Apathy always rules the day. As outdoorsman, hunters and fisherman are losing access and opportunities at an unprecedented rate. This trend will continue, until we stand together as a force to be reckoned with. Doing my very small part for conservation, I have come to realize we are our own enemy. There are a few people doing most of the heavy lifting, regarding conservation and hunter/fisherman opportunity. Most including myself, feel we are doing our part by writing an occasional letter and ranting amongst our collective echo chamber of like minded individuals. This has been proven over and over again to be whofully insufficient. We need to ask ourselves, as a voting block of close to 250,000 hunters and saltwater anglers, why do we continue to be ignored and have non science based policies forced upon us, while various industries and shrill ultr-left eco groups, are appeased and left unscathed. IMO, this is because we are not respected and our actions, or lack therof, will not effect the policy maker’s likelihood of being re-elected.
Playing nice has not and will not work. An emotional fact distorted arguement, will always win out over a science based, rationally presented case. I can’t believe I am going to quote Trump’s father, but he said something similar to “ When you get punched in the face, punch them back twice as hard” Look how far that bit of advice has gotten a deeply flawed, narcissistic compulsive liar.
As I opened my rant “Apathy always rules the day” I have seen first hand how people will yell and pound their chests, but when action or effort is required, they are nowhere to be seen. The question is, how to convert us chronic complainers to men and women of action ? I don’t have the answer to this, but you can bet your a@@ that all the antis do.
Following is a quote by Martin Niemoller, who was a pastor and critic of Adolph Hitler. Although I don’t want to suggest that our struggles remotely resemble what people suffered through in ww2, I do want to highlight the human predisposition to looking the other way being complacent.
“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out-
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and
I did not speak out-
Because I was not a Trade Uninist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not
Speak out-
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me-and there was no
One left to speak for me.”
Although there is no existential threat to our lives as the above is referencing, there is a existential threat to our way of life and identities.