GET OUT AND VOTE! Protect Our Sport .

[hossco]

Mr. Hoss, I didnt/dont mean to be argumenative. The National Rifle Association helped get Jennifer Martin appointed as one of the Commissioners over the objections of most all the conservation groups here in Arizona. As you know, the commission is a political organization that oversees all aspects of game management for the state of Arizona. I found it very unusual that NRA endorsed Jennifer Martin over a couple other more qualified and "Hunter friendly" candidates that were backed by ADA, AZbowhunters, AZelk etc.........I just am not sure how much NRA does in the interest of AZ hunters. Where were they during the USO fiasco? As to voting, that seems to be the only way we have a voice so everyone must exercise their priveledge to vote.............Allen Taylor........

ALLEN

 

Thanks For EDUCATING ME ! I am starting to Understand how it all fits together!

It All Makes sense Now.

 

MR HOSS

[dave]

Rembrant,

 

I was astounded by the prop 204 vote. With this kind of public opinion here in Arizona, I can guaranty you they will at least have a ballot initiative in 2008 to ban lion hunting.

[mattys281]

I'm no lawyer, but I did read that prop & all it's definitions word for word and I saw nothing that I felt could even vaguely be construed as being applicable to hunting. If there is a prop to restrict any form of hunting in the future (which we all know there will be at some point), I don't believe it will spawn from this. I also checked very carefully for any text in the prop that described "inhuman" methods of killing, harvesting, or whatever word you want to use. I found none. In fact, section B specifically said that this amendment was not applicable to the killing of pigs or calves. The prop dealt only with the confinement of live calves and pigs specifically. Not even animals in general, mind you, but PIGS & CALVES specifically. I don't see anything to worry about.

 

P.S. 105 & 106 looked like development land-mines getting ready to go off. Good job on voting those down, everybody! I love how they try to pretty them up by promising to preserve 600k acres. What about the other couple million of blm acres?! Strip malls & home-owner-associations if they get their way.

[dave]

I was not trying to compair prop 204 to banning lion hunting. What I would like to point out is that the same types of people and groups that supported 204 are the same groups that want to ban lion hunting. It is about what these groups want to accomplish. I had no idea the public would respond the way they did.

[audsley]

Prop 106 was way too complicated and way too vague on sensitive points. It was too open to interpretation that would have had to come later in the courts. Most people, including many enviros as well as hunters, weren't comfortable with it.

 

Personally, I think we should have passed it anyway and and then moved on to the fight over whether hunters would have access. As it is now, we'll have to hope the governor or legislature comes up with some way to save high-quality habitat from being sold for development. If that doesn't happen, we won't be hunting on that land anyway because someone will build on it.

[KGAINES]

To me 204 is a feeling out process for those groups, they are testing the waters to see how to word and phrase a proposition to get it through, next time it will be that dairy cows and their facilities should be kept a certain way, and then beef cows a certain way, and then it will be the next best actress or actor that will come to az and support a prop to ban lion hunting, and all of these dances with the stars watching people will be out to vote to help out their favorite celebrity. I think there are way to many people out there that are manipulated by some ex druggy rock star or dairy queen cashier from canada than we think, when did singing a song or being in a movie make them a political expert, but that don't matter to the sheep that follow them to vote. No matter what happens we as hunters and outdoorsman need to be very aware of each and every proposition that can affect our sport and our future.

[dave]

Audsley and others,

I am curious because I don't know, what is the process now for how the State decides if it will sell State Trust Land to someone?

[az4life]

This should confirm it for anyone still holding out hope... The old AZ is gone.

 

I really wish there was a mandatory IQ test before anyone was given a ballot to fill out. With people like Mr Nappy and now convicted and admitted political criminal Harry Mitchell being elected it is obvious that there are way too many idiots voting that just do not have a clue.

 

I also see the dems got the min wage increase and annual adjustment passed too. That will sure help you AZ residents with your illegal mexican problems. Yeah right... Expect more taxes on those doing the work to support the masses of those on the government handout list. Also expect illegal immigrant AMNESTY to be given in the next 12 months. Stupid Americans have voted for it and now We all have to live with it.

Don't forget the open negotiations with all the islamic fanatic terrorists. God help us but with Dems in power, forcing the likes of Rumsfeld out, we are likely going to have another major terrorist attack on US soil.

 

Good luck to those of you still in AZ and the rest of us in the US.

[DesertBull]

As soon as my daughter is done with high school, I am out of here.

No disrespect to those of you that still enjoy it here and / or have lived here all your life, but this place sucks.

[dave]

No worrys az4life,

 

Most all of the voting places had signs in espanole so all could find there way. If you can't read espanole, you are expected to know where you are going.

 

I am very interested in the state drawing new lines where the demos and the reps are equally distributed in districts. It won't help my neihbors from New Jersey to find the poll but at least we could call their pot an american name and not confuse it with a hispanic name such as maryjane.

[KGAINES]

dave I also don't know how they sell the land and would like to know the process. I do think that we have a lot more than 640,000 acres that should be set aside, that really doesn't look like much when compared to what is huntable public land right now.

 

az4life as far as an IQ test for voters, I don't think it would work, they would change the test and mtv would write the questions, to vote you would need to know who the last three rappers were that won some mtv award, or who the current gay celebrities are, or what the plot was to the latest michael moore movie is, or who bill clinton is currently sleeping with, we would never get these right. They certainly wouldn't ask if the economy is better now than in a long time ( and we are paying for a hurricane in new orleans still and a war in iraq), or why are we attacking terrorist in their countries not waiting for them to attack us in ours.

 

We can't say praise God but we can say F you, you can marry the woman you love and try to make a life, or you can marry your roomate (man or woman) just for healthcare and welfare, you can raise a pig for slaughter, but you have to take him for walks daily, I really don't know what is next and I am sure there will be a few new members to our azgfd commission that are handpicked by our gov. and that can't be good for us.

 

I would love to see someone run for office and say exactly what He or She thinks, not what the other guy is doing, and not some sugar coated politically correct speeches, say what you feel and run for office.

[audsley]

I'm packing for a hunt and can't spend much time on this, but I think we need to look at the areas that were identified in 106 and see what can be done to save them.

 

I believe the current process for trust land sales goes something like this: Someone makes an offer to the state land department for a piece of state trust land, then the land dept. decides whether to sell based on the amount of the offer and whether they believe it's the right time to sell. In other words, the state land department works about the same way land speculators work. They're looking to get the highest price possible. I'm not an expert, but I think that's how it's done.

 

Now I'm concerned there will be a rush by speculators to buy some of those lands. Hopefully Napolitano and Winkleman (head of land dept.) will hold on to those pieces until we can get something going again, but I'm not sure they can.

 

If hunters put together a different intiative that was worded right, we might get it to pass. If only hunters would pay as much attention to what's happening to our huntable land as they do to things like bonus points and out-of-state tags, we might re-gain our image as the nation's primo conservationists.

 

As for 204, I think K Gaines has it pegged right. I'm glad the margin was no larger than it was because that encourages them.

[dave]

Randy Graff tryed that and committed political suicide. You can't hang the Presidents pic U/D and gain respect from your core supporters.

 

How do we end up with 20 ballot initiatives and everyone is scrambling to find out what they mean.

 

This state is being attacked by interests that want to buy this state. Prop 105 and 106 would have let that happen.

 

I am hoping that guys like Audsley get on here and tell us how not to let that happen.

 

I am telling you guys that after what I saw with the 204 thing, these folks are encouraged and will be going for other things.

 

You will see in 2008 a ballot initiative for banning lion hunting, maybe more.

 

Maybe we need to start something that says no one can sell our land.

[KGAINES]

dave that is what we need, a simple worded proposition that would protect the majority of Arizona's hunting land, and while were at it we ought to get a bill passed that says we can hunt animals in AZ unless they are endangered species or federally protected.

[dave]

I agree. That is why I would never shoot a Gila Woodpecker.