He picked who??

I’m sorry, but I have to post this entry. I just caught the news and I am sick to my stomach and disgusted over McCain’s choice for a Vice President. His first decision is picking a Vice President, and already he is showing bad judgment. Are you kidding me?? Most people don’t know anything about Sarah Palin. But I do! Oh yes I do. I’ve followed this woman closely for two years because of the aerial gunning of wolves in Alaska, and her unwillingness to put an end to it.

Just a couple months ago she objected to listing Polar Bears as an endangered species. Of course she would! She believes in aerial gunning of wolves and bears! It’s been going on in Alaska for years and she hasn’t done a thing to stop it despite numerous petitions over the years, and the involvement of Defenders of Wildlife to conserve wolf population in Alaska. Not only that, but the people of Alaska have voted twice to put an end to aerial gunning, yet it still continues. Not only does it still continue, but Palin has allocated state funds which pays hunters $150 a wolf. Why? Because they claim that by killing wolves it increases populations of prey for hunters and Palin herself is a hunter. But the truth is that most of these hunters who apply for a license are the same hunters who once killed wolves for sport.

If you aren’t familiar with aerial gunning it’s a cruel and inhumane practice in which wolves are tracked from low flying planes by sport hunters. They chase these wolves, run them until they are exhausted, and then shoot them to death. Congress put an end to this practice 30 years ago. But Alaska found a loophole in the legislature allowing them to resume the practice. Here’s a video on it. It’s about 10 minutes, but worth watching.

Wolves play an important role in the ecosystem. Research demonstrates that wolves help to boost biodiversity and maintain ecological stability. The presence of wolves has an effect on the behavior of other wildlife by causing them to avoid areas such as streambeds, which in turn gives young cottonwood and willow sprouts a chance to grow, which in turn decrease erosion and add cooling shade over the streams, which in turn improves the habitat for birds and fish. When wolves are absent, it throws off the whole ecosystem.

When these wolves are killed the pups left abandoned die of starvation. Recently though Alaska Fish and Game came up with a solution to this problem… kill the pups as well. In June 2008 they slaughtered 14 wolves from three packs. Then they tracked the pups to dens on the ground and killed a total of 14 pups as well. Then they tried to cover it up. The state's press release on June 30 only mentioned that 28 wolves from three packs had been removed. They did not disclose that staff also hunted the pups and killed them as well. This is a violation of Alaska regulations and orphaned wildlife policy which states "first to leave an animal alone if it can survive on its own. If not, the department is supposed to look for a home." Yet they never contacted the zoo or anyone else. They just killed them. 

http://www.ktva.com/ci_10267916

Zoos not contacted before wolf pup kills

Associated Press

Article Last Updated: 08/21/2008 03:37:56 PM AKDT

 

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - Two of Alaska's leading animal facilities say state wildlife officials did not try to place orphaned wolf pups with them before killing the pups.

<snip> 

Officials at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage and the Haines Animal Center, the likely candidates to care for such animals, said they were never contacted. 

Here are some other facts about Governor Palin and what she will bring to the White House.

Currently she is under investigation for allegations that she pressured her administration to fire a State Trooper because he was involved in a nasty divorce with her sister. When the Commissioner of Public Safety showed reluctance over the firing, she fired him as well. Her and her administration have issued conflicting statements regarding both issues.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPTMcs8wpHc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pak-rH0dCeA

http://www.ktva.com/commissionercontroversy/ci_10206518

Last year she signed into law a 6.6 billion dollar operating budget, which is the largest in the history of Alaska. Yet she used her veto power to make cuts in the construction budget. After making $237 million in cuts, the second largest cut in Alaskan history, the construction budget wasreduced to $1.6 billion to spend on over 300 projects. Ironically, Alaska spends that same amount on aerial gunning programs and wolf bounties.

The Republicans must be getting pretty desperate if you ask me. I was thinking of supporting this man up until last week. Thankfully I changed my mind due largely in part to his track record, but most of all because I for one am sick of Bush’s administration. I honestly believe a vote for McCain would be like a vote for another four years of Bush. Now, let me just say I voted for Bush in 2000. And I came close to voting for him again in 2004. But having had enough of him, and his style of politics, one McCain favors, I came to my senses and changed my mind.

McCain criticized Obama for his age, yet he picks a VP that is even younger? McCain says Obama isn’t qualified enough, yet he picks a VP that has no experience in foreign or domestic policy, or the role of VP? In fact she just admitted last month on CNBC that she has no idea what the Vice President even does. And if I hadn’t decided already to not vote for McCain, I’d definitely change my mind as of today. I'm absolutely disgusted that McCain would choose Palin as his running mate.

Tags: McCain, Palin, aerial gunning, Alaska, wolves, sport hunting

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