It is being reported by the Associated Press that Federal Judge Donald Molloy will not make a ruling today in the emergency injunction being sought by radical environmentalists to put a halt to a scheduled wolf hunt that begins in Idaho tomorrow and Montana next week. Molloy did say he would rule as soon as he could.

You can read whatever you wish into the fact that Molloy is taking more time to rule. He has heard both sides of this argument before and little has changed other than the fact that the wolf hunt advocates may have gotten their act together and presented a better case than before. However, I still hold out little hope that Molloy will do what is right and support the best available science and leave the wolf off the Endangered Species Act list while allowing Idaho and Montana to conduct strictly controlled wolf hunts.

Tom Remington

For an update on what KPAX is saying about the arguments, log on here.

Tom Remington

The other morning I went outside (I live in the city…Gasp!) to get something out of my car and happened to look up and saw this guy sitting on the light pole having a feast on a feathered friend. The prey doesn’t show up well in this picture but the feathers littering the ground below certainly did.

Photo by Tom Remington

I grew up in the woods of rural Maine. I probably have seen far more wildlife than most and far less than many others. About 10 years ago, my wife and I made a change of scenery for various reasons and now live in Florida, smack dab in the middle of the most densely populated county in Florida surrounded by a population approaching 1 million. In the winter that population nearly doubles.

From my dooryard, I regularly see far more wildlife than I ever saw while living in Maine. I guess it’s the evil encroachment of man that has forced this hawk to live nearby (as I see him on a regular basis) and remain well fed. When the local rabbit population rises in our neighborhood, I see more and more hawks and eagles. I also hear the coyotes yelling at night (yes, that’s right. Coyotes!) Then the rabbits seem to disappear for awhile but they return and so do the predators.

Tom Remington

Oh yes! Americans remain deeply concerned over troubling issues our country faces. As evidenced by the Google Hot Trends for this morning, here are the top ten issues searched for on Google.

1. Daytime emmy awards 2009 winners
2. The Vermont country store
3. Big Brother 11 Pandora’s box
4. Darin Brooks
5. Anand jon alexander
6. BJ Services
7. True blood season 2 episode 11 megavideo
8. Susan Haskell
9. Ataris pallidipennis stal
10. Leah lust

Coming in at number 62 and number 100 of the top 100 were inquiries related to the California Station Fire, the only search words pertaining to any real serious issues going on in our country.

Keep it up America. Your deep concerns are overwhelming me.

Tom Remington

Ah, yes! The in vogue wordsmith to avoid saying I lied – I misspoke.

On Friday I told you that Suzanne Stone, wolf protector extraordinaire of Defenders of Wildlife, said she never heard of such a thing as 120 sheep being slaughtered at one time by a pack of wolves. I said she needed to get out and do some research and she would soon learn it isn’t that unusual.

People evidently read the same news articles as I did and thought many of the same things about her comment. People aren’t stupid and they remember. Shortly after word began to spread of Stone’s comments, a resident of Montana recalled the Burgdorf, Idaho wolf slaughter of 2003. That’s right. One attack by wolves took out 52 sheep bringing the total to over 100 in a few short days.

Never heard of such a thing? Tell me that Suzanne Stone and everyone else at Defenders of Wildlife wasn’t fully aware of the Burgdorg, Idaho wolf massacre.

She must have misspoke.

Tom Remington

MISSOULA, Mont.?U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy on Friday granted a motion allowing the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to enter an amicus curiae brief supporting state-regulated wolf hunting in Idaho and Montana.

The move means RMEF positions will be considered against an emergency injunction filed by 13 environmental groups asking the judge to stop a planned hunt and return gray wolves to the endangered species list.

A hearing is scheduled for Monday and Molloy?s ruling could follow soon afterward.

The Elk Foundation?s amicus curiae brief is posted at www.rmef.org.

?We?re grateful that Judge Molloy has agreed to hear our side of this issue,? said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO. ?Once you cut away the hysterics and hyperbole, this is a straightforward wildlife management issue. State wildlife agencies have proven their professionalism and capability to balance predators with other resident species. They?ve been successfully managing wildlife for decades and we have total confidence in them.?

The Elk Foundation?s brief reinforces four main points:

Historic success of modern, hunter-based conservation in North America.
Viewpoints of hunters who continue to pay for the big-game resources that made wolf recovery possible.
RMEF-funded research, along with other scientific and anecdotal evidence, showing that wolf populations are fully recovered and that, where wolves are present with elk, wolves are having detrimental impacts on elk.
State wildlife agencies are best suited to manage wolves alongside other species.

I can tell you why there isn’t any outrage! Because nobody knows about it. Here we have a rancher in Montana who over two weeks ago lost 120 sheep in one feeding and killing frenzy by a pack of wolves and there is little talk or coverage in our biased media. Just last month the same rancher lost 26 sheep in a similar attack. It has taken two weeks to get a trickling of information about this needless and senseless loss of private property. One would be led to believe the media is attempting to suppress the story until after today’s court hearing to decide a wolf hunt.

If there had been one wolf killed, it would have been heard around the world in less than twenty four hours with every environmentalist blaming the encroachment of man, or that some hunter poached it. This action is sickening and needs to stop. People are losing their private property and nobody seems to care. It’s all about protecting one animal by a bunch of perverted wolf lovers.

Carolyn Sime, wolf coordinator for the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, says that right now there is a certain tolerance and acceptance of the wolf to the area but if this kind of action is allowed to continue that will change.

“If this injunction is granted and Montana is not able to proactively manage wolves in balance with habitat and conflicts with livestock, the tolerance for the species is going to erode,” she said.

“It’s possible we’ll see increased levels of illegal killing.”

Tom Remington

Just a reminder to readers that today is the day activist Judge Donald Molloy will hear the emergency injunction case to stop the wolf hunts in Idaho and Montana. Molloy has always sided with the environmentalists and so I have no reason to believe he will change now.

As soon as I receive information I’ll pass it on.

Tom Remington

Milt Inman Photo

Milt Inman

As each day passes and I read and discover one more bill that’s aimed at the confiscation of my rights and the total destruction of this country, while doling out more and more power to Obama, I have to swallow that much harder just to get my spit back down. It just may be accurate what I heard last night that Obama’s intentions are to bring the U.S. to a revolution.

According to a CNET news item, a new bill, drafted behind the scenes by Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, if passed would give Obama emergency power to take control over the Internet. Think about that for a moment.

Tom Remington