I'm Pissed !!! Warning - This is a vent

[MikeBjerum]

I'm having one of those days, and I am officially pissed!

Thirty years ago and beyond we got pounded by ecologists, tree huggers, hippies, and many others about our lifestyles.  However, back in the 60's, 70's and at least early 80's it was about common sense things we could do.  It was simple lifestyle bends and not complete abandonment of everything to go bare bones.  We were encouraged to recycle, and there were markets for our trash to make it worthwhile; we were shown how to do things while driving or planning our day to save gas (anyone remember those old booklets from Shell about how to save gas; we were helped as communities to put together groups to help save energy and money; we were shown how plantings and landscaping would do things for our homes, property, recreation all while helping the environment; and a multitude of other programs from the private and public sector.

Back thirty years and beyond everything was about how a little extra work would save us money, earn us cash (collecting cans, glass and paper and selling it to recyclers) and improving our world while we were at it.  It was a friendly kind message of making our lives better in an easy way.  Damn!  When I was in jr. high and early high school, I would take old onion bags (I worked in a grocery store and we had the 50# mesh bags available) and ride the streets of our community picking up aluminum cans.  In a four year period I earned enough money to purchase two brand new ten speed Schwinns and a used 125cc Yamaha Enduro when I turned 15 1/2.  Our Boy Scout Troop did paper drives and glass and steel can drives on a twice monthly basis.  We bought new tents, a trailer and paid for many items and programs with the cash raised.

Over the last couple decades our leaders have given into the bleeding hearts and subsidized recycling to the point that there is no money in it except from the taxpayer.  There are times when you can make a little money at it, and if you hit it just right there have been some really good times, but for the most part paper, glass and plastic won't pay the trucking, steel is either a break even or less, and aluminum has been the sole bright spot.

Over the last couple decades we are no longer given advice or shown the benefits of "green" living, but we are brow beaten and bitched at about how we are killing everything and destroying the earth.  We don't get shown how nice it can be, but they have no problem using fuzzy science to try and scare us.  And, rather than work with communities and individuals these tree huggers waste their money to get their cronies to pass laws to force the private sector.  Now they are taxing us for fuzzy ideas of what the pollutants we are spewing. 

We had a tragic explosion and fire in the Gulf this week.  Eleven workers are missing and feared dead as of today.  The Coast Guard has issued a statement, as of this morning, that there is no spill, and they are checking to make sure everything is in place and will continue to hold.  Are the greenies happy?  Hell No!  They are screaming spill, spill, spill, and stop drilling.  I'm praying for the workers, their families and in thankfulness that it is no worse.

This is Earth Week, and yesterday was Earth Day.  I saw nothing positive, but rather everything was negative.  Who the hell stole these jerks lollipops that they feel they are going to get me to change my way by belittling me.  We have a 7 1/2 acre yard with over 150 trees that I care for, and we plant more every year.  I work with wildlife conservation groups so I can improve habitat and then I hunt them and fish for them.  From everything I read the wife and I lead a "carbon neutral" live for us and our married children and their families.  However, I am still a jerk according to everything I read yesterday.  I even looked at the tv schedules yesterday and couldn't find anything positive.

These eco junkies want to know why I'm bitter ... You treat me like S**t!

This is just one issue of many out there, but it is this weeks hot topic, and I needed to vent. 

[twyacht]

Stay "Officially Pissed". Keep on venting, and continue to spread the word.

"The days of the ( admin/gov't), honoring yourselves, will soon be at an end"

Marcus Aurelius

Preach On... Take Care of your trees, gardens, and property. They can't have it.

[JC5123]

When we were having the Canadian illegal alien wolves shoved up our asses. There was a report that came out. The gist of it was that hunters/fishermen/sportsmen, do more for conservation and environmental protection than any eco group out there that does not participate in these activities. This is because WE have a vested interest in keeping these ecosystems in balance. They just want a feel good.

[r_w]

When we were having the Canadian illegal alien wolves shoved up our asses. There was a report that came out. The gist of it was that hunters/fishermen/sportsmen, do more for conservation and environmental protection than any eco group out there that does not participate in these activities. This is because WE have a vested interest in keeping these ecosystems in balance. They just want a feel good.

Yup.  True here and the heart of Africa.  "Eco-tourists" are the worst--they do more damage to fragile ecosystems and suck money OUT of local economies.  Hunters tread lightly and put money into LOCAL economies. 

The left have defined all hunters by the poachers, just like they define all gun owners by the active shooters. 

[ellis4538]

Couldn't have said it better myself!

Richard

PS:  You forgot to say "Vent Over"...unless it isn't!  Just kidding...LOL

[Sponsor]

[fightingquaker13]

The hunter thing in Africa is very true. Me, I'm not into the trophy hunting or fishing thing. It's between me and the animal or fish. I could give a rat's rear end about whether someone else's fish was a pound heavier or their horn was an inch longer. I mean please, focus on the animal, not some other human.The animal deserves more respect than that. Just my point of view, YMMV, and if you want to play the game another way, I'm good with it. Its like soccer or NASCAR to me. Millions love them, I don't. Whatever works.
That said, the Safari Club, the international equivilent of Boone and Crockett or Pope and Young, does more to preserve African big game than any ten tree hugging groups. They understand that in order to convince farmers without crop insurance that having large destructive animals that can ruin a crop, decimate a herd, or take a life (Elephants are a whole lot cuter when they're not trampling your seed corn), they need to be made to pay. Other wise its not just the Ivory poachers, its farmers who will cap them. They started the Campfire program which gives big dollars to villages in game country to counteract animal damages and provides for things like schools, clinics, wells and the like. The Safari Club also spearheaded efforts to charge high dollar trophy fees, that were geared towards game wardens, land management and local development, making the animals valuable commodities. I actually came close going to Zimbabwe back in 2000, before financial reality said no. Thing is, I could hunt a lion then for $300, if I actually shot one though? It was $5k for the trophy fee. Figuring a lion had never pissed me off five thousand dollars bad, I declined. Still, that $5k (at least back then when Mugabe was semi-sane) went to the villagers. They tolerated the lions as the trophy fees replaced the live stock and brought jobs. Absent that? They'll have the same life expectancy as an iguana in my back yard. Anyone who says hunters and fishermen weren't the first and best stewards of the enviroment can kiss my ass. Think I'm joking? Ask how many millions (yes thats millions PETA) of acres of wilderness wouldn't exist without the Pittman-Robertson Tax on guns ammo and the like?
FQ13 Who thinks he does more for the earth everytime he kills bambi than PETA ever did in its whole existence. Just sayin'.    

[2HOW]

I dont know how to respond, except I dont kill what I dont eat , unless it FQ 13/.

[fightingquaker13]

I dont know how to respond, except I dont kill what I dont eat , unless it FQ 13/.

"We eat what we kill, and kill what eats us" Hunter Thompson. I generally agree 2How. I don't do preadator hunting. I don't think it their place in the food chain. I just got offered this opportunity by an old prof. There were five of them going and his friend had to cancel at the last minute. They were willing to pay my airfare and lodging (since they were non-refundable at that point) as long as I sprung for the rest (which included a deal to split the trophy fees five ways for the first two animals of each class, figuring it was luck of the draw as to who got to take a shot. Elephants, at $20k per head were excepted. You shoot it? You gut it, eat it and pay for it! ). Not a bad way to split expences and I was flying $3k lighter than the rest. Still, it would have set me back $3k, not including buying a .375 H@H or .458 Win Mag, and a few of the yahoos were talking about lions and the like. Me? I wanted a Gazaelle,a Kudu and a Cape Buffalo. Oddly enough, the thing I wanted most, and the only head I would ever pay to have mounted was a Wart Hog. You can take the redneck out of Florida, but....... . All of which are quite tasty. Anyway, the shared trophy fees, while a rational plan, was the deal breaker.
FQ13

[tombogan03884]

We would not even have a National Park service if TR had not had such a hard time finding a Bison to shoot.

[tfr270]

Yes, I'm right there with you! I'm sick and tired of being made out to be the bad guy. I'd be willing to bet that some earth firster blew up that rig trying to make a point. We've had ALF and ELF start fires around here at meat processing plants. These groups are eco terrorists. 

How this got to hunting...another of my rants...I kill predators on the ranch. There are way too many of them since no one kills them. They killed five of our lambs in one night, the coyotes did. We've killed about thirty of them in this year alone and they still come around in broad daylight. That tells me the balance is way off around these parts.

As far as trophy hunting goes...I've been to Africa too. I have 7 trophies on the wall. A nice Gemsbok, a Kudu, a blue wildebeeste, a red hartebeeste, two impala, and a bushbuck. All taken with archery kit. What we didn't eat there was given to the camp staff to take home or put in the lodges freezer for future guests. The money I paid for the trip put dollars into the economy over there. It was one of the best trips of my life. With what is going on over there now I worry about my friends and their safety.