To the editor:
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) views the people of Maine as ignorant, a people they believe to be easily manipulated because of their compassionate and humane nature. Maine people are compassionate, and kind-hearted, about domesticated animals. What (HSUS) is counting on is Maine people associating domesticated animals with wildlife, to view a bear, deer, or moose as something you can go to your local Humane Society, adopt and take home with you.
Animal welfare is the love and compassion for pets (domesticated animals) cats, dogs, horses, cows, chickens, etc., Animal rights is a wildlife management strategy whereby lawyers create a problem, then promote legislation, so the same lawyers who created the problem can sue taxpayers on behalf of wildlife. The rights of wildlife are defended without benefit, only the lawyers reap the gain of taxpayer money for defending wildlife.
“Problem, Reaction, Solution”, is a wildlife management strategy that is very deceptive and has been successfully effective, with three basic steps.
Step 1: Create and exploit a problem that someone else gets blamed for.
The problem that HSUS has created, is Maine hunters are cruel, lazy, they litter the environment with donuts, and feed bears fatty food. They suggest the Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife along with the Maine Warden Service and Unity College, with one of the best educational wildlife management programs in America, don’t have a clue of what they are doing.
Step 2: Create a reaction of outrage and public outcry expressed as a result of the created and exploited problem.
HSUS has promoted their agenda anticipating the people of Maine will be willing to give up their rights of traditional wildlife management, using a deceptive, emotionally-charged wildlife management strategy to get the people of Maine to accept change, where ordinarily the people would refuse it.
Step 3: HSUS offers the solution — a promise of legislation and law change — that was planned long before the problem was created or ever existed, to gain power and control of wildlife resources, in the State of Maine.
The people of Maine are hard working, trying to raise a family, working to make ends meet. Maine people harvest wildlife to feed their families, not as a sport. Prior to the negative, and emotional exploitation of hunting bear, the time invested with hunting bear in Maine, was only talked amongst hunters during the season. The people of Maine trust the Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and the Maine Warden Service — two of the best wildlife management agencies in America; the people of Maine know they do their job professionally and do it very well.
Maine has a traditional wildlife management system in place, the only system well preserved and untouched by outside influence in America. This system has worked very well and is successfully effective. Maine people should be allowed to traditionally manage wildlife to a healthy and sustainable level.
Paul Meade
Orrington
