To The Editor Of The Day, New London CT:
Published on 9/4/2007

On vacation during the waning days of his troubled presidency, in an age of climate meltdown, President George W. Bush chose to make a priority out of increasing hunting possibilities. He ordered federal land management agencies to “facilitate the expansion and enhancement of hunting opportunities and the management of game species and their habitat.”

This might have been some people’s first notice that the Interior Department last year created a 12-member Sporting Conservation Council. Constructed to advise agencies on expanding hunting, the council’s members include officials from hunting groups such as the National Wild Turkey Federation, National Rifle Association, Ducks Unlimited and Safari Club International.

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns says President Bush’s order will effect “a natural balance among hunter, habitat and wildlife” – as though guns were part of nature’s balance.

What’s true of international relations is true for our interactions with the natural world: To achieve a true natural balance, we should learn to live in respectful harmony with the rest of the planet’s community, of which we’re all a part.

Joan Lownds
Darien, CT

Editor’s note: The writer is with Friends of Animals.