Editor, Times-Union: The United States once had a president referred to as Silent Cal. Indiana District 22 has its own updated version I shall refer to as Silent Curt. Silent Curt didn’t want to debate, wouldn’t answer questions posed to him via print media, and now that Silent Curt is elected, views his constituents as something of a nuisance and refuses to acknowledge correspondence. The Jan. 26 edition of the Times-Union carried a very brief accounting of a bill making its way through legislative channels involving legalizing canned hunting in Indiana. I had many questions about this bill so I had hoped Silent Curt would be conscientious enough about his new job to answer my questions. Silent Curt refused. In the interest of fairness, I also emailed the DNR and they failed to respond as well. I attempted to contact the author of this bill but his website refused me, I assume because I do not live in his district. The transparency in Indiana rivals that of Washington, D.C. The article stated that these hunting preserves must cover at least 100 acres and have fences 8 feet high and would feature farm raised deer, elk and game birds. Is that all? No minimum distances from residences and roads? How much liability insurance would the owner be required to carry in case of death or injury? What type of weapons would be allowed? Firearms, bows, rocket propelled grenades? Since these animals are farm raised, wouldn't they be partially tame? The brave hunter could walk up to an animal, drill it between the eyes and be on his merry way. The animals remaining would sense danger and run. When the brave hunter tires, would the animal be shot with a tranquilizer dart to facilitate its death? If the brave hunter does not have the intelligence, diligence or time to devote to hunting in the traditional sense, may I suggest a nice video game? If that doesn't appeal to you, how about a landmine every 20 acres just to keep things exciting and level the playing field a little? Would there be a top fence of some sort? The only birds I can think of that couldn't clear an 8-foot fence are the emu and the ostrich. How would they be killed? Would three or four 200-pound men wrestle it to the ground so the brave hunter can break its neck? Since the heads aren’t mounted, the only use would be a fancy pair of boots for the brave hunter and maybe a purse for the mistress. Since this sort of hunting is generally not done to feed a family, what happens to the meat? Is it edible since it is more than likely inbred and possibly diseased? The article further states that "a handful" of these preserves have operated without state approval. How can this be? Aren’t all businesses required to be licensed and registered to operate in Indiana? Since these businesses are agrarian in nature, are they eligible for farm subsidies or pay taxes? I’m getting really sick of carrying Indiana businesses on my back. I will close with a short poem for your consideration. Make of it what you will. Mr. Business went to church He never missed a Sunday. Mr. Business went to Hell For the things he did on Monday. Janet Collins Etna Green, via email
