Reader urges sportsmen to look beyond the banter in election

Letter to the Editor,

Like most voters, I’ll be glad when the November elections are over. I’m tired of the negative campaigning, especially the TV and radio ads that are full of condescending sound bites, misquotes, half-truths, etc.

Something I find especially annoying is the pandering to sportsmen by the National Rifle Association (of which I am a member) to blindly promote their Republican agenda.  As someone who takes his hunting and fishing quite seriously, it was almost comical that NRA President David Keene showed up to endorse gubernatorial candidate Rick Hill over Steve Bullock.  

The irony is that Steve Bullock actually is an ardent Montana hunter and fisherman, with a passion and strong ethic in protecting our sport for us and his family.

In the Senate race, Denny Rehberg has been anything but a friend to Montana sportsmen and sportswomen. He worked hard to defund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (royalties paid by oil companies for offshore drilling); did nothing but grandstand to delist wolves in a political maneuver that may have sounded good, but in reality didn’t have a snowball’s chance in (heck) of passing muster in Congress; sponsored HB 1581 to open up Wilderness areas to development under the guise of economic development (again, may sound good but has nothing to do with reality) and his Border Patrol Bill HR 1505 allowing the government, in a left-handed way, to ignore environmental rules and access restrictions (usually in place for wildlife security, especially during hunting season) within 100 miles of the Canadian border!

And let’s not forget the 2011 Montana Legislature which was probably the worst affront to sportsmen in the history of the state. 

Luckily, sportsmen of all stripes rallied to defend our cherished stream access, wildlife programs, and the habitat that all add up to make Montana a great place to hunt and fish.

I’ll hold my nose when I pay my 2013 NRA dues knowing I’m supporting Rick Hill and Denny Rehberg, along with that “great patriot” Ollie North, (who got caught lying under oath to Congress), or my money may be going to help Ted Nugent pay a few of his poaching fines.

I hope sportsmen will look beyond the lip-flapping in November and remember owning hunting rifles doesn’t do much good if you’ve got no place to use ’em! I think the greatest conservation president, Republican Teddy Roosevelt, would be spinning in his grave if he had to vote in 2012. 

— Tom Horelick

Libby