Dear Mary Lou...

And once again, Mary Lou Schmidt has spoken. I’m talking about her letter in the Metro News last week as she told us the heart-wrenching story about the out-of-control, slaughter of innocent wolves that Alaska Governor, Sarah Palin was more or less personally responsible for.
Mary Lou did acknowledge the fact that laws permitting hunting the wolf in Alaska were already in place when Palin took office. What she didn’t tell us is that these laws were in place “way” before Palin took office. But that fact doesn’t help her cause, so it was simply tossed aside.
Mary Lou, I wonder. Is this like the global warming debate, you know, settled and all?“ Or are you willing to consider the possibility of another point of view?
First off, I find it amusing that you and the group you’re supporting are suddenly referring to Sarah Palin as “Governor” instead of some “small town, hick mayor” in the middle of nowhere now that using her name actually benefits your cause. I know, you do what you gotta do to these days to raise money. And what better way is there than attaching Sarah Palin’s name into it.
Mary Lou, have you ever considered the consequences of allowing the wolf population to grow unchecked? As their numbers grow they will need to kill more and more caribou just to survive. Sooner or later the caribou population will diminish to the point where wolves start dying off by starvation or disease. No way, right?
I’m not trying to start a fight here today. But have you heard about the deer problem they’re having over towards Kansas City? Shawnee Mission Park covers about 1280 acres and straddles the cities of Shawnee and Lenexa, Kansas. For the last decade the deer population has been allowed to grow unchecked to the point the deer are beginning to starve to death and dying of disease brought on by the ticks that thrive on them. There has been at least one confirmed case of a woman coming down with Lyme disease because of these ticks. Not good.
Officials are finally coming to terms with the fact they’re going to have to do something to get the number of deer down. Some of these officials refer to the situation as “culling or thinning” the herd. Another one was more to the point . She asked why not tell it like it is. Because so many of these deer are in such bad shape all we can do now is kill the estimated 400 deer in Shawnee Mission Park and allow for a new generation of deer to repopulate the park at a sustainable level.
This whole thing should have been dealt with years ago. And had the right thing been done concerning wildlife population control back then it wouldn’t be an issue today.
Mary Lou, I wonder if you’re going to hold Kathleen Sebelius personally responsible for the slaughter that sooner or later this one’s going to be. I mean, why not, she’s the governor and could change these laws if she wanted to, right? I also wonder if she’s going to hold every governor in every state personally responsible for the wildlife population management laws that exist in every state. I would guess, probably not.
Mary Lou, I’m assuming you’re not a hunter. That much we have in common. I’ve just never had the desire to go out and kill something. I have an old rifle my grandpa gave me years ago but I haven’t even seen it in years. So, no I’m not a big gun person either.
But you know what? Just because you and I don’t like something doesn’t automatically make it wrong for the millions of people all across the world who enjoy the thrill of the hunt. They cherish the time it allows them to spend tromping through the woods with family and friends in search of that perfect shot. And whether you like it or not. It’s their right to do so.
It’s kind of like the fairly new “pro-choice” chant I keep hearing. If you’re against abortion, don’t have one. Same thing here. If you don’t like hunting, don’t go. See how easy that was.
Want to talk about it? Stop by the blog: www.rm235.blogspot.com or e-mail: www.kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net