Trading Elephant Lives for Votes

Hunters -- not those who hunt for food, but who hunt for 'sport' or 'fun' or out of spite -- are ruining my travels.

After many trips to Yellowstone National park, my favorite place to visit in the United States, I learned that some mighty hunter had shot the wolf known as 926F. She had been the alpha female of the Lamar Canyon wolf pack for several years, until one of her daughters took over. This particular wolf family was extremely popular with visitors, as it was often easier to spot than the more reclusive families. She ventured out of the park last winter and was killed. Montana and Wyoming, where the majority of the park is located, hold an annual wolf hunt, despite the fact Yellowstone's wolves are a huge tourist draw and result in millions of dollars being pumped into the local economy. Wolves, like all wild animals, don't know about and don't care about boundaries. If they leave the park, they can be killed. So I have vowed not to visit Yellowstone any time soon.

Now Botswana, a country in southeast Africa that until this week had a reputation as a wonderful protector of its wildlife, has decided to open the country to elephant hunters. The excuse given is that there are too many elephants, they are destroying crops, etc. Apparently the only solution is to kill some of them. According to

www.worldpopulationreview.com, Botswana is one of the world's most sparsely populated countries, with a population density of 9 people/square mile. Sixty-one percent of the population is urbanized. So I have to wonder where all these supposed elephant/human conflicts are occurring. 

Given China's massive presence in Africa, I'd bet a lot of money has been passed under the table to get the ban on hunting of elephants lifted. Funny how China's financial interest in Botswana hasn't been mentioned as a reason for the lifting of the hunting ban. And how about the request by Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe to remove the ban on the sale of ivory? A coincidence? A think not. Some are speculating that lifting the hunting ban is an attempt to curry favor with rural voters who are most likely to have run-ins with elephants. Regardless of the reasons, I will no longer visit Botswana. Nor will I tell people who ask what my favorite African country is that Botswana is at the top of the list. It isn't even on the list any longer. 

Why is the solution to wildlife issues always to kill the wildlife? Are non-lethal measures even considered? Kenya is having great success with using bee hives to deter elephants. The farmers' crops are saved, elephants are protected from angry farmers, and the farmers can earn extra cash from selling the honey from hives. 

Given the history of corruption in African governments, I'm sure the decision by Botswana's new government to lift the ban on hunting of elephants was 'encouraged' by the exchange of big sums of money under the table. When it comes to wildlife vs money, wildlife loses every time.

Hunting elephants is particularly egregious. They are highly intelligent animals. Female elephants spend their entire lives with their mothers, sisters, aunts and female cousins. Bulls stay with their family until they reach sexual maturity. Elephants mourn their dead. They show compassion. Killing a member of a herd traumatizes the entire herd, especially the offspring. 

Sorry, Botswana, this decision is absolutely wrong. I predict that many people -- safari guides, lodge staff, drivers, trackers and others -- will pay the price when tourism to Botswana takes a major hit because of this decision. Perhaps the government will listen to the all-but-certain suffering of its own people.

My Life, Illustrated

As I was somewhere in that fuzzy area between wakefulness and sleep early one morning, I had a dream that made me stop and think.

I rarely remember my dreams, but because this one occurred as I was about to wake up, I remember it vividly. In my dream, someone had asked what kind of statue I would want to illustrate my life. There was no need to ponder the question. In a matter of seconds, I decided the following. The statue would show me wearing a Tilly hat (a wonderful washable hat to keep the sun off my head). I would have a camera in one hand and another around my neck. I would be wearing hiking boots or hiking shoes. Surrounding me would be a young elephant, a wolf and several dogs, including at least one golden retriever. And perhaps there would be an African student, engaged in reading or studying, as part of the statue.

This would be no simple statue of a solo person standing proudly on a pedestal. This statue would encompass everything I have stood for in my life. The cameras represent my passion for photography. The hat represents my love of travel. The hiking boots show my love of hiking and the outdoors. The elephant and wolf reflect my efforts to protect these and all wild species from being driven to extinction by humans. The dogs, of course, represent those domestic dogs -- 13 so far -- with which I have shared my adult life. The African student represents not simply the young Kenyan woman whose education I am sponsoring, but the value I have always placed on education. It also represents my love of the African continent.

