You put forward a fair and well reasoned argument Raedwulf, and while I don't agree I defend your right to hold that viewpoint. In the same way I defend the rights of foxhunters to continue their activities even though I don't, and wouldn't, join them in their headlong rush around the hedges and ditches. You use the analogy of kicking a dog to death in 10 minutes, and no fox goes through anything like that degree of torture so it is not a valid comparison. We tend to fall into the trap of anthropomorphising animals, I do it my self, but truthfully we do not know what they feel.
The class prejudice thing does exist though, as said previously it is some anti hunt people's prime motivation, and as you rightly say it clouds the issue. I did try to avoid it but it kept being brought into the discussion.
Giok