War plan of the GLOBAL ANTI-HUNTING COALITION - 2 of 3

War Plan of the GLOBAL ANTI-HUNTING COALITION (GAHC) 2011/2012 - Part 2 of 3

Part 2: The Great Equalizer and Level Playing Field for Anti-Hunters



(Anthony Marr, founder and president of the Global Anti-Hunting Coalition)

Part 1 has shown how the nonhunting and antihunting general public has been effectively silenced by the hunting and prohunting power elite. It is the small minority ruling over the greater majority. The standard methods of opposing, including letter-writing, petitioning, leafleting, protesting, speaking and demonstrating, have all proven ineffective and futile.

Over the years and the 7 long tours thus far, I have seen and participated in dozens of grassroots battles where local anti-hunting groups are pitted against prohunting local governments. With nary an exception, for the reasons given in Part 1, the anti-hunting groups have always lost. This has motivated me to form the Global Anti-Hunting Coalition, so that the member grassroots groups could come to each other's aid, and when one grassroots group is being bullied by a local government, we could bring the weight of the entire coalition to bear.

But still, a thousand BB guns cannot win over a single 50-calibre, and uphill if not up-cliff battles are often doomed from the start. Even a global anti-hunting coalition with hundreds of membership groups will need adequate weapons and a level playing field - in short, an equalizer. And the greatest equalizer of all is what this Part-2 is about.







Let me start by presenting to you a few excerpts from the 200+ newspaper articles generated from an old campaign of mine in which this great equalizer is employed.



Help our Grizzlies; stop hunting them
1996-05-07
The Vancouver Sun
by Nicholas Read

... Anthony Marr says that all sport hunting should be abolished...

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Chinese Canadian launching province-wide anti-bear-hurting referendum
1996-05-08
Ming Pao Daily News (Chinese), Vancouver
by Eric Chan

... Anthony Marr considers killing of bears for entertainment or profit a "barbaric practice"...

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Referendum road tour aims to stop bear hunting
1996-06-05
The Westerly News, Tofino, BC

... "We are convinced that if something is not done now, the bears in BC will go the same way as the elephant's and tiger's and rhino's paths towards extinction," said Anthony Marr. "The subject of this road tour is to halt this downward spiral."...

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Wildlife group campaigns for referendum to ban bear hunting
1996-06-08
Nanaimo Daily Free Press
by Paul Walton

... Marr believes that when poaching is included, about 10% of all bears in BC are killed annually... Marr said that the purpose of this wildlife road tour is to set up the infrastructure for a referendum vote on banning bear hunting...


(Anthony Marr's silver Mazda MX6 used in the anti-hunting road tour - chased by hunter truck after the June 14 event)

[Bear hunters confront bare-faced petition to put them into permanent hibernation]
June 14, 1996
Alberni Valley Times
by Diane Morrison

Bears, whether Black, Brown, Grizzly or Polar, are not endangered species in North America. Anthony Marr wants to keep it that way.

The campaigner for Western Canada Wilderness Committee was in Port Alberni Thursday night with his effort to ban sport and trophy hunting of Grizzly and Black bears.

It was a very hard sell to the audience of about 70 dominated by hunters and hunting guides that packed into a into small, hot room at the Friendship Centre, made even hotter by the temper flaring up from wall to wall.

The hunters say they are the endangered species. They wanted the distinction between legal hunting and poaching to be clearly recognized. “Go ask the bears, to see if they can,” said Marr. He also said that some hunters and guides make this impossible, because they are themselves poachers.

Marr believes that, with both legal hunting, poaching and conservation officer kills, about 8% of the Grizzly bear population and more than 10% of the Black bear population are being killed each year. He said the province’s Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy clearly states that the species can sustain no more than a 4% annual mortality before going into decline, and even this, according to Marr, is too high.

Members of the audience disputed Marr’s numbers saying that, on Vancouver Island at least, the Black bear population has been increasing by 15% for the last 10 years. Marr countered that the Black bear populations on southern Vancouver Island, and some in Mid-Island, have been decimated in various locales, citing the Cowichan Lake area as an example, and challenged the hunters to produce written documentation to support their claim, which they did not.

A number of people asked why Marr’s main thrust was to shut down legal hunting when the problem is poaching. Marr replied that both in combination is the problem, and that he has another sub-campaign targeting poachers and traffickers of bear parts. A Chinese Canadian, Marr has taken on both Canadian hunters and the Chinese demand for the body parts of these animals.

After about an hour of cross firing, WCWC campaign assistant Erica Denison finally stood up and said that until poaching can be brought under control, they want to buy time for the bears to recover. One of the hunters pointed at her and said, “Young lady, you are not old enough to teach us anything. Sit down!” Marr pointed at a middle-aged woman in the audience who had been quite outspoken in favour of hunting, saying, “I’ve been listening to this young lady for the last hour. Erica, please continue.”

Marr needs to get hunters on his side, the woman hunter said, not slam them, because hunters also want to stop poaching.

Some audience members said it is organizations such as WCWC, advertising the fact that bear parts are worth so much on the black market, that is increasing poaching. Marr scoffed at this as an “ostrich attitude”.

They objected to being told that they can’t legally hunt bears, but bears that get into garbage and smash bee hives can be killed for being a nuisance. Marr said, “The bears you kill are not nuisance bears, and that killing nuisance bears is not your job.”

When shown a picture of a bear shut in a small cage with a tube leading out from its gall bladder to extract bile, one man said that countries that treat animals like that are not democratic and so they have no conscience. Marr countered that lots of capitalists have no conscience either.

Another man was convinced that if WCWC is successful in shutting down bear hunting, it will try to shut down all hunting. Marr said, “If another hunted species becomes threatened or endangered, I would champion its cause as well.”

Back to poaching, Marr said that when an animal such as the tiger and the rhino is declared endangered, the demand and price, and so the poaching, skyrocket, hastening its slide into oblivion. “It is a very vicious cycle, and the purpose of this campaign is to try to keep our own bears out of it.”

