William's Letter to Senator Feinstein

Dear Senator,

Our state is in serious financial difficulty, our nation's economy is in severe recession. There are bills relating to energy, the environment, and healthcare occupying the congress and the nation.

And, apparently, the issue topmost on your mind today is dictating to the people of Alaska how they manage their food supply! Hunting wolves is not about sport, it's about making sure that the caribou herds are large enough to feed subsistance people in remote parts of Alaska. The herds have been decreasing but with cutting down on the wolf population, they are rising again. Why hunt from airplanes -- Alaska is twice the size of Texas with very few roads so driving out in a pickup is not particularly practical. This is not a matter of sport, it's a matter feeding native populations who have no convienient supermarkets.

Yes, it's sad the wolves get killed and not a particularly pleasant death. On the other hand, the young caribou or moose who is chased down and torn apart by the wolves as he dies doesn't have a very pleasant death either. Nature is messy. Those of us who get their dead animals neatly packaged in plastic at the grocery store should not pretend moral superiority over people who actually kill their own food.

California has a reputation for cultural arrogance which you have enhanced today by interfering in the management of Alaska's wildlife. Perhaps we should stick to taking care of our own people's needs and let them manage theirs.

William Shipley