Post by evertrap on Dec 17, 2013 22:31:15 GMT -6
Once again, we've lost a precious freedom thanks to the Missouri Department of Conservation. On Friday, December 13, 2013, the Conservation Commission voted, against the people and all common sense, to go ahead with the slot-ban on blue catfish for Lake of the Ozarks, Truman Lake and all the rivers and streams that run into them. This oppressive law goes into effect March 1, 2014.
It's been a long, exhausting fight, but the MDC has driven their last nail in the coffin. Of course, they'll have to find more nails, because we sportsmen are not going anywhere, and we're not giving up.
We usually blame atrocities like this on the MDC directors, but they're not on top of this departmental trash heap. There are four commissioners who should have said "no." What were they thinking? I wonder if they think at all.
Back when the MDC was controlled by conservationists, we never worried about those four commissioners. Their rubber-stamps were authorizing regulations based on common sense... most of the time. The old MDC wasn't perfect, but at least it was trying to do what it was created for–conservation.
After 2002, everything changed. The "Hook 'n Bullet" chiefs began to disappear from the department and were replaced by a new generation of tree-hugging prairie-lovers, which is an oxymoron in itself. These people actually believe nature can be molded and shaped to match their fantasy, and the way to accomplish this is to control people, which they see as the only real threat to wildlife.
At first, they backed off when we "stakeholders" objected, but they soon learned how to get around this annoying obstacle of humanity by using secrecy and creative lying. And even though their lies are blatant, a lot of people still trust them to do the right thing.
More than ten years ago, Missouri citizens said "no" to elk restoration. The MDC tabled the idea for awhile, then took it up again and pushed it through in less than three months against even stronger opposition. They said the majority supported their actions. It was all a lie.
During the worst recession we'd had in years, the MDC hid a regulation among pages of permit price hikes that required land owners to buy tags to kill deer on their own property. When the word got out, thanks to an article in one major newspaper, that regulation died along with most of the price hikes. Only out-of-state permit buyers were losers that time.
The MDC outlawed the sale of crawfish for bait without telling anyone. By the time the fish farmers and bait dealers found out, the law had already been printed in the code book. State legislators had to step in to force the MDC to back off, which they eventually did, but only in a small way. Now, only one species of crawfish can be legally sold for bait. All this because something bad might happen which has never happened in history.
Along the same line, the MDC outlawed the wearing of soft-soled waders at state trout parks based on an imaginary crisis involving the transfer of "rock snot" from other waters, even though trout streams are not a desirable place for this algae to live. If contamination ever happens, birds will be the carriers… but they won't be blamed, you will.
The leaders of the MDC still feel the need to be loved and respected by the public. They seek validation for their stupid ideas, so when you don't agree, they just say that you did. It makes them feel better.
To validate the decision to steal our bluecats, they used part of a statewide survey taken in 2002 that was executed by a group of their own employees. The survey was designed to justify the MDC's actions. Sadly, it didn't agree with them, so they lied by omission claiming the survey showed 35% of respondents felt the quality of catfish fishing on Truman Lake had declined during the last 10 years. They didn't mention that 39% had said the quality had stayed the same or improved, and 26% didn't know. Later, the MDC doubled down by completely dropping the "Don't Knows" from their calculations to increase the "Declined" percent to an even more impressive sum.
When you have to resort to a ten-year-old survey to prove a point, plus lie about its content, it's obvious you have no valid point to make.
Large-sounding numbers were often used to convince the public that there was a problem with blue catfish. "Eighty-five percent of the blue catfish are being exploited," they claimed. What did this 85% mean? Absolutely nothing. After a five-year, bogus tagging study done on Truman Lake, which featured three-hundred $50 tags and extensive advertising to get people to "catch the money," those pesky fishermen just couldn't catch enough. The MDC biologists had to cook the data to increase the annual percentages, then add all these together to get the large but meaningless 85%. You'd think that would embarrass a biologist.
Only a handful of trophy catfish fishermen supported the slot-ban. They criticized and demeaned anyone who wanted to keep the right to eat some of those highly abundant and tasty fish. The rest of us showed our opposition at three public meetings, and the MDC responded by claiming they had strong support for the slot-ban.
The finalized law will be published in the Missouri Register soon. Below it should be a summary and count of public comments. We know there were hundreds of comments against it, and there might have been thousands if the MDC hadn't kept the law a secret by not releasing the news to the papers. No matter what they report, we'll never know if it's the truth or not. They have absolutely no credibility left.
So that's it? How do you defend your rights against a lying, out-of-control department run by unelected people who face no opposition from the media, have no oversight except an occasional scolding by the legislature, and has complete control over a heritage that we cherish and don't want to lose?
