Hunting, fishing, ranching, farming, and private land ownership are very much part of our American culture and heritage but much of this is under attack. This is not new but the consolidation of many of the animal rights groups and an effort on their part for more coordinated attacks we will also have to be diligent in our strikes back. Like many liberal organizations they are comfortable with making changes incrementally over time by doing that they draw in more mainstream Americans.
I was reading on the Outdoor Pressroom how the HSUS is focusing more on state issues and state initiatives to push their agenda. One of the examples they sited was the effort to stop the slaughter of horses for human consumption. Now I’ll admit that I don’t really have a desire to eat horse meat but why should I care if someone else wants to? I guess there is a European market for that so why shouldn’t horse owners be able to sell horse for human consumption? This is an example of an emotional issue that draws many mainstream folks in to oppose this business and to pass laws to stop this practice.
This is not unlike the efforts to ban trapping or other methods that they can get the emotional plea or wedge issues within the sports community. Yesterday I posted on efforts in NJ to alter the wildlife commission and to give more seats to those who want to utilize non lethal methods to control wildlife populations. Phillip from The Hog Blog weighed in that many on the board in California do not hold hunting license. I’m sure that is the case in many states.
The Desert Rat has a story about how the legislators in Arizona have a plan to raid the wildlife fund putting matching funds at risk. That too is not a new issue but one we have to stand up against. Taxes paid in the form of license fees, tag fees and excise tax on equipment are what funds the vast majority of wildlife agencies across this country. Why should non participants have any say in how that money is spent?
We have got to stand up to this attack even if we don’t see it as a very important issue to us personally, I might not trap but I must stand with my trapping friends when they are under attack like I know they’ll stand with me when deer hunting comes under attack. We need to join with farmers and ranchers in their fight against the HSUS.