So there you have it: my life as shown by a statue that will never exist. I'm not a famous or notable person. I'm not a wealthy philanthropist. I support a number of charities, but I'm no philanthropist. Nobody aside from a few people knows my name. I haven't had a major impact on the causes I most cherish: the environment, wildlife, domestic dogs, education. I'm not one of those people worried about leaving a legacy.

So no, this statue is simply the creation of a brain that was in the process of waking up. But that's OK. The dream clarified for me what I hope to be remembered for. And that's a good thing. 

What would your statue look like?

The Death of Customer Service

Remember the old days, when the term 'customer service' actually meant something?

I am old enough to remember. Today, 'customer service' essentially means doing little to nothing to help the customer. And I'm not talking about trying to find a store employee to actually help me find something. I'm talking about getting an issue with a product resolved either online or by telephone.

Right now I'm dealing with several frustrating issues:

• Last month I contacted the head of a local landscape company that had done work for me in the past. The company did a good job, so I contacted the owner about some yard work/landscaping I need to have done. I heard nothing from him about scheduling a site visit, so I called him again and we set a day for him to view the job. He came by and said he would send me an estimate. Two weeks later I called him, and a couple of days after that I got the estimate. I approved it several days ago and asked to schedule a date for the work to be done. Nothing.
• I ordered a pair of ASICS running shoes online. They are uncomfortable and the laces are too short. I have worn this brand of shoes for close to 25 years, so I know about sizing and fit. I have ordered ASICS shoes online with no problems in the past. There is something wrong with one of the shoes, so I contacted the ASICS 'customer service' e-mail with my complaint. Five days later ... no response. My negative review of the shoes on the ASICS Web site was rejected.
• I bought a new dishwasher from Lowe's. The model I want is out of stock, but I ordered it and paid close to $1,000 for it. I was told that someone would call me that day or the following day to schedule installation. Six days later ... no call. 
• To reduce what I pay for car insurance, I signed up for AAA OnBoard, a cell phone app that tracks my driving speed and braking. In return, I get a 10 percent discount on my insurance. The renewal notice came in the mail, with no discount. I called AAA and was told my policy would be modified and new paperwork would reflect the discount. The renewal came in today's mail, and it still shows that I haven't signed up. And of course, there is no discount. I contacted the guy who sold me the original insurance policy, and learned that he is now in a different state. So I'm waiting to hear from his replacement. He never called, and when I called him, his voicemail said to contact my agent -- which I would do if I HAD an agent.

Businesses are oh so quick to take my money, but try to get help with an issue and you're on your own. Customer loyalty obviously means nothing to today's businesses. I'm tired of having to make multiple phone calls to get a resolution to problems that could easily be handled if businesses simply made customer service a priority. They want our business and our money, but they can't be bothered to handle issues that arise. Perhaps it's time to take my business elsewhere.

The Republican Party's War on Women

Make no mistake about it. The Republican Party is engaged in all-out war on American women.

Members of this party are doing their best to take the status of American women back a century. The recent spate of radical anti-abortion bills signed into law by the governors of several states, with Alabama's being the most oppressive, are taking control of women's bodies away from the women themselves. A bunch of scared old Republican men apparently thinks it has the right to do this. It appears these men are deathly afraid of losing their power, with increasing numbers of women and non-whites running for, and being elected to, office. 

Women's rights are human rights. Women's rights are civil rights. We make up half (50.8 percent according to the most recent census) of the population of this country. Some 47 percent of the American workforce is female. We are as capable of decision-making as is any man, more so when it comes to control of our own bodies.

Why does this group of mostly men get to remove some of our rights? Who are these men to think they can force a rape victim to carry her rapist's child to term? Forcing an 11-year-old child who was raped or subjected to incest to carry that child is psychological, and possibly physical, abuse. Of course, in Alabama, the Republican Party is led by a woman, and the most oppressive piece of legislation in the country was sponsored by a woman. The legislation was signed into law by a woman.

Sadly, in Georgia, Ohio and Alabama -- three of the states with the most oppressive anti-abortion laws (soon to be joined by Missouri), corpses have more rights than do women and girls. That's right. No one can harvest organs from anyone who hasn't previously given consent. But it's OK to force an 11-year-old rape victim to have her rapist's child without her consent.

