On C-Span this morning I was just listening to Washington Journal a show that allows callers to speak live on the air to discuss issues related to the current news. Most of the commentary today focused upon the political race. However I was shocked when a caller – a woman, clearly distraught – called in to state that she couldn’t in good conscience vote for a candidate that was in favor of killing wolves.
In fact the caller stated that Palin has supported a $150 per pelt bounty on wolves in Alaska and that further she supports legalizing the hunting of wolves from helicopter which is one of the principal methods of culling wolves that nearly lead to their extinction (and did lead to their extinction in the lower 48 states until the fairly recent Yellowstone wolf reintroduction brought a limited number of wolves back).
Palin is clearly cruel, in spite of being a “hunter” doesn’t have a clue about supporting the natural predator/prey balance and it is obvious that if this is her ability to look at a situation that has clear divisions between the right and wrong action and she is capable of coming down on the wrong side in spite of the obvious correct course of action, she is simply incapable of making balanced decisions and that makes her as much like the status quo in the whitehouse as her running mate.
Personally, anyone that would kill a wolf doesn’t deserve to draw breath in my book and any politician that would support the cruel practice of hunting via helicopter or would support bounties on an animal so crucial to the natural balance is absolutely unfit to lead and unworthy of a following.
This is my personal favourite story: http://bit.ly/1f2FzW
I can understand the need to kill predatory animals because they are a threat to wildlife, livestock, pets and people. But gunning down wolves from a plane because you want to up the numbers of the caribou for hunting season just seems wrong to me. But then again, I am not a hunter, nor am I an Alaskan resident whose state economy is, in part, dependent on hunting tourism. I am simply an animal lover, who got very upset when they saw the wolf video on CNN Anderson Cooper 360. I am also NOT an idiot, and decided to search out the facts about this issue rather than be told what to think by Anderson Cooper or Joy Behar [The View] on Larry King.
The simple reality that properly applied wolf control works. An example from the wolf control program when Alaska started the Tanana Flats wolf control program in the mid-1970’s, long befeor Sarah Palin, moose and caribou numbers were low and falling. Wolf numbers were high. Ten years later, and some years after the program ended, there were more of each: more moose, more caribou, and here’s the kicker, the wolf population had bounced back to a larger size than when we started.
Perhaps Sarah Palin wants more of all kinds of wildlife.
Daryl, Sarah Palin knows less about sustainable wildlife management practices than she does about the Bush Doctrine.
Beyond this, it is egregious to suggest that the “wolf management” program that you cite resulted in the increased population of any of the species mentioned in isolation. If you know anything at all about the cyclic nature of wild populations (and especially those not mucked with by humans) you know that they are influenced by many factors including the severity of the winters in several successive years, the availability of water and the amount of rainfall in spring and early summer which determines how much fodder is available to ungulate populations whether or not disease had impacted any of the species – for example brucelosis decimated the buffalo herds in some places and the wolf population was heavily impacted in successive years.
There’s plenty of research on this by L. David Mech particularly on Wolf/Moose population statistics from his research on the wolves of Isle Royal.
In other words, don’t try to convince me that any “management” program was in the wolves best interest. In my opinion, shooting wolves under virtually any circumstance is a grotesque and barbaric act but shooting them from airplanes and helicopters is an act that only a monstrously ugly human being could commit.
Oliver
PS: Sure Sarah Palin wants more of all kinds of wildlife – bullets do not discriminate and when it comes to killing things it doesn’t seem like Sarah does either – except of course for the products of rape and incest which she apparently thinks are the mother’s fault and that the mother should be forced to pay for her medical care in these situations.
Pingback: Loose Feathers » Blog Archive » Alaska judge to Palin: ‘Save the email’
Sarah Palin is a cruel, evil women, she has no empathy and should NOT be in and type of public office!!!!!!!!
Palin haters, apparently Palin does know a thing or two about wildlife management. You let the wolves kill off the caribou, you’ll be left with no wolves AND no caribou.
@R
Puhlease! As if the wolves hadn’t evolved with the caribou for a couple of millenia without man, without helicopters and without Sarah (the idiot) Palin.
Do you really think we’re that stupid? Think a bit next time man. Wolves and Caribou reach equilibrium just like the wolves and moose of isle royale have for decades. The only reason that they would ever need to be “managed” which we all know is a euphemism for shot from an aircraft in cold blood, is that humans have devastated their habitat and killed off all the “trophy” caribou and they don’t want the wolves to finish off what’s left after Joe Sixpack and his ten buddies have had their fun on quads and snow mobiles with repeating laser scope rifles that a grandma could still shoot accurately.
Your argument is ludicrous. If this is the level of intellectual capability of Palin’s supporters thank god McCain lost. Let me say that again, THANK GOD MCCAIN Lost!
Editor
violence and slaughtering … kudos to killer Palin!!!!!