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Bear Referendum meeting Friday
1996-06-15
The News, Parksville/Qualicumby
Chris Beacom

Anthony Marr is visiting every town in the province to drum up support for an initiative petition urging the government to hold a referendum on outlawing bear huntin. / "We've had tremendous support on the island so far," Marr said, adding that 10% of all registered voters must sign the petition for a referendum to be held...

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Easy to bag. Let's vote on bear hunting
1996-06-18
Nanaimo Times
by Kim Goldberg

In the biggest and boldest campaign of its ecophilic history, the Western Canada Wilderness Committee has launched a referendum initiative which, if successful, could ban all sport and trophy hunting of bears in BC...

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Crusader wants everyone to vote on the future of bear-hunting
1996-06-18
Times Colonist, Victoria, BC
by Malcolm Curtis

... "It's going to be difficult up north and in places like the Chilcotin, but in the urban areas we see no problem," Marr said Monday. An Angus Reid poll last year showed that 78% of British Columbians oppose sport and trophy hunting of bears. Marr will give a presentation at the University of Victoria on Thursday night at the Begbie Building, Room 159, starting at 7 p.m.. Admission is free.



Anti-hunting referendum proposal generates debate
1996-06-19
The Paper, Parksville/Qualicum
by Valerie Baker

... Marr was at the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre. He is on an eight-week province-wide road tour of British Columbia's 75 electoral districts...

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Bear hunters shoot back
1996-06-20
Times Colonist, Victoria, BC
by Malcolm Curtis

Bear hunters are in a growlly mood over an environmental group's bid to force a public vote on their sport. / "That's just garbage," Saanich hunter Terry Anderson said Wednesday, responding to a Times Colonist report about Anthony Marr's referendum drive. "Your newspaper did not do justice to the cause of ethical hunters. / Marr, meanwhile, is holding a meeting tonight at U.Vic.'s Begbie Building, Room 159, to promote his campaign.

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The Prince George Citizen
by Gordon Hoekstra
July 4, 1996

[Fur flies at meeting to ban bear hunts]
It was barely civil and sometimes downright ugly. In the end, it took a representative of the Western Canada Wilderness Committee close to two hours to deliver a plea for help to ban bear hunting in BC. Anthony Marr was interrupted, shouted down, and generally abused by hunters in an audience of more than 100 that spilled out of the conference room at the Civic Centre Thursday evening... Marr had barely begun before he was attacked...

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The Daily News, Kamloops, BC
by Michelle Young
July 9, 1996

[Activist pleads for bear-hunt ban]
With calm and respect, Anthony Marr faced rapid-fire questioning from hunters and threw back a plea for them to stop hunting bears...

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WCWC wants bear hunting banned
1996-07-09
Echo/Pioneer, Chetwynd, BC
by Rick Davison

... It will be a tough fight, particularly in these parts, but Anthony Marr of the WCWC is determined to stop the killing of bears in BC. His stand won him the admiration of some and the scorn of others...

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Environmentalists and hunters lock horns
1996-07-10
Kamloops This Week
by Michelle Daubney

... Marr likened letting hunters manage wildlife to "giving our babies to a known child abuser"...

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Bid to end bear hunting to proceed
1996-07-13
The Globe and Mail, Ontario

... The WCWC has cleared another hurdle in its bid to end sport and trophy hunting of bears in BC. Chief Electoral Officer Robert Patterson has announced that approval in principle has been given to the group's initiative petition. The 90-day campaign is set to begin September 9...

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Ban bear-hunt petition set
1996-07-13
Times Colonist, Victoria, BC
Canadian Press

... At least 10% of registered voters in each of BC's 75 electoral districts must sign up during the period. If successful, the anti-bear-hunting petition would be submitted to the BC legislature to consider a new law or call a province-wide referendum on the issue...

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Impossible to get issue to a vote
1996-07-13
The Daily News, Kamloops, BC
by Mel Rothenburger

Nobody ever promised democracy would be easy. Anthony Marr, who grew up in Hong Kong, is learning all about that in Canada. Aside from the cogency of his argument, what struck me most about his objective is the near-impossibility of success. / The hurdles are staggering. Marr and WCWC simply won't be able to get it to a provincial vote...

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Ursine good fortune on Denman
1996-07-19
Comox Valley Echo, Courtenay, BC
by D. Radmore

On the evening of June 16, WCWC campaign director Anthony Marr shared an enlightening audio-visual presentation in the Denman Hall. In Port Alberni, just before his Denman engagement, a room full of hunting advocates showed up to disrupt Marr's presentation...

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Sportsmen should take bid to ban bear-hunting seriously
1996-07-19
Alberni Valley Times, Port Alberni, BC
by N.E. Hannaford

... One suspects that the urban perspective which predominates in the Wilderness Committee... the successful passing of a law to ban bear hunting might well be followed by similar measures aimed at other species...

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WCWC loaded for bear - Petition drive launched
1996-07-24
Capital News, Kelowna, BC
by Jean Russell

... about 15 prohunters turned out at the meeting in Kelowna on Friday. Don Guild, secretary-treasurer of the Okanagan branch of WCWC, said Monday the hunting supporters made it difficult to make progress. "They tried to dispute Marr's figures before he even gave them."...

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Seeks local support for bear referendum
1996-07-31
The Salmon Arm Observer
by Gordon Priestman

Anthony Marr brought his one-man crusade to Salmon Arm Thursday night. In what seems close to Mission Impossible, Marr has been touring the province since the beginning of June, hold at least one meeting a day and often more, seven days a week. Along the way he's run into a lot of opposition from organized hunter groups. But that doesn't deter Marr. He believes in what he's doing...