Isn't it the height of hypocrisy that the Republican Party -- the party that always rails against 'big government' -- is now so very concerned about controlling women's bodies that it implements draconian laws that put the government in charge of the personal decisions of half the population of the United States? And I have to wonder how many wives and mistresses of Republican legislators have had abortions? We know of a few that have already come to light, and I'm sure there are more lurking in the shadows.

These faux Christians -- despite the US Constitution's separation of church and state -- use their interpretation of Christianity to conduct their war on women. Their efforts to force their social and religious views on women must be stopped. These faux Christians certainly are not following the teaching of the real Christ. And even if they were, church and state are supposed to be separate, according to our Constitution. Churches and their followers don't get to impose their beliefs on others.

The Republican war on women isn't just about abortion, however. Oh, no, it's much broader than that. It also includes efforts to control access to reproductive health services, including birth control, It encompasses the prosecution of criminal violence against women (how about all those convicted rapists who were sentenced to probation rather than jail by an old male judge?). Don't forget their arguments about the definition of rape, their ongoing attacks on Planned Parenthood (which provides free or low-cost health care for women, birth control, and yes, abortion).

Republican lawmakers have talked about "legitimate rape." They have railed against those who believe that insurance companies must provide birth control to those who pay for health insurance, claiming in essence that women who use birth control are sluts and should pay for their own birth control. No mention was made, of course, of the fact that insurance companies routinely pay for Viagra for impotent old men.

Consider these actual quotes from Republican legislators:

• "Rape is kinda like the weather. If it's inevitable, relax and enjoy it." Republican Rep. Clayton Williams of Texas 
• "Rape victims should make the best of a bad situation." Former Republican Rep. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania
• "If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to shut that thing down." Republican Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri

The Huffington Post reported in its April 23, 2016 edition that "... Republican Governor Mike Pence signed an anti-choice bill so extreme even some conservatives in the Indiana legislature voted against it. The bill could criminalize miscarriages and still-births (it isn’t really clear), and it otherwise subjects pregnant women to such a litany of harassments, humiliations and possible prosecutions that it essentially put the state in charge of all pregnant women." Pence, sadly, is now the vice-president of the United States.

I have no problem with someone being against abortion. I have no issue with opposition to birth control. Bit I DO have a real problem with the government trying to force people to live under the religious and social beliefs of others. There is a fundamental problem when some parts of the government, along with a variety of religious institutions, give more rights to a 'preborn' clump of cells than to a woman or girl who was raped. Even if the would-be mother wasn't raped, should her right to decide what happens to her body be superseded by the rights of a clump of cells?

I guarantee that if someone showed these clowns photographs of a human embryo, a cow embryo, a dog embryo, a whale embryo and a tiger embryo, not one of them could choose the human embryo from a line-up. These 'pre-born' embryos are not humans. They are not babies. Claiming they are is a huge fallacy.

Senator Kamala Harris asked this question at a Senate hearing: "Can you think of any laws that give the government power to make decisions about the male body?" Obviously the answer is 'no.' There are no such laws, and frankly, men would not stand for such laws. But Republican men, and quite a few Republican women, too, believe it's OK for the government to control what a woman or even a girl of age 11, can do with her body.

Ironically, these same all-knowing Republicans are outraged by what they perceive as Muslim men's control over Muslim women, making them wear hijabs (head scarves), etc. So Sharia law is terrible, but the faux Christian equivalent of Sharia law is to be lauded. This is nothing more than typical Republican hypocrisy.

I am well beyond the age where availability of safe abortions is a personal concern. That doesn't mean I don't care about the growing erosion of women's rights and the increase in misogyny in America.

I am pro-choice. That does not mean I am pro-abortion. I would love to see low-cost or free birth control more widely available to women. But birth control has never been 100 percent effective. I strongly believe that the decision about abortion -- indeed any decision affecting a woman's body -- should be made by the woman involved -- not by some state legislature.

The Future of America

I have been around for many decades, and this is the first time I am concerned about the future of America.

It's not just the buffoon occupying the White House, or his band of corrupt, self-serving, unqualified associates. No, my fear is much deeper and broader than that. Not only our political systems are collapsing, but so, too, are our judicial, social and cultural systems, as well as our infrastructure. Our military is being handed more and more power (border protection and screening people for security clearances are but two examples). Fascist regimes frequently start this way.

