hunters go to their lease and among other things, cheat on their wives because "the lease states wives are not allowed". Or how about the hunters that get so drunk the night before the season opens and sit around the campfire with their buddies, smoke dope and drink themselves until they pass out. Then, they get up before daylight with that "hair of the dog" in their pocket or a pocket full of joints and climb into their stands barely able to load a gun, much less sight in a deer. How dangerous are those folks? Yes, there are serious hunters that have a few beers and call it a night because they have spent a fortune all year feeding deer at their feeders, building or rebuilding their stands, spending hundreds even thousands on the perfect gun, scope, doe scent and all the other things you can buy to lure the big bucks in? That is considered okay to most hunters. Then there are those hunters that really make the sport what it is. They want a freezer full of safe lean meat and just maybe the beautiful rack of that big buck everyone has talked about for years but no one could kill. There are hunters that use bows and arrows without any type of lure to get that big buck. There are those that say that is true hunting. To each his own. Each hunter has his/her own idea of what hunting is. I admire the hunters that are smart, safe, seasoned and know the rules of hunting. And they are probably the ones that would understand the buck fever that even blinded people (men and women) get. Loss of sight does not cause loss of intelligence or desire to hunt. So, having said all of this, WHY would anyone deny a low vision or blinded person the opportunity to hunt? They always have a companion with them. They have a stand that has been set up just for them and they hunt on the lease they pay to be on. Their stands are positioned like everyone else's so that they, like everyone else will not be shooting at another deer stand or another hunter. Having said my peace, I advise all of those who hopefully now realize that they were ignorant and need to do some much needed research. A comment was made about a man going into a grocery store with his guide dog and wasn't it so darn knee-slapping funny that he was going in for grocery shopping? I believe the writer even said how hilarious it was to see the dog shopping for groceries for the blind man. HEADS UP to the idiot that wrote that. There are more tools for the blind today than have ever been available before. One of them is a hand held item that reads the SKU numbers on the can or grocery item and talks to the person telling them it is green beans on sale for 60 cents a can etc. The dog simply takes the individual into the store to guide them around those idiots that think the dog is doing the shopping. Hopefully, no one that has ever made horrible comments or ever stared at, pointed at or laughed at a blind person will ever experiences the loss of their sight. But, if they do, the truth is that there are so many non profit associations that help the blind. There are Guide Dogs for the Blind, Lighthouse for the blind, and Blinded Veterans Associations in every state in the US including Washington DC. and many more. The help is there. And the beauty is that no one will ask you if you used to be biased, an asshole or stupid in order to help you for FREE. The hard part is getting past the denial of blindness. Once denial is beaten, the world is open to you. It was not my intent to write a book on this. However, it is an issue that is near and dear to my heart. I am sighted and I volunteer with the VA specifically for the blinded veterans that lost their vision keeping America free and safe. What could you do the help a blinded veteran? Donate your time and volunteer at your local VA a few hours a week. Spend one full day in a VA Hospital, and then, when you get home, humbled and thankful, bend over and kiss your sweet rear end that God has blessed you.