Brian Payne

Somebody sent me this and I thought it was pretty neat and appropriate for this site Guess our national leaders didn't expect this, hmm? On Thursday, Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, a victim of the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton , Colorado , was invited to address the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee. What he said to our national leaders during this special session of Congress was painfully truthful. They were not prepared for what he was to say, nor was it received well. It needs to be heard by every parent, every teacher, every politician, every sociologist, every psychologist, and every so-called expert! These courageous words spoken by Darrell Scott are powerful, penetrating, and deeply personal. There is no doubt that God sent this man as a voice crying in the wilderness. The following is a portion of the transcript: 'Since the dawn of creation there has been both good & evil in the hearts of men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, and the deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who died must not be in vain. Their blood cries out for answers. 'The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field. The villain was not the club he used.. Neither was it the NCA, the National Club Association. The true killer was Cain, and the reason for the murder could only be found in Cain's heart. 'In the days that followed the! Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be pointed at groups such as the NRA. I am not a member of the NRA. I am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am not here to represent or defend the NRA - because I don't believe that they are responsible for my daughter's death. Therefore I do not believe that they need to be defended. If I believed they had anything to do with Rachel's murder I would be their strongest opponent. I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy -- it was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room. Much of the blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves. I wrote a poem just four nights ago that expresses my feelings best. Your laws ignore our deepest needs, Your words are empty air. You've stripped away our heritage, You've outlawed simple prayer. Now gunshots fill our classrooms, And precious children die. You seek for answers everywhere, And ask the question 'Why?' You regulate restrictive laws, Through legislative creed. And yet you fail to understand, That God is what we need! ' Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind, and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and wreak havoc. Spiritual presences were present within our educational systems for most of our nation's history. Many of our 20 major colleges began as theological seminaries. This is a historical fact. What has happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the doors to hatred and violence. And when something as terrible as Columbine's tragedy occurs -- politicians immediately look for a scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws that contribute to erode away our personal and private liberties. We do not need more restrictive laws. Eric and Dylan would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre. The real villain lies within our own hearts. 'As my son Craig lay under that table in the school library and saw his two friends murdered before his very eyes, he did not hesitate to pray in school. I defy any law or politician to deny him that right! I challenge every young person in America , and around the world, to realize that on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School prayer was brought back to our schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by those students be in vain. Dare to move into the new millennium with a sacred disregard for legislation that violates your God-given right to communicate with Him. To those of you who would point your finger at the NRA -- I give to you a sincere challenge. Dare to examine your own heart before casting the first stone! My daughter's death will not be in vain! The young people of this country will not allow that to happen!'

I just found out I got drawn for a "wolf crier" tag.

I just got through and they are not

All I know is they still havn't cashed my checks. I called about a week and a half ago and they told me there wasn't a problem with my apps and that I was in the system and that my checks just hadn't been cashed yet but would be soon. Anyone else still have uncashed checks? Not trying to ruin peoples hopes but wouldn't they make sure everyones checks cleared before they post the results? Frustrating

This was obviously not the place for iwannakillsomething to try to defend his religion or push it on other people, however you see it. This thread has been detrimental to the relationships of the members of this site. I could see this coming and that is why I posted my original post. I agree 100% also Scottyboy, that is why I appologized. This is an invitation to the members of this site LDS or not to end this thread now like should have been done a long time ago.

My favorite trophy collections have some of each, but I agree with the consensus that massive bucks are very apealing.

I am sorry if I offended anyone or stirred this up. That was not my intent. Please accept my appology.

Durand, Those are awesome man. If you found them after work then you probably weren't hiking 18 miles into the middle of nowhere to find them like we used to do in the young and dumb days! Sweet bull.

I am not trying to change your opinion on religion in the least. Just asking for respect on the site, but your right, if you don't want to be respectful that is your choice. I am done here.