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When the bear hunt season opens, whose cry will be the loudest?
1996-08
Sing Tao - Weekend Magazine (Chinese), global

WCWC campaign director Anthony Marr spent June and July visiting over 40 cities and towns to publicize the initiative. He was interviewed by newspapers more than 150 times, and by TV and radio more than a dozen times. Along his route, he also signed up more than 1,800 volunteers...

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BC referendum to stop bear killing for trophy and sport
1996-08
EcoNews, Victoria, BC
by Guy Dauncy

This coming September, WCWC will be launching a 90 day campaign to collect signatures from 10% of the registered voters in every constituency in BC. WCWC is looking for 50 canvassers in each of BC's 75 electoral districts, to collect signatures. To be a canvasser, you must be a registered BC voter, have lived in BC for the last 6 months, and must witness each signature collected. If you want to be a canvasser...

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Save the bears
1996-08
The Daily News, Kamloops, BC
by Eleanor Kohnert

Anthony Marr from the WCWC is not alone. Organizations and an ever-growing number of individuals are supporting his endeavour. However, a huge hunting, guiding and gun lobby will use all the firepower in their possession to defeat the proposal... Even if WCWC's efforts fail, the issue will be moved into the political arena...

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Hunters target Marr
1996-08
The Georgia Straight, Vancouver, BC

During a recent province-wide tour, WCWC wildlife campaigner Anthony Marr discovered how difficult it will be to achieve a ban on bear hunting. In public meetings to promote holding a vote on the issue, he was usually hounded by dozens of angry hunters who tried to intimidate him. "In Port Alberni, 60 of them showed up, and there were only five environmentalists," Marr said. "They are organized and they are hostile, and when they show up, it's 10 to one - ten of them to one of us." / Marr will speak about this issue on Thursday (August 8) at the H.R. MacMillan Planetarium at 7:30 p.m.- and he expects to see angry hunters in the audience. "I've long since enjoyed confronting them."...

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Activist angers hunters with campaign to outlaw bear hunt through referendum
1996-08-02
The Vancouver Sun
by Larry Pynn

Anthony Marr is on almost every hunter's hit list for his efforts to get bear hunting banned in BC. Marr has just completed a seven-week-tour of more than 50 BC communities. It hasn't been easy for Marr, who has been dogged by hunters equally determined to kill his campaign before it gets off the ground. / "I know some gung fu, but I can take on only one unarmed hunter at a time," he says with a smile.

"Deep down inside, it's a moral issue," says Marr, who estimates that at least 90 per cent of hunters shoot bears for the trophy and that 65 per cent actually come from urban areas. "It's immoral to kill for entertainment. And abominable that adult teach their children to kill for fun"...

The (hunting organization)BC Wildlife Federation has set aside $40,000 so far to counter the environmentalists. The hunter lobby will place ads, and attempt to shadow petition canvassers as they make their way door to door...

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Caught At Cultural Crossroads
1996-08-17
The Vancouver Sun
Westcoast People section
by Mia Stainsby

Chinese-Canadian environmentalist upsets some Asians and Caucasians alike as he fights against the use of animal parts in Chinese medicines, as well as Western-style trophy hunting.... / Anthony Marr, the man who's threatening to take all the fun out of bear hunting... is in a show down with hunters, who aren't taking too kindly to his quest... The winding path that brought him to this juncture appeared before him unexpectedly. / In truth, Marr would rather be with his �baby�, a book over 800 pages long, called [OMNI-SCIENCE - A New Cosmology], which he began writing in 1978. So, what is he doing in conflict over bear hunting, after spending decades writing about cosmic harmony? On a recent tour of 40 BC interior communities, he faced roomsful of angry hunters and has a fistful of press clippings about the dust-ups. On the other hand, he also found supporters in these communities...



Bear-hunt opponents seek referendum
1996-09-09
The Province, Vancouver, BC
by John Bermingham

... "The deadliest enemy is not the hunters, but the apathy of the silent majority," said Marr...

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All in favour of saving bear, vote yes - BC tests referendum law
1996-09-09
The Globe and Mail, national
by Craig McInnes

... the critics say the hurdles set by the law render hollow the promise that people will be able to take matters into their own hands if politicians refuse to act as citizens believe they should...

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Anti-bear hunt petition launched
1996-09-10
Sing Tao Daily (Chinese), international

... Ma Seeu Sung urges the Chinese community to stand up and speak out...

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Battle for the bear commences
1996-09-10
Ming Pao (Chinese), international

... Hunter Med Crotteau rebukes Ma's campaign as being insulting to the Chinese community...

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Bear crusader says pro-hunting side well organized
1996-09-17
The Daily News, Kamloops, BC
by Michelle Young

Anti-bear-hunt crusader Anthony Marr says he wasn't surprised by the response of callers to his appearance on a Kamloops radio talk-show Monday morning. / Anthony Marr of the WCWC said the show, hosted by Daily News editor Met Rothenburger on JC-55, drew 19 callers in favour of the hunt, 5 against. / The pro-hunting side is well organized and plugged up phone lines, he said about his appearance against BC Wildlife Federation president John Holdstock. "The 5 versus 19 call-ins illustrates that the silent majority is still silent," he said...

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Bear-hunt ban campaign strains ties between wilderness allies
1996-09-18
The Daily News, Kamloops, BC
by Michelle Young

... BC Wildlife Federation president John Holdstock said the WCWC's effort has already upset his group's members. / "I've never seen our membership so angry," he said. "An initiative like this goes to the core of what we do and what we believe in. Anthony Marr has been trying to sell it as an anti-poaching issue. It�s a pro-poaching issue."...

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BC Wildlife Federation forced to apologize for accusing WCWC of terror tactics
1996-09-25
The Vancouver Sun
by Larry Pynn

The BC Wildlife Federation has pulled the fall issue of its magazine off newsstand shelves because it contains defamatory statements against the WCWC.

