A call to arms!

My pal Lucy mentioned Sarah Palin in a comment on my entry yesterday, and just like Beetlejuice, she has conjured up the woman. AAGGGHHH! O the humanity!

Way back during the election (doesn't that seem like a lifetime ago?) I sent an email out to some of my compadres about the Defenders of Wildlife video that showed how the Governor has allowed aerial killing of wolves in Alaska. The video was so horrid it made me cry and shake with anger. There wasn't a whole lot about it on the news, but that has now changed. The Defenders of Wildlife has enlisted Ashley Judd to be the face of a national campaign to put a stop to this brutal practice, and there is a website dedicated to this campaign called Eye on Palin.

The governor's office issued a statement a statement from the Governor in response saying that Defenders of Wildlife is an "extreme fringe group" and that they are "twisting the truth." She said that the practice is scientifically based, and important to sustain the game population for Alaska's hunters. Palin continued in her statement, "It is reprehensible and hypocritical that the Defenders of Wildlife would use Alaska and my administration as a fundraising tool to deceive Americans into parting with their hard-earned money."

Y'all might want to step back.

First: To call the Defenders of Wildlife an "extreme fringe group" is ludicrous and insulting. They have been a leading group in conservation and protection of our wildlife and their habitats since 1947, and they are a nonprofit group that has been a staunch defender of the Endangered Species Act. Ken and I are proud supporters. I hardly think anyone would consider us "extreme" or some sort of "fringe" element. Her vilification of an established conservation group tells me a lot about her.

Second: Everything I read about aerial hunting from Alaska and national conservationists said that it was unnecessary and brutal, and not based on sound science. There are copious quantities of moose and elk for the hunting and consumption by native peoples. Most of us here in the lower 48 states understand (or should understand) that the absence of natural predators has resulted in an overrun of the deer population, so much so that they can devastate an ecosystem. State parks usually open to hunters for deer hunting at some point during the season because the population has to be controlled. The logic that aerial hunting somehow preserves and protects the game population is some of the faultiest, most illogical, stupidest conservation science I've ever heard. But then that shouldn't surprise me.

Third: The Defenders of Wildlife isn't twisting anyone's arm for contributions. You won't answer a knock on the door to see a Forest Ranger telling you to pony up or you might meet with a "little accident." Contributions are voluntary, and I don't blame them for highlighting such a reprehensible practice as aerial hunting. They aren't "deceiving" anyone. They are telling the truth about Palin's policies as Governor, and there is nothing hypocritical about that. Her statement that Defenders are deceiving Americans "into parting with their hard-earned money" is laughable. Charitable contributions are down across the board, and we're smart enough to choose wisely as to what we contribute to, if we can contribute.

Finally: Eye on Palin has a spot where you can click to "take action now." You can send a letter to the Governor's office AND you can do it without making a contribution. Imagine that! (They will ask for a contribution, but you don't need to make one to send a letter.) Their goal is a mere 100,000 letters, and I think it will be no problem whatsoever to reach that goal. If this horrible practice bothers you as much as it does me, I hope you'll take a moment to swing by and make your voice heard. Alaska is not a foreign country, and this practice is an embarrassment to America.