Buffalo Hunting with government help Every year, on a state-owned ranch, the Arizona government invites hunters to cull the herd in a great buffalo hunt.
Freelance author Leo Banks describes this absolutely classic example of bureaucracy's penchant for control. You will fall out of your chair laughing and crying over the government's idea of the proper way to hunt buffalo.
No detail escapes the benevelent huntmaster. From mandatory training to carcass dressing, so thorough is he that the grateful hunter, regardless of experience, need not worry about where to aim or when to pull the trigger--every detail is covered.
You gotta read it to believe it. This article is one of the best written articles I've ever seen on how the government helps us when totally left to its own discretion.
Contact Leo Banks at LWBanks@aol.com for a copy of the very well written two-page article.
It's worth the price.
LAW NOTES
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Initially, this web page displayed the full text of the article regarding the buffalo hunt. This page will be updated as necessary to keep the reader informed of the status.
Letter # 1
From: LWBanks@aol.com June 22, 2000 8:51 AM Subject: buffalo hunt To: x@1215.org Dear Mr. Thornton: I am the writer of the _ article on the Arizona buffalo hunt that appears on your web page. _ I was looking around on the web this morning and was quite surprised to see my work used without my permission. I own [the] story and expect to be compensated for its use. Please contact me at my e-mail address as soon as possible to discuss this matter. Sincerely, Leo Banks
Letter # 2
From: x@1215.org June 22, 2000 4:46 PM Subject: buffalo hunt To: LWBanks@aol.com LWBanks@aol.com wrote: > I am the writer Nice to meet you. :-) > of the _ article on the Arizona buffalo hunt > that appears on your web page. _ > > I was looking around on the web this morning and was quite surprised to see > my work used without my permission. I own [the] story and expect to be > compensated for its use. Sounds reasonable to me. I make no profit, and no cash flow is generated either directly or indirectly. The web site is fully maintained with my own labor and expense. Its purpose is purely to inform the public of those bits & pieces of information that my biases dictate are important for the public to know. Since you offered no options, here are some possibilities: If you have the story set up at your own web site, I'll be happy to provide a direct link to your site. If you have a web site, but you don't have the story set up, I'll be happy to set up a direct link from the page at my site to your site. If you don't want the page displayed, I'll be happy to take it down. Or, I could paraphrase/summarize the basic concepts of the story and invite readers to go to your web site or send an e-mail to you so that they can purchase the full story from you. Or you you could paraphrase/summarize the story at my web site and invite readers to go to your web site or send an e-mail to you so that they can purchase the full story from you. I'm happy to get the information out, while at the same time promoting your own good works and image in the process. Let me know your choice and tell me your terms. I'll do what I can to make you feel good about it. You are welcome to explore the rest of my web site. You may discover some interesting bits of information about the design of the U.S. Constitution and how it operates to protect your legal freedoms. And feel free to ask me to clarify anything you wish. I'll do the best I can to give you a rational answer.
Letter # 3
From: LWBanks@aol.com June 23, 2000 8:33 AM Subject: buffalo hunt To: x@1215.org Hi, Bill - Look, putting up a web site makes you a publisher and publishers pay for material. I'm not trying to be a pain in the ass here, but the web has created problems for freelancers like me. Many people, including legitimate print publishers, simply pluck stuff off the web, use in sites that include advertising. So they're making money from it, but I'm not. I don't even know about it unless I look. It's no different than saying actors shouldn't make money off re-runs. Why not? The producers do. That argument was settled a long time ago and now writers are fighting the same battle. You can pay for the story or take it down. I got $500 for the original. I'll take $100 if you want to keep it. Leo Banks
Letter # 4
From: x@1215.org June 23, 2000 4:25 PM Subject: buffalo hunt To: LWBanks@aol.com LWBanks@aol.com wrote: > You can pay for the story or take it down. I got $500 for the original. I'll > take $100 if you want to keep it. Sounds fair to me. I'll take it down for now. As soon as I get a $100, I'll get back to you. If your terms are still the same you've got a deal. The stereotype of a writer's lifestyle applies to me. I too, am a writer, but of a different genre. What I write, computers read. Some people call it computer programming. I also write documentaries. My customers call them legal briefs; their enemies call them crap. The owners of the computers, and litigants don't always pay. But, when they do, they pay well. At the next financial opportunity I will contact you, and if you are of the same mind, we will close the deal. At that time you can give me the address of where to send the check. I think your work is worth repeating. In the meantime, when there are inquiries about your article, I will refer them to you. See http://www.1215.org/lawnotes/buffhunt.htm.