As well, in ads appearing in The Vancouver Sun and Province newspapers, the federation makes a public apology for describing the environmental group, which prides itself on adopting legal tactics, as terrorists. In his editorial, (BCWF executive director Doug) Walker likened the WCWC to "terrorists groups who threaten human lives, burn houses, send razor blades in the mail or kill family pets to get attention."

Wilderness Committee director Paul George said in an interview the recall of the magazines and the apology in the Vancouver dailies is only a first step. The Federation must also apologize in smaller papers throughout the province and agree to pay all the Committee's legal costs in launching the BC Supreme Court libel suit against the Federation, Walker and president John Holdstock...

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Ban bear hunting
1996-09-26
Terminal City, Vancouver, BC
by Paul Johnson

One of BC's foremost environmental organizations has discovered just how difficult the process surrounding citizens' referendum can be. / "The rules are just about unworkable," says WCWC's Anthony Marr. Their first problem is that referendum rules stipulate that there can be only one proponent for a referendum, but an unlimited number of opponents. "In this case," Marr says, "it's WCWC against 107 parties: 69 organizations and 38 individuals." / WCWC is also bogged down in the mechanics of the process. Marr points out that while referendums are common in many American states, "in BC things are so tough that no one has been successful in organizing a referendum."...

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Hunted down by the law
1996-10-07
Macleans Magazine, national

It was a case of ready, fire, aim for the BC Wildlife Federation, a group representing hunters in BC. With 25,000 copies of the September/October issue of its magazine, Outdoor Edge, already delivered to their BC members, the BC group had to abruptly cancel the remainder of its distribution, pull 60 copies from store shelves, and print a public apology in Vancouver newspapers last week...

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Peace River Regional District takes a stand against ban on bear hunting
1996-10-08
The Northerner, Fort St. John, BC
by J. Richards

... The BC Wildlife Federation is mounting its own campaign to counter WCWC's. Doug Walker, executive director of BCWF, rallied members in his column in Outdoor Edge magazine. The Federation is hoping to raise $500,000 for radio and TV air time and newspaper space in order to overshadow the referendum drive. Walker is asking members to donate about $25 each to help with the cause. "I think we can all give up one box of shells or a tank of gas to preserve our hunting heritage," he wrote... / Marr is stuck in a very hard place. If he only demands higher penalties and more protection for animals against poachers, he has hunters on his side, but as soon as he turns around and addresses the other side, he is met with complete opposition. / "Hunters go for the head and hide and poachers go for the gall and paws; they are all after bear parts," Marr said...

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Bear Crusader takes man on the speaking tour from hell
1996-10-12
The News, Parksville, BC
by Bruce Whitehead

No matter how open-minded you are, you likely wouldn't pick Anthony Marr out to be an environmental activist - let alone one that some have called "the most hated man in BC". / But the Chinese-Canadian physicist has almost single-handedly managed to fire up emotions in every corner of the province."...



Anti-hunt activists face uphill battle for vote
1996-10-15
Times Colonist, Victoria, BC
by Malcolm Curtis

In areas where hunting is as common as walking the dog, canvassing for signatures is not for the weak-hearted... In a 12,000-km road trip to promote the referendum last summer, Marr often found himself confronting hallsful of angry hunters. / 50 volunteers are already signed up in the Capital Region... They have to be registered with the provincial government in a time-consuming process that involves 5 mailings...

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The Ban Bear Hunting Initiative, an exercise in democracy
1996-10
Crawford Bay, BC
by Susan Hulland

... This initiative is part of a larger global process called the BET'R (Bear, Elephant, Tiger, Rhino) Campaign. Launched in 1995 and founded by an Asian named Anthony Marr. /

The really interesting thing about this initiative is that there's more at stake here than first meets the eye. Some hunters believe this is the first step in the total ban on all hunting.

Understandably, the big guns will be coming out of the bushes representing all sides of the issue. Also, the gallery is filling up quickly with interested parties who stand to lose or gain in some way depending on the final result.

Hunters and hunting support groups such as guides, outfitters and taxidermists are lining up on one side with lots of ranchers and pro-gun lobbyists. Supporters of the hunting ban are being joined by numerous scientists concerned for species diversity, animal rights proponents, and pacifists of all kinds.

You can be darned sure the bad guys are watching, too. Irrespective of the final outcome..., heightened public awareness about bear hunting issues will affect their way of doing business. This will reverberate throughout the community of those who prosper from both the legal and illegal killing of bears, from our local community poachers to the sophisticated international criminals who deal in the animals parts commodities market.

You can also be sure the politicians are watching this process. And also lots of other public advocacy groups.

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Victim of bear attack back campaign to end hunting
1996-10-16
The Vancouver Sun
by Larry Pynn

Chilliwack - Just two months after he was mauled while camping, Jackson Brown would seem an unlikely person to sign a petition against bear hunting. But Brown says he holds no grudge against bears...

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Shooting to ban bear hunting
1996-10-18
The Trail Times
by Lana Rodlie

Anthony Marr knows his chances of getting a provincial referendum on banning bear hunting is about as probable as a snowflake's chance on a hotplate, but he's trudging along getting signatures anyway. "Every observer says we can't do it," Marr said. / While touring the province, he has been scorned, yelled at, intimidated, threatened and slandered. In Penticton, 50 hunters showed up to disrupt a meeting. More hunters overran a similar meeting in Prince George and in Kamloops. In Campbell River, he was told by one hunter that he saw Marr on TV, and the price on Marr's head "just went up $10,000", and another cited Marr's Chinese Canadian heritage as "doing damage to our culture". In Port Alberni, 60 hunters...

Marr doesn't care if he is up against insurmountable odds, he still hopes to get his message out. One of the most frequently asked questions by hunters is why they are being persecuted when the real culprits are poachers. Marr said that they are both culprits, and "the difference between a hunter and a poacher is irrelevant if you're a bear."

When told that hunters could help by watching for poachers, Marr said that was like "wolves keeping coyotes from sheep."

