“This town ain’t big enough for the two of us, pardner”……..Sorry, I got a little carried away. In the ongoing posturing in the heated Wolf Wars, Idaho’s Governor Butch Otter gave notice to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar he has until October 7, 2010 to meet his demands or he’ll start shooting.
Otter had previously sent a letter to Sec. Salazar laying out his demands, which more amounted to “let’s talk” but nestled in the letter was an indication that Idaho wasn’t going to wait around forever for something to be done about mass murders and elk robberies by wolves. He now sets a deadline of October 7 or else Idaho will “no longer participate as a designated agent for monitoring, providing law enforcement support or investigating wolf deaths in Idaho”. (Sound and sight of spitting into a spittoon.)
I wonder if that same deadline will apply to the end of sportsman’s dollars being spent on any kind of wolf management?
Here’s an idea just off the top of my head. Many people, myself included, want to blame Judge Donald Molloy. God knows he deserves his share. But just as much so, the U.S. Fish and Wolf Service (Freudian slip), a division of Salazar’s Department of Anterior (oh dang that Freud), is not being blamed as much as they should be for their corrupt ways. Among the laundry list of malfeasance, has anyone ever considered that perhaps the U.S. Fish and Wolf Service really isn’t interested in controlling wolves, and they’re not moved at the idea of chasing them around in the woods, and that they don’t really want the responsibility of nurturing flea bags or listening to complaints? Most importantly do you think Salazar wants to continue footing the bill for this aggravating, burgening hemorrhoid?
Shouldn’t Idaho feel used, abused, road hard and put away wet? USFWS has strong-armed Idaho into believing that if they don’t play by USFWS’ rules, Idaho is going to lose really bad. So what’s the score right now?
Maybe it’s time for Idaho to light the dynamite and throw it back at the U.S. Fish and Wolf Service. Cut them off from their allowance. Tell Salazar that come October 7, his alimony checks stop.
While it is laudable in some ways that Gov. Otter has at least toughened his stance against this egregious act of expansive and intrusive government, it’s all too difficult a task to take this serious anymore. This is all political posturing. It gets ramped up a notch or two when in looks like votes are on the line and then after the fact, it all gets toned back down to business as usual.
At best Otter can force USFWS to pretend they are interested and maybe the first thing they could pretend to do is file at least one appeal of Judge Molloy’s rulings. That act itself would, if nothing else, shut people like me up who wonder what a higher court would say? Dare to dream!
The O.K. Corral is on the south end of town. Bring a picnic lunch and lawn chairs for the big event to take place October 7, 2010.
If you are skeptical, send me a few cool million and I’ll show you what powers the show!
Tom Remington
