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The Other Side of the Wolf Story
So, I am about to take another plunge, this time into the world of blogging. I am not certain how long I will last. My national radio show certainly keeps me busy. I feel there a few things I want to get off my chest. Sometimes, one needs to throw a temper tantrum to get the uncompromising to compromise and the disinterested to listen. Sometimes, one has to put their finger in their opponent’s face and declare enough is enough and things must change. I feel we have reached that critical mass with wolves.
I will not bore you with the chronological chain of events that shaped the greatest domestic government debacle this nation has ever witnessed. Some of you will say “Fast and Furious”, the spotted owl and the delta smelt are major contenders, but none of those travesties dragged-on for as long as the wolf war. None of them threatened an entire region of our nation and the people and wildlife living within it. No, neither the delta smelt nor the spotted owl debacles revealed so poignantly the level of political, scientific and intellectual bankruptcy that resides in Washington, D.C.
We have all known for some time that the core problem is that the Endangered Species Act (ESA) has been proselytized and is long overdue for a major overhaul. At this juncture we can defund it, revamp it or throw it out back door, but it is irrefutable that change is necessary. That fact brings me to a major point. Where were our legislators when the wolf fiasco and aforementioned debacles were unfolding? Why didn’t they act? Why are we paying their salaries to basically do nothing in the ESA wars?
One cannot turn on the television without hearing of a recent poll that declares the approval rating of Congress is in the toilet. Americans are busy people. Many are scrambling to pay their bills, save their homes, feed and educate their children while Congress infinitely debates issues that high school students could wrap-up in a few weeks. Is it any wonder that the high level of dissatisfaction for government’s actions or lack thereof eventually becomes a disdain for government?
The American people are far more astute than most politicians realize and we have a great sense of fairness. We look to government to shape our policies and laws so our citizens are not abused by government rules and regulations. We abhor federal agencies adopting extreme agendas and executing them contrary to their mandated missions. And, we detest the bizarre excuses of the agencies when they are caught implementing those extreme agendas. We look to Congress to intervene and correct those injustices. We don’t want our tax dollars wasted by government employees pursuing an agenda. We want the agencies to do what is right for all the people. And, we definitely realize authority and power breeds a lust for more power and authority.
What I am saying is that getting wolves delisted across this nation is only part of the story. It is a symptom of the disease. Yes, we must stop the carnage on our wildlife, halt the impact on our rural residents, private landowners and rural economies, but we must go farther in our resolution. We must hold government accountable for doing nothing for more than a decade.
What our citizens in our western states have just endured is not simply proof that wolves are a destructive force in nature and a nuisance animal that must held to the lowest possible population levels. Wolves will never be compatible with the culture and economies of the West or anywhere else for that matter. Intensive wolf population control must begin if we intend to reverse their damage of the last decade. It was an unnecessary experiment that went terribly wrong for too long and our politicians did nothing to stop it.
However, with that said I remain an optimist. There is a bright side to the wolf war. The pendulum is swinging back. With continued conviction and tenacity by the people, wolves will soon be delisted nationally and classified as neither endangered nor threatened. States will eventually implement comprehensive wolf population control programs. Wildlife populations will recover albeit slowly. The grizzly bear will soon be delisted and mountain lion populations will continue to be brought under control. Regulated sport hunting will once again be recognized as the only sensible, reliable population control for wildlife across our landscape. It is unfortunate that we ventured into the La-La Land mentality of the environmentally extreme for over fifteen years. It may take a few more years to purge them and their agenda from the discourse. We should begin to work on eliminating all federal funding for La-La Land inhabitants.
Another plus is the myth of pristine wilderness where nature self-regulates itself will fade from barbeque and dinner party conversations across America only to be jokingly revisited in the context of the latest Disney movie. Ironically, for that we can thank the Canada wolf, which should have never been introduced in the first place.