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Bear opponents hunting for Peninsula support
1996-10-23
Peninsula News Review, Saanich, BC
by Brian Dryden

... One of the canvassers in Sidney set up tables in front of local grocery stores to give the campaign high visibility...

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Group bears legislative flaws
1996-10-24
Summerland Review, Summerland, BC

... numerous legal obstacles... In each riding a different set of petition is used. If signatures in even one riding are less than 10% of eligible voters, the whole petition becomes invalid. Another obstacle is that the petition must be completed by Dec. 9, or 90 days after it was started...

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Petition booth axed after threats to mall
1996-11-04
The Trail Times
by Lana Rodlie

... The problem stemmed from a visit to Trail several weeks ago by Anthony Marr. Although Marr said he was scorned, yelled at, intimidated, threatened and slandered in other parts of the province, no one thought such tactics would be used here. Unfortunately, for John and Rachel Kratky, intimidation raised its ugly head after Marr left. The Kratkys volunteered to help Marr's cause by locally obtaining signatures. They approached Waneta Plaza and asked if they could set up a table in the mall. The mall manager saw no problem and said it was alright. However, the decision was quickly reversed.

"We were told that we couldn't set up because the mall had received a bunch of phone calls from people threatening to picket," said Rachel Kratky.

Waneta Plaza manager Linda MacDermid confirms. MacDermid said this is the first time anyone has ever called with threats over a proposed petition campaign or anything else.

"We've always had all sorts of groups with petitions. Even when we had Pro-Choice people, we've never had any calls."

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Bear hunt opponents bring the campaign here
1996-11-12
The Citizen, Prince George, BC
by Gordon Hoekstra

The WCWC is sending a swat team to Prince George in a last ditch effort. Expected to arrive this Friday for a three-day stay, the team is to roll into town with a caravan of two or three vehicles, at least one of them highly decorated with banners, and set up shop, said bear protection campaign manager Anthony Marr from Vancouver. This summer, prior to the launch of the 90-day petition campaign, Marr received a less than warm reception from hunters at an information session here.

Marr said he expects it will get even hotter this time. "We're in the home stretch, and we're fighting."

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Malls turn away bear hunt opponents
1996-11-13
The Citizen, Prince George, BC
by Gordon Hoekstra

Unable to get permission to set up their ban-bear-hunting petition drive at any of the malls here, a Lower Mainland preservation group will try to gather signatures near the Civic Centre starting Friday.

In general, the malls told him that they didn't want to alienate anyone, Anthony Marr said Tuesday. Marr believes many more people would have become bear petition canvassers in rural areas, but they've been intimidated by a strong counter reaction to the ban-bear-hunting campaign, especially in the Central Interior.

But he added, "We've got a job to do. We are the champions and we're going to fight to the end."



City won't block bear banners from polling stations
1996-11-14
The Free Press, Prince George, BC
by David Plug

... A mobile campaign by the WCWC sets up shop in downtown Prince George tonight, and organizer Anthony Marr says local polling stations will be key sites for their petition for a referendum on bear hunting.

While municipal campaigners won't be allowed within 100 meters of the polls, no such restriction applies to the WCWC canvassers.

"There's nothing in the Municipal Act that prohibits it as long as they're not interfering with the election process or campaigning for a candidate," says Joni Heinrich, Prince George's deputy city clerk.

Of some concern is how heated encounters between canvassers and hunters will become. When asked if he expected some sort of fireworks when canvassers and hunters meet face-to-face, Marr replied, "No doubt, but we are willing to deal with it when it happens. We would like people to know that this is a totally legal process and totally democratic. We are playing by the book and hope the opponents do the same."

Their mobile campaign will travel to the Peace River region next week and could return here again on their way to Prince Rupert. Marr has arranged radio interviews for tomorrow morning on CBC-AM and CIRX/CJCI but not with CKPG's Ben Meisner. "I've had two encounters with him and neither one was enjoyable nor productive, said Marr.

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Organizers of ban on bear hunting face another hurdle
1996-11-15
Times Colonist, Victoria, BC
by Malcolm Curtis

... Organizers of the Ban Bear Hunting Initiative planned to collect signatures outside more than 50 polling stations in the Capital Region on Saturday, municipal election day. However, BC law bans canvassing within 100 meters of any polling station...

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Bear activists piggyback on polls
1996-11-15
Victoria New, Weekend Edition
by Brian Dryden

... To hit the target in the Capital Region, (WCWC's Victoria campaign coordinator Liora Freedman says the blitz of municipal election polling stations will involve more than 80 canvassers who are registered to collect signatures.

John Marshall, deputy chief electoral officer for Victoria's municipal election, says, "As long as they are not connected to any candidates then they can do that."...

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Bear "ban-wagon" gets cool reception
1996-11-16
The Citizen, Prince George, BC
by Gordon Hoekstra

... Battling the wind and -10C temperatures, WCWC canvassers from Vancouver set up tables Friday at the intersection of Victoria Street and Seventh Avenue to gather signatures. Hunter Brad Davis stopped to protest the bear skin propped on top of the 24-foot, banner-decorated motor home, which he thought was in bad taste.

"It takes a lot of guts to be out here, and they need all the support they can get," said Chris Leischner, an avowed environmentalist who signs the petition.

The 11-person caravan came to the North to support local activists because the petition has struggled here...

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Bear canvassers will go ahead
1996-11-16
Times Colonist, Victoria, BC
by Malcolm Curtis

... Victoria's chief electoral officer John Marshall said this week that the bear referendum advocates cannot collect signatures within 100 meters of any polling station. Municipal Affairs spokeswoman Karin Harris said it will be up to electoral officers to interpret provincial legislation that regulates permitted activity outside polling stations.

But Greg McDade, lawyer for the Sierra Legal Defence Fund, said there is nothing wrong with people collecting signatures for a petition outside a polling place.

