Since Kat chose to characterize my view as "crap" I shall return the favor. How does all this square with your vaunted Native American beliefs? As you once posted:

03-Dec-99 - 08:47 AM

Cute, Spaw and so true!

Penny, some of the sacred objects which might be appropriate would be a feather fan, usually just 3-4 feathers with a sort of case around the base, like leather, with beadwork or some beads hanging down from it; rattles made of skin or clay (I have a wonderful one shaped like an egg with runes all over it); a staff with feathers and beads; medicine pouch (small) with personal items inside, i.e. stones, corn pollen, fetishes; how about a drum, small handheld. I've a wonderful one of those, too. Or a NA flute? At the powwos we go to, the dances usually involved shawls with long, long fringes, which are used, by the women, to accent their dancing, sometimes spread like eagles' wings along their outstretched arms.

Now.........let's see.......my hunting is terrible, but the use of animal body parts in Native American rites is OK?? My view of nature and my experience in it is "crap", but the Native American view of it (which is where I learned a great deal of my philosophy) is purer? This is exactly what I refer to as "situational ethics". The fact of the matter is that human beings are part of the whole food chain, and hunting is a completely natural thing to do. To deny that is to deny nature, a central tenet of aboriginal beliefs. It is just fine with me that some choose not to hunt, because they cannot do it for whatever reason. That is a conscious decision based on personal experience.

With regard to harpgirl's statement, I would challenge the premise it is based on. I don't believe the statement to be true. Further, if you adjust the statement by the number of guns illegally owned, it waters down the arguement even further. It just doesn't stand the scrutiny of the facts.

Mick