* The Obama Administration awarded a no-bid contract to an environmental group that has been attacking Sarah Palin, a potential opponent of the president in the 2012 presidential election. The government largess is just one of a number of federal contracts which include at least $6 million for studies to gauge the Gulf Oil Spill's effects on wildlife. The Associated Press surprisingly reports:
Contractors include a group whose political arm endorsed Obama in the 2008 presidential campaign and ran ads in several swing states against then-Republican vice presidential candidate Palin. The group, Defenders of Wildlife, received a $216,625 noncompetitive contract from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for a seabird survey in the BP spill area.
Both Defenders of Wildlife and its political arm, the Defenders Action Fund, have criticized Palin, a former Alaska governor, for supporting use of low-flying airplanes to hunt wolves and other wildlife in winter.
Defenders of Wildlife also has been urging Discovery Communications to drop plans for "Sarah Palin's Alaska," a reality TV series, and wants sponsors and viewers to boycott it. The Interior Department said the Fish and Wildlife Service hired the group to survey the effects of oil on ocean birds because its chief scientist, Chris Haney, is respected and experienced in bird research. It said BP approved the scientist's selection.
An executive for Defenders of Wildlife said politics played no role in the $216,625 contract.
"I just truly believe there are no dots to connect," said Jamie Rappaport Clark, the group's executive vice president and a former director of the Fish and Wildlife Service under former President Bill Clinton.
And if you believe that, then Bill Clinton never had sex with that Lewinski woman.
Update: Political analyst Clay Young opines that the Obama Administration giving nearly a quarter million dollars to an organization that endorsed Obama and has attacked Sarah Palin "makes it look a little fishy."
* Sarah Palin supporters, conservationists and others who simply would like to have the opportunity to view the series "Sarah Palin's Alaska" and judge it for themselves are up against a well-organized and well-financed negative campaign by the radical leftist front group Defenders of Wildlife. Even those who are not supporters of Gov. Palin should be concerned that a pressure group is attempting, through rank censorship, to determine what they can and cannot watch on television. Such a practice is the antithesis of the concept of free speech, the basis of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
We urge all of our readers who have not done so to sign the petition to let Discovery Networks know that you want to have the opportunity to watch "Sarah Palin's Alaska" on their TLC channel when it airs this summer. All you have to do is click on the widget at the top of this blog's sidebar on your right.
You can have more impact by also sending a letter or email to Discovery CEO David Zaslav. Such letters are always more effective when written in your own words, but for those who don't have the time to compose such a letter, we offer the sample below:
David M. Zaslav President and CEO Discovery Communications Inc. One Discovery Place Silver Spring, MD 20910
Dear Mr. Zaslav:
I was pleased by your company's announcement in March that Discovery Communications had acquired rights to the proposed series, "Sarah Palin's Alaska. The 49th State is America's last frontier, and it is a land of natural wonders and majestic beauty. It is also a place where the pioneer spirit is still very much alive in the interesting characters who choose to live in a rugged wilderness which offers many challenges and great rewards. My friends and family have been looking forward to viewing these programs on The TLC network, but now we fear that we may never get the chance to see the series.
It has come to our attention that a well-financed public relations smear campaign by the animal rights group Defenders of Wildlife is being conducted to urge Discovery communications to drop “Sarah Palin’s Alaska” before the first episode is even given an opportunity to be shown. What the Defenders' campaign amounts to, in our opinion, is a form of censorship which is the antithesis of free speech, the very foundation upon which mass communication through various media outlets in our nation is based.
The rhetoric coming from Defender’s reflects an unscientific, emotional appeal which ignores the science supporting the predator management program in Alaska, one which was practiced before, during and after Governor Palin's term as Governor of that state. After years of research, it is recognized by practically all state and federal wildlife officials that predator management is a prerequisite for guaranteeing stable populations of prey species. Given that many Alaska residents rely on moose, caribou, and other wildlife species for food, it becomes imperative that those species not be decimated through lack of predator management. The Alaska wolf management program accomplishes this. It does so through a rigorously regulated, scientifically based system targeting only those predators in areas where wildlife populations are not able to reach adequate levels of sustainability in the program’s absence.
While Defenders may have at some time in the past been genuinely concerned with the well being of wildlife, the organization's increasing focus on targeting Sarah Palin reveals that today, Defenders is more interested in practicing politics than it is concerned about wildlife. Please do not allow Discovery Communications to bend to pressure from Defenders and similar "animal rights" groups with radical political aims.
As Americans, we are all guaranteed the right of free speech by the Constitution of the United States. That includes Discovery's right to air "Sarah Palin's Alaska" as well as all Americans' rights to enjoy whatever we choose to view from the diverse menu of cable and broadcast television offerings available today. I implore you not to let this pressure group take away my right to watch "Sarah Palin's Alaska" or any other program on your networks.
Sincerely,
Please edit the sample to match your own concerns. Personalized communications are always more effective than form letters. To send your letter by email, click here. You can also call Discovery Viewer Relations at 1-859-342-8439 to express your views.