The Municipal Act prevents people from soliciting votes or other activities designed to influence a municipal election (wearing signs, carrying flags or leafleting) with 100 meters of a polling station. Terry Kirk, chief electoral officers for Saanich, said his municipality will not be preventing bear referendum supporters from gathering signatures...

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Physician takes up cause of wild bears in valley
1996-11-19
Alberni Valley Times, Port Alberni, BC
by Diane Morrison

Mike Barrett would rather see Black bears used as a natural resource to attract tourists than to see them used as an attraction for hunters to kill. Dr. Barrett is one of the volunteers collecting signatures.

"Eco-tourism, and soft adventure tourism, is the biggest growth area in the economy on the West Coast," he said...

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Bear hunting protestors cry foul
1996-11-20
The Mirror, Sooke, BC
by Mitch Moore

... Kerry Fedosenko, the returning officer at the Saseenos school polling station, said she was instructed by the chief electoral officer Thomas Moore to ask a lone canvasser to move from the school. The canvasser, Jefferson Bray, complied.

Later, however, Bray and two other supporters moved back closer to the entrance and Moore contacted the Sooke RCMP. Bray said he reluctantly complied until he was told by other "Bear Day" volunteers that Fedosenko had no authority to ask him to move.

"I was told that I was well within my rights to be there. I wasn't blocking people's access and I was not representing any of the candidates." He refused to move when asked by RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) officers. They eventually let him stay...

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Bear campaign confrontation
1996-11-21
The Tribune, Williams Lake, BC
by Jonathan Desbarats

A group campaigning to ban bear hunting in BC was turfed out of Boltanio Mall yesterday after a confrontation with the president of the Williams Lake Sportsman's Association...

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Bear Care-A-Van parked for petition
1996-11-21
The Daily News, Kamloops, BC

... while (Marr) was in Prince George, one man threatened to punch him in the face and another deliberately bumped his shoulder while walking past, hard enough to spin Marr around.

But in two days, 1,700 signatures were gathered in Prince George...

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Hunting protest in homestretch
1996-11-22
Kamloops This Week
by Jennifer Muir

... WCWC volunteers Barney Kern and Jon French do their best to stay warm while collecting signatures on the ban the bear hunt petition at the corner of Third and Victoria Thursday... WCWC spokesman Anthony Marr says at present the organization has up to 40,000 signatures, with thousands more about to be mailed in...

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Shoot surplus bears and cougars
1996-11-25
The Trail Times
by David Wilford

To the Editor: ... The next target we have is a guy called Marr...

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Bear hunting ban signers should be proud
1996-11-29
The Free Press, Prince George, BC
by B. Elliott

... I was not surprised by the intimidating, dirty behaviour of some wildlife killers during Western Canada Wilderness Committee's visit... Some wildlife killers and their supporters carried over their violent actions from defenseless animals to non-violent animal supporters, going so far as to tear up a petition sheet with signatures...

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Bear Caravan stops in Salmon Arm
1996-12-02
Salmon Arm Shoppers' Guide

... according to (WCWC volunteer) Jon French, a small percentage of people exhibited very childish behaviour, swearing, and even shouting racial epithets as they passed by. These racial slurs were directed at Anthony Marr, who is Chinese Canadian. He has led the drive in this whole anti-hunting campaign...

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Anti-bear hunt backers get cool local reception
1996-12-04
The Courier Islander, Campbell River
by Dan MacLennan

Supporters of a total ban on bear hunting collected signatures in Campbell River Monday despite some less than friendly responses.

"We got kicked out of the Tyee Plaza around 11:30 even though we had permission, (WCWC Bear-Care-a-Van member) Steve Quattrocchi said...

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Protesters, hunters clash
1996-12-04
The Mirror, Campbell River, BC
by Matthew Plumtree

Chilly temperatures and a posse of hunters... made life difficult for those seeking signatures... "I was trying to be a dink, but after all these years, it sure feels good," said (local hunting guide David) Fyfe...

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Bear petition on the hunt for names
1996-12-04
The Times, Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows, BC
by Corinne Jackson

... There are about 20 people gathering names locally... Mike Gildersleeve said he's collected about 400 himself... "The response has been really positive", he added. "People that have seen me come marching up and ask 'Where can I sign?'"...

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Who cares about bears? Quite a few readers.
1996-12-07
The Vancouver Sun
by Herb Gilbert

... I hope more people will come to see the big picture of what is happening to planet Earth. And when the light goes on in their minds, they will turn green, like the Paul Georges and Anthony Marrs of this world...



Bear-hunting petition falls short
1996-12-07
The Vancouver Sun
by Larry Pynn

... (WCWC founder Paul) George said efforts to collect signatures were hampered on a number of fronts - canvassers were frequently denied permission to operate in rural shopping malls, hunters shadowed canvassers and intimidated citizens who might have otherwise signed...

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Anti-hunting effort falls short
1996-12-07
Times Colonist, Victoria, BC
by Malcolm Curtis

BC's referendum law needs to be rewritten, otherwise the public will never have a chance to vote on any initiative... Anthony Marr acknowledges Friday the group's bid to force a referendum on the hunting issue will fall short. In Washington state, voters last month approved an initiative to ban hunting of bears using dogs and bait... The Washington referendum system has more relaxed rules...

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Drive for bear-hunting referendum falls short
1996-12-10
The Province, Vancouver, BC
by Charlie Anderson

Campaigners and supporters of a ballot on bear hunting are bloody but unbowed... "The law itself is an ass," said (WCWC founder Paul) George, who favours referendums based on the U.S. model. "No issue, no group could ever get that amount of signatures all sorted by electoral district."...

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Law "designed to fail"
1996-12-10
The Province, Vancouver, BC
by Michael Smyth

... Critics then and now have attacked the Recall and Initiative Act as unworkable, phony legislation.

