quote:

Originally posted by cable68:
I was not going to add anything to this thread in the hopes of it dying off, but now I must.

Craig you are definitely a class act. Anyone who respond so intelligently to such mud-slinging and remain above it definitely deserves respect.

Good Hunting,

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Originally posted by Brett Adam Barringer:
Very fitting. I like that a lot. Who said or wrote that?

Brett

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Originally posted by Spring:
Here's a little creed I had to learn back in my college days...Jdollar and JudgeG know it also. I think it describes Craig Boddington very well:

THE TRUE GENTLEMAN

The True Gentleman is the man whose conduct proceeds from good will and an acute sense
of propriety, and whose self-control is equal to all emergencies; who does not make the poor
man conscious of his poverty, the obscure man of his obscurity, or any man of his inferiority (adrook) or deformity; who is himself humbled if necessity compels him to humble another; who does not flatter wealth, cringe before power, or boast of his own possessions or achievements; who speaks with frankness but always with sincerity and sympathy; whose deed follows his word; who thinks of the rights and feelings of others, rather than his own; and who appears well in any company, a man with whom honor is sacred and virtue safe.

quote:

Originally posted by craig boddington:
Brittany's Dad, Craig Boddington here. I didn't really want to get into this discussion--I don't like namecalling, and although most of you are great guys and have been very supportive, I've been called plenty of names over the years in this forum. Which, by the way, is your right.

I do want to add a couple of things. First, the situation that started this doesn't belong to me. It is relative only to my daughter, who is young but a grownup woman. She is not as experienced as I am, or as many of you, but she has something like ten safaris under her belt. She shoots well and accurately, and has repeatedly demonstrated coolness in the face of dangerous game. All that said, a very bad thing happened.

I was not there, nor were any of you. The incident belongs entirely to her and the rest of the party, including Punki who, as of yesterday, is out of Intensive Care, was walking around his hospital room, joking with the nurses, and doing chinups so he can stay in shape and, in due time, keep up with his dogs again. Thank God!

Andy (adrook) obviously doesn't like me. That is his right. None of us can please all of the people all of the time, although I wish it were so. It does bother me that his hatred of me, for whatever reason, seems to have been transferred to my daughter, who, depending on the circumstances, is either blessed or cursed with my last name and perhaps some measure of my genes.

However, I would also defend his right to an opinion. It is easy to Monday-morning quarterback these things--it is more difficult to live them. I was 1000 miles away in the Zambezi Valley when the incident happened. My daughter was doing a leopard hunt on her own, and I believed she could handle it because of her own experience, and because her PH, Nic Kruger, is one of the most experienced "leopard with dogs" hunters in Namibia. The houndsman who was injured, Punki, is himself a great guy and perhaps THE MOST EXPERIENCED leopard-with-hounds hunter in Africa. He is 41 years old, in great shape, and he has been hunting leopards with hounds for 25 years. It is his passion as well as his job.
W
hen I got the call my first thought, admittedly, was for my daughter's safety. My second thought was for Punki's recovery, which at that moment was in doubt. My third thought, having almost no facts regarding the situation, was not too dissimilar from Andy's. My daughter is a very safe hunter and she shoots quickly, coolly, and well. How could she have taken a shot that resulted in injury to Punki? I taught her better than that! How could Nic Kruger, in whose hands I trusted my daughter's well-being, allow such a thing to happen? How could Punki, who has successfully "run" leopards into the hundreds, and who fully understands all the dangers, put himself in such a position?

It took me 36 hours to scramble a charter, get to Harare, then Jo'Burg, and then Windhoek. Although my first concern was to ascertain Punki's condition and lend support to Brittany, by the time I got there I was angry, and my intention was to deliver a good old Marine Corps dressing-down to both Nic and Brittany. Fortunately I kept my mouth shut until I had read the statements. I also have an advantage you do not have; I saw photos of the accident site, including a partial recreation, done for the police if required. After examining this evidence, I had, and still have, absolutely nothing further to say. There is simply no blame to place.