Scottyboy, I believe that anytime you use the words "all" or "always" when you are speeking about a group you run the risk of being stereotypical. Charactarizing all people in a group as being the same way is stereotyping. It is like saying "All hunters are good people" or "hunters always do the right thing" or "no hunters respect wildlife." All of the statements are true about some people in the hunting group but not entirely true about hunters as a whole. Just like saying "mormons are good people" is not true of every Mormon. I myself have never responded to any other LDS topic on this site and there many LDS people on this site that have not so I feel that your statement, "It ALWAYS seems that when the word "mormon" is whispered, shouted, or said on this site, the hackles immediately go up and all the LDS members go into their scrum formation and want to take on all the nay-sayers at the drop of the hat." is stereotypical and disrespectful.

If I am guilty of trying to keep the peace on the site, stand up for what I believe in, and stand up against hurtful stereotypical statements then I am OK with being guilty. I never said anyone was bagging on my beliefs, in fact I said that opposite. "I am LDS and don't feel like your post was attacking or misunderstanding and I won't argue with your points."

Azmeathunter, I believe in eternal truthes as well. I think all religions believe that they have the truth. Not everyone believes in the same truths. That is why there are thousands of churches, religions, and theoligies around the world. Endless wars are fought over "truth." My point is that I don't think it is in the best interest of this site to start a "religious war" especially in a forum reserved for Prayer Requests. I am glad that you have found "truth" that brings meaning to your life. I am sure it was hard to leave the religion that you were brought up in. I come from the opposite spectrum. I was not raised in the LDS church. When my father was killed in a plane crash while scouting for an elk hunt when I was 14 I struggled, but the "truth" that I found held me cope and brought meaning to my life. Because of what it has given me I am enjoy sharing with others, but not if they don't want to hear. I am sorry that you don't believe in "let's all get along" because I think that is a pretty Christian principle. I am also sorry that we can't get away from stereotypical statements on this site. "It ALWAYS seems that when the word "mormon" is whispered, shouted, or said on this site, the hackles immediately go up and all the LDS members go into their scrum formation and want to take on all the nay-sayers at the drop of the hat."

Mr. Jonathon, "I'm sure this will be perceived as attacking and a misunderstanding or oversimplification of things." I am LDS and don't feel like your post was attacking or misunderstanding and I won't argue with your points. I would like to attempt to control this topic before it gets out of hand and people are offended using the following points. 1. I am sure that there are many different religions and faiths represented by the members of this forum. I don't beleive that we wan't to get into a conversation about "wierd" doctrinal beliefs or "dirt" on churches because every church or faith has them and it could get ugly fast. 2. We need to be careful with stereotyping because general statements like "mormons are good people" or anything stating the character of an entire group are rarely true. 3. Finally, although we may share different religious beleifs on this site we do all share a common love for hunting, the outdoors, and wildlife. Too often we focus on our differences that drive us apart instead of creating the unity to stand up against those that fight to destroy our sport. Thanks for reading and let's make sure we remain respectful of peoples most charished and sacred beliefs whether we agree with them or not.

Mine still havn't cleared but I called G&F and they said I was in the system and they should clear any day. They had me a little nervous.

Nice sheds. Even cooler to have a photo of the bull before hand. Thanks for sharing.

That gives me the fever! Thanks for sharing.

My checks still haven't been cashed. Should I be worried?

Awesome video of an awesome buck. Here are my rough guesses. Scrutinize away. right g1 3.5 g2 6 g3 8 kicker 1 beam 17 left g1 3.5 g2 8 g3 7 beam 17 mass 26 spread 16 total 113"

There is definately controversy about the #1 and #2 non-typical racks and this one does look very similar. I don't think there is any way that thing is pure muley though and the fact that it was found near Heber doesn't rule out coues at all. Heber is not far from Mogollon Rim country.

Nice beams and width but short tines and eyegards. Your are probably pretty close. Could be a good one next year if he grows up a little.

I am sure both of those ended up to be very good bucks based on what they have. Great G1s and frames so far in the photo.

You guys had a great year! Thanks for sharing. I am jealous how much opportunity some of you guys have to hunt. I was pretty pleased with my year. Was lucky enough to draw my first choice on elk and deer. I am sure that won't happen again for awhile. I was able to take a 353" bull and a 97" coues. Here are some pics.

Nice photos of nice bucks. Thanks for sharing.

Good to know. What a nightmare it would be for us if that legislation were to pass.

Those are some fantastic photos. That first buck is really a thumper!