And now we have proof... The group had an emotional issue, apparently broad public support, hundreds of volunteers and one of the environmental movement's best-organized, well-financed public relations machine at its disposal.

Despite these resources, the group's BC-wide petition drive fell far short...


Paul George and Anthony Marr

Bear protest claims victory in defeat
1996-12-10
Times Colonist, Victoria, BC
by Malcolm Curtis

... They gained about half the names they needed, but says they raised the profile of their fight...

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The fight to help bears through the tool of law
1996-12-17
Positive Action News, Victoria, BC
by Nicholas Ford

... Anthony Marr is October's hero... He has bravely faced up to repeated intimidation from hunters and debates them on lecture tours. He is a man with a vision... (His) activism in BC on bears is based on excellent foresight...

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Bear hunters come under fire
1996-12-18
News Leader, Burnaby, BC
by Rob Gerein

... The majority of the population doesn't like guns, doesn't like trophy hunting and, increasingly, they don't like hunters...

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Three Chinese-Canadian eco-warriors
1996-12
Sing Tao Daily News (Chinese), global

... Anthony Marr's prime motive is to ensure a healthy and beautiful world for our children... He plans to go straight into the tigers' homelands - India, China... to save them where they live...

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Bear hunting foe attacked in city
1998-01-21
The Vancouver Sun
by Stephen Hume

BC environmentalist Anthony Marr is recovering after being beaten by a burly man who said, "Let this be a lesson to you."

[Newspaper Photo] Caption: Beaten but unbowed - Anthony Marr says he is undeterred in his campaign despite beating.

An environmentalist known for his opposition to bear hunting and the black market for animal parts was recovering Tuesday after being attacked in Vancouver's West End.

Anthony Marr said he was waylaid about 7:30 p.m. Monday in the 1600 block of Haro Street as he made his way to his car after a dinner with his parents at their home.

Environmental groups have been complaining about a sharp increase in threats of physical violence directed at their members...

"I was parked in the lane", Marr said. "There was this guy waiting for me by my car. He advanced a few steps and said, "Are you Anthony Marr?" I said yes and he immediately attacked me."

Marr said his assailant was "over six feet and around 200 pounds" and rained blows upon his head and face, fracturing facial bones and damaging his eye socket.

"Then he said, 'Let this be a lesson to you,' and walked off," Marr said.

The University of British Columbia Hospital confirmed that Marr was admitted and treated in the emergency ward shortly after 7:30 p.m.. Vancouver city police confirmed receiving his report of the attack about 8:40 p.m..

Marr recently led a controversial and widely publicized Western Canada Wilderness Committee campaign to have bear hunting banned in BC.

He has also been active in successfully pressuring government for controls in the black market on endangered species parts in the Asian community...

Marr's silver 1993 Mazda sports car and its license plate became well known during the anti-hunting campaign...

Marr drove 12,000 kilometers and visited almost every significant community in BC during the summer of 1996, holding public and private meetings that laid the groundwork for a province-wide initiative petition towards driving a referendum vote on banning bear hunting.

Campaigners obtained 93,000 signatures in a 90-day blitz that mobilized 1,800 volunteers, but fell well short of the 250,000 or 10 percent of the electorate - needed to force government action under recall and initiative legislation.

The petition campaign, however, gave Marr a high media profile.

He said he was constantly harassed by pro-hunting forces. Pickup trucks tailgated his car and he received anonymous threats of violence by phone.

"My reaction is that it merely strengthens my resolve to continue with this campaign"...

Paul George, fonder and executive director of the Western Canada Wilderness Committee, described the attack on Marr as "deplorable" and said it was time for police and government to take seriously the "threats of violence and all the rhetoric that our people are subjected to."

"I think this [violent rhetoric] unleashes hate against environmentalists just as much as it does against Jews or people of a different sexual persuasion or anything like that," George said.



Marr Seeu-Sung assaulted
1998-01-21
Ming Pao Daily News (Chinese), global

... Around 7:30 yesterday evening, when Marr was returning to his car after a dinner with his parents, a man approached him and asked if he was Anthony Marr. When Marr said "Yes", the man launched his fist attack...

"It was so fast and sudden I didn't even have time to turn the other cheek," Marr added with a wry grin...

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Subject: Anthony Marr
1998-01-26
Canadian Firearms Digest
From: H. Roy Stephens

... As it was reported here, he suffered broken facial bones including damage to the orbit of one of his eyes. That is hardly a "bloody nose". Furthermore, in light of the fact he WAS the target of verbal threats regarding bodily harm from some of the more brain dead and irresponsible alleged members of the hunting fraternity, it becomes quite obviously newsworthy...

Whoever is responsible did hunters a major disservice...

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Subject: Anthony Marr
1998-01-29
Cdn-firearms-digest@broadway.sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca
From: Rick Lowe

Re.: "I have watched this thread develop and I am a cynic. I do not think it is beyond the realm of possibility that this was a staged beating to garner sympathy from the public."

Well, perhaps the doubters are right and I am wrong. Perhaps Marr did arrange to have himself beaten to the point where he suffered facial fractures which had the potential to damage his eyesight, threaten his life, or even kill him.

Maybe there is something for us to learn here - we have much in common. Marr has been fighting a losing battle to have legislation allowing bear hunting thrown out. We have been fighting a losing battle to have legislation which bans and prohibits firearms thrown out. I guess the only question that remains is if we can meet the dedication that Marr has apparently demonstrated in arranging the beating he took.

So... we need a few volunteers willing to undergo a beating severe enough to inflict some skull fractures in hopes of getting a sound byte on the news some night. Hands up please, volunteers... line forms to the right.

Come, come, surely some of us can meet the same level of dedication as that shown by a contemptible, lying anti hunter like Marr. If he can "take the bullet" to the extent he did to further his cause, then it seems that hunters and shooters as dedicated as we are would be willing to just as eagerly step forward for a similar beating. The chances are reasonably good that these injuries will heal with no permanent effects - Marr apparently lucked out, and our volunteers probably will as well...

