Disturbing Response from State Senator Benton on Jay Kehne Appointment

[Wenatcheejay]

Dave, you are right. We do need to change in Olympia through voting. I gave Mckenna money during his fund raiser while the freeze was lifted. I also did the simple thing of a friend on Facebook so I can put it to my friends for his ideas to change Washington. They are very simple good, common sense ideas. Every Republican on this board should who has a Facebook page should consider doing it. (2 simple things everyone could do.)

A lot of people here are trying to lay the groundwork for a WDFW overhaul regardless if we get a change or not. Even if we loose we still have a tremendous amount of power through our financial contributions to WDFW. Getting people involved is the idea. YES, those that vote for Democrats hurt us, it frustrates me to no end. Even if they hold on to power we should not allow it to defeat momentum of advocating for change. Something as common sense as telling the Legislators to do their job and VOTE for who is on the Wildlife Commission instead of just being apathetic about it, that's a good thing. If we make it clear that we will support legislators who bring it up might help to empower them. If they won't we should work to defeat them and bring someone to Olympia who shares our values.

Thank you for all you do for our causes.

And to the other guys, thanks to you as well.

I don't really think there is as far a seperation as this thread makes it appear.

[pianoman9701]

Special T, Pianoman...

I 'AM' part of the hunting crowd and I've been trying to get that community organized for 30 years.
I was one of the founders of the Sportsmen's Rights Coalition, which is the ONLY outdoor group that ever had the balls to demonstrate on the capitol steps over crappy fish and game management. The SRC was actually my idea, created in an editorial I wrote in the old Fishing & Hunting News back in 1982 or 83, IIRC.

We're all frustrated, and I think part of the problem is that too many in our ranks don't seem to understand that in order to change things, we have to change Olympia, and that means changing the party in control, thus changing the culture. Put a new commission in place, they can hire a new director whose job will be to improve fishing and hunting first, put sportsmen interests ahead of everyone elses, and if necessary, take the tribes to federal court, take the wolf lovers to federal court (don't wait for them to sue us), get serious about predator control, lobby for restoration of hound hunting for cougars and black bears, remove the hunting license requirement for killing coyotes and encourage hunters to shoot every one of the frigging things they see, especially during calving and fawning periods. (Watch me take a bunch of crap from some people on this forum for that one!)

When I get e-mails from people who claim to be hard core 2A activists, yet they voted for Obama and Dicks and McDermott, I'd like to hit them in the head with a brick. How stupid is that?

They voted for Gregoire, they vote for Democrat after Democrat and then wonder why we have to repeatedly face anti-gun legislation, why taxes are high, yada yada.

Ditto for hunters who unconsciously (perhaps they're comatose!) pull that "D" lever time after time and then wonder why the WDFW is so screwed up; hunters who reflexively claim Dino Rossi is a crook because somebody told them.

Rossi had the election stolen in 2004, of that there is no doubt. I happen to know him and he is a good man. He would have been a phenomenal governor. He told the truth about budget deficits, and he's the guy who actually balanced the budget for Gary Locke when he was governor.

Maybe it's time for Benton to go. But don't replace him with a Democrat. Knock him off in the primary with a more conservative Republican and then make sure that "R" gets elected in November.

And ST, you are right about Dems not extending the same courtesies the expect from Repubs.  It's essentially because deep down inside, they consider themselves to be the privileged class, and the world revolves around THEIR needs and beliefs.  Thank heavens not all Dems are like that, just the ones who seem to be running the party since the 1960s.

I know some very good Dems - I'll not name them here to spare them the backlash from their own party - in Olympia.

Bottom line:  I'm from around here. 4th generation. I've hunted and roamed the high country since I was a kid, and that's a hell of a long time ago. I have seen hunting go downhill for decades.

I care about the resource. I know it can be better managed. But in order for that to happen, a lot of careers in Olympia need to end.

Dave, thanks for your thoughtful reply.

I'm not sure that it's time to replace Senator Benton and I agree that if and when it is, it should be with another Republican. I'm not a single issue constituent, so it's unlikely that this cooperation with the governor will have me vote against my sitting senator.

The emphasis of my letter to Mr. Wilbur and my comments to Senator Benton's office were to remind them that there are some things on which we can agree with Queen Gregoire, but stacking the Wildlife Commission with liberal animal rights activists shouldn't be one of them. Messing with our hunting privileges, our herds, and indeed, the North American Conservation model is not something that the Republican party in WA should in any way tolerate "out of courtesy". I've made my positions on outdoor issues quite clear to his office, and the offices of my two state Representatives, as well.

I agree wholeheartedly that, at least in my district, we can't trust our hunting privileges or our rights under the 2nd Amendment to the Democrats. Most of them abhor both. So it's imperative that we make sure our Congress knows where we stand with which issues and precisely why. This was my intention and the impetus for my written words to both Senator Benton and Kirby Wilbur.

I support my Republicans 100% as long as they'll listen when I take issue with the decisions they make on my behalf in Olympia and in Washington, D.C. They don't have to do everything I want, but they have to listen to me bemoan their actions when they don't. That's what I hired them to do.
John W.