Topics not appreciated on any guns or outdoors forums.

[SalmonidsForever]

You are right, lots of topics like these really sensitive. Not sure why, it's something that needs to be talked about. I think it's because too many wallflowers.

Let me tell you about my Nixon/Ford-voting Republican grandfather who worked in and lived near San Francisco. He retired in 1973 and died in 1980 at age 72.  He was union, IUOE, Local 3, a hard hat. He believed in the death penalty adamantly. He served in the army WWII, drafted, Japanese theater, supply sergeant, infantry, out in 1945. He told me an American should fight and die for his country.  He was pro Buy American and frowned upon many Japanese products. He owned several guns. He formerly went hunting and still avidly fished when I knew him up until the last 4 years of his life.  

He hated people who littered, however. In 1977 while at his house, I dumped some old motor oil down the gutter of his street and told me I could get in trouble. He was the first person to tell me that ignorance of the law was never an excuse and I would hear the phrase repeated several times again to come. 

He told me the police can arrest people for cruelty to animals. He said I ought to be ashamed of myself for missing feeding my family's dogs as a chore one time. He heard from my mother that I would be irresponsible in animal care. I admit when I was young I thought of pets as toys or material objects instead of living things and I would get lazy and slack off on my chores. I grew older, wiser and more caring of God's creatures.