Much to my chagrin and disappointment, I learned today a valuable lesson: Barack Obama is actually George W. Bush in sheep’s clothing. To wit:
The Obama administration on Friday upheld a Bush-era decision to remove gray wolves in the Northern Rockies and the western Great Lakes region from federal protection under the Endangered Species Act.
Where do we go from here?
Idaho Gov. C.L. Butch Otter on Friday repeated his desire to get the first available wolf hunting tag in the state so he can try to shoot one of the animals.
“The fish and game population is really counting on a robust population of trophy animals to maintain that part of our economy,” he said.
Or more succinctly:
“Today is a truly disappointing day,” Defenders of Wildlife President Rodger Schlickeisen said in a statement. “Defenders of Wildlife will now move to sue Secretary Salazar as quickly as possible.”
“All the reasons why this plan was a bad idea when the Bush administration proposed it still stand today,” Schlickeisen said. “If this rule is allowed to stand, nearly two-thirds of the wolves in the Northern Rockies could be killed.”
Unfortunately, Obama seems ready to support this search-and-destroy mission with one of our most endangered and magnificent species at the heart of the matter. With fewer than 10,000 animals in question, his administration has chosen a path of extinction over one of recovery.
Ken Salazar should be removed from his position without hesitation for being anti-nature and anti-preservation, let alone anti-wolf and a Republican in disguise. Wildlife conservation in his book means loading the rifle for every hunter interested in shooting one of these majestic canines.
If you care about gray wolves, wiped out of the U.S. before the Endangered Species Act was put in place, or care about nature in general, feel free to call the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at 1-800-344-9453. Call during business hours as their voice-response system is calloused and cold. Choose option “3” for endangered species and then option “0” to speak to an operator—or jump directly to “0” to get an operator if the damned technology vexes you. Then shout your silly head off about this reprehensible and repugnant decision, one that will lead to the destruction of gray wolves throughout North America.
Meanwhile, I’ll be sure to mention Obama as a greedy Republican and destroyer of the world in all future references. The impetus is on him to prove me wrong.
[special thanks to jenny for pointing this out to me; I only just today saw the story, but her e-mail pushed me to look into the matter]