Hello (ok, now you write something)

Well I had no idea Vice President Cheney was such the outdoorsman, but my copy of this week’s Newsweek has photos of him fishing, riding a horse… and, um, hunting.

I’m not gonna try to make any commentary or jokes or anything on the incident, but that case goes touches a number of issues that are interesting to a gun-owning journalist.

Some folks think the media as a whole is a bunch of gun-dumb, anti-hunter fools (and that's occasionally, admittedly far too correct).

Well, you may have noticed recently that The Star is making a concerted effort to seek more community input – news about events, submitted photos, guest writers….

So here's your chance for hunters and folks to jump in, share their outdoor passions and keep folks straight on some issues that matter to them.

Really, folks, we're asking, imploring, for your pen. Is there not one among you who will shoot Alan Ford (an email about this, alan_ford@link.freedom.com)?

And I’m not sure anyone can gripe about the media being a bunch of hippies if the other side won’t write in to balance things out even when invited.

From the comments on my blog recently I know there are some folks out there who know a thing or two about hunting and who aren’t shy about sharing their opinions (especially with regards to how un-right and wrong my opinions may be). Bravo! Free Speech! Let’s put you to work.

Personally, I put a post on an online gun forum a little while back asking for folks’ thoughts on the media, hunting and guns. I remember going out and covering the beginning of dove hunting season one year and one of the hunters commented that I was a rare sight – a pro-gun journalist. I dunno, I don't really think of myself as a gun advocate, I've just grown up exposed to the concept of responsible gun use for sport, sustenance and when necessary (but hopefully not, especially with my flintlock) defense....I’ve personally never been hunting, but if it’s anything like my fishing exploits, a hunting trip of mine would involve very little shooting, killing or even seeing the animals.

I fish, fish laugh.

I write.

Like Hemingway.

Though I’ll keep names and tales of specific forum responses off the record, the general flavor was that folks needed to be exposed to what they don’t know much about.

A columnist, or maybe a rotation of writers, could help do that.

And from a conservationist’s point of view, I see different sides of the same conservationist coin that could get together more often for greater effect, and a little publicity wouldn’t hurt.

I’m a member of the Audubon society. I don’t know how many gazillion members of Ducks Unlimited there are who share my concerns, but I can’t watch five minutes of a waterfowl hunting show without folks talking about preserving the environment for future generations.

We share common goals, let’s talk, you write.