They are all about destroying Palin, not saving wolves * The organization Defenders of Wildlife would like you to believe that the group's name describes what they are all about. This is the mission statement:
Defenders of Wildlife is a national, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural communities.
While that may have indeed been the organization's goal at one time in its history, today that mission statement is a lie. Truth is, Defenders is nothing more than a front group for radical leftist politics. Consider that if the group's real purpose was protecting animals in their natural communities, they would show at least a modicum of concern for the herd animals --caribou and moose -- which are the prey of wolves. But no, all the hacks want to talk about are fuzzy, lovable wolves.
One doesn't have to do much research to learn that if left alone, wolves would decimate the herds in Alaska. Do the math. Wolves bear litters of four to five pups at a time, while caribou and moose are limited to single births. Those same caribou and moose are the wolves' favorite food group, and their hunting tactics are deadly efficient. Every time the State of Alaska has taken a hiatus from controlling the wolf population, the numbers of herd animals quickly drop to alarming levels. We say "alarming" because Alaska's native people depend on hunting caribou and moose to feed their families.
Most native Alaskans live in very small, remote villages which don't have supermarkets, and even if they did, the price of beef and pork would be prohibitive for the natives, many of whom live at the subsistence level. Indeed, many of the villages are so remote that electric power transmission cables and natural gas lines are only a pipe dream. They burn wood for heat and have to depend on portable generators for electricity. The primary modes of transportation are dog sleds and four-wheelers. Hunting caribou and moose is not a sport for these people, and it is much more than a tradition. It is a necessity.
This is why the Fish & Game Department practices scientific predator control. It's not done out of rank cruelty, as Defenders and other such groups insinuate, but rather to protect the herds from their primary predators -- the wolves. What is cruel is the impact wolves would have on Alaska's native populations if Defenders of Wildlife is allowed to have its way, as this video from Defenders of Wild Food attests:
Which is more humane -- a clean shot through the head of a wolf, or the pack running down and eating caribou calves alive? Now we have no quarrel with letting the wolves get their meals in the wild, but again, in certain areas, to keep them from driving down the herds' numbers to dangerously low levels, the wolves' numbers have to be managed through the practice of predator control.
Defenders of Wild Food is an organization which was formed to fight the lies being spread about wolves in Alaska by the well-financed Defenders of Wildlife, and to educate people about the importance of wildlife to the everyday lives of Alaskans.
We've covered all of this before, here, here, here and here, just to cite a few of our posts on the issue.
But again, it's not about wolves or wildlife. To answer the question posed in the title of this post, no, Defenders of Wildlife, at least those who control it, are not that stupid. In its present-day incarnation, the group exists primarily for the purpose of promoting the radical far left political agenda. That's why they ignore the facts of Alaskan life and continue their attacks. And those attacks, especially since the day she was named to the number two spot on the 2008 GOP presidential ticket, have been almost exclusively aimed at Sarah Palin. It's clear to anyone capable of rational thought that the aim of these leftists is not to save wolves, but to destroy Sarah Palin.
One thing that leftists abhor is the unencumbered presentation of both sides of an issue so that people can decide for themselves. Free speech is not an option for anyone but those who are on their side of the issues, so they are pouring their considerable resources into an all-out campaign to try to convince Discover Networks, Inc. to drop the series "Sarah Palin's Alaska" before it even gets a chance to air. Rather than let people decide with the channel buttons on their remote controls, the leftists want to silence the former governor.
Please take action. Let Discovery Communications know that you support their production of “Sarah Palin’s Alaska.” There are two ways to do this. The easier option is to sign this petition. You will have the option of including comments, if you so wish.
You can also write to David Zaslav, Discovery’s CEO. Please let him know that Gov. Palin is regarded as a conservationist by those familiar with the principles of wildlife management and predator control, and the anti-Palin rhetoric coming from Defenders is at best an unscientific, emotional appeal and at worse pure politics. Mr. Zaslav's address is:
David M. Zaslav President and CEO Discovery Communications Inc. One Discovery Place Silver Spring, MD 20910
You can also send Discovery an email about its programming by clicking here or call Viewer Relations at 1-859-342-8439.
Thank you for supporting Gov. Palin, Native Alaskans and reasonable, scientific methods of wildlife management.
- By special guest blogger Fay * As with all things Palin, Governor Palin’s upcoming Alaska documentary series has come under attack by the left, in the guise of protection of wildlife. Radical environmental groups, such as Defenders of Wildlife and CREDO, have led the charge. Backed by considerable funding, they have collectedover 500,000 signatures through petitions sponsored by Defenders, CREDO, Care2, and Change.com. A summary of their efforts to date against Governor Palin’s show can be found here. To top it all off, CREDO plans to present their petition with signatures to Discovery Communications at their annual shareholders meeting in Washington, D. C. on Wednesday, May 5.