I never thought that I would witness the decline and fall of America. As many other once-great countries have fallen, so, too, it seems is America. Consider the decline and fall of the Greek empire, the Roman empire, and the ancient Egyptians.

Here are a few examples of what I see as symptoms of an America that is well down the slope toward collapse.

• A driver of a school bus, convicted of raping a 14-year-old girl, gets no jail time for his crime.
• A Georgia man who held a teenage prisoner captive -- in a dog cage -- in his home for more than a year, and who was indicted on charges rape, child cruelty, sodomy and several other charges, served only 8 months of his 10 year, 8 month sentence. He will serve the rest of the sentence on probation.
• Antisemitism is on the rise, with two recent attacks on people in synagogues resulting in several deaths.
• A young woman was shot and killed as she was driving to work, in an apparent random shooting.
• Wanton acts of vandalism appear to be on the rise. Near Houston, Texas, someone set several beehives on fire, killing upwards of 500,000 bees. Without bees, certain food crops don't get pollinated. No pollination = no food. In my neighborhood, vandals repeatedly tear down street signs, stop signs and other official signage.
• The attorney general of the United States apparently believes there are no limits to presidential power and will do anything to stop any Congressional attempts to curb it. 
• Corporations continue to amass unheard of profits, while workers try to scrape by on low wages and few benefits. 
• Some of America's biggest corporations pay NO income taxes, despite billions of dollars in annual profits. Amazon, for example, made $10.1 BILLION in profit in 2018
• The Republican-led government continues to try and hurt the nation's most vulnerable -- the elderly, the disabled and the sick -- coming up with plan after plan to slash Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other social service programs. The Department of Education wants to eliminate funding for Special Olympics. This all happens while  members of Congress whine about not being able to live on their $174,000/year salaries, plus countless paid time off, retirement benefits for life, etc. -- things most workers can only dream about. Political party leaders, such as the speaker of the House, Senate majority leader, etc., are paid even more.

The economic divide between the top 1 percent of Americans and the remainder of the country continues to grow. People are struggling under student loan debt, bills for medical care, and the cost of basic housing and food. With the vast majority of power and wealth held by a tiny number of people, conditions are ripe for major upheaval. Among the reasons for the fall of the Roman Empire are overspending and a widening gap between rich and poor. Military overspending, as well as government corruption, political instability and the loss of traditional values, are other contributing factors

All of these conditions are present in 21st century America. Will the United States ultimately collapse, as did the Ottoman, Roman and other empires? Only time will tell. But I believe we are now on a very slippery slope. I think there is time to demand and implement a major course correction, but it won't be easy. Those holding all the wealth and power won't easily, or willingly, surrender.

Ultimately, it's up to us to make sure they do.

This is my 500th blog post.

They Are NOT 'Furbabies'!

Is anyone else bothered by the term 'fur baby' or 'fur kids'? 

In the scheme of things, this is a very trivial matter. But it's one I feel a need to address.

I love dogs, but they are not babies and they are not kids. They are not four-legged-children. They are animals of a different species, with different emotional, social, nutritional and physical needs. My dogs stay in the house with me. They sleep in my bedroom (but not on my bed) at night. But they are canids, not humans.

Treat dogs with love. Treat them with kindness. Give them quality dog food and great veterinary care. Spend time with them. Play with them. Shower them with attention. But don't treat them like little humans in fur coats. I cringe whenever I see a dog wearing a dress or a tutu, or pearls. There are dogs on Facebook that have an entire wardrobe of outfits, from dresses to sports jerseys. And puppies don't sleep in pajamas, nor do baby goats and pigs wear onesies!

Some dogs actually need to wear a sweater during cold weather, especially if the temperature is very low, the animal is old or very young, or it has a short coat. Otherwise, the dog's own coat will keep it warm.

I know, if their family members want to spend money on a closet full of little doggy outfits, that's their business. But in my opinion, the dogs would much prefer to spend time running around outside with their family members than being treated like little humans. Let them be dogs. Let them roll in the mud or the dirt. Take them on a long walk in the park or on a hike in the mountains. 

I am not offended by the terms 'fur baby' and 'fur kids.' I just think they are ridiculous.