Ted Rall for September 29, 2010

does a bear get executed in the woods?

When I saw the words “mother bear” in the first panel, I thought this was going to be about Sarah Palin….

Ted has kindly provided us with a link to the original story: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/39253451

Sooky Rottweiler says;

Whenever I get caught looting a garbace bag, I say “if you don’t want me in your trash, don’t throw spare ribs (or steak, or chicken) bones in there. They’re too good.

Wow.

I’m not sure I’m getting Ted’s points.

But I like Gary Kleppe’s take.

Wow, this just feels…wrong…

“Three strikes and your out” has long been the rule in bear management. Having moved more than a few bears, and put some down after repeat “violations”, it became actually quite clear that as with “bad”dogs, it was more often people that should have been “put down” as the offenders. This was especially clear in cases involving “city folks” moving to the woods, building in the middle of wildlife habitat to get “closer to nature”, then having screaming fits if “nature” “intruded” on their lives.

Many towns in the west are now having “problems” with wildlife because habitat that surrounded towns is being taken over by that invasion of “city folk”, and critters are traveling (being forced) to areas they’ve never gone to before.

Wiley has it right— arm bears!

humans are vicious moron’s, check what they do/did with big cats and buffalo’s

Here in NYC, Canada geese are being exterminated in massive numbers in order to protect humans flying around in jet fuel-guzzling aircraft. From The Washington Post:

“Last year, Wildlife Services technicians euthanized 24,000 geese, a full 10,000 more than the year before. Most are gassed in CO2 chambers, but those in close proximity to planes at airports are dispatched with a gunshot….

New York state and local officials have agreed to take the number of Canada geese down from 250,000 to 85,000. Begier’s department has orders to follow.

‘Our agency possesses the expertise to do this work most efficiently,’ Begier said.

The Wildlife Services euthanasia method is approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association. There are two acceptable inhalant agents, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, plus the last-resort gunshot option. Wildlife Services prefers the carbon dioxide method because it leaves no traces in the tissue.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/28/AR2010092805698.html

Himmler and Eichmann couldn’t have done it better.

Interesting irony that the two lethal agents of choice happen to be the ones “deniers” say are perfectly healthy to have around in ever increasing concentrations, and have no impact on systems?

Ya know, in the long run, Nature just doesn’t give a rat’s bleeep about anthropocentric justice.

I’ve done a lot of driving around the western U.S., and flying to check out exactly how much “territory” they really have LEFT, and it’s all about gone. Between forest harvest, mining, oil drilling, livestock grazing, urban expansion, “country living” for millionaire cabins, destruction of water sources, and well, just human stupidity, the vast majority of wildlife habitat in those “western states” has either been totally destroyed, or altered to such an extent as to be unusable.

boblosers doesn’t have a clue, so must be a welfare rancher using public lands.

The wildlife will have to be herded onto reservations in the deserts of the Great Basin. What’s good for Native Americans is good enough for bears, right?

Okay, obvious Ted lives in the big city! When you live in a place where you have to use bear-proof trash cans, this isn’t a big deal. $h1t happens.

Here in the big city, we have to use raccoon-proof trash cans. Same difference. And raccoons are much more prone to be rabies-carriers than bears.

I do not know if Ted’s cartoon has the dimension I gather from it. But being quite familiarized with the Criminal Justice system myself, and having witnessed its propensity to become too legalistic, rigid and formulaic without actually endeavoring to pursue the actual truth of every criminal case, but instead concoting a case from the ground up or from thin air as many over zealous, self-aggrandizing prosecutors do, enmeshed in an adversarial judicial system that cherry picks unprepared, impressionable jurors that are most often impressed by which side has the most vehement display at litigation, instead of the truth, well then this cartoon is quite poignant.

That’s right, edmondd. This cartoon is actually about the justice system, not animal cruelty. It’s called metaphor.

and of course the irony is that the same folks who’d scream about a kitten, fox, or bear, about humans, do not care.

On the other hand, they enjoy the absolute freedoms that humans can no longer hope for, even by living alone in the wilderness. The animals don’t have to obey any stupid laws, get any ID cards, or pay any taxes. They can run around naked and excrete anywhere they like. If they’re birds, they can even fly around the rooftops. All they have to do (and it’s a huge proviso) is stay clear of danger from predators and human activity.

To elaborate more on what I wrote previously, I submit the following letter from Troy Davis:

“Where is the Justice for me? In 1989 I surrendered myself to the police for crimes I knew I was innocent of in an effort to seek justice through the court system in Savannah, Georgia USA. But like so many death penalty cases, that was not my fate and I have been denied justice. During my imprisonment I have lost more than my freedom, I lost my father and my family has suffered terribly, many times being treated as less than human and even as criminals. In the past I have had lawyers who refused my input, and would not represent me in the manner that I wanted to be represented. I have had witnesses against me threatened into making false statements to seal my death sentence and witnesses who wanted to tell the truth were vilified in court.

For the entire two years I was in jail awaiting trial I wore a handmade cross around my neck, it gave me peace and when a news reporter made a statement in the local news, “Cop-killer wears cross to court,” the cross was immediately taken as if I was unworthy to believe in God or him in me. The only time my family was allowed to enter the courtroom on my behalf was during the sentencing phase where my mother and sister had to beg for my life and the prosecutor simply said, “I was only fit for killing.” Where is the Justice for me, when the courts have refused to allow me relief when multiple witnesses have recanted their testimonies that they lied against me?

Because of the Anti-Terrorism Bill, the blatant racism and bias in the U.S. Court System, I remain on death row in spite of a compelling case of my innocence. Finally I have a private law firm trying to help save my life in the court system, but it is like no one wants to admit the system made another grave mistake. Am I to be made an example of to save face? Does anyone care about my family who has been victimized by this death sentence for over 16 years? Does anyone care that my family has the fate of knowing the time and manner by which I may be killed by the state of Georgia?

I truly understand a life has been lost and I have prayed for that family just as I pray for mine, but I am Innocent and all I ask for is a True Day in a Just Court. If I am so guilty why do the courts deny me that? The truth is that they have no real case; the truth is I am innocent.

Where is the Justice for me?

By Troy A. Davis”