Human beings are the most selfish species on our planet, and that includes our congresswoman. How dare our politicians roll back the Endangered Species Act? If at any time in our history the environment and wildlife need us, it is now.
So far this year alone we have had over 200 reindeer die in the Arctic due to starvation, 70 gray whales die due to starvation, and out of a colony of 40,000 Adelie penguins in the Antarctic, only two chicks fledged. The other chicks died due to starvation. If those had been human beings who had died due to starvation, you bet there would be action.
Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, says the rollbacks are to keep the act from being abused and distorted by radical environmentalists who want to put farmers out of business. I disagree. Radical environmentalists do things like destroy machines. Many environmentalists are people who camp, bicycle or hunt in the wilderness. The ESA protects our wildlife from human beings who put the almighty dollar above the value of life. We need pristine areas not touched by machinery or drills or tapped for oil. Her “common-sense” version of the ESA is going to bring even more species to the brink.
