Save The Wolves In Alaska
Posted by Mitch Mitchell on Oct 11, 2008
I'm basically staying non-political on my blogs, because I figure I have my positions and I know who I'm supporting, and why. However, that doesn't mean that when there's something that just doesn't sit right with me that I'm going to let it go, and I don't really care who it is at that point.
In this case, I'm addressing this issue of wolf hunting in Alaska. I don't mind there being a hunting season, even though I'm not a hunter, and I know people have their reasons for wanting to hunt, let alone governments having their reasons for allowing specific types of hunting. And I'm not a big animal rights buff. However, hearing that hunters are allowed to shoot wolves from airplanes, and that they'll get paid a bounty if they turn in wolf paws, just smacks of indecency to me.
Anyway, mixing serious stuff with some entertainment, this little video, though funny in a way, addresses this topic, and pretty much expresses my thoughts on the matter. So, without further ado,...
Well I’ll tell you my first thought was Michael Vick and I see someone used him in this video. Do I think dog fighting is right? Nope. But at the same time I think people went way too far with how they basically tried to totally annihilate Michael Vick. I also believe that there was more underlying the way that folks went after him. I don’t see Sarah Palin hunting wolves for sport as being any different than dog fighting. If a certain population of animals have to be thinned to balance the system then fine.
What I would really like to see is some of these animal rights activist that are so passionate about animals be the same way about human beings. Put some of that passion into domestic violence, put it into youth violence etc… Some of the very same people who had so much venom for Michael Vick wouldn’t lift a finger or speak a word to someone being killed for the color of their skin, or a women being beaten to death in domestic violence. I know the reasoning that some give is that the animals can’t speak for themselves, but that isn’t reason enough.
I fully agree with you, Linda, and to be truthful, I’m sort of surprised the animal lovers aren’t following Sarah Palin all over the country and trying to throw blood on her, which is one of their favorite things to do. And the vehemence Michael Vick received,… just doesn’t seem right, does it?
No it wasn’t right. I believe that people took that way too far. The venom in the action of the folks who protested, called for his death wanted him ruined was way over board. But yet not much is being said about this issue which is really no different. You are hunting the wolves for sport. He was training dogs to fight for sport. Where is the difference here?
Great point, though I’m sure someone would say that humans shooting dogs is different than training dogs to fight each other. To me, both are fairly repugnant, but Vick was punished to a degree that didn’t seem to fit the act.
I think the people who fight for animal rights more than human rights are ones whose connection with other people isn’t that strong. Bad or nonexistent relationships with family, friends, etc. But a lot of the animal rights people I know also campaign for human rights as well.
I didn’t know Palin was for the aerial wolf hunting. I’m surprised I haven’t heard more from the wildlife defenders groups about that.
Also, I think Vick was punished to the full extent because of his celebrity. He certainly deserved punishment, and who better to make an example out of. If someone with that kind of money cannot get away with it, it sends a message to others that they should rethink their decision to participate in such a cruel activity as well.
~ Kristi
~ Kristi
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The Palin wolf thing got a lot of attention early on, but it’s fallen way off the map by now. Once the financial issues started occurring, that was that.
As for Michael Vick, the problem with it isn’t that he was doing something illegal; it’s the piling on after the fact. Dog fighting has been going on for decades, and other people have been arrested for it, but they chose him to throw multiple books at. That just wasn’t right.
I don’t really think throwing the book at Michael is going to stop dog fighting. Just like it doesn’t stop cock fighting either. If anything it may send it further underground but it won’t stop it. Yes he should have received some type of punishment but the punishment was way over the top. People even say he shouldn’t be allowed back into football. I say why not? This dog fighting issue had no affect on football. It didn’t take anything away from football or his team. He was just attacked in the media but yet they allowed the NBA ref to quietly plead guilty to his crime which did possibly have some repercussions to basketball because he bet on games. Double standards.
The punishment didn’t fit the crime, for sure.
Of course, we’ve left the original topic, which is the way Alaska allows hunting of wolves from airplanes. Then again, I guess it’s fair to do a comparison of which is worse, shooting wolves from planes or having dogs of supposedly equal ability fight to the almost death in a ring. I don’t like either, but if you had to choose,…