The answer is to keep fighting and pay attention. What you love about the outdoors may be their next target.
- Linda
It's been a long, exhausting fight, but the MDC has driven their last nail in the coffin. Of course, they'll have to find more nails, because we sportsmen are not going anywhere, and we're not giving up.
We usually blame atrocities like this on the MDC directors, but they're not on top of this departmental trash heap. There are four commissioners who should have said "no." What were they thinking? I wonder if they think at all.
Back when the MDC was controlled by conservationists, we never worried about those four commissioners. Their rubber-stamps were authorizing regulations based on common sense... most of the time. The old MDC wasn't perfect, but at least it was trying to do what it was created for–conservation.
After 2002, everything changed. The "Hook 'n Bullet" chiefs began to disappear from the department and were replaced by a new generation of tree-hugging prairie-lovers, which is an oxymoron in itself. These people actually believe nature can be molded and shaped to match their fantasy, and the way to accomplish this is to control people, which they see as the only real threat to wildlife.
At first, they backed off when we "stakeholders" objected, but they soon learned how to get around this annoying obstacle of humanity by using secrecy and creative lying. And even though their lies are blatant, a lot of people still trust them to do the right thing.
More than ten years ago, Missouri citizens said "no" to elk restoration. The MDC tabled the idea for awhile, then took it up again and pushed it through in less than three months against even stronger opposition. They said the majority supported their actions. It was all a lie.
During the worst recession we'd had in years, the MDC hid a regulation among pages of permit price hikes that required land owners to buy tags to kill deer on their own property. When the word got out, thanks to an article in one major newspaper, that regulation died along with most of the price hikes. Only out-of-state permit buyers were losers that time.
The MDC outlawed the sale of crawfish for bait without telling anyone. By the time the fish farmers and bait dealers found out, the law had already been printed in the code book. State legislators had to step in to force the MDC to back off, which they eventually did, but only in a small way. Now, only one species of crawfish can be legally sold for bait. All this because something bad might happen which has never happened in history.
Along the same line, the MDC outlawed the wearing of soft-soled waders at state trout parks based on an imaginary crisis involving the transfer of "rock snot" from other waters, even though trout streams are not a desirable place for this algae to live. If contamination ever happens, birds will be the carriers… but they won't be blamed, you will.
The leaders of the MDC still feel the need to be loved and respected by the public. They seek validation for their stupid ideas, so when you don't agree, they just say that you did. It makes them feel better.
To validate the decision to steal our bluecats, they used part of a statewide survey taken in 2002 that was executed by a group of their own employees. The survey was designed to justify the MDC's actions. Sadly, it didn't agree with them, so they lied by omission claiming the survey showed 35% of respondents felt the quality of catfish fishing on Truman Lake had declined during the last 10 years. They didn't mention that 39% had said the quality had stayed the same or improved, and 26% didn't know. Later, the MDC doubled down by completely dropping the "Don't Knows" from their calculations to increase the "Declined" percent to an even more impressive sum.
When you have to resort to a ten-year-old survey to prove a point, plus lie about its content, it's obvious you have no valid point to make.
Large-sounding numbers were often used to convince the public that there was a problem with blue catfish. "Eighty-five percent of the blue catfish are being exploited," they claimed. What did this 85% mean? Absolutely nothing. After a five-year, bogus tagging study done on Truman Lake, which featured three-hundred $50 tags and extensive advertising to get people to "catch the money," those pesky fishermen just couldn't catch enough. The MDC biologists had to cook the data to increase the annual percentages, then add all these together to get the large but meaningless 85%. You'd think that would embarrass a biologist.
Only a handful of trophy catfish fishermen supported the slot-ban. They criticized and demeaned anyone who wanted to keep the right to eat some of those highly abundant and tasty fish. The rest of us showed our opposition at three public meetings, and the MDC responded by claiming they had strong support for the slot-ban.
The finalized law will be published in the Missouri Register soon. Below it should be a summary and count of public comments. We know there were hundreds of comments against it, and there might have been thousands if the MDC hadn't kept the law a secret by not releasing the news to the papers. No matter what they report, we'll never know if it's the truth or not. They have absolutely no credibility left.
So that's it? How do you defend your rights against a lying, out-of-control department run by unelected people who face no opposition from the media, have no oversight except an occasional scolding by the legislature, and has complete control over a heritage that we cherish and don't want to lose?
The answer is to keep fighting and pay attention. What you love about the outdoors may be their next target.
- Linda
Goodbye 2020