I became acquainted with Bob long before the WWW ...he was a software developer who produced good products, reasonably priced. I still have all my domains at GoDaddy, although I'm thinking seriously of moving them.

I quite reading Bob's otherwise excellent blog because he used it as a pulpit to preach about is political views. I don't feel a business-oriented blog is appropriate for political evangelism.

I don't feel hunting elephants, is appropriate, either ... I'm dismayed that Botswana or any other country would even allow it ... money talks, I guess ... but if Bob choses to do this it is absolutely idiotic to broadcast it on a blog.

It's as if he's thumbing his nose at the world, proclaiming, look how freakin' rich _I_ am, I can do _anything_. One is entitled to do as they wish, within the bounds of the law ... but there are certain things it's a lot better not to "trumpet" about.

did you read Parson's comment to the person who asked why he had a rifle?
http://www.bobparsons.com/index.php?/archives/149-SuperBowlSitItOut.html?serendipity[searchTerm]=hunting#c20447
I wonder if someone shot him, he'd find a way to make that a win/win. And he is wrong about the older bulls along with everything else. The older bulls are the ones with the strongest genes. This is misinformation from a man who must enjoy killing for the sake of killing.

Dear Rogelio,

Why did we have rifles?

We were hunting. In fact it's almost entirely due to hunters that big game in Africa — and many other places — is on the rebound and has returned to levels greater than during the early 1900's.

Two things have decimated the wildlife. First the encroachment of man due to using land for farming and habitation. Second but equally as devastating is poaching. Poachers take everything and leave nothing but destruction in their wake. The animal population in Kenya was pretty much obliterated by poaching — after hunting was banned. No incentive to stop the poaching.

Hunters have worked with governments and established hunting concessions that are protected and reserved for limited hunting. For example the concession I hunted was over 400,000 acres in size with an Elephant population well over one thousand. Yet the concession is only allow to take 6 old elephant bulls per year. Taking the old bulls has literally no impact on the population — in fact it helps it, as the males initiate mating and once an older bull is gone younger more aggressive males are only too glad to step up to the task.

Hunters pay significant fees to local operators and bring much needed foreign currency to the local economies. Also each animal taken requires a large trophy fee payable to the government. In return the government provides game scouts that make sure the quota limits are strictly enforced. Both the operators, locals and governments keep poachers in check.

So you see because of the hunting everybody — especially the animals in. And that my friend is why I had a rifle.

Appreciate your post,

Bob