From the Editor
The World Has Gone Mad
column By: Steve Garbe | October, 26
Titled the “People for Elimination of Animal Cruelty Exemptions” or PEACE act, it would outlaw hunting, fishing, trapping or any other activity that resulted in the death of an animal. Literally, it can be interpreted that trapping mice in your home would be illegal unless you used live traps and relocated the mice. What is so disturbing about this is not the fact that this is some proposed legislation, but that the proponents have had over 120,000 people sign the petition to push it forward.
As I write this, the legislation has not been voted on as a ballot measure. Hopefully, by the time this issue goes to press, common-sense (what little is left in Oregon) will have prevailed and this ridiculous measure will be residing in the trash can where it belongs. However, that still does not negate the fact that these were supposedly sane people (and no small amount of them) that thought this would be a good idea.
It puts on display how far we have moved away from the land (and reality) in our toxic urbanization. This is a trend that needs to be reversed or I greatly fear for our collective sanity. We literally have created an environment where idiocy not only is tolerated by society, but it thrives. Openly displaying your mental abnormalities has become the new fad and if you don’t have any, then you are encouraged to create some.
All this lunacy really serves to highlight the fact that we have many organizations that have mobilized to combat this craziness and they are deserving of your support. It doesn’t matter if this sort of proposed legislation is slated for review in your State or locality…passage of legislation like this impacts us all.
Connect the dots with me. Under this sort of proposal, one could make the argument that since there is no longer a legal way to hunt game, why is there a need for firearms? Or archery equipment? Or fishing tackle? If the activities associated with this equipment are illegal, then shouldn’t the means to engage in illegal activity also be outlawed?
The proponents of the PEACE Act realize there is a minimal chance that it will become law, especially since even the Democrat politicians in the state have come out opposing it. However, supporters of the PEACE Act have said that even though they realize it probably won’t survive a state-wide vote, it opens the conversation about “animal cruelty” and they intend to continue to push more such initiatives. Indeed, this is the third time that a ballot initiative like the PEACE Act has been proposed.
This is the real wake-up call here. We can no longer ignore idiocy of this sort with the mindset of “not our concern because it isn’t happening in our State.” We cannot relax vigilance on the efforts of those with not the slightest idea of what reality means in our daily life, or those who would fundamentally change our way of life for their own gain. It’s not enough to get angry over these sorts of efforts; it’s time to present a united front and successfully combat them. It’s seriously time to get involved.
– Gut Ziel