For myself, I reluctantly admit that I'll stick to letter writing, informing others, legally monkey-wrenching the system, and bugging my MP. I don't have the courage that Marr and our volunteers have, to willingly submit to those kind of injuries in hopes of getting a one day sound byte in the news.

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Beating no bar to bear pal - Marr back on the road in defence of grizzlies
1998-05-13
The Vancouver Courier
by Gudrun Will

Animal conservationist Anthony Marr is anything but intimidated after getting a fist in the face in a West End alley, delivered with the not-so-cryptic message: "Let this be a lesson to you."

The January attack by an unknown assailant broke his nose, cracked his cheekbone and damaged his right eye socket. Rather than shutting him up, it inspired him to undertake another road trip to stop the grizzly bear hunt in BC...

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1999

The British Columbia government, under the New Democratic Party (NDP), passed a moratorium on Grizzly bear hunting. Unfortunately, the NDP was defeated by the Liberal Party in the next election, and the moratorium was lifted.

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2006
[Big Trees, Not Big Stumps]
(book by Paul George, WCWC)

"... Anthony Marr cannot be intimidated... His blunt, unflappable style infuriated the opposition..."


----------------------------------------


You should have figured out by now that the Great Equalizer and the Level Playing Field is called by various names: Referendum, Plebiscite, Proposition Ballot, Citizens Initiative, with small variations all of which meaning about the same thing.

From Wikipedia: "A referendum (also known as a plebiscite or a ballot question) is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of direct democracy. The measure put to a vote is known in the U.S. as a ballot proposition or measure."

In short, it is the means by which the general public can vote in a formal ballot on a specific question advanced by the organizing party, e.g. "Do you agree that bow-hunting in urban areas should be allowed?" Since on average only 5% of Americans hunt, if the motion could be put to a vote, as long as enough of the non-hunting and anti-hunting majority show up to vote, we should win.

I have presented to you above the worst case scenario of a referendum campaign waged by a citizen group - the Western Canada Wilderness Committee. Even though a citizens' initiative is supposed to be the great equalizer - the sought-after level playing field for the silent majority - this one, in British Columbia, under a set of rules designed for the campaigners to fail, is not. But still, unless the organizer(s) or the campaigner(s) of any referendum campaign give(s) up in mid-stream, a Citizens' Initiative cannot be less successful than the one presented above.

Yes, successful, in the following ways:

1. A prime objective of activism is to get media exposure to blast the message out to the masses. The standard street-corner demos and 20-people protests have lost their media punch. Letter-writing gains you a form letter back. Public consultations are window-dressing in pseudo democracy. But a referendum campaign, by its very nature, for whatever cause, is a major and definite media-grabber, as evident in the above account.

2. Any referendum campaign proves to be a mega-tool for public educational outreach, which stimulated voluminous and heated debate throughout the population, thus unleashing anti-hunting sentiments from deep within, and blowing it wide open.

3. It is something that the opposition cannot ignore, and it burns up their time, energy and financial resources, and shows up their vulnerabilities.

4. It is a great unifier for the movement.

5. It gives an action outlet to thousands of dormant activists.

Among others.

A Referendum Ballot requires first an Initiative Petition to launch it. But there are initiative petitions and there are initiative petitions. Whereas the initiative petition rules of British Columbia (BC) are so tough as to be unworkable, those of, say Washington states (WA) are far more reasonable and fair, and do offer a level playing field for all concerned. Here are some differences:

1. The BC rules require the signatures of 10% of the registered voters of each and every one of the 75 electoral districts throughout the vast province (twice in size that of California) without exception, where only one district falling short by merely 1% would invalidate the entire initiative petition, whereas the rules in WA requires the signatures of only 5% of the electorate, and the signatures can be collected anywhere within the state, all from Seattle if the organizer so wishes, as long as they add up to 5%.

2. The signature gathering initiation petition period in BC was only 3 months, versus the 5 months allowed in WA.

3. The British Columbian initiative petition forms were district-specific, meaning that there were 75 different sets of petition forms, each bearing the name of its own district, so if a Vancouver volunteers wants to sign up a visitor from Prince George, he cannot, due to the lack of a form for Prince George. In contrast, there was only one set in Washington state, which applies to the entire state.

4. The BC volunteers themselves have to be registered voters of the only district in which they would be allowed to collect signatures, whereas WA volunteers do not even have to be registered voters, and can collect signatures anywhere within the state.

Among others.

While the above BC referendum campaign was being waged, there were two parallel campaigns in progress, one in Washington and the other in Oregon, conducted by Washingtonian and Oregonian activists respectively. Around that time, there was also one in California. As I recall, all three were hunting related, and all three went to the ballot, and all three won!

Not all states in America have referendum legislation, but over half of the states do, that I'm aware.

Now, imagine:

Under the central coordination of the GLOBAL ANTI-HUNTING COALITION, the anti-hunting groups in all the states with referendum legislation simultaneously launching anti-hunting Citizens Initiatives, each dealing with the leading hunting issue of that state, each generating dozens of newspaper articles, each conducting its own TV and radio interviews, and all winning! It will collectively be a national phenomenon that will go down in history as an unprecedented anti-hunting victory!


To be cont'd in Part 3.



Anthony Marr, Founder and President
Heal Our Planet Earth (HOPE)
Global Anti-Hunting Coalition (GAHC)
Anthony-Marr@HOPE-CARE.org
www.HOPE-CARE.org
www.MySpace.com/AnthonyMarr
www.YouTube.com/AnthonyMarr
www.myspace.com/Anti-Hunting_Coalition
www.facebook.com/Anthony.Marr.001
www.facebook.com/Global_Anti-Hunting_Coalition
www.HomoSapiensSaveYourEarth.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com (search for “Anthony Marr Heal Our Planet Earth”)
www.ARConference.org