farewell to UK foxhunting

As of midnight tonight, foxhunting with hounds will be against the law in the UK. Unfortunately, today, Thursday, February 17, the Washington Post has run a story on the front page of its style section that reads like a love-letter to the blood-sport. It is headed, "Call Off the Hounds: In England, the Time-Honored Tradition of Fox Hunting Is About to Become History." It would not be so upsetting, could even be tolerated like a generous eulogy for a violent offender we no longer need fear, if it were not printed in a country where foxhunting is still legal, in an area where it is gaining popularity. (See the Feb 10 International Herald Tribune article on the popularity of foxhunting in America: http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/02/09/news/fox.html)

You can read Frances Stead Sellers glowing article at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30837-2005Feb16.html
OR
http://tinyurl.com/58tg3

Please take a look at the article and politely (preferably without attacking the paper as papers tend not to publish harsh criticism of themselves) express your disapproval of animal cruelty as entertainment. The Washington Post takes letters at: letters [at] washpost.com and advises, "Letters must be exclusive to The Washington Post, and must include the writer's home address and home and business telephone numbers. Because of space limitations, those published are subject to abridgment. Although we are unable to acknowledge those letters we cannot publish, we appreciate the interest and value the views of those who take the time to send us their comments."

Please do not use any of my wording in your letter.

Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn

(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. If you reprint DawnWatch alerts, please do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this tag line.)