For those of you that think aerial hunting is okay, you are just as ignorant as Palin. There are more humane ways to control the population. Leaving poor animals to die slowly is just plain heartless and irresponsible.
Susan96 you need to get a life and grow the hell up.
@Sonja (puzzlddd) – I’ve moderated your comment. While I appreciate your viewpoint your comment is far afield of this discussion and I do not wish to engage in that particular debate on my site. I am certain that there are plenty of sites that would be happy to engage with you on that subject I’m not one of them. Hope you understand.
Editor
Sarah Palin is no more a hunter than I am. She is a cruel slaughterer of wildlife. She has a nerve in my opinion to relate to any wildlife – even a “mama grizley” since she chooses to shoot from planes – wow what a hunter….she must be related to Cheney …. going to a place that lets birds out of cages for people to shoot….I think Greenpeace should move on up North and stand in the way of the planes and she needs to get the …. away from all animals.
ooops – forgot to say she has a nerve calling herself a “mother” being as she is such a cruel unfeeling individual. In her case “mother” is only half a word!!!!
Is someone going to do something about this murderess or not? Im sick of hearing this. Someone should shoot this bitch.
She should be put in jail.
Sarah the Wolfslayer—defender of life—what an abomination she is. And this is hard for me, as a Christian woman and a (now former) Republican, I am ashamed at her callous hypocrisy. I know enough about hunting to know that wolves mainly feed on the not-so-healthy prey. And I know there’s a FAR MORE humane way to deal with a VERIFIABLE overpopulation. You could take that same helicopter and shoot wolf with tranquilizer—-FAR MORE HUMANE—and then HUMANELY euthanize it so it’s not scared to death and tortured by injury. She makes me so upset, I find myself nearly wishing she’s be hunted down and shot in leg—wonder how she’d like that….what a monster that almost made it to the White House. God save us all for the likes of her….
she is an evil hartless bitch nomatter what anybody elts says
What makes her think that anyone would vote for her in 2012? She’s the reason McCain didn’t get president.There’s no way in hell she’ll even get in the running.I’m so glad she’s out of the picture.She loves the lime light and thats the only reason she does any of this crazyness.I wish someone would stake her out in the wilderness and pour caribou blood all over her and sit back and watch the wolves have a hay day ripping her apart.What a bitch.She is breathing good air.I know wonder God sent her an idiot child.This is only part of her punishment.Poor baby!!
Pingback: BelchSpeak » Post Topic » Obama Creates Trail of Tears for My Little Ponies
I am a passionate wolf lover and I am astounded by what she is doing. I visited a wolf conservatory in B.C. last week, and got the rare opportunity to walk with them. They are such wonderful, shy, smart, sweet, funny, animals, who are very family oriented. I hate Sarah Palin for what she is doing and one day she will realize how wrong she was….and I hope it’s soon. She is a scumbag reptile, plain and simple.
People have such short memories, the public will forget all this horror of wolf slaughter if we don’t keep reminding them. Or like the holocaust they’ll claim it never happened and then there is a danger that this inhuman “thing” could be elected to some truely important office and obtain actual power in our lives. Can you imagine?
If Palin would advocate slaughtering wildlife to please and profit from rich trophy hunters in Alaska and ignore the scientific facts that global warming is causing caribou numbers to decline due to screwed up grazing and calving times, if she would slaughter fathers, mothers and baby cubs, or even leave babies to starve in the snow alone, what would she do with “real power” such as the Presidency?
H. Spencer was right saying “The behavior of men to the lower animals, and their behavior towards each other bears a constant relationship.”
Anyone who would butcher helpless wild creatures, (animals simply doing their utmost to survive, protect and raise their young) for “status” alone would not hesitate to do equal harm to those of her fellow humans that simply got in her way while you each tried your best just to survive and protect your own “mates and cubs” each of you with your own situations and challenges.
You will not find understanding, mercy, consideration nor compassion from Palin, not ever.
WE THE SMART PEOPLE OF THE WORLD KNOW THAT WOLFS KILL THE WEAK ANIMALS TO MAKE THE POPULATIONS ALL STRONGER SO THEY CAN LIVE BETTER LIVES,THEY ALL HAVE BEEN LIVING TOGETHER FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS,EVEN 2 THOUSAND YEARS AGO WHEN PALIN SAID THE DINOSAURS WERE ROAMING THE EARTH AND WERE BEING HUNTED IN ANCIENT ROME. SHE IS A COMPLETE IDIOT THAT SHOULD NOT BE IN ANY POLITICS AT ALL, STUPID IS WHAT STUPID DOES,EVEN FORREST GUMP IS SMARTER THAN HER.
Sorry to have missed this comment earlier. I couldn’t agree with you more. The woman is dishonest, barbaric (unusual for a woman) and completely ignorant with respect to virtually everything essential for acting in the best interests of humanity and the planet. God help us all if we are [collectively] stupid enough to vote her into a position of power and responsibility.