All accidents are avoidable, and most accidents require a chain of circumstances, not just one, to create a serious incident. This was a very unfortunate chain of events that culminated in about 2.75 seconds of insanity. All involved could have done things differently, and I'm sure all are Monday-morning-quarterbacking themselves. Realistically, however, my sense based on all the evidence is that no one did anything wrong. All involved could have done things just slightly differently for several seconds, minutes, even hours, before the accident and avoided the tragic result, but once into the mess I'm not sure anyone reading this, including myself, would have done anything differently. It was as confusing and just as fast as any firefight, and you simply cannot believe how thick it was where this leopard chose to make his stand. All concerned must live with the incident, and I'm sure that all will attempt to do things slightly differently in the future. But the fact is, it happened. I greatly appreciate the clear understanding that most of you have shown, which suggests to me this is a very astute and well-experience group. Under Saeed's leadership this is a very powerful forum, and I thought it was important to give you guys the straight scoop as quickly as possible, so as to avoid rumors and multiple versions. I am very grateful to all of you for your comments, and now let's let the subject rest and get on to serious Boddington (Craig, that is!) bashing.
With best regards to all, Craig Boddington

quote:

Originally posted by craig boddington:
Andy, you are always entitled to your own opinion. I do what I do, I am who I am. You aren't required to like me, or my writing, or my film work. I wish you well, and I appreciate your response.
Cheers, Craig

quote:

Originally posted by Spring:

quote:

Originally posted by Brett Adam Barringer:
Very fitting. I like that a lot. Who said or wrote that?

Brett

It was written sometime in the 1930's by John Walter Wayland. It is generally known as the creed used by SAE fraternity and is in the manual of the US Naval Academy. There was a time when we had to be able to say and finish it while holding a burning match...

quote:

Definition of a Gentleman - "The forbearing use of power does not only form a touchstone, but the manner in which an individual enjoys certain advantages over others is a test of a true gentleman. The power which the strong have over the weak, the employer over the employed, the educated over the unlettered, the experienced over the confiding, even the clever over the silly -- the forbearing or inoffensive use of all this power or authority, or a total abstinence from it when the case admits it, will show the gentleman in a plain light. The gentleman does not needlessly and unnecessarily remind an offender of a wrong he may have committed against him. He cannot only forgive, he can forget; and he strives for that nobleness of self and mildness of character which impart sufficient strength to let the past be but the past. A true man of honor feels humbled himself when he cannot help humbling others."
Robert E. Lee

quote:

Originally posted by lavaca:
Don ought to change the title of this post from "Why the hypocrisy here" to "Where are the manners here". If this keeps up, it's going to look like the political forum -- hell, it already does. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and entitled to express it, but it's not so much what you say as how you say it. Might I suggest that many here step back and take a deep breath?

quote:

Originally posted by daniel77:
Note that CB even had the honesty and humility to partially agree with instead of merely brow beating Adrook (like I did). That is Class. A lesson for us all. And especially Adrook.

quote:

Originally posted by Gator1:

quote:

Originally posted by daniel77:
Note that CB even had the honesty and humility to partially agree with instead of merely brow beating Adrook (like I did). That is Class. A lesson for us all. And especially Adrook.

Pot to Kettle, over.

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Originally posted by chipolopolo:
CH,
It's my belief the lionhunter went nuke before Andy did, Why is he still alive?

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Originally posted by lavaca:
My own personal opinion is that we should stop attacking each other, but that's a utopian idealistic concept.

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Originally posted by chipolopolo:
Most of the regulars really understand Andy, if you don't contribute to the ARPF gutplie, you couldn't know the whole, just the pieces. Taken as a whole Andy is a good man. The pieces seen by the few didn't show the whole man.
Chipolopolo

quote:

Welcome to the internet, where men are men, woman are men and little girls are FBI-agents.

quote:

Originally posted by chipolopolo:
Scott your opinion means nothing here as does mine, Why won't lionhunter answer some of those charges? I'm real curious if he's the real deal.
Chipolopolo