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Hunting Destroyed

To the editor:

Two state agencies, the Game Commission (PGC) and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), have conspired to destroy deer hunting in the 12-county area of northcentral Pennsylvania known as the Pennsylvania Wilds.

This includes the counties of Cameron, Potter, McKean, Elk, Clinton, Tioga, Lycoming, Clearfield, Warren, Forest, Jefferson and Clarion.

PGC and DCNR have similar goals and seek further reduction in the size of the deer herd, even to the point that all deer are effectively removed from forest regeneration areas.

A survey of business owners in the Pennsylvania Wilds shows economic hardship due to many hunters abandoning the area because of lack of deer. In the over-harvest of deer, the PGC and DCNR have killed the goose that laid the golden egg.

Hunters are not returning, hunting camps sit vacant and many have been put up for sale. When businesses are gone, people go too.

The object of Pennsylvania Wilds is to lock up the land and move people out. Our state legislature, businesses, farmers and sportsmen must come together to address this economic disaster and moral injustice.

Dr. Charles Bolgiano Unified Sportsmen of Pa.

Lancaster Buy-Nothing

Christmas

To the editor:

Perhaps you'd like to say "enough" and join a movement dedicated to reviving the original meaning of Christmas giving.

Buy Nothing Christmas is a national initiative open to everyone. It's a great way to put our faith into action, and to generate some good dinnertable discussions on economics, politics, religion, and what we're not getting each other for Christmas.

It's a golden opportunity to re-design a Christian lifestyle that is richer in meaning, smaller in impact upon the earth, and greater in giving to people less-privileged.

The modern "religion of consumer capitalism" is not all that old. Shopping malls have become like places of worship - most people are apt to spend more time in the mall around Christmas than in church.

There is no shortage of Bible passages that call us to show restraint and not hoard goods. It is difficult to justify overindulgence as our neighbors go without. The consumerism that surrounds the celebration of Jesus' birth is particularly curious when we contrast it with his teachings on possessions.

We are all going to have to buy some things. When you do, please remember principles like buying locally, fairly traded, environmentally friendly packaging, recycling or re-using.

The main aim of this campaign is not to save money (although that can be a side benefit), it is to challenge our over-consumptive lifestyle.

Many parents will find it difficult to practice a Buy Nothing Christmas. But it IS possible. You can still have a special time without buying a lot of stuff.

Giving gifts at Christmas is a good thing to do -- it's a small re-enactment of the incarnation of God's love. Gift-giving serves as a kind of social glue that keeps us together. It shows affection, thoughtfulness and love.

Here are some gift-giving suggestions:

--Create coupons for a massage, spring cleaning, child-minding, manicure, etc.

--Create culinary delights.

--Collect meaningful photos.

--Write and illustrate a book for the young people in your life.

--Videotape and interview your elderly parents about childhood memories, how they met, etc., and give to siblings or children.

--Fill a basket with homemade goodies.

--Make a mixed CD and choose songs that make you think of that person. Under each title, explain why you chose that song.

--Give away a valued possession.

--Make a calendar with pictures of family members and/or scenery.

--If you are skilled in a particular area, offer a lesson or class.

--Buy a used book and in the inside cover explain why you chose the book for that person.

Please feel free to contact our organization by email at info@buynothingchristmas.org and through the Internet at buynothingchristmas.org.

James Jessen

Warren