Radical environmentalist efforts against Governor Palin are not new. We are all familiar with Ashley Judd’s propaganda against then Governor Palin’s predator control program. (See here also.) As U. S. Sportsmen's Alliance(USSA) pointed outthen, predator control is essential to ensure that there is enough caribou for Alaskans to hunt for food. Predator control was conducted responsibly and scientifically by Governor Palin’s administration.
Environmental extremists have also attacked Governor Palin over her call to “Drill Here, Drill Now!” As Governor Palin has explainedon numerous occasions, energy independence is essential for national security and prosperity. In Alaska, the gas and oil industry provides a significant portion of its citizens’ income. Again, her administration responsibly monitored the oil and gas industry so that there was minimal impact on the environment.
As the fiascoin the San Joaquin valley has taught us, we have to balance the needs of human beings with our need to protect the environment. Due to the uproar of eco-terrorists over a three-inch minnow that wasn’t even indigenous to the region, that fertile valley, the bread basket of the nation and even the world, was turned into a dust bowl. Thousands lost their jobs and their livelihood before the federal government was forced to respond to citizens’ demands to turn the water that supplied the farms in the valley back on.
I’ve said all that to say this. Upon becoming aware of the eco-terrorists’ latest attack on Governor Palin, a group of Sarah Palin supporters decided to do something about it. The authors of Sarah Palin Web Brigade and the Sarah Palin Information Blog spearheaded a petition drive in a counter-attack. Other Sarah Palin support sites joined the effort, and our numbers have doubled already.
We have set up a petition in the form of a letter to Discovery Communications President and CEO David Zaslav in which we support Governor Palin’s and Discovery’s Alaska documentary series and at the same time present the facts about her responsible stewardship of Alaska’s wildlife. All supporters of Sarah Palin are asked to sign this petition as a show of support for Governor Pallin. Strength is shown in numbers, and we want the world to know that Governor Palin’s support far exceeds that of the opposition. If you bought her book or stood in line to get her autograph or traveled the distance to hear her speak, please take time to go here and sign this token of support for her. You’ll be glad you did!
* A news release from the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance should be of special interest to Sarah Palin's supporters:
(Columbus) – The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) is one of numerous groups that are condemning the latest public relations smear campaign by the animal rights group Defenders of Wildlife targeting former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.
Defender’s has sent out numerous e-mail pleas to its membership asking that they contact Discovery Communications Inc., the parent company of the popular Discovery and Animal Planet channels, and urge it to drop a proposed new documentary to be called “Sarah Palin’s Alaska” in which the former governor will star.
The Defender’s campaign largely rests on a gross mischaracterization of then Alaska Gov. Palin’s wolf management plan and recycled outrage at her opposition to designating polar bears as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
According to the Defender’s website, over 125,000 people have signed an online petition the group intends to forward to Discovery’s CEO David Zaslav.
The USSA has stood up against Defender’s before when the group used the wolf issue during fundraising appeals in 2009. At that time, the USSA and several other leading conservation groups sent a letter to Gov. Palin outlining support for the policy.
The USSA stands by this letter as an accurate representation of the policy. It clarifies that the Alaska program avoids game population decimation, especially for moose and caribou “through a rigorously controlled, scientifically based system.” To view the full letter, Click Here [PDF].
The USSA also shares Gov. Palin’s concerns over the ESA designation of polar bears as endangered. That decision was based largely on an unverifiable 50 year projection of what could happen as a result of global warming.
“Once again, Defender’s of Wildlife have chosen to engage in misleading emotional appeals in order to tarnish the reputation of Gov. Palin,” said Bud Pidgeon, USSA president and CEO. “Whatever one’s politics, Gov. Palin should not be falsely accused of being anti-conservation when her actions were in concert with wildlife management professionals and verifiable science.”
Take Action! Sportsmen can let Discovery Communications know that they support their production of “Sarah Palin’s Alaska” by writing a letter to David Zaslav.
Inform him that Gov. Palin is regarded as a conservationist by those inside and outside the wildlife management community and the rhetoric coming from Defender’s reflects an unscientific, emotional appeal. It fails to take into account the science supporting the wolf management program in Alaska as well as the lack of science used to place the polar bear on the endangered species list.
Mr. Zaslav can be reached at:
David M. Zaslav President and CEO Discovery Communications Inc. One Discovery Place Silver Spring, MD 20910
For more information, contact the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance at 614-888-4868 or email info@ussportsmen.org.
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance is a national association of sportsmen and sportsmen’s organizations that protects the rights of hunters, anglers and trappers in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs. For more information about the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website, www.ussportsmen.org.
We urge Palin supporters, including those who aren't active in hunting or shooting sports, to join in the USSA's defense of Gov. Palin and write letters and emails to David Zaslav at Discovery along the guidelines recommended in the news release.
Sarah Palin always fights for us and our interests. Now we have an perfect opportunity to fight for her. Don't let the leftist hit squads get away with this lying smear attack on her.
