Cats Aren't Trophies

[Sheltowee]

https://www.denverpost.com/2024/09/...rado-trophy-hunting-mountain-lions-wild-cats/

As Pat Craig said so well: “Let’s be clear: Mountain lions and bobcats are not a food source as many callous individuals like to suggest. Instead, they are hunted solely for their heads and beautiful coats.”

Buddy, I got bad news for you- lion is apparently delicious.

 

[TOGIE]

implying you have to be a callous individual to suggest they are a food source.

oh buddy, i can play the-lump-everyone-into-one-category game too.

for ****s sake.

 

[perma]

Anyone else feel that freedom of press is the most abused first amendment?

 

[Sheltowee]

Anyone else feel that freedom of press is the most abused first amendment?

This is one where we're likely going to have to agree to disagree, but don't get me started on how meaningless the Fourth Amendment has become.

 

[perma]

This is one where we're likely going to have to agree to disagree, but don't get me started on how meaningless the Fourth Amendment has become.

I get it, it’s a hot take and a very unpopular opinion.

 

[bayoublaster7527]

Anyone else feel that freedom of press is the most abused first amendment?

It’s not that the freedom of the press is abused, it’s that the press has become so biased in their reporting. Shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone which direction the Denver/Boulder press will lean on this issue. That being said, it is not an obstacle we can’t overcome.

 

[TOGIE]

freedom of press is not what is abused and free speech is the absolute bedrock of democracy in my opinion.

the abuse is freedom of "facts."

unfortunately that abuse isn't restricted to one side. in a perfect society it would self police. rather, it is embraced.

 

[Sheltowee]

It’s not that the freedom of the press is abused, it’s that the press has become so biased in their reporting. Shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone which direction the Denver/Boulder press will lean on this issue. That being said, it is not an obstacle we can’t overcome.

Well, that is an op-ed written by a member of the community, not the newspaper. Hopefully CRWM will submit a rebuttal opinion.

 

[TOGIE]

Well, that is an op-ed written by a member of the community, not the newspaper. Hopefully CRWM will submit a rebuttal opinion.

editorial boards are not without bias.

 

[bayoublaster7527]

Well, that is an op-ed written by a member of the community, not the newspaper. Hopefully CRWM will submit a rebuttal opinion.

Absolutely. The question is whether the Denver media outlets will publish rebuttals from hunters/hunting organizations. CATS proponents are all over every news outlet continually using the term “trophy hunting” and not one single journalist questions their use of the term. Come on now. Even the non hunting Secretary of State Title Board took issue with the term in the Prop title.

 

[perma]

It’s not that the freedom of the press is abused, it’s that the press has become so biased in their reporting. Shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone which direction the Denver/Boulder press will lean on this issue. That being said, it is not an obstacle we can’t overcome.

Well said, I can subscribe to this post.

Like I said, it’s a hot take for what I said. We all have our own opinions. I think I’m just triggered because this is an important topic, and I don’t feel all the facts were presented for undecided CO voters.

Keep fighting residents. I’m with ya to the end.

 

[rideold]

There was a decent opinion piece in the Daily Camera opposing the ballot issue (https://www.dailycamera.com/2024/09...it-front-range-voters-against-rural-colorado/).

 

[Sheltowee]

Absolutely. The question is whether the Denver media outlets will publish rebuttals from hunters/hunting organizations. CATS proponents are all over every news outlet continually using the term “trophy hunting” and not one single journalist questions their use of the term. Come on now. Even the non hunting Secretary of State Title Board took issue with the term in the Prop title.

Hard to tell, but they have before: https://www.denverpost.com/2023/10/11/mountain-lion-hunting-colorado-big-cats-ballot-measure/

DP's actual news coverage, as opposed to opinion letters written by the public, has been fairly balanced on this issue: https://www.denverpost.com/2024/07/...hy-hunting-initiative-mountain-lions-bobcats/.

 

[NECALI]

I remember when CALI voted to ban lion hunting. I lived in Northern California and didn’t see any commercials on local TV. for or against it. Went to visit relatives in the Los Angeles and the local T.V. stations were loaded with commercials portraying lion hunting as cruel and horrible. Showed lions being shot out of trees with the sad music and all. Very effective at making it look bad. Of course most all of the city folks voted it in.

 

[COEngineer]

I remember when CALI voted to ban lion hunting. I lived in Northern California and didn’t see any commercials on local TV. for or against it. Went to visit relatives in the Los Angeles and the local T.V. stations were loaded with commercials portraying lion hunting as cruel and horrible. Showed lions being shot out of trees with the sad music and all. Very effective at making it look bad. Of course most all of the city folks voted it in.

There seems to be a gentlemen's agreement not to use gory footage on either side in CO. If the anti-hunters show videos of a lion getting shot, the pro-hunters can post endless footage of cats ripping fawns to pieces.

 

[bayoublaster7527]

Well, it appears that Colorado State University’s Anti-Hunting Policy Center is back at it again. Crazy to think that CSU, a major ag and wildlife biology school, is now the full-time information arm of the anti-hunting campaign in Colorado being led by Rebecca Niemec, who left her position with the state on the animal board when her extreme anti-agriculture views were exposed.

Colorado voters weigh a ban on hunting mountain lions as attitudes toward wild predators shift

Colorado has spectacular scenery, but it comes with wild animals, and they sometimes wander into town. A ballot measure that would ban hunting wild cats is the latest test of public views on hunting.

theconversation.com

Apparently they do public opinion and polling research to support orgs like Animal Wellness Action and CATS/Prop 127. Typically political campaigns pay pollsters to help with messaging and campaign surveys, but here in Colorado our state university provides the anti-hunting orgs with “social science” to build their campaign media and ads.

If I was a sportsperson and a student/alum/booster of Colorado State, I would be pretty upset about this. This is larger than Prop 127 and they aren’t stopping any time soon. Especially with the backing of a major state research university.

 

[Green Hunter]

So ballets are getting mailed out. I have seen the same commercial regarding mountain lion hunting over and over but nothing on the other end of the spectrum. It seems like Cat's aren't Trophies has a more aggressive campaign wing but that is going to help them win. What is being done to get this in front of the voting public? Sorry, op eds in a newspaper isn't going to sway the average voter, who most likely doesn't read that section of the newspaper, let alone a paper at all. You are going to lose this if you don't get it in front of the public ASAP.

 

[406LIFE]

So ballets are getting mailed out. I have seen the same commercial regarding mountain lion hunting over and over but nothing on the other end of the spectrum. It seems like Cat's aren't Trophies has a more aggressive campaign wing but that is going to help them win. What is being done to get this in front of the voting public? Sorry, op eds in a newspaper isn't going to sway the average voter, who most likely doesn't read that section of the newspaper, let alone a paper at all. You are going to lose this if you don't get it in front of the public ASAP.

HOWL and CWDB are in front of this. See this thread. Don't discount op-eds, letters to the editor, or really any efforts being put into this. There's a lot of time until the election.

 

[Nameless Range]

Do they do polling on propositions? Being out of touch with Colorado, I wonder what the outlook is like at this current time.

 

[elkduds]

Another active discussion of this topic on HT.

CO Mountain Lion Ballot Initiative: Continuous Updates

This article below is from the Anti-Hunting Policy Center at Colorado State University, essentially the information and polling arm of the anti-hunting movement in Colorado, led by noted anti-hunting, animal rights activist Rebecca Niemiec. Their survey information focuses on mountain lions and...

www.hunttalk.com