Sarah Palin Stand Up To "Extremist" Ashley Judd

"Reprehensible and hypocritical"

That's what Sarah Palin calls a new video put out by a group called Defenders of The Wildlife starring actress Ashley Judd.

In the video Judd accuses the Governor of "championing the slaughter of wildlife."

Sarah Palin released a statement to counter-punch Judd -

“The ad campaign by this extreme fringe group, as Alaskans have witnessed over the last several years, distorts the facts about Alaska’s wildlife management programs. These audacious fundraising attempts misrepresent what goes on in Alaska, and I encourage people to learn the facts about Alaska’s positive record of managing wildlife for abundance."

“Shame on the Defenders of Wildlife for twisting the truth in an effort to raise funds from innocent and hard-pressed Americans struggling with these rough economic times."

Defenders of Wildlife launched similar attacks against Palin soon after she was selected as former GOP presidential nominee John McCain’s running mate, but until Judd’s appearance the spots garnered little attention. Palin did not respond to previous criticism from the nonprofit membership organization.

In the ad, Judd condemns Palin for a state policy encouraging the aerial hunting of wolves.

“Palin even proposed a $150 bounty for the severed foreleg of each killed wolf,” Judd says. “And now she is encouraging even more aerial killing. It is time to stop Sarah Palin and stop this senseless savagery.”

Here is what we need to understand. Sarah Palin grew up in a family that hunted Moose and Caribou to survive. Many families in Alaska hunt to feed their families. We cannot impose a New York or Hollywood sensitivity on the people of Alaska.

A blog named Rule .303 has a wonderful explanation of Wolf Hunting. Here is a excerpt -

I talked to a guy online for a while who is a subsistence hunter in Alaska. He has a day job, but given the cost of food up there, hunting is his only practical means of feeding a family of 12 (including some elderly relatives in his care). The guy told me that for several months of the year, they literally go through roughly one caribou a week. About the same as a pack of wolves, really.

As far as these people are concerned, it's them or the wolves. Not that they even want to wipe out the wolves completely. They aren't trying to extirpate them from any part of their range. Just reduce their numbers when the population starts peaking so that the caribou stay plentiful enough to keep putting dinner on the table.

The hunting can legally only be done for this purpose. You or I could not legally show up in Alaska and go shooting wolves from planes. Only certain government employees or subsistence hunters granted special permits can do this.

The man who wrote the blog post explains that he is neither a fan of Sarah Palin's nor hunting. But he took the time to understand that there are circumstances in Alaska that make the hunting necessary.

It is a good read and if you want to understand both sides of the issue I suggest you http://rule-303.blogspot.com/2008/10/in-defense-of-palins-stance-on-aerial.html

You have to admit that we are a tad hypocritical in the lower 48 to impose our values on the people of Alaska. In the L48 we slaughter chickens and turkeys by hanging them upside down as there heads are removed by a buzz saw; we send electrical bolts through the heads of cows and pigs, who don't always die right away; we seperate calves from their mother and enclose and inject them to make tender veal; and we kill dogs and cats by the hundreds of thousands because it is "the humane" thing to do. When we stop our brutal practices, we can judge others.

In other words, let the people of Alaska decide what is right for them as we take care of our own problems.