When the smoke and dust cleared, the Idaho Senate retained one lonely bill that had anything to do with banning or partially restricting elk ranches and hunting on those ranches. Bill number SB1074 is a bill that would require elk ranchers to license their operations. No other industry under the control of the Agriculture Department is required to be licensed and some elk ranchers don’t believe they should be either.

The Idaho Elk Breeders Association stood firm and presented a well organized defense against those who wanted to see them run out of business. The basis of their strong showing was, unity, presentation and education of the public and legislators on facts and their rigid beliefs in property and individual rights.

When SB1074 was presented to the Senate as an alternative, many in the IEBA were convinced it was a necessary “compromise”, while others believed it was setting bad precedent and paving the way for future legal problems, namely that licensing would reclassify a right as a privilege and that privileges are easy to take away than a right.

SB1074 passed the full Senate 24-9 and made its way to the House. House Speaker Lawrence Denney is holding the bill while the IEBA decides what they want to do.

The IEBA is faced with a decision that can become very complex. They feel quite certain that because they won a victory in defeating the anti-elk ranching bills, that a citizen’s initiative will arise for the 2008 elections. Should this happen, some fear image is at stake. If the IEBA comes across to the public as greedy, would this be enough to set off voters to side with the anti-elk ranching lobby? On the other hand, a vote now that sends a message to the public that the IEBA believes strongly in property rights, may be a rallying cry that would soundly defeat a referendum.

That’s the public side of the issue. What about the legislative side? Some legislators may have voted down all the bills against the elk industry knowing that SB1074 was a bill that would address their’s and the publics’ concerns. If the IEBA decides to hold out for 100% property rights, will they now have angered some politicians who will begin wondering if they were shanghaied? Is the reason Speaker Denney is holding the bill because he knows it’s a bad bill?

I believe it mostly comes down to a decision of property rights. These debates become passionate because they cut to the heart of our character, our heritage and our identity. How much, if any, are people willing to “give up” in order to keep what they have? Should elk ranchers have to give up anything? Do we as Americans, have to give up rights to keep rights? Isn’t it a shame that we even have to ask these questions?

These are the decisions facing the Idaho Elk Breeders Association. What little is being talked about in the press over this is describing it as “infighting”. I think that is the wrong choice to describe what is going on. It’s growth. The IEBA is a pretty well-oiled machine that has proven itself as a viable contender in protecting their industry. They know and understand what is at stake and as they work toward their common goals, they will in the end, stand united.

A member of the IEBA sent me an email last night with a list of famous sayings. They were varied but all dealt with strength, leadership and promise for the future. Here’s a couple that I thought were quite fitting to the moment.

All human situations have their inconveniences. We feel those of the present but neither see nor feel those of the future; and hence we often make troublesome changes without amendment, and frequently for the worse.”
~ Benjamin Franklin

“A ‘No’ uttered from deepest conviction is better and greater than a ‘Yes’ merely uttered to please, or what is worse, to avoid trouble.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi

A rule of thumb for a warrior is that he makes his decisions so carefully that nothing that may happen as a result of them can surprise him, much less drain his power.”
~ Carlos Castaneda

And at the very bottom of the list is this one from an unknown author. This is perhaps my favorite.

“A smooth sea never made a skilled mariner.”

Tom Remington

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