DISCLAIMER: This post is NOT craft/handmade related. This post may also have some views that you disagree with. In no way am I claiming that all the information in this post is 100% factual, but I did the best I could to cite only credible sources and to stick to verifiable facts. My sincere hope is that I don't offend anyone with this post. I am posting this because I feel strongly about the subject matter. Additionally, I made a promise to a fellow artisan that I would help her spread the word, and I believe VERY strongly in following through on any promise I make. I hope you will take the time to read this post, but if you choose not to, I totally understand. If you do continue reading, I hope you can see that I am not trying to spark any sort of political debate, nor am I trying to incite any riots. I am simply trying to draw attention to the plight of a group who can not speak for themselves. <3
When I first joined the Artfire community, I became an active member of the forums there. Not long after, I had the pleasure of meeting Val from SoyScentual. My first impression of Val was that she was kind, witty, and extremely passionate about her beliefs. It wasn't long until I saw those beliefs in action.
Val started a thread in the forums trying to bring attention to the fact that Sarah Palin has no regard for wildlife in the beautiful state of Alaska. Unfortunately, the thread quickly took a turn for the worst (as such sensitive topics often do), and Val's well-intentioned thread was moved to a "lesser seen" forum. While I understand the reasons it was moved, it saddened me that something so obviously important to so many was now being overlooked. So I offered to help Val spread the word by posting about the topic here. It's taken me a while to write this, and for that I truly apologize. It isn't often that I have such a hard time writing something, but this time I wanted to be sure that I was both being honest and doing this topic the justice it deserves. I sincerely ask you to continue reading with an open heart and an open mind, and to let go of your political biases long enough to hear what Val, myself, and so many others are trying to say.
So, with that in mind, here's the issue:
Sarah Palin, as governor of Alaska, has repeatedly and purposefully created and enacted legislation that endangers the wildlife of her state. She has used tax payers' money to carry out her personal agendas, and she has completely disregarded the voices of her constituents time and again. She has offered bounties for the legs of freshly killed wolves, promoted ariel hunting of those same wolves (even though the state of Alaska has voted TWICE to ban this practice), and she is suing the federal government to prevent polar bears from being listed as endangered. She also sued to have the Cook Inlet Beluga whale removed from the endangered species list. As is sadly obvious, Governor Palin is no fan of wildlife preservation.
In the past, Governor Palin has used various reasoning to support these actions, the most prominent being that "Alaska has a wolf overpopulation issue" (which is not true) and "Alaskans need moose for food, so the wolves (natural predators of moose) need to go" (this too is bad logic, because it costs FAR more to kill the wolves than it would to just feed the hungry in her state). Realistically, it appears that Mrs. Palin, a very active big game hunter, is just using her political platform to further her personal interests. IMHO, it's a sad thing when someone who has the potential to make changes for the better chooses to use her power to harm our already overworked planet.
Regardless of whether you are a republican or a democrat, a liberal or a conservative, I think we can all agree that humans are steadily eating away at this planet's resources. As it stands right now, Alaska is the last state where one can see such magnificent wildlife in its natural habitat, and for that reason, if no other, I feel we should pull together and lobby for a change. As artisans, we often talk of "saving the planet" and "being earth friendly"... we recycle, we try to reduce our waste, and we try to do the right thing at every turn. But I ask you: what good are these actions if we leave ourselves as the only species on the planet when it's all said and done? Are we saving the planet for the planet's sake, or are we just saving it for our own selfish use?
If you agree with me that every aspect of this planet is worth saving, then please, take action to do what is right. Write a letter, make a call, donate to the right organizations... anything you can think of. And if you can't think of anything, feel free to ask me or Val... I'm sure we can point you in the right direction.
<3
p.s. Thank you for taking the time to read this far. It means a lot to me.
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