BEAR members not terrorists

To the Editor: In response to the latest letter by Eric Bunk, in which he describes members of the BEAR group as terrorists, I can only say that the families of those tortured and killed by real terrorists around the world would be appalled. BEAR group members are peaceful, nonviolent activists. They were unarmed when in the woods and at the protest. At no point were they unruly with police officers, as anyone who actually witnessed the arrests at the protest can attest. Civil disobedience has a long tradition in the U.S. when people are speaking out against injustice. Were Martin Luther King, Jr., and Rosa Parks terrorists? Do we not honor these heroes in the fight against racism? Furthermore, Eric tries to paint a rosy portrait of hunters as law abiding and non-threatening. He doesn’t mention the poachers who are facing charges. He ignores the illegal baiting of bears that have been documented. He doesn’t comment on hunters using ATVs on public property, which is illegal. He glosses over hunting accidents. He also erroneously says that hunters don’t point guns at people. I have a video of a hunter pointing a gun at an activist during this year’s hunt. The woman was armed only with a video camera. BEAR group activists, especially the women, are often the target of harassment and intimidation by male hunters. Members regularly receive harassing e-mail and threatening phone calls. Why do hunters post photos of BEAR group members on their web sites? Why do they discuss them and disparage them on their message boards? Why do they take a disagreement on state wildlife policy and make it a personal attack in the newspapers? Perhaps they are trying to publicly embarrass activists and intimidate them into not speaking out. Eric, you will fail in your attempt to publicly disparage these activists because the community knows better. The BEAR group has been a public service organization since its inception in 1992. We have helped countless residents learn how to deal with bears. We have provided them with bear-resistant cans, literature, and educational presentations. Thousands have been given concrete, proven solutions to minimize bear encounters. Those who know the individuals Eric is attacking know the truth. Thomas L. Smith Highland Lakes