Topping it all off is an ominously darkened photo of Governor Sarah Palin grinning with a Dick Cheney-like combination sneer-and-smirk, next to the words “anti-wolf, anti-wildlife.”
On the site, eyeonpalin.org, the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund—the political arm of a Washington, D.C.-based group of the same name that focuses on wildlife conservation—spells out its aims:
 |
That may be a little indirect, but at least it’s honest, in it’s own way. Allow me to translate:
“We’re nervous about Governor Sarah Palin’s apparent appeal to a lot of conservatives in this last presidential election, so we’re going to start attacking her record on wildlife now, rather than wait for her popularity to grow.”
The fund’s president, Rodger Schlickeisen, admits as much in a press release touting the site’s launch.
"Sarah Palin isn't fading into the background, so neither are we," he says. "Given her known political aspirations, the American public deserves to know what she's doing in Alaska, and about her extreme anti-conservation policies. The list is long, and we will document it all, from her continued promotion of the aerial slaughter of wolves and bears, to her lawsuit to remove the polar bear from the endangered species list, even as the sea ice melts beneath it."
That clears things up a little.
Aerial wolf hunting is one of those issues that makes an easy mark for groups looking to gain attention and elicit sympathy for their cause, so it’s not hard to understand why Defenders of Wildlife would stake their campaign on it. But if they were truly interested in stopping the practice, Palin is a questionable target. True, she’s been an unreserved supported of predator control programs. But the Alaska State Board of Game meetings that are coming up later this month, or the legislators who’ve twice rolled back voter initiatives banning the hunts, would’ve been better, more effective targets—if they were truly interested in stopping the practice.
Instead, it seems like the most convenient issue for a salvo in what appears to be a pretty transparent political attack.
Palin seems to understand the campaign the same way, and responded accordingly.
Calling Defenders of Wildlife an “extreme fringe group,” Palin accuses them of “distorting the facts about Alaska’s wildlife management programs” and defends those programs as “scientific and successful at protecting vulnerable wildlife.”
“Shame on the Defenders of Wildlife for twisting the truth in an effort to raise funds from innocent and hard-pressed Americans struggling with these rough economic times,” the statement concluded. (At press time, emails to Palin spokespersons seeking specific examples of distorted facts remained unanswered at press time.)
But even though Palin is obviously a political target here, she does risk being tainted by the aerial hunting issue.
I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who was puzzled when Palin mentioned predator control in her state-of-the-state address—as an answer to the high costs of health care.
“So, a healthier Alaska via personal responsibility, and subsisting more on our pure and plentiful Alaskan food sources! It’s why we protect our waters and soils from pollutants, and it’s a reason we manage our wildlife for abundance,” she said.
“To ensure this, we’ve successfully brought the Habitat Division back into Fish and Game, as I promised. Our biologists have protected game by eliminating predators from calving grounds and we'll further protect herds, some of which are at precariously low levels of abundance—thus ultimately promoting the population growth of every species.”
There’s nothing wrong with advocating for more personal responsibility, or for eating healthy wild foods. But for parents of children with, say, fetal alcohol syndrome or a developmental disability—especially the ones that fall through the cracks of the current system—the promise of a greater abundance of fresh moose meat is bound to ring a little hollow.
Like it or not, this Defenders of Wildlife campaign is a pretty good sign that permanent campaign season has arrived for Palin and Alaska.
If there’s anything to take from this first round it’s this: If she continues to harbor ambitions for the national political scene, Palin still has a long way to go in learning to communicate her stances and beliefs to those who don’t already share them. This might be amongst the first national attacks the governor will have to weather, post-presidential campaign. But it certainly won’t be the last.
krestia.degeorge@anchoragepress.com
Comments
flyer5000 wrote on Feb 13, 2009 10:28 AM:
guyld wrote on Feb 11, 2009 2:30 AM:
groups so loud; because the Gov. of that state is not ...... Sarah Palin.
All animals ,including the wolfs , have profit of this wildlife management programs ; their population is also healthy.
I cannot see the justification of people that think its OK to kill a baby but to regulate the environmental balance of wildlife by hunting is wrong for the earth?
I suggest a little education on managing wildlife or better yet just be quiet. "
Mandy wrote on Feb 10, 2009 10:59 AM:
pjjammen wrote on Feb 9, 2009 6:49 PM:
Bejee wrote on Feb 9, 2009 12:16 PM:
As ugly and as politically incorrect as the wolf killing might seem to some,it saved caribou, especially young caribou, from being eaten alive.
This "holier than thou" person is another celebrity that distorts the facts. Ashley Judd is a pro abortion activist . It astounds me that the life of a wolf is more important than that of baby. "
Mandy wrote on Feb 9, 2009 11:28 AM:
Bejee wrote on Feb 9, 2009 4:03 AM:
Judd ,when she is consistent, should include EVERY governor, in her rantings. They ALL look over and control the wildlife management decisions that are in EVERY SINGLE STATE, not just Alaska.
Alaska has successful wildlife programs; those programs allow humans to take more moose, and healthy populations of wolves to continue to thrive in Alaska. "
jbgoode wrote on Feb 6, 2009 9:13 PM:
That said, I betcha Palin drools over dead wolf legs, cut from the wolf's exhausted bodies after being ran to near-death, than shot, a leg being cut off for proof of slaughter. "
Karen Schwartz wrote on Feb 6, 2009 6:21 PM:
Jim wrote on Feb 6, 2009 3:43 PM:
Others states also killing animals in the context of their wildlife management.
It is like during the election ; smearing and trashing Sarah Palin by distorting the facts and poke up people against Sarah Palin. "
becky wrote on Feb 5, 2009 11:01 PM:
Karina wrote on Feb 5, 2009 6:24 PM:
II could not agree with you more. "
Karin wrote on Feb 5, 2009 5:36 PM:
brutal killing of wolves.We always hear about predator control is nessecary to provide food for those whose survival depents on it,yet two thirds to three-quarters of moose and caribou hunted in Alaska,are harvested by urban and out-of -state hunters.Nothing new...the blaim
is always put on the wolf.Wolves in general hunt the old and sick animals and leave food for many other animals to survive.Wolves are very important to our egosystems and have the right to be here just like any other living being on Gods earth.Save the Wolves. "
Lynnrockets wrote on Feb 5, 2009 10:16 AM:
(sung to the theme of “The Addams Family”)
Their creepy and their brain-dead
Ingested way too much lead
Kids born before they were wed,
The Palin Family
Her dialect is grating
Her beehive irritating
Daughters always mating
The Palin Family
(Wink)
(Blink)
(Missing Link)
So put your muckluks on now
And join their nightly pow-wow
It’s certainly not highbrow
Ff99d "
Dian McDonald wrote on Feb 5, 2009 6:16 AM:
beth wrote on Feb 5, 2009